Week 33

As you can tell from my previous posts, I'm in the hospital. Today is Day 3 and I'm doing pretty well with the exception of a severe pain I felt in my back and lower front side last evening. I'll update a Hospital Day 3 post with all of that information later on this evening.

The week started out great! After my scary appointment on Thursday, I had a good doctor's appointment on Friday, babies looked good, blood pressure was doing well. My preeclampsia bloodwork panel came back negative and I was un-diagnosed with preeclampsia. I saw Dr. James at this appointment he had me take home a lovely jug that I was to use to collect urine for 48 hours and bring back to the office on my Tuesday visit.

Shortly after the appointment, I ran home to get everything packed up, met Jay and headed to the lake for Memorial Day weekend. We had a great weekend. Lots of relaxation and boating. I had a little bit of an issue while on the boat on Sunday with some contractions but nothing major. My acid reflux continued to be a problem (no surprise) and my blood pressure was 140/100 so a bit elevated but I wasn't too worried because I had an appointment on Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday was my first official day off work and I was a disaster. Blame it on the hormones but I got into a major funk. I decided to put together an online album of my ultrasound pics mixed in with my weekly posts and pretty much flipped out when I couldn't find any of the ultrasound pics (and still can't). I went to my doctor's appointment a little frazzled. I blame it on the combination of heat and hormones. At the doctor, my urine test came back negative for any protein, further ruling out preeclampsia, but my blood pressure was super high (150/100). I was also 2cm dilated and 60% effaced. I was instructed to go get my hospital bag and check in with labor and delivery.

Luckily, in the past few days my blood pressure has gone from 150/100 down to 112/60 (while I was sleeping) and has been in between all other times.



Pregnancy Highlights:

Today's Date: Thursday, May 31st, 2012

How Far Along: 33 weeks 1 day

Pregnancy Countdown: who knows at this point!

Size of babies: A Durian (what is that?) The babies weigh between 4.2 to 5.8lbs (I'll get more exact measurements at tomorrow's ultrasound) and should be between 17.2 and 18.7 inches long. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: According to the doctor's scale I'm up 40 lbs. I'm just still hoping it is mainly fluid because I just don't see how I could have eaten that much!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, all the time. I wore two non maternity (but still tankini) bathing suits at the lake this weekend and was definitely rocking the beer gut hanging out. At least it was just family!

Gender: Girl- Emma Cate and Boy- Holden.

Movement: Since I've been in the hospital, Holden has been my squirmer! I still can't really feel him all that well but the every 8 hour monitoring shows him moving all over the place.

Sleep: Continues to be rough but I'm enjoying my time at the hospital. I am waking up around 2 with acid reflux and supplementing my prilosec with Maalox. Last night I had MAJOR pain in my tummy and some demerol helped eradicate it and let me sleep peacefully until 10am!

What I miss: feeling normal, being able to do things for myself

Cravings: The list so far of things I've craved the most this pregnancy: Icees, Mac & Cheese, Chocolate Ice Cream, Rusty's baked potatoes, and Coke, baked goods, and popcorn.

Symptoms: braxton hicks, acid reflux, getting incredibly hot, cramping, extreme pressure when I stand up or walk, stretch marks, itchy skin on my stomach, gas, feeling like my ribs are going to break from all of the kicking. I've also swollen so bad that my stomach is hanging over and jiggly at the bottom. It used to be really tight everywhere but now I feel like someone that has lost weight but has a lot of skin leftover. I don't know if that makes sense but its the best way I know to describe it.

Best Moment this week: Learning that some of my sweet friends/coworkers donated days to allow me to continue getting paid while on my best rest. And spending time with my family at the lake!

Headed to the lake!

The dock from the house

The gorgeous view!

 
Bo and Jay arrived in the boat!

No more walking for this mama. We peed our pants at Harris Teeter while I drove this car around. It also ran out of batteries about half way through the shopping trip and I would have to remind my mom and sister to come get/pull me when they got too far ahead!

