In The Home Stretch- Thoughts at 30 Weeks

It is currently 7:00am on a Saturday. I have been WIDE awake for two hours now. I have come the realization my body is preparing me for the sleepless nights and days to come. I am perfectly fine with that. Seriously. I am. This week was filled to the brim with new things. Since I love bullet points, here are a few:

• I had my 29w check-up sans ultrasound on Wednesday. Ryker and Averlee's heartbeats sounded absolutely beautiful on the Doppler. My urine was clear of any infections or protein. My blood pressure was close enough to normal.
• As of Wednesday, I am under doctor's orders to cut back my work days to half days. This was actually more of a joint decision. I had told my doctor a few weeks ago that the end of the month/ end of the year gets a little hectic at my work. I told him about the overtime I would be working during week 31 of pregnancy. He wasn't exactly excited about me not getting the amount of rest I needed. He told me I could work up until the day of delivery, but the most important thing for me to do was take care of myself. So.... I now work until 1:00 in the afternoons, come home, do a few house wifey/ Mommy things, and take a nap. It is amazing how much of a difference a REAL afternoon nap makes in my energy level and just how I feel overall.
• I'm outgrowing clothes at a ridiculous fast pace. Hello growth spurt?!
• Braxton Hicks contractions have made their way into my life. . . daily. Ouch.

This week also brought the realization I have maybe 6-8 more weeks left in this pregnancy. Maybe it is the hormones. Maybe it is the fact one year ago I never thought I would see this day. Maybe it is just me being emotional. Whatever it is, this wonderful miracle pregnancy is coming to an end. We are weeks away from seeing the faces of our sweet little miracles. Looking back on the last 30 weeks of our lives, I feel like everything flew by. I wish I had taken more time to document along the way. I wish I hadn't let 2 selfish individuals steal my joy during week 9 of our pregnancy. I wish I hadn't let their hurtful words steer me away from blogging about our miracle. I wish I had taken more time to snap pics and actually SHARE them with friends and family. This is quite possibly the last time I will experience pregnancy. This is something I waited YEARS for. This is something so many women go to bed praying for each and every night. I know. I've been there.

In addition to all of the other "new" things of week 29, I also had a friend reach out to me as she tried to cope with her own infertility situation. In all honesty, I still feel the pain from infertility. Even though I am weeks away from holding my babies, I still feel like I fit in at the infertility table. I relate to those on the infertility journey. My friend is patiently waiting on her period. She is also attending my baby shower tomorrow. My heart hurts because I remember the days of sticking more pads and tampons in my purse "just in case" as I headed out the door with a baby shower gift in hand. I remember the feelings of "will this ever be me?". I remember sitting in a room filled with "aww's and ooo's" and thinking to myself, "will I ever get to go home and show my husband OUR baby gifts?". Our day has finally come and we could not be more grateful. At the same time though, I feel like I still have one foot inside the door of infertility. I have a strong passion to help others through their journeys just as someone helped me through my own. 

Bumpdate - 29 Weeks

How Far Along?:  29w  

Due Date: Our due date has been bumped to January 11th. Our doctor gave us a brief game plan at our 27w appointment. Ryker and Averlee will be born around 36w4d. Basically, we will be holding our miracles sometime between December 16th and Christmas Eve. Oh. My. This pregnancy is almost to an end and our sweet little miracles will be in our arms quicker than I can get my house clean.

 

Weight Gain: I gained 4lbs between my 23w and 27w appointment. Not too bad considering I have had a really insane craving for all things sweet and delicious the last month or so.

 

Maternity Clothes: It is all I wear! I'm praying this crazy, warm Tennessee "fall" weather moves on out soon so I can wear my fall/ winter maternity clothes. My summer clothes are really, really, REALLY snug and becoming uncomfortable.

 

Sleep: What's that? I sleep in spurts. Very, very short spurts. I need a nap halfway through the day (Hello 3rd trimester lack of energy), but since I'm still working full time.... naps are not possible.

