Style File: 35 Weeks

 Well...35 weeks. Only two more until full term! I'm a day late on this post, sorry about that. Sometimes you just can't get it all done in one day and I'm ok with that. At least I got 35 week pictures done. That was looking iffy there for a moment. Brad is napping right now and I so wanted to join him but... I slept until almost nine this morning and I decided I didn't really *need* a nap. I wouldn't have slept anyway.

This week's outfit is definitely the same dress from a couple weeks ago paired with the same scarf and jean jacket from a couple of weeks before that. Part of me is like "Well, that's pretty lame" but the other part of me is like "Well, that's how it is!". I do not have the time nor financial resources to keep a huge maternity wardrobe, especially at this stage of the game. But to be fair, the outfit I was going to take photos of today had a mishap when I wore it to work this week. I've always been a clumsy eater, but I swear the belly has it's own gravitational pull when it comes to anything remotely drippy. But I digress.

 Minus my puffy feet, this outfit makes me feel put together. It was 66 degrees when I woke up this morning so I took the opportunity to do a little bit of layering. I think I've decided if I have my way, if we ever get pregnant again I would like to be pregnant in the fall and winter. Not necessarily because summer was hot (it was), but because I like layering. It's so much easier to feel more styled when I can layer on a scarf and jacket. I think part if it is I also feel less conspicuous than when I'm just wearing a tee shirt and shorts (though that type of outfit was totally necessary in July when it was so dang hot outside!).

As far as the babies are concerned, things are looking good! My blood pressure was down to normal at my appointment on Tuesday. My labs also came back normal so that pretty much means pre-eclampsia is not a worry. It never really was, but they like to keep tabs on such things especially for women carrying multiples. All signs are pointing to the fact that the babies will be here sooner rather than later. My doctor did ask me to begin staying off my feet and limiting my activities, including no longer working. She's hoping this will get me at least another week with these babies inside. So far, I've made it from Tuesday to Saturday so I think we have a good shot of at least making it to next week sometime. I'm really praying they hold out until well into my 36th week because it is better for them in terms of lung development and the ability to suck and eat well. But, if they were born in the next ten minutes they may have a bit of a hospital stay but overall, barring anything weird coming up, they would do relatively well.

My last day of work was yesterday, and it was a bit of a relief. I've made some great friends with some of the other ladies I work with, but it was a definite relief to be able to walk away from the stress that it was causing me. My job is an ordinary desk job, but lately there have been some University wide changes that have caused a significant amount of stress on everyone, coupled with the fact that the department reduced the credit hours required to graduate with the MA in Government... It was pretty busy there for a while. I would come home so swollen that I couldn't bend my ankles very well and forget about cooking dinner. All of that was impacting my ability to sleep so I was perpetually exhausted (on top of normal pregnancy exhaustion). I spent most of the week at home, working online, to wrap up but let me tell you... I have slept so well this week without the added stress and discomfort working gave me. I did go into the office for a few hours yesterday for my final wrap up and to make sure I got all my junk out of my office. All that to say, it is bittersweet because that job was my first "big girl" job out of college and I will miss seeing the ladies I worked with. It's a good thing we all live in the same area so I should be able to keep up with them!

So there you have it. The bumpdate can be summed up like this: babies could come at any time, but they might wait a few more weeks. Life is much more comfortable now that I do not have to go to work anymore.

I'll definitely update when something happens, but until then... if there's no news just assume nothing is happening. :)

Style File: 34 Weeks...where I break my own rules

 Rule Number 1 I am breaking: always check your hair before taking outfit photos. Clearly, I'm having a bit of a wild hair day. ;) But no matter! Sometimes my hair is wild. Especially when it's been like a million percent humidity for at least a week.

Here I am at 34 weeks. That means that the babies are about the sizes of butternut squashes. Or if you go by BabyCenter they are the sizes of cantaloupes. Basically, I don't think this fruit/veggie comparison is all that accurate. ;) They're probably roughly 4.5 or 5 lbs at this point. 34 weeks also means I can deliver at the hospital I want to deliver at (yay!) and that if they came now, while they would still be premature, they would likely not have a ton of hospital time.

Rule number 2 I am breaking: Leggings are not pants.

