37 weeks

How Far Along: 37 weeks... 9 days or less- single digits!
How Big are the Babies? They are each about the size of a winter melon.... whatever that is! I'd estimate they are right around 6.5 pounds each- we'll get a closer estimate on Thursday!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 36-ish pounds since retrieval- no weight gain this week.

Maternity Clothes: I'm still wearing a little of both and still have one maternity shirt I bought early on that continues to be too big- that pretty much blows my mind!

Movement: Baby A spends a lot of time sleeping unless I'm laying in just the right way for him to stretch out a bit. Baby B is the feistier of the two and spends a good amount of time getting angry when anything changes in his little world-- For example, his brother having the hiccups or me resting my phone or kindle on my belly.
Belly button in or out? Still in/flat most of the time

What I miss: Not being in pain when I change positions. Sitting to standing, laying to standing... all those transitions are getting more and more difficult. 

Milestones: 37 weeks- full term. I am SO READY!

Food Cravings: Fresh veggies (fresh mini cucumbers with pepper and vinegar), hummus and flat bread, donuts, super cold grapes and shaved ice. 

Aversions: I ate two eggs yesterday, so maybe I'm over that!

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly, leg cramps, lots of pelvic pain, lots of general soreness, constant hunger, excessively dry skin, Braxton hicks, contractions and heartburn.
Best Moment this week: Getting everything in order for the boys' arrival! Car seats were checked, bags are packs, house is sparkling clean, laundry is complete, meals are in the freezer.

Funny Moment: The look of amazement on my husbands face every time he touches my belly- it is CRAZY tight. One night be put his freezing cold glass of ice water up against Baby B to see if he could get a reaction from him and I didn't even flinch. He looked at me like I was crazy when I told him I could only barely even feel something touching me and felt absolutely NOTHING in terms of coldness. 

Tip of the Week: HOLY COW- Zan.tac for heartburn! My doctor told me it would be fine to take one before bedtime (that is when my heartburn is at its absolute worst) and I cannot even begin to explain how much better I slept. I wake up my usual two times to go to the bathroom, but fall back to sleep immediately. I wish I would have asked/tried something different sooner! 
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the boys on Thursday- even if they are nearly unrecognizable in there! We'll see my Dr's partner on Thursday and that will be our final appointment before the birth of our sweet boys! I CANNOT believe we are this close!

For the record, I totally thought last night was going to be it. I was having some contractions and I felt like someone had grabbed my lower uterus/cervical area and was wringing it out like a wet towel- in other words it was PAINFUL! I sat on the ball for awhile and then finally got into bed and things slowed and ultimately stopped enough for me to go to sleep. BOO! I'm pretty sure I'll feel like I've won the lottery when I go into labor or my water breaks- I am SO SO SO ready and 9 days feels like FOR.EV.ER!

36 weeks

How Far Along: 36 weeks... 16 days or less!
How Big are the Babies? They are each about the size of a honeydew melon. I'd estimate they are right around 6 pounds each- and boy can I feel it!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 36-ish pounds since retrieval- between my last two appointments I gained 6 pounds. HOLY COW!

Maternity Clothes: I'm still wearing a little of both. Most pants are maternity, but I can still get away with a few non-maternity tops surprisingly enough. 

Movement: They are busy boys!
Belly button in or out? Still in most of the time

What I miss: Not being in pain when I change positions. Sitting to standing, laying to standing... all those transitions are getting more and more difficult. I also am really missing life before heartburn! 

Milestones: 36 weeks! It was my goal from the start to bake these babies for 36 weeks- SUCCESS!!!

Food Cravings: Shaved ice, donuts, cherries, berries... you know SUPER healthy foods :)

Aversions: Eggs..... I'm just totally avoiding them at this point. I don't even try anymore.

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of pelvic pain, lots of general soreness, HEARTBURN, excessively dry skin and Braxton hicks/ contractions.
Best Moment this week: Finally really feeling ready for their arrival. There are still a few things that I'd love to check off the list, but in reality I am VERY VERY ready to meet my boys. 

Funny Moment: CONSTANTLY finding food sitting on my belly inside of my shirt when I take my clothes off at night- my husband finds it absolutely hilarious! 

