August 30- Bubbles and Popcorn

Just a few days ago I was telling my doctor I haven't felt any movement yet and was wondering when that would start happening, sure enough the next day I started feeling it! Everyone I know who has been pregnant before has told me that in the beginning it will feel like bubbles or popcorn popping so I have been on the lookout for anything that feels like that. There I was lying in bed the other morning upon waking up and suddenly my eyes flung open inquisitively as I realized I was feeling something strange going on in my belly. It was very subtle and infrequent, but definitely felt like a blub...blub...blub sensation. I only felt it in the morning though. Then yesterday, the same thing. This morning, however, although it was happening when I first woke up again, this time it lasted longer and was happening more frequently. The crazy thing is it has been going on all day! I don't feel anything when I am moving around- not sure if that is because my movement masks the feeling or if me being active just rocks them to sleep. But as soon as I sit still I start feeling it again. Sometimes I just feel one of them move, which means I feel the bubbles down low (which would be the boy) or a little higher in line with my belly button (that's the girl) but a few times now I have felt them both at the same time! It is the craziest feeling! I can only imagine what it's going to be like once they are full on kicking me. 
The best part about it is how excited it makes my husband. He is absolutely elated that I can feel them. Even though he can't feel them yet, I think it makes it more real for him, as it does for me as well. To see his face light up and have him talk to my belly is priceless and makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. 

Oh and by the way... we have the names picked out! Be on the lookout for a post coming soon with the twins' name reveal!!!!  We are super happy with our decision and can't wait to share it with you all!!

August 27- Week 19 Baby Bump Pic

Since the Dr won't let me get past 38 weeks, I'm officially hallway there!! Both excited and terrified at the same time!

August 26- Bodily Functions...or Lack There Of

     So I'm starting to notice a theme...The further along I get in my pregnancy, the less control I have over my body. For example, I can no longer sneeze without a trickle of pee squirting out. So with my allergies I'm considering stocking up on some Depends. And it always happens when I least expect it. Ohhhh like say in the grocery store, or when I am sitting on the couch in my PJs. I actually started carrying an extra pair of underwear with me just in case!

     Then there is the new instrument I've learned to place. My ass! It has become quite musical lately and often likes to mimic a quacking duck. More times than not it happens around my husband and every single time I try to play it off like nothing happened, hoping he somehow didn't hear it but that is never the case. And of course he has to call me out on it! LOL. There's that damn duck again! It's not that I'm walking around like a teenage boy purposely farting on him, it just happens when I laugh... or cough... or lean over... Apparently I am part balloon because I am constantly full of air! Lucky for me, my hubby loves me.

   Next up is my new sensitivity with my gag reflex. I don't know if it is from tossing my cookies for so many months, but now if I cough I sometimes gag! We were laughing so hard on the cruise because I would pull something like this: Cough- Gag- Laugh-Fart- Laugh Harder- Pee trickle. I have never felt so sexy. :-/

I can only imagine what my body will be doing over the next few months...

August 25- Babymoon

     As cliche as it sounds, we just got back from our "babymoon." Otherwise known as the last vacation before we are parents. We did a quick cheapie cruise (since they are easy to do living 45 minutes from a cruise line port), plus it was cheaper to do than staying at a hotel for a weekend and food is included. I must admit, it was weird being on a cruise and not being able to drink. I never realized how much they push drinking on you until this trip! So we focused our attention on the food! Which, unfortunately it being Carnival and one of their smaller ships, wasn't the best and mostly served luke warm. But I can't complain too much because at least we got to get away! It was just way too short! The Hubs and I had a great time together though. We are on this kick lately of soaking up as much quality time together as we can because we know things are going to change dramatically before we know it. So it was really great spending some romantic time together.

     The cruise was only 2.5 days and it went to the Bahamas for a day then one day at sea. We dressed up every night for dinner and had hoped to get some really nice professional pictures of us, since they have about 10 different stations set up at night to get them taken. But by the time the photographers got done maneuvering our heads, hands and bodies in the most awkward positions, it was no wonder why NONE of the pictures came out good. In fact, they were so bad when we'd find them we would cringe and hide them behind other people's photos! LOL. Finally on the last day we just said to hell with it and at the last minute would get out of the uncomfortable pose they'd put us in and do our own. Luckily there was ONE picture that came out cute enough for us to purchase, but go figure it was the only silly one we did. 