I'm pretty sure these are actually leggings. But they were hanging with the maternity pants at Target and they're quite thick. Plus they were 30 dollars which is pants price. So maybe they're Pleggings? well...they're comfortable and they're going to be my "work pants" for the next couple of weeks. Of course I'll wear long shirts and all of that jazz. Let me tell you. Getting dressed is definitely a challenge these days. I'm down to very few items that work or are comfortable. But I don't have that much longer and hopefully will shrink back in size somewhat. ;)

I also like how comfy this shirt is. I'm undecided on the flattering factor, but it's comfortable and I can still wear it to work.  At this point...I don't really care. ;) Thanks Old Navy!

Babies are doing well to my knowledge. I had a doctor's appointment this morning and for the most part everything is fine. My blood pressure is a smidge higher than it should be, so they did some blood work and are having me come in next week on tuesday instead of waiting a full week. They're moving me to weekly appointments anyway, so it's not a huge deal. Bummer for me because that means I have to miss work ( ok...maybe that isn't a HUGE bummer. Sorry work), but it just is what it is. If my BP is still wonky next week they'll talk to me about what my options are. So far it isn't a huge concern at all because it isn't that high; just higher than mine has normally been. Babies are both still vertex and are pretty much sitting head to head one on the left and one on the right.

We have most of our baby projects finished! Be sure to check out the nursery post if you haven't already! I packed (well halfway packed) my hospital bag last weekend and have a list of remaining items to be placed in it sitting on top. Mostly what's left on the list are clothes I'm still wearing (like leggings, t-shirts, etc). As I get closer and closer to 37 weeks, I'll start putting those things in there and just dealing without. I'm working on a play list to take with us. I'm not sure how much music I'll actually want to play, but I figured I do tend to put on music when I'm trying to focus on something, so I should probably have that option available. It's not like loading it to the iPad is going to be all that big of a deal.

Oh, and side note: I am currently comfortably wearing Brad's old wedding band. Yay swelling!

Style File: 33 Weeks

This week was hard for the self confidence. I don't know that my belly has gotten much bigger this week, but I just feel so much like a hippo these days. The swelling in my feet and hands has set in and has pretty much stayed there no matter how much elevating I do, how much water I drink, or how much getting up I do throughout the day. My hands go numb, especially at night, thanks to the swelling induced carpel tunnel. This is just the stuff people don't really tell you about pregnancy. I had no idea there was such a thing as "pregnancy induced carpel tunnel". Oh, and just as a note, nothing is amiss with my BP or anything, so the swelling is just...swelling. As uncomfortable and unsightly as it is, I think it's here to stay. In fact, what you don't see in my photos today is that I'm barefoot-- because my shoes aren't even comfortable to wear!

 I'll just be honest and say that I almost didn't even post my pictures today because I was unhappy with how I felt/looked in them. But I decided I'm my own worst critic and that it's important to document my bump (at least it is to me). I'm trying not to sound too complainy, but also wanted to keep it real. Plus, I have some new things to wear and a new dress is always worth posting. :)

I had to order a few more things from Old Navy this week.  I was down to zero pants that I could wear to work, so I needed to do something especially since the dress code is now being enforced more. I'm not totally sold on the pants, I might return them and get something from the new Motherhood store that just opened up fairly close to where I live. I was in there earlier this week and found some pants I think I liked better than the old navy pants, and for the same price. I have to think about it more though. :) To go with the pants I ordered a couple of shirts and this dress to kind of stretch my wardrobe a bit more. I also got some leggings that are definitely for lounging about, and I think they'll work well for immediately postpartum when I'm going to want to be comfy. I'm hoping this is the last round of stuff I need to buy... I only have four more weeks until full term!

Can we talk about this awesome necklace for a minute? Brad got this for my birthday! I was super excited. I love big statement necklaces and I've been wanting to get one like this for a very long time. I think they're lots of fun! I had a pretty low key birthday celebration, which is a-ok with me. See above about swelling in my feet meant the best way to celebrate was to come home to dinner already cooked, put my feet up, watch some Dr. Who and eat some cheesecake. Brad also got me two movies: the Lorax and Despicable Me. I told him I wanted them to watch when I'm tied to the couch nursing babies all of the time. Those movies make me laugh a lot, so maybe they're not the best nursing movies... ;) He did well, that's for sure!

