32 weeks

The best Christmas present ever was making it to 32 weeks with twins :) I had a lot of fun spending time with family- it was great being around my aunts (where an 8 pound baby is considered fairly petite) they were all telling me how "tiny" I looked. While I'm not exactly tiny, I do think I look pretty good for having twins- especially after my appointment today... my belly was measuring a whopping 42 weeks! It will be interesting to see what my final measurement is.

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain? Up one pound over the past two weeks, but I was weighed on a different scale... I'm guessing I probably really gained between 2-2.5 pounds. I have an appointment with the MFM tomorrow, so we'll see what the scale says there.  

 Maternity clothes? Yes... and some of the tops are starting to get a bit short. I joked with someone in my HR department that I would probably be pushing the boundaries of dress code over the next few weeks and she would just have to avert her eyes when she saw me in the hallway.

 Stretch marks? A few small ones around my belly button... I suspect that few people make it through a twin pregnancy completely unscathed.

Sleep? I hope the girls are as good of sleepers as I am :) I usually have to get up about 2-3 times per night, but fall asleep again within 5 minutes.

 Miss anything? I just continue to be annoyed with my dwindling wardrobe options.

Cravings? M&Ms
    
Aversions? Not really, although I would much prefer to have candy instead of real food.
       
Symptoms? I continue to be really lucky and relatively symptom free. I really think taking circuit class and weight lifting pre-pregnancy made a huge difference. I also firmly believe that having a supportive husband helps a lot... some of the little things Justin does like packing my lunch and keeping the bathroom stocked with toilet paper helps a lot!

gems of the day

Perhaps I'm starting to get some of the stereotypical pregnancy-induced moodiness, but I am starting to get rather annoyed with some of the comments I've been getting lately. Here is a sampling:

"You look like Barney!" (I am wearing a purple shirt today)
"You're waddling!" (I might have mentioned this one earlier- it was from a few weeks ago... I happened to be wearing flats that day, so my coworker just wasn't used to seeing me walk in something other than heels)

The appearance comments don't bug me all that much, but I absolutely hate speculation regarding when the girls will be born... one of my coworkers said that they needed to start a bet to see if I actually come back after Christmas (um... I'll only be 32 weeks, so I better be coming back!). I went on to say that I was hopeful that I would make it to 37-38 weeks and that I would be thrilled if the girls were in the 6-7 pound range... another coworker (with multiple children) responded with "ouch!". Maybe I'm being a naive first time mom, but I would imagine that having 4 pound babies would be just as uncomfortable as having 6 pounders... especially if a c section is involved.

I've also been trying to remind people that just because I'm small doesn't mean that I lack the genetic potential to have big babies... There have been lots of tiny women in my family who have had 8+ pound babies. I use my mom as an example all the time, but I think I need to start exaggerating... "I weighed 9 lbs 6 oz at birth and my mom only weighed 88 pounds pre-pregnancy"

At least I'm pretty good at just smiling and nodding when I'm annoyed... I'm guessing there will be several opportunities for me to fine tune my skills over the next few weeks!

31 weeks

Justin and I went to our first class at the hospital last night- I pointed out to him that I had the largest belly by far, and was the only one wearing heels. He told me that I probably shouldn't be proud of that and should switch to more practical footwear. I'm still wearing heels until I am physically unable to... I figure if my feet start swelling, that is nature's way of encouraging me to switch to flats. If I end up with a planned c-section I might even wear heels to the hospital :)

