Baby A
Baby B
I'm in love.
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Saturday, February 25, 2012
pictures
Here are a couple of pictures of the boys from this week. These are the 3D pictures from our MFM appointment on February 21st.
Baby A
Baby B
I'm in love.
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Baby A
Baby B
I'm in love.
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Thursday, February 23, 2012
elective u/s
We had our elective u/s yesterday.
Our appointment was originally scheduled for 1:45pm but it got changed to 2:45pm the night before the appointment. I was really irritated that the appointment got moved from the original time because Kara had family coming from out of town for the appointment. It did all work out in the end though.
Kara and I met her family (mom and stepfather) for lunch around noon. We had a nice lunch. They had not seen me since Thanksgiving so I am sure that I looked a bit different. I am starting to learn that I can no longer eat a "normal" sized meal in one sitting. I had soup and salad for lunch and my comfort level went to close to nothing half-way through the meal. I'm starting to think that snacking will be my friend until the end of this pregnancy. My stomach just does not have any room. We went our separate ways after lunch and decided to meet up for the appointment at 2:45pm. Kara and I went home for a bit to rest. I was glad at this point the appointment had gotten moved because I need to seriously digest some food!
A funny story. On our way home I got another bloody nose. I was fumbling around in the car for something (other than my white sweatshirt) with which to stop the bleeding and I could not find a single item. Kara being the "girl scout" told me to grab the bandanna off of her head. So smart! So instead of using my white sweatshirt as a tissue I used Kara's white bandanna! Haha. I had to commend Kara though for going into "mommy mode" in such quick fashion. I'm just preparing her for after the boys arrive and one of them starts puking in the car while we are driving!
Of course we were almost late for our appointment. I think we are just preparing people for when the boys arrive and we are suddenly late to everything. We managed to walk into the door for the appointment right at 2:45pm. Of course everyone else was already waiting for us.
Another funny story. I had to fill out some paperwork for the appointment after I arrived to the office. I managed to get a paper cut while I was filling out the paperwork. If we haven't already learned from the reoccurring nosebleeds I am no longer a "normal" bleeder during this pregnancy. If I get a cut of any sort the blood just comes gushing out. Of course I did not think anything of the paper cut and I went on to finish my paperwork. I got up to turn in the paperwork and pay for the appointment. The u/s tech gave me a receipt to sign and I immediately noticed upon handing over the receipt that I had gotten blood all over the receipt. How embarrassing!?! I apologized profusely and asked the u/s tech if she wanted to print out another receipt. She gave me a weird look and then just had me drop the receipt in the folder myself. Oops.
So onto the u/s ... The room set-up was really nice. There was a projection screen on the wall and then a couple of other small tv monitors in other places in the room. I got to lay down on a nice comfy bed with my head elevated (that always helps) and watch the u/s from the screen the u/s tech was using for the u/s. I think our family loved seeing the boys!
The u/s tech started with Baby A. He was a bit shy. He kept his head tucked down for the first few minutes of the u/s but he eventually warmed up with some encouragement and we managed to get a couple of good face shots. Baby A once again had his left arm up over his head during the u/s. This was the same thing he did in the growth u/s the other day. I still think Baby A looks like me. He has a bit narrower of a face and seems a bit skinny than his brother. I actually wonder if he is longer because both Baby A and Baby B weigh the same at the moment. We also got to see Baby A open and close his mouth. It was neat. We did learn that Baby A is a bit of a "bed hog" and does not seem to share the womb very well with his brother. The u/s kept showing Baby A kick his legs out. He looked as comfortable as could be. So when we got to Baby B ...
He has zero room in the womb! Poor Baby B is rather smashed inside my belly. It was difficult to get any shots of Baby B because Baby A kept sneaking over to get in the pictures. It was super cute though because you could see Baby B take his arms and push Baby A out of the way. I now know why I feel Baby A kick more often than I feel Baby B! Baby B has no room in the inn. It looked like at one point that Baby B was giving Baby A kisses on the head. The u/s tech eventually had me lay on my right side. This change in position allowed Baby A to move further down in my pelvis and it suddenly gave Baby B more room to move around. This probably explains why recently I have been sleeping on my right side at night. It has been the most comfortable position. Interesting. Baby B is super cute! He looks like he has quite the muscles on his arms. He kept flexing his arm back and forth. It is probably from continually pushing his brother out of the way. We got some cute shots of Baby B with his fingers in his mouth. I think Baby B is going to be tough!
