1. I had a couple of chiropractic appointments this week which was awesome. My back has just felt so great since I started seeing this guy. I am pretty sure it's just as good as a massage.
2. Jesse and I really enjoyed this week (after the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day) of course. I really took it easy and spent most of my time on the couch with my legs up, but Jesse and I knew this would be our last week of just the two of us and we savored each moment. We watched my belly dance and just enjoyed being together.
3. We also tried to get their room all set up. We still failed at just a couple of things but it's close. I still need to take pictures of it though since currently it's being inhabited by my mom.
4. People are still shocked that I'm having twins, especially in a week, and I have been told several times that I don't even look pregnant from behind, and I still have no stretch marks. These little boys have been very kind to their mom.
5. And honestly I can't remember anything else specific from this week! Just count down to babies!!!
Wednesday, the day I turned 35 weeks, started out great! I went and got adjusted at the chiropractic clinic and then went to Hobby Lobby for a few odds and ends. I had 3 strangers tell me how cute I looked so I was feeling good about myself. I came home, grabbed some lunch, and thought I'd check the mail. Who knew getting the mail could be dangerous?
I was walking back to our apartment after picking up the mail and caught my toe on an uneven spot of asphalt. I stumbled and hoped I'd recover but with how unbalanced my body is, I went down pretty quick. Yes that's right, I did a superman fall in the middle of the parking lot and unfortunately, my belly was there to catch my fall. I instantly panicked and finally mustered up enough energy to gather up the lame ads I had just gotten and my keys and went to sit in my car for a little while. Of course my doctor's office was closed for lunch at the time so I called my mom so I'd have someone to talk to. We laughed a little and I cried and then I prayed everything would be ok.
{The culprit}
When my belly finally relaxed a little and I felt confident that I could walk up the stairs to our apartment I went up and laid down in bed with my stethoscope desperately searching for heartbeats. I had never felt so grateful to feel any movement, hiccups, or hear heartbeats. By this point my doctor's office had opened back up so I called to find out what I needed to do. I was told to go to the hospital to get monitored. I didn't know what all this would entail but I hoped it would only take a few hours and I'd be back home, but just in case, I threw a few things into a bag, called Jesse to let him know what had happened, and drove myself to the hospital.
After finding out what floor labor and delivery was on I headed up there and was checked into my room. I then had to explain to anyone who walked in about how difficult it is to walk on uneven ground when you can't see your feet. I was so embarrassed that I had fallen and of course emotional; worried something would be wrong with the babies. I put on my gown, got an iv, was hooked up to the heartrate and contraction monitors, and was told not to eat anything... just in case. It was finally about this time that I evaluated my battle wounds and when asked what my pain level was I had to say 0 except for my knee which was closer to a 3. My doctor came by and said I had won an overnight stay and they were watching for contractions, bleeding, signs of placental abruption, or any other complications that would necessitate a c-section now. I was definitely not ready to have babies that day so I hoped everything would be fine.
{This happened through my pants!}
{My knee was (and still is) really tender.}
{It's hard to see from the picture but I scraped my hands up a little bit too. My parents were very relieved that I had scrapes in various places because hopefully that means my hands and knees helped break the fall a little bit.}
It quickly became evident that I was contracting pretty regularly, about every 5-10 minutes, and even though they were not hurting I was given a shot of terbutaline to slow down those contractions. It worked for awhile but the contractions started back up, so in with another dose of terbutaline. This cycle repeated itself a couple more times and I got up to 4 shots of terbutaline. By this point I was beginning to worry that we would really be having babies the next day. Luckily Jesse got off earlier that day than he sometimes does so he was able to come be with me. I just cried when he came because I was scared that this stupid fall was causing me to go into labor and that we'd have to deliver our babies earlier than we thought. Jesse was so sweet the entire time and even offered to stay the night on the lovely L&D pull out couches. His sense of humor was still intact as well which came in handy. At one point my feet were freezing and he asked why I wasn't given the gripper socks because I was obviously a fall risk! haha.
{I'm sure Jesse would have preferred spending his day off doing something more fun than sitting on this couch but he was a good sport about the whole thing.}
My doctor ordered bloodwork and an ultrasound to check things out and I tried to lay very still for the rest of the evening and overnight so the contractions would stop. The four doses of terbutaline seemed to help and I was able to get some food late that night (finally!) and a little bit of sleep. Around 6:00am though the contractions had started back up again so in went another shot of terbutaline. I was not excited about that and figured they probably couldn't give me many more doses so I either needed these contractions to stop on their own or we'd potentially be having babies.