32 weeks 6 days. Just got home from the doctor's office getting ready to head to the hospital and decide to snap a possible final belly pic. 

waiting on Jay to arrive home to drive us to the hospital. This is the mess that has been driving me crazy! I'm hoping it will all be gone/cleaned up when I return home!

proud Daddy, not sure of what is in store for us but ready to go to the hospital at 32 weeks 6 days

one last close up of the giant belly

waiting to get my first round of steroids. Definitely faking that smile!

This was taken as soon as we arrived and I was waiting for the babies to be monitored

First night in the hospital. Jay sleeps really well on the tiny couch! Ha!

Second round of monitoring 12am. Jay snoozed through this one. Emma Cate's monitor is on the left, my contraction monitor is in the middle and Holden's is on the right.

evening entertainment in the form of baby heartbeats

everything is looking good

Hospital Day 2

My blogger and my iPad are not getting along so my 33 week post will have to wait until I get my computer set up tomorrow...

So when we left off yesterday, my blood pressure had gone back up. Around 9pmmy night nurse, Martha, who was an interesting character, brought me my nightly meds cocktail of Prilosec and prenatal vitamin. I was exhausted but wanted to stay up until 12 for my scheduled baby/contraction monitoring. Jay was trying to get some rest and quickly grew annoyed with my requests to get me things. He finally was out for the night around 11:30 only to be woken up for the monitoring at 12. It took Martha awhile to get me all hooked up and she brought in another night nurse, Ashley, who I remember from last time I was here who is super nice and friendly. The babies looked great and I only had 2 or 3 contractions. Nothing major. Ashley gave me an ambien and some muscle relaxer to get the blood flowing to my uterus to try and calm the contractions.

I fell asleep around 1 but was woken up twice during the night with acid reflux. I finally called for Malox at 2:30 and that did the trick! I was woken up a few times during the night for my vitals check but I was so groggy I barely remember. I know on one Of them my bp got really low like 116/68. I woke up around 9am to have another round of monitoring. Babies looked great and no contractions. I fell back asleep until noon when Jay got here. I think I had another round of monitoring then too. Every time they've done the monitoring, everything has been perfect so they are all running together. I also saw dr wicker today (thankful that both my obs have been on call) and he wants to keep me here longer for observation so I may go home tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday. He said that I definitely won't make it to 38 weeks but well try our hardest to get close! He also diagnosed me with gestational hypertension which is basically pregnancy induced high blood pressure. He doesn't see a need for blood pressure medication at this time.

Later in the afternoon, jay and I worked hard at getting my short term disability claims filed. Now that I'm out on bedrest, I have to file short term disability for the bed rest plus the kidney stones on one claim and the will have to file another claim once the babies arrive. My work doesn't offer any time of maternity leave beyond the 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA and I am out of sick days so these claims will really come in handy!

On another note, Jay informed me that several of my coworkers got together and each donated a day to me so that I wouldn't have to take an unpaid days before the babies arrived. This made me burst into tears and is just the sweetest most supportive thing. I am beyond thankful.

Back to the hospital. The remainder of the day was pretty quiet with great blood pressure readings all around 130/80. I was able to take a nice long shower and dry my hair. I'm taking advantage of every opportunity to dry my hair never knowing when I'll be stuck on strict bed rest! I got to enjoy a quick visit with my mom and sister beforenthe headed out to continue moving her in. It was so nice to have someone to talk to for just a few minutes. Im not one if those people that could endure hour long hospital visits :) my introvert has decided to emerge!

Jay and I got into a little spat later in the afternoon. I'm so stressed about everything that needs to be done at the house, especially the picking up of little things and organizing. The stuff i normally take care of in y little ocd way. I think I am nesting from afar and freaking out that I can't be home to do things thus turning me into a very bossy and demanding person. I in turn stress Jay out. When I'm stressed, my adrenaline rushes and I go into overdrive. Jay doesn't respond the same way and just sort of shuts down. He got so overwhelmed that ended up leaving before it was time for my evening steroid shot. I was pretty upset he wasn't here for it but I manned up and it wasn't too bad. My mom headed over to our house to help him get started and pretty soon all of the picking up was almost done (or so I'm told). Jays just going to work on a few more random things and I think my mother in law is coming this weekend to help clean our house and I'm so thankful for all the help from our parents.

