down to the wire

I thought I'd crank out another pregnancy post. Erin goes in tomorrow for her c-section, and tomorrow is my due date (little upstart just haaaad to steal it!) , so not much longer for either of us! Yippee! Here we are, on Friday? Thursday? Some day not too long ago...

And here are some cheesier shots. It's just amazing how differently shaped our bellies are. Hers sticks almost straight out, and mine's up and down. It was hilarious watching her laugh and her whole stomach was literally bouncing around, like a wagging finger. A bee-stung one.

Here the girls are just having a little chat. Via the belly buttons, which popped on me at about 2 weeks pregnant, but apparently not everyone's does that! Amazing.

And Erin's little Colin, who's really excited to be a big brother. At least in theory.

(And today is Erin's bday. Happy 29th to her! And happy almost birthday to her little one!)

Update... 36 weeks!

Just thought I should pop in with a little update...I've been pretty bad at blogging lately. Obviously. BUT, all is going well. We've said goodbye to Z, and the other husbands, too. Now Erin and I just hang out here for a month going to doctor appointments and wrangling kiddos until our hubbies come back and we have these babies! My other little sis is living here, too, while her husband is training in the Army (did I already mention that?) and she has been awesomely helpful. Super patient with the gaggle of small ones, and she has her own little 7-month old rascal, too. Incidentally...Zac and Rob, the "poor, lonely" husbands are going to Zermatt, Switzerland for a weekend to ski/snowboard the Matterhorn. Yeah, we all feel sorry for them.

Anyway, I'm 36 weeks now, and am kinda feeling like it's pretty unreal that I'm going to be trying to actually push (I know, that sounds gross) a baby out in a month-ish. I've never done this before. I'm going to have a VBAC, and I'm with a great group of midwives and OBs. Seriously, I've only been to 3 appointments, but I love them. The midwives I've met (2 of the 3) are awesome and personable and really set me at ease. They and the docs they work with are very VBAC supportive, so hopefully all will go well with that. Baby Girl is head down, and last week, at 35 weeks, I had an ultrasound that estimated her weight then at 6lbs, 2 oz. We took N&B to that ultrasound, and they were soooo unimpressed. Wow. I'd been talking up seeing their baby sis on the TV, but all they cared about was...well, pretty much anything BUT that. Otherwise, they do seem pretty excited to get their own baby. They both love "Baby Teresa" and little Ciaran, who are both 7 months. It's so cute seeing them try to hold them and play so nicely (okay, sometimes not-so-nicely) with them. They do try, though. Bran even tried to "carry" Teresa across the room, and luckily just managed to kinda lift her up under her armpits, go a few steps and then she slowly oozed from his grasp. Still, she very much did NOT like it. So we'll be watching that...

But I just can't even fathom what labor will be like, and can't help but wonder if I'm being somewhat masochistic about the whole VBAC thing. I am so excited to get to do it, don't get me wrong, but I had such a good overall experience with the c-section. And it was so easy. Just go in and get my babies. What if I don't realize I'm in labor? What if I freak out and can't get the baby out? And then end up with an emergency c-section? What if her head really IS huge, like the ultrasound techs so kindly commented on?? Eh. Somehow it will all work out... Annnnd, here's the belly, at 36 weeks:

And the 36-ish week pic with the twins (ahem...notice the different clothes? Not that any of them are in any way worth noticing, but at least they're different, right?):

Ahhhhh!!! I'm having a baby!!! (not right this instant, but soon...very soon...) And, HERE is Baby Girl. I know, such a creative name. We do have a first name for her, but are working on a middle one...I'm thinking "Willie" after my dad's mom whose own father was sooooo hoping for a boy. Just gotta convince Z of it... Isn't she cute?? Apparently, her face is squashed against the side of her cozy little habitation, that's why her nose looks so...squashed. Her little hands are up by her face, too. :)

28 weeks...that means only 12 more?!

28 weeks today...yep! Gettin' to the end! This little girl is a mover, and I just can't WAIT to meet her! She especially loves to be active at night...seems a little lazy in the mornings. I totally understand. I guess I don't look really huge, but let me tell ya... I FEEL it. Hmmm...I think that picture under-represents the size...maybe I sucked in accidentally at that split second. Well, whatever, even if I was puffin' out as far as I could go, I'm still not quite as large as I was at this point in my last pregnancy. I know, weird, right?

And, yeah. I know I'm wearing the exact same outfit in each picture. Crazy coincidence. I promise I have other clothes. The thought crossed my mind as I was having Z take the pic, that maybe, just maaaybe, I should change into one of my new maternity shirts...just in case. We see how much I really cared.