{For whatever reason I REALLY wanted donuts. So Jesse brought me some the next morning when I was able to eat regular food again.}
Luckily my contractions slowed down to about one every half hour and continued to slow a little more as time went on. My doctor came by again the next morning and said that the ultrasound did not show any signs of placental abruption and the bloodwork came back good which was such a relief. She said she'd continue to monitor for a few more hours and if the contractions didn't pick back up I should be good to go home. That was music to my ears! So it was a waiting game once again for a few hours. Then my doctor came back to check on me one more time and she felt comfortable sending me home! Yay! She also mentioned that she went ahead and scheduled me for a c-section for next week. I asked her what the likelihood would be to have our babies come home with us if they were born at 36 weeks and she told me they have a 95% chance of coming home! I know there's still a chance they'll have to spend a little extra time in the NICU but that number was encouraging and I'm really hoping they'll be able to come home. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. For whatever reason little boys often have a harder time with everything so let's hope they're tough little guys instead of little wimpy ones! :)
After a few more questions, I hurried and changed out of my clothes and gathered up my stuff to head home. Jesse had a prior commitment that happened to overlap with my discharge time, plus we had two cars there since I had driven myself, so he left just before my nurse came in to do discharge teaching. When she asked if he had gone down to bring the car around, I had to break the news to her that I would be driving myself home. She said "so I'm going to take you down in a wheelchair just so you can drive yourself home?" Yup, that's about it! She wasn't overly excited about it but she wheeled me right out to my car in the parking lot and told me that was a first for her! haha.
I still have an appointment with the perinatologist early next week so unless he feels comfortable waiting any additional time we will be having these little boys next week! Over the next week I am definitely taking it even more easy, keeping my feet up, drinking water, watching contractions, and making honey-do lists so we'll be even more ready for these babies. We're getting really excited now that we have a date we're shooting for. It makes it seem so much more real and we cannot wait! Jesse even took a couple of walks down past the nursery and he'd tell me about the babies and it got both of us so excited to meet our little ones!
1. I've been seeing a chiropractic intern from our ward for the last couple of weeks and it has been great for my back. My upper back has bothered me as these babies have messed up my ribs and of course my lower back and hips have been getting a little sore but a little time on his magic moving table and popping everything back into place has done wonders. I always leave the clinic feeling like a million bucks.
2. We lived this week like it could be our last as a family of two... just in case. We tried a new restaurant (Cheddars - which was awesome), went to a movie (OZ - it was fine), ate frozen yogurt (Yogurt Zone - Fabulous!), laid out by the pool (Yes, in all my round pregnant glory) and even did some finger painting on my belly (because how can you NOT with such a big round empty canvas?!) I even packed up the diaper bag for the most part and starting packing my hospital bag.
3. I went to an infant CPR and safety class this week which had some good tips and was a good reminder for me. There can never be too much practice in non-emergent situations so when those true emergencies come, you actually feel ready. I thought I'd be the only person there who had waited this long to take a class but there were two other people there due April 10 so I didn't feel quite as awful! I do have a breastfeeding class scheduled for next week that I would really like to make though so I'm pretty sure these babies can only come after that is over!
4. I saw both of my doctors this week and it is looking like we'll be planning a delivery day at my appointment next week, unless of course I go into labor before then (which, as I mentioned before, is not an option until after my class. haha). We didn't measure the babies this week because it had only been a week and a half since my last appointment and they only measure every 2 weeks or more. The perinatologist said we'd measure them next week and most likely be having our babies next week or the week after (putting me at 36-37weeks). Ummm WHAT?! I still cannot believe we're talking about having these babies here in the next two weeks! I honestly don't even know what or how to feel about the whole thing! It just has gone by so fast and I cannot believe we're already to this point!
5. My maternity pictures are digitally in my possession and I am excited to get some up on the wall in the nursery. And speaking of the nursery, we hung some picture frames up on one of the walls on Sunday and now we just need to decide how to finish the collage on that wall as well as how we're going to hang stuff on the wall above the crib. We'll be finishing that up this week so I should be posting pictures next week! I am loving how it's turning out!
6. Still no stretch marks. Thank you genetics! I can hardly wait to see what this belly will look like though once it is deflated. Should be entertaining!
7. I've had to get a little smarter and wear my compression socks. I wasn't so smart a few times and the results were disastrous and rather hilarious. So much so that we had to do a couple of videos. I've also decided we need to pull out Ruby and record our lives more. Life is just funny and needs to be documented way more than it is. I'm going to work on that. Especially once these munchkins come!