(I just realized you've never seen a picture of G. I'm sure he'll love that the first one I post of him involves wearing a sombrero and his hand up a lizard puppet's ass!)


     On the day we stopped in the Bahamas, we didn't book an excursion to save money and just decided on going over to the famous Atlantis hotel where we could go to the beach. Well little did we know it was a VERY long walk in the sweltering heat, and when we got there we found out the hotel wanted $69 PER PERSON to use their beach. Ummm... does that include someone fanning us and feeding us grapes?? So we walked some more and found a public beach. Let me tell you something, people. Walking in soft sand in the blazing heat while your pregnant is NOT fun. I felt like I was carrying a bag of bricks in quicksand! You had to walk far to get to a bathroom so... yeah... walking. We did get to finally go in the crystal clear water (which is huge for me because I am a big fat chicken when it comes to going in the ocean!). As long as I can see what's in the water, I'm ok. The bottom was a bit soft for my liking, so I was jumpy as hell all paranoid I'd step on a crab or something. But I survived with no crab attacks or getting eaten by various sea life. We really wanted to do a tour of the island too, but there was no way way to do both. All that walking literally took up most of the day. We figured if we did the tour first we would have felt bad for missing the beach, so we were fine with how the day went. 

     That night was "formal night" so we got all dressed up, and I was amazed that the cute little cocktail dress I wore at my bachelorette party last year actually fit this bloated body. Parts felt a bit snug, but it looked cute. Unfortunately we got ZERO good pics from that night. Later was the deck party and it was hopping, but to be honest for as much as I love to dance I just couldn't bring myself to get out there on the dance floor without the liquid courage that would typically fuel me to boogie on down. We had fun people watching though. 

     The last day (which really was only the second day) was a day at sea so we spent it lounging by the jam-packed pool and eating. We did have a lot of romantic moments and quality time together. One that stands out particularly is when we were in the room getting ready for dinner. My hubby pulled me over to him and we were talking about how things were going to change in a few months and I told him I was nervous about that and he put his arms around my waist and said, "everything I  have right here is what's worth living for." MeltMeltMelt... It's in those moments I realize how lucky I am for him and for my life. I am eternally grateful.

All in all it was nice to relax and get away together... just wish we could have had another week of it!



August 20- Anatomy Scan

     This morning was our 18 Week Anatomy Scan with Maternal Fetal Medicine at Winnie Palmer. We are always so excited to see the babies again! (For those of you who don't know, the Anatomy scan is done between weeks 18-22 and measures the head, body, four chambers of the heart, kidneys, bladder, stomach, brain, spine, and sex organs. They also do a survey of the organs, including the umbilical cord, to ensure that they are developing normally (or identifies any potential problems as soon as possible). The sonographer also looks at the amniotic fluid levels, the location of the placenta, and the fetal heart rate.)

     While Baby Girl was cooperative as usual, Baby Boy was being difficult as he always is during ultrasounds. He flips around and moves into positions that make it tough for the ultrasound tech to collect the data needed for testing. It is always so amazing to see them in there. No matter how many times we see them, we are still blown away that there are TWO in there! So while the nurse was working on the ultrasound, our MFM doctor came in. It was the first time getting to meet him so we weren't really sure what to expect. He was very nice and took his time answering all the questions I had for him. I first filled him in on the background story of me being diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Failure earlier this year and how four different doctors told me I couldn't have children because my ovaries weren't working and my hormone levels were post menopausal. And that after only three months of taking herbs and doing acupuncture I was naturally pregnant with twins. He said I am not the first person he's heard of that became pregnant after being given that diagnosis and questioned whether or not using hormone levels to make such a diagnosis was viable in the grand scheme of things. I was about to say my usual catch phrase when discussing that topic, "just goes to show you that doctors don't know everything," but I decided against it as I didn't want to insult him and his profession!

