P & J Stay Put

A quick update on our visit this morning..

The perinatologist officially confirmed that Jolie's belly is not growing. Since our last visit with her 8 days ago, Jolie has only gained one ounce. However, she was able to focus the exam on everything else related to Jolie's health and well being (cord blood flow, amniotic fluid levels, ect.) including exploring the placenta.
She said Jolie is really very healthy- Just a healthy small baby. She explained that there is a big difference between 'healthy small' and 'unhealthy small' and at this point Jolie has everything in her favor. Her umbilical cord score was actually higher than Parker's- go figure.

She decided, in collaboration with Walsh, to send me home- no hospital stay and no baby delivery. The plan for now is that I'll start going to see the doctor(s) on Monday's and Thursdays for scans and monitoring.. more NSTs and more measurement of my little babies. That includes this coming Thursday.. Thanksgiving morning I'll be hooked to the monitor.

They have also decided to put me on some oral steroids just to help with lung production in case these girls decide to come early:) I did take steroids back at 24 weeks for lung development, but my perinatologist decided she wanted me on them again- just as a precaution.

I'm okay with the results of today.. Very thankful they both get a little longer in my belly, that's for sure! Every day they stay put in utero is 3 days less in the NICU.
But, still, the whole thing makes me a little sad that my littlest girl isn't growing like her sister. Parker is over 5 lbs now and outweighs Jolie by almost a pound!

Please continue to pray for all three of us (and Jordan, too!) as we aren't in the clear just yet. It's a day by day/week by week observation now on whether they put me in the hospital or decide that it's time for the girls to make their debut!

Thank you to everyone with their encouraging comments, sweet words, and inspiring stories. I suppose my post this morning was a little dry in that I didn't come off as appreciative for all the NICU can offer for my girls. It won't be the end of the world if they do have to stay and I am completely confident in whatever needs to be done in order for us to bring home good and healthy babies:)

Another happy note? We came home to a package on the porch.. Bedding has arrived;) Wooo!

34 Weeks + Baby Update

long sleeve undershirt / Motherhood* short sleeve t-shirt / A Pea in the Pod *

black lounge pants / Target Maternity * scarf/ Loft (last season) * hair pin / Loft

How far along? 34 Weeks 2 days

Total weight gain: 32-33 pounds.  Babies are gaining by the day- and keeping me starving thats for sure.  My 4am wake-up calls now consist of a Greek yogurt and dry cereal (typically I reach for the Multi-grain Cheerios)  The Greek yogurt by itself doesn't cut it anymore.          

Maternity clothes?  Yea buddy.  I have made note of a couple of staple pieces that have carried me through the past 8 months (carrying twins, mind you).  The t-shirt I'm wearing in the picture above- I have it in 4 different colors and could/should have gotten them in all 14 that they come in.  See here, here, and here.  I LOVE these shirts- very true to my XS pre-pregnancy size, and continues to do well in covering this bump of mine. Also, the gap pure body tanks that I have raved about before- love those, too.   I have multiple- and see me wearing them here, here, here, here, and here.            

Stretch marks? None.  There isn't any secret to keeping these away.. there isn't a special cream or oil to use- although this helps with serious itch from a tight belly.  I will say I have good genes and seriously good luck.  My mom doesn't have a stretch mark on her little body from carrying 4 kids.  

Sleep: Comes and goes.  I did 'sleep in' until 5 two days this week.. and once until 7am!  I'll take that over 4am any day, thats for sure.  But this morning.. 4:30am came and I was wide awake and read for a snack.  Boo.         

Best moment this week:  The notification that the nursery bedding was shipped and should be here in the next few days.  Seriously ecstatic about this as it was the last thing to make the girls' room complete!           

