31 Weeks

31 weeks and still going strong. I had an OB appointment at 30 weeks and my OB has been really impressed with how well I'm doing and how great I look. Of course that's always a nice compliment. I have my first NST (non stress test) on Monday, Memorial Day, just shy of 32 weeks and then head back to the OB. Hopefully all is well.

I must look like I'm about to pop because I've had several people this week (mostly men) ask me if I'm due any day now. It makes feel like I must look huge, discourages me that I still have 7 weeks left to go and overall, is just a bit offensive. I'm not huge by any means. Perhaps because just about all the weight I've gained has gone straight to my belly, I look disproportionately large. I don't know.

How far along: 31 weeks
Weight gain/loss: 26 lbs
Maternity clothes: yes
Sleep: Between the time I go upstairs to get ready for bed and right before I come down in the morning, I go to the bathroom 7 times - so no, I'm not sleeping well!
Best moment this week: The ultrasound at 30 weeks and knowing our little ones are doing good, are big and healthy!
Food cravings: Lemon ice, Popsicles, anything cold and sour is always good
Gender: boy/girl
What I'm missing: sleeping on my stomach, or just sleeping for that matter
What I'm looking forward to: planting my vegetable garden this weekend (hopefully)

7lbs 3oz of Babies in My Belly

On Tuesday, at exactly 30 weeks I had my appointment with the MFM for a growth scan. At my last growth scan at 26 weeks both babies were measuring big so I didn't expect them to suddenly be smaller, but boy were we, as well as the doctor surprised to find out just how big they were measuring now.

Little Guy (baby B) has always been smaller. I'm even convinced that he was the embryo that wasn't hatching when we went in for our embryo transfer. Well guess what, that little guy has finally taken over and now out-weighs his sister. He is estimated to weigh 3lbs 12 oz which puts him in the 86th percentile. He's also made himself comfortable curled up, transverse and high in my belly.

Baby Girl (baby A), who's typically been larger, has now been surpassed by her brother but she is still holding her own weighing in at 3lbs 7oz putting her at the 65th percentile. She is still vertex, although she is snuggled in really low.

Both babies' heart rates were good, Baby Girl at 136 and Little Guy at 156. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures because Baby Girl was facing my back and Little Guy was curled in a ball. I'm just happy they are big and healthy.

My cervix is still holding strong at 3.2 which the doctor said was great. For some reason I'm super paranoid about my cervix and request trans vaginal ultrasounds at every appointment. It always makes for an uncomfortable moment between me and whichever doctor I'm seeing. I think Michael gets embarrassed for me. They seem to think I have no idea how they need to take the measurement. I remind them every time that I'm pregnant thanks to my 4th IVF so me and the vag cam go way back.

As I mentioned earlier, the doctor we saw seemed surprised by the size of the babies. He said if we make it to term, they will be good sized babies. He even made a couple references to 'in normal twin pregnancies' followed by 'but in your case' since the babies are quite big, particularly for being twins. Hopefully, they keep getting bigger. I would love to deliver full-term healthy big babies that require no NICU time.

Stay put little ones, mama loves you just where you are! Oh, and she is not ready....at all!

30 Weeks

I'm starting my count down now. 8 weeks or less to go since Dr. J. or Dr. Flintstone as Michael likes to call him (because he's a character, he delivered me and therefore old) said he wouldn't let me go past 38 weeks.

On one hand, 8 weeks makes me feel panicked. There is still so much to do, my shower isn't until June 12th and until then, I pretty much have a bare nursery with the exception of furniture. I had a dream the other night that the babies were born early and we didn't have any mattresses for the cribs nor did we have diapers (both of which are a current reality) so the babies had to sleep in the bathtub and they were wrapped in the shower curtain liner. Talk about Mother of the Year! Clearly, I don't feel prepared.

On the other hand, I feel huge and cannot imagine my body handling 8 more weeks of this while getting bigger. Carrying this extra weight really takes a toll on one's body and it makes me thankful that I'm fit and healthy both pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy.

How far along: 30 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 24 lbs

Maternity clothes: yes

Sleep: between bathroom breaks, switching sides to sleep on and braxton hicks contractions waking me up, sleep has not been the best

Best moment this week: putting all the furniture into the nursery

Food cravings: pineapple, unfortunately the pineapple I bought was so bitter

Gender: boy/girl

What I'm missing: a good nights sleep

What I'm looking forward to: our next ultrasound in an hour - can't wait to see my sweet son and daughter

29 Weeks

29 weeks and still going strong! I still feel really good, am working out and am having less back pain than I did in the second trimester. Of course my belly is getting bigger and heavier so doing certain things is getting a lot harder, but I'm feeling really good.

I can't believe how soon I will be meeting these sweet little babies. While I don't have visions of what they will look like, I can envision what it feels like to cuddle a sweet little baby, kiss their soft little heads and take in all that sweet baby smell.

On the flip side, I'm nervous and can't believe how quickly time has gone. My checklist is still a mile long and poor Michael has been busting his butt around the house. We are both 'nesting' and for some reason, making something better usually requires that something to get worse first.

In the midst of being excited for the babies and making messes while trying to 'nest' I had my first Mother's Day. I was so surprised to get cards from close friends and family. On top of that, as we were out running our weekly errands several strangers wished me a Happy Mother's Day.

How far along: 29 weeks
Weight gain/loss: 23 lbs
Maternity clothes: yes
Sleep: nightly bathroom trips have increased to 2-3 per night
Best moment this week: my first Mother's Day
Food cravings: Italian Ice
Gender: boy/girl
What I'm missing the most: sushi has been sounding awfully good lately
What I'm looking forward to: next ultrasound on Tuesday 5/17

28 Weeks

I feel like I'm getting really big. My stomach is so heavy and I'm not used to the size. I'm starting to bump my belly when doing things around the house. I can also no longer easily put my shoes on. Particularly the cute sandals with buckles. The bending over for that long trying to fuss with buckles makes me sick to my stomach and crunches everything up under my ribs. Thankfully I have a husband who understands the importance of cute fashion (or at least he is learning).

I think I felt Baby Girl's hiccups this week too. At least I assume that's what it was. It was a constant jerk movement for a few minutes. I'm still always amazed every time I feel them move. I just love every minute of it and know this is one thing I will miss the most about being pregnant.

How far along: 28 weeks
Weight gain/loss: 22 lbs
Maternity clothes: yes
Sleep: seems to be getting worse
Best moment this week: Baby Girl's hiccups
Food cravings: dried apricots
Gender: boy/girl
What I'm missing the most: sleeping on my stomach
What I'm looking forward to: our next ultrasound on 5/17