     I had a list of questions to ask and he did a good job of answering them thoroughly. He brought up that I am considered high-risk because I'm carrying twins and I said that I did know that, but was curious as to what is high-risk about it. He went on to say that humans are made to carry only one baby at a time, so when there are multiples in there it is more taxing on the body, which is why they will be monitoring me more frequently. Labor is the body's response to stress (I did not know that!) and usually happens when the uterus is expanded to its maximum and the body can't take anymore. So because there are two in there, the body is being effected twice as much as having a singleton pregnancy and therefore can go into preterm labor more easily. He also said there is a higher risk of birth defects with multiples, but frequent monitoring watches out for things like that. He said some things I already knew... like that they won't let me go past 38 weeks and that the babies should be fully developed and not need to be in the NNICU if delivered from 35 weeks on.

     This led to me asking about delivery and what percentage of twins have to be delivered via c-section. He said at Winnie Palmer about 2/3 of twins are c-section and I expressed how I would much rather go the vaginal route if possible, but that I understand it's ultimately not up to me. That I know it would be a lot more pain during the birth, but I would rather get it over with than have a long and challenging recovery. He did say that mothers who really want to go the vaginal route stand a better chance of it happening that way. I told him my concern about delivering one vaginally and then the other one stressing out and having to be c-sectioned out. That's a big nooo thank you! He explained that doesn't necessarily have to happen if you have a skilled OB because even if the other baby is breech, it is easier to go in and pull the baby out by her feet than to cut me open to get her out. While that makes me feel better, the whole thought of someone reaching up there and yanking a baby out conjures up images of a construction crew in hard hats and some sort of bulldozer scooper being involved. 
Although I am sure at that point in time I won't care how the hell they get the baby out!

     I moved on to the topic of weight gain and exercise. As of today, since getting pregnant I have gained 24 pounds. Granted, I lost a lot of weight this past year. I was pretty fit and skinny when I found out I was pregnant (for the first time in my life, go figure!). I told him I eat healthy and workout 6 days a week and he said while I am on the high side of the recommended weight gain for twin pregnancy, I am still within range and to just keep exercising and eating right. I've gained 4 pounds since I was there last, which was a month ago. But... I was on a different type of scale so I would really like to see what it says on the regular doctor scale (that I have always felt was a big fat liar!) but just to have an accurate comparison. I mentioned how I've read about bed rest being a common thing to happen to those carrying twins and to my relief he said he doesn't like to put women on bed rest unless it's absolutely necessary- meaning either having cervix issues or high blood pressure. That is wonderful news because that is a HUGE fear of mine. I am way too active to ever be confined to lying in bed 24/7! 

     He also brought up the test results from the Modified Sequential Screening I had last month. The babies have a 1 in 6000 chance of Down's Syndrome and a 1 in 10,000 chance of Trisomy. Those are some REALLY good odds compared to others I have heard. So because they were so good, no further testing is needed. YAY! That is definitely comforting.

   After the Q & A session the doctor turned his attention to all the ultrasound pics that were taken and he said everything looked good. That they are still small so he will look again in a month. And BTW, Baby Girl weighs a half a pound and Baby Boy is a half pound plus one ounce! Pretty cool! The Girl is on top and is currently laying sideways across my belly button area (I didn't realize they were so high up there now!) and the Boy is at the bottom with his head facing down. So they look like the number 7 the way they are laying. I asked the doctor when I should start feeling them and he said within the next couple of weeks I should definitely start feeling them move and kick. I still haven't even had flutters yet! Of course, be careful what I wish for, right? LOL. Oh and cervix is holding steady, so no concerns there. An excellent bill of health for all three of us!

     So that's about it. We made another appointment for a month from now so they will be a little bigger then. After that I'll either have one more visit with MFM or skip it and be released back to my OB. Then at 32 weeks I will be back at MFM for weekly monitoring until birth.

    Super happy everything is going well. It is always a little nerve-wracking going to these appointments, but at the same time it eases our minds to see the little buggers again.


Here are the pics from today's ultrasound. They aren't all that great, really. But these are the best ones out of the bunch...


Baby Girl's Head

Baby Girl Money Shot


 Baby Boy's Head (not very clear!)

                                                    Baby Boy Money Shot



     

August 18- PreNatal Yoga

     Did a few prenatal yoga classes this week. Each had a different vibe. The first one I went to was that my favorite yoga studio and it was a night class.  There is about 20 girls lined up on either side of the room. At the beginning each person said their name, how far along they were, and what they were having if they knew. I was the only person with twins! The class was a little slow, not that I expected it to be crazy active or anything, but it was a tad on the boring side. However, it would probably be good once I am further along and can't do as much. Plus, it is nice being around all that positive pregnant energy.

