31 Weeks

How far along? 31 Weeks 5 days 

You may wonder why my blog sometimes has dr. appt and sometimes it doesn't...I usually post whenever I have time some days that is after my appt.  My appointments are always on Mondays and my turnover day is Tuesday.  Which makes things a little confusing with my blog.  SO technically the babies were this weight at 30 weeks and 6 days...but really who is keeping track! 

Total weight gain: I ate like a COW this week, so hopefully, I have gained some weight.  I am not a big exerciser, as we all know!  I use to take walks but even those have stopped.... which I firmly believe is part of the reason for my weight loss!  I think I lost almost all of my muscle.  My legs look and feel like Jello!  It is very hard for me to walk or do anything too much because I contract easily and get out of breath very easily!  HOWEVER, I am starting to freak out that I will not have enough strength to push these babies out!!!  So, now I feel like I have to do something to gain a little muscle back...I'll be asking my doctor about this tomorrow!    

Maternity clothes? YES...but some of my shirts definitely show my growing bump (meaning my belly sticks out so far that my MATERNITY shirts don't cover it completely anymore)!!    

Stretch marks? None... I wonder how long this will last!  Varicose veins behind right knee. I now wear the support hose every night and my belly harness.

Sleep: Last Thursday night I actually slept through the WHOLE night and did not even get up to pee once!!!!  I thought I was going to explode at 5:45 the next morning, however, but I still slept like a rock!  Cael also slept!  You would think I felt very refreshed the next day....WELL not so much!!  I felt great until 3ish and then I hit a wall and was SO SLEEPY!  It just doesn't make sense!

Best moment this week: WE FINISHED THE BUNK BEDS!!!!  Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (I will post a during and after picture of them shortly)  

I also had another "best/worst" moment... A lady came up to me (a great grandma to be exact) and said WOW you're about ready to POP!!  No, actually, I am not!  "I have 6 (yes I told her 6 to make it seem like it wasn't that bad) more weeks!"  And then I said "I have two in here!"  I should have just let her think that I was really, really big, but I had to stick up for myself!  However, that just led her to tell me that she was a great grandma to twins in January and had to tell me all about them!  She did tell me that hers were born at 31 weeks and were only 3lbs a piece, so that made me feel a little better!  It is amazing how many people ask me when I am due and when I tell them November, they give me a funny look or will actually say..YIKES that's a long time!  So then I always have to follow up with but there is TWO!  AND then they go into ALL of the people they know with twins and how well they are doing or their whole birth story!  Usually, it doesn't bother me, but when I am in a hurry, am tried or have a screaming toddler on my hip (yes I know I am not suppose to be holding him) I don't have time to hear that your best friend's sister had twins and they were born at 33 weeks, were in the NICU for 4, and are now 17 and are doing great!  They actually are both in football and are doing great academically!    I tell Steve, once they are born he can take them places so he can get (but worse) what I have already heard for the last 3 months.  I will admit once I announced I was having twins I was AMAZED on how many twins there are in this world!!  I think a singleton is in the minority now!  So watch out people.... you may be next!!!! 

Miss Anything?  Not being able to catch my breath,  Taking walks (not that I can't take a walk, but if I do I have to go very slow, and get a lot of contractions so it kind of freaks me out!)  Being able to hold Cael!  I try really, really hard not to lift and hold him, but it isn't always easy, however, I am getting better!  Having strength!  

Movement:  All the time!  This week they must be running out of room all ready because they were really, really moving.  Most of the moments were just there, but some were actually uncomfortable!  Steve asked me what it feels like and it is so hard to describe!  It is just crazy to think I have TWO babies in my belly!!  Baby A still gets the hiccups all of the time and I honestly have not felt B get them and if he/she has it has only been once or twice!  I also think Baby B is now head down because I feel a butt (at least that is what I assume it is) all of the time in my upper belly area.

Food cravings:  I really like Snyder Pretzels... they are my new best friend!! 

Symptoms:  The dr gave me a prescription for my heartburn so that has been a lot better.  Everything else has been pretty "normal".

Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Labor Signs:  Braxton hicks some days I have them all day long and other days I will only have a couple.  They are so random, however, some take my breath away.  They have been getting stronger and harder!  

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but very nervous!!  We ARE ABOUT TO HAVE TWINS!!!!!  I mean one baby is TOUGH, alone or with one other sibling!   BUT WE ARE ABOUT TO HAVE TWO BABIES with TWO SIBLINGS!!!!  After the boys went to bed I looked at Steve and I said "how the heck are we ever going to manage this with two more!?!"  I look forward to bed time because it is finally time for me to breath and do what I want (however, that usually includes folding laundry, picking up toys, cleaning the kitchen, etc)...at least for 35 minutes and then I am ready for bed myself!  BUT for the first year of the babies lives we wont get that 35 minutes...my house will always be a mess, my laundry will never be folded and my life will be chaos!!!  I guess I will just have to learn to deal with it...that is going to be OUR NEW LIFE!

Looking forward to:  Week 32 is a big week... I have something with even numbers!!  I guess that is why God gave me 4 kids!!  :-)

Week 34...this is my next goal!  Actually, every SINGLE DAY is my next goal, but 34 is a big week! 

Extra:  We had another busy week!!  Bunk beds are up and the boys are sleeping in them as we speak!  Car seats are in the van!  I made 4 quarts and 1 pint of Spaghetti sauce!  Steve and Becky took the kids Saturday for an overnight!  Steve and I ordered food and watched a movie...probably the last time we will get to do that!!!  Well lets hope not...but as everyone knows it is A LOT harder to find someone to watch your children (overnight) when you have FOUR as opposed to two!!!  However, I know both of our parents will, but honestly, can you blame them if they tell us no?!

Things are starting to fall into place...I'm so ready to meet these babies but I am not sure if I am ready for the labor part and to bring them home...is that bad? Or normal?  I am more nervous for this labor than what I was with the boys (at least for Cael, I am sure I was nervous with Bowen).  I have read a lot of blogs and a lot of books on twins (Steve keeps telling me to quit since I don't have any control over it anyway) and it is very interesting (and scary) to hear the different delivery stories!  I am very anxious to see how ours goes!  I pray nightly that everything will go smoothly and I will be able to deliver both vaginally, but will be okay if God has another plan!  Thank you for all of the prayers and well wishes!