11 week belly

Ok... Here is a picture of me visiting Heather in Charlotte. If you can believe I am only 11 weeks in this picture! I did start out my pregnancy between 230 & 240 but I can honestly say I swelled pretty quickly. Ginormous boobs and a stomach shoved up with babies underneath. It was 102 heat index that day in the shade...so if you look closely I am glistening.

As soon as Robb takes a picture of my current cute belly I will post it, maybe this Friday. We are going to a Halloween party and we are going as Ashley Simpson and Pete Wentz.

Blessing and Love to you all...
and please....don't forget to vote!
Elizabeth :)

2 Girls...

The wait is now over. It was confirmed on Friday that we are going to be blessed with 2 girls.
Robb is still walking around like a deer in headlights. "What am I going to do with 2 girls?" I think he is worried about all the boys he will have to deal with down the road.
Me.... I am not as disappointed as I thought I would be. I am so excited ... now we just have to come up with an equally cool name as Zoe for her sister.

Babies are growing well. Baby A (formerly known as Chance) is around 15 oz and Zoe is 14. On track for week 21. Both placentas are out of the way making it possible to dream for a natural birth.

I have been pretty tired. But feeling a million times better. I feel like I have been eating constantly, however I am still losing weight. The Dr isn't worried and neither am I. I know I have sufficient "reserves" for us all to get the calories we need to be healthy. I also am confident that the healthy way I have been taking care of my body the last few years has built up some healthy nutrient reserves as well. I just have to concentrate on making sure I get the vitamins that don't store well ( like vitamin C) and getting enough protein, iron and calcium.

I just can't believe I am getting two girls. I got to spend a good hour or so watching them yesterday as the ultra sound tech checked over everything. They are not something I dreamed up...they are really there...growing and moving and learning already. Two little pieces mixed of all the hopes and love my hubby and I could make. I am elated and terrified all at the same time. I just pray that all ups and downs will bring me to the healthy, happy babies I have been dreaming of my whole life.

Love to you all,
Elizabeth :)

Week 19

I had felt better last week..then have felt yucky most of the weekend and today. Perhaps I am just going to be one of those women who are sick most of their pregnancy.

The babies while quiet most of last week have been kicking up a storm today. I think I am starting to sound like a crazy woman at work. One can hear at random times of the day "Ouch, stop kicking me". What I am really thinking is "damn it kid, stop head butting me!" Head butting is a guy thing on Robb's side of the family. Robb did it as a little kid, Dylan did it too. One of the more distinctive pains I can recognize is a head slamming against the wall of muscle.
And that would be baby A, the lower one, who I think is my boy, Chance. I have no cute, fluttery feelings of baby movements. The only thing I recognize is that pain usually means someone is moving.

I didn't purchase much at the Mother of Multiples sale over the weekend. Just a few small odds and ends. However I am feeling very blessed in all the things coming my way. Between my sister-in-law Kyria (who had the last baby, Cici) and my best friend, Dina (who has the 6 month twin boys) I now have everything I need furniture wise for the first 6 months! 2 Cribs, 2 car seats, 2 swings & 2 bouncy seats! And to top that off, we raided Dina's closet again on Sunday and found more maternity shirts for work and weekends. And I get to borrow a really nice black cocktail dress that should work for the Holidays. I am so lucky to have their kindness and love!

My next appointment is on Friday, so I am sure I will have more Dr. news over the weekend. I will be interested to see if I have gained any weight in the last 2 weeks. While I feel that the babies are growing I know I am still not getting enough calories for us all. My face is starting to look less chubby. For those of you that knew her, or have seen pictures of her, I have the bull dog jowls of Oma deWolff (not Marie our Oma, but Opa's mother from Holland, who was my Mom's Oma). Heather insists that I get her pictures of my belly.... and there was an anonymous post by some kind soul who thinks I look pregnant...so I will put pictures up this weekend for you all to laugh at and enjoy.

I can't tell if I am really this bad at bouncing from topic to topic with really bad paragraphs. Or if it is baby brain. Maybe it is a little of both. I ramble ...it is quite common. I am off to bed.

Love and Blessings to you all,
Elizabeth :)

Week 18 Half way there....

