10+ Pounds of Baby!

Today was our LAST appointment with our Perinatologist (the high risk doctor). We had a growth scan and he did another biophysical profile assessment. The babies are looking great! They are each right around 5 pounds. The boy is a little over 5 pounds and the girl is right at 5 pounds. Yay! I am totally feeling all 10+ pounds of baby these days...

My current 'goal' is to get to 36 weeks, or October 26th. All of the doctors seem to agree that the babies will be very big, healthy, and ready to come home with us at 36 weeks (or even earlier...). After I meet that date, my next goal will be 37 weeks.

I just can't imagine my belly getting much bigger. I'm just going to be sitting/ laying on the couch for the next few weeks. Fun fun :) I'm glad that the fall TV lineup is back...

Best Melon of the Season!

I'm now 33 weeks and 1 day - the babies are the size of honeydews!

We have our next growth scan on Friday, so we'll see if we're still actually in honeydew range, or if we've moved pass that 5.8lb mark. I'm hoping that both babies are measuring big, since they could really come any time in the next month. I want them to be big and healthy.

Today we had our second biophysical profile. The babies did great again - both scoring a perfect 8/8! The sonographer also showed us that both babies have hair on their heads! I am so amazed that they can see HAIR on an ultrasound. It was so fun. They were both moving around like crazy, but baby A (the girl) is still breech. So, it's looking like I'm going to have to have a c-section. Neither baby has turned around in several weeks.

Tomorrow Juan's coworkers are throwing us a lunchtime baby shower! It is so nice of them to do that. I'll update again after the shower tomorrow or after our Friday growth scan. :)

Nursery Progress

Juan left last Saturday to go to Dublin for a week. He NEVER goes on business trips. He found out about it a few weeks in advance. I wasn't too excited about being by myself while 32/33 weeks pregnant, but I knew it was important for him to go. I did end up having to take the dog to boarding on Wednesday - he was a little bit too stir crazy without Juan here to take him on jogs or evening walks. My wonderful friends and neighbors took good care of me! Juan's home now, so all is good... He came home with gifts for me and for the babies. Here is a sample:

Last Tuesday I had the first of my weekly doctors appointments. The babies are looking good. They did a "biophysical profile" ultrasound to take a look at how the babies are practicing their breathing, how they're moving around and all sorts of stuff like that. They both scored a perfect 8/8... not sure what that means, but a perfect score is a perfect score ;)

My doctor measured my stomach and said that I was measuring at 41 weeks. I was just 32 weeks pregnant. So, yeah, I am already measuring larger than a full term single pregnancy. He said that he was hoping I would make it to 35 weeks. At that point the babies would likely be able to avoid going to the NICU and would likely be able to come home from the hospital with us. I am still aiming for November 1st (37 weeks), but I get more and more tired and uncomfortable every day. Ugh. I have my next appointment this Tuesday, so hopefully we're all still doing well. It's hard to believe that these babies could be here in 2 weeks!

My parents and my aunt Mary came to Austin on Friday. It was really great to see Mary - it's been a really long time since I've seen her!! Too bad she was put to work while visiting... Mary and my dad put together a ton of baby swings, bouncers, strollers, and a book shelf! Thanks!!!

My mom took ownership of getting everything else organized, washed, and put away! Yay! My dining room is no longer piled 7 feet high with baby things. There are NO BOXES left and the nursery also actually looks like a nursery now!

I had great intentions of getting all this stuff done myself over the next few weeks (with Juan's help), but it was so nice to have someone swoop in and do it for me. We still have a few things to do, but our list is soooooooooooo much shorter now.

Today we went to La-Z-Boy and bought two rocker/swivel recliners (see above x 2)! They are going to be delivered next Saturday. Yay! I'm glad we found something that was in stock (otherwise we'd be waiting until Christmas for delivery). I think they'll be good for rocking the little babies in the living room. I have a feeling that with the addition of two dark brown leather recliners, the rest of our living room furniture will look a little drab :) Oh well... We'll get a new sofa eventually.