Style File: 32 Weeks... plus hospital tour and hospital bag

This week was the start of the fall term at work (if you don't know, I work at a private University). What that means is that "summer casual" dress code expired. Bummer. Back to closed toed shoes and a bit fancier of a wardrobe...except... I don't have a whole lot of "fancy" at the moment. I don't really plan on buying a whole lot either. I mean, why bother? I'm 32 weeks. 5 weeks until full term. If I go to 40 weeks (ha!) I only have 8 weeks left. Not enough time to warrant spending a bunch of money on a brand new work wardrobe. In my opinion. Hopefully they'll give me a little grace. ;) Don't mind the wrinkles in this shirt. Bummer that this shirt wrinkles like that when I sit down, but I overlook it because it's so darn comfortable. And it's long so it covers the belly. Not all shirts do that these days.

I had a big scan on Tuesday to check on the babies.  All appears well with them! They're right on target for their measurements with an estimated weight of around 4lbs each. Baby B is a smidge bigger than baby A, but that's all with a grain of salt since ultrasound estimations can be wrong by up to 10% either way. So... I guess we'll just have to see when they get here! Also, both babies are currently vertex! yay! My blood pressure is holding steady well within the normal range, so still no issues with that-- which I am thankful for. BP issues in late pregnancy can get iffy.

This week we also went on our hospital tour. Let me just say, I am so glad I picked the hospital I did. They are very very pro-family meaning it's standard practice for them to allow for skin-to-skin contact for an hour or 2 after birth (for both mom and dad), they pretty regularly delay cord clamping, they allow you to move around as much as you want during labor and totally recognize being flat on your back is not actually that helpful, the rooms are somewhat hotel isn, they want to keep moms and babies together as much as possible-- so the nursery is really only for sick babies or if you send them. So much of my birth plan that I'm making can be cut out after discovering that much of what I want is pretty much standard practice there.

I'm also glad we went because now we have the lay of the land and know what to do and where to go when I go into labor. Of course, I doubt I'll be too worried about that but it is nice to know that I have a pretty good idea of where to go when the time comes. Nothing worse, in my mind, than being in labor and trying to get to L and D by wandering about until you find it.

One thing I do need to do is organize and pack my hospital bag. We want the babies to stay in for as long as possible, but really, once 34 weeks hit they could come at any time. What things did you find were absolutely necessary and things you wished you hadn't brought? Here's my list so far:

For Me:
ID and Insurance Card
Changes of comfy clothes-- mostly PJs to be honest. That's how I'm comfortable and let's face it, post partum recovery is not a beauty pageant.
Throw away undies- well, yeah, because they can get gross
Throw away comfortable dress/cover up of some kind so I don't have my butt hanging out of the hospital gown (this wouldn't be a huge concern of mine, except they have to wheel me down the hall to the OR and I would be more secure knowing that my butt is covered by something other than a thin sheet)
Toiletries 
Extra throw-away pillows because the hospital pillow is lame
Socks for walking around-- slippers aren't my thing. I would honestly rather be barefoot but I recognize that the hospital floor is probably too nasty to walk around in barefeet.
Flip Flops for in the shower or just walking around if I don't want to bother with the socks
Nursing bras/tanks (just a couple)
Comfort tools suggested in my birth class (comb, chapstick, birth ball, etc)
Snacks for after delivery
Going home outfit that is comfortable and cute
Cell phone + Charger

For Brad:
Pillow for sleeping on. The rooms have a pull out futon thing to sleep on, so that's handy.
Gum/Breath Mints-- I don't need coffee breath breathed on me as he's getting in my face to tell me that I can do this
Snacks
Toiletries
Blanket for sleeping
CashMonies to buy me tasty food because the hospital food is going to be gross. And for himself too because he will be hungry.
Cell Phone + Charger
Camera + Charger. It's actually my camera but I put it here because I don't want to be responsible for it ;)
iPad + Charger 

For Babies:
Car seats
Cute swaddle blankets for pictures because the hospital ones are ugly. Plus they can be used to cover the carseats if it's cool but still over 60 degrees
Going home outfits
Fuzzy blanket to cover carseat if it's cold. It could go either way in September or October. Yay VA Beach weather!
uhh...that's about all I was planning on packing for them. The hospital has diapers, little shirts for them to wear, and blankets to use.

What do you experienced momma's think? Too much? what should I leave? What should I add?

Style File: 31 Weeks

The past couple of days it's been cooler. The weather is teasing us with a little bit of Fall. So if it feels a little bit like Fall I'm going to dress a little bit like Fall!