Best Moment This Week:  We had SEVERAL!

• Our maternity pictures turned out AMAZING! We could not be happier with them! I've posted some sneak peeks below.
• I had  my first baby shower last Sunday. It was a shower at our church so it was extra special to celebrate our little miracles with the people who have prayed and believed with us for so long. We received so many adorable gifts! One of our favorites is our twin pack-n-play! We had registered for it even though we never imagined someone would actually buy it for us since it was almost $200.00. We were wrong. Someone bought it for us! We plan on having the pack-n-play in our room when the babies first come home. They will sleep in the bassinets for the first few weeks until we are on somewhat of a schedule.
• I passed my 3 hour glucose tolerance test! I failed the one hour test and had to have the 3 hour test a few days later. I'm so very thankful I passed!

Weird Pregnancy Moment:  Nesting is real. I have been known to get down on my hands and knees and SCRUB the floors with a sponge and soapy water the last few weeks. Yes. Me. 7 months pregnant with twins. I have scrubbed the floor. I have also been obsessed with throwing away a lot of stuff we (a) do not have room for and (b) just stuff I don't want anymore. Basically I'm a in overdrive when it comes to cleaning this house and getting ready for Ryker and Averlee to arrive.

 

Movement: All of the time! You can even see some of their punches and kicks from the outside now. No need to touch my belly! They will put on a show for you as long as you stare at my belly long enough!

Symptoms:  Growing belly, nasal congestion, frequent trips to the bathroom, increased appetite, round ligament pain, pelvic pain, pregnancy mask, swollen ankles and feet, shortness of breath, heartburn, and Braxton Hicks contractions (ouch!).

Cravings/ Aversions: Still drinking a lot of milk. I still love all things pumpkin spice. I also have an appreciation for fountain Coca-Colas. I limit myself to 1 per week though.  

Anything Make You Queasy:  Not eating when I get hungry.

Genders: We are having a sweet little boy, Ryker Christian and a precious little girl, Averlee Elizabeth

 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  I have another shower next Sunday. This shower is being thrown by my best friends since childhood. I'm so excited to see everyone and celebrate Ryker and Averlee. I've seen the invitations so I know my friends have a super cute party in store for me! This week also begins my every other week OB appointments. I cannot believe we are in the 3rd trimester and our babies will be here in at least 7 weeks. My oh my how time has flown.

I'll leave you with a few pictures..... 

Photo Credits to Rachel with Rachel Robison Photography
rachelrobphoto.com
 

Photo credits to Rachel with Rachel Robison Photography
www.rachelrobphoto.com

One of my favorites!
Photo credits to Rachel Robison.

Sneak peek of the nursery and all of our shower loot!

 

Preparing For Our Miracles - 27 Weeks

It is Columbus Day! That probably means absolutely nothing to 80% of the U.S. population, but to me it means I did not have to get all dolled up to go to work this morning. That's right. I'm off work! It is nice being off work and not being on bedrest or having to go to the doctor. I feel pretty great today aside from a small case of the sniffles, so I plan to spend the day cleaning up the house a bit.

This week is week 27 of our amazing miracle. We are officially to the point where people (strangers even) ask us, "How much longer do you have?" instead of "When are you due?" or "How far along are you?" We have 11 weeks left. That's right. E-L-E-V-E-N. I cannot wrap my mind around how quickly we flew through the 2nd trimester. It seemed like the 1st trimester lasted forever. I was just counting down the days until week 14 so maybe - just MAYBE I would not be so sick and could actually enjoy my pregnancy and my growing bump. Week 14 came and as expected, the nausea, vomiting, and fatigue began to improve. Now here we are at the end of the 2nd trimester. It is bittersweet. I have enjoyed the 2nd trimester for the most part aside from the back pain and excessive trips to the bathroom.  A part of me is so ready to see Ryker and Averlee's sweet little faces, but another part of me just wants to savor these last few weeks of feeling little baby kicks, punches, and rolls inside of the womb I was told several years ago would never hold another child. I cannot believe we have made it this far. My heart is overflowing. God is so good! Praise God.  