After La-Z-Boy we went over to Fuddruckers for lunch. My day was pretty good up to this point. One lady at La-Z-Boy did say something along the lines of, "don't have your baby in here... We'd have to boil water." Um. okay. I'll try not to. BUT, at Fuddruckers, after I order my burger, the cashier said, "you must be having more than one baby. I've never seen a stomach that big." REALLY? Never? Great. Up until today I was feeling pretty good about my girth. I know I'm definitely growing, but "never seen anyone with a stomach this big"?? Ugh. I was a bit deflated. She lost a little bit of credibility when she then asked if boy/girl twins could still be identical. Ummm. No. That would make for a very manly looking daughter or very feminine looking son ;) haha.
I leave you with this cute picture of my puppy :) I just found it on the camera when I was downloading the rest of these pictures. hehe. The rest of my weekend is going to be football and sleep. :)

Broncos, Mavs and Nursery Photos

On Friday night the AMOM (Austin Mothers of Multiples) group had their fall consignment sale. It was a very well organized sale and the clothing was priced so well! For example: two, like-new, coordinating boy/girl onesies with matching bibs were about $4 - total - for two! There was a lot of great clothing, toys, strollers, blankets, etc... We stuck to the clothes racks for this sale and just browsed briefly through the tables full of toys. I think that we'll focus more on toys and other things at the spring sale after we know more about what kinds of things these babies are going to like.

Juan was happy to go with me to the sale to carry stuff around, but I wouldn't say he was thrilled to be there. His whole attitude changed when I found this:

Yes, that's a Denver Broncos outfit for a baby girl. That made him a bit more enthusiastic about going through the racks of clothes ;) He was really a very good sport. We were in and out of there within about 45 minutes. (oh, and I also found the Mavs outfit, below... hehe)

(This outfit is honestly not so bright in real life... it's dark navy and royal blue)

Yesterday Juan painted the nursery a great creamy yellow color. It was yellow before, but it was much brighter and I didn't really like it that much. It is much prettier now! We also put up a ceiling fan a few nights ago!

We put together the cribs today! I've attached a few pictures below. We need to go and get the crib mattresses next week and then the cribs will look a little more comfy. The dresser is still sitting in the living room. Juan's going to have to bribe Steve with a beer to get him to come over and help move it.

We were originally thinking about putting a bookshelf against the wall between the cribs, but I don't really think that's a good idea anymore. I wouldn't want the babies grabbing stuff off of the shelves as soon as they're able to stand up in the cribs. That space will probably remain empty for now and we'll see where there's room for a bookshelf after the dresser is in the room.

I found a website that has chair pads that fit the old rocking chair that I got from my grandparents. It's really comfy and I'm happy to have something in the room that has been in the family for a long time. The chair pad isn't exactly the color I was expecting from the website, but I think it will still go well with the bedding and other decor. We'll see. I might go ahead and buy a second cushion, as I'm sure it would be nice to have two to rotate while one is being washed. :)

Not too much else going on today. We're just watching football and taking it easy! I have two doctors appointments this week. One on Tuesday for just a regular weight/blood pressure/urine test appointment and one on Friday for a growth scan! I am excited for the growth scan - hopefully these little guys have grown well over the past month!

Also, on Tuesday, we have our "Newborn Care" class. It should be interesting and I think it includes a hospital tour. I have no idea how to care for a newborn, so hopefully I'll learn a thing or two.

Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend we drove to Dallas for our last trip out of town before these babies arrive. We had a great weekend full of time with family and friends.

On Saturday my sister and a few of my great childhood friends threw me a baby shower! Erin, Ashli, Ellen and Lynne were so nice to host this shower for us. We went to Chocolate Angel in Richardson and ate some very yummy salads and dessert and then I worked up a sweat opening all the amazing presents for these little babies!! Everyone was so generous - we have the best friends and family anyone could ask for. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone. It was a great afternoon.

While I was being showered, Juan went to play golf with his dad, Pedro and Steve. Pedro had the round of his life and everyone else played pretty well. They were all in good spirits on Saturday evening :)

We spent a lot of time with both my family and Juan's family. It was great to be able to spend some quiet quality time with everyone one last time before the arrival of these babies... Our family time is going to look a lot different starting in a few months!

Yes - this is a horrible picture - but it shows the massiveness of my belly... It was also a very interesting pedicure experience :) Right Seester and Emily? haha!

I'm now 29 weeks along! I will hopefully keep these babies safe inside for another ~7-9 weeks (eek!! That's single digits!). I have this week off from doctors appointments, but have two the following week to make up for it. I'm looking forward to our next growth scan a week from Friday to see how much these little guys have grown. Judging from the size of my belly (and the addition of a few stretch marks to my tummy) and the strength of the kicks/punches/rolls that I've been feeling - I have a feeling the babies are growing nicely!

