20 weeks and new blog name revealed

Hey y'all!! A little hello from the Kentucky girl in me. :-) Y'all don't get to hear my accent by reading words that I type, but just thought I'd let it come out for a minute. One of my favorite memories of Dr. Schoolcraft was when we had our initial consult with him and he told me "Love your accent!" I think of Schoolie every day when I look at my belly and think of all he has helped us to achieve!

So, the big reveal: after careful thought, I decided not to choose any of the names I originally came up with for my new blog name. Instead, I'm changing the name to "Another Day in PAIR-adise." I think it's fitting for having twins, a definite predictor of my future life, and an original name that other bloggers haven't claimed yet.

In other news, I'm over the 20 week hump! Yay! A few words from BabyCenter: "Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery)."

I should tell you that I'm pretty much over the Nest/Bump fruit analogies at this point. They've gotten kinda ridiculous. Last week they were the size of mangoes, this week they are the size of cantaloupes, but next week are the size of bananas. Wtf? So, I'll be giving my own little updates, without the bump pics. The Bump was pretty good early (see blueberries, raspberries, etc), but have missed the mark over the past several weeks (and look to continue to do so for future weeks).

Diaper bag heaven

Yes-I feel like I've died and gone to that beautiful heaven with fabulous handbags. As a preface, I love handbags and have spent too much time and money on them in the past. But, now I've got a diaper bag that I love, love, love! Introducing, my very own Petunia Pickle Bottom...

It's a new Spring 2009 chenille fabric line with a tapestry look. I've spent much time obsessing over my dream bag and originally fell in love with this Cake Couture Petunia bag below. This one is my favorite, but I really can't justify it. It just seems way too much to spend for a diaper bag.



So, I think my top selection is a great combination of sophisticated style, yet reasonable pricing. Anyway, the best part is that it's a gift from my co-workers!

I happen to work with such a great group of people. We have always celebrated births for all of our team members, and a popular choice has been the Petunia bags over the past few years. There was definitely a point last year when I didn't know if I would ever get a chance to be celebrated, if our situation would ever change so that I could get giddy over all things baby-related.

There are still days that I want to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming that something so wonderful is happening to me. It would seem so, but I still worry every day about something going wrong and everything ending much differently.

But today ended perfectly with my new favorite bag getting purchased! I don't get it until my shower on May 21st, but I'll think of it often!

As I told the shop owner today: my boys may not have a nursery to sleep in yet, but Mommy has a pretty bag!

18 weeks!!

Well, things are definitely progressing. I'm 18 weeks and 3 days. I had a perinatologist appt today. He was very pleased with the boys growth and they did extensive scans on them today, measuring all long bones, head, feet, abdomen, etc. Always a good day when I can hang out with my sons. :-)

Baby A is weighing in at 8 ounces, which is right on schedule.



Baby B is slightly ahead on growth, at 9 ounces.

According to the Nest/Bump: "Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon." They are about the size of sweet potatoes this week (were the size of onions last week).

Speaking of movements, I have had feeling (flutters) on my left side since Sunday. So exciting! Steve is calling him "lefty Luke" although we still haven't decided upon the names 100% yet. Luke (Lucas) is definitely a favorite, along with Harry (Harrison). But, I'm still thinking...

So, to talk about the pregnancy for a minute. I've been having some really awful leg cramps lately. The kind that wake you up in the middle of the night and are so debilitating that you can't bear weight on the leg and then you can't even walk normally for the next 4 days (including limping up and down stairs). I did speak to the doctor about these leg cramps disabling me and he was a little concerned. Told me to do "runners stretching" every night for 5 minutes before bedtime and start taking calcium supplements/Rolaids/Tums, etc. Hopefully, this will limit their effect on me!

Also spoke to him about my kick-butt heartburn that's been getting to me nightly. Suggested I try some Maalox or Mylanta or Pepcid OTC twice a day. Also thought I'd sleep best by elevating head slightly. So, I'm gonna give it a whirl tonight.

Finally, got a lecture from him about doing too much and that I should limit myself now or I will be forced to be put on bedrest in the future in hopes of preventing pre-term labor. I hate that I'm a Type A person sometimes, but I'll just have to figure something out! Their health is the most important thing to me. I wish I had more help from Steve and Maggie (13 y/o step-daughter). I read all of your blogs and hear how wonderful your husbands are and am so jealous sometimes! You all are lucky-remember that!

Updates

I feel like a lot has taken place since my last post!

First of all, the boys looked great at check-up last Thursday. Momma also looked good with a nice, long, thick cervix over 4cm-yay! Hope it stays that way for a very long time! Also, had triple screen genetic markers tested and all came back with an AFP within normal ranges, which is fantastic for twins! Also, my thyroid was checked and also came back normal. So good appt. all the way around! Next week (on Wed) I go see peri again, so looking forward to some good u/s pics...

Next, my Mom came up and we really got a lot accomplished over 4 days. First of all, I ordered my cribs! We got the Baby Italia standard cribs in a natural stain from BRU. Here is the picture:

We are lucky enough to be getting a white 5-drawer chest and changing table given to us, so we can't wait to get them all in the nursery once everything is completed. We decided to pull the colors together by replacing the white chest knobs with natural color knobs that match the cribs. I saw this in a Pottery Barn magazine and loved the idea! It will tie the 2 colors together perfectly. I also bought 2 mattresses for the cribs. Finally, here is a pic of our bedding. I think it's so darn cute! Also from BRU!