Week 27 will be full of excitement. We have our maternity pictures this evening. Our last 2nd trimester ultrasound and doctor appointment are on Wednesday. Our first baby shower is on Sunday. This is really happening. This is all for our precious little miracle babies. We are overjoyed and so very blessed.

Week 26 Bumpdate

As usual, I am a little late posting an update. Here we are. We are halfway through week 26 and well on our way to week 27 of this amazing, crazy miracle. To say we are blessed is an understatement. So far I have felt pretty darn good to be growing 2 little people inside of me. I do get tired more easily now. I have cravings for typical pregnancy foods - ice cream, breakfast food, cereal, milk....etc. I won't be running any races or deep cleaning my house anytime soon, but HEY! That's completely ok!  I cannot believe this belly is mine. OUR babies are growing inside of me right now. In less than 12 weeks, we will be holding Ryker and Averlee in our arms! Two years ago this month, we were told we were pregnant only to find out we were in fact not pregnant. I actually had a kidney stone and my first ovarian cyst was discovered. One year ago we underwent our first IUI cycle, which failed and produced a HUGE cyst on my left ovary. We were afraid I would lose my left ovary, but little did we know.... that ovary would later produce 2 of the most perfect eggs that would become our precious Ryker and Averlee. Not a day that goes by I do not thank God for this pregnancy and our beautiful growing family.



How Far Along?:  26ish weeks 
Due Date: The 2nd week in January. The twins will be here before December 31st though.

 

Weight Gain: I've quit weighing myself at home. I had begun to worry I was gaining too much too quickly, so I quit obsessing over the number on the scale. We go back to the doctor on Wednesday. They will weigh me there! ha. The last time I checked, I'm up just over 30lbs.

 

Maternity Clothes: All day, everyday! My belly is beginning to outgrow a few of my shirts. My belly is kinda low, so it tends to peep out from under shirts if I do not wear a maternity cami underneath. Oh and maternity pants. Yuck! Since my belly is low, the under belly pants had to retire. They were cutting into me and were so uncomfortable. Luckily it is starting to cool off here and I can wear leggings with long tunic tops and sweater dresses! Leggings are WAY more comfortable than those under the belly dress pants and jeans!

 

Sleep:  I'm in bed and asleep by 9:00 each night. I usually wake up to make a bathroom trip around 1- 1:30am. Lately I've been getting on the couch or crashing in Gavin's room after my bathroom trip. Gavin has around 5 or 6 pillows on his bed, and I tend to fall asleep quicker in his bed. Of course, I cannot sleep in there when he is here though!

 

Best Moment This Week:  Last night Ryker and Averlee were flipping, kicking, and punching at the same time! Trey was able to feel them going crazy too! It was so neat.

Weird Pregnancy Moment:  I still have a really, really itchy belly. I've increased my water intake and I literally COVER my belly with lotion 2-3 times a day.

 

Movement: They have both become much more active over the past few days! Their movements have become stronger too! You can see my belly move from the outside sometimes. It is the most precious thing I have ever seen.

Symptoms:  Growing belly, nasal congestion, frequent trips to the bathroom, increased appetite, round ligament pain, pelvic pain, pregnancy mask, swollen ankles and feet, shortness of breath, heartburn, and growing boobs.  Just your typical pregnancy symptoms.

Cravings/ Aversions: Still drinking a lot of milk. I've also recently developed an appreciation for a fountain Coca-Cola on ice. I craved Coca-Cola when I was pregnant with Gavin, so I'm guessing my body just loves Coca-Cola during pregnancy...? I do my best to limit myself to only 1 per week.

Anything Make You Queasy:  Not eating when I get hungry.

