36 weeks strong

Pregnant with twin GIRLS!!!

My diary at 36 weeks:

(Sorry for the few weeks of silence ... to say things have been a little crazy MIGHT be an understatement. Jerome had a brain tumor removed (don't worry, all is well), but my blog has been the last thing on my mind due to that. I will update more on that later.)

How big are the babies? I have some big babies hanging out inside of me! Last week they both were estimated at 5lbs 6oz via ultrasound. CRAZY to think that I have (now) 11lbs of baby in me! If anyone says to me that I'm "small" now, I will be sure to inform them they are incorrect :) They are "supposed" to be the size of a honeydew melon, if you're looking for the fruit/veggie comparison.

Their big changes this week: Their lungs still have a bit of maturing to do, but their liver and kidneys are in working order now and they continue to pack on the ounces. CANNOT WAIT to see these sweet girlies!!!

New news/blessings?

• At 36 weeks, and after Jerome's whole ordeal, my body is REALLY feeling pregs and a bit tired. We are both ready and super excited for them to arrive any day they want now. I might be hoping it's sooner than later. ;)
• I have my Diabetes under great control ... figured out that my high early morning fasting numbers were due to my bedtime snack that my dietician told me to have. Since I gave that up, I haven't tested high once in the morning. Yipee!
• I don't know how many weeks I've had this pregnancy induced carpal tunnel, but I am excitedly awaiting for it to be GONE when the girls are born. You can find me with my fingers resting upwards most of the time to relieve pressure/throbbing. My brother-in-law says I look like I'm meditating, haha :)
• Remember that night three weeks ago when my sweet Miss Shirley woke me at 4am with crazy pressure and I couldn't sit up? Yep, pretty sure that was the night she FLIPPED. Yep, Miss Shirley, as of my ultrasound last Friday, is breech. Thankfully, she will be the second born, so as long as Miss Lavern stays head down, AND as long as I end up going into labor while my Dr. (Thorn), Dr. Faust, or Dr. Debra are on call, they will let me go naturally. After Lavern is born, Shirley might be so excited with all of her new found room she could possibly flip by herself, or the Dr. can flip her, OR they can just deliver her breech. But, my girls do CRAZY stunts in the middle of the night, so I'm hoping Shirley flips back, but it's pretty unlikely this late in the game. I'll just pray for one of those three to be on call I guess! :)
• The ultrasound tech saw they both have hair on their heads during the ultrasound! So cool! Jerome was pretty excited about that and was telling everyone. Looks like all of the ribbons/bows we have will be put to good use! Can't wait!
• Our bed is up an additional two throw pillows and two regular pillows now, due to Jerome's surgery. If you're counting, that's four throw pillows, seven regular pillows and one body pillow ... plus the two of us and my giant belly. Yes, we are lost in that mess! Neither one of us have been sleeping very well, even with the help of all the pillows. But, people tell us it's just "good practice" for what's to come once the girls arrive. We shall see!
• I've developed a "pop" in my tailbone area since last Friday. Every step I take! And I believe I might be approaching a "waddle" instead of a walk, haha! Everything is loosening up and getting ready for the marathon of birth! It's exciting (and sometimes challenging) to be getting so close to it!!!
• I  have dropped A LOT ... my belly is so low now! And I finally have some lovely stretch marks. Guess my bikini wearing days are done. Haha, who am I kidding? Bikini wearing days? Bahahahahahah! What are those? :)

Weight: 193 (last week was 188, the week before was 190)

Total gain? 37 pounds.

Inches around? 48 (three weeks ago I was 45.5)

Belly button? Innie, still. Maybe mine just won't pop?

Maternity clothes? Still the same. A little of each. Jerome is afraid tho that I'm going to stretch out my "normal" clothes now. Haha, thanks?

Braxton Hicks Contractions: Yep, all the time. Two weeks ago I had two very strong ones (stronger than I had experienced) but that was it. The girls had STRICT orders that they could not come until AFTER Jerome's surgery. Thankful for my sweet little girls who listen so well!

New dance moves? Today, the girls have not stopped moving. Period. I can feel Miss Lavern's bum bulge up a lot, and see her foot run across my belly. And I'm pretty sure Miss Shirley (who is jammed up in my rib cage) has a taser and a spoon. She tases me one time and then drags a spoon across my ribs the next. I have no idea how she got a hold of them, but they will be confiscated once she's born. ;)

Things people say: "It looks like it might snow today, you shouldn't drive anywhere." "It's a bit foggy out, you should stay home." "How are the roads? You're driving slow, right?" "It's raining out, you better go home before it gets slick." "It's pretty icy here, you need to be very careful walking." Haha! These are all things my beloved parents have said to me over the past few weeks/months. They are so concerned for my safety (or more so the girls'??) it is absolutely adorable. It's like I'm 14 all over again! Even MY CAR tells me at times, "Drive carefully, ice possible." I can't escape! :)

Silly nicknames for the bebes? Still the same, Lavern and Shirley, The Girls, Bebes, Fruit Loops.

