16 week bump

How far along? 16 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 8-9 pounds.  I gained about 5 in first trimester and then quickly put on around 4.  Absolutely STARVING and not as full as I was with the twin pregnancy.  I also have decreased the frequency and intensity of my workouts.  A little frustrating. 
Maternity clothes? I already have 2 pairs of work pants and 1 pair of jeans.  Trish gave me some of her old shirts and Amanda just dropped off a huge bag of her stuff.  Hoping some of it will fit.  Regular shirts are still fitting just fine, but I'm done with regular pants.  I forgot how much I LOVE maternity pants ;-)
Stretch marks? nothing new
Sleep: I'm getting up twice a night to pee.
Movement: none yet.  Everything i think is movement ends up being gas ;-)
Food cravings: swedish fish, nectarines, first trimester I could only eat popcorn, pretzels, butter corn
Foods aversions: yogurt doesn't sound good anymore
Gender:I think we're going to be team green!
Labor Signs:no braxton hicks yet.  Better than last pregnancy so far.
Preggo PITA symptom: I'm cranky and tired
Mood:cranky :) 
Arthritis severity: I had a week in 1st trimester where my arthritis flared.  My knee is killing me today, but otherwise I'm back to being fine
What I miss:impact exercise
Fundal height:no clue
BP this week:fine
Milestones: out of first Tri!
Other:

15 week bump

14 week bump

13 weeks!

This is the first picture of me pregnant our final baby.  It's a singleton pregnancy and is so far going well.  My nausea was much milder than with the girls and my exhaustion has not been as severe.  I joke a lot that "this kid likes me better than the girls did"

20 month update

Schedule
8:15 - wake up
9 - breakfast
12:30- lunch
1:30-3:30 nap
4 - snack
6 - dinner
8:30 - bed


Food
I am still struggling with understanding what the hell "all done" really means. They'll mimic "all done" and then SCREAM for more food. It's getting easier, but seriously... I feel like no one is EVER full.

They are doing great with forks and spoons. Mark's been working very hard with Alexis on taking single bites and putting her food back down to chew and swallow. In the last few weeks this has significantly improved. WTG Mark!


Sleep
It's somewhat rocky right now. The girls still seem to be having early evening nightmares, and now that they are binky-free, it seems to be more difficult to calm them down (and by "difficult", I mean 2 minutes vs. 10 seconds to retrieve the binky). The number of wakeups are still similar though, so there's no change there.

Smarts
Both girls know all 26 capital letters
Can identify numbers 1-10
Can count from 1 to 13
Know their basic colors
Know shapes - heart, square, circle, hexagon, star, and triangle


Favorite Toys
Alexis loves to climb. Her newest interest seems to be nurtering her mothering instinct (playing with her babies, stroller, etc).
Reagan likes quiet things like reading. Her newest interest is "getchu" (I'm going to get you!) She loves being chased.
They love running to me and swinging in my arms in the yard.
They love playing with their cars in the yard too. Alexis hates the swings. I pray this improves

Size -
25-26 pounds. Alexis is about 1 pound heavier. They are in size 24 month shirts, 18 month pants (for the most part). They wear size 4 shoes, size 4 daytime and size 5 nighttime diapers

Teeth
Alexis has all her top teeth except her 2nd year molars. She is missing the lower 2nd year molars and lower canines
Reagan has

Songs
ABC, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Head Shoulders Knees & Toes, Baby Signing Time, The opposite word song, Mickey Mouse Clubhousee

How Does Elmo Go? NANANA, AUTOWORLD (Alexis)


"Share" now means GIVE IT TO ME NOW :(

Day care

1st visits

Kindercare

Kiddie Kollege

OB appt.

Well... lost my MP this am...

contractions on monday were 5.5 minutes apart and were making me nauseated and taking my breath away, but I knew I was very dehydrated (again)

Doctor checked my cervix - I'm (barely) closed, 50% effaced and -2 station (much better than I thought... good)

BP was 140/90, recheck 128/88. Definately swollen...

My neck started hurting a few days ago and has become very severe. She gave the okay for tylenol only and asked that my rheumatologist please call her if I need something stronger. I'm just praying this is a pulled muscle and not one of my long standing episodes of severe pain... sadly though, it's keeping me from sleeping.

Apparently, I've been counting how pregnant I am based on our initial ultrasound - we were told my due date was 9/6. She has always said 9/8. I know when I ovulated and I know what I was told... 9/6 so I've been sticking with that... until now. I can only deliver at SJWS if I am 35 weeks or further along (so according to her measurements... AFTER next weds (8/4)

Just before I left the OB's office, she came over, gave me a hug and told me to stay in bed for the next week (until Thursday night)... and if I was still contracting and dilating next Friday, my babies would be born that day. "Bring a bag"

O.M.G.