 I just scored this dress from target for 6 dollars. What what! It was the deal of the day for sure. I like the color. In person it isn't quite as pink, I promise. I also like how long the dress is. I've noticed many of the other maternity dresses I've bought accomodate the belly but are too short to be comfortable at work. I don't think it's a matter of the dress losing length (though I suppose it's possible since the belly is getting bigger!). I think it's more of an issue of me not being able to sit quite as modestly as I used to.

I've decided the third trimester is actually the return of the first. I haven't been quite as sick, though some upset stomach feelings have returned. It's more all of a sudden I can't do anything without feeling exhausted. I have about two to three good hours a day where I feel energetic and almost normal. Then I'm very tired. Haha. Oh well! Only six more weeks to go until I'm Full term. That means the babies could really come in the next 3-8 weeks. I love how that's kind of a big range, haha, but that's just how it goes. You can't plan for these things! I think I'll make it to 37 weeks. 

 Ok, so maybe the denim jacket was a bit too fallish ;).

We've ordered most of the remaining big stuff. I have a few Target gift cards to spend, but other than that I think I'm going to hold off on buying all the littler things I know I'm going to need until after the babies get here. I kind of want to feel out what I actually need and what I don't actually need. If you saw on instagram we got our stroller and one car seat (the other one is in process and will hopefully be acquired soon!). We also received the cribs, the pack and play is also in process, we have a swing. The things I would still like to get before the babies get here are a bouncer seat(s), chair of some kind for their room, a few more little outfits and plain white onesies, cloth diapers (I have a little less than half of what I need), and maybe a few more disposable diapers until we transition into full time cloth.

What things did you find absolutely necessary to bring babies home? What did you find that you could wait on for a bit?

Also, be sure to check out last night's post of the dresser if you missed it. :)

Style File: 30 Weeks and 5 year anniversary!

 It feels a bit surreal to be in the 30's. Can I slow this train down??? I am not ready yet!

 This is probably my favorite maternity item that I've bought. The dress is super comfortable. A soft cotton dress is awesome for being very pregnant in the summer time. I also like the chevron-ish pattern to the dress. For some reason it feels more flattering to have the stripes make a V like that. I'm all about minimizing my width at the moment. ;) Since hitting 30 weeks I've had the following conversation at least four times:
Stranger: Are you going to have that baby any day now?
Me: Nope.
Stranger: When are you due?
Me: October.
Stranger: OCTOBER?! *shocked face*
Me: Yep, October.
Stranger: Are you having twins?
Me: Yep. (backing away slowly and the entire conversation I'm giving off "don't talk to me vibes").

On person even added "Oh, well you look good for having twins." I know they mean well, but I couldn't help but laugh a little at that one. So I look like crap in general but since it's twins I guess I look ok? I am not kidding when I say the conversation pretty much goes exactly like the above every. single. time. People are a bit predictable, aren't they?

 Doctor's appointment this morning was short and sweet. BP is great, I only gained like one or two lbs between appointments (instead of like seven ;) ), babies heart rates were good, belly is measuring 36 weeks. That's about right. I've been measuring 6 weeks ahead every time they do fundal height. It's totally normal for twins. It's actually kind of a useless measurement for twins but it's always interesting. The biggest news is that Baby A seems to be vertex now! yay! Baby B is still flip flopping. She started the ultrasound breech and then moved to vertex. That's really ok. Baby B's position isn't as big of a concern as Baby A's. We want her to stay vertex, for sure! My next appointment is on the 20th, and it's another growth scan so we'll know more about their approximate size and positions then.

 Tomorrow my lovely friends are throwing me a baby shower. I'm going to wear this dress because it makes me feel happy. I have very few items that make me feel awesome these days, so I thought I would capitalize on that feeling and wear it out.

And to close this post, I thought I would share this gem:

Brad and I are celebrating 5 wonderful years of marriage today. It's truly been an awesome five years. I say this not to make an illusion that our relationship is super perfect, but Brad is easy to be married to. We get along great and he truly is the best husband I could have ever asked for. We've had some wonderful adventures together, and I'm super excited to have even more adventures! He spoils me rotten and has been a total rockstar taking care of me during this pregnancy. I've been whiny, tired, puffy, grumpy, sick...and he just deals with it all by spoiling me, taking over most of the housework, and buying me more and more pillows to stack around myself at night. He's wonderful, and I'm glad he chose me!

Style File: 28 Weeks and some thoughts.

