21 week bump

How far along? 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: no change from last week... hope that's okay
Maternity clothes? I outgrew my non-maternity scrub shirt tuesday... sometime between 8 and 5. i figured that when i got home to try on the maternity scrub top, it would still be like a "tent" on me... oh GOODNESS no... I've (hopefully) got a month or two of wear with it... if I'm lucky
Stretch marks? no belly marks!
Sleep: I slept well this week, besides the reflux/vomiting. Tried a body pillow one night, but must've hated it and chucked it outta bed sometime in the middle of the night
Movement: Those little buggers moved! I can't tell which one is "A" or "B" anymore... I'm pretty certain they are both transverse now. Their heartbeats are above and below my belly button now... who knows! Still moving a lot and still love every nudge i get!
Food cravings: I really wanted chipotle today, but I wouldn't necessary label it a "craving"
Foods aversions: I think I'm done with Marco's pizza... after the all night reflux session I had on Weds night
Gender: two little GIRLS :)
Labor Signs: none
Preggo PITA symptom: The reflux has been terrible. Two nights this week I was up a few times in the middle of the night with mouthfuls of acid, nausea
Mood: impatient at work. (i named this week - "dementia week" at work (it seemed to be affecting the patients AND the nurses)... it was easy to be patient with the patients... but not so much with the RNs. I just worked faster so that i could catch the errors and take care of any problems...)
Arthritis severity: one day my knees were an "8". and my trigger finger got angry for a day... but overall I'm about a "1" now
What I miss: pill popping for pain/reflux/whatever. I'm so cautious about avoiding anything that could harm these babies... and wouldn't change anything for their safety... I just miss being able to take a pill without thinking twice
Fundal height: 26 cm - actual
BP this week: 106/60 (perfect again!)

Milestones: We officially started our registry this week! When asked about any special message we wanted included on our registry, Mark quickly blurted out "no pink" The look on the babies r us lady's face was pure horror... and as much as i can understand where mark is coming from... i just shook my head and quietly whispered... "no hunny... we can't write that." I love him so much!

We also finished Lamaze this week :) We'll need lots of practice over the coming weeks because I apparently "suck at breathing" LOL. Hopefully we'll get lots of use from the relaxation techniques that we learned

I'm pretty certain we've also picked out the babies' bedding. We found two we like, but this one is a little bit cheaper... and I'd rather spend the money on something that will make our lives easier (like a nicer lightweight stroller). And just for the record. MARK picked it out... and it is 50% pink

20 week bump

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I've gained plenty... no worries!
Maternity clothes? got some great deals at JCPenney this week - bought a bunch of maternity shirts (and since I only had 2... they were much needed)
Stretch marks? nope. at least none over the bump (I think I found some light ones over my hips, but sadly... i think those were there pre-pregnancy and just never noticed)
Sleep: I slept well this week. Between meetings and late work hours I didn't get enough sleep, but when I did sleep.. it was LIKE A ROCK
Movement: I'm feeling both girls equally now. Even got actually KICKED twice this week (baby A) when I moved suddenly one morning. The first time, I looked down at my belly and Bailey's foot was lying next to me... so i thought nothing of it. But the next morning when it happened again, she was no where near me.
Food cravings: cheese, french onion dip... dairy products (lets make those legs stronger. Mommy loves being kicked!)
Foods aversions: chocolate & ice cream (seriously - what the h*ll is wrong with me?!)
Gender: two little GIRLS :)
Labor Signs: none different from last week
Preggo PITA symptom: Holy heartburn and reflux. Will be talking to the doc about this this week...
Mood: I was too tired this week to be moody.
Arthritis severity 4 - knees
What I miss: Being able to go to costco without "help"
Fundal height: 28 cm (guess-timation)
BP this week: 106/60 (fantastic!)
Milestones: 20 weeks! If I were pregnant with 1 we'd be half way there... we're even closer than that! Hells yeah!