16 weeks

Well, there's not a lotta exciting stuff to report. But just for an update...I'm 16 weeks today, but really don't look pregnant. I mean, I'm definitely showing, but mostly if I'm clothes-less, and most people don't see me like that. I am starting to show if I stand just right and wear the right clothes... Now, that does NOT mean I'm not getting bigger! Because I am. It's just that baby has a lot of room to stretch up, in that nice long torso I have. I say "nice" semi-sarcastic, of course. It's great for being pregnant (especially with twins!), but it's murder finding swimsuits, shirts, etc. that don't ride up my stomach. Not so bad nowadays, with longer stuff making an appearance, but as a teenager? Eek.

See? Not a whole lot to...well, see. Sorry for the lame picture. But Nuala is super cute! This is from today, so 16 weeks exactly. Well, according to one calculation. Doing IVF we know for SURE when we got pregnant, so I'm a few days more than 16 weeks by that calculation, but we go with the later one just 'cause it's the norm. Wow, I bet you're soooo glad to have that info.

I feel better than I did during the first trimester, but I'm still puking sometimes and feeling pretty nauseous most of the time (especially at night! Blech.), and yep -- food aversions. So it'll be fun to be done with all that.

Hmm...more emotional. Like, just now I was looking up midwife practices in San Antonio, and got teary reading about the services they offer. Kinda lame.

And I'm TIRED! Compared to my pregnancy w/ Nuala and Bran, I'm a lot better morning sickness-wise, but I feel sooooo much more exhausted. I'm pretty sure the results of that N&B pregnancy are the direct cause of that exhaustion. They. Are....Two. That's a nice way of putting it. Oh, I love them to pieces, but WHEW! Tiring. And stubborn. And little whirlwinds of destruction and chaos. And sweet, too, of course. But, yeah...tiring.

I have an appointment scheduled for Sept 14 in London for the anatomy scan ultrasound, and we totally plan on finding out what we're having! It's a bummer that Z can't be there, though. We're trying to finagle it so that Erin, my sister in Poland, can go at the same time. She's about a week, week-and-a-half behind me, so hopefully that will work. Then we'd do a few days in London...just us, no kids, hubbies, etc. That would be sooo fun!

Z kinda thinks it's a boy, and I sometimes think that... Honestly, I kinda want a boy, so I'm not sure how much that's influencing the "inspiration." But then other times I want a girl...it's just so fun having sisters and I want Nuala to have a close sister! Nuala used to always insist the baby was a "niña" (yep, "girl". But you knew that), but recently has switched sides. Bran goes back and forth. So whatever! We'll see! We'll be thrilled with either!

The whole thing is still semi-unreal...we've had so few appts/ultrasounds compared to the last pregnancy. But overall, everything's going swimmingly! We're so excited and grateful for this little one!

Happy Birthday babies!

Okay, we're off to the hospital! Well, in a few minutes. I'm really excited! I was a bit nervous yesterday, mostly about the epidural -- really, despite my desire to be drugged up, that's a big needle! This morning I feel kinda giddy! We get to meet our babies today! I'm really, really, really excited! So's Zachariah, of course.

Anyway, here's a pic from this morning. I'm by the door in order to signify that we're about to leave, clever, huh?

This other picture is just from last night. I really like my maternity overalls. I'm kinda sad that I won't get to wear them for a while. For some reason, it's more fun to wear overalls pregnant. Well, I better go, it's our kids' birthday today, and we have some stuff planned!

38w2d...2 days to go!

Well, here we are at 38 weeks and 2 days. This time on Tuesday, we'll have two babies. Well, we have two babies now, but on Tuesday they'll be outside of my body. Oh, the joy! Seriously, it's so uncomfortable to sleep nowadays! It used to be that I needed to stuff a pillow under my stomach (and in various other places), but now it's my ribs that need support. The little boy is constantly sticking his behind and feet into my ribs and for some reason it makes them feel like they're going to collapse or snap or something else just as desirable.

Last Monday the ultasound tech tried one last time to get a weight estimate. It gets more and more difficult the bigger they get since everyone's so tight in there. Anyway, little guy is estimated at 6lbs. 10oz, and little girl at 6lbs. 3oz. Of course, they could be smaller or bigger than expected, but looks like they'll be decent sizes for twins.

Whew. This still feels very unreal, but reality will sink in soon enough!