     A few days later I went back to that class for an afternoon session. It was a lot better, but I also had a close friend of mine there with me. It was my dear friend J, whom I've known for several years. The cool thing about her is our connections together. I had met her years ago when I was a fitness director at a local gym chain. I hired her for a yoga instructor position and we clicked immediately. As it turned out we had lived in the same different states at the same time, had gone to the same college, were in the same writing program, and even had the same circle of friends. Yet somehow we never met before then. Now it is clear that the universe intended for us to meet at some point. A few years after I hired her, I hooked her up with the job at the K-8 charter school I was teaching at. I was a language arts teacher there and we needed another one. For a year we worked in side by side adjoining classrooms. We both worked at the school for a couple years but now we no longer work for the company. And wouldn't you know we are both pregnant at the same time only a few weeks apart! We still can't get over that! Sadly, she doesn't live as close to me anymore. She lives about an hour away. But she likes to come out here and go to the same year the studio so we'll always have that. We are both super excited that our kids are going to be the same age and will get to play together.

     The class that day was a lot better than the one I went to a few days earlier. Again I was the only one having twins! In some ways I like it because it makes me feel special, but sometimes it would be nice to meet someone going through the same thing as me. The instructor is really nice, it helps that she is also a Doula.  So throughout class she gives us positions and motions that will help during the pregnancy and make childbirth a little easier. Of course if I have a C-section that all goes out the window but I'll store them in my back pocket.

     Today I went to a free prenatal yoga class at a new studio. I'm not sure how I got the email inviting me, but since G had to work today I figured I might as well go. The studio is absolutely gorgeous, and a new friend of mine met me there. I met this girl at a Expectant Mom Meetup a few weeks ago. We were the only ones who showed, but that's okay because we hit it off. It's great she lives on my side of town and is into health and fitness like me. She's about six weeks behind me. G and I actually went out to dinner with her and her husband the other night. It was nice being out with another couple who are going through the same things. It's hard to go out with our usual friends now because we feel like we're boring since were not drinking.  Not that it's all they do, but it's what we all used to do when we'd go out together so that dynamic has changed. What's going out with people who are also prego gives us the chance to talk pregnancy and baby stuff with another couple without being annoying.

     So you went to this free class at this nice new studio and it was pretty good. With it being free I thought a lot more people would show up but there was only five of us in the class. At the end of it we got a goodie bag with bottles and other freebies in it. I really need to find more free stuff like this in town for expectant moms!

     As for the yoga it's always relaxing and as I said good to be around other pregnant women. It always leaves me feeling refreshed and renewed so I'm sure I'll be doing more classes in the future.

August 10- The New Normal

     Ok I'm craving a cheeseburger. Like a fast food one. Now that's just weird. Not that I would get one. A. I'd probably get sick, B. it's most likely horse meat and C. I'm pretty sure what it tastes like in my mind is not really what it would taste like in real life. So I'm gonna pick me up some Smart Dogs (tofu hot dogs... Shut up, they are good!) and whole grain buns. The hubs and I are going to cook them over the firepit in the backyard. Even though we're still at the house it makes us feel like we're doing something different. Man do I want a beer though. I'm telling you, someone better smuggle me in a margarita after delivery at the hospital. I keep mentioning to friends but I think they assume I'm kidding. I'm not! I want a Presidente one from Chili's. Only 5 months away.... sigh...

     I'm starting to get used to my body being like this. At first it was really hard to accept. But now that I'm working out all the time again and back to eating right I am feeling better about my protruding belly. Even though I have "dunlap!" I feel like I'm starting to look preggers and not just pudgers. The Hubs randomly points it out now. "You look pregnant!" He's excited about that. Certain positions are starting to get uncomfortable. Like leaning over when I'm sitting down, or putting my knees up, which I never realized how much I do that. Laying on my stomach doesn't feel good anymore. But I'm still feeling good and energetic, which I know has everything to do with exercise and nutrition. I know a lot of girls I talk to on the pregnancy forum I belong to are always so tired. But they don't exercise or eat right. Although I'm eating good foods I don't know whether or not I'm eating the right amount. I should hopefully know more at my next visit with MFM, which is in a week and a half. As time goes on they'll be monitoring me more and the emphasis will start to be on getting the babies bigger. So we'll see what they say. For now I just eat when I'm hungry which is pretty much every two hours. Trying to find ways to get more protein in. And I eat a lot of fruits and veggies. Makes me feel good to know I'm nourishing the kiddos.