The class at the hospital wasn't particularly helpful, a lot of it was basic information such as "this is an epidural... this is an episiotomy". The class also featured a video that featured live action shots of births, but honestly "A Baby Story" on TLC shows almost as much. The most helpful part of the class was getting to go on a tour of the birth center. The rooms look quite nice... I was excited to see that they all have hair dryers (yay! one less thing to pack) I know, the things I worry about are kind of silly... but I figure if my grandmas were able to give birth to a combined total of 10 kids in the 40s and 50s I will be just fine- especially since there have been quite a few advances in pain management. The unit also has a really nice waiting room that is typically stocked with snacks, so that will be a bonus for family. Another thing I learned on the tour is that they try keep all of the laboring moms on one wing- I noticed that the active labor/birthing rooms are on the opposite end of the unit from the waiting room, so hopefully the separation from where all the action is will help prevent my brother and dad from being scarred for life:)

 

 

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain? I'll find out next week. Although I apparently look huge to strangers- one lady recently came up to me and said that I was "way due". I just smiled and said "nope, not until February" I didn't mention that I'm expecting more than one- they shut her up pretty quickly! 

 Maternity clothes? Yup- I'm still wearing cardigans and a few other things from pre-pregnancy though (seriously, who buys a maternity cardigan??)

 Stretch marks? There are a few suspicious marks, but I'm not ready to admit defeat yet.

Sleep? Still good- I'm usually up about 2 times per night, but am able to fall right back asleep.

 Miss anything? If you guessed wardrobe, you would be correct! I hope I can bounce back to within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight quickly- that will definitely open up many more wardrobe options!

Cravings? I'm still liking clementines (yay for eating fruit!) but don't be fooled... I still have at least one sweet treat per day.
   
Aversions? I don't really have aversions, but there aren't many meals that actually sound good.
      
Symptoms? My belly button is creepy looking... I may have scared my cousin who is in her first trimester when I showed her what happened to mine. I really am a fairly modest person, but I don't have much shame when it comes to showing off my belly button... Oh, and I now feel entitled to the last of all food items. Yesterday Justin made some chocolate chip cookies... there were plenty left when I went to work this morning, but when I got home they were all gone. I was irrationally upset that he ate "my" cookies... there is some kind of phenomenon where the last cookie, slice of pizza, etc. is always the best.

30 weeks

It is hard to believe that the girls will be here in 8 weeks (or a little less, but hopefully they will be cooperative and stay put). At my last dr. appointment everything looked great- her big goal for me is to make it to 32 weeks, when the girls will be neurologically intact (I keep reminding her that I really want to make it to 37-38 weeks). Apparently there is a saying in the OB community that 32 weekers go on to Ivy League schools. The thought of financing two Ivy League educations gives me heart palpitations, so I'm rephrasing that to graduate summa cum laude from a local university.

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain? Up 3 pounds total, for an average of 1.5 pounds per week... which is right where I should be. As long as I don't completely binge on Christmas cookies or retain a bunch of water, I should stick within the recommended range, albeit the higher end of the range (I've decided that since I was on the lower end of the bmi range pre-pregnancy I'm the perfect candidate for gaining on the higher end of the spectrum).

 Maternity clothes? Still wearing a combination...although a lot of my tops (even some maternity) are becoming a bit short.

 Stretch marks? I have a few suspicious marks around my belly, but they don't really look like what pops up when I google image stretch marks. I'm not too concerned... and if they do happen to be stretch marks I suppose getting my first stretch mark at age 28 still makes me pretty lucky. 

Sleep? Still good- although rolling over from one side to the other has become a bit of a challenge.

 Miss anything? My clothes! Although I have a feeling that after the girls are here, I will still be facing some wardrobe challenges and will be in the mood to shop.

Cravings? Clementines... we'll see how long a healthy craving lasts.
   
Aversions? Not really.
     
Symptoms? Heartburn- I've only had it a few times, but it really is no fun. My dr. was surprised that I hadn't experienced it sooner- apparently a lot of people develop heartburn very early in their pregnancies. Thankfully, my heartburn can be treated by drinking a glass of water (that is my cure for everything) and if it is night time and really uncomfortable I will chew a couple of tums.

diapers

It is no secret that I love to shop- especially online shopping... there is just something about coming home to a package! Over the past few weeks Justin and I have been busy stockpiling diapers... definitely not the most glamorous of packages to open, but something that is necessary.

After some quick googling, I discovered that we could easily spend upwards of $2k on diapers and wipes in the girls' first year of life. Cloth diapers can be a huge money saver (and they are adorable! Nothing like the nasty ones from 20 years ago) but Justin and I decided that going the disposable route is the best option for us right now... so I have made it my mission to get the best deals possible (because spending over $5 per day on something that just gets thrown away is not my idea of fun).

After reading reviews and talking with friends, I decided to go with Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive (aka the most expensive diaper on the market)... however with my shopping prowess I have been able to get the cost down to $0.19/diaper...versus the $0.25 per diaper they retail for at Target and $0.24 per diaper at Sam's Club. I know $0.06/diaper doesn't sound like that much, however the savings translates to about $10 per box.  I have found the best deals from drugstore.com- there is free shipping on orders over $25, they often have coupons and promo codes, and you get 5% cash back on every order... plus I don't have to leave the house! Shopping online makes comparison shopping much easier too.

Figuring out a target savings price has been key for knowing when to stock up on diapers- after some online research I learned that $0.19/diaper is about the best price you can find without becoming a crazy coupon lady. I spend a little bit of time googling diaper deals each week- if I find anything at or below the $0.19 mark I place an order. I'm trying to order quite a few diapers before the girls come, as I figure I will have more time for shopping and research now, but I don 't want to go overboard and end up with more diapers than we can use (because having a stockpile of $50 worth of diapers in the wrong size would negate any savings).

Once the girls are a little bigger we have the potential to save even more. We decided for our sanity it would be worthy buying the top rated expensive diapers in the beginning, but once the girls are past the 12 diapers per day stage we are going to play around with store brand and other lower-cost diapers. I know some people have great success with Luv's... and at only $0.10 per diaper we could save $50+ per month... which could go to more important things, like shoes college savings.

29 weeks

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain? I'll know after my dr. appointments next week- I'm guessing it will be around one or two pounds... but Justin and I have been indulging in lots of birthday treats, so it might be a little higher

 Maternity clothes? Still wearing a combination... I recently discovered that I have a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans that fits with the help of the be band and long tanks from express. In fact, in my picture I'm wearing all pre-pregnancy clothes.

 Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Still pretty good.

 Miss anything? My wardrobe choices are becoming even more limited...

Cravings? String cheese.
   
Aversions? Not really.
     
Symptoms? Pregnancy brain! Earlier this week, I was convinced that the outlet in our kitchen island was beeping. Justin was at work, so I called my dad for help trouble shooting. My dad thought it was bizarre that an outlet would be making noise, but gave me suggestions for fixing it. I ended up flipping over every circuit breaker in the house, taking off the outlet cover, and I could still hear a noise. My dad couldn't think of any reason for the outlet to be buzzing, especially with the circuit breaker off, so I decided to call Justin to see if he could think of anything. Right away Justin asked me if I had looked in the drawer in the kitchen island- sure enough his remote starter for his car was beeping because of a low battery. I quickly called back my dad, who was relieved that I figured out the problem and he didn't have to make a late night trip to visit. I would have been very embarrassed if he drove for over an hour to find that my electrical emergency was something so silly! Although, it is very nice to know that my dad is only a phone call away if I ever need rescuing :)

baby shower part deux

Over Thanksgiving weekend I had my second baby shower hosted by Justin's family. It was really lovely! There was lots of yummy bars and snacks. I forgot to take pictures, but did manage to get a couple of the diaper cake and decor:

My parents came to visit last weekend and were very impressed with the diaper cake- my dad even took a few pictures of it to show his coworkers! Eventually I will have to disassemble the cake, but for now it is sitting on the girls' dresser. The diaper are newborn sized, so I will want to get the diapers put away before the girls arrive... maybe sometime after the 32 week mark.