Miss Anything?  I decided that this week I really, really, reeeeeaaalllllyyyy miss getting my hair done.  I'm one of those that go every 6 weeks- like clockwork- for a cut and color.  Occasionally I'll stretch it to 8 weeks if my schedule is slammed, but not very often.  I haven't had a cut or color since August 29th- two days prior to my last day of work before going home bound at 24 weeks (I looked back in my calendar.)  So, although I do for sure miss regular sleep, the freedom of driving, a normal bladder, and occasionally my pre-pregnancy wardrobe- I really miss my hair appointments.  Please excuse my split-ends and dark brown roots that are making their appearance more than I am comfortable to admit.                 

Movement:  You betcha.  At this week's appointment, the sonogram showed both girls to be head down.  It doesn't surprise me due to the simple fact that sitting up makes it difficult on me to breath because of all their flips and turns.. and now I know it is their little feet giving my heart and lungs a good beating for most of the day.     

Food cravings:  Not at all really.  Food in general sort of grosses me out right now.  I have been living on cottage cheese, dry cereal, and Greek yogurt.. sounds kinda like my first trimester all over again.       

Symptoms:  Aside from the fact that I (appear to be) am 42 weeks pregnant- nothing out of the ordinary.  This week someone threw "bless your little heart" at me.  I almost laughed out loud.  I don;t really know how big I actually am until I go out in public.  Other items in the symptom list?  Regular insomnia, congestion, and sore back pain.  Even just sitting up in bed to eat makes my back hurt.  I guess I deserve all the 'bless your little heart' and 'poor thing' comments I get when I'm out in public.  I wonder sometimes if the 'poor thing' is related to the fact that a slug could out walk.. err.. waddle me these days. Jordan is usually 5 or 6 (..or 10) steps ahead of me.  We don't hold hands anymore more for fear I'll fall on my face from attempting to walk too fast.    

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope- but if I stick too big of a bite in my mouth I'm likely to gag.  My husband finds this to be incredibly hilarious.

Labor Signs:  Nothing terribly painful.  Procardia twice daily seems to hold off most of the BH I have, but occasionally I'll have one or two that are uncomfortable and strong enough to take my breath away. One woke me up in the middle of the night this week.  That was fun trying to go back to sleep after that.  My OB says all that is totally normal.  

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Emotions continue to run high. As of this week, everything is finished and has it's place for the babies.  Now we just wait.  The past couple days have been rough.. crying a lot. (reasons being for the update below.)      

Looking forward to:  All of it.  Anything and everything that remotely relates to the babies.  Also.. looking forward to the results of the sonogram at the perinatologist's office this morning..

Another Momma and Baby Update

I know.. I have you all on the edge of your seats.  

As I've mentioned, over the past couple weeks there has been some talk of a hospital admission for monitoring preterm labor for the last few weeks of pregnancy.. just to be on the safe side of things and completely understandable at this point.  I went to my weekly appointment on Tuesday morning- completely prepared for her to tell me it was time for admission (I even brought my (over) packed hospital bag and pillow- and not to forget my Lovie, of course).

Good news- no hospital stay this week. My cervical length was down from a 2.6 to a 2 and funneling has begun to occur again, but Dr. Walsh isn't worried at all whatsoever about this.  All to be expected, as she says.  Ok- all good things.  However, we did get some unexpected news though. 

It appears as if Jolie has started trending down- like she hasn't grown in the last two weeks (based on abdominal measurement- the tummy is the first thing that stops growing if there is placental problems). I typically see my Perinatologist (Dr. Koster) every other week on top of my regular OB appointments- and Koster's measurements have been good and trending up on Jolie thus far- even though she is and always has been smaller than her sister.  Walsh compares Dixie to Dixie and Koster to Koster- not in comparison to each other's results on the babies.  Dixie's measurement on Jolie two weeks ago shows no change compared to what she measured her on Tuesday. Ugh.  Stressful.  We are going to Koster this morning for a second opinion on her little belly measurement. 

At this point Jolie is VERY low, and pretty much lodged in my pelvis, making it tough to get an accurate measurement- but the image Dixie captured if her belly was pretty clear on Tuesday, raising concern for my oh-so-conservative OB. 

