18 week sono pics!

They are currently laying in opposite directions, Baby A is on the bottom facing up with her head to my right and Baby B is on the top facing down with her head to my left. In fact, Baby B has her knees curled up right in Baby A's face. They look a little yin and yang like but they are too big to get both of them in one good picture.

As always Baby A was on the move and we weren't able to get any really good photos of her but Baby B is very photogenic and even waved at us!

It's gonna be a long one- I got lots to say

Well I am on Spring Break from work and definitely need the rest. I've been having trouble falling back to sleep at night after I get up for my 2 am potty break. I will be cleaning out closets and getting the office ready for it's transformation into a nursery! A big "thank you" to my friend Heather who suggested some awesome websites for custom nursery bedding! I found some really cute things and I think I'm planning on using coordinating, but not necessarily matching fabrics for each girl's crib. That way they can establish a little of their own identities...and maybe Andie and I will be able to tell them apart by remembering which one goes in which crib!

I had multiple doctor appointments over the past few days. The long and short of it is that everything is great! The only minor concern my OB and cardiologist had was that my ankles are beginning to swell in the afternoons. The good thing is that my blood pressure is not up at all and my aortic measurements are stable. It was recommended that I wear some lovely support hose to help with the swelling, which is just swell! (pun intended) That's going to be so comfortable and attractive in Texas in the summer! The babies are right on track with everything and there are no concerns from any of the docs. I'll post the newest sono pics soon- they have adorable little profiles if I don't say so myself!

The doctor measured my fundal height (for you non-preggers people, that's basically a measurement of how big my tummy/uterus is). Even though I'm only 18 weeks along, I'm measuring at what a normal pregnant woman would at 24-26 weeks with only one baby!!! Wow- my body looks and feels like it is 6 months pregnant instead of 4 1/2. My cardiologist did say it was time to quit all excercise, avoid stress, and just rest...I was a little irritated with this until Mom reminded me that I had to treat my body like I am 6 mos. pregnant instead of 4 1/2 and I just needed to go with the flow. My OB also said that she is going to want me to cut back my hours at work in a month or so. Despite being the size of a woman who is way more pregnant than me, I have only gained 10 pounds total and my OB is very happy with this- "excellent" was the term she used. Guess I'm pretty much "all baby"!

Since I am about halfway through with my pregnancy (since I'll only make it to about 37 weeks) the OB and cardiologist are going to start seeing me more frequently now. Every two weeks for the OB and every 3 weeks for the cardiologist. That's in addition to the every two weeks I already see the high risk pregnancy specialist- lots of attention on these two little ones!

We've had lots of questions about possible names...we have a few that we are tossing around but we're not going to tell anyone until we've made a firm decision. So, you all will just have to wait on that!

One last thing- I think all of us women should start a movement to make maternity pants the norm whether you're pregnant or not. I say this because I started wearing my first pair of maternity pants and they are SOOOO comfy!!! Why don't we wear these things all the time instead of torturing ourselves for fashion and wearing regular pants that require buttons and zippers! I'm loving these things! Gotta go shopping for more maternity pants soon- I'm not as thrilled with the tent like maternity shirts though, I've actually found much cuter options in the non-maternity section when it comes to tops.

17 Weeks- New Belly Pic

17 weeks today and I'm posting a new belly pic just for my best friend Shannon since she doesn't get to see me very often- even though I don't look much different from the last pic! Here's a front angle shot just for some variety, I posted a side angle shot off to the left also. My hips and love handles are widening some! I've been feeling really good except that I get real bloated after I eat and my stomach swells to uncomfortable levels. I've also had some pain in my hip and pelvis but it comes and goes and isn't unbearable.

I did some online browsing at nursery decorations and I think I've picked what I want but I'm not 100% sure just yet...there are so many options, it's hard to make a final decision. As soon as I make a final decision I'll post it for all to see!

I have multiple doctor appointments early next week so I'll be sure to keep everyone informed of how those go.

They're GIRLS!!!!

I had a sono today (at 16 weeks and 1 day) with the surest feeling in the world that the doc would confirm my gut feeling that I was indeed carrying two little guys....OMG was I surprised when he said, "It's girls!" Of course I asked how sure he was, and he said he was 98% sure- I was stunned and my mom cried! Two little princesses are on their way, Andie is in for the ride of his life. We are both very happy and excited that they are healthy, but totally surprised.

All the measurements on both babies looked great. Baby A is the more active one which has kept her at a svelte 4 ounces, while Baby B is a little more laid back and is weighing in at 5 ounces. The doc says they are right on track with their weight gain, and my weight gain is going well too. No more than 35-40 pounds is recommended with twins- he so kindly reminded me.

He told me today that when I get to 24-25 weeks my uterine size will already be the same as a typical full term singleton pregnancy!!! Holy moly- everything happens so much quicker and bigger with twins! He told me he wants me to get this tortuous looking contraption to wear that is misleadingly called a Prenatal Cradle (sounds so gentle and comfy) which literally wraps around your back and over your shoulders and under your stomach to lift and hold it up to take the pressure off of everything. The pamphlet he gave me calls it an "orthotic support for abdominal and back straining" to ease pain from "hip separation and pubic symphysis"....this is getting fun. I just can't wait to experience the joy of hip separation and pubic symphysis- that's got to feel great! No lie this thing looks like a chastity belt, oh the irony.

On another note, I have to brag on my sweet husband (he'll be embarrassed when he reads this). As I was sitting on the couch with my feet up tonight I asked Andie to bring me a glass of water. He did and then leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. I said "thank you" (for bringing the water) and he said, "Thank you". I said, "For what?" and he says, "For being beautiful"!!! Is he not the greatest! Man, he's gonna be over the moon for these two little girls on the way and they will have him wrapped around their little fingers!

Today I'm 15 weeks and I officially have grown out of some of my pants! For the first time today I had to wear some of my size 6 work pants unbuttoned with my "belly band" over them...I really feel pregnant now. I can still fit into my size 8 pants for now but that won't last long- I seem to be growing at exponential rates!! Pretty soon I'm gonna have to pull out my old pants from before I lost weight- I just hope they get me through the rest of the school year so I don't have to buy maternity "work clothes". If I can make it to the summer without having to buy work pants that would be great, but I'm not sure it's gonna happen at this rate.

The babies are about the size of apples now and they say I should start feeling them move as early as next week. I keep thinking that with two of them doing somersaults in there I should already be able to feel something...I can't wait to get those first flutters!!