I love the little cows, sheep, ducks, etc on this bedding. The colors are exactly what I wanted and more-blue, green, and brown were the original colors I had in mind, so adding red and yellow was a fun bonus. My favorite part? The doggie driving the tractor! Hysterical! I think the boys will be big doggie fans with Sonny around them 24/7. Anyway, love the bedding.

Also, we were given a great rocker/glider by a friend, but have opted to also get another rocker. A friend of mine told me about how many night she spent sleeping in the nursery and how comfort was so important. I fell in love with this one several weeks ago at La-Z-Boy and just love how comfy it is. Also, it's wide enough that I can rock both babies for a while together. So, I ordered it in a green color (called "meadow" but looks kinda moss colored) that matches the bedding perfectly...it'll be here in 8-10 weeks!

We also have been working on the living room. Trying to pull everything together since I got my new upholstered chairs a few weeks ago. Still need a mantle painting, a couple of lamps and one other wall hanging and window treatments before the room will be complete.

We had a contractor come over this past weekend and build our wall for the new bedroom in the basement as well. So, we were able to get the wall built, drywall and door hung, and electricity re-wired in the basement. Maggie (my step-daughter) has requested to move down there. She'll be 14 this summer and craves her independence. So, with few other great options, we've agreed to do so. Her room will become the boys nursery over the next couple of months. Have a big decision to make-replace the carpet or put in hardwood? I see pros and cons of both. Anyway, just one more thing, right? I have decided the paint will be the light green from my bedding. I think that will compliment the darker green from the rocker as well as be a great overall color for the room.

So, everyone will have to wait a while for nursery pics, as I haven't started with the room re-model. Maggie will remain in there until we get the basement completed for her. Will post nursery pics as we start moving along in the process! Lots and lots of changes!!

16 weeks

And just like that we're trucking along here at 16 weeks. I'm taking the next couple of days off work and my Mom is coming up to spend the next few days with me as we get serious about nursery decorating decisions, home renovations, home repairs, etc. I can't wait!

The babies are up to the following this week: "Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop."

What's with the random belly touching?

Seriously? I can't say I've ever done this to any pregnant woman I've ever been in contact with. I'm not opposed to it from people I know and love like close friends and family, but others? It kinda creeps me out. I am barely showing, but that hasn't appeared to stop people. I got 3 random rubs on Thursday alone!

Anyway, I'm truly happy I have a belly and thrilled that everything is going so well with the pregnancy so far. Just wanted to clear my chest on this one.

Gotta love infertility: Since I've been pregnant, not a week (seems more like not even a day) has passed that someone hasn't asked the question: "Do twins run in your family?" I'm amused by it for the most part because I can answer in so many different ways: "Yes they do, my grandmother had fraternal twins" if I'm busy or don't really feel like the full story when this is actually the truth...."Yes they do, but we underwent fertility treatments to conceive our twins" perhaps the whole truth vs. half truth from my first quote...."I think what you're asking is did we do fertility treatments? The answer is yes" for my days when I'm in a bad mood and really don't want to answer a nosey question to begin with.

Oh, and one last one--"Are your twins natural?" I mostly answer they were conceived via IVF, since this question does appear to be more direct vs. the twins in the family above question. However, on a bad day, I've answered anything from "Yes, they are human beings" to "Actually they are supernatural and possess supernatural skills like reading people's minds and communicating back the information to their mother, even in utero" to "No, they are unnatural; we aren't even sure what species they are."

15 Weeks

I'm getting there! 15 and a half weeks today. Things are still going pretty well. Haven't had much RL pain this week, so enjoying a brief lapse in my uterus expansion capabilities. And aren't oranges just so sweet and delicious? That's just how I picture my boys. :-)

We did get started last weekend on the baby registry and making some decisions on nursery decor. It is fun! And, we have a whole slew of home improvement projects around the house that we'll be getting started on over the next few weeks. The hope is to get everything completed by June. Also, starting to think about my baby shower. Yippee! Can't wait!!

Regarding the babies this week, "Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements."

My BOYS!

I'm finally able to declare that we are 100% having boys! We were only 90% sure before with the reliability of the genetic testing, but this week's ultrasound showed both were clearly boys. My pics aren't perfectly clear, but the arrows point to the important part. ;-)

Both are doing well, weighing in at 4 ounces each! According to their gestational age, they should weigh between 2.1-3.2 ounces, so needless to say we are thrilled with their growth so far. Both had perfect heartbeats and were bouncing all over the screen (as usual). I'm still not ready to declare them "too rowdy" at this point. They seem to be having a lot of fun. (lol)

I'm doing well, but did get to check off my first "unscheduled" visit to the doctor this week. Had some significant pains in upper abdomen/rib cage yesterday, unrelieved with rest and fluids. Went in for an ultrasound to check my cervix to make sure it wasn't shortening and I wasn't having pre-term labor. Thankfully, everything looked good. Was instructed to lie flat for rest of night, drink lots of water, etc. They suspected it was just round ligament pain with some serious stretching going on, so I guess they were probably right. Anyway, I'm feeling better today.

As far as my weekly Nest/Bump update, they are the size of lemons (yummy) this week. "Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth. " They are supposed to measure 3.4 inches, but I bet mine may be a little bigger. :-)

On a funny note, Steve had a dream we had 6 baby boys that all looked like him last night. They were all sitting on some sort of shelf, in a stacked slots. So, glad to know our children were beautiful in his dreams, but 6? Seriously? NO! Anyway, he had to select one to put in a commercial or something. How hysterical!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Looks like we are going to have to get serious about buying some baby gear soon now that we know the sexes for sure...