SO.. All that being said- if the Perinatologist (Koster) shows no growth in Jolie, too, the plan is that I will most likely be admitted for delivery. 

Delivery.  

I was so not ready for that news.. Not at all.  Not one bit. But whatever needs to be done, I'm in on it at this point. Everything else is completely normal for her.. Great fluid levels, excellent blood flow through her cord, etc. So this is all so confusing/frustrating/disappointing to me that she may have a small tummy. 

Other news.. Parker (affectionately called 'fatty-fatty-two-by-four' by Walsh) is doing exceptionally well, and continues to show absolutely perfect growth for age.  Sweet baby girl.  So proud of her.  She has long legs- Jordan keeps calling her 'our little Volleyball player'.  I'm planning to start her and her long legs in modeling classes.  Perhaps a little Toddlers and Tiaras?  Totally kidding.. even though Jordan would totally be a pageant dad.  Ashley and I have conversed over this on multiple occasions.     

Prayerfully all shows good with Jolie tomorrow and I'll get another week under my belt for incubating these baby girls. It's been an emotional roller coaster for me to say the least. I've cried multiple times due to a couple things: A. I've decided I'm pretty terrified of labor/csection.  No particular reason for this, it just makes me nervous to think about it possibly being here so very soon.  and B. I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around leaving them in the NICU and coming home without them with me. For 8 months they have been right with me inside my belly and close to my heart and then for that to be gone, and not even have babies to 'show for it'- I am not sure how I'll handle that emotionally.  

What I do know and can cling to through all this is that God has had his hand in every single moment with these babies- and I have no doubt I am right where He has intended me to be:) just keeping faith and seeking His wisdom throughout all this.    

Dr. Walsh says 'she is on the 5 yard line and will not fumble.'  I am so very thankful for her medical experience and trust her completely with everything that has gone on through this entire pregnancy.  Even though I feel like every time I go in for a visit these days there continues to be something else we need to watch out for/monitor/ or is raising concern, but with all that, she repeatedly reassures me and compliments me in how proud she is of me for all of my efforts and work through the past 34 weeks.

Please pray for me, for Jolie, and if it comes down to it, for the ease and safety of delivery.  Will keep you all posted!!   

33 Weeks

long sleeve undershirt / Gap Maternity 

cowl neck sweater / A Pea in the Pod: similar 

dark skinny denim / Loved by Heidi Klum 

How far along? 33 Weeks 2 days

Total weight gain: 32 pounds.  Baby girls are consistently gaining about a 1/2 a pound every week (both weighing over 4 pounds now), and when you have two lil' bits in there growing, the weight comes on.  No matter what I eat or how much I'm eating.. steading gaining about 2 pounds a week.  I attempted to convince the nurse to take off a pound or two after my weigh in.  I was wearing leather boots and this belly of mine prevents the easy removal of said boots.

Maternity clothes?  Now that its a little bit cooler, I'm able to layer some of my tops that don't quite fit with some that do.. getting a longer wear out of my maternity clothes.              

Stretch marks? None and thank goodness. This itchy belly is requiring more and more lotion and coconut oil.  During my NST's, the three bands I have to wear around my stomach (two bands to hold the heart rate monitors for each girl, and one for the contraction monitor) cause insane itching post testing and for a while after I'm through.  I've started to carry heavy cream with me to my appointments. 

Sleep: Insomnia at its best.  Getting up notoriously around 3:30am-4am.  Girls are wide awake and I am ravenous.  For the past 2 weeks I've gotten up every morning around this time to eat a small snack and 'play' with the babies while they decide to host a late night party, and then finally fall back asleep around 7am and nap until around 10am.  If I've ever been more thankful for bed rest, it is now.  Getting minimal sleep at night makes me feel absolutely horrible the next day.         

