32 weeks

Another week down and nothing exciting to share. No news is good news! I don't have my next appointment until Thursday and I'll be pretty proud of myself for going 2 whole weeks. No more ultrasounds though, so all he'll do is measure the belly, weigh me, and check the heartbeat. So far I'm up 20 pounds, which I think is still pretty good, so hopefully I don't blow up like a balloon in the home stretch. This guy is still super active, which makes me a happy mamma. :) My cerclage is coming out in 4 weeks and I can't wait! It's crazy to think he could be here in just a month from now. Maybe it's really going to happen! I also can't wait to go for some walks and get a little exercise...among other things that I won't mention. ;)

I'm also so excited because my best friend's sister-in-law has two young boys and is done having kids and has decided to give all of her stuff to me! I am SO grateful and can't wait...it will be like Christmas only way better. Some family has also offered me some stuff, which I will gladly take! I feel so much better knowing that I don't have to have a shower but I also don't have to go broke. I love people's generosity.

31 weeks

Another week down! Every week is such a huge milestone for me and I have to say that I finally find myself becoming a teensy bit excited as the weeks start to go by. I am trying so hard to realize that this pregnancy is different and there is no reason why anything would go wrong at this point. It's still a process though. So I had an appointment on Friday and have lots to share. First, I did get a growth ultrasound (possibly my last one!) and this guy is now 3lbs. 9oz! I can't believe he's so big. Well, I guess that's not really too big but all I can picture are my little 1lb babies. He's measuring a week ahead and is looking great. We got a front view face picture and he finally doesn't look like a scary skeleton since he's got some meat on his bones. He also has the hugest cheeks ever, which definitely comes from me. I also got my last cervical ultrasound and have been officially discharged from the peri's office. My cervical length has actually decreased quite a bit (from 4.5 to 3.2) but anything above 3 is still considered normal, so I'm on the low end of normal. I'm trying not to worry about it since I'm so far along now and I know that the cervix will start to shorten the closer I get.

My Braxton Hicks are definitely coming more frequently now and I would say I'm getting 15-20 a day. They are also getting much stronger and sometimes are really uncomfortable. As I've mentioned before, I'm still working full time from the couch, which is starting to do a number on my back, since I'm lounging back on the couch with a laptop on my legs all day. Due to all of this, by OB decided it was time for me to stop working. I'm actually a little relieved, just because it's so uncomfortable for me to work in that position, not to mention that my left side (hip to knee) now goes numb after about 20 minutes of sitting on the couch, I'm guessing from the pressure on my veins? Anyway, I am now officially on disability. I feel bad for leaving work early but my manager is really awesome and has been telling me for weeks that if I need to go out, not to worry about work in the least. I'm trying not to stress about money, but I will say that I'm very lucky and between my work and the state disability, everything prior to delivery will be paid at 100% of my salary, which is so amazing. After delivery, I'll be able to take 3 months off and will get about half of my pay, which I know is much better than most people get, so I won't complain at all.

30 week pic

30 weeks!

Wow...30 weeks. It's hard to imagine that this little guy could be here in as little as 6 weeks! The cerclage is coming out 6-7 weeks from now, so I guess we'll see if I go into labor immediately or if my body decides to work properly and keep him baking for a few more weeks after that. I'm trying not to think about it because I know he's coming when he's ready, but I do have some anxiety. I have such mixed feelings because I want him to be born as soon as possible but at the same time I want him to be as healthy as possible, which means I don't want him to be early. I'm also scared of going to 40 weeks for some reason. I know the risk of stillbirth increases after that so I truly don't want to make it all the way and I will do anything do avoid an induction. I'm just going to pray for him coming home safely and not needing any NICU time.

So I can finally see why everyone talks about the 3rd trimester being a little uncomfortable. It takes a huge effort to sit or lay down and get up again, let alone get comfortable. I can't sleep...the other night I laid awake in bed until 4:30am! I get heartburn every night when I lay down no matter what I eat and how long ago it was. I have to pee more than I could ever imagine. My Braxton Hicks are continuing to become more frequent and they really take my breath away...such a weird feeling. But I love it all. As crazy as it is, I still love it because it means that I'm still pregnant and my baby is alive.