We were able to leave the u/s appointment with 4 b/w u/s pictures and 2 color u/s pictures. We were also given a DVD (set to music) of the entire u/s and a picture CD with 88 pictures from the appointment. Not too bad. Kara and I watched the DVD last night and we loved every minute of it! I am sure I will watch it several more times before the boys arrive.
Overall it was a great day. I am glad our family got to attend the appointment. I sometimes take for granted seeing the boys on the u/s screen over and over again so it is neat to see people's reactions the first time the boys pop up on a tv monitor.
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Our appointment was originally scheduled for 1:45pm but it got changed to 2:45pm the night before the appointment. I was really irritated that the appointment got moved from the original time because Kara had family coming from out of town for the appointment. It did all work out in the end though.
Kara and I met her family (mom and stepfather) for lunch around noon. We had a nice lunch. They had not seen me since Thanksgiving so I am sure that I looked a bit different. I am starting to learn that I can no longer eat a "normal" sized meal in one sitting. I had soup and salad for lunch and my comfort level went to close to nothing half-way through the meal. I'm starting to think that snacking will be my friend until the end of this pregnancy. My stomach just does not have any room. We went our separate ways after lunch and decided to meet up for the appointment at 2:45pm. Kara and I went home for a bit to rest. I was glad at this point the appointment had gotten moved because I need to seriously digest some food!
A funny story. On our way home I got another bloody nose. I was fumbling around in the car for something (other than my white sweatshirt) with which to stop the bleeding and I could not find a single item. Kara being the "girl scout" told me to grab the bandanna off of her head. So smart! So instead of using my white sweatshirt as a tissue I used Kara's white bandanna! Haha. I had to commend Kara though for going into "mommy mode" in such quick fashion. I'm just preparing her for after the boys arrive and one of them starts puking in the car while we are driving!
Of course we were almost late for our appointment. I think we are just preparing people for when the boys arrive and we are suddenly late to everything. We managed to walk into the door for the appointment right at 2:45pm. Of course everyone else was already waiting for us.
Another funny story. I had to fill out some paperwork for the appointment after I arrived to the office. I managed to get a paper cut while I was filling out the paperwork. If we haven't already learned from the reoccurring nosebleeds I am no longer a "normal" bleeder during this pregnancy. If I get a cut of any sort the blood just comes gushing out. Of course I did not think anything of the paper cut and I went on to finish my paperwork. I got up to turn in the paperwork and pay for the appointment. The u/s tech gave me a receipt to sign and I immediately noticed upon handing over the receipt that I had gotten blood all over the receipt. How embarrassing!?! I apologized profusely and asked the u/s tech if she wanted to print out another receipt. She gave me a weird look and then just had me drop the receipt in the folder myself. Oops.
So onto the u/s ... The room set-up was really nice. There was a projection screen on the wall and then a couple of other small tv monitors in other places in the room. I got to lay down on a nice comfy bed with my head elevated (that always helps) and watch the u/s from the screen the u/s tech was using for the u/s. I think our family loved seeing the boys!
The u/s tech started with Baby A. He was a bit shy. He kept his head tucked down for the first few minutes of the u/s but he eventually warmed up with some encouragement and we managed to get a couple of good face shots. Baby A once again had his left arm up over his head during the u/s. This was the same thing he did in the growth u/s the other day. I still think Baby A looks like me. He has a bit narrower of a face and seems a bit skinny than his brother. I actually wonder if he is longer because both Baby A and Baby B weigh the same at the moment. We also got to see Baby A open and close his mouth. It was neat. We did learn that Baby A is a bit of a "bed hog" and does not seem to share the womb very well with his brother. The u/s kept showing Baby A kick his legs out. He looked as comfortable as could be. So when we got to Baby B ...
He has zero room in the womb! Poor Baby B is rather smashed inside my belly. It was difficult to get any shots of Baby B because Baby A kept sneaking over to get in the pictures. It was super cute though because you could see Baby B take his arms and push Baby A out of the way. I now know why I feel Baby A kick more often than I feel Baby B! Baby B has no room in the inn. It looked like at one point that Baby B was giving Baby A kisses on the head. The u/s tech eventually had me lay on my right side. This change in position allowed Baby A to move further down in my pelvis and it suddenly gave Baby B more room to move around. This probably explains why recently I have been sleeping on my right side at night. It has been the most comfortable position. Interesting. Baby B is super cute! He looks like he has quite the muscles on his arms. He kept flexing his arm back and forth. It is probably from continually pushing his brother out of the way. We got some cute shots of Baby B with his fingers in his mouth. I think Baby B is going to be tough!