It's probably not a shock that after my little stressful incident, my blood pressure went back up (147/97). I really need to work on being calm. My right foot also started swelling and they are going to put me in these cuffs that help move the fluid in my legs. My job tonight is to relax and take it easy! My new nurse is super sweet and it should be a good night :) I'm not minding the hospital because I'm forced to do nothing. I worry that if I were at home I'd have a strong urge to get things done around the house but these babies are so much more important than the state of our home. Things I'm loving about being here include the best care from a sweet group of nurses, the medical attention and knowing that if things take a turn I've got everything I need here, the "turd" ice (soo yummy), and the meal delivery (so nice not worrying about what to cook. I'm majorly missing my pups and asked Jay to sneak Boomer in tonight (soph is still at the breeder's house with her pups). Will update again tomorrow!

Back in the hospital

Please excuse any typos. I'm blogging from my phone.

I had somewhat of a stressful morning for it being my first day off work. I got it in my head that i really wanted to put together a photo album of all my pregnancy pictures and uultrasounds thus far. I couldn't (and still can't) find the clear plastics envelope that contains all of the ultrasound pictures. I freaked a little and went on a mad search. After some tears and a frantic phone call, Jay decided to come home from work to help me look. No luck. I hurried to get ready and headed off to my scheduled Ob appointment. I was so off that I forgot to bring the jug of urine that I had been collecting for the past 24 hours. Thanks mom for dropping that off for me!

At the doctor, my blood pressure was 150/100. I had been having contractions so the dr I was seeing decided to check on my cervix only to find that I was 2cm dilated and 60% effaced. He gave me instructions to head to the hospital and gave me a list of reasons he was sending me.
1) rule out pre term labor
2) rule out preeclampsia
3) get rid of some of the fluid I had been retaining
4) get steroid shots for babies' lung development

I held it together pretty well in the office but I could tell the dr was worried about me. He assured me that even if I delivered today, the babies and I would both be fine. He also told me he thought I could make it to 34 weeks.

I went home to grab my bag and Jay met me there. We (very slowly- hello I might be in labor!) drove to the hospital. We got checked in and the nurse began to monitor the babes. The looked great. Blood pressure, not so much. Ive already forgotten what it was. I wasn't having contractions but rather an irritable uterus. The nurse talked to us about magnesium and other measures they may have to do for the babies. Luckily my primary ob was on call. He spent some time going over everything with us. My high blood pressure has nothing to do with preeclampsia and they've ruled that out. It is simply induced by pregnancy. Which will only cause a problem if it continues to rise and if so, we'd need
To deliver early.

Around 6:30 I was moved to an antepartum room. Around 7pm I got a lovely shot of steroids in my tush to help mature the babies' lungs in case
They would have to deliver soon. When i was first moved to my new room, my blood pressure was 127/76 and i thought i was doing awesome. My last blood pressure was 154/97. The difference was that I was laying down during the first one and sitting up during the latter. So unfortunately, it doesn't look like my blood pressure is going anywhere :( They may start me
On blood pressure meds tonight to see what happens.

Be back later with more updates!

US Weekly

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is reading US weekly. My parents have always had a subscription come to their house and it usually gets passed along between my sisters. Occasionally, if I catch it at the right time, I too get a chance to read this weeks celebrity gossip. I highly enjoyed catching up at the lake this weekend. So much in fact that I commented that I would REALLY like a subscription of my own for my birthday (which isn't until November). Imagine my surprise this morning when I found a living social coupon for a year's subscription for $34. Wooo whooo! I am in no way getting paid to write this, I am just shameless asking that if you are interested in a getting a subscription, you go through the link below. If three people go through the link below, I get mine for free. If you purchase it, you'll also get a link to use so that you can get it for free. Genius. Also, I'm sure the frequency of my posts will increase as I am officially on maternity leave. Have a happy Tuesday!

http://t.livingsocial.com/deals/345348?ref=email-jp&rpi=63132148

Holden and Emerson

Holds- you have been quite the mover today! Jay and I went to see What to Expect When You're Expecting and the loud movie theatre definitely got you going (and maybe the giant coke I drank!). I'm trying to decide if you like loud bass like your mama or if you hate loud noises (also like your mama). I'm just so glad to feel you squirming around in there!

