Happy 32 weeks, babies!!

How appropriate, this week babies are each the size of a squash.



Happy Thanksgiving, babies!! They are 3 3/4 lbs each and 16.7 inches long.  That is 7 1/2 lbs of baby - officially more baby than I was when I was born (of course, I was just ONE baby).

This is one of those lucky weeks when baby center has a picture of in utero twins. Let's compare:





Normally I would say "look at all that room that spoiled single baby has" but frankly, looks like everyone is all shoved in tight now.  Pebbles and Bambam seem to be looking for more room as they keep really pushing outwards at every opportunity. Kind of making life pretty uncomfortable for mom.

This week, again, the babies are basically real humans and just getting bigger and fatter. More fat than length though now - they will only grow a few more inches before they are born, but will put on half a pound each every week until delivery. In 3 more weeks their lungs should be ready for the outside world.

I've bargained with myself to go 5 more weeks - that gets us into 2014 and to 37 weeks, a nice safe time to deliver.  They will be over 6 lbs each and will have crossed the lung milestone. Can one decide this? I don't know, many things in life are mind over matter.  But I am pretty miserable and having a mental deadline seems to help. And will hopefully get us past the Dec 20 - 30 window we do not want to fall into!!

Hump Day - 32 weeks

Just a quick one today, hitting 32 weeks tomorrow:

32 weeks!

Its a very quiet casual day in our office, so dressed down and pony tailing it - seriously there will be 3 people at the office so there was really no need at all to dress up!!

Front shot!

Kind of walking ok - once I get going. But going from sitting to standing causes some pain, but a few steps in we are doing ok.

Mommy is ready!

I wish I had a crystal ball to know whether we will be drinking this on New Year's eve, or whether we will be drinking it a few days later? And I thought not knowing the genders was hard!!!

An adorable comparison my cousin put together - her with her twins at 30 weeks about 4 months ago, and me at 30 weeks 2 weeks ago! Our twins will be about 4 months apart! I love the caption "Twinning it" ha!!

And, random, an adorable couple I just saw on the street on
my way to work - holding hands and out for a stroll!

Have a safe and happy American Thanksgiving everyone!! Really looking forward to some stuffing and gravy, and some feet up on the couch time! Will update tomorrow on the nuggs at 32 weeks :) Can't wait to see what size of obscure vegetable they are... (hah!)

Dr. Appointment at almost 32 weeks

We saw the OB today and here is the low down:

Both babies look good. A looks fine even though he/she does not move too much during the day. You will see in the video, their little hands are right under my belly button, and they have some strong hands! They like to push out around there with their hands while pushing their heads out on both sides. Its the most fun activity ever when you are stuck in small quarters in a uterus.

I am actually just shy of 32 weeks, but measuring 38. Rock. Star. Average twin pregnancy measures 8 weeks ahead, so 6 weeks is not bad. I would be concerned if the babies are small, but they are not. They are a nice average size and growing well.

Things we are looking forward to: I start weekly OB appointments now, so we are going to the dr again next Tuesday (almost 33 weeks). Starting at 34 weeks, we will have NSTs twice a week (Non-Stress Tests - they make sure the babies are in no stress. This involves me going to the hospital and being hooked up to monitors for about an hour to see how the nuggs are doing). At 35 weeks we get another growth scan with our specialist. AND, my OB thinks we will be delivering around 36 weeks. That is his best guess. I am holding out for 37 and getting into the new year. We can do this, little guys!!!

And with no further delay:

Maternity Photo Shoot!

These speak for themselves - we just got back about 100 shots and these are my favorite. They were taken on November 16 at Santa Monica Pier as the sun was setting. It had been raining all day in Burbank but thankfully the weather was good to us at the beach, which is a huge turn of events. 

Thought I would share! Enjoy!

(and if you want to order any prints, let me know!) 

Belly Button

My belly button is still an innie. Last night though, as we were watching A do some crazy ass stuff, James mentioned it looked close to being gone or an outtie. After investigating, I said I hoped it lasted at least 6 more weeks, and he burst into laughter and responded that I would be lucky if it lasts 6 more days!

:(

And we built this last night:

We now have a dedicated changing table!

31 weeks, babies!