Best moment this week:  My sweet girlfriends, Ashley, Diana, and Jacqueline came over on Tuesday night to spend the evening organizing the nursery.  There wasn't much to organize- definitely not 4 people's worth of work- but I had some hand-me-down clothes to go through and separate, as well as fill the dresser we got to put in the girls' closet.  I had the best time with these girls- we ordered in food, and ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the precious (and oh-so-tiny) baby girl clothes.  Love them.           

Miss Anything?  A regular sleeping pattern and being able to eat and be comfortable while doing so.  I've resorted to eating all my meals sitting on the floor over the ottoman in the living room.  Sitting in a chair to eat (or do anything else for that matter) is so uncomfortable.

Movement:  Sweet Jesus. Non-stop.  My books and my OB say that now with little room to move, the babies are sleeping 90-95% of the time.  I feel like they are always awake- but I'm sure they don't sleep at the same time, making it feel like I've got constant movement.  I love to feel them move.  It is one of my favorite things to 'do' these days.  Their movements are more like rolling and tumbling rather than random jabs.  I don't know how I'm going to feel when I don't have that anymore.       

Food cravings:  Not at all really.  I asked Jordan to take me to McDonald's after my OB appointment yesterday.  He sweetly told me that he would, but he would hack into my blog and tell the web world that I polished off a Big Mac and fries.  Bully.  So, to save him the trouble of having to do that, I did not have that Big Mac.  We opted for the healthier Chick-fil-A instead.. even though I got the chicken nuggets over the grilled chicken options that they offer.  Still sticking with saying that it's healthier, though. 

Symptoms:  Insomnia + congestion + never ending feeling of having to pee.  I feel like I'm going every 4 minutes.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Labor Signs:  Still taking Procardia twice a day.  This week's NST was super successful.  For the first time in the 8 weeks I've been having these weekly tests I had no signs of uterine irritability.  The monitor was completely flatlined (which is what you want to see on an NST).  I did have 2 or 3 rather large fluctuations showing contractions, but as usual, nothing painful at all.  I have, however, had a few pretty uncomfortable Braxton Hicks over the past week.  Nothing worth tearing to the hospital over, but I have been advised to monitor these and make sure I'm having no more than 6 in an hour. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: SO excited!  Heading into 34 weeks, I'm feeling like I'm ready for these girls to come... in 3-4 weeks of course.  We are now officially in the home stretch.  We have put the finishing touches on the nursery (still waiting, patiently, on the bedding to arrive- I can't think about the fact that it isn't here, yet.  I might cry.)  My bag and the babies' bag is packed, last big purchases have been made, clothes ordered and organized.  My 'list' of to-do's has finally dwindled.  

Looking forward to:  All of it.  Anything and everything that remotely relates to the babies.  Although I'm ready for them to be here.. I'm pretty confident that I'll make it to the 37-38 week mark before they come.  My OB is super pleased with how well (and how compliant) I am doing.  

Update from last week:

After my appointment yesterday, Dr. Walsh let me come back home for another week.  My cervix was 2.6 (better than 2.4 last week) and so, it has turned into a week by week evaluation on whether or not she is going to admit me.  Again, I'm fine with it, and I feel like there will be a point that it will become inevitable- but you never know.  All I do know is that whatever I'm doing is working enough for me to stay home.     

We've been monitoring my BP all week long and was happy to report that it's been completely normal (my normal).  I told her she needed to start checking my BP after the NST, sono, and hospital discussions.  Clearly my anxiety of what is to come of that appointment gets my blood pumping to uncomfortable levels.

All good things.  God continued to bless me and these little ones for additional weeks.  My continued prayer is that they don't require a NICU stay and that we'll be able to bring them home with us when I'm discharged.  The closer to 37 weeks that I can be, the better off these girls will be:)        

The Pediatrician Pick

After reading countless blogs, articles, and recommendations for how I/we should go about the selection process, we finally did it.  We found our pediatrician.  What a relief this was to check off my list of 'to-do's' before the girls arrive.

