More pregnant fun

So here I am at 34 weeks - almost at the 35 week mark where they won't stop me if I go into labor! Scary and happy at the same time. Last week my feet and ankles swelled up really bad. Enough to scare me into going to the doctor about it. Don't they look pretty? I'm especially impressed with the sock line and the sausage toes. LOL Anyway, the doc says nothing to be done about it - you are pregnant with twins. So I spent the entire weekend with my feet up. Fun.

Today I went for my weekly check and they tell me that I am a fingertip dilated and 75% effaced!! That means things are moving along! I could be having these babies in a week or so! Hopefully it will still be a little more time but at least we know they should be pretty well developed and not need too much assistance. I also had my weekly non stress test and had 2 contractions while in the chair. It is neat to watch the machine start shooting up - like looking at a richter scale or lie detector graph. LOL

So now we still need to get the nursery moving. My brother and hubby spent hours Saturday working on the molding but there is still tons to be done!! This is the time I miss my hubby not having a normal 9-5 job. He is just exhausted after a 12 + hour shift to do much of anything. Andof course I am not allowed to do anything other than supervise others. Thank God I'm good at that! LMAO Actually I'd much rather be working on the room than sitting around waiting for the swelling to subside.

Oh well. That is my cross to bear. In another few weeks I'll have so much to do and not an ounce of energy to do any of it other than feed and change the twins!

Happy Halloween

I know. You're saying to yourself, "No she didn't!" Yes she did. Here is the Halloween belly as of 34 weeks 2 days. Artwork courtesy of my hubby and step son. Impressive huh?

S0 here I sit with my painted belly hanging out for all the world to see eating all our candy before the trick or treaters take it all!! Rug rats! LOL

Happy Hallopween all! enjoy the goods!

short funny

If you look at the latest picture I posted you'll see me in a brown shirt that I recently purchased. As I always do when making light of my ever increasing belly, I asked my husband, "Does this shirt make me look fat?" He laughs and won't commit to an answer. I said, "But look! It has rouching! That is supposed to make me look skinnier!" My step son heard all this and said, "I don't know who this Mr. Rouche is but he was wrong!" LOL

Out of the mouths of babes....

33 weeks and counting

Will the fun never end? There is that old saying "It's always something" and I know it is true. What a week!

Tuesday I had my 2nd non stress test and monthly ultrasound. Good news at the ultrasound: Claire is no longer breech! We may be able to deliver vaginally! I have been dreading a Csection. So then we move to the non stress test and discover that I am having some contractions. "We're going to have you go upstairs for some monitoring and they will decide what to do with you. HUH? Panic sets in!!! I'm only 32 weeks I can't be having contractions!! Wouldn't I be in some serious pain?? So I go upstairs and get squeeezed in. They do a swab test call Fetal Fiberconin or something like that to see the likelyhood of me going into labor in the next 10 days or so. Of course since I have HMO they can't get the blood test results stat but will call me when they come in and may want me to come into the hospital for monitoring. Go home and go to bed and wait.

The doctor was really nice. She called me twice with updates but couldn't get the results any faster. Thankfully it was negative but she didn't find out until 2:30 AM. Meanwhile I'm freaking out and so is my mom, mother in law and husband. So I got the all clear the next morning. No delivery imminant in the next 10 days but call if there are any problems.

I got to work and we have my shower which was really nice. Kudos to the accounting gals who organized the whole thing. Of course this totally exhausted me so I passed out last night at about 7:30! Wake up this morning to Sam being sick. Fever, cough, sore throat, stomach ache. Sounds like the flu. Wait, he had the flu vaccine so that means it is most likely H1N1! Damn damn damn!! I am asymptomatic but am now waiting for it to hit me as I chose not to get the vaccine. My mother in law took Sam for the day to let me clean and steralize and wash sheets etc. Now I am trying to get in touch with my OB to see what they want me to do. Oh the joy.

Well that was fast. OB just called and they are putting me on Tamiflu proactively as a precaution. Please let this work!! So both the kiddo and I will be on the same medicine and this should do the trick.

