Quiz: 16 weeks!

Click here to compare to the 16 week quiz during K’s pregnancy.

How far along? 16 weeks today!

How big are the babies? Nearly 5 inches long from crown to rump, and now weighing 3+ ounces.

Weight gain? As of this morning I’ve gained 8 pounds.  But it is all in the form of a very round belly.  I can already tell my belly is going to be HUGE!  I’ve even had people touch it already.  (Too soon…too soon…)

Stretch Marks? Not yet.   But I’m mentally preparing for a road map.

Maternity clothes? I gave back a lot of the ones I borrowed last time.  And most of my remaining items are for winter babies.  Since I’ll be large and HOT most of the summer…I’ll need to seek out a few more summer pregnancy options.  For now I’m wearing normal pants with a bella band, and normal shirts, in an unflattering way.

Sleep? I’m struggling to transition to my back.  No matter how much I try to wedge myself on my side, I find a way to roll over in my sleep.  Otherwise I’m sleeping well right now.

Pregnancy symptoms: Backaches and/or Headaches on occasion.  No more constant nausea though!

Cravings? Nope.  Boring, huh?  At least eating doesn’t feel like a chore anymore.

Nursery update?  We’ll wait for gender news.  BUT we did purchase a bed, bedding, and a few accessories for K’s big boy room.  We also found out K’s crib has been discontinued, so our plan to get an identical one has failed.

Movement?  I don’t think I’ve felt any kicks yet.  But those early ones are so subtle.  I feel things…but not strong enough to say with confidence it is the babies.

Gender suspicions? Hmm.  Based on some unreliable internet research, and some more reliable input from a mom with twins and a friend who is a doctor, I believe they are identical.  And with that in mind, *today* I think we’re having two identical boys.

High point? Mother’s day with “Gamma”, Mom/Nana, and the whole crew.

Low point?  Not getting a heartbeat at the 14 week checkup.  (Story here)

Other: Hmm…we’re also preparing for growth in the area of transportation.  We purchased a mini-van.  The verdict is in, and I already love it.

14 Week Doc Appt – Tricky Little Fellas

I’m back!  We had an appt on Thursday of last week for an update. I was excited to work through our questions, and get to hear the babies’ heartbeats!  Wrinkle #1 in the plan happened when K got a cold, just enough to get a mild fever and get booted out of day care.  So he was home with me on Thursday and would be at the appointment with us. 

I talked to him about how we needed to sit quietly and listen to the doctor, and that we would get to hear the babies’ heartbeats!  He seemed excited about that, and YELLED it at daddy when he came home to ride with us.

Our questions were answered.  K behaved fairly well.  Wrinkle #2 occurred when there were no heartbeats with the Doppler. 

Yeah.

I suppose that isn’t unheard of at 14 weeks.  We tried to convince ourselves it was early, and there had been no complications or signs of miscarriage so we shouldn’t be alarmed.  But…well…you try not worrying about that.

It was 5:00 and the office ultrasound tech was gone.  We were able to book an appt the next day to return and do an ultrasound to check on the babies.

Long night.

Long morning.

But good news.

They are in there.  Kicking, flailing, and growing away.  Two healthy heartbeats.   Two relieved parents.

They look like mini humans now.  Or at least mini humans who look a bit like aliens.  We got to see arms and legs moving, tiny feet, and one photogenic baby gave us a profile view with a cute little nose.  In our favorite shot we were looking at them from “above” and could only see their itty bitty heads…facing one another.  Probably talking about that joke they played on mommy that one time they hid from the Doppler.

Quiz: 13 weeks

Remember that 13 week update and belly pic I was going to post on Wednesday?  Here’s the update, without the belly pic.  Consider it one of a long line of things I intended to do and never got around to.  Hard to be photo ready when you’re a nap machine…

Here you go (as of Wednesday)

How far along? 13 weeks today.  First trimester = DONE!

How big are the babies? Each baby is now about three inches long, the size of a peach.

Weight gain? 3 pounds as of this morning.

Maternity clothes? I could justify them some days, but I am still squeezing in to normal pants.  I’ll need to get some summer options soon, as my clothes from K’s pregnancy are mostly winterish. And I can tell I’m really starting to grow.

Sleep? I nap on the couch well, but I’m having a hard time transitioning to sleeping on my side in bed.  And I already wake up to pee.

Pregnancy symptoms: The nausea is lessening!!!  I still gag occasionally, and I wouldn’t say I’ve returned to my full appetite, but the good days outnumber the bad now.

Cravings? Maybe orange juice?  I liked it before, and I started drinking it every morning while pregnant because of the folic acid.  But I do think it’s yummy!

Nursery update? Not yet.  But we’re going to start working on K’s big boy room soon.  A trip to Ikea is in our near future. And while this seems unrelated, we need to up the organization (translated toy storage) options in preparation for the babies, so I have talked J in to making some built in cabinets around our fireplace.

Movement? Too soon to feel. But they are busy in there!

Gender suspicions? I’m leaning toward one of each.  Or maybe two girls….Or perhaps two boys….

High point? A fun weekend with friends in Lexington!

Low point? Cramps and backaches.

What am I looking forward to? Seeing our doctor again…

What do I miss? Diet Mt Dew!

Doctor Update: Our next appt is May 2^nd.  This will be our first conversation with the doctor since finding out we were having twins!  My list of questions is long and growing…

Not Too Big Yet

I received K’s school pictures this morning.  They are fantastic.  Except that he looks like a 5-year-old.   Last night we ate dinner out, and he ordered his own mac n cheese and milk then ate like another mini adult at the table.  He is growing, changing, and developing every day right in front of our eyes.  I am thankful for that.  But while I’m proud of him, there’s also a tinge of sadness as it seems baby K has completely disappeared.