We were able to leave the u/s appointment with 4 b/w u/s pictures and 2 color u/s pictures. We were also given a DVD (set to music) of the entire u/s and a picture CD with 88 pictures from the appointment. Not too bad. Kara and I watched the DVD last night and we loved every minute of it! I am sure I will watch it several more times before the boys arrive.
Overall it was a great day. I am glad our family got to attend the appointment. I sometimes take for granted seeing the boys on the u/s screen over and over again so it is neat to see people's reactions the first time the boys pop up on a tv monitor.
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
growth u/s #1
We had a growth u/s with the MFM yesterday. Both babies appear to be doing just great!
Both Baby A and Baby B are weighing-in at 1 lb 5 oz. To get technical Baby A weighs 596 grams (59th percentile) and Baby B weighs 592 grams (58th percentile). It is great that each baby weighs just about the same. There can be growth discrepancies with twins. That is one reason for the frequent growth u/s's with the MFM office. We want to make certain that each baby is getting the proper nutrition. Each baby appears to be measuring at around 23w4d. So they are still a bit bigger for the gestational age but not enough where my due date will be changed at all. The u/s tech also took a look at the choroid cysts on the brain of Baby B and while the cysts are still visible they have decreased in size. The MFM explained that they do not expect the cysts to be gone at this point. So things seem to be looking good in that area too. There are still no other markers that would indicate a genetic problem of any sort.
They u/s tech also took some measurements of my cervix and it was measuring between 4cm - 4.6cm. It was measuring closer to 4cm with pressure applied on my abdomen. This means my cervical length has actually increased over the last week. Interesting. I will take it. I did not know that could happen.
We got a couple of really good 3D u/s pictures of both Baby A and Baby B. They are really our first glimpses into their facial characteristics. You can already tell that both Baby A and Baby B look completely different. I guess we don't have to worry about them being identical twins! And Baby A is a spitting image of me. It was weird. The u/s tech put the image on the screen and I immediately noticed the lips. Baby A has these super pouty lips. It took a few seconds and then it dawned on me that I was looking at myself. Crazy! Baby B is super cute too. Baby B has a broader and wider face. It actually looked like Baby B was smiling in the u/s picture. They are both the most adorable babies in the world. But my opinion is probably a bit biased.
Kara was not able to go the u/s appointment with me yesterday so I had my mom tag along to keep me company. Plus I thought it would be cool for her to get her first visual images of the boys. I really think she enjoyed herself. It was great to be able to share the moment with her. I think I only heard a few sniffles come from her direction!
A funny story. The MFM indicated that if I have any problems that I should never hesitate to go up to labor and delivery to get checked out. He said, "They are available all the the time. And that is their job." ... my response "Yep. I know." I guess I could have brought up the fact that I had already hauled my butt up to that floor two times in the past two weeks. But I left that part out! I am hoping that my trips to labor and delivery are over until at least May. And even then I only expect to make one more trip ... to birth these babies!
We are scheduled to go back to the MFM for another growth u/s in a month (March 20th).
I will post u/s pictures as soon as I get a chance. We should have a lot more after the elective u/s today.
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Both Baby A and Baby B are weighing-in at 1 lb 5 oz. To get technical Baby A weighs 596 grams (59th percentile) and Baby B weighs 592 grams (58th percentile). It is great that each baby weighs just about the same. There can be growth discrepancies with twins. That is one reason for the frequent growth u/s's with the MFM office. We want to make certain that each baby is getting the proper nutrition. Each baby appears to be measuring at around 23w4d. So they are still a bit bigger for the gestational age but not enough where my due date will be changed at all. The u/s tech also took a look at the choroid cysts on the brain of Baby B and while the cysts are still visible they have decreased in size. The MFM explained that they do not expect the cysts to be gone at this point. So things seem to be looking good in that area too. There are still no other markers that would indicate a genetic problem of any sort.
They u/s tech also took some measurements of my cervix and it was measuring between 4cm - 4.6cm. It was measuring closer to 4cm with pressure applied on my abdomen. This means my cervical length has actually increased over the last week. Interesting. I will take it. I did not know that could happen.
We got a couple of really good 3D u/s pictures of both Baby A and Baby B. They are really our first glimpses into their facial characteristics. You can already tell that both Baby A and Baby B look completely different. I guess we don't have to worry about them being identical twins! And Baby A is a spitting image of me. It was weird. The u/s tech put the image on the screen and I immediately noticed the lips. Baby A has these super pouty lips. It took a few seconds and then it dawned on me that I was looking at myself. Crazy! Baby B is super cute too. Baby B has a broader and wider face. It actually looked like Baby B was smiling in the u/s picture. They are both the most adorable babies in the world. But my opinion is probably a bit biased.