34 week bump

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +5 more. Measurements on my belly went up a LOT
Maternity clothes? I probably should buy a tank top or something to put under the shorter tops...
Stretch marks? one. same one. getting darker and feels kinda hard
Sleep: getting worse. Hard to fall asleep due to reflux (have to be near sitting up), hard to stay asleep. Twice this week I threw up acid and woke up choking on it. Getting up to pee every 45 minutes to an hour and a half... I sleep the best between 6am-noon
Movement: I'm starting to feel LESS. Not because they are moving less, but my belly is going numb from all the stretching
Food cravings: not a craving, but pretzels with my water in the evening is helping prevent reflux
Food aversions:
Gender: 2 girls
Labor Signs: did baby A drop or not? I could've sworn she did this past week... but then it felt like she crawled out. LOL - I dunno
Preggo PITA symptom: My "troll feet" per Mark. He just giggles... They are so swollen and can't really move my feet much any moore. Can't even reach them to get them clean. Ew, right?
Mood: Moody. Crabby some moments and sobbing others. VERY rough week. I'm very uncomfortable. The easiest way to set off my temper at this point is me (or mark) dropping something on the floor. It is SO HARD to pick things up
Arthritis severity: No change from last week. Swollen fingers, triggers...
What I miss: my ankles, fruit, ice cream
Fundal height: 43
BP this week: 120s/80s Seems to be holding steady
Milestones: 34 weeks!!! My babies can suck, swallow and breathe now and that's AWESOME! Next goal 35! (so we can deliver at westshore with my OB. I'd really like to make it to 36 weeks so I don't have to worry about either of the girls getting transferred to UH though)
Other

Welcome to the world baby Caleb

My nephew Caleb was born today via c-section after Amanda was induced, and then labored without any progress for almost 24 hours.
He was 10# 4oz 21 in. Born at 4:33 pm


Caleb Michael is Mark's first godchild

He's the spitting image of Mike... at least from the pictures I have seen of him. Don't know what Amanda looked like as a baby...

(Pictures are from the next day, when we visited)

33 week bump

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: gained 6 pounds this week?! my swelling started and hasn't gone away in the last week. I'm assuming most of the gain has been fluid related and honestly am a little worried about it... will report this to my OB this week
Maternity clothes? Had to buy a few size-up tops this week. Honestly, I don't think they're going to cover the belly very long either! UGH!
Stretch marks? no change
Sleep: no change
Movement: My darling baby A got hiccups this week too. So glad my girls are sharing the adorable-ness :)
Food cravings: ramen noodles (but planning to cut them out for the sake of the swelling problem)
Food aversions: its not really an aversion, but I'm dying for a piece of fruit... something that won't give me heartburn - so actually... none will have to do :*(
Gender: 2 girls
Labor Signs: contractions are status quo. no pain. good days and bad days
Preggo PITA symptom: WHERE THE HELL DID MY ANKLES GO?!
Mood: tearful week. Mark has been very supportive. Usually just his listening to me and a strong hug is all i need to calm me down
Arthritis severity: My hands aren't puffy, but the joints on a few of my fingers are so large I've stopped being able to wear my wedding rings. I have two trigger fingers that are quite painful - 7 (I only give them a 7 because they could be WORSE). Injections probably to come in the next 2 weeks...
What I miss: my ankles, fruit, ice cream
Fundal height: 40
BP this week: 120s/80s-90 Watching this VERY closely
Milestones: 33 weeks!!! Next goal 34! (really wanna make it to 35/36 though)
Other Mom helped me shop yesterday - we went to Target, Costco, and motherhood maternity and I spent a LOT. I wont have to go back for awhile though, so am pretty happy about that. SOOO greatful for her help!