Well, I made it to 28 weeks. At this point the babies can blink their eyes and flutter their eye lashes. All essential organs and structures have formed and essentially they're just developing their lungs and packing on pounds. They are about as big as eggplants and are close to 15 inches long. They're getting big! 28 weeks is also a "milestone" in that babies born at this point have a 90% chance of surviving, of course with lots of medical help. I think all moms, but especially twin moms with increased chances of pre-term labor, celebrate a little when they've made it to the third trimester. I obviously want the babies to stay in there much longer, but after this point if labor happened the babies would likely live even if they spend months in the NICU. 

 Today it is only 80 degrees out and I am SO HAPPY. I even busted out my jeans because I won't die of heat exhaustion if I wear them. The top is another Old Navy stuff and save deal. It's super comfy but I like it because it has a bit more oomph than a regular old t-shirt. You can see it better in the next picture, but I especially enjoy the crocheted neckline. Makes me feel fancy. What does not make me feel fancy is that now that the belly is getting bigger...I've discovered cute floaty dresses and shirts look more like a mu-mu. FUN TIMES.

 My appointment today was a bit long and annoying, but everything checked out. It was tDap shot day as well as just a normal check up (and man, my arm is SORE). They put me in a room and I sat there for 25 minutes before they came in to let me know my doctor had been called to the ER so they're trying to find someone else to see me. Great. The only person immediately available is a midwife and she's not technically allowed to do anything with me because I'm "high risk". Thankfully another doctor (that I've seen before) was available and came to see me shortly there after. Babies look great. Baby A is still breech but baby B has moved down closer to her sister and is now vertex. We just need Baby A to flip to vertex. Once I hit 30 weeks we'll start getting more nervous about the presentation of the babies. The bottom line is that if baby A is any version of breech, c-section is a must. With two babies an external version can be risky and since she's in the frank breech position it's probably not a good idea to even attempt a version. C-section is definitely not my preference. If you're the praying type, I would appreciate prayers for babies to get into good positions before they run out of room to do any major gymnastics.

The doctor I saw today said a couple of times that I'm doing so well, she's really not nervous for me at all. That was reassuring to hear because a lot of doctors get all gloom and doom about how twin pregnancies are "lucky to go beyond 34 weeks". I even managed to get out of the manual cervical check (yay!). There was a tiny bit of concern on the part of the doctor I saw last time because, as she explained it, there is an internal and external opening of the cervix. When you start effacing they kind of melt into one another and there's only one 10cm opening when it's time to start pushing. Anyway, I'm not effacing at all, but the external opening was opened about a fingertip. The internal part was completely closed. It's not a GIANT concern-- in fact a lot of women after they've had a baby walk around like this all of the time. It's probably happening to me just because of the pressure of two babies-- one of which is very low and is literally sitting on the cervix. But it was concerning enough that the other doctor put a note in my chart to do a check at every appointment (boo!). Thankfully, the doctor I saw today was unconcerned and I skated out of it! Early cervical checks can increase your chance of infection as well as put you into labor early so my philosophy is that you shouldn't go around poking it unless you absolutely need to. Since I've had no bleeding, cramping, or contractions of any kind I'm not too concerned about the cervix.

 This post is getting kind of long but I also wanted to share some thoughts about preparing for the babies. I think the second most asked question I get asked is "Do you feel ready/are you nervous/are you excited?" I think they're all kind of the same question. Yes I am super excited, yes I'm super nervous, and can you really ever be ready? I mean, yeah, I'm excited to meet the babies but I'm also very scared. Both of which are normal, in my opinion. I'm scared because when we started our journey to start our family, I wasn't really counting on getting two at once. I often wonder how I'll cope with two infants. What if I break them? What if I can't deal with two crying babies? What if they get on opposite schedules and tag team me all night long? How are finances going to work out? Dare I say it, what if I don't want to give up being able to go to a movie whenever I want to? There are a lot of things I'm scared of, but I also think it's just a normal part of transition to no-kids to having kids. I'm under no illusion that it's going to be "easy", but I'm confident it will be worth it in the long run for the first couple of months (years?) to be really hard. Things are definitely going to change a lot in the next 10 weeks, but that's ok. This type of transition doesn't (usually) kill people. :)

P.S. The first most asked question is "Do twins run in your family?" I usually just say, "Not really" and that's the end of it, but occasionally I get a totally shocked person who goes on and on about how strange it is that I got twins with no genetic influence...blah blah blah. I just smile and nod and wonder where those people have been for the last 20 years. They must have been living under a rock to miss the fact that fertility drugs are pretty common these days.