8. As soon as I said that Budsy doesn't get the hiccups nearly as often as Gus he's started getting them more! Gus still gets them 2-4 times a day but Budsy has been holding his own getting them about twice a day as well. What a strange feeling by the way! I know it's supposedly not as uncomfortable for them but it sure feels weird to me! haha.
9. I'm pretty sure I never had this so called "Nesting" stage kick in. Boy am I wishing it would hurry up and take over so I can get my apartment put together completely! I've been baffled as to how I get so few things checked off my list despite being home all day long. I start thinking I'm just lazy but then my sweet husband (who turns a blind eye to the chaos and lack of productive-ness) reminds me that I am currently housing two humans who may or may not suck out my nutrients and make me tired. His rational has become the popularly accepted one these days. I do have a list of "To-Dos before Babies" as well as a list of "To Buys for Babies" that I have slowly been checking off the list, but it's looking like this coming week is the week that everything needs to be crossed off. Let's hope it all gets done!
I'm not looking great in this picture but I figure at 34 weeks pregnant I shouldn't be required to look good! I did shimmy into that pre-pregnancy shirt however. I'm not quite sure if that was a good idea or not!
1. Jesse's parents came out for a visit. We actually picked them up, had lunch with them and my mom, and then dropped my mom off at the airport a little later! We definitely know how to stack in the visitors! We felt so lucky to have all of them come out one more time before the babies come. We put them to work unpacking, decorating, and working more in the nursery and our new apartment is really starting to feel like a home. Thanks again everyone for coming!
2. The girls from Jesse's work threw me a baby shower and it was amazing! They seriously know how to throw a party! I felt very spoiled and had a lot of fun. It's nice to feel so loved even when we're so far away from home! We had delicious food, fun games, great company, and these little boys got SPOILED.
{The girls who made it all happen.}
{The shower was hosted at Noah's so I even got to see my cute hubby}
{These are girls from our ward-minus my MIL of course- and all except the girl to my left is pregnant right now! And that one girl who isn't, just had a baby 4 months ago. That's how our ward rolls. It's going to be ridiculous when in just a few months we'll probably have 15 new babies}
{My visiting teacher made these little booties, and yes there's a match for the other one I was just too lazy to keep digging}
{And my other visiting teacher made these cute towels and also provided the awesome rubber ducks that tell you if the bath water is too hot! So awesome!}
{Another sweet girl from my ward made all these cute things! The little onsies with ties on them, cute burp cloths, and actual ties. She is seriously crafty}
3. At the doctor's appointment this week they estimated Gus to be 4lbs 0oz and Budsy to only be 3lbs 4oz. We're wondering if the measurements were off a little bit because that is the biggest discrepancy we've had and it made me a little nervous. I was curious what the doctor would say about the big difference and he came in and really checked out the fluid levels, blood flow from umbilical cord, and monitored the heart rates closely and decided that since all those other things still looked great that we'll keep them baking for now. He did remind me though that essentially at any of these appointments if something doesn't look quite right he'll be sending me over to labor and delivery. YIKES! For whatever reason I was not ready to hear that! I've just been planning on keeping them in until 38 weeks so that came as a bit of a surprise. I decided that I should probably hurry up and get their room done and maybe pack a bag!
4. Luckily their room is coming together nicely and I can hardly wait to get it all finished! My sweet in-laws offered to buy us a glider, which I am SO EXCITED about, so that should be arriving sometime soon and as soon as we get the dresser mess sorted out and decide if we're setting up another crib now we can finish hanging the few things on the wall. It is a very happy room to be in and I can only imagine it gets better when sweet little babies will be in it!
5. I've pretty much given up on wearing jeans these days. I've put on some reserves in my hips and thighs and it does not make it very comfortable to squeeze into jeans! My sweat pants are my new best friends!
6. The cankle situation is more under control this week. They nearly resemble my regular ankles! I still try to elevate them at least a couple of times throughout the day but they're not nearly as painful this week.
7. Jesse and I have had some tender moments this week and are trying to really enjoy the last few weeks of pregnancy. But we are also getting very excited to hold our little boys. We went to the Temple with Jesse's parents and as we sat in the celestial room we realized it would most likely be the last time all four of us will be in the celestial room together until the boys prepare for their missions! It honestly made me tear up! I've gotten a little more emotional this week thinking about how soon this pregnancy stage is going to be over and we're starting into the biggest adventure of our life! I am feeling a little overwhelmed and completely excited at the same time.