32 week bump

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 30 pounds - ugh! I'm actually right on track with twin weight gain - and my arms and face seem a little skinnier than pre-pregnancy, but still, 30 pounds is a lot to lug around!
Maternity clothes? haven't gone shopping... just doing laundry more frequently. call me lazy. call me cheap. (its really just tired)
Stretch marks? yup... lower ones. Can't see them in a photo, but with a strong mirror, there's no denying it anymore
Sleep: no change
Movement: OMG, Tuesday night I laid down in bed next to Mark and felt rhythmic movement on my right side. Baby B had hiccups!!! It was the most adorable feeling in the world. Mark got to feel her (but of course made me look up in-utero hiccups on my phone to be sure that was really even possible first). We even pulled out the doppler and you could HEAR the hiccups (and a normal heartbeat) on the monitor. SO CUTE!!!
Food cravings: I've been starving this week! (hence the weight gain)
Food aversions: I'm done with ice cream until the pregnancy is over... zantac doesn't prevent it from coming back up. bummer :(
Gender: 2 girls
Labor Signs: had contractions every 6 minutes on weds. night. I doubt I'm gonna get to go back to work. They finally let up after a long night's sleep, but also not until after I drank 2 LITERS of water... oi!
Preggo PITA symptom: contractions are getting old... and actually are a little more painful lately
Mood: it was VERY hard saying goodbye to my dear sister and her kids last night. I hate that they live so far away
Arthritis severity: my hands are about a 5-6. knee pain severity varies
What I miss: I'm so SLOW at getting anything done
Fundal height: 39
BP this week: 117/70ish
Milestones: 32 weeks!!! Next goal 34!
Other Made huge progress this week on the house. Mark cleaned out the basement, Kristin emptied out the babies' room closet, and Mark and I spent most of the weekend working on the debris left in the office. The garbage man is going to HATE us tomorrow!!

OB appointment

-Still off of work. contractions are too frequent
-Will be doing my ?final 24 hour urine this week
-BP is great - 117/70s
-Platelets have dropped again - spoke with my rheumatologist... stopping my medication to see if it helps at all. She said it could be the meds, but I could just be having an autoimmune reaction also. Only way to find out would be to d/c my meds and recheck the levels. She can give me pain meds/joint injections if I need them in the meantime.
-cervix is closed
-she did another FFN test
-As of right now, I'm on the way to a c-section (baby B is transverse). She will schedule it 2 weeks before - I will be 38 weeks when she does it. It is so nice to know there's an end in sight...
-I start non-stress tests at the hospital next friday - to be done weekly until I deliver

31 week bump

How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 27.5 pounds
Maternity clothes? NEED to go shopping... NEED some energy first
Stretch marks? I think there's some lower ones. very light
Sleep: can't get enough.
Movement: God I love feeling those little feet. Nothing painful, but becoming very aware of how big they're getting!
Food cravings: really wanted popcorn this week... finally had some :)
Foods aversions: I tried tortellini today - wasn't very good... got nauseated even
Gender: 2 girls
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks have started to back off a little... but after an afternoon cleaning the walls of the pool, things kicked back up (wondering if I might be able to go back to work... the question is FOR how LONG?!) Planning to continue to monitor this...
Preggo PITA symptom: I'm having a hard time sitting and watching the world pass me by. Mark is doing so much to get this house ready and I feel like I'm doing nothing to contribute (besides making two babies... but STILL) I'm just very frustrated with my lack of energy, mobility, and helpfulness. Mark has been so sweet and kind and patient - and it means so much to me to have such a supportive and understanding husband.
Mood: Very crabby today. Some people's low maturity level and selfishness are STRONGLY getting on my nerves. I also HATE it when people don't listen to what their doctors tell them to do and do whatever they want. Just saying...
Arthritis severity: 5 - this is also contributing to my bad mood. My knees hurt and my fingers are starting to swell and get stuck. One of the bones in my left foot is also sore. Just annoying...
What I miss: energy
Fundal height: 37-39 (somewhere in there)
BP this week: 120s/80s i think
Milestones: 31 weeks!!!
Other

OB appointment

I also saw the OB today - it sounds like we will be seeing each other weekly now since my braxton hicks are still pretty frequent if I stand up and walk around

On a concerning note... my platelet count has dropped yet again and is quite low (let's just say that some of my patients would POSSIBLY require a platelet transfusion pre-op at my levels). I know it's from my arthritis medication... so the new question is - do we stop the medicine or do i risk needing a transfusion so i don't bleed out after delivery. OF COURSE as this all comes up, my pain level has increased... ugh. I think the other worry is my kidneys... if I stop the medicine is my protein level gonna jump and be an issue for my girls?

ultrasound update

Today we had another growth scan. This time it was a lot quicker and much less painful!
Baby A is 3 lb 11 oz. 56th percentile! She has plenty of fluid. Heartrate was about 130. She is head down on my left (hasn't really moved)
Baby B is 3 lb 14 oz. 62nd percentile! She also has plenty of fluid. Heartrate was about 146. She is transverse and right... starting to bring her head down - lying next to her sister.

Their heads were very close to each other - 4% growth discrepancy (LOVE that my girls are sharing!!!)
My cervix is closed and 3.5 cm long.