I've had a couple readers and friends ask questions regarding our selection process and thought it would be helpful to share.  I know I relied heavily on the recommendations of other mom's/families that went through this selection process recently.

Besides.. I've never been a mom before.  How was I supposed to know how to go about doing this?

Most parenting websites and magazines recommend starting this selection process around months 6 or 7 in pregnancy.  We didn't start interviewing potentials until month 8(ish).. which is probably a shocker for those that know me personally.  In a perfect (OCD) world, I would typically have found some one by month 5 or 6.  Life has just been a whirlwind these past couple months, so we started late.  I will say that making your selection later in the game (I we did) isn't the end of the world..

So- first things first.  Decide on what is most important to you when it comes to selecting a pediatrician for your baby (err.. in my case: babies).

*Gender?
*History?
*Experience? 
*Reputation?
*Recommended by friends and/or family?
*Convenience?

If I'm going to be real honest, convenience became top priority on the list, with recommendations by friends and family being in a close second.  The thought of going outside the house with not just one, but two babies sort of freaks me out. I haven't quite wrapped my brain around that concept as of late.  Plus, I know that there will times that I wont be the one taking the girls to the doctor.  Sometimes Jordan will be doing it, and with my mother-in-law taking care of them a couple days a week, there even may be a time or two that she will be on doctor duty.  I wouldn't want to ask her to drive 30-45 minutes with sick babies just because he/she has a great reputation.  I was sure I could find someone just as great closer to home.  But, circumstances are different for everyone- and if you are the one that drives 45 minutes to see your pediatrician, I'm not judging:)

All that being said, we began our search for local pediatricians in the area where we live as well as those areas surrounding us.

When I say search.. I mean Google.  How else do you search?  In less than an hours time I had a working list of offices I wanted to make a call to see about getting an interview set up with the pediatrician.  I was pleased to learn that most offices had a time slot specifically for this interview process, so it was really easy to set up a time to come in to meet the doctor.

So, now I have the interview/consult set up with these people.. what in the world do I do with this time they've allotted for me?  What are the best questions to ask them?  Again- I scoured over Pinterest, blogs, websites, magazine articles- you name it, I read it. (Being on bed rest you have a lot of time to read/research/blog snoop hop.)  As I did this, I complied a list of questions that I thought would be helpful to learn about during our quest to find the perfect pediatrician for Parker and Jolie.  

Does the doctor take my insurance? 
Every single office I called asked this question of me before they would answer my question: "Are you accepting new patients?"  Their immediate response was "Who is your insurance provider?"  I appreciated this as it didn't waist my time or theirs.  
What are your office hours?  Do you have weekend hours available? 
Again with the convenience thing.
Who takes your calls after the office has closed?
My bigger question:  Can I get ahold of you if I have an emergency at 10pm.
Do you encourage routine/non-emergency questions by phone?  Do you charge for these?  
I saw this question on numerous websites as one to ask.  Those pediatricians we interviewed did encourage questions by phone as did not charge for them.
Is this a solo or a group practice?  
I wanted to know if it is a group practice- how often do I have to see the other practitioners in the office, and if it was a solo practice, who covers when you are unavailable?
How many years has the doctor been in practice?  How long have they been in this position and what were their previous roles before coming here?
Although experience wasn't at the top of my list for selection, I still wanted to know a little about their history.
Do you have any specialties?
If my child has a special need, would this pediatrician be able to handle it?
What hospitals do you have privileges with?
In an emergency, if my girls need hospital admittance for whatever reason, where would you send them and would you be the one to care for them once they are admitted?
Will you see the girls in the hospital after they are born or will you first visit be with them in your office?
All of the pediatricians we interviewed would see the girls 2-3 days after they come home from the hospital- allowing the hospital staff pediatrician to care for them during their stay post birth.
What is the schedule for well-baby/child check-ups?
First-timers here, I want to know what to expect in the first months/years with check-ups, shots, etc.
Do you encourage the vaccination of all your patients?  
A personal preference.  The view or practice of your pediatrician should be similar to your own- especially in regards to the vaccination of your kiddos.  If they are strongly for it, it would definitely be the wrong fit for you if you are against.
What are your views on antibiotics?
Should I expect to walk out of the pediatrician's office every time with a script in hand?  I'm not the one (or at least I don't think I will be the one) to drag my kids to the doctor for every sneeze and sniffle.. I personally would hope that the doctor wouldn't be handing out prescriptions like candy.  
Can you see my babies at the same time?
In my case, with twins on the way, I want to make sure that this pediatrician can see both girls at the same time.
What tests are you able to do in house and what tests do you send your patients out of the office for?
In other words.. are you able to do basic lab panels in the office or will you send me, with babies in tow, to another location for lab testing (i.e. LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics)  I think in some cases this is related to your insurance carrier, too.
What are your views on breastfeeding? What resources do you have for breastfeeding mothers? 
In other words.. if I have trouble with breastfeeding, can I rely on your encouragement and help with seeking out resources?