The movie was cute. I cried maybe
6 or so times... Hormones. The biggest shock of the movie came at the Ed when Cameron Diaz had her baby and decided to name her Emerson. Emma Cate- we promise we picked out your name before we saw the movie and sorry if it becomes too popular!

Tonight I started experiencing lots of back pain. It seemed like it was stemming from my right kidney (the one that had the stone and drain). I tried several things to get comfortable and nothing really worked. Around :30 I realized that a "birthing ball" might be the answer. Luckily my mom was still in town and happened to be at target with my sister. She picked one up for me, Jay blew it up and I've been pretty happy ever since! It's also crazy that Holden has been moving a lot more while I've been sitting/bouncing on it. So glad I got one of these!

Hope you had a great Memorial day weekend. I've got an expanded post in the works of our fun family filled lake vacation and I would just like to stop and pause for a moment to thank all members of our military who have fought an are currently fighting for our freedom. Thank you! And if you haven't read pioneer woman today, head over there and leave a quick comment. She is donating one dollar per comment to a military charity.

One on one time

Since moving head down, Holden has been pretty chill especially compared to Emma Cate. Holden rarely moves and his heartbeat is always slower then Emma Cate's. Usually all I ever feel are her crazy squirmy movements. Today I woke up around 4 (after sleeping straight through the night from 11 on! No throwing up or choking for the first time in a long time!!!) and couldn't go back to sleep. I did a little reading on my phone and was presently surprised to feel some movement coming from my right side. I think it started with some play time, a few little kicks towards his sister, which of course she answered back with a few of her own. Kicks turned into a round of baby hiccups and finally some snuggle movements as he went back to sleep. I'm really thankful to "get to know" each baby one on one before they arrive. It is so fun interpreting these movements and making guesses about their personalities. As much as I want them to spend 4 more weeks inside my tummy, I am sooooo excited about meeting them :)

Week 32

I waited a day to post because I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and figured that I'd want to include that information on my weekly post. Little did I know....



The past week seemed to be going pretty well. I survived the end of the week with my crazy middle schoolers and was looking forward to taking it easy this week with the 8th grade gone. My mom, both sisters, and Al's boyfriend came in town Friday and we enjoyed hanging out for a bit until they had to leave for Winston-Salem. Later in the evening, Jay arrived home from his business trip and my Dad flew in from Philly. We enjoyed a lovely meal of KFC and my dad was kind enough to go on an ICEE run for me Friday night.



Saturday morning my aunt Barbara flew in from Chicago and we all headed up to Winston-Salem for the graduation festivities. We enjoyed a nice weekend filled with family and it was awesome to spend some time with my Grandpa. I'm going to do a separate graduation post with all sorts of pictures and details. I felt pretty great most the weekend with the exception of Monday. Bo graduated outside in the heat on Monday morning and my ankles swelled to extreme proportions!



Tuesday and Wednesday I was back at school and taking it super easy. I was able to come in at 10 and leave at 2. Today was a little rough at school mainly because I am sooo tired. It is so hard to sleep at night! Jay and I met at the ob's office at 3:30 for my weekly appointment. I was up 5 lbs from last week and my blood pressure had sky rocketed to 130/90. I was slightly nervous as the nurse walked us back to the exam room. My doctor came in and let me know that I had protein in my urine and my blood pressure was too high. He told me I was done with work and was to stay at home and off my feet for the remainder of my pregnancy. He originally said that he wanted to see me back on Tuesday but by the end of the appointment, decided that I needed to be seen tomorrow (Friday) instead. He also sent me down to the lab for bloodwork. I was given strict instructions to call the triage line if ANYTHING different happened this weekend. He made me a little nervous because he was taking things so seriously. He talked to me about liver pain and what it would feel like. I'm going in tomorrow afternoon for my other doctor to check out my bloodwork results from today and to have an NST (non stress test) done on my babies.