I am starting to feel better...finally. I have my good days and bad...but mostly now I am just really hungry. Hungry for fruit and carbs and soda. Basically lots of calories. I don't have that "cute pregnant look" yet so I am sorry to those who want to see pictures of my belly...ain't gonna happen. I still look like I have 2 big fat rolls with a crease at the waist. My belly button is getting shallower by the day so hopefully the waist will disappear and I will look rounder and more pregnant. Then I will post some pictures. Here I am wishing for roundness....I am sure in another 8-10 weeks I will be so uncomfortable!

I do look pregnant in my maternity shirts and waddle when I walk so most people get it, specially if I hold my tummy. Right now the tightest part of my tummy is the top roll. Baby A on the bottom (Chance) is constantly moving and jostling Baby B (Zoe). So Baby B is trying to get away from Baby A by crawling up under my stomach. I can still breath well but eating is a whole other story. And Yes, those are names we have picked out, if I haven't mentioned them here before. And No, the genders are not confirmed yet. I have my level 2 ultrasound scheduled at 21 weeks and hopefully the babies will cooperate and we will get some sort of idea. I will let you all know what we find out.

I am starting to accumulate baby stuff already. Being the thrifty person I am, there are lots of hand me downs coming my way. I already have one pack and play (a small portable crib and what my babies will be sleeping in) one infant car seat (still being used by my niece Cecelia) two boppie pillows and covers, one bouncy seat, one swing, one backpack style carrier and a great baby monitor. I have an antique dry sink that with a handy me down changing pad will be the changing station. I have chosen an antique dresser that I picked special from Bama's house for their clothes. (Robb's beloved Grandma who is no longer with us). Oh and I have heard about two new fleece blankets lovingly made by the babies Grandma Twila...but I haven't seen them yet. :)

I have a garbage bag and laundry basket full of new born - 9 months clothes from my sisters in law. I did a good job of grabbing all the neutral stuff I could. Which was really hard because the last 3 born on Robb's side of the family were girls, the first, second and third girl after 4 boys! So there was a TON of cute girl stuff....so I took some of that too. So now I need to unpack the clothes and take inventory of what I need. This weekend is the annual garage sale for my Mothers of Multiples Group. So I am trying to get Robb to go with me to pick out more of the larger ticket items at a good second hand price. Keeping it out of the landfill...that's what I am all about!!

I am half way through my pregnancy. Twins are usually born at 36-37 weeks instead of the normal 40 week for a singleton. Most of the time there is simply no more growing room and the placenta's start to deteriorate triggering delivery. If that doesn't happen I have heard it is pretty common for Dr. intervention around 37 weeks. I am determined to have as natural a birth as is healthy for me and the babies. So we will just have to see how things go.

I hope my update finds you all happy and healthy. Blessings and good Karma all around!
Elizabeth :)

Week 17 Dr. Appointment

Greeting to you All,
I am feeling much better this week. The nausea and yacking seem to be done, thank goodness!
I gained a whole pound in three weeks, I guess it is better than losing. Hopefully I can starting adding some healthy weight in the next 2 weeks. I am excited because it is Apple Season. My favorite are Honeycrisps and I am getting some in my fruit and veggie box from the community farm I am a member of, tomorrow.
I did get more clarification from my Dr. about what happened a week and a half ago. Here I was thinking I tore my uterine muscle. When I mentioned it that way today the nurse corrected me. I guess I have slight placenta previa, which is a small bit of placenta over my cervix. That was what caused the bleeding. The Dr. is not worried because as my uterus grows it should pull the placenta up and out of the way. I was also told there may be more bleeding as this adjusting takes place and to keep them updated.
What a relief to know that was the issue. Here I was starting to worry that my vision of a natural birthing would be effected by a torn muscle. Needless to say I feel better knowing it wasn't as bad as I thought. And getting the heads up about more bleeding will make me feel less panicky if it should happen again.