All very good things... The specialist asked if we had any questions

I told him I was in the hospital last week with frequent braxton hicks contractions and wondered if I had anything to be concerned about. He smiled and responded "world peace"

baby laundry

SOOOO damn cute!!! Our very first load :)

30 week bump

How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: about 26 pounds
Maternity clothes? going to have to shop up a size on the shirts soon... things are getting too short!
Stretch marks? my belly button still looks funny - still dont wanna call it a stretch mark though. Mark, on the other hand, is convinced I have stretch marks... guess I can't see them (eh, whatevvy)
Sleep: still sleeping well thanks to zantac. I get up almost exactly every hour and a half to pee which is annoying but workable
Movement: Granny S. & Aunt Kelly got to feel the girls move this week - I was so glad they were able to feel them move around... they weren't as cooperative a few weeks ago!
Food cravings: mozzerella cheese sticks are a fantastic way to get some extra cheese in! I'm really jonesing for some movie theater butter popcorn, but will wait til we get to see toy story 3 (not promising to share with anyone though)
Foods aversions: ice cream does not wanna stay down... If I weren't positive I was the mother of these babies I would be worried they weren't related to Grandpa L!
Gender: 2 girls
Labor Signs: I'm gonna be spending a lot of the next few weeks on the couch... the babies don't like it when I stand up. I get contractions about every 8 minutes when I'm up on my feet
Preggo PITA symptom: the sweating! WOW!
Mood: the day after our hospital visit I was pretty down in the dumps. Cried EVERY time I got a contraction (which was about every 5 minutes)... I DON'T WANNA BE ON BED REST!
Arthritis severity: 3 - ouchy knees
What I miss: being able to help around the house. this place really looks awful
Fundal height: 35-37cm
BP this week: last check was weds... 128/80. not as good, but i was really anxious about the contractions in the doctors office so I'm sure that's why it was up
Milestones: 30 weeks!!!
Other

Wedding!

Today was Nick and Heather's wedding. We were only able to go to the reception because Mark worked today and I am still contracting a LOT. I sat through the reception so Mark could hang out and enjoy his friends. We still had a really great time. Even tried to dance 1 song... I could only do about half... how sad.

Mark & I


Trish & I


Frank, Chris, Vito, Keith, Kevin, Mark & Nick


Mark, Phil, Frank, Nick, John, Vito, Nick (Back: Kevin, Keith, Chris)


Trish & Vito (along with some MATURE person's beer)


Nick & Mark


The brothers Oriti with the groom

First trip to the hospital

Last night I went to bed with contractions every 14 minutes. After drinking lots of fluids, I gave up and went to sleep hoping for improvement in the morning. When I woke up, they were every 10 minutes. Standing to shower increased them to every 5 minutes. After 2 hours of contractions every 5-8 minutes, I called the OB and she asked me to come in right away.

She checked my cervix which was closed, did an FFN test, and sent me over to the hospital so they could monitor both babies and my contractions. By the time I got hooked up to the monitor in the hospital, the nurse said my contractions were every 3-4 minutes.

IV fluids were very helpful to slow the contractions (to every 8 minutes), but did not stop the contractions. A shot of terbutaline finally did.

I was eventually sent home by my doctor with instructions that I would be home from work "until further notice" This is totally bittersweet for me. Work has been very hard for me lately. I am exhausted and my body is screaming for me to slow down, but the work load continues to stay the same. I NEED a break, but financially this could be very rough on us. I'm very greatful that we've saved some money for this, but I really wasn't counting on using that money. UGH...

29 week bump

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: no change
Maternity clothes? had to buy a new set of maternity scrubs this week - the others were so tight they were hurting my belly! Cherokee makes a better, more twins friendly version of scrubs than Grey's Anatomy does Also got to buy a dress for my shower and the upcoming wedding we're going to
Stretch marks? on cocoa butter alert... nothing changed this week, but I'm getting burning sensations in certain areas... wondering if it's pending growth
Sleep: I love ZANTAC! I got 11 hours of sleep last night... was EXHAUSTED from the shower!
Movement: someone moved last night... I'm getting kicked in different places. If I'm ever wondering if either one of them is ok, I can gently press on my upper belly and feel one or both of them rolling around in there :) Very reassuring
Food cravings: cheese pleese!!!
Foods aversions: carnation instant breakfast helped for a few days, but the amount of abdominal discomfort the milk caused, led me to contract a bunch. ugh
Gender: 2 girls
Labor Signs: I had a better week this week. Saw the OB and in the waiting period I had 3 braxton hicks contractions... she checked my cervix and it was fine. Very good to hear
Preggo PITA symptom: my energy level has taken a NOSE DIVE this week
Mood: easily tearful this week... not wacky moods though
Arthritis severity: 1
What I miss: Normal temperature regulation... damn am I HOT!!!
Fundal height: 37 cm
BP this week: 116/68
Milestones: baby shower is done :) and was fantastic
OtherIt's Father's day! We got mark brown's tickets so he can go to a game sometime this fall to have his own day away :)