Kara was not able to go the u/s appointment with me yesterday so I had my mom tag along to keep me company. Plus I thought it would be cool for her to get her first visual images of the boys. I really think she enjoyed herself. It was great to be able to share the moment with her. I think I only heard a few sniffles come from her direction!
A funny story. The MFM indicated that if I have any problems that I should never hesitate to go up to labor and delivery to get checked out. He said, "They are available all the the time. And that is their job." ... my response "Yep. I know." I guess I could have brought up the fact that I had already hauled my butt up to that floor two times in the past two weeks. But I left that part out! I am hoping that my trips to labor and delivery are over until at least May. And even then I only expect to make one more trip ... to birth these babies!
We are scheduled to go back to the MFM for another growth u/s in a month (March 20th).
I will post u/s pictures as soon as I get a chance. We should have a lot more after the elective u/s today.
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Monday, February 20, 2012
22w4d
How Far Along: 22w4d
Milestones: The baby measures between 10.5 inches and 11.8 inches during the fifth month and weighs about 12.7 ounces to 20.8 ounces. He has more developed eyes and lips and looks more and more like a newborn each day. He is sleeping in cycles. He sleeps about 12 to 14 hours a day.
Total Weight Gain: 16.2 lbs
Maternity Clothes: No change here. I am still in all maternity pants (except for sweatpants) and a mix of maternity shirts and non-maternity shirts. Some of my sweatshirts no longer fit.
The belly shot for this week ...
Sleep: My sleep is not too bad. As long as the braxton hicks contractions don't wake me up I am only up out of bed a couple of times a night. I have finally determined my "comfortable" sleeping positions so this helps a ton. I still miss sleeping on my stomach.
Best Moment of the Week: You can see the boys kicking from the outside! It is the coolest thing in the entire world. We discovered the outside movement at 22w3d. I kept getting some really big kicks from Baby A and I thought that it might be possible to see them kick from the outside. So I lifted up my shirt and watched in wonder as my belly moved up and down from Baby A. Kara was absolutely amazed. We stared at my belly like we were watching a television show. All we needed was some popcorn. I will have to restrain myself from lifting my shirt up in public whenever the boys get really active. It is especially fun to watch when both boys are kicking at the same time.
We also purchased our cribs this weekend. This was a super spontaneous trip to IKEA. There are very few days that both Kara and I have off at the same time. Plus I am getting much bigger and we knew that our time was getting limited where it would be possible for me to ride in the car for a few hours. I really hope we are not jumping the gun! The cribs looks amazing. We were terrified that we would get all the way to IKEA and the cribs would be out of stock. That would stink. We checked the inventory online before we left and it appeared that we would be okay. Of course when we got to IKEA we made a direct run for the cribs. They had six cribs in stock!! Yippee!!! We purchased the cribs and mattresses and then walked around the store of a bit. Kara made a comment that she had not seen me walk so fast in weeks as we were looking for the cribs. It's true. I hightailed it to those cribs. I added new pictures to the nursery page.
We took a Infant and Child CPR / First Aid class on Saturday. My parents took the class with us too. It was very informative and I think we all learned a lot. It is nice to just have some knowledge in the back of our brains should anything horrible happen. Of course we will hope that nothing bad happens. The class was long at about six hours and I was exhausted by the end. We took the class now because we knew it would be impossible for me to take it in a few weeks. I have taken CPR and First Aid classes several times over the last 10 years but it is amazing how often the protocol changes in terms of CPR guidelines.
Sex: Boys!
Food Cravings: No new cravings. I had my worst eating day ever last week though. Actually ... it was just my lunch that was horrible. I was absolutely starving at lunch and so I thought it was a good idea to consume ... 1 chicken sandwich, a side of pasta salad, a handful of Doritos, 4 hershey kisses, a cowtail, and 2 bowls of cereal. Yep. I ate it all. And that was just lunch. And I will not hang my head in shame. I promise to diet when the boys arrive!!!
Food Aversions: None
Symptoms: No new symptoms outside of the ones already discussed this week. I have had some good days and I have had some bad days. I really look forward to the good days and I try my best to get as much done as possible. On the bad days I just do my best to rest as much as possible. My back definitely hurts by the end of the evening. I am also starting to get some minor swelling in my feet and legs by the end of each evening. But both the backache and the swelling are always gone in the morning. I think both are just from the extra weight I am carrying around.
Upcoming Events: We have an MFM appointment on February 21st and our elective u/s is scheduled for February 22nd. We hope is it an uneventful but memorable week!