I went to a huge garage sale at a school this morning hosted by a mother's of multiples group. There were 2 school gyms filled with stuff so I got some things at good prices. I should have been prepared, but there were a ton of twin babies everywhere, which was a little difficult for me. (Just coming back to add that I never saw one set of girls...they were all boys or boy/girl, which somehow made it slightly easier...I think God was trying to help me out a little). I also wasn't prepared to stand in line for over 30 minutes in a hot gym...and I almost passed out. I made it all the way to the cashier and then had to run to the bleachers and sit down. I had fully planned on taking a belly pic today...but now I'm just too tired!

29 weeks

Saturday was 29 weeks, so another one down. I've still been having contractions but not more than 4 in an hour, so I'm good to go apparently. I had an appointment with my OB and I'm so glad he's back. His nurse told me that the first thing he did when he came in the office this morning (after 5 weeks of vacation) was ask how I was. :) My cervix still is closed and looking good, which is always nice to hear. He told me my contractions at this point are normal but to still really take it easy and just increase my fluids. I'm finally putting on the pounds too...I'm up a total of 16 pounds so far and I'm measuring 31 weeks. I also passed the gestational diabetes blood test, so that's one less thing to worry about. I am anemic though, so now I have to start taking iron, which is just lovely. Now I'll have to up my daily prune regimen...not looking forward to that. :(

I picked up some great deals from craigslist and a yard sale this weekend so my purchases for this little guy are finally growing. The planner in me just can't wait any longer. I just love craigslist...I got a snap n go stroller in excellent condition for $10! I'm still a little scared to buy things but as each week goes by, I feel a tiny bit better. I still can't commit to a baby shower though...that's just too much. I decided I definitely will not have one but will probably do a meet the baby party in the spring so that friends and family can see him. Since we basically have nothing (expect what I've bought over the last few weeks and the stash of cloth diapers I've been collecting) I'm just going to keep stalking craigslist every day for everything I need to get by. Babies really don't need much anyway right? I keep decorating his nursery in my head, but it's still really hard for me to picture an actual baby in this house. I really really really hope he's coming home with us!

Third Trimester

28 weeks today and finally in the 3rd trimester! Wow, I never actually thought I would get here but here I am. I had a bit of a rough week with these pesky Braxton Hicks all week. For 2 days I actually started to get them every single time I got up from the couch, which was really frustrating and on Thursday I actually got 4 in an hour which means a call to my OB's office. When I called they were on a 2 hour lunch (nice) so I just drank a ton of water and they slowly went from every 15 minutes to every 30 to every 60 so I just never called them back. I know that I'm doing too much but I can't help it. I work 40 hours a week for my employer (from the couch-mostly), another 20 a week for our business (also from the couch), and am still trying to take care of the house (cooking, some cleaning, etc). We even have someone come in once a month to clean the house but that's still not enough. Rob helps out a ton but he works 70-80 hours a week on the business so he doesn't have much time, and it's just really stressful for me! Anyone that knows me knows how independent (and stubborn) I am and I cannot ask for help. It's a flaw of mine. I'm thinking that I may need to just stop working sooner rather than later, which I think will really help with the stress and hopefully help calm down my uterus a little. If I don't, I have a feeling I'm going to be making several trips to the hospital to be monitored here shortly. We'll see what my OB says when he gets back from vaca on the 12th.

Anyway, I had a peri appointment yesterday and was very curious to see what my cervix looked like after 2 weeks of BH's. Amazingly, it looks the same! He did a couple of measurements that were only 3.5, which is a whole cm less than 2 weeks ago (but still good), but then he said my cervix was a little curved and took a curved measurement and it was 4.5 so he told me not to worry. He then did the worlds quickest ultrasound and showed us his face, his heartbeat and his 'goods' seriously in about 15 seconds and said everything looks great. It's pretty obvious that they are just humoring me at this point, but I don't care. I was told again that I have no reason to come back but of course he asked if/when I wanted to come back again and I just stared at him and said 'uhhhhhh....' so he told me to go ahead and come back in 3 weeks. :) I'll be 31 weeks at that point and he told me after that they REALLY don't need to see me anymore...but we'll see.

As a side note, I had to say something about the comment about me looking so young because it made me laugh. I'm finally so used to it by now . I'm almost 30 and realize that I could probably pass for 20. A sales lady made a comment about 'my prom' when I was wedding shopping. During my last pregnancy I swear I was getting looks like 'oh, look at that pregnant teen'. No joke. So mom and grandma, thanks for the good genes...when I'm 50, I'll probably pass for 30. :)