Though now let me say that I am pissed! My mother in law has decided that she doesn't want to give him his ADHD meds today and just didn't. So now I have a hyper kid sitting around eating everything in sight and bouncing off the walls andI don't have the patience to deal with that! I told you to give it to him. You don't make executive decisions like that for me! Damn I'm pissed!!! And she then tells me he wants McDonalds and that daddy said it is ok. Well no shit he is hungry - he has no impulse control and over eats when you don't give him his medicine! So with a sick stomach you want him to eat greasy McDonalds. They are out of their minds of they think I'm stopping for that! I won't do it! ARGGGGGGG

OK done venting - for now. God help me this afternoon.

FYI here is the latest belly picture form earlier this week. Enjoy.

30 weeks 5 days

Went to the OB for my weekly check this afternoon. Got to see yet another doctor. He seemed nice and thorough. Tunrs out my blood pressure is going up. Which is not good news. He mentioned turning me into a couch potato if it gets higher. I could handle that I think. LOL So I got more bloodwork and will wait to see if there are markers for high blood pressure to go along with the reading today.

He also measured the belly and we are at about 38 weeks in size now - for a single baby. So considering that I have 2 babies growing they aren't concerned because I haven't gained any weight this week. But I feel huge...

Next week I start getitng non stress tests. These are basically monitors on the babies to see what the resting and playing heart beats are. These will be done weekly to make sure the babies are not under any stress.

He also mentioned that they would consider me full term if I make it to 35 weeks. He seemed to imply that if the BP goes up this may happen sooner rather than later. So I could be having these kids in 5 weeks!!!! I don't think I'm ready. I know the nursery sure isn't! LOL

In other news, our new TV and DVD player are getting installed tomorrow. I can't wait!! At least if they put me on bed rest then I will have some high quality TV watching! :) Plus the Eagles games in HD on the flat screeen will be awesome!!

My mom bought a new car yesterday. She is getting all prepared for the numerous trips up the blue route to come take care of the twins. How cute is that? Expensive but cute.

We have made some progress on the nursery fianlly. Craig and his brother put up the dry wall on Saturday. My brother and friend will be helping with the spackling, trim work, and rest of that stuff this Saturday. Hopefully this will go fast and we can get painting so we can buy the cribs etc. I just want this room done!!!

OK time to go lay on the couch some more. Yawn...

29 weeks 5 days pregnant!

I'm almost at the 30 week mark and can't believe I am actually going to be giving birth to twins in less than 10 weeks!! Holy crap what was I thinking??!! Went to the OB today and everything is good. Both Claire and Connor have strog heartbeats and are moving all around. The belly is measuring at 35 weeks (normal for twins) even though I am not that far along. So, since I felel huge and can't get comfy to sleep and haven't been feeling very good, they decided to cut my hours at work. Now I can come home at 12:30 and sleep before Sam gets home. This ought to reduce some stress and keep those kids growing inside for another 8 or so weeks.

Here is the latest belly shot. For some reason these shots don't seem to look as big as I do in real life. You'll have to take my word I guess. Anyway, here is one from 26 weeks and one from today. I can see the change. But I have still only gained 19 pounds which is great! Less to lose after the fact.

It looks like we may finally get moving on the nursery soon. Just waiting for my helpers to get back to me with dates. I can't wait to have it finished so I can relax about it. One less stressor in my life. Plus I am so excited to see what it looks like all finished!

Now that the hubby is working full time our lives have been a bit hectic. His shifts have been varied and we have no regular schedule as of yet. It has been hard on all of us. Some day we'll have normal lives - whatever they are. For now it is day to day survival.

On the home fun front we are getting a cool new flat screen TV. It will be installed next week - just in time to watch the next Eagles game in high def on the big screen!! Can't wait!! Speaking of football....guess who won this week's pool? That's right. ME baby!!!!! I'm so excited. I haven't won in years! Go Kathie, it's your birthday... LOL

I'm sure I'll be posting more regularly now that I'll be home more. Til next time: Namasté (for you LOST geeks) LOL

26 weeks 3 days

Ah the end of a long weekend - the last weekend of the summer. Where did the time go? No more swimming at the lake. No more fun activity filled weekends at the campground. But what we do have is FOOTBALL baby!! Woo hoo. I love the fall and my Eagles football! I can't wait until Sunday afternoon to watch the first game!!