One moment I will try to hang on to happened this morning…  J had to work off site today so I took K in to day care on my own.  We’re trying to have me lift and carry K as little as possible until the doctor confirms/denies the nurse’s claim that K is too heavy for me to lift right now.  So I asked K to be a big boy and help mommy this morning.  K sat on the steps to get his shoes on, walked to the car, climbed in the vehicle (with a little help), walked to class, removed his own coat and hat, sat at the breakfast table and opened his own banana.  When I had finished placing the rest of his breakfast and lunch, and stared at this little boy turned big kid right before my eyes sitting by his buddies, he looked up at me and said “how ‘bout a kiss?”.    He’s not too big to kiss his mama yet.  And for that, I am also thankful.

Peanut Butter, anyone?

Joining in with Shell on PYHO!

As part of a ‘Future Moms’ program through our insurance, I am participating in a well mommy/well baby program that involves monthly conversations with a nurse.  It gives me an additional opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and talk through normal pregnancy stuff.

It also results in $150 in gift cards.  !!!

I had my first “meeting” today.  In fact, this is the first real opportunity I’ve had to talk with someone in the medical field since finding out there are TWO babies.  The conversation was much more…cautionary…that I expected.  Some takeaways (which I will discuss with the doctor next week) include:

 ·        I may need more calcium than I’m currently getting from a normal prenatal vitamin and diet.  She recommended I talk to him about a calcium supplement.

·        She commended me for trying to stop sleeping on my back already, but said to make it a priority to sleep on my left side all the time by 16 weeks.

·        While my current 3 lb weight gain is ok, it is on the low end (which I’m aware of), and I should expect to gain (work toward gaining) roughly 24 lbs by 24 weeks.  From my current weight, that means nearly 2 lbs per week.  I already feel like I’m eating for 3…so I’ll have to put more thought in to WHAT I’m eating, and find some ways to up the calories.   (Eating a pre dinner peanut butter sandwich now…)

·        My original discussion with the doc (when we thought there was one baby) was to continue with business as usual, and ease up when I start to feel like I’m pushing too hard.  She also said since I’m used to it lifting K, who weighs 31 pounds, is ok.   THIS nurse says they recommend nothing over 24 lbs when you’re having multiples.  And nothing over 20 lbs once I reach 24 weeks.  I’ll discuss with the Doc next week…but it sounds like we may have to rework a lot of things at home.  And daddy may get really really busy soon…

So I don’t yet know if she is a bit more conservative than some, or if this was a good wake up call for me.  But regardless I may need to try to force myself to take it even easier and eat even more.   Not that being lazy and gaining weight is a punishment. 

 Look for a 13 week quiz and belly pic tomorrow, and a doctor update after our May 2^nd appointment.

Heart Checkup – Check!

You can read some background info on K’s Pulmonary Stenosis checkups here:

http://mamalaughs.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/thankful/

http://mamalaughs.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/excuse-me-while-i-wash-the-sucker-out-of-my-hair/

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K’s annual cardiology checkup was Friday.  Knowing he’s a bit more active, a bit more opinionated, and a bit more…unpredictable than he was a year ago, I was worried about how the visit itself would go.   Daddy and I picked him up from school, where he loudly announced to everyone we passed “I GOING TO THE DOCTOR!  I BE BACK!”.  We were off to a loud and enthusiastic start!

At the hospital, he walked like a big boy down the hallway, telling us “THIS WAY” was the path to follow.  This year’s checkup was just an EKG and a checkup with the doc.  The EKG involved “STICKY STICKERS” and funny ropes.  He watched closely and helped her push them on, but then sat very still as directed during the test.  A few quick minutes later, the test was done.  He was thankful for the fruit snacks that followed, and mama agreed he had earned them.

 

After a quick review and a quick listen, the doctor agreed K was doing great.  We’ve been asked to come back again in a year.  No special action or limitations have been put on K, nor are they anticipated at any point in his future.

 

In other news…upon hearing we were expecting twins, she recommended we get a fetal echocardiogram somewhere between 16 and 20 weeks at their specialized office in Columbus.  While I don’t PREFER to hear recommendations like that…she helped us understand that it is good to get an early look at the babies’ hearts to see if they have a similar issue as K, and whether theirs is more serious.   In the event that they have a more serious situation, it might impact decisions such as the timing and location of their birth.   We will of course hope that this proves to be an unnecessary waste of our time and money.    And in the meantime, we’ll enjoy one extra chance to peak at the babies.

Because the visit went so well, and K cooperated, it was over sooner than expected.  We decided to enjoy a little lunch and play time at the mall before taking K back to school.

We arrived back to school just in time for naps, where K made a timely switch from a yell back to a whisper.

Waiting Game – The Early Edition

Waiting can be hard.

Being an impatient control freak on top of it doesn’t help.

I’m waiting on kicks.  A little sign that the babies are in there, doing well, getting ready to take on the world.  I don’t know if I’ve forgotten how nerve-racking these early weeks are, or if worrying over two just has me double impatient.  But not being able to feel the babies has me a bit bummed.

Call me crazy, but every little reminder that I’m pregnant makes me feel a bit better.  More pregnant.  More calm.  And for now, my only “signs” are nausea and exhaustion.  So if you see me gagging and then smiling to myself, or nodding off with a temporary sense of peace on my face…you’ll know why.

Grow on, babies, grow on.  Mama is looking forward to some strong legs in there…rib kicks and all.

Week 11:

Your little one has grown quite a bit since last week—the crown-to-rump length is around 2 inches. Little arms and legs are growing and elongating this week! Facial features are developing, as are fingers and toes. Average fetus at 11 weeks is the size of a lime!