Happy 26 weeks, babies!!

According to various websites, babies are now each the size of a head of lettuce, weighing in at almost 2 lbs and a little over a foot long, each.









This week, they have eyebrows and eyelashes, and they are now opening and closing their eyes for the first time, and they are practicing breathing (with fluid though, air is still being supplied by me, which is why I am out of breath constantly!) The babies have now developed all five senses! Hearing, touch, vision, smell and taste! At this point, we just need them to keep growing and putting on some much needed fat!

Their kicking has not really increased in either amount or strength, still just some general moving around and sometimes a poke, sometimes I see a whole baby head or butt trying to escape my body through my belly, Aliens movie style. Nice try, kid! They are getting into a rhythm though - awake at 5 a.m., then 10. a.m., then in the evenings. I've also caught them being crazy in the middle of the night.

Hump Day = Bump Day!

26 weeks tomorrow!! The doctor will not stop labor after 34 weeks, so we have 8 - 12 to go. Seems so soon, yet this past week has gone by so slowly! I chalk it up to the discomfort, which includes heart burn, a pinched sciatic nerve, back pain, hip pain while sleeping, and just general discomfort doing anything or sitting in any one position too long. That said, I have compared these fairly mild and inconsequential aches and pains with some fellow twin moms who have also blogged about their experiences, and for 26 weeks I feel like I am doing amazingly well: not on bed rest, not swollen, not in pre-term labor, no high blood pressure, etc. So for that, I am thankful.

My cold seems to be gone - I noticed last night that I was breathing through my nose! yay! I still have a nasty cough once in a while, but its not too bad.

Both our bathrooms are finally completed! We have moved back into the master bathroom! This is so exciting and its nice to feel like our house is our own again. I do miss the guest shower as it is a shower/tub combo so I could actually shave my legs in there - may have to take a shower in there every once in a while ;)

One thing I am very grateful for today, and every day, is waking up and being able to put on my wedding and engagement rings. : )

In other news: Cheering hard for the Dodgers tonight - any positive vibes sent our way would be appreciated!! I am teaching two more classes this semester at Southwestern and am preparing for those - that has been a blast and I am loving it so much. The last two will be October 22 and 29. I really hope this experimental program gets picked up and I can teach the classes every semester! Also very much looking forward to my Baby Shower (Babies Shower?) on November 10, and getting to go buy a dress for that!

Update on the nuggets (now more like burritos) tomorrow!

OB appointment

Went to our OB appointment today. Everything is looking really good, including weight, blood pressure and growth. I am still measuring 32 weeks, which is a relief! I was worried the tummy might have grown even more - not that it shouldn't, but really, I'd rather have a few days of settling in to a new size over constant growth.

We went over our specialist's findings from last week and all looked very good. My doctor believes that since the babies are measuring the exact same size now, that there is no need to worry about size discordance or IUGR in the future. That really eased my mind!

Both heart beats sounded strong and when he took a look, we found out that they are no longer in the yin yang position. I am bummed about that because apparently that is the best way for them to be.  They are now both breech - head up with their feet down. There is still plenty of room in there for them to move around so this could change.

I can't help wondering if developing their sense of equilibrium last week had anything to do with the flip?

Bump day tomorrow, then hitting the 26 week milestone on Thursday! Our next goal, according to the Dr., is to make it to 34 weeks.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

We celebrated James's birthday this weekend! We spent Friday night, his actual birthday, having a nice dinner followed by Sprinkles cupcakes and ice cream and a fun drive getting lost through the Hollywood Hills. Saturday we had friends over for pizza and cake, and then we were off to the Haunted Hayride.  I did not ride the Hayride but did use the porta potty in the dark - equally frightening! I think James had a good time and it was so nice to see friends :)

I am still suffering from this cough - its not great and I am looking forward to getting over it. This week I am feeling particularly large and unruly. Though I did realize that we are under 5 weeks away now from being 30 weeks along, I know that is obvious but 30 weeks just sounds good and seems like a pretty incredible milestone!

Two Cauliflowers - 25 weeks today (7 months pregnant)

Today the babies are each the size of a head of cauliflower. They are supposed to be weighing in at about a pound and a half (1lb8oz), which means they are right on track, having weighed in at 1lb6oz each on Monday!

Other fun facts about these guys: while they have very little control over their hands, their hands are "discovering" their environment through touch and feel, and they already have finger nails.  Their ears are fully formed and functional, as is their equilibrium: they can tell if they are upside down or right side up.

They also know when they are in a loud hockey arena - they got really excited at the Kings vs Coyotes, Rangers and Senators games that I was able to attend. They also went wild when we were taking off on our flights to and from Boston - I suspect it is the loud noise and vibration.  Otherwise, they are growing some hair and filling out with fat. In 10 weeks, it will be safe for them to be born! My goodness!!!

Today is Grandpa G's birthday - Happy Birthday to Grandpa G!!! Lots of love from California!

Bump Day!

Fall is here in California - cold drizzly day and high of 64! So I took the tags off of this sweater dress.

I am feeling absolutely like a blimp this week. The belly is **HUGE**

25 weeks

Compare to just 6 weeks ago, at 19 weeks:

19 weeks

Oh gosh, so tiny and manageable!! On the plus side, last night we used my belly as a tray for crackers. :S Tomorrow we hit 25 weeks. We are getting closer and closer to meeting these little guys! 13 weeks to go!

24 week growth scan

*****WARNING- 3D IMAGES BELOW*****

Before getting to the results of the scan, just want to update that I have been so sick the last few days with a head cold of some sort - just awful!! There is so little you can do or take while pregnant, just live with the misery. It seems to be going away and I am feeling much better today than I have been.  OK on to the scan:

These little nuggets are not so little anymore!

We had our 24 week scan this morning to check for growth. These little rock stars weighed in at the exact same weight!! 1 lb and 6 ounces each! Good job little guys! They hid any "parts" so we are still, as they say, "team green."  Baby A was shy and hid his/her face so we did not get too many good A shots, but Baby B, who we affectionately call Bam Bam, was totally cooperative for the camera. I personally think Baby B looks just like daddy :)

It was funny to see the specialist scan around in there - they are still yin yang, with their backs facing out and all of their little limbs, hands, feet, and umbilical cords in a jumbled mess in the middle. Baby B is totally folded in half with his/her feet essentially at his/her face, and Baby A is resting his/her feet on Baby B's head. No wonder B is always protesting with lots of kicks!

Here are a few pictures:

Baby B

Baby B again

Our shy little Baby A

And here is a link to the album of all of the photos.
And a link to our Crocket baby guessing game!