18 Weeks

Oh my goodness.  LOOK at my belly.  Look at it.  It is getting so big so fast!  At 18 weeks I feel like it is seriously showing off.  I had a lady at Babies'R'Us look at me in shock while we were looking at cribs- "When are you due?" "First week in December."  With raised eyebrows she responded "Oh.. well, good!"  Yes, lady.  I am aware that I look oh, 6-7 months pregnant.  No need to remind me.  And if one more person tells me "I hope you know how big you are going to get.."  I might breakdown in tears right in front of them...  

How far along? 18 Weeks 2 days

Total weight gain:  18 lbs.  (Pre-pregnancy weight: 110lbs-112lbs.) 
Maternity clothes? Duh.  Although today I am wearing a non-maternity dress that fits so well, and although my toes are numb and frost bitten I am rather comfortable.  My belly can breath! 
Stretch marks? No- and still have yet to get anything that will help with the itching- Sweet Jesus. My belly itches like crazy.
Sleep: In bed by 8:30pm-9pm every night.  Sleeping so hard- I look like I've been whacked with a baseball bat when I get up in the morning.  Part of it is because I'm just plain exhausted, and the other has to do with the fact I'm on antibiotics that 'may cause drowsiness- do not drive or operate heavy machinery'.   I get up 2-3 times a night to go to the bathroom, but don't have trouble falling back to sleep at all whatsoever. 
Best moment this week: Feeling my babies move:) 
Miss Anything? I'm gonna go with what I said last week -because it is still SO true: The versatility of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe.  Dangit.
Movement: Yes- finally!  I know for a fact I felt baby on the right (my right..) on Saturday.. err- Sunday morning at the hospital.  I know because just as the nurse said she moved I felt something like muscle movement.  This week I have felt the bubbles and popcorn sensations regularly.  Half the time I think it is just my tummy growling (I'm still always starved.) or my food digesting.  But it is the same feeling everytime- and I can't say my tummy grumbles follow the same pattern everytime, per say.  Last night I drank some carbonated water and my belly was going nutso!  I know at least some of that was my sweet girls making their presence known.
Food cravings: Still enjoying my dry cereal every night before bed.  I eat ourselves out of house in home when it comes to fruit- I came home from my weekly shopping trip with 8 apples (along with plums, tangerines, honeydew melon, grapes, strawberries, Rainier cherries, bananas..it will all be gone by Friday- I promise.)  Between Jordan and I we have already gone through half of those apples.  Plain Greek Yogurt- either mixed with Pumpkin Flax Granola or.. fruit (shocker!), and anything salty.  Still showing love to Chester with my addiction to Cheetos- We have started to get the jumbo bags from Sam's Club.  I know.     
Anything making you queasy or sick:  hmm.. well nausea is coming from these antibiotics meds I'm on, but nothing related to food.  Pizza Chicken Rolls are on the menu for tonight.  If I end of chunking it I think I'll be okay with the asparagus and Cream Cheese Polenta side dishes. 
Gender:  My sweet girls. 
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Congestion continues.  So tired.  all.the.time.  I feel like I cannot keep up.  I'm in bed before 9pm- and granted I am up around 5ish everyday- that is still 8 hours of sleep- plenty more than I ever go before gettting pregnant.  I feel like I can't get enough.
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
Wedding rings on or off? On.  I almost took off my 'I love you' ring that J got me for our anniversary last year.  It  is on my right hand- and is the same size 5 that is my wedding ring, but it fits a little snug due to the fact it is on my dominant hand.  Within minutes of forcing it past my knuckles I felt- for lack of a better word- guilty and put it back on after I started to put it away.  I couldn't imagine not wearing it for the next several months.  It will have to come off soon, but not this week:)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and a little humbled.  After this past weekend's hospital trip I realized that all this pregnancy stuff is so fragile and precious.  I've got two growing babies inside of me!  That is serious business, folks! 
Looking forward to: Finally moving into our new house!  It will be so much more fun to be able to have a place to put all my ideas into:)  Oh, and 'bedrest'.  Can't wait for that:)  Starting September 1st I'll be spending my last trimester homebound per my doctor's orders. Since I am high-risk for preterm labor it is best that I take it incredibly easy- meaning no housework, no grocery shopping, and no work work.  I can sit at the computer or make a sandwich, but nothing that requires too much effort- getting up in the morning, showering, makeup, and driving to work is surprisingly stressful on the body- and my doctor will have none of that.  But both Jordan and I agree that we would rather keep these babies safe in my belly rather than the NICU, and would MUCH rather do it at home- not the hospital.  Much more comfortable, and can I say- much CHEAPER.   So- I have just about a month left before my time at home.  Anyone got any suggestions for good books?  I'll be catching up on my long lost love of hardbacks.