I've been loving on my belly just a little bit more.
Loving every minute of watching and feeling the boys roll around inside.
Enjoying my sleep.
Loving my changing body and growing belly.
We cannot wait to meet these little boys. To see what they look like and learn their little personalities. It seems like a big responsibility but I'm putting my faith in Heavenly Father that he can help us through.
And just for kicks and giggles...
I've been saying this (from The Santa Clause) since about 20 weeks but we finally decided to video it.
1. One of the not-so-highlights was waking up with cankles at 32 weeks exactly. I've had some swelling in my legs off and on but usually just when I was up on my feet most of the day. I always wore compression socks while I was at work but I kind of got lazy and wouldn't wear them at home, but I never noticed it really being a problem. This week, it became a problem. No one should wake up with cankles, they should come towards the end of the day!
2. My mom came to town this week which was SO wonderful! She helped put tons of things away and we shopped until we dropped for decor for the nursery and did all things baby related. We washed clothes, hung clothes, folded clothes, re-purposed existing things, crafted, even bought me a few new shirts so I can fit into something again, and tried to find a little time to take it easy. It was great to have her here and I can't believe that the next time I see her I'll have two little babies!
3. I was privileged to go to the Temple this week with my kind visiting teacher. (For a little more information on LDS Temples click here.) It was so nice to get away from the world for a little while and think with an eternal perspective. The sweet Temple workers even pointed out how neat it was that my little babies got to come with me to the Temple that day. I cannot wait until we can take them to the Temple grounds and talk about what a special place it is. I am so blessed to have my family for eternity.
4. The crib and dresser are both set up in the nursery, but of course things can't go perfectly and one of the drawers on the dresser was broken. I spent quite awhile on the phone trying to find out if we could just get a replacement drawer because we REALLY did not want to disassemble the dresser to return it for a replacement or refund. Of course the company said there were no replacement parts available until June which is kind of out of the question. So instead they offered to ship a new one to our apartment and pick up the broken one. I'm just worried that they still want us to disassemble it which is a problem since A. we already threw away the box, B. it wouldn't fit back in the box even if we had it, and C. that is just a huge pain that I don't want to take the time to do! I'm just hoping they'll take mercy on my poor pregnant soul and take it back built. guess we'll see how that all shakes out.
5. Gus (Baby A) gets the hiccups at least 2 times a day, and often 3-4 times a day! Budsy (Baby B) will maybe get them once a day but sometimes he'll go a few days without having any. I've been told I got the hiccups all the time while I was in utero and after I was born (and for many many years) I would still get the hiccups several times a day. Poor baby. I feel his pain! I also feel like Budsy's hiccups are a little less noticeable to me though. I'm not sure if it is the way they are positioned or if Gus just hiccups more violently or what but I don't seem to feel Budsy's hiccups quite as much.
1. We moved! Our new place will be so perfect for us too. The front room is much bigger, there's a second bathroom, the babies' room is huge, and there is tons of storage! We couldn't be more excited about the possibilities with our new apartment.
2. We now have a crib. I ordered one and it actually arrived at our new apartment before we did. That was a fun surprise. My manly man of a husband built it and it looks fabulous! We were just going to get one for now and order another one a few months down the road but I'm starting to think I'll just order the other one and get it built and ready. Besides my genius mother mentioned that if for some crazy reason one of the boys were to wet through his sheets we could always plop him in the other crib! haha. Save us a late night bedding change.
3. The perinatologist measured the babies again this week and Gus was estimated to be 3lbs 2oz and Budsy 3lbs 0oz. This was a big week for little Budsy because he's usually behind his brother a little more. Of course these are all estimates but we were still excited to see numbers that close. Everything still looks perfect and we continue to feel so blessed.
4. Showers are by far my favorite (and most necessary) time of day. I feel as though I can barely roll out of bed because my body gets so stiff at night and showers allow me to regain some movement in my joints. It's heavenly.
5. I've just started to notice more of a schedule that the boys follow. They have an active time in the morning, maybe 8-9am, another active time in the afternoon around 2-3pm, and again around 8-9pm. I'll feel them at other various times throughout the day but these seem to be the best times to watch for "belly-quakes" as I call them. They are also very interactive which is fun. We'll push on them and they'll push back! It is the best!
6. Oh yeah, and this week I feel like nothing I have fits! I spent most of this week in Jesse's t-shirts. Definitely time to go buy a few more shirts so I can actually feel cute again!