August 5- The Big Reveal

     I could barely sleep last night I was so nervous/excited about the gender reveal ultrasound today. We wanted so badly for it to be a boy/girl combo, but I had a feeling it could be two girls. Everyone has been asking me if I thought I knew what combination I was having and I really didn't. What I did definitely feel was that there was at least one girl in there. That I just knew at the center of my core. But had no idea what the other was.

     So the Hubs and I met at Prenatal Impressions at noon and both of us had ants in our pants. So nerve-wracking! We asked the ultrasound guy to do Baby B first, since we had already been told at our last ultrasound that there was a good chance it was a girl. And sure enough it is! They refer to the parts as being "Dangle Down" which means there are these three lines that represent the labia. I could definitely see the lines he was referring to, but the whole image looked like a big blobby mess to me, so I'll take his word for it!
Next came Baby B. This was it, the whole enchilada. Wouldn't ya know the little bugger had it's legs crossed! After some maneuvering the tech was able to get a money shot. And as he typed the letters I'm pretty sure my heart stopped.
D A N G L E ........  UP. 100% Boy.


     AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I can't believe it!!!! It's a BOY and a GIRL!!!!!! I wanted to jump up and do a cartwheel! (which I would have totally broken an ankle or something) but I seriously couldn't believe it. Total Shock. I was seriously thinking we already have been so lucky that there was no way we'd get the boy/girl combo we wanted. But sure enough!...
I was able to see why Baby A is always moving around like crazy when we see him. He's got his sister laying on top of him at all times cramping his style! He's probably super uncomfortable in there!

     This whole thing is pretty surreal. Now it's time to solidify the names. We already have a pretty good idea of what they'll be, but we want to be 100% sure before setting it in stone. And it's also time to start planning for the nursery! I'm thinking of going with a light green baby animal jungle type theme. That's pretty gender neutral but still cute.

eeeeeeek! So excited!!!




August 3- Momentarily Carnivorous

     Tonight the hubs and I went to one of our favorite special restaurants to continue his birthday celebration. Texas de Brazil. For those of you who have never heard of it, it is a churrascaria, which means waiters walk around with giant skewers of different types of animal flesh for you to stuff your face with until you pass out. Why would that kind of place be the favorite dining spot for me, the girl who has been a vegetarian since she could first chew? I go for the incredibly massive salad bar (and all the hot non-meat sides). My husband, being the carnivore that he is, uses it as an opportunity to stuff his face full of meat. Well, I'd say about once a year I attempt to try some beef or chicken because sometimes it looks good and I admire how much others enjoy eating it. It's never been about the whole "saving the animals" thing, but always just that I have never liked the taste. My mom always tells the story that even at two years old I would put my fingers in my mouth and pull out any meat chunks that were in my baby food. However, t really does limit what I can eat and I truly wish I liked it so I could expand my options. Unfortunately, every time I try something, from filet mignon to mahi mahi (although I will not TOUCH any variation of pork. Ew.) I chew it for a second and then have to spit it out. It's just a no go. So when I was eyeing my hubby's chunk of filet mignon tonight, I fully expected the same thing to happen if I dared to try a piece. But it just kept staring at me, tempting me to eat it. G looked at me like I had six heads when I asked him for a piece. And to both of our complete and utter surprise, I didn't spit it out. In fact, I liked it. A lot. Like, I wanted more. I made him flag down the filet guy and get another piece. And I ate it! The whole chunk! My husband was sitting there staring at me in disbelief. He said, "I have never seen you like this. I am intrigued but also nervous you are going to get sick." I couldn't believe it either. But ya know, the funny thing is at around the 5th bite it all of a sudden went right back to being gross and unchewable and I immediately spit it out. For those brief few minutes though, it was delicious. It's like my taste buds turned off for a minute. Perhaps my body needed protein or iron or something and that was its way of allowing me to get the nutrients? Who knows. Pregnancy brings very strange things...