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Milestones: The baby measures between 10.5 inches and 11.8 inches during the fifth month and weighs about 12.7 ounces to 20.8 ounces. He has more developed eyes and lips and looks more and more like a newborn each day. He is sleeping in cycles. He sleeps about 12 to 14 hours a day.
Total Weight Gain: 16.2 lbs
Maternity Clothes: No change here. I am still in all maternity pants (except for sweatpants) and a mix of maternity shirts and non-maternity shirts. Some of my sweatshirts no longer fit.
The belly shot for this week ...
Sleep: My sleep is not too bad. As long as the braxton hicks contractions don't wake me up I am only up out of bed a couple of times a night. I have finally determined my "comfortable" sleeping positions so this helps a ton. I still miss sleeping on my stomach.
Best Moment of the Week: You can see the boys kicking from the outside! It is the coolest thing in the entire world. We discovered the outside movement at 22w3d. I kept getting some really big kicks from Baby A and I thought that it might be possible to see them kick from the outside. So I lifted up my shirt and watched in wonder as my belly moved up and down from Baby A. Kara was absolutely amazed. We stared at my belly like we were watching a television show. All we needed was some popcorn. I will have to restrain myself from lifting my shirt up in public whenever the boys get really active. It is especially fun to watch when both boys are kicking at the same time.
We also purchased our cribs this weekend. This was a super spontaneous trip to IKEA. There are very few days that both Kara and I have off at the same time. Plus I am getting much bigger and we knew that our time was getting limited where it would be possible for me to ride in the car for a few hours. I really hope we are not jumping the gun! The cribs looks amazing. We were terrified that we would get all the way to IKEA and the cribs would be out of stock. That would stink. We checked the inventory online before we left and it appeared that we would be okay. Of course when we got to IKEA we made a direct run for the cribs. They had six cribs in stock!! Yippee!!! We purchased the cribs and mattresses and then walked around the store of a bit. Kara made a comment that she had not seen me walk so fast in weeks as we were looking for the cribs. It's true. I hightailed it to those cribs. I added new pictures to the nursery page.
We took a Infant and Child CPR / First Aid class on Saturday. My parents took the class with us too. It was very informative and I think we all learned a lot. It is nice to just have some knowledge in the back of our brains should anything horrible happen. Of course we will hope that nothing bad happens. The class was long at about six hours and I was exhausted by the end. We took the class now because we knew it would be impossible for me to take it in a few weeks. I have taken CPR and First Aid classes several times over the last 10 years but it is amazing how often the protocol changes in terms of CPR guidelines.
Sex: Boys!
Food Cravings: No new cravings. I had my worst eating day ever last week though. Actually ... it was just my lunch that was horrible. I was absolutely starving at lunch and so I thought it was a good idea to consume ... 1 chicken sandwich, a side of pasta salad, a handful of Doritos, 4 hershey kisses, a cowtail, and 2 bowls of cereal. Yep. I ate it all. And that was just lunch. And I will not hang my head in shame. I promise to diet when the boys arrive!!!
Food Aversions: None
Symptoms: No new symptoms outside of the ones already discussed this week. I have had some good days and I have had some bad days. I really look forward to the good days and I try my best to get as much done as possible. On the bad days I just do my best to rest as much as possible. My back definitely hurts by the end of the evening. I am also starting to get some minor swelling in my feet and legs by the end of each evening. But both the backache and the swelling are always gone in the morning. I think both are just from the extra weight I am carrying around.
Upcoming Events: We have an MFM appointment on February 21st and our elective u/s is scheduled for February 22nd. We hope is it an uneventful but memorable week!
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly).
Mary
Thursday, February 16, 2012
our song
So music is important to us. This is definitely true for Kara. I'm not sure the girl could function if she did not have music in her life. Anyhow there is a song, "A Thousand Years" (Christina Perri) that has become my song for the babies. I play it for them all the time. Okay ... Yes. The song was originally meant as a love song for the Twilight series (blah). And by all intents and purposes it is a love song. However, if you listen to the lyrics it could really apply to a lot of other situations and in my case it applies to the love I have for these boys. It also applies to the feeling I have that my whole life has led up to this point. And eventually the day that I get to meet them. So you have to look beyond some of the lyrics. If I am in the car and the song comes on the radio I can't help but rub my belly and shed a few tears. I thought I would include some of the lyrics for my readers. You can interpret it however you choose to do so.
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take you away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I love you for a thousand more
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly)!!
Mary
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take you away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I love you for a thousand more
Please keep growing little ones (and stay in my belly)!!
Mary
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