36 weeks 3 days

Here we are at almost 36 and a half weeks. We go in two weeks from tomorrow to either have a c-section or be induced. Yep, little girl flipped over, so now they're both vertex and there's a good chance of having a "normal" delivery. This makes us wish we had paid more attention during our childbirth class...great use of $150.

Last week, little girl was measuring 5lbs.11oz. and baby boy wouldn't cooperate. They couldn't get an accurate measurement on him and he technically weighed in at 5lbs.3oz., but they think he's at least as big as his sister. Guess we'll see!

34 weeks

As I was typing 34 weeks in the title, I accidentally put in "35" instead. If only. Anyway, here we are at 34 weeks (and 2 days) pregnant.

Hmmm..okay, I just compared this pic to the 32 week one, and there doesn't seem to be that much of a difference. That's because they're filling my sides out more instead of going out front, so there! This is one of those times you wish the camera would add a few pounds...nonetheless, I am bigger and -- as people still insist on asking me -- the babies are growing bigger and are doing fine. I feel like I have little Loch Ness monsters inside, I see undulating body parts ripple across my abdomen daily...very strange! They also hiccup all the time, it's so cool! Especially when the little girl does it, she's down low and pretty padded, so I can't really feel it on the outside. It kinda feels like my appendix is hiccuping, or rather, if it could hiccup, I'm fairly certain it would feel like that. Baby boy we can always feel through my skin. No other organs involved.

32 weeks

Well, we're at 32 weeks! Only 5-6 more to go, crazy...The babies are getting bigger (of course). Little girl is 4lbs. 1oz. and little boy is 4lbs. 8oz. As Liam said a couple of days ago, putting his hand on my stomach as I helped him into his car seat, "Your babies are getting fat!"

Good news: For the first time in my entire pregnancy, I asked Zac to make his delicious curry. I hadn't trusted myself for a long time to not get randomly sick from it and hate it for the rest of my life. It's too good to risk, but I felt I had reached the point where it was safe, and it was! So far.

28 weeks

Well, we're now at 28 weeks...only 10 more (or fewer) to go! Yikes! We had a thorough check-up today, measuring all sorts of little body parts to make sure the twins are growing appropriately -- and they are!

Baby girl weighs 2 lbs. 9oz, she's in the 53rd percentile size wise for babies at this stage, and baby boy weighs in at 2 lbs. 14 oz, 67th percentile. Those percentiles are for singleton babies, so doc says they're doing really well to be a bit above average while crammed in there together. He also said my body's doing awesome at keeping them and all their paraphernalia in, so that's good to know.

Last week I had to go get Beta-Methazone (sp?) shots. They're steroid shots to help the babies' lungs develop more quickly, in the event of preterm delivery. They weren't very pleasant, kinda burned a LOT, but at least they were pretty quick. Ha, ha, the nurse who administered the first shot was so funny. She says, "Now, if your butt hurts..." here I think she's going to say "ice it," or "put a heat pack on it," or something semi-helpful, but the pearl of wisdom was... "rub it." Actually, that's not bad advice. So, yes, they are butt shots, and yeah, we had to do those for IVF, but Zac at least let me numb the area for a good 20 minutes with an ice pack. Anyway, turns out the hospital didn't give me a high enough dose for twins, so now I have to go back again!!! Whine, whine, whine...Okay, not really that big of a deal, but just one of those little things I was glad to be done with, and now find out I'm not. Sigh. What's one more butt shot in the grand scheme of things...

It rained a ton last night. We had all our windows open to take advantage of the cooler air so we didn't have to use the A/C. Our cats were outside (their choice, despite the weather), but Mushi decided at 3 am that she'd had enough. Hello! Just stay wherever you were that was nice and dry! Seriously, it rained all night, what would possess a cat to leave a dry little nook and venture forth in the pouring rain...? She came and yowled on the back stairs -- right under our open bedroom window -- off and on till 6am when Zac finally gave in and went to accomodate her wishes. That sounds cruel, not letting the cat in out of the rain for 3 hours, but she's a very demanding little thing, always wanting in and out, so we're trying to help her understand that she must live with the consequences of her choices. Hmmm...that sounds a bit silly when applied to a cat, but I'm sure you know what I mean...It's not like she hadn't been tucked away somewhere out of the rain until 3 am, and there are plenty of dry places around the house to hunker down in. Looking back, I see that we actually were punishing ourselves by not letting her in earlier, maybe we could have had a restful sleep for the rest of the night instead of waking to her melodic cries every 15 minutes. As a cumbersome pregnant woman, I don't sleep all that well anyway, which means neither does Zachariah. Next time we'll just let the darn cat in.