Tip of the Week: Just take a nap. 
What I'm looking forward to: Checking in with the doctor again on Thursday, but most of all.... MEETING MY BOYS very, very soon! :)

35 weeks

How Far Along: 35 weeks... most likely 3 weeks or less!

How Big are the Babies? They are each about the size of a coconut. I'd estimate they are somewhere between 5 1/2 and 6 pounds each. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 31-ish pounds since retrieval. 

Maternity Clothes: I'm still wearing a little of both. Most pants are maternity, but I can still get away with a few non-maternity tops surprisingly enough. 

Movement: Baby B is one busy boy! His brother is a mover too, but I think he is probably feeling a little more 'stuck'.
Belly button in or out? it continues to get more and more weird with each passing week- still in-ish

What I miss: I can't complain too much, I've carried twins to 35 weeks and have not yet had a single scary complication. I am sore and tired, but mostly I'm just happy. I know soon I'm going to miss being pregnant and feeling their every squirm.

Milestones: 35 weeks/35 days... though this does not apply to me at all. We made the decision to have a c-section unless I go into labor on my own and arrive at the hospital ready to push. Finding out that I'm starting to dilate and am about 80% effaced- things are slowly starting to happen! My first actual contractions on Sunday- not remotely time-able or even very painful. 

Food Cravings: Bagels and cream cheese, s'mores, shaved ice and fresh fruit.

Aversions: Eggs..... I'm just totally avoiding them at this point. I don't even try anymore.

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of pelvic pain, lots of general soreness, excessively dry skin and Braxton hicks/ contractions.
Best Moment this week: Hearing that Hubs' poison oak really shouldn't be an issue in terms of holding the boys and being in the delivery room. He got a steroid injection anyway in hopes of clearing it up quickly.

Funny Moment: Realizing how much chocolate milk I've drank during my pregnancy. We are wishing we had been keeping track of how many bottles of chocolate syrup we've gone through... I'm guessing at least 10- possibly the source of every single one of those 31 pounds! 

Tip of the Week: Rest. Put your feet up and drink something. Most of all just know your limits and listen to your body!
What I'm looking forward to: My next Dr. appointment this Friday and seeing if there has been any change. But most of all.... MEETING MY BOYS very, very soon! :)

I have a new picture today for your viewing pleasure. I decided to add a picture from 5 weeks ago when I wore the same tank top for my weekly photo. 

30 weeks
Notice the seams on both tank tops on the top picture seem to match up.... not so much on the one below.
Also, on the top photo I'm covering part of the light switch with my chest and still have a decent amount of space between my belly and the white door jam at the very edge of the picture compared to the lower picture. 

35 weeks

34 weeks

How Far Along: 34 weeks... most likely 4 weeks or less!

How Big are the Babies? They are each about the size of a butternut squash. As of last Thursday, Baby A was weighing in at 5lbs 3oz and Baby B was 4lbs 14oz- both right around the 50th percentile. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 28 pounds since retrieval. That is 3 lbs in that last week, so all of you who were impressed last week.... I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be too pretty by the end :)

Maternity Clothes: I'm still trying to remember that I NEED to wear maternity pants in order to hold/support this big belly. When I don't wear maternity pants I feel it later, and it is NOT worth it. 

Movement: There is a lot of movement going on, but it isn't in the form of flips and turns, just stretches and jabs.

Belly button in or out? In-ish and numb! 

What I miss: Living without pelvic pain. The pain is pretty intense at night when I try to roll from one side to another at night. Saturday night I was in so much pain Hubs found me crying in the bathroom. Finally at 4am I bit the bullet and took one Tylenol- that took the edge off just enough to get a couple hours of sleep. OUCH!

Milestones: Finally making some decisions about the birth of these boys, and preparing for the big day!

Food Cravings: Taco pizza, Chinese food and ice cream cake- I ate them all- that may help explain that 3 lbs!

Aversions: Eggs..... I'm just totally avoiding them at this point. I don't even try anymore.

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of pelvic pain, lots of general soreness and a very small amount of hand and foot swelling after weeding for a couple hours on Saturday.
Best Moment this week: Getting to see the boys again this week. Even if it was one big bag of jumbled mess in there, it is always nice to peek in at the boys just to see they are growing and have two little beating hearts. 

Funny Moment: Nothing too funny this week- just life as usual!

