25 Weeks Still Going Strong

Just a short update, sorry no pictures. I can't remember the last time I even had the energy to get dressed. I'll get dressed for church tomorrow so I'll try and have Dan take a picture. I hit 24 weeks and all the sudden I hit utter exhaustion. Not just tired, but to the point where I can't even function. The boys have taken it extremely well and let me rest on the couch while they play independently or together. Dan comes home and takes over so that I can go to bed.

I called my friend tonight who had twins and then a singleton and asked if it was the same with her singleton as it was with the twins and she assured me that the singleton, while tiring, was so much easier than twins. It gave me just that little bit of reassurance.

The babies are growing and kicking harder day by day. For a few days they didn't move at all and I started to worry. It was also the beginning of the exhaustion, so I wondered if maybe they were growing. Dan made a good point that if they were growing and not moving, they were probably hungry. Lo and behold, I upped my caloric intake and began eating more often and they are now constantly moving and kicking. Definitely a good sign, although difficult to eat something substantial nearly every hour. I've also upped my water intake so that I'm drinking nearly 5 liters of water a day. It's a ton, but it's really helping and I know it helped with the boys. I can tell the days when I don't drink enough.

Ok...hopefully pictures tomorrow! I think you'll be surprised at the recent growth!

Follow-Up with Dr. Barrong

Today was my follow up with Dr. Barrong. He said everything looks great. He said they want to see 2 cm of amniotic fluid, one baby has 4 cm and one baby has 6 cm, so they are doing great. They are growing at exactly the same rate, and each weigh 1 lb 3 oz right now. Overall a great appointment! I have another ultrasound/appointment in 4 weeks and then I go to every 2 weeks. Crazy to think it's already down to the 2 week appointments!

Ultrasound at 23 weeks

This morning was my ultrasound. Bright and early...7:30! The girls were difficult as always. It took a long time to locate some of the parts that last time they were unable to see. The girls are pros at turning at exactly the time the technician finds the aorta or the nose and lips. Everything looks great. I have my follow-up with Dr. Barrong tomorrow. As soon as I laid down for the ultrasound, she asked if I'd been drinking water to keep my amniotic fluid levels up since they were low last time. I had a mini freak out having not been told my levels were low. She looked again and said they were low, but totally fine. She checked them again today and said they were high so I guess it was just the day or the technician or something. I generally drink 6-10 bottles of water a day and then follow-up with a little juice or Diet Caffeine Free Coke, so there is almost always liquid going in. As far as I could tell the girls look as though their growth is on track. Baby A is all the way down hiding behind my pelvis bone. Baby B is living the high life in my ribs and has plenty of room to stretch out. The pictures from today were not great since they couldn't get any real facial shots due to the girls always moving around. I can see that ultrasounds will not be as enjoyable from this point on. By the end of the hour, I was about ready to beg to be done.

Pictures By Thomas

A few days ago I was feeling particularly large and wanted to document it. What ensued was Thomas attempting to take pictures of my tummy. No, these are not flattering, but Thomas tried SO hard to get a good one! :) Afterwards, both boys insisted I take a picture of the babies inside their tummies too. Cute!!!

Today---- We were all cuddling in bed and the babies were moving around a lot. I took Josh's hand (then Thomas') and placed them on my tummy. The boys were thrilled and a little scared to feel that kick under my skin! It was pretty neat to watch them. "That baby kick me!" Thomas then made me put my hand on his tummy and proceeded to move his tummy around so I could feel his baby kick too. So cute!

Movement

A little note about movement. These girls are either lazy or just calm. I choose to think calm. :-) I feel them move way less than I ever felt the boys move. I'm sure I won't be complaining about this next month, but sometimes it makes me nervous. One baby is still carrying really low (making walking a bit awkward) and one baby has moved way up high (making for some lovely heartburn). It makes it easy to distinguish kicks, but kind of painful in day to day activities. I'm sure Baby A will move up soon. Sometimes I lay down just to make them move and make sure I can feel both of them. Tonight I laid my head on Dan's lap (after beating him 2/3 in backgammon I might add) and they started kicking away. I put Dan's hand on my tummy and they really went crazy. It's the first time he's really gotten to feel them move. 21 weeks, 5 days for the record. The boys and Dan have both felt random kicks but this time they were really moving against his hand. It was pretty neat. I promise to post some pictures soon!

New Calendar

Trying to find a calendar that works. Give me some feedback so I know if I need to change it. I'm looking for something where you guys can add your own stuff. That way if you want to spend some time here after the girls are born helping out, you can mark that time on the calendar and everyone else will know that that time is filled. Also, it will help those that need to request time off work! Thanks to everyone who is volunteering to help!

Last time when people signed up they mainly came over to do dishes and switch laundry and do a general pickup so that I had time to nurse/feed/rest/bond with the boys. I have a feeling this time will be different as the boys will need more attention too. If you are a friend of the mommy here, and just want to clear off a time and day for a playdate, go for it! The boys will love the time with other kiddos and I can always pump while you hold babies! :)