Genders: We are having a sweet little boy, Ryker Christian and a precious little girl, Averlee Elizabeth

 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  We have our last 2nd trimester check-up next week. I will have my glucose test (yuck!) followed by my ultrasound. After my ultrasound, I will see Dr. Williams. We also have our first baby shower in 8 days! I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate our little miracles with our church family who hoped, prayed, and believed with us as we waited for our miracles! I cannot believe they are having a baby shower for OUR babies. I had worried this day would never come and now here it is! I cannot wait!

Bumpdate - Week 24

I'm totally taking over my husband's desktop for his shop so I can do a quick bumpdate. I'm kicking myself for not documenting as much in the last few weeks, but I will try to do better until the babies come!


How Far Along?:  24ish Weeks

Due Date: We just tell people the babies will be here in December. Our due date has been bumped up to January 11th and 12th, which is only 2 days sooner than originally expected. No matter what, my doctor will not let me go past 38 weeks, so R&A will be here no later than December 31st! At our last appointment, Ryker weighed 1lb3oz and Averlee weighed 1lb4oz.

 

Weight Gain: I am up 28 lbs since before my last FSH cycle. I have tried SO hard to be sure my weight gain is gradual and that I stick to somewhat of an exercise routine. I know I can lower my risk for gestational diabetes by doing so. I also know it will be easier for me to recover from labor and delivery if I stay on a healthy weight gain path. So far so good. Don't get me wrong though...I have not been an angel when it comes to resisting unhealthy cravings! ha.  

 

Maternity Clothes: It is all I wear! I've even graduated to maternity/ nursing bras. I never realized just how comfortable a bra without and underwire could be. HELLO! I'm loving my new bras from Motherhood Maternity. I have also been extremely blessed to have friends who have given me maternity clothes. I cannot believe just how FAST I grew out of the stuff I stocked up on in the 1st trimester.

 

Sleep: Other than waking up for bathroom breaks - which I'm doing with one eye open- I am sleeping pretty good!

Best Moment This Week:  Finishing our baby registry for our baby showers and finally assembling ALL of the nursery furniture!

Weird Pregnancy Moment:  I've had several stretch marks pop up in the last few days. Oh and the itching. My belly itches so much!  

 

Movement: Averlee usually gets going between 9-10am each morning. Her kicks and punches are a lot stronger than Ryker's. I am assuming Ryker is just laying so low and maybe he is still hitting his placenta more than me. I do feel him move, just not as much as his silly sister.

Symptoms:  Growing belly, nasal congestion, frequent trips to the bathroom, increased appetite, round ligament pain, pelvic pain, pregnancy mask, swollen ankles and feet, shortness of breath, heartburn, and growing boobs.  Just your typical pregnancy symptoms.

Cravings/ Aversions: Still drinking a lot of milk. Oh and THANK YOU to the makers of all things pumpkin spice! I am a fan of pumpkin spice stuff anyway, but apparently pregnancy has magnified that appreciation!

Anything Make You Queasy:  Not eating when I get hungry.

Genders: We are having a sweet little boy, Ryker Christian and a precious little girl, Averlee Elizabeth

 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Now that our registries are complete, I'm looking forward to our baby showers. I'm really excited to celebrate our little miracles with those who have hoped, prayed, and believed with us for the past 2 years! Two of my best friends are planning a shower for me in November, and I already know I will cry when I see a few faces walk in the door.

Hello Week 23

Pinch me please. As of yesterday, we are 23 weeks pregnant. To celebrate, Averlee decided to throw a party in my ribs. I'm still debating if her brother was in on the fun. Determining which twin is kicking is a skill I have yet to master; however, at our ultrasound on Monday the tech showed me where Averlee's head, back, and feet generally are. Yep. She is IN my ribs and laying sideways! Ryker is lower of course since he is Baby A. He is head down and his feet are just to the left of my belly button. Ryker is not quite as active as his sister, but that's ok. Maybe he doesn't have much room since his sister is all over the place constantly?