Tomorrow will be my last day of work. I tried to argue that I could finish out the year (7 more days!) but he was having none of it. I don't know a lot about preeclampsia but from what I've read so far it sounds like I really need to take his advice and relax if I want to carry these babies for much longer. I got teary eyed leaving the hospital. This is not what I wanted. I felt like my body could totally handle carrying these babies to 38 weeks and it very well may be capable if I start taking care of myself with lots of rest. As much as I don't want to be on bedrest, I want to keep my babies out of the NICU or at least be able to bring them home as soon as possible. I'm saying my prayers that they will continue to grow and stay put. I am glad though that my doctor is aggressive and he said that if I have to stay in antipartum on the labor and delivery floor then that's what we'll do! I'd rather be safe in a hospital with nurses and doctors to monitor the babies' every move than risk it. I'll be back with my results tomorrow!



Also at today's appointment, Dr. Wicker went to find the heartbeats and easily found Holden's. I forgot to ask what it was but he said it was normal. He went to find Emma Cate's and couldn't. He immediately told me that his doppler hadn't been working well all day and not to worry. Ha! I didn't even think about worrying. Emma Cate has been kicking me all day long. I had no fear that she was in there. Even when he was trying to find the heartbeat, he put his hand on my stomach and she gave him a swift kick. He realized that she was down a little lower and soon was able to find her heartbeat too. I've got a feisty one on my hands!

Pregnancy Highlights:

Today's Date: Thursday, May 24th, 2012

How Far Along: 32 weeks 1 day

Pregnancy Countdown: 42 or less days

Size of babies: A squash. The babies are 15.2-16.7 inches long and weigh between 2.5- 3.8 pounds 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: According to the doctor's scale I'm up 35lbs. It's crazy to me that I've tried really hard to manage my weight this entire pregnancy and now I'm packing on the water weight like whoa. I'm up 12 lbs in the past two weeks and feeling really swollen everywhere. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes, all the time. Nothing fits and I am most comfortable in a tank top and pj pants with the fan going and AC blasting.

Gender: Girl- Emma Cate and Boy- Holden.

Movement: I ate another milkshake today and the babies went nuts. I wonder what's in those things! Last night around 1am they decided to have another party in my belly. Holden was going nuts. I've never felt him so active. I'm wondering if he is completely off from my schedule and decides its time to play when I'm asleep and sleeps when I'm usually awake.

Sleep: It has been rough this week. Twice I've thrown up. Once I didn't make it to the edge of the bed in time and Jay was sweet to clean up after me and wash my pillow. Yuck. I have a lot of trouble rolling over in bed and sometimes need assistance. I use the restroom around 4-5 times from the time I lay down in bed  until I am able to fall asleep. I'm waking up to use the restroom during the middle of the night and again around 6am when Jay gets up for work. I feel like my body is already working towards getting on a feeding schedule. Jay has commented that I am snoring all of the time now regardless of what position I lay in. He said that I choke in my sleep a lot and my breathing is really off. If  I wake up in the middle of the night, I always have acid reflux and will supplement my prescription with a little pepto. 

What I miss: sleeping on my tummy, walking, my old feet, my not so jiggly tummy

Cravings: The list so far of things I've craved the most this pregnancy: Icees, Mac & Cheese, Chocolate Ice Cream, Rusty's baked potatoes, and Coke. This week we'll add baked goods. Any type. Brownies, cake, cookies, etc.

Symptoms: braxton hicks, acid reflux, getting incredibly hot, cramping, extreme pressure when I stand up or walk, stretch marks, itchy skin on my stomach, gas, feeling like my ribs are going to break from all of the kicking. I've also swollen so bad that my stomach is hanging over and jiggly at the bottom. It used to be really tight everywhere but now I feel like someone that has lost weight but has a lot of skin leftover. I don't know if that makes sense but its the best way I know to describe it.

Best Moment this week: Watching my little sis graduate college!

how sad do these piggies look? its bad when even your toes have rolls

our middle sister Allie wasn't able to stay on Monday for graduation but she watched it on her computer from the webcast and sent us the pic!

Wake Forest Class of 2012

went out to eat after graduation and my belly barely fit!

this is probably the WORST picture of me EVER but Bo and I went to Ikea to pick up somet things for her new apartment and we got a wheel chair as soon as we arrived. It was soooo nice not to walk through that crazy huge store. By the time we made it down to the marketplace, we had to rig up this shopping cart to the wheel chair in order to get everything she needed. I was DYING laughing in this picture. Other shoppers thought we were nuts!