Hey babies! You are 31 weeks now. One of you is the size of a pineapple, and the other one is the size of a coconut, so let's make some pina coladas!!

Babycenter has the babies each measuring over 16 inches long, weighing 3 1/3 lbs, about the size of a coconut. The Bump has these little guys each measuring 15.2 - 16.7 inches long and weighing 2.5 - 3.8 lbs, about the size of a pineapple. If you plug in our measurements from last week, Babycenter is the more accurate of the two sites. In summary: there is almost 7 lbs of baby in there, which is basically full term. :|

There is really nothing new to report about the babies - they are simply just adding baby fat and growing. Otherwise, they are totally normal mini humans with hair, nails, lashes, hiccups, working lungs, bladders and stomachs, that just happen to LIVE INSIDE MY BODY. (gross)

Baby B was giving me a hard time yesterday living under my right ribs, and someone told me to use ice to get him/her to move - and it worked!! After a few minutes, he/she was out of there and I was comfortable again!

We went on the hospital tour last night - most of it was not helpful, but we did get to see where everything was, and figure out where we are going when we get there. The pre-c section rooms and husband waiting chair were really depressing, and I can't handle the fact that I don't get to hold my babies the minute they are born - best case scenario I will get to do that about 20 minutes after they are born, and worst case, if they need NICU time, who knows. Though now that we are getting closer to the 34 week mark, NICU time will be less of a given, which is a relief!

Next OB appointment is next week, but these are getting so boring: weigh in, pee in cup, check blood pressure and heart beats, then off we go.

Hump Day = Bump day! Episode 31

31 weeks tomorrow. Thankfully, this has been a good week - the sciatic pain has not returned, though it did seem one night that it might, it was gone by morning. Sleeping, more specifically, getting comfortable while sleeping, has been very hard. My hip starts to hurt if I lay on one side too long, so I have to turn over a lot, which is not the easiest thing lately - its like my stomach doesn't flip with the rest of me, but follows a bit behind.

The Star Trek top. Did I wear this same top last week? Good grief.
No, just checked, wore it two weeks ago. Still! 

Side view

Side - 31 weeks

The worst worst symptom right now is heart burn. I was up all night the other night not even able to deal with the heart burn and acid reflux, and this is WITH my prescription medication.  I propped up all of my pillows and tried to sleep in a sitting position but it just didn't work. I think that night was bad because I had a second helping of ice cream right before bed, so I am trying to stop eating a few hours before bed time. Because the babies are crowding my body, I feel like I've had gastric bypass - I can't eat more than a small serving of food at a time. Even though I want to eat ALL THE FOOD!!!  Likely thanks to this horrible diet, I am holding steady at 40ish lbs gained. Hopefully this is not affecting the babies' growth.

Last night I had a good night of sleep following the eat less before bed plan, and also because I cheated and took a Benedryl (pregnancy safe, but my doctor does not like his patients taking sleep aids). Oh man though, it was heavenly to get such a good night of sleep!!! I woke up a few times to head to the rest room, but otherwise, slept so well.

Must-Have Maternity Clothes for Twin Moms

I've been meaning to put this together for a while. I definitely made some mistakes, but also got some great stuff I would love to share with others:

Mistake #1 - I bought clothes before I knew it was twins. So I ended up with my pre-pregnancy size of small/medium. None of that fits anymore, and hasn't for a while. If you are having twins, buy things one size larger than you are and wear things a bit big now so it lasts all 9 months.

Underwear. Just treat yourself. The sooner the better. I got 9 pairs of Thyme's banded bikini and that seems about right. 3 of each white, black and pink.

Bras. I got some bras early on, (Victoria Secret, $60 for two) that was a must at about 10 weeks for comfort, then got some expanders for those a few weeks later. At about 20 weeks I got 2 nursing bras (Destination Maternity, $25 each) and those are still fitting nicely, and I will use these after birth.  I've heard you only need to buy bras twice during the pregnancy, and that is about right so far.

Mistake #2 - maternity tights/compression panty hose. YUCK!!!! The tights were so tight on my belly, that was just awful and painful. The compression panty hose lasted about 3 wears, then fell apart. Also not very comfortable as the compression hose would leave a huge gap in the crotch area. No.