Tip of the Week: Support your belly as you reach the end of pregnancy. Also, weeding for 2 hours isn't a task for someone who is 34 weeks pregnant... let alone carrying twins.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our boys! Its crazy that we are getting really, really close. I am hoping I'm able to hold out for a couple more weeks, for both baby growing and husband healing. Hubs managed to get poison oak/ivy/something last weekend and it has spread to several places on his body including his face. He is now TERRIFIED he isn't going to heal before I have the boys and he wont be able to love on them. 

33 weeks

How Far Along: 33 weeks... most likely 5 weeks or less!

How Big are the Babies? They are each about the size of a pineapple- likely somewhere around 4 lbs.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Same as last week- I'm up 25 lbs since retrieval.

Maternity Clothes: Most of the time, though I've actually worn a lot of non-maternity in the last week. I'm quickly realizing that not wearing maternity clothing is making me VERY sore. This heavy twin belly needs some support- so this week I'll need to wear something more supportive than yoga pants I guess, BOO! 

Movement: They are moving all the time, and are waking each other up with their movements more and more  lately. 

Belly button in or out? In-ish and numb! 

What I miss: I think the only thing I'm really missing is good comfortable sleep. That, and not needing to get up at night to use the bathroom-- but I can't complain about that one too much because it is just starting now. 

Milestones: Over the weekend we started getting all of our bags packed for the hospital!

Food Cravings: Chocolate milk. All.The.Time. 

Aversions: Eggs..... I'm just totally avoiding them at this point. I don't even try anymore.

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of pelvic pain and lots of general soreness.
Best Moment this week: After an EXTREMELY painful and wakeful night of 'sleep' on Friday night I woke up to an empty bed. When I went looking for Hubs I found him sleeping on the floor in the nursery. When asked why he didn't come to bed, he said he didn't want to make my sleep any worse because he knew I was in a lot of pain. When asked why he didn't sleep on our very comfy couch or the bed in the office/guest room, he said he missed the boys and if he couldn't sleep in bed with us, their nursery was the next best thing. So stinking sweet! 

Funny Moment: Being half asleep during a surprisingly long nighttime bathroom trip and momentarily questioning if my water was breaking, but then realizing I had just drank A LOT of water the day before. I also caught a glimpse of my shadow this last weekend as Hubs and I were wandering through a park.... I'm not sure why it surprised me so much, but that big round belly made me incredibly happy. 

Tip of the Week: Drink a lot of water, get a good amount of rest and put some sunscreen on when your outside for long periods of time- you are MUCH more sun sensitive while pregnant. 
What I'm looking forward to: Our ultrasound on THURSDAY!! I cannot wait to see these boys, 6 weeks and 2 days is WAAAAAY too long!!!

I don't have a new picture this morning... perhaps a photo comparison will come later this week :)

32 weeks

How Far Along: 32 weeks... most likely 6 weeks or less!

How Big are the Babies? They are each the size of a squash and probably getting close to 3.5- 4lbs each.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 25 lbs since retrieval... I guess I'm making up for lost time.

Maternity Clothes: Most of the time.

Movement: Lots of rolling, stretching and head butting/kicking the 'exit'. 

Belly button in or out? Super shallow and it pops out on occasion. 

What I miss: SLEEP! It is so painful to roll from one side to the other!

Milestones: I made it- 32 weeks was my doctor's big goal. We are here, and while we all want these little stinkers to stay in for a few more weeks, I am feeling a lot less anxious about them arriving early.  

Food Cravings: Chocolate milk. All.The.Time. 

Aversions: Eggs..... still grossing me out, but not as badly as before!

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, inability to sleep at night, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps and lots of general soreness.
Best Moment this week: Hearing their heartbeats at the doctor and hearing him say that everything looks great! Shopping for all the things we still needed for our hospital bags. 

Funny Moment: Nothing too hilarious this week. I think the funniest moments have been when the boys start moving and I'm sitting still with a tight top on- I seriously look like my belly has been taken over by aliens!

Tip of the Week: Sleep whenever you can!!
What I'm looking forward to: Our next ultrasound in a little more than a week. I cannot wait to see how big our boys are!


... and a 5 week comparison....

27 Weeks

32 Weeks

I wish the picture from this morning could have captured the madness that was happening in my belly while I was trying to take a decent picture!