Today marked the end of a long activity filled weekend. We hit the shore Friday through Sunday morning. Then came home for the hubby's last class and a wedding reception. Then today a family reunion at my mother in law's. Phew! I need another day off to recouperate from all the running!

Attached is the latest belly shot for those who are on belly watch. This past week things have been ramping up. I am starting to get really tired again like in the first trimester. I am having some issues catching my breath these days too. It seems as if the honeymoon phase of pregnancy is over. :) Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be pregnant. It is just very interesting how it all progresses.

The twins have been really active lately. It is neat how much they are kicking. Even the hubby and step son have felt them. My son was kicking up a storm this afternoon at the reunion. Perhaps it was all the food. LOL He also likes to move around a lot to express his displeasure at the fact that I sleep on "his" side all the time. Everytime I move he punches me quite a few times in quick succession.

Our other baby - the puppy - is also quite active. She has chewed through carboard boxes, water bottles, socks, trash and almost anything not tied down. She is now big enough to stand up with her paws on the window sill and look out the window. Of course this means that any plants on the window sill get knocked to the floor. Oh yeah and her newest bit of joy is car sickness. She can make it til we are about 99% of the way to the shore or home before she pukes all over the back seat. Truely a delight.

And so tonight brings us close to yet another work week. I do enjoy my job but am so tired lately. 5:40 AM comes much too quickly. So for now I'm sigining off and going to bed. Off to another night of getting kicked in the gut. :)

A good week!

Well we found out yesterday that my dear hubby got a job!! We are all so happy. I guess that is an understatement. We are thrilled. Over the moon! It is such a relief. We have been worried what would happen if I get put on bedrest and lose 40% of my salary. Plus it has been hard planning anything when his schedule is always up in the air. Now once he is all set we can figure out when to do the nursery and plan Sam's pre and post school care. Can you tell I am a planner? LOL

I also had a doctor appointment yesterday and got good news there too. The babies continue to thrive. Everyone keeps telling me I don't look big enough to be having twins. But the doctor assured me that they are the size and weight they should be. My belly measures at 29 weeks even though I am only 25. The heartbeats were 150 and 152/minute so all is well.

Last night Craig woke me up snoring. So I wake him and tell him to put on his sleep apnea machine. He told me "NO!" I was a bit pissed but rolled over and fell back to sleep. 2 minutes later he wakes me again snoring. Again, I wake him and am told no! So I go to the couch all angry and sleep there with the puppy. This morning my dear husband has the balls to ask me why I slept on the couch! Apparently he has no memory of this event taking place. So I punched him in the stomach. LOL Will this teach him not to talk in his sleep? No. But I felt better.

The puppy is getting bigger by the day. Her latest trick is climbing the baby gate we have blocking the steps. She actually put her paws in the squares and launched herself over it! So now we have to get an extra tall gate without the holes. This puppy can be exasperating! She is lucky she is cute.

Craig did a little experimental demolition on the nursery yesterday. I have to say that whoever built our house must have been a total amatuer. The wood behind the paneling (because they didn't use any drywall in the room at all!) was just hammered up there at varying intervals. Some are an inch apart, others 4 or so inches. And they stopped about 5 inches from the bottom of the floor and 4 from the ceiling . So there are huge spaces of nothingness behind the paneling. We need to do a total overhaul of the room. And we need to get moving since these kids are most likely coming in November!!

Sam started school and seems to be doing well so far. I hope this teacher stays nice and he thrives this year. New school, new schedule, new sister and brother on the way. It is a lot for him. For all of us actually. Change is good, right? Right???

24 weeks 3 days

Greetings all!

Well here is the latest belly shot. Everyone keeps telling me I am not as big as they thought I would be with twins. I, on the other hand, feel huge!! My feet are swelling and my dear, sweet husband keeps telling me, "with your feet so swollen it makes your thighs look smaller." If I wasn't pregnant with his children I would knock him on his butt!!