Lastly, my observational questions.  Not anything I asked the potential pedi, but just somethings I made sure to make note of while I was visiting the office: 
Was everything clean?
Was their toy/books/entertainment for the kids in the waiting areas?
Was the waiting area kid friendly?
Was the staff/nurses nice and helpful?
Easy to find?  
How was parking?
Waiting time for my appointment?
Do I feel comfortable with the doctor?  Was he/she open to my questions?
Good 'bed-side' manner? 

Of course- all these questions may or may not seem helpful to you, but I know it made it easy for me to get a good idea of the pediatrician's style, personality, and my comfort level with them in just one initial visit.  Plus, these questions opened up doors for extended conversation, which was nice, too.

We selected a pediatrician that was close to home, very professional, so super sweet, and really personable with Jordan and me.  I am one to wear my heart on my sleeve, and so those things are really important to me.

If she is as sweet and wonderful with my babies as she was during our consult- I know we will have a long history ahead of us.

Anything I'm missing in this long list?  What do you look for when you are on your own doctor hunt?    

Bird Dog

Like I mentioned last week, J and his dad took Daphnee and Maggie out to The Ranch for a short quail hunt in the season opener.

Daphnee hadn't seen birds since last season, but Jordan was SO excited to see his bird dog do her thing so naturally.

How pretty is she?!

Roy brought his pup Maggie along for her first experience with quail.  From what I hear she did quiet well, too!

Love my crazy girl, Daph.  

Jordan came home raving about how well his dog did.  This is just Daphnee's third year to hunt and last year the bird forecast was pretty pathetic (first year she was still super young, but they took her anyway).  Jordan was fearful that she has gotten too old to train her with little bird experience, but as you can see, she has got it down.

Our other bird dog.. well.. sort of.  She was never much the hunter.   Now baby girl is just old.  Brittany stayed home with me:)

Hoping J will be able to make his annual trip to Kansas for pheasant hunting.. the plan is for he and Roy to make the trip at the end of next week.   Fingers crossed that my baby status wont put a damper on things:)

A Funny for Your Friday

I guess it wouldn't be appropriate to wear this shirt in public anymore.. 

My belly is BIG.

32 Weeks + Baby/Momma Update

long sleeve undershirt / Gap Maternity * 

button down top (non-maternity) / (last season) Nordstrom: similar *

leggings / Gap Maternity * hair pin / Loft

How far along? 32 Weeks 2 days

Total weight gain: Well, folks.  I've hit the 30 pound mark.  three-zero.  That means in one week's time I gained three pounds.  I will say, in my weight gain defense, the girls themselves have added another pound of weight, so I could really say I've only gained two pounds this week...?  Whatev.         