Our next project is the nursery! We will hopefully freshen up the paint this week or weekend and then start setting up cribs and decorating. I'll definitely post pictures of the nursery in progress... Oh, and just to clarify... when I say "we" will freshen up the paint and set up cribs, I really mean Juan will do it. I'll be a supportive and thankful wife from the couch. :)

27 Week Growth Scan

We went in today for a quick growth scan. Everything is looking good and the babies are "chubby". They are between 2 pounds, 11 ounces and 2 pounds, 15 ounces. That at least accounts for ~6 pounds of my weight gain ;)

We are 27 weeks now, but the babies are measuring closer to 29/30 weeks. So, that's good news!

The sonographer took a few pictures of the babies that I'll scan and attach later on this evening or tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another big day - we're getting the furniture delivered! The cribs and dresser will be arriving sometime in the afternoon. We need to get moving on cleaning out and painting the nursery (former office)!

I Passed!

Just a quick update - No gestational diabetes for me :) Woohoo!! That's one less thing to have to think about...

The orange drink was pretty gross and it made me a little bit shaky during my appointment this morning. I think I'll be eating protein the rest of the day today - no more sugar for me.

The rest of the appointment went really well. The babies both have great heartbeats and are kicking all over (like ninja babies - hehe). Trust me - they like using my bladder as a trampoline at 3am and 4am and 5am... I might need a nap today. They're still positioned sideways or breech, which isn't ideal. I don't want to have to have a C-Section, so I'm hoping they'll flip over before they get too big to move around.

My next appointment is on Monday for a growth scan. Those appointments are fun - we'll get a good look at how much the little babies have grown!

I also noticed this morning that my neighbor is pregnant! I just saw her in her yard when I was on my way to my doctors appointment. I didn't have time to stop to talk to her (plus I was hopped up on my sugar drink and was having a hard enough time focusing on driving). I don't know her very well at all, but if we have babies at the same time maybe we'll bond over our sleepless nights. She already has a little boy who is maybe ~4 years old. Hopefully I'll run into her soon and find out how far along she is and how she's doing!

Eggplant

It's been a pretty quiet weekend around here. Emily and I went yesterday to see Julie and Julia - I loved it. I smiled through the whole movie and even shed a few tears. Afterwards we went to La Madeline for lunch - we were in the mood for something French after the movie. Juan went to play golf in the morning and then did yard work while I napped :)

(actual image from http://www.theuppercrustbakery.com/)

Today we went to church and got breakfast at the Upper Crust Bakery. Yumm!!! I think that will definitely our Sunday morning routine for a few weeks. They have the best cinnamon rolls!

This afternoon I signed up for the Austin Mothers of Multiples club (http://www.austinmoms.org/)! They have monthly large group meetings and several other play groups, lunches, happy hours, etc... throughout the month. The next group meeting is August 31st - I've already RSVPed.

They also have a huge resale event/consignment sale twice a year. Members of the "MOMs" group get to go on Friday night for first dibs on all of the items at the sale. It opens to the general public on Saturday. The next sale event is on September 11 - 12th - I'm looking forward to checking it out!

On the baby front - they are now the size of Eggplants! They're moving around a bunch and giving me some pretty good kicks. I can't wait to see them again on an ultrasound in a few weeks!

I have a meeting with HR on Tuesday to talk about Maternity Leave and get rolling on the necessary paperwork. Yay!

Nursery Furniture and Crib Bedding

We took the plunge and ordered furniture and bedding for the nursery (or what will be the nursery after we take all the 'office' stuff out of it... That's a project for another weekend.)

We went with some cute and somewhat gender neutral bedding from Land of Nod (the Crate and Barrel kids store).

Crib --> (ignore the bedding inside the crib, this isn't what we are getting)

Dresser (which will also be used as a changing table!) -->

Bedding Set #1 -->

Bedding Set #2 -->

Hopefully we'll like everything when we receive it in the mail in a few weeks!!

6 Months!

Juan and I had a great weekend away at the Lakeway Resort. It was a really quiet weekend - we just played in the pool and took it easy!

On Sunday we celebrated our 6th anniversary. I can't believe we've been married for 6 years! Time flies when you're having fun :)
We had a doctors appointment on Tuesday. Everything is looking good! The babies are squirming around a bunch and are in about the 60th percentile for size - so they're bigger than average, but not scarily huge. We have appointments now every 2 weeks and then every week starting at 30 weeks! We're getting close!!!

(This isn't my picture - I stole it off the internet)

At my next appointment I have to take a Gestational Diabetes test. I have to drink this orange soda sugar drink an hour before my appointment and then get a blood test to see how my body reacts to the sugar. I've heard that the drink can really mess you up - it's soooo loaded with sugar.

So, no sugar for me for a few days leading up to the test ;) I'm not sure if that will make any difference, but I really don't want to be on a restricted diet or on insulin shots for the next several months!