Complaints? None! (This will never change!)

Feeling in general? So excited! And beyond blessed.

{The Fruit Loops are due February 28th, 2013!}

things people say

I've been writing about the things people say to me re: pregnancy in my weekly updates for quite a few weeks. This is one, however, that needs a bit more room for my thoughts though, so it gets its own post.

Oh! You're due in February! Have them on (fill in a date here) ... it's my birthday!

This one doesn't bug me really, just makes me laugh! I can't tell you how many people have said this to me, with dates ranging from the beginning of January to the middle of March! I have A LOT of goal dates to aim for I guess, haha! I usually just tell the person, "I'll try!" The good thing is that just from the sheer amount of people who have said this to me, with a wide array of dates, I'm bound to hit one of the "requested" days, making someone very happy. :)

I'd like to give my two cents though on what cool dates the girls should be born on. Here goes!

January 8th: I know, this one has already passed, but all day that day I hoped I'd go into labor. Why? It's Elvis' birthday! Wouldn't that have been great? I have a friend who shares his birthday, and supposedly she gets a card or something from him every year. I knew he wasn't dead!

January 18th: Yes, another famous person's birthday. This time though, it's the birthday of the most dashing and debonair man to ever wear a suit and speak with a British accent to grace the big screen. You guessed it, Archibald Alexander Leach! You might know him though by his more pedestrian name, CARY GRANT. Love. This. Man. There's been a slight obsession with him for a good part of my life, and I may or may not have seen over 30 of his 72 movies. And by "may or may not have", I mean I totally have. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the girls decide to make their move THIS FRIDAY! :)

January 28th: This is my half birthday and my BF's birthday. Doesn't get much better than that combo! What's that? Who celebrates half birthdays, you ask? This girl does!

February 2nd: Groundhog Day. Come on. Awesome.

February 14th: Love Day. Love that day! But, I have heard that people who share their birthday with Valentine's Day dislike it, so maybe that's not nice to wish for that day for the girls. Tho, it would be perfect, because these girlies are going to be loved beyond control!

February 28th: Their due date. That would just be perfectly sweet :)

And, if for some odd reason the girls decide to stay in their cozy home LONGER than their allotted 40 weeks (not likely!) ...

March 14: Pi Day! Or, as I like to say, PIE DAY!

March 17th: If I'm holding out til the middle of March, might as well go for St. Patrick's Day. That would make my sweet, very Irish Grandma Rose mega happy. :)

Of course, those dates are me just being silly! I will take those girls any day they decide to arrive! Can't wait!

drooling down the river

I don't know if you were ever a fan of Home Improvement, but I grew up with it. My Dad thought it was hilarious, thus I have many memories of him just cracking up watching the antics go on as Tim "The Toolman" Taylor botched up project after project. How Tim ever managed to accomplish anything (right) is beyond me.

One of his botched up happenings occurred when he was flapping his jaw a bit too much during his show about his wife, Jill, and her, well, her drooling problem. Him and some other guys are talking about annoying things each of their wives does. He says,

Oh yeah? My wife DROOLS in her sleep! I'm not talking about a little puddle, I'm talking like 'Hook up the hose! Let's water the lawn!' Man the lifeboats! She's drooling!

And then, he breaks out into song ...

She's drooling
She's drooling
She's drooling down the river!
(All the while pretending to be paddling a boat)

What he didn't realize was that Jill saw the show. Busted. You don't make fun of your drooling wife, right? Especially on national TV. Right.

BUT. It is ok for me to make fun of myself for drooling. YES, yes it is!

Now, I won't lie, I've always been a bit of a drooler when I sleep. Come on, you know you've drooled your fair share, too. But, it seems that being nearly 34 weeks pregnant has ramped up my drool production. Big time. I think the statements Tim made about Jill could totally apply to me. Drool city. Only while sleeping, mind you. I can keep things under control while I'm awake, I'm happy to say.

One day I was watching my nephews and they both went down for a nap. I crashed on the couch and dozed off for a bit, only to be awakened a bit later by my brother in law pulling into the driveway to pick up his kiddos. I got up to get the door, and wiped my mouth. Drool. It didn't stop there. It ran all the way down my neck and onto my shirt! I seriously had a grapefruit sized circle of drool on my shirt!

I was horrified! I quickly grabbed a towel, wiped up my neck and face, and then tried to sop up the mess on my shirt, to no avail. That drool pool was going nowhere.