31 weeks

How Far Along: 31 weeks... 7 or less to go!

How Big are the Babies? They are each the size of a pineapple and probably getting close to 3.5lbs each.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 21 lbs since retrieval... and away we go I guess! I wonder what the next 7 weeks will bring!

Maternity Clothes: Most of the time.

Movement: They are moving around in there- mostly when I'd rather they sleep... like when I'm trying to fall asleep myself! I guess they are just preparing me:) It is interesting to feel the differences in their movements as they grow. 

Belly button in or out? Still shallow and still funny looking!

What I miss: Rolling over at night without waking up because it is so uncomfortable.... and perhaps sleep in general!

Milestones: I made it all the way through the 30th week. It was the second 'week' goal I had for myself and the babies. Now, if I can make it one more week we will be at our third goal. I have complete faith that we can do it!

Food Cravings:  Popsicles, carrots and hummus, chocolate milk and generally anything that is quick and easy to eat. 

Aversions: Eggs..... still grossing me out, but not as badly as before!

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, inability to sleep at night, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of soreness, ligament pain and bleeding gums.
Best Moment this week: The maternity orientation at the hospital where we are delivering. It would probably be kind of useless to some people, but given the fact that neither of us had ever set foot inside that hospital, it seemed like a good idea to at least get an idea of where things were and where we were heading in the event that I spontaneously go into labor. 

Funny Moment: Walking anywhere with my husband and laughing about my condition. Not even a block into our first walk this week I told hubs that he was going to have to carry my water bottle... it was just weighing me down too much! We got into a nice rhythm- walk 75ish steps and stop to either have a drink or stretch my hips- I'm sure the people in our neighborhood will get a good laugh watching us in the next few weeks!

Tip of the Week: Drink lots of fluids and rest. I seriously do not understand how twin mamas make it all the way through their pregnancy working full time- that seems IMPOSSIBLE!

What I'm looking forward to: Our appointment tomorrow, and then seeing the boys again in a little more than two weeks. 

30 weeks

How Far Along: 30 weeks... 8 or less to go!

How Big are the Babies? They are each the size of a cucumber and probably somewhere around 3lbs each.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 20-21 lbs since retrieval. It seems as if the great weight stall out may be over... we'll see! My doctor did say that I could start exercising more again at 32 weeks which makes me super happy. He said once we are out of the super high-risk zone, it would be a good idea to start working on stamina for the BIG EVENT.

Maternity Clothes: Most of the time.

Movement: They are moving less and less because the poor little stinkers are packed in there like sardines! 

Belly button in or out? Shallow and funny looking!

What I miss: Rolling over at night without waking up because it is so uncomfortable. 

Milestones: Finally transferring to our new doctor and feeling a little more settled when it comes to delivery.

Food Cravings:  Popsicles.

Aversions: Eggs..... still grossing me out, but not as badly as before!

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of soreness, ligament pain, bleeding gums and because it was super enjoyable... lets add a cracked bleeding nipple to the list- ouch!
Best Moment this week: Cooking some freezer meals for after the boys arrive. I had a couple of girlfriends come over and we made several things and stocked up the freezer! It should make the first few months A LOT easier! Also, finding out our babies will most likely be born sometime in the next 8 weeks- Hopefully as close to 38 weeks as possible! 

Funny Moment: Again with the attention to detail... I put deodorant one the OUTSIDE of my shirt the other day. Impressive, right?

Tip of the Week: Plan Ahead.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing  the boys again in 3.5 weeks. Maternity tour at the hospital this weekend and finishing up the 'to-do before babies' list!

This week's comparison is between 20 weeks pregnant and 30 weeks pregnant.... mostly because the difference between this week and last week is pretty much not even noticeable!

20 weeks

30 weeks

29 weeks

How Far Along: 29 weeks

How Big are the Babies? They are each the size of an acorn squash and probably somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 lbs each.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: The great weight stall-out continues. This morning I'm sitting just between 18 and 19lbs gained since retrieval. I don't put a TON of stock in what the books say about how much weight you should gain by certain weeks, but I do find it interesting. One book I'm reading says that at this point I should have gained somewhere between 25 and 30 pounds. I'm not concerned, and apparently neither is my doctor- the boys seems to be growing just fine and have measured right at or above the 50th percentile on every ultrasound. 