The other morning Jay went to take Boomer out and found this lovely little black snake on our front porch. The white at the top of the picture is the roof of the porch and the snake is hanging out on the decorative brick that stick out slightly from the wall. Jay went to get him down with a stick and had to actually wake the snake up. It must have been a chilly evening and the snake was staying near the light fixture to keep warm! Every time I've gone out to get the mail since I am extra careful to lookout for this guy. Jay didn't kill it because it is pretty harmless and helps keep bugs away. YUCK.

Your baby's the size of a squash!

Still growing, your baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches.

Playmates

Lots of playtime has been happening between the twins. It's do strange to think of the relationship that is already forming between these two. One will start flutter kicking and soon the other one joins in. I have no idea if this is true but Holden seems to be turned in towards my back because I rarely feel his kicks. The only time I feel him is after some really sugary food or when Emma Cate gives him a swift kick and he fires back!

It will be really interesting to see what personalities emerge from these little people. Currently, Emma Cate seems like my feisty one and Holden is my laid back sleeper. Jay commented yesterday that Holden is living up to his Caviness namesake :) 

What we've bought for Baby

I have been on the hunt for lists of things that you need for twins. I don't mean list that say bottles, wipes, etc. I mean like very detailed, how many, what brand, lists. Since I haven't found any, I've decided to create my own. Hopefully this helps future mama's down the road! Remember this is doubled for twins!

***Please also note, my twins are not born yet. I truly have no clue what we will use. I'm trying to be prepared for anything. I'll update in a few months once we've figured things out!

Gear

Infant Carseats- Chicco Keyfit 30 (did not buy extra bases)

Convertible Carseats- Britax Marathon 70 Car Seats (keep in Jay's car (doubtful that he will ever have the twins by himself in his car (which is super tiny) but just in case.-  We will use them in my car once they outgrow infant seats)

Stroller- City Select by Baby Jogger + adapters for Chicco strollers

Pack 'N Play- Graco (not sure what kind, was gifted to us and we haven't set it up yet)

Front Carrier- We have two baby Bjorns (one navy set and one grey and red set... gotta be prepared for State games) We also have a Moby wrap

Safety

Monitor- Motorola Digital Video Monitor 3.5" Screen (we bought an additional camera for the monitor too)

Diapering

Infant Prefolds- We have 24 bummis organic infant size prefolds. Will most likely need to buy more. We also have 2 packages of snappis to keep those diapers on tight!

Newborn Covers- Have 8 bummis super brites (4 white and 4 colored)

Infant Covers- Have 2 thirties duo wraps (pink and green), and 4 swaddlebees capri snaps (pink,blue, 2 red))

Pocket Diapers- Have 4 bumgenius and 4 oh katy (will wait to buy more when we reach that stage)

Wipes- Have 24 bum genius flannel and 24 babee greens softies

Wipes solution- Babee greens cleansing green

Wipe Holder- Have 2 Skip Hop travel holders  

Pail- Dekor Plus

Liner- (1) 1 Thirsties Drawstring- bought draw string over elastic top so that we can use it for overnight travel. (2) 1 Planet Wise wetbag- small enough to fit in diaper bag (3) 1 Itzy Ritzy wetbag- for my diaper bag

Diaper Bag- I have two Storksaks Olivia bags, one tan and one black. Jay has an NC State messenger bag, I also have two smaller Bella Tunno diaper clutches for when we have less crap :)

Layette

Sleepers- assortment of gowns and footed onesies

Sleep Sacks- Have 4 Summer Infant SwaddlePods (2 blue 2 pink), 2 Summer Infant SwaddleMe Cotton (1 blue 1 pink), 2 Halo Sleep Sacks (cream)

Blankets- Have four thick, plush blankets for tummy time, etc.