Maternity clothes?  Why yes, of course.. but I have a growing pile of clothes that no longer cover this bump of mine.  A few of the tops that I bought early on at the end of my first trimester definitely do not fit.  Well, they fit.. everywhere but the bels.  Now that its a little bit cooler out, I'm starting to wear a couple of my fleece pre-pregnancy pj bottoms.  If you could see me, I have a glimmer of gladness in my eye at the thought of this.            

Stretch marks? Noooo:) 

Sleep: Comes and goes.  Still waking up multiple times a night- heavy belly syndrome makes me feel as if I can't breathe.  5 am is regularly becoming the time when I wake up for a few hours and then back in bed I go for a morning nap.  This past week I've had to get in a nap almost every day.  I've been really tired.  I sleep better during the day than I do at night.  Go figure.       

Best moment this week:  Last weekend was the opening for quail season, so Jordan and his dad made a short 3 1/2 hour trip to The Ranch (his grandfather's land) for  couple days to get in their first hunt of the season.  My doctor appointment was on Tuesday morning and sweet Ashley came Monday afternoon to play the 'bed rest game' with me- making me dinner, watching Disney movies, and carting me around on Tuesday while J was gone.  I was so excited for her to come along to my OB visit- so she could really see what I go through at my weekly appointments!  She was by my side during the non-stress test and sat in on the sonogram (she had never seen one before) and got to see my sweet girls on the screen.  Dixie did a great job in explaining everything we were looking at.. making it really easy to understand the whole process.  She also got to finally meet my amazing OB.  I talk about this woman like she hung the moon, so I was glad Ashley got to witness for herself why I love Dr. Walsh so much.  Anyway, Monday/Tuesday while Jordan was away was such a great time with this girl.  So thankful for amazing friends.           

Miss Anything?  Sleeping like a normal human being.             

Movement:  You betcha.  Their movements are incredibly strong now, actually waking me up in the night.  If they happen to be awake when I am trying to fall asleep, sleep ain't happening until they decide to calm down.  You can feel baby limbs and I can tell if I'm rubbing a baby back or grabbing a baby tush:)  Love these sweet little ones.     

Food cravings:  Not at all really.  Except.. one thing.  I would die for a Big Mac.  If I get to enjoy this Big Mac (and large fries) any time soon, it will be a secret.  I'll never confess to eating McDonald's.. especially if I'm ordering the biggest sandwich on the menu.     

Symptoms:  Heavy belly.  Sleepless nights.  Congestion has returned in full force.  Often times, mostly in the evening, I'll cough my head off.. ever since I got that yucky crud a couple weeks ago I haven't been able to drop that cough.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Labor Signs:  None really.  Still taking Procardia twice a day.  This week's NST showed that I continue to have uterine irritability but I didn't ever see/feel an actually contraction- but I'm no doctor.  Dr. Walsh wasn't concerned over what she saw on the results of the NST, so I assume the second round of Procardia every afternoon is doing what it's supposed to.       

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Emotions continue to run high.  List making is all I got to go on when I'm stuck in the bed.  Some days it drives me mad that I can't get out whenever I want to grab something (I haven't driven a car since August 30th), or when I can't stand long enough to really organize the nursery the way I want.  Jordan promises me that this week/weekend we will be finishing what we need to do for the girls.  

Looking forward to:  All of it.  Anything and everything that remotely relates to the babies.  The nursery bedding is scheduled to ship this week and we plan to make the last few purchases we need before the girls come.  Hospital bags are (halfway) packed.. I've ordered a couple of items that I think I will need during my stay in the hospital post babies.   Even though it isn't on my time that the checklist of things to be done is getting completed- it's all getting done and coming together.  If being on bedrest has taught me one thing, its the fact that me and my dietitian brain cannot control everything.  

Sometimes I just gotta let it go.

Baby Update (Yaay!)    

I LOVE getting to see them on the monitor on a weekly basis.  I'll have to be sure that Dr. Walsh knows she will have to spoil me with sonograms during my next pregnancy or else I'll be a sad mamma!  