Hubby wants to go shopping...so I am off to Lowes.
Blessing and good wishes for health and happiness!
Elizabeth :)

Week 16

Well it has been an up and down week.
Last Friday after a little romance with the hubby in the morning I felt what I would call a charlie horse of the uterus. The pain was sharp enough to have me calling in sick to rest. Later around 4:30 I got up from napping to find I was bleeding. A quick trip to the local Dr's office sent me racing to the emergency room. Robb was already half way to Indiana for a paintball trip and most of the people I thought to call right away were on the other side of town and an hour or more away in rush hour traffic. As I sat waiting and trying to remain calm I remembered my sister in law, Kyria, lives 15 minutes from my house. A quick call to her and she was sitting next to me keeping things light and humorous, offering me snacks from the vending machine and keeping me calm. A BIG thanks Kyria for being there!!

The Doctor in the emergency room was able to see that the babies were fine but with the their limited equipment were not able to tell me the cause. Just "rest over the weekend and call your Dr. on Monday". I called Robb on the way home from the hospital. He decided to leave right away Saturday morning to be home with us, which I found very sweet. I was surprised when I called my Dr. Monday morning on my way in to work that they were not worried at all and didn't see any reason to see me until my following appointment. A week and a half away!! I tried to remain calm and figured if I got scared again I would make them see me.

Well I got scared Tuesday morning and was able to be seen by an ultra sound tech later that afternoon. I had a sugary soda in the morning and a little while after that had lots of varying pain in my uterus. As a new Mom I still was unsure if I could feel the babies yet or not. Well....now I know... after giving the babies so much sugar they were having a disco in my belly and what I was feeling was them bouncing off the walls. It is funny to think of now.

The tech was able to tell me that I had a nice sized blood clot from a tear to my uterus. It is already healing and not interfering with the babies in any way. Baby A likes to kick the healing spot...so I feel that quite often. The babies are 5 oz, each about the size of a burrito and already up under my belly button. They are drinking amniotic fluid (which is normal) and have a healthy amount of fluid around them. So far they are healthy and growing just fine. I am on uterine rest for a few weeks to allow the tear to heal. In layman's terms...that means no more getting laid! A small price to pay for healthy kids. :)

I would say the best part about my week is now I can feel the babies. I can tell the difference between simple moving and active kicking. If I sit quiet and watch, I can actually see the movement from the outside which matches all the activity I feel inside. My extra padding keeps the movements to only visual right now. I would guess in another week or two Robb should be able to feel them moving around too.

So after last week's adventure I am content with all my aches and pains, knowing the babies are growing well and are just fine. I hope everyone who is reading is happy and healthy as well.
Love to you all,
Elizabeth

Week 15 Dr. Appointment

OK...I know...3 posts in one night....but I like nice clear cut reading.

I get to the clinic and wait 15 minutes alone in the waiting room. (I am sure I will complain about this a lot) I lost 5 pounds for which there was lots of "concern". Whatever...lots of people lose weight in the first trimester when morning sickness is the worst. The babies are still little parasites. They take everything I eat first. I had noticed that after a week of eating for less than one I was feeling weak and malnourished. But hey...that goes with the territory. Plus I started out with "extra padding" which is nature's way of making sure I have enough calories for all of us to live on.

The best part was getting a quick peak at the babies. They are now almost spooning with one right on top of the other. I had a new nurse to the clinic who grabbed a Sr. nurse to help her with the equipment. The Sr. Nurse couldn't stop laughing. "I just haven't seen two babies stacked up like that in a long time." They were both sleeping until all the jostling woke them up. Then Baby A on the bottom started to kick and poor Baby B would fly "up in the air". Then we watched as Baby B tried to squirm away from the offending kicks. It was so adorable.

I am sure some of you have wondered how my Multiple Sclerosis plays out during the pregnancy. The good news is that it should have no effects at all. For women who have more reoccurring symptoms they often find a reprieve during pregnancy with no symptoms at all. There are actually studies going on trying to pin point what it is about pregnancy that keeps symptoms at bay (which reminds me I need to call my Dr.) The only down side is there is an 80% chance of some sort of flair up, episode or "symptom" within 6 months of delivery. I am praying that if and when that happens to me it will again, be mild, and I can continue with out daily meds until I have weaned the babies.

That is all for now. We still don't know the babies true genders. I may be able to find out in two weeks at another appointment. But the two hour ultra sound is scheduled for 21weeks and by then we should be able to confirm genders. That is unless one of the babies is shy...but for those of you who know my husband...could any of his children ever be labeled as "shy"?

My Love and Best Wishes for Health and Happiness to you all,
Elizabeth :)