25 weeks

We hit 25 weeks yesterday, only 11-12 more until these babies are "full term" for twins, yikes! That's coming fast...We had our 24 week growth scan of the babies last week, our little boy is a tad bit bigger than the girl now. She's right on the mark size-wise, and he's a bit more, so it's all looking good! The ultrasound tech said, "She has long legs, but a smaller tummy...he's got a fat tummy." They've wiggled their way into a T-shape, she's turned head down and he's still transverse across the top.

I'm definitely feeling the pull of these babies, I feel like I just keep getting bigger and bigger...which I am, so really that's no surprise...

We decided to start letting Zachariah in the pictures...that's him on the right...

22 wk picture

22 weeks, looking a bit bigger. Doc says we're measuring 28 weeks, so that's good. I think he keeps forgetting we're having twins, since he said, "Oh, you're measuring large, we'll have to keep an eye on that." To which I said, "But that's normal for twins, right?" He recovered with, "Yes, that's great!" He really should just quickly peruse the file of whoever he's seeing and pretend to remember them. Despite that, we like him and feel confident in his abilities. Also, he told me I had the ugliest toes he'd seen all morning. That was kinda mean. I think it was the nail polish job. My toes are clean and fairly well tended. I always thought they were nicely shaped as well. Zac painted my toenails about 3 months ago, and I/we haven't done any upkeep on the color. I'm kinda curious as to how long it takes to grow out entirely. I like my toes! Anyway...

We feel the babies move often now, especially the little boy, he's stretched out more than our girl. Zac likes to poke them.

20 weeks pictures

20 weeks, almost 5 months along...more than halfway there! You get bare tummy shots because you really don't get the full effect with the shirt covering it...I felt very vindicated at our Level II ultrasound today (Fri, Aug.11) because although people think I don't look like I have two babies in there, both are doing great! Both are measuring a couple of days ahead and are healthy little kiddos. The nurse even said, "Wow, keep feeding them whatever you're feeding them!" And yes, we know what we're having! We're so excited!!! That will be its own post, when I get some of the pics scanned :)

15 weeks picture...

Okay, so we debated whether or not to post a pic update. I'm just over 3 months, almost 3 1/2, but really, can you see any difference? Yeah, I didn't think so...I'm beginning to thicken up about the middle, and we can tell that I'm getting bigger, but it's not so obvious in public. Swimsuits, yes, or I just look a bit chubby. I read that first pregnancies don't show as soon as those following, but it's hard to believe by just looking at me that I've got two little babies in there. But we do, and they're growing wonderfully, always measuring about a day or so ahead, actually. We get to find out August 11 what sexes they are...we feel like we're having two boys, but we'll see...We're so excited!!!

p.s. Tara, if you didn't notice, I wore that cute skirt you gave me to church yesterday (picture day). I thought I would leave it on for the photos so you could see it...thanks! It's really comfortable and I love it! I don't think it will fit for much longer...but I will reacquaint myself with it next year.

About 2 months along...picture time

Okay, we haven't posted in forever. I've been disgustingly morning (more correctly "all day") sick, and looking at a computer screen only exacerbates it. I feel soooo UGH. Luckily, I had quit my job since we were supposed to move halfway around the world, and hadn't found a new one yet, so I can just wallow in my misery at home, rather than surrounded by co-workers. Zac's wonderful, as I expected he'd be! We've just gotta keep our eyes on the prize, though, it'll all be worth it!

We figured we'd start doing the month-by-month, or every couple of months, belly picture, so here's our approximately 2 months shot. Not very different. I've lost a few pounds because of ms, but I can definitely tell I'm thickening up. We went rock-climbing on Memorial Day, and my trusty harness had obviously shrunk width-wise by an inch or so...still had a fun climb, probably won't be doing too many more of those for a while, we'll see...oh, you can see my "sea-bands" on my wrists, they're supposed to help with nausea, be it due to motion-sickness, morning-sickness, whatever. I think they help a little. Not positive, but hey, if there's a chance they'll help calm things down, I'm all for it!

Man...my friend, Heidi, who moved to Arizona, is about to have her boy/boy twins. I was looking at her 8 month picture, and she's gigantic! All stomach! We're about the same height/build, so it's crazy seeing what I have to look forward to...

p.s. I know I said in a previous post it would be hard not playing bball and doing active stuff. Wrong. I have no desire to even go on the 1.33 mile walk I force us to do every day. Yeah, climbing was fun. All the work hiking there, setting up, etc. -- not fun. Heck, it's hard for me to want to get up and make the trip to the bathroom, an oh-so-necessary excursion! Funny how things change...