My brother in law came in (seeming not to notice the drool pool) and then I heard my baby nephew wake up. Saved! I ran, grabbed him, walked out to the living room, and ... (I'm not proud of this moment) ... this is where I KIND OF blamed my sweet nephew for the drool pool on my shirt. I may have said something like, "Let's see if you can drool on the other side of my shirt now, buddy!"

Yes, I'm terrible. But, I had a non-drooly reputation to keep. I hope my brother in law is not reading this.

33 weeks strong

Pregnant with twin GIRLS!!!

My diary at 33 weeks:

How big are the babies? Welp, they WEIGH as much as a pineapple this week (instead of being the size of one two weeks ago) on one site, and on the other they are the size of some kind of fruit I've never heard of, a durian fruit. Alrighty then. I think I should have found a site that compares their size to daily household objects ... like "this week your baby is the size of a roll of toilet paper" ... I totally comprehend that one!

Their big changes this week: Their wrinkly skin is smoothing out and their bones are hardening a bit more. I can't wait to see these beautiful girls!!

New news/blessings?

• I am 33 weeks along! This is so mind boggling to me! 33 beautiful weeks with these beautiful girls! CANNOT. WAIT!
• The Gestational Diabetes is going well ... still struggling a bit with that morning number though. I have a Dr appt tomorrow and will chat with him about it.
• I made it a full 6 weeks without sitting on the couch and have now been OCCASIONALLY sitting on the couch. My bum was killing me, Smalls! I'm pretty confident ... well, fairly confident ... ok, slightly hopeful that at 33 weeks they won't be flipping on me. Fingers crossed!
• I have to giggle when I think of my hospital bag all packed and ready to go. I feel like a fugitive ready to flee the country at the drop of a hat!
• I've changed my mind and now believe the girls like my singing. Or, just singing in general at least. I went to see Les Mis last week and they hardly sat still the entire, nearly 3 hour movie, which is almost all singing! It was great! (The movie and the moving!)
• Sleeping has been an issue this past week. My belly feels like it is going to fall off, haha. So, I sleep with 2 throw pillows, 5 regular pillows and 1 body pillow, all strategically placed/stacked/tucked around me. Ah, I must be a silly sight!
• I believe, deep, deep down, that I am a Hobbit. No, no, I'm not super short, and I don't have hairy feet (I don't think anyway!), BUT, I do enjoy seven meals a day! I eat breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. I kid you not. I eat a meal, and then begins the countdown until I test my blood sugar so I can eat again! And it can never come too soon! :)
• I spill food on my belly non-stop. I have never been a "spilly" kind of person, but it seems now that I have this beautiful bump, it attracts food like a garbage disposal! I spill, wipe it up, and then spill in the exact same spot again. I need a big ol' bib I guess!

Weight: 187 (last week was 183)

Total gain? 31 pounds.

Inches around? 45.5 (Last week was 46)

Belly button? Innie, still. Tho, it has sunk lower this past week. I can no longer look down and see it, it sits too low. And it is pretty stretched out now!

Maternity clothes? Still the same. A little of each.

Braxton Hicks Contractions: Since Monday, they have become more frequent and stronger. It's been a slightly stressful week.

New dance moves? My "quiet" girl (Shirley) has been pulling some funny business on me the past few nights. She's been tucked up nicely under my rib cage this whole time, but as of late, in the middle of the night, she pops her bum out from under my rib cage! She woke me up at 4 am the first time she did this with CRAZY pressure ... it was rather uncomfortable! I couldn't sit up or move! Three hours later she finally decided to jump back under my ribs. Oh my! What a crazy feeling that is when she does that! It has happened nearly every night since that first night, though I am adjusting to it and able to fall back to sleep some of the times. What a little stinker! I so wonder what their little personalities will be like! We have Miss Lavern, who never stops moving, and Miss Shirley, who doesn't move a whole lot, but when she does, LOOK OUT! What an adventure being their Mommy will be! Can't wait!

Things people say: "Are you sure you're having twins?" (this is in regards to my "smallish" size) ... I think I should start saying, "Gotcha! You're right, I'm not!" Haha :)

Silly nicknames for the bebes? Still the same, Lavern and Shirley, Bebes, Fruit Loops. And ... I will tell you their middle names today!

Lavern's middle name is Rose, after my sweet Grandma Rose.

Shirley's middle name is Mae. This name is a) a great fit with her first name, and b) the middle name of the daughter of the first couple we adopted from, tho hers is spelled May.

There you go! Middle names! Now, that's all you're getting out of me, haha :)

Complaints? None! (This will never change!)

Feeling in general? So excited! And beyond blessed.

{The Fruit Loops are due February 28th, 2013!}