hello 3rd trimester

This week I had appointments with both the MFM and my regular OB. Everything is looking great! Baby A is breech and 2 pounds 8 ounces (51st percentile) and Baby B is vertex and 2 pounds 13 ounces (64th percentile). Size-wise the girls are right where my doctors want them to be, so hopefully they will  keep putting on the pounds. My OB said that as long as everything keeps going as well as it has been, I may not even go into labor on my own and need to be induced/have a scheduled c-section between 37-38 weeks... I really hope that is the case!

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain? Up 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks, for a grand total of 38 pounds total. Normal range for twins is to gain between 37-54 pounds, so I would be thrilled if I stayed within the recommended range, but I'm not going to stress if I gain a little extra.

 Maternity clothes? Still wearing a combination... although my only pant options are maternity, leggings, and the "magic pants" from my mom.

 Stretch marks? Not yet... regrettably, I did a google image search for "twin skin" and was scarred for life... here is to hoping my belly stays nice and stretch mark free.

Sleep? Pretty good- I usually wake up a couple of times during night to reposition, but for the most part I'm able to fall back asleep again quickly.

 Miss anything? Being able to pick things off the floor easily.

Cravings? Oreos.
   
Aversions? Nothing I can think of- just my usual picky eating habits.
    
Symptoms? I really don't have too much for symptoms- I don't have quite as much energy as I did pre-pregnancy... but as long as I listen to my body and rest when I need to I don't run into any problems.

27 weeks

27 weeks down, only 10 or 11 to go! The past month has really flown by... I think December will go by quickly too.

Right now I look like I'm about 35 weeks pregnant. I'm sure my bump will reach epic proportions if I make it to my goal of 37 or 38 weeks! I have been getting more and more compliments about my size these days... I have to say, speculation from anyone besides my doctor about when I might go into labor isn't particularly helpful.Oh well, it gives me even more motivation to prove them wrong and make it to my goal date without any bed rest :)

How far along? 27 weeks

Total weight gain? I'm guessing somewhere between 1-3 pounds, but we'll find out for sure at my appointment on Monday. Apparently it is normal for weight gain to slow to about a pound per week in the 3rd trimester, so I wouldn't be sad if I only gained another 10-15 pounds.

 Maternity clothes? Still wearing a combination- in my picture today I was wearing a pre-pregnancy top (from Express, of course) and maternity pants.

 Stretch marks? Nope. I've heard some women have them pop up right around 39-40 weeks though, so who knows what will happen.   

Sleep? Pretty good- I'm in the final stretches of my cold, and have been waking up a few times with sore throat/coughing, but thankfully I've been able to get back to sleep quickly.

 Miss anything? Circuit class at the gym... I'm looking forward to starting that class again after the girls are here and I'm cleared for exercise.

Cravings? Butterfingers.
   
Aversions? Not really, I prefer the taste of candy to food (although that has nothing to do with pregnancy).
   
Symptoms? I've been mostly symptom free this week. I'm glad that I was in pretty good shape and worked out regularly/incorporated some weight training prior to pregnancy... my doctor said that it has probably helped me avoid a lot of discomforts. I think I'm lucky and have good "pregnancy genetics" when I asked both of my grandmas, they said that they really didn't experience any problems during pregnancy (although they are both in their nineties.... so maybe they have forgotten about some of the annoyances).

Most of you have already since this picture on Facebook, but it is too cute not to share. Here are the quilts that my mom made for the girls... I'm pretty obsessed with them!

bump pic

As promised, here is my 26 week bump picture. I have to say, I'm very glad that Express carries a variety of loose and flowy tops- they make great maternity shirts! While true maternity tops are a bit more flattering, I've had the urge to shop lately, so I've just picked up a few tops from Express in my regular size- it is the perfect solution... the shirt fits now, and will be even cuter later :)

Justin and I spent the day wrapping up most of our Christmas shopping. We still have a few things to pick up, but have the bulk of our shopping done. I figure its a good idea to get as much as possible done while I'm still mobile- my mom recently showed bump pics to my 91-year-old Grandma Verna... she asked if I'm still able to walk, I thought that comment was hilarious (but take note, certain things are only funny if they come from Nonagenarian grandmothers).

26 weeks

 I'll post a picture later this week- I wanted to get my update in today but it was definitely a change into lounge wear as soon as I got home kind of day, and since I have yet to splurge on lululemon my lounge wear is not photograph-worthy.