Maternity Clothes: I noticed this week I really didn't wear maternity clothes much, but that may have to do with the fact that I spent a huge amount of time at home sewing for these little boys! I think the only maternity clothing I wore was a couple of tank tops and some jeans. Otherwise it is normal yoga pants and T-shirts which seem to be getting a little on the short side :)

Movement: Twists and turns, fewer kicking sessions and when they get the hiccups now it is HUGE movements. I'm pretty sure my little stinkers are running out of room in there.  

Belly button in or out? Shallow and funny looking!

What I miss: Rolling over at night without waking up because it is so uncomfortable. 

Milestones: Getting the final sewing projects done for the nursery! It feels SO good to have the curtains done and a blanket for each baby hanging on the side of each crib. Their room is so dang cute it kills me!

Food Cravings:  Corn on the cob and melon.

Aversions: Eggs..... still grossing me out, but not as badly as before!

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of soreness, ligament pain and bleeding gums. 
Best Moment this week: Getting a few more things checked off the 'before babies' list! Listening to Hubs talk to the boys every night when he gets home from work- sweetest thing ever! 

Funny Moment: I was making a phone call earlier this week and after I dialed the number and as I heard it begin to ring I grabbed my water to take a big drink before I started talking... I then realized I'd lifted the cup to my ear and was putting my phone in my mouth. Wow. Attention to detail- not my forte these days!

Tip of the Week: It is fine to have a busy day or two, but know that the following day or two may be extremely unproductive. I managed to get a ton of stuff done early this week, but those days were follow by a couple of pretty low key days recovering from the exhaustion. 

What I'm looking forward to: Our appointment with our new doctor later this week. I'm hoping we really like him. He has been practicing for years and I've read several really great reviews of him. Hopefully, we think he is just as great as everyone else seems to. I'm also really looking forward to finding out when we'll get to see our little guys again! 


And just because a comparison is fun.....

25 weeks

Four weeks later.......

29 weeks

In my opinion, it looks a little bigger, and a little rounder, but overall not that big of a difference. What do you think? I guess I haven't gained any weight in the last 4 weeks- perhaps that is the reason the belly looks similar?

28 weeks

How Far Along: 28 weeks

How Big are the Babies? They are each the size of an eggplant and probably about 2.5 lbs each.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm still up 19 lbs. since my egg retrieval. It seems like I'm stalling out here a little bit- I've been hovering between 18 and 19 lbs. since 24 weeks. My doctor predicted in the beginning that I'd gain somewhere around 25 lbs. throughout my pregnancy. When I started gaining I thought she was CRAZY, but now it is looking like she may end up being pretty close to correct. 

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much all the time. I have several things that are getting too small, but I pretty much refuse to buy more maternity clothes at this point

Movement: Now that baby B is head up I'm feeling his little feet in a VERY weird way. I'm not kidding when I tell you that when he kicks it feels like his cute little feet are going to come out of an unauthorized exit. Seriously, it is the weirdest feeling EVER! 

Belly button in or out? It is still in, and continues to get more shallow. 

What I miss: Rolling over at night without waking up because it is so uncomfortable. 

Milestones: I'm 28 weeks and in the FINAL trimester of this pregnancy. 

Food Cravings:  Corn on the cob.

Aversions: Eggs..... still grossing me out, but not as badly as before!

Symptoms:  Exhaustion, very tightly stretched sore belly skin, numb belly button, leg cramps, lots of soreness, ligament pain and bleeding gums. This week I also found out my iron levels were low and I began taking a supplement. Now instead of feeling completely exhausted, I'm just feeling extra tired. 
Best Moment this week: Finding out that I don't have gestational diabetes! Also, working more on some sewing projects for the nursery.

Funny Moment: I can't think of anything funny that happened this week. 

Tip of the Week: Be cautious of how much activity is too much for your pregnant body. I had another spotting indecent on Friday, and while I didn't freak out, I did take it as a warning that I need to spend a little more time each day sitting in the the recliner or laying on the couch. It makes me feel a little worthless, but it is such a blessing to be able to rest when ever my body reminds me. 

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing a few more items on the to-do list and meeting our new doctor in a little more than a week.