August 2- Pregnancy Brain

     Boy did I ever have a case of pregnancy brain today! I seriously should have stayed in bed! It started with me leaving my freshly made smoothie on the counter when I left for the gym. I really wanted to go to my weights class today and I got ready in time only to completely miss the exit, causing me to have to drive pretty far to turn around and ultimately missed my class. I nearly ran out of gas because I forgot I had planned on leaving early to get some before class. So since I missed my class I went to the gas station before the gym. Started pumping, went in to get a water, then came out and hopped in my car to go. As I started to quickly drive off I heard a loud crunch and boom. I totally forgot to take the pump out of my gas tank! I bent my gas cover and made a complete idiot of myself. But I just casually got out, put the nozzle back on the pump and nonchalantly went on my way, making sure I didn't make eye contact with anyone around me. What the hell is wrong with me??

     So I went to the gym to do a regular workout and realized I forgot my book at home. Then while at the gym I ran into an old colleague of mine from when I was a fitness instructor and she was looking rock solid and super fit, as she was training for a body competition. I noticed her eyeing my body and I announced that I was pregnant with twins. And I know I know, I can't compare myself while I'm pregnant but damn I couldn't help but think if she ran into me 4 months ago I was at my best ever, looking super toned and slim. So that, on top of the morning I was having, put me in a bit of a funk. But I carried on with my day.

     It's my hubby's birthday today so I had to do some last minute shopping for him. I managed to miss two more exits on the journey, which would make sense if I didn't LIVE HERE! Anyway, I went and picked up a big glass jar with a spout to make sun tea like G's mom does back home. Thought it would be a nice touch to have at the house. Brought it home, filled it up and wouldn't ya know the freaking thing has a leak! I seriously can't win today! But I had to put on a happy face for when the hubs gets home, as it is his birthday after all. I topped off my wacky day by managing to ruin the casserole I made for him. But he was sweet and ate it anyway.

     I bought stuff to make healthy versions of two different kinds of cupcakes to bake for Sunday. We are having a few friends over for a birthday luncheon. That's what life is now... luncheons instead of happy hour. Sadly, I am beginning to look forward to having lunch with people. It's the only way I socialize now! So I was holding off on making the cupcakes because I know how my husband and I operate. We are super health conscious most of the time, but put fresh-baked goods in front of us and all bets are off! When he got home I told him I wasn't baking the cupcakes tonight because of that very reason. Of course pan to about 2 hours later and we were in pure "fuck it" mode and the baking was on! Now while I made a healthy version of the cupcakes, I'm pretty sure eating SIX of them negated that whole thing. This is why I didn't want to make them! LOL. Oh well... We'll just say it was two for me and two for each of the twins! Shameful? A tad. But they were soooo good going down!














We ended the night with G opening his presents. With me being out of work I couldn't go crazy with the gifts like I usually do. But I did get him something really special. For years he's been saying he wants to see Nine Inch Nails in concert, but never had the chance. So when I heard they would be in town come this October, I jumped on tickets the minute they went on sale. Got some pretty awesome seats, too! I did all I could to prevent him from finding out they would be here because then I knew I'd be screwed. We ALMOST made it to his birthday but then about a week ago while I was in the bathroom he announced from the kitchen that NIN were playing in October. Shit. I knew no matter how I answered the jig was up. If I acted surprised he would have immediately wanted to purchase the tickets and I would have had to spill the beans. Not knowing what to say I just responded with, "yeah?" And that was it. I knew my silence and lack of interest was far too obvious. Especially when he didn't say anything else after that. But what was I to do? So when it came time to give him his present, he was super happy but I could tell not surprised. He told me he had a feeling I had gotten them with the way I responded when he brought it up, but confirmed my assumption that had I acted all excited about the concert he would have bought the tickets himself. So it was a lose-lose situation. However, he IS thrilled to get to see them. The only possible hang up is with it being at the end of October, there's always the possibility that I could be on bed rest by then. But I told him if that's the case he is going to take someone else, no ifs-ands-or buts about it! Guess we'll have to wait and see how it plays out...