Happy 4 1/2 months!!!!!

Congrats to my little peanuts, baby wiggly and baby rice cake! They are 18 weeks and 3 days today and continuing to grow big and strong!! I finally started feeling them move during a morning game of ‘hide-and-go-seek’. Earlier this week I was using the doppler to listen to their heartbeats and one of them……..I’m guessing this COULD be our little man……..kicked the doppler. Every time I would find one of them, they would be gone in a second. It has actually become one of my morning routines this week to listen to them and play through my tummy.

Here is an updated picture taken yesterday:


18 weeks

I can feel my continuing growth but from last month to this month, I don’t really see it in the pictures. I think at this point, I am rounding out more than growing forward. Either way, I AM growing and that’s what we want to show that the babies are growing inside me as well.

Kevin and my ‘ultrasound countdown’ is in the single digits!! In only 8 short days we will find out what is hiding in my tummy. Of course we have our preferences but as long as our babies are healthy, that’s all that matters. We will certainly keep everyone updated with what the genders are!

In other news, our move is down to only 1 month. We still haven’t started packing yet but I plan to try and get some done this weekend. Kevin and I are very excited to get out of our apartment and into something a little less busy and a little quieter.

Love,
Holly

Oh, the days go by!

After a little scare on Thursday morning, the countdown to our anatomy ultrasound continues................

Thursday morning I woke up and was having some pain in my lower back that extended around my right side. I got in touch with my doctor and she said to eat something, take some tylenol and lay down for a little bit. If that didn't help the pain, then she said to call the office when they opened. I ended up going in and after the doctor checked a few things, I just found out it was my stretching pains. I'm 4 1/2 months and this is apparantly a major growth spurt time for the babies. So it's good for them that I'm stretching because it means they are growing but it's also painful for me trying to keep up.

I've been having some trouble falling asleep and trying to get in the right position that's comfortable but eventually I drift off. During the day I do have some bouts where the pain hits me but all is well with the babies so I have to just deal with it.

We are now down to 13 days until our anatomy ultrasound where I HOPEFULLY can find out the genders (if the babies cooperate). Kