12 Weeks

How far along? 12 weeks
Total weight gain? Another .5 pounds this week bringing my total up to 7 pounds. I hoping that my weight gain continues to be slow and steady.
Maternity clothes? Still using the Be Band with a few pairs of pants- this has definitely been a good purchase!
 Stretch marks? No
Sleep? Still good- I usually wake up once or twice.
Miss anything? Making it through the work day without hourly bathroom breaks.
Cravings? Apple juice, bagels, goldfish. I don't have true cravings yet- just some foods sound better than others. 
Aversions? Most meat- the nausea has subsided for the most part, but if I think of a food that sounds gross to me I start gagging. 
Symptoms? I've been pretty tired, but I think that might be related to being a major slacker at the gym. I've made a goal of going 3 times per week, so hopefully that will help my energy level.

 

 

12 week bump

I've had a lot of people ask me if I have a gut feeling about the gender of the babies- I don't yet. My Grandma Verna had a dream that I had twin girls... I can't wait to find out if her grandmotherly intuition is right. I became pregnant shortly after she had her first pregnancy dream about me, so she might be on to something!

Strollerama

I've come to the conclusion that shopping for a double stroller is even more difficult than buying a new car. I don't think I'm that picky, but I have certain criteria that the stroller must meet:

1. Compatible with Chicco Keyfit Infant Car Seat and able to accommodate two car seats (a surprising number of double strollers only work with one car seat at a time)
2. Able to fit both infants and toddlers (our house is going to resemble a babies r us, the last thing I want is 3 different strollers taking up space).
3. Tandem instead of side by side (will be much easier to navigate the aisles at the grocery store Express and  Baby Gap.
4. Seats can be adjusted to be both forward-facing and rear-facing. 

See? I really don't think that I'm asking for too much (I haven't even touched on any of the really important stuff, like color). Unfortunately, I have only found one stroller that meets all of my criteria- it is an awesome stroller, but the price rivals that of my first car. Here it is, the Baby Jogger City Select.

Check out all of the configurations- the possibilities are almost endless! Since the babies will be born in the winter, we will skip the bassinets... but it is nice to have the option. This stroller also converts to a single, which would come in handy if we ever had an outing with just one of the twins.

I'm 99% sure this is the stroller we'll end up with, but will test drive it first just to be sure. It isn't sold in town, but we will be going to the cities soon and will check out a few baby boutiques. I've been researching and watching youtube videos like a madwoman, so I can't wait to see it in person- the stroller is the baby gear purchase that I am the most excited about.

I hope it handles as well as the Uppababy Vista- my friend has this stroller and it is amazing. A second seat can be purchased for the Vista, but it is only works with one car seat at a time... which rules it out. 

Organized Closet

I took advantage of having an entire weekend to myself and went on a closet decluttering and organizing spree.

The first step was to take absolutely everything out of the closet. I purged rarely worn items (3 bags!) and packed away form fitting dresses and tops for after the babies come. I then arranged everything by color.

The biggest change is how I organize my jeans- I used to hang them all, but decided it would be more space-efficient to fold them.

I'm excited to have an organized space! I'm not sure how it will work to share with Justin though... I am already packed to the brim, and have another rack of clothes in the laundry room. Maybe he'll want to use one of the closets downstairs?

I'm looking forward to maternity fashion- I think a lot of the items I already own will work throughout pregnancy. I have tons of jackets and cardigans, which should work regardless of how big my belly gets. A couple of years ago I heard a piece of fashion advice from Heidi Klum that has stuck with me- she suggested wearing loose, flowy tops in the beginning stages of pregnancy, and wearing form fitting tops after you have a definite bump.

11 Weeks

Justin and I celebrated our 5th anniversary this week. He was out of town on the actual day, so we decided to go out to eat earlier in the week. He surprised me on the actual day by calling and letting me know that he had a card hidden away- I thought that was a really sweet touch. We are going to buy something for the babies when he gets back... I think I might want to order their diaper bag. I have had my eye on the Skip Hop Versa.

Justin has always been a great husband, but he has been especially wonderful lately. He is sure to remind me to take my vitamins, drink water, and make sure I am getting enough rest. He has also done 95% of the cooking and cleaning over the past several weeks. My energy level is improving, and I haven't had nausea lately, so hopefully I will be able to be more helpful around the house.

How far along? 11 weeks
Total weight gain? Up .5 pounds this week, so 6.5 pounds total. I'm surprised I haven't gained more- I feel like I have doubled my caloric intake, and have really cut back at the gym. Once I'm out of the 1st trimester I expect weight gain to be in the 1-2 pounds per week range.
Maternity clothes? Just the Be Band
Stretch marks? Nope... hopefully it stays that way!
Sleep? Still good
Miss anything? The gym! I've been going to Zumba, but miss my other classes. I think I'm going to start doing Jillian Michaels No More Trouble Zones- it will be easy to modify and will remind me of circuit class.
Cravings? Apple juice, buffalo wings, chocolate malts
Aversions? Grilled chicken breast and red meat
Symptoms? Nothing too dramatic- I'm hungrier and have less energy than usual, but those are my only symptoms

11 week bump- starting to fill out!

10 weeks

The photogenic twins had ultrasound number four- they are definitely looking more human! The last time we saw them, they were still just cute little blobs, but things can quickly change over two weeks. They were busy waving their little arms and legs. Baby A is currently positioned head down, and Baby B is laying sideways- it will be interesting to see what position they are in at our next ultrasound... I'm sure they will do lots of acrobatics.

Here are a few questions that I will try answer each week:


How far along? 10 weeks
Total weight gain? 6 pounds- the range for twins is 37-54 pounds, so I am right on track.
Maternity clothes? None yet, although I need to use the Be Band with some of my work pants.
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep? Has been pretty good- I usually wake up once during night.
Miss anything? Running and circuit class. I'm hoping to run the 10k in the Fargo Marathon next year, so I have a running event to look forward to.
Cravings? Apple juice, chocolate malts, pizza
Aversions? Grilled chicken breast, red meat
Symptoms? Less energy than usual, but other than that I have been symptom free. I had some nausea weeks 6-9, but it was incredibly mild- I'm glad I had early ultrasounds so there was proof that the babies really do exist! With twins I was expecting debilitating morning all day sickness, so I feel very lucky. Hopefully the rest of the pregnancy is easier that I expected.

Wedding Bells

During Week 9 we celebrated my cousin's wedding (which was beautiful). I was a bridesmaid, and thankfully my dress fit perfectly! My mom decided to hold off on alterations until the last minute and it was a very good thing she did... I managed to fill out the dress that originally needed to be taken in two inches- so the babies are busy growing!

I was able to tell my grandmas and most of my extended family about the twins over the weekend. The cutest reaction was from my Grandma Verna- she was excited when I told her, but must have been tired from all of the excitement of the wedding and her birthday. The next day, my mom went to visit, and Grandma Verna told her "I had the strangest dream last night, I had a dream that Laura was having twins!" My mom got to tell her that her dream was true :)

Weeks 7 & 8

No pictures this week... the bump didn't change between weeks 6-8. Justin and I went to Once Upon a Child for their $1 sale, we found a few outfits, but the exciting purchase was the bassinet! I introduced the dogs to the bassinet, and thankfully they didn't seem to be bothered by the noise.

We had another ultrasound during week 8- having a Friday the 13th appointment made me a little nervous, but thankfully everything went well. We got to hear their heartbeats again, which was wonderful!

Other excitement during week 8 was telling Justin's parents and grandparents- everyone is very excited about the twins!