Shoes. Bought myself two pairs of work flats right away, as Dr. told me I couldn't wear heels (Nordstrom Rack, about $120 total - one pair is the Cole Haan air, which has a nike air heel, omg must have). I picked my two favorite work shoes and bought the same colors in the flats, which has worked out great. I still wear my leather boots (small heel) and my sneakers of course.

Leggings. I got one pair of black leggings I was using constantly, figured I would end up living in these later in the pregnancy, so I got myself a second pair in grey. (about $20 each) Basically these are yoga pants that go over my belly. These are great under dresses, especially those that are looking more like long tops now.  I imagine I will wear these every day during maternity leave. I also sleep in them.

T-Shirts. Old Navy has a great maternity section and I got 6 t-shirts for $50. Some are more casual and some are ok for work. Its great to have a variety. However, my real favorites are some nice t-shirts that my mother in law and sister got me from Destination Maternity and Thyme. I think one could get away with about 6 total t-shirts.

Mistake #3 - waiting until 30 weeks to buy a white t-shirt. I LOVE wearing a plain white t-shirt with basically everything. I might have gotten too many colorful tops from Old Navy (the ones on sale were all orange or blue and white striped, so that is what I got).  I'm so happy to have it now!

Tank Tops. I live in these Old Navy tank tops. I got two of these, and wish I had gotten more. I sleep in them and wear them under t-shirts that have gotten too small (see mistake #1). They also dress up great - my navy blue one looks chic with a long necklace and my white jean jacket, boots and jeans. I've even worn the grey one under a suit to court.

Dresses: I think three dresses would be enough, maybe 4: a black embellished one for weddings/Christmas parties, one for work events, and one casual cotton one for going out with friends. I do not regret spending $60 at Destination Maternity on a dress to wear to some weddings this year - I wore it to two and will wear it again to Christmas parties. My sister got me an awesome Thyme dress that is very cool, with leggings and boots for going out to hip places, or with a cardigan and open toe for work. I have a work dress (kind of like a shirt/blouse type thing) that I wore a ton on days meeting clients, court, depositions, mediation or teaching, or a company wide meeting.  I recently bought a dress to wear to my shower that I have also worn teaching, meeting with clients, and will wear to a few work events going forward.

Pants. I have one pair of work pants with a full belly panel that I am still wearing twice a week at work, if not more often. They are grey and go with most of my suit jackets. I got a pair of jeans (Thyme) but they are a bit on the short side (petite) which I wear with boots to hide the ill-fitting length, but the Thyme jeans are awesome, not too pricey when on sale ($25), and they have front and back pockets and the belly is GREAT, very comfortable. My favorite pants, that I wear almost daily, are some jeggings I got from Destination Maternity. I bought some in wine color ($44 not on sale), then realized I was limited in what I could wear with those, (see orange Old Navy tops above) so went and got another pair in brown ($22 on sale). I do not regret having two pairs of these, but could probably have gotten just the one brown pair.  To recap: 1 pair versatile work pants, 1 pair jeans, 1 pair neutral jeggings. Get these all in a size much bigger than you think - the belly will get big and grow out of your size. I am s/m and got m/l and am happy I did!

Shorts. I got a pair of long knee length shorts that I did wear a lot in the summer, and have worn once or twice since.

Mistake #4 - I bought some second trimester (demi panel) pants from Maternity Gap for work. They have a half band. I was telling all of my friends about how comfortable they were and why does anyone wear anything else?! That was from week 10 - 13. Then they never fit again. I hope to use them to step down after birth so I can get some more use out of them, they were $60 :S Yuck.

Work Tops. I have 4 work tops, two from Thyme and two from Target. I use them all, a lot. I am glad I have a variety so people at work don't think I am living in one outfit. I think 4 is a good number to have. I bought a pull over blouse from Gap Maternity that was super on sale in a lime green, I've worn it once just to say I did and get my money's worth, but probably not my smartest move. Recap: 4 work tops that you like in colors you like.

Going out Tops. I have two, and that is a good number! Both are from Old Navy and can be dressed up or down. With my navy tank top, that is 3 options for dressing up a bit nicer when needed with the casual dress being option 4.