We had our check-up and ultrasound on Monday. Everything looked great and we are still on track for a December delivery. My doctor is impressed with how well I have done so far. He also made a point to tell me I will get MUCH bigger than I currently am. He followed that up with a pep talk to remind me I'm still beautiful and for me to not worry about all of the weight gain. He told us the babies are measuring just a few days ahead. They weight 1lb3oz and 1lb4oz each. I cannot believe we could possibly be holding our babies in just over three months. It seems like our pregnancy has just flown by. We have managed to stay pretty busy getting things in order and ready for Ryker and Averlee's arrival. The nursery furniture is.. almost.. put together...sorta. The cribs are assembled as well as the changing table. The glider and dresser are still in the boxes. Oops. I promise we will have everything assembled before my first baby shower!

On another note, I have been keeping up with everyone via the bloglovin' app on my phone; however, it sometimes will not let me comment. So if you feel like I have been missing in action lately, I haven't. I'm still thinking and praying for each of you who are still awaiting your own miracles. My own infertility journey opened the door for me help a few ladies who I have been encouraging lately. I actually gave one of the girls my my fertility bracelet.  I also gave her two of the books I read during my own journey. It brought tears to my eyes to see just how encouraged she was by me giving her such a small gift. Infertility is such a heartbreaking, emotional journey. Nobody should ever feel like they have to walk through it and feel alone. I'm so grateful God has placed these girls in my life for me to encourage just as I had women who encouraged me during my own infertility journey.

Sorry if this post seems all over the place! I promise to be more organized next time!

Not A Typical Bumpdate...

This will not be my typical Bump-date. In all honesty, I'm becoming a tad bit bored with writing those things anyway. I also feel like I've had a million and one other blog topics floating around in my head in the last few weeks. So here it goes.
The Change-Up.

Two years ago, I never would have imagined my husband and I would have to fight a battle just to become pregnant. I definitely never would have imagined we would eventually conceive twins or that I would be able to carry them as long as I have. We are headed into week 23 of this miracle. I would be lying if I told you I'm not scared. I feel like this pregnancy is flying by, and the closer we get to the 33 mark... well the more anxious and worried I become. There are days when I wake up to huge, swollen legs and feet. It usually happens on Friday mornings.  I immediately check my blood pressure like a crazy person just to give myself peace of mind that I'm not developing Pre-E. Don't get me wrong. We are enjoying and loving our pregnancy. I love my growing belly and wiggly little Ryker and Averlee. I'm just SO terrified my body is about to say, "Well... we've made it this far. Time for them to come out." I haven't cut back on daily activities. I still work 8-9 hours per day. I still come home, do some housework, chase my 10 year old (when he's with us), go to ballgames, go for walks, exercise, etc. I know my days are numbered. I know in a few short weeks, I will not be physically able to continue running around doing everything I currently do. I also know I prayed day in and day out for this time and it just seems to be flying by. The unknown scares me. I've caught myself worrying about what will happen if I do develop Pre-E again. *I had Pre-E with Gavin 11 years ago and had to deliver him via induction at 37 and a half weeks.* What if I end up in the hospital the last trimester of our pregnancy? What if the babies come before 36 weeks and we become parents of NICU babies? 

I tend to look at this pregnancy as half marathon training. That seems to be only other physically straining activity I have done in my 29 years. When I was training for my half marathons, I changed my eating habits. In this pregnancy. I have changed my eating habits in hopes I will not gain an excessive amount of weight and also to lower my risk for complications that go along with excessive weight gain in pregnancy. In half marathon training, I did exercises to strengthen the muscles that would be most used during my races. Core, calves, hamstrings, and quads. In pregnancy, I have done so many pelvic floor, back, and leg exercises! In half marathon training, I had to set small goals. Example: In the beginning I would set the goal to run 3 miles without stopping to walk. Then I would set a goal to run the 3 miles faster. Then I would set a goal to run further at a slower pace. You get the point. When I reached each goal, I would set a new one. In pregnancy, each week marks a new goal. 

Bumpdate to come after our check-up and ultrasound tomorrow.