Swaddle Blankets- Have four Swaddle Designs Blankets (2 pink 2 blue), several inexpensive gerber receiving blankets, two white monogramed receiving blankets

Toys and Activity

Bouncer Seat- Graco Sweetpeace Swing- seat comes out and can be used as bouncer

Swing- Graco Sweetpeace (plugs into wall and removable seat) and Mama Roo seat

Activity Gym- 

Exersaucer- Evenflo

Mobile- Pottery Bark Kids

Jumperoo- Evenflo Johnny and Jenny Jumpers

Rattles and Teethers- Sophie Teethers and several others

Mom Equipment

Chair- 2 gliders, one with gliding stool and one with nursing stool

Nursery and Linens
Changing Table- PBK Catalina dresser and topper (in nursery) and Ikea Hemmes Sofa Table (in family room)
Changing Pad- Two (one in each location)
Changing Pad Covers- two from PBK (for family room) and two by Boppy (for nursery)
Sheet Savers- Have 4 Summer Infant Ultimate Crib Sheets
Fitted Sheets- Have 4 organic cotton buy buy baby brand
Mattress Pad- Have 2 buy buy baby brand
Pack N Play sheets- Have 2 organic cotton buy buy baby brand
Laundry Hamper- Don't have yet but plan to order from PBK
Night Lights- Don't have yet but plan to order from PBK
Sound Machine- Have one from homemedics, one portable one from homemedics, and each twin has a stuffed bear that mimics heartbeat, womb, etc. Our monitor also plays lullabies.

Bathing
Bathtub- We have two PUJ tubs I found at a consignment sale to use in the sinks and one hard plastic one for the bathtub
Baby wash cloths- We have a ton!
Baby Towels- We have two hooded towels and two bathrobes for each baby

Baby Care
Brush and Comb
Nail clippers and files
Thermometer- We have the normal kind but will look at getting an ear type or whatever our pediatrician recommends.
Nasal Aspirator- Nose Frieda
Pacifiers- We have several soothies, a few "naturals", and each baby has a wubanub

Feeding
Bottles- We decided to skip the 4oz and go straight for the 8oz since I will be home breastfeeding the babies (God-willing). We bought 4 Avent 8oz and 8 Dr. Brown's 8oz. We're going to see what the babies prefer before buying more of either brand.
Bottle Warmers- Bought a First Years brand at a consignment sale
Dishwasher Caddy- Starting with one munchkin brand but will probably have to add more
Breast Pump- Planning to rent a hospital grade one at first
Nursing pillow- Twin Breast Friend
High Chair- Fisher Price Space Saver High Chairs for use at home and Phil and Ted's Lobster Chair to take on trips with us
Bibs- We received several as gifts but needed to buy a few that were a bit more functional

New Readers

For some reason there have been a ton of fun pregnancy/twin link ups recently and its right at the time that I started this new blog and made my old blog private. I'm going to work on importing my weekly posts from my old blog so stay tuned!

Happy Friday

The morning started out very sluggish. I have been SO tired! Holden is feeling like his mama and not into moving much. We had to listen to a little rap on the way to school today to make sure they were alive and kicking.

just realized the irony of the parent advisory label...

even the dog was sleepy this am!

After teaching two short classes, I headed over the ob's office for my weekly check up. The doctor was running super late and I was nervous about missing my class.

The babies are looking perfect. I didn't even ask the heartbeats but Holden's was very easy to find and Emma Cate was squirming everywhere (story of my pregnancy) and the doctor has to try a few times to get a good read. Luckily my blood pressure has dropped down to a normal range. On Wednesday (the day of the great feet swell) my blood pressure was at 138/86, it had gone down a little yesterday to 128/80 and today at the doctor it was back to semi-normal at 116/70. I gained 7 pounds this week and since I can barely eat, my doctor said that it is all fluid retention. He thinks I'm good on the preeclampsia front but sent me for bloodwork to just be sure.

We've got a crazy weekend coming up. Bo (baby sister) has been in town since Wednesday keeping me company. My mom has probably already arrived in Charlotte and they're heading over to Bo's new apartment to do a walk through and start moving in. Allie (middle sister) and her boyfriend are on there way up from Augusta and should arrive this afternoon. Bo, Allie, Mom, and Brett are leaving to head to Winston-Salem tonight to kick off graduation weekend. Jay should arrive back in Charlotte sometime this afternoon and my Dad is flying in from Philly tonight. Tomorrow my Aunt arrives from Chicago and the four of us will head to Winston for a series of parties celebrating my sister :) I'll be back on Tuesday will party picks from this weekend!