Mistake #5 - Waiting to buy my bathing suit! I got a GREAT bathing suit but bought it so late, I only got to wear it once! I wore bikinis before I bought it, then it arrived and winter hit L.A. early. I might get some more use out of it if I go do some aquafit classes. Its just a plain black, very classy looking, bathing suit from Old Navy, and I was so happy when it arrived and fit so well. I got the Medium and it fits just fine.

Pajamas. Good God treat yourself to some PJs. The happiest day was when my maternity PJs showed up. Sleep is hard when pregnant, so some soft, cozy pjs that aren't pinching your belly is key. These came with a nursing top, so that is a nice plus for the hospital.

Nursing Tank Tops. I have been gifted 3 and I bought myself 1. I've been using these to lounge around in or to wear instead of bras around the house. I expect to be living in these at home in a few weeks, in the hospital and after birth.

Mistake #6 - Shopping to hide the bump: I bought myself a bunch of long maxi dresses. I just don't love how I look like a house in these, and I hate my bigger than usual thighs rubbing underneath. Maybe if it was still summer, I would wear them more? The good news is, they are NOT maternity, so I will get to wear them long after this is over! I also, as soon as I got a positive test result at 5 weeks, bought two pairs of designer (!!!) jeans one size bigger than I normally wear. I hope to use these as I step back down. I thought I would get a good 10+ weeks of use out of them, but frankly, by week 10 I was too big for them.

Sweaters. Got an Old Navy hooded sweat shirt in black, it fits great and I wear it all the time because its cozy and I can zip it up! Otherwise I use my pre-pregnancy cardigans and jackets that fit fine (but I can't button or zip these). I also got a super on sale gap pull over sweater, which I wear because it is soft and I paid for it but really did not need.

Final Must-Have Tally:

Flat shoes
1 pajamas
9 underwear
4 bras (2 in each growth spurt size)
1 work pant
2 jeans/jeggings
2 leggings
1 shorts
3 dresses
4 work tops
1 white t shirt
2 ribbed tank tops
2 nursing tanks
2 t-shirts
2 going out tops
1 bathing suit
1 hooded sweatshirt

Hello Monday

This weekend we went and got some maternity shots taken. There is a super cute picture of us, but it is of some bare bellies, so it is NOT going on the blog [Edit: I censored this one and posted it below, because its way cute]. Then there is this picture...which is FAR FROM my favorite picture of me ever...but the background (Santa Monica Pier at sunset) is gorgeous, so here you go.

A praying mantis eats the male after mating...

We got a ton done this weekend: got some shelves for the storage unit, found out that Ikea charges more for shipping than they do for furniture (maybe they are a shipping company?!!) which explains the cheap meatballs, which I ate a whole plate of by myself (my parasites were hungry). I ordered a dresser/changing table combo. Did some more baby stuff organizing and started putting things together for a hospital bag. We also spent some good time with friends and went for a very romantic dinner!

So in love!! Censored belly shot! Not mine though, that you have to see to believe.

I have a fun blog coming up on must have maternity clothing.

59 days to Jan 16, my new last day they will let me stay pregnant date! 59!!!

A day late - the babies are 30 weeks!

This week, the babies are each the size of a head of cabbage:

And, according to one site, the length of an English cucumber:

:S

Well we know from our scan the other day, they are both just a bit shy of 3 lbs, and average length right now is 15 1/2 - 17 inches. At this point, their eyesight and brain activity are developing more and more, and they continue to practice swallowing and breathing amniotic fluid. They will be gaining a half pound a week, which will put them at 7 lbs each if we make it to 39 weeks as my doctor is hoping for. (14 total pounds of baby!)

They are rocking and rolling in there, really moving around a ton at night, and doing lots of stretching and moving during the day, as well. They definitely feel like two heads of cabbage. Can't wait to meet you little guys! 9 more weeks or 62 more days!!

We went to the Beach!

We took Stephanie and Mom for breakfast at Paradise Cove, one of my favorite spots. Its about 45 minutes from home. We had a great time!

Then we made a hole

Stephanie and I had fortified the hole, but the tide was coming in,
so it was eventually going to fill with water

One last run into the water