19 week bump

How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: about 10 pounds up
Maternity clothes? can still do a bella band with a few pairs of pants, but BARELY. All the rest of the pants are maternity pants (had to run out shopping after our ultrasound tuesday because my bedtime shorts were starting to really pinch the bump!)
Stretch marks? Thank GOD no!
Sleep: finally not waking up on my back anymore, but frequently waking to pee
Movement: I think I can finally say that I can feel them (B more than A) fluttering around in there... I LOVE IT
Food cravings: Loving french onion chip dip. AND SERIOUSLY... I'm certain there is not enough CHEESE in the world for me right now... I can't get enough!
Gender: two little GIRLS :)
Labor Signs: I've had a few braxton hicks contractions... especially when I'm tired or very thirsty... trying hard to listen to those signs and slow down (if I can) - Otherwise doing well!
Mood: mostly good. Wednesday night I lost it and was crying a lot - couldn't really say why except that I was ridiculously over tired. Apparently today I was a "b*tch", but my level of patience for our bathroom project has worn quite thin... I'm trying to be understanding, and with effort, today went smoothly
What I miss: I miss those extra few hours a day where I got things done. I am just soooo tired all the time

Milestones: I think this week can be considered the official "quickening" week

Daddy's first gift :)

Our first baby gift!

We got our first gift today from Nancy M. at work - I LOVE the ruffles on the pants and the adorable "pseudo-mary jane" socks/shoes! Mark just laughed when he opened it all... then signed and quietly whispered.... "pink..." :)

Ultrasound pics - 18w1d

Our precious Baby A




Our precious Baby B

It's a girl!!!

Today was our big anatomy ultrasound!!! I am sooooooooooo completely exhausted and will post pics tomorrow. They are BEAUTIFUL! They look fantastic! Their weights are fantastic

Baby B continues to move around like CRAZY (the doctor who came in called her "nasty")and Baby A seems very laid back! (we got lots more pics of A)
Heart rates were in the 130s.
Baby A is 9 oz and Baby B is 8 oz. 6% growth discrepancy between the two
My cervix looks great
The doctor reviewed everything that was done and in his very thick accent and a very serious tone he "proclaimed his happiness" and left :)
All FANTASTIC things

And most importantly - they are LITTLE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS!!!!

Mark already has claimed to be going out to get his shotgun for their boyfriends...

18 week bump

Boys vs. Girls?!

(We are currently 17w5d along)
I've thought about this a lot... considering we get asked it so frequently! Of course we want healthy (big) babies who stay cooking for as LONG as possible, but since our big ultrasound is JUST around the corner, I thought I'd visit this topic again... thought it would be fun to examine the old wives' tales one more time.

#1 Heart rate:
Heart rate over 140 = girls
Heart rate under 140 = boys

Babies have been close to, or consistently over 140... 170 at the 8w ultrasound and 148 & 157 at the 12w ultrasound. On the doppler at home they were between 138-148 the last time we sat down and officially counted. It usually reads over 140 if I listen long enough (or if they stay still long enough to actually capture the heartbeats)
Let's give GIRLS a point
Girls: 1 Boys: 0

#2
Using a string, hang your wedding ring over your pregnant belly. You are having a girl if the ring swings back and forth and it's a boy if it swings in a circle

Let's give GIRLS a point for that one (although it swung, when i told mark the meaning of the results, he started whipping it around in a circle...lol)
Girls: 2 Boys: 0

#3
Key test: If you pick up a key at the top (the roundest part), its a boy. If you pick up a key at the bottom (smallest part), you are going to have a girl. I grabbed the end. Another point for GIRLS
Girls: 3 Boys :0

#4
Mayan tale: Add up the mother's age at conception (29) and the year of conception (2009). Even number = girl, Odd number = boy. 2038 = GIRL
Girls:4 Boys:0

#5
If you have acne when you are pregnant, it's a girl (extra hormones?)
Here's my take on this one... if I forget to wash my face before bed... I'll get a single zit that goes away pretty quickly. My face doesn't look like a teenager's, nor does it look any worse than it did before I was pregnant. I'm NOT going to call this "acne" and vote for BOYS on this one
Girls:4 Boys:1

#6 Cravings
More salty: Boys, More sweet: Girls
Originally, the only food I could keep down were sweets, but now that my nausea is gone, I ADORE salty pretzels, especially soft pretzels. I definately would much rather have something salty then something sweet! Voting BOYS on this one too
Girls:4 Boys:2