How far along? 26 weeks

Total weight gain? Down a pound since my last appointment. The PA didn't even mention it, so I'm guessing it isn't a big deal. I think the weight loss can be attributed to the following factors: 1. Our Halloween candy supply has been depleted 2. I haven't been feeling well for the past week, it isn't very fun to eat with a sore throat/congestion 3. This appointment was in the morning, my last appointment was in the afternoon (I always way less in the mornings). My next appointment is the Monday after Thanksgiving, so I'm sure I'll have some healthy weight gain by then... if not, I'm sure Justin will be happy to make me malts on a regular basis :)

 Maternity clothes? Still wearing a combination. I'm so glad that I received a pair of "miracle pants" from my mom... they don't look like much on the hanger, but are extremely flattering and magically fit regardless of belly expansion. I'm convinced these pants will even fit when I'm 37+ weeks pregnant.

 Stretch marks? Nope.  

Sleep? Pretty good, just waking up due to coughing/congestion.

Miss anything? Just my wardrobe.

Cravings? Chocolate malts
  
Aversions? Not really, although nothing sounds particularly delicious this week.
   
Symptoms? Just my cold... it hasn't improved since last week. I swear, since I've been sick and now sound like a chain-smoking 12 year old boy, I have had a major increase in client/collateral phone calls at work... not quite the professional image I'd like to project. 

25 weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain? My scale at home is very inconsistent (one of these days I'll have to get a digital one) so now that my Dr. appointments are every two weeks I'll report on weight gain on weeks that I have appointments.

 Maternity clothes? Still wearing a combination, but mostly maternity. I'm so glad I waited until about 20 weeks to start wearing maternity tops- I feel like I wear the same few things every week!

 Stretch marks? Nope.  

Sleep? Pretty good, although I've come down with a cold that has impaired my sleep a bit.

Miss anything? Non maternity jeans.

Cravings? Pizza, chocolate malts
  
Aversions? Nothing beyond my usual picky-ness
   
Symptoms? Nothing pregnancy related- just this stupid cold! On Wednesday night I started having a bit of a sore throat. I ended up not sleeping at all and feeling miserable on Thursday, so I stayed home from work to sleep and eat popsicles. I felt quite a bit better on Friday, so I went to work, but ended up feeling pretty run down by the end of the day. Today I'm really tired/congested... the only productive things I've managed to do are shower and a few loads of baby laundry. This picture of Paxton pretty much sums up what we've been doing most of the day:

The funny thing is he crawled under the blankets all by himself- this is how I found him after my shower!

baby shower

On Wednesday my coworkers hosted a baby shower... alternate post titles could have included "further proof I am spoiled" or "Christmas came early this year". The shower was fabulous- the planning committee definitely went above and beyond!

I especially loved the paper rosettes

the cake turned out great- it matched the invitation that the Communications staff created

The girls received all sorts of great gifts- and several adorable outfits! It is hard to believe, but unless the girls are teeny tiny when they are born, the only thing we have left to buy in newborn sizes is their coming home from the hospital outfits.

a portion of our baby shower loot

 In addition to all the sweet little outfits we received some diapers, wipes, and other essentials. I can't believe how tiny the newborn sized diapers are! I've plan on spending this weekend unpacking everything and doing baby laundry (it's a good thing baby laundry is so much more fun than regular laundry).

I couldn't let Paxton escape without trying on a baby hat- he was not impressed! He froze as soon as I put it on him... perhaps this will be a good trick if we need to calm him down after the babies come?

24 Weeks

At 24 weeks the girls have reached the point of viability. Obviously we want the girls to get as close to full term as possible, but it is a nice milestone to have reached. I'm now seeing my OB every 2 weeks and MFM every 4 weeks, so there are lots of appointments to go to. I had some lab work at my last appointment and am now on an iron supplement, which is no big deal- I'm glad I see my Dr. often enough to catch any potential problems before they become a big issue. I also passed my glucose screening test... I don't understand why everyone complains about the drink... it wasn't bad at all, it kind of tasted like a combination of flat orange pop/orange koolaid. Oh, and I am very lucky to have inherited my dads veins- when I pulled up the sleeve of my sweater the phlebotomist said I made her day!

How far along? 24 weeks

Total weight gain? 3 pounds this week... I guess someone had too much Halloween candy! I'm not too concerned though, as the only thing the OB said was that she was really impressed with how the girls were growing.

 Maternity clothes? Still wearing a combination- the number of non-maternity tops that fit are dwindling though.

 Stretch marks? Nope.  

Sleep? Still great... Justin on the other hand is still plagued with his cold and has been having a hard time getting a full nigh of sleep.

Miss anything?My winter coats! I have super cute pea coats that won't be making an appearance this winter.

Cravings? Pizza
  
Aversions? Not really... I'm still a picky eater though.
  
Symptoms? Nothing too out of the ordinary- my back seems to have gotten less sore lately. As long as I remember to get up and move around throughout the day I am fine.