Friday Phone Dump

wish I was closer to the mirror but I look HUGE in this outfit 

oh piggys. I'm sorry for all that you are going through. 

 

outfit of the day

31 weeks 2 days

holding up the belly 

31 weeks 2 days

Week 31

31 WEEK POST:

Still thankful for each day these babies stay cooking! And thankful for each day they make me more uncomfortable and stretch mark-y. Ha! 

This has been a week of increased contractions, swelling, and ugly pregnancy symptoms. I feel like nesting is pretty much over. Everything has been purchased, washed, and put together. Now the waiting game begins!

Yesterday I had a meeting with my administrators about my "bed rest". They were extremely accomodating and I'm very grateful. I really want to finish out the school year and I think resting and staying hydrated are the keys to making that happen. I've been given to leave during my planning period (2pm) to go home and rest. Next week, our 8th graders go to Washington DC. Usually encore (elective) teachers are require to be at school in our classrooms even when our students are not here. I was informed yesterday that I'm allowed to sleep in and arrive at 10am instead of 7:30. I am just so thankful that they are being so helpful!

As of this morning, I had not felt Holden move in a long time so I decided to try and wake him up with a little of this.

The babies really seem to respond to loud bass... I wonder where they get that from (cough cough)? Maybe I should rethink about selling the subs and amp that we recently removed from my old car when we sold it and install them in the back of my Tahoe. Ha!

Jay's absence has definitely made me cranky this week. I had a horrible Monday night. Contractions were happening for 30 seconds each, every 5 minutes. By the time the 4th one hit I was ready to head to the hospital. Fortunately, there was not a 5th contraction and following my doctor's orders (head to the hospital if you have more than 5 consecutive contractions within an hour) I headed off to bed. I continued to wake up each hour with a rough contraction and a bout of "sickness". My heartburn/acid reflux was out of control. Finally around 1:30am I took more medicine and fell asleep. Jay got a phone call every hour that I was awake. You're welcome hunny! 

Yesterday was MUCH better with very few contractions and lots of movement from Emma Cate on the right side. My feet have expanded to twice their size regardless of the 120oz of water I've been drinking and all of the propping I've been doing. Last night the covers for their anywhere chairs came in and I'm excited to use them as backdrops for their monthly photo shoots!

Pregnancy Highlights:

Today's Date: Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

How Far Along: 31 weeks

Pregnancy Countdown: 49 or less days

Size of babies: A pineapple. The babies are 15.2-16.7 inches long and weigh between 2.5- 3.8 pounds 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 29 lbs. I've gained 4 pounds in a week. I'm pretty sure its all water/fluid retention but I'm getting a little worried about how huge I'm going to be at the end of this.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, all the time. I went to Pea in a Pod to find a dress for my sister's graduation this weekend and NOTHING fit. 

Gender: Girl- Emma Cate and Boy- Holden.

Movement: Emma Cate is moving like crazy. Holden is being lazy. When he does move though, it is pretty painful. I think he is trying to separate my ribs.

Sleep: Sleep varies. Some nights it is easy to sleep others I wake up all of the time. It also depends on my fluid intake ;) My belly weighs a ton and getting out of bed and sitting up are both difficult. I ran out of my heartburn prescription and went three days without it. I was miserable. So glad to be back on it!

What I miss: just feeling like my normal self.

Cravings: The list so far of things I've craved the most this pregnancy: Icees, Mac & Cheese, Chocolate Ice Cream, Rusty's baked potatoes, and Coke. The other night I was really really stressed and took a long hot shower and had a major craving for a sip of red wine.

Symptoms: braxton hicks, acid reflux, getting incredibly hot, cramping, extreme pressure when I stand up or walk, stretch marks, itchy skin on my stomach. 

Best Moment this week: Packing up the hospital bags and getting everything in order for the twins to make their appearance!

31 weeks 

31 weeks

31 weeks

super fat hands

super fat feet. Ignore the need to a pedicure. I have an appointment this week!

Your baby's the size of a pineapple!

He's about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds this month. He's getting so big, he's probably crowding your lungs.