Tomorrow is my next ultrasound and I am very excited. I'm hoping I get to see and feel a kick at the same time. They are really moving all over and it is such a cool feeling! I saw my OB last week. She says I am measuring around 28 weeks which is fine - even though I am only 24. It is to be expected. Again, both heart beats are fine and all seems to be well with the babies who shall remain nameless for now. LOL I have names all picked out but just need to convince the hubby that I am right and he should just do what I say! LMAO After all, I am the one doing all the hard work here!!

On the puppy front Duchess is doing well. She had her first day at the puppy spa yesterday. Got a wash and blow dry, nail trim and her first hair cut. She took it all well and I do believe she'll enjoy going back for a "real" visit. Duchess has learned a neat little trick. She can skateboard! Skoff if you will, but she puts her front legs on and scoots herself across the porch. It is too funny!

She is also getting huge like her mommy. She is only 14 weeks old but weighs 22.5 pounds! I can barely lift her anymore. And just look at the size of these paws!

While Duchess was getting pampered I took Sam with me to get a pedicure. The ladies were very nice to him and let him sit in the big massage chair. Now he undertsands why I like to go and get my toes done! He may volunteer to come with me again.

I also got to have lunch with my good friends Bill and Gary yesterday. They had their house redone and it looks awesome!! Now I want mine done! It was so nice to catch up and enjoy a long visit. Life seems to get in the way of long visits anymore. I have to make a point to do it more often. I miss my visits with my friends.

22 weeks 2 days pregnant!

Hi all. Took a little vacation with the family this past week. While it was lovely not to have to work for an entire week I am happy to be home. A week in the trailer with 2 dogs, the hubby, step son and me was quite enough!! Plus I need my own bed back. These babies make sleeping a joy normally, but on a sofa pull out in the living room with a puppy who gets up every 2-3 hours to pee isn't fun! She is worse than I am!



Anyway, so I am now 22 weeks pregnant. I never thought I would be this far in a million years. This past week the twins have really started to move around and kick a lot. It is such a cool feeling. Like they are saying ,"Ok mom, I don't want you to sleep on this side. Sleep on her side." or "Mom, don't forget we're in here." KICK! I find myself rubbing my belly all the time and hoping for another kick. It is so wonderful to experience.



Speaking of my belly, here is a picture from yesterday. We are definately getting bigger!
This whole experience is cool and frightening and wonderful all at the same time. And it seems like we may finally have agreed on names! Miracle of all miracles. I'm not saying yet in case I change my mind. My poor hubby is about ready to brain me for suggesting names then saying I've changed my mind. I think we are good though. For now....

My mom was also on vacation this week. She went to Florida to visit Aunt Mary. She called me to ask if it was ok for her to get another tattoo!! That 80 some year old sister of hers is a bad influence!! Last year she got a tattoo also!! My kids are going to have a granny with all kinds of ink. LOL Like I have the authority to say no anyway. Parents! Who can understand them? :)

As I sit here and type I'm waiting for a fight between my dumb puppy and my old set in her ways cat. Duchess has Buggy outweighed and is double her size. But one hiss and growl from Bug and Duchess is running for the hills. Yipe yipe!! And she keeps going back for more. I'm waiting for the fur to fly! Ahhh my nice peaceful home..

New picture

I didn't have this picture the other night when I posted. This is from 20 weeks 4 days. Every one keeps saying that I am not as big as they thought I would be at this point. Hmm good thing or bad? Either way, this is how big I am so take it or leave it. LOL

20 weeks 5 days

I can't believe almost a week has gone by since we found out that I am having a boy and a girl. I went out with my mom the other night to start registering. I have to say it was very overwhelming!! Not nearly as fun as it was registering for a wedding. :) There are so many things that you "need" according to the experts. But I have no idea exactly what is necessity and what would be nice to have. Do I need 2 of everything or just certain things? Will the babies sleep together or in 2 seperate cribs? Which is better? So many questions!!

On another note my hubby finally graduated last night!!! 2 plus years of school and he is finally done!! Congrats to you my dear on a job well done. I know you will make an awesome nurse!!!

And now, due to my swelling feet, I am going to go put my feet up and chill.