Girls are looking perfect.  The NST recorded their heartbeats to be completely in sync.  I actually thought for a while that both monitors were picking up on one baby's rhythm,  they were that close.  But then one baby would have an elevation and then go right back into sync with her sister.  Really cool.   

The girls' measurements were also in sync.. actually, both girls are measuring a few days ahead of schedule.  Jolie is weighing 3 pounds, 13 ounces (I swear that girl decides on her own when she is going to grow.  The past two measurements she has been small for gestation.)  and Parker is an even 4 pounds.  That's just about 8 pounds of babies, people!  Dr. Walsh measured my belly- I'm measuring like I'm 39 weeks along.. I had assumed this was the case, but it explains the regular head snaps and stares from complete strangers.

Jolie gave us a beautiful profile.. looking just so precious and getting bigger by the day!

Parker, however, was facing towards the sono screen and Dixie couldn't get her to roll over.  She had the hiccups- which was so funny to actually see on the monitor.  Both girls get them on a daily basis (Jolie more so than Parker), but seeing them react to hiccups makes it all pretty real.  I've got little humans growing in there (duh..)

Last week Parker had her back to the sono screen and we couldn't get a profile, and again this week she was uncooperative.  Silly baby girl.  You can see her lips, nose, eyes, and sweet little hand if you look carefully.

How is momma bear holding up?  

Sonogram check showed no funneling (whooo- bed rest continues to work!) but, my cervix has lost a lot of ground in just one week.  Last week at the perinatologist appointment I measured a 3.8.  Tuesday, Dixie measured me at 2.46.  Yikes.  Walsh did say that the sonogram looks GREAT- and even my cervix is still looking good.  I, of course, questioned her and she went on to explain that at my gestation, she expects it to shorten the way it has. That being said, the cut off for hospital admittance due to shortened cervical length is 2.5, BUT, I am her most compliant patient (good mommy points for for me!), so she wasn't going to fuss over .04 and send me across the street to Presby (poor Ashley nearly hit the roof and died of a heart attack when Walsh started talking about the hospital.)  Once I reach 34 weeks my cervical length cannot be below 2.0 or she will have me in the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy.  

SO- what does all this mean for me?  My appointment next week will be the deciding factor on hospital admittance.  While I am thankful I got to come back home this week but, at this point I'm o-k if I end up being admitted next week.  I'm doing all that I can for these babies, and if a hospital stay is in my future, so be it.  Dr. Walsh is pleased with how well I've done with bed rest, and my shortened cervical length really has nothing to do with if I'm on my feet or not.  She would just feel more comfortable having me on the high risk maternity floor- right down the hall from labor and delivery then to have me go into preterm labor at home, progress to quickly, and prevent them from being able to stop contractions if it is too early.  Both Jordan and I agree.  The closer I am to 37-38 weeks, the better chances of us being able to bring them with us when I get to come home:)  

I pay for the time and effort now, so my baby girls don't have to later.     

Bigger concern?  My blood pressure was slightly elevated on Tuesday morning (120/88) causing concern for pregnancy induced toxemia.  It isn't super elevated from what is considered 'normal' (120/80), but, my normal BP range is around 90/60. Over the past month it has gradually creeped its way to 120/80 and then Tuesday's reading was a bit too high for comfort.  I go back tomorrow (Friday) for a nurse's visit and BP check- just to be on the safe side.  Apparently I can be thrown into toxemia without even knowing it, putting myself and the babies at risk.  Good thing is that I am not having any symptoms related to preeclampsia.          

Whew.. ok.  Rambling is over.  A lot to cover after this week's doctor appointment.  I'm thankful my bestest was there with me when Jordan couldn't.. but hearing all that made me wish he was there, too.  I'm no so great at explaining after the fact, especially if I'm uptight or excited about any of it.  Even with some slightly stressful news- the main thing is that my little babies are still doing wonderfully.  Keeping all good thoughts.  

Until next week- I'm keeping this belly safe in my bed!