#7 Garlic
If a woman eats a clove of garlic and the smell doesn't seep out her pores, its a girl... if it does, it's a boy. I REFUSE to eat a clove of garlic, but when I eat garlic... the entire world apparently knows... Voting BOYS here
Girls:4 Boys:3

#8 Skin under left eye
The eye test is when a "V" or "branches" appear when you pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a "V" or "branches" in the white part, you are having a girl. Mark says he sees branches. Voting GIRLS here
Girls:5 Boys:3

#9 Legs
If your legs get big, it's a boy. If your legs stay in shape and lean, its a girl. Earlier today I thought my legs looked "fatter" They may have already been fat, but I find it weird that I noticed it today... Voting BOYS here
Girls: 5 Boys:4

#10 Moodiness
Increased hormones from a girl makes you more moody. And apparently having a penis inside you makes a girl less moody (ew, funny, but gross).
I'm a moody girl to begin with, and although there have been a few moments of frustration with work where I lost it, in general I am actually LESS moody than I was pre-baby. Voting BOYS here.
Girls: 5 Boys:5

#11
Eating the ends of bread = boy, Eating the middle of the loaf = girl. I've never ever eaten the ends. Voting GIRLS here.
Girls:6 Boys:5

#12 Chinese gender predictor
States its a GIRL(s)
Girls:7 Boys:5

#13 Beauty
If you are having a girl, your beauty disappears during pregnancy because your little girl steals your beauty from you. Well, this makes complete sense because if there are two girls in there... this is why I feel completely butt UGLY lately :) Voting GIRLS
Girls:8 Boys:5

#14 Dreams
Your dreams about the baby will be the opposite of what the baby actually is. I've only had two dreams so far about the babies, and in both they were boys. Voting GIRLS
Girls:9 Boys:5

#15 Clumsy/Grace
Graceful pregnancy = girls, Clumsy pregnancy = boy
After the spill I had in February... voting BOYS
Girls:9 Boys:6

#16 Preferred resting side
Preferring the right = Girl, Preferring the left = Boy
I seem to favor my right = GIRLS
Girls:10 Boys:6

#17 Show your hands
Apparently, showing hands palms up = GIRLS, hands palms down = BOYS
I've always been a "palms up" kinda girl... the scars on the back of my right hand aren't pretty
Voting GIRLS
Girls:11 Boys:6

#18 Dad's weight
If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it's a girl. If he loses or stays the same its a boy. Mark's put on a few pounds the last few months - Voting GIRL
Girls:12 Boys:6

#19 Necklace over hand
If it swings back and forth, it's a boy. If it circles, its a girl. It swung again - Voting BOYS
Girls:12 Boys:7

#20 Mom's hunch
According to the web-site I'm using... 71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she's having. I'm pretty certain we're having boys... we'll find out soon! Voting BOYS
Girls:12 Boys:8

#21 Morning Sickness
Smooth pregnancy, no morning sickness = boy. Sick or nauseated during pregnancy = girl.
OH MY GOODNESS THEY ARE GIRLS THEN! I was nauseated from week 6 through week 14... so GLAD it's over! Voting for GIRLS
Girls:13 Boys:8

#22 Protein
When a woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy. I heart cheese. not craving meat though. hmmmm. I'm gonna vote neither.

#23 Feet
If your feet are colder now that you are pregnant, it's a boy. If they're the same as they were, its a girl. Voting GIRLS - same
Girls:14 Boys: 8

#24
Its a boob question - I'm not going to elaborate for the sake of whomever might end up reading this, but the Vote goes to BOYS
Girls:14 Boys:9

#25 Hairy legs
Apparently having hairy legs means it's going to be a boy. Voting BOYS
Girls:14 Boys:10

#26 Dry hands
Dry hands = boys. Voring GIRLS
Girls:15 Boys:10

#27 Color of your pee
Seriously, I'm just starting to get VERY tired now... this all has to do with your hydration status... not the sex of the babies. Come on people!!! No vote... this changes for me FREQUENTLY

#28 Nose
A wider nose = boy. Nopers - Vote goes to GIRLS
Girls:16 Boys:10

#29 Headaches
Headaches = boy. My headaches are almost daily at this point. Vote goes to BOYS
Girls:16 Boys:11

Well, its fun to play, and only a few days until we find out!!!