5 months pregnant

Today I am officially pregnant 5 months. And I found out today that I amhaving a boy and a girl! Life is just wonderful!! Craig and I couldn't be happier. Sam isn't overjoyed about the girl but he is ok with the boy. LOL

I walked aroud all day today telling anyone who would listen. I feel like I am floating on a cloud. Mostly becasue everything seems to be fine with them both. They weigh about 12 ounces each and are exactly where they should be. Now the fun starts with choosing names. I never realized how hard it is to choose a name for a baby. There are so many things to consider. And of course I've changed my mind 50 times already and Craig is about to kill me for it! And we have 2 to choose! Ahh the humanity!!!

Tonight is another rocking night at our house. Craig is about to go to bed - he working tonight - and I get to deal with the puppy who likes to bark at invisible monsters. She is lucky she is so cute or else she might be on the curb!

We head to thte shore again tomorrow morning. We have company spending the weekend with us. I look forward to getting to know them better. After all, one of them might be in the delivery room with us since she just got a job at the hospital where I am delivering - in the OB department! Wouldn't that be cool?

Funny story about this morning and the appointment. We are about halfway there when my mom calls and asks if the name of the hospital has changed. I say no and ask where she is. Apparently she made a wrong turn and ended up about 20 miles away from where she needed to be. She panicked that she wouldn't be able to make it to see the babies and got all upset. It all worked out, she stopped and asked directions and made it in the nick of time. Anyone who knows my mom knows that she is clueless with directions and manages to get herself lost all the time. Perhaps it is time to install that GPS we got her for Christmas? I think she is afraid of it or something! LOL

Oh well, off to pack for the shore. See you all next week!
Kathie

19 weeks 6 days

Tomorrow is the big day. I can't stand the wait any longer!! I must know what sex these kids are. Can I make it to 8:45 AM?

Stay tuned kids.

19 weeks 2 days

I'm going to try to post weekly pictures of the ever growing belly. It fascinates and grosses me out at the same time. LOL I know it is my body but it sure doesn't look anything like how I remember it! Anyway, here are 2 shots. I put the second one on here because I don't think the side shot does it justice. Sorry if it grosses anyone out (Bill...) LOL

Friday on the way to the shore the kids were moving all over the place. It is so strange to feel something wiggling around inside your belly. I can't describe it other than it feels like there is a huge water balloon hanging off the front of me and inside it is a baseball floating around. And I felt my 1st kick this week! Felt like someone flicked my belly from the inside. Again, just a bizarre feeling. I go to the OB on Tuesday and then on Friday we get the full anatomy scan which will tell us what sexes the babes are. I can't wait!!

Well another weekend down the shore is over. Special thanks to my 2 BFFs who decided to get drunk and call me Saturday night. God, do I miss a nice bottle of wine or a Cosmo. At least I was at the shore relaxing and enjoying the weather and they weren't! So there!

We got some sad news upon arriving home. My sister in law's mother passed away early this morning. She has been sick for awhile but it doesn't make it any easier for anyone. She has a wonderful family and that is a tribute to the life she lead. What an emotional week this is going to be.

18 weeks 2 days pregnant - twins!

Well here it is...the long awaited belly shot. I know you all have waited patiently to see how big I'm getting. As you can see my belly has eclipsed my chest - and as you know that is no small feat! LOL My dear step son has informed me that my butt is getting bigger too. Isn't he the sweetest? LOL

I listened to the heartbeats again last night. Found both of them and they sounded good to me! Craig thinks I'm addicted. I say this machine is a blessing! If it keeps me from stressing out between ultrasounds then it has to be good!

Last night we also got our new puppy. She is the cutest thing in the world but has issues sleeping by herself. The night was filled with barking and crying and jumping agianst the crate door. Let me tell you I was not a happy camper. I hope tonight will be a little better and so on... Anyway, Here is a picture of Duchess looking darn adorable.

16 weeks 4 days pregnant

Some days it feels like this is going by really fast and others it is excrutiatingly slow!
I want to have that lovely pregnant belly so that the whole world knows. Instead, I feel fat. Plain, old, boring fat belly. Everyone keeps telling me to wait. Once I truely pop I will long for these days. Somehow I don't believe them. After all it took for me to get here I want it now!

Today was a bit crampy. Some days are more so than others. Again, they say this is normal. It just feels weird. I want to feel these two aliens move around inside me. I'm awfully needy today aren't I? Monday I go for a cervical length check. Gee, another ultrasound. I wonder how many times I've visited "Wanda" since all this started. It has to be in the 100's! Hopefully I will get to see my babes swimming around in there too. There is nothing more reassuring than that!

So today wasn't a good day otherwise. It started with a huge brew ha ha at home this morning. My dear stepson was hellbent on challenging me and I was in no mood for any of it!! I left the house in tears slamming doors etc. I'm so mature aren't I? There is only so much I can take first thing in the morning. So to relax tonight I got a lovely pedi. Nothing like a hot stone massage to calm the nerves. And now my piggies are all pretty to boot.

Well time to pack for our 4 day weekend at the shore. I pray the weather will be nice so we aren't trapped inside the trailer with a rammy 9 year old and a spastic dog. Have pity on me God!!

Happy 4th of July to all! And if you don't celebrate just enjoy the long weekend! Someone please have a Cosmo for me!! :)

Another weekend finished....

What a nice weekend! I'm sad to see it go but happy I got to share it with friends and family. Yesterday I got to catch up with Sue and also do some shopping - always a pleasant passtime. I still can't quite top Sue's shopping abilities though. Some day I will!

Today I got to spend with my brother and his family. Sam and I went to the pool with them while my dear hubby slaved away at work with a cold. Love ya honey. It was so niuce to spend a day with the kids again. I miss them so much. Whenwe got home Meg and Eileen got to listen to the babies' heartbeats. They were very touched and thought it was cool. Personally I can't listen enough but am controlling myself or else hubby will ban me from the machine.

Well hubby is home and wants the computer so I'm signing off.

TGIF

Good Friday evening to you all. Today I am 16 weeks pregnant. Wow 4 months already. And in the past 2 or 3 days I've really started to show. It is so weird! I'll have a picture by the end of hte weekend.

Today we got the dopplar and I'm happy to report it works great! Craig got to hear the babies' heartbeats for the first time. It was a beautiful sound! Even though he hems and haws I know he is happy we got it.

My husband is working the over night shift again tonight. It sucks for him but is nice for me. Then we don't miss him so much. Of course whenhe is sleeping the day away it is a pain. Soon he will be done school and then we can hopefully get a normal life back.

Chat with you all soon,
Kathie

Good Tuesday to ya!

Well I had my 2nd OB appointment today and am I relived!! I heard both heartbeats and my uterus is measuring at 19 weeks even though I am only 15. This is a good thing with twins and is expected.

When I got to work I ordered a dopplar so that we can listen to the heartbeats at home to alleviate my worry and stress. Can't wait to hear them anytime I want! I msut admit to being just a tad neurotic with worry prior to all of my appointments. I always am afraid that something has happened to one of the twins inbetween appointments. Sad and true. This dopplar should let me relax.

So we will find out what the sexes of the babes are on July 17th. Right before we pick up our new puppy! How exciting. What a big day for all of us! Our family is ever expanding. We are going to have Sam and Granny there with us for the big reveal. I knwo Granny will be crying her face off. Sam most likely only if they are girls. LOL

Happy Father's Day

Well folks I'm back. Now that I have fun and exciting things to write about.

First, Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband who is upstairs in bed with a 101 fever! He is a wonderful father and a great husband. I am so lucky to have found him. And this father's day is even more meaningful since he is going to becme a daddy again!!

Which brings me to the present... I think all of you know that I am pregnant by now. 15 weeks and 2 days with twins!! I am so excited and happy and scared all at the same time. This has been quite a long journey for us and we are thrilled to be able to say we are going to be parents!! I still don't believe it sometimes.

Tuesday is my second OB appointment and hopefully I'll have a better handle on how things are moving along. I miss being in the care of my fertility docs since they were monitoring me so closely. I got to see the babies every other week. Regular OBs don't do that. So I hold my breath between appointments praying that everything is going as it should.

We also have another addition to our ever growing family. We are getting a puppy. In another 3.5 weeks I will have another creature to clean up pee and poop after. Does the fun ever end you ask? LOL But just look at that face!! Who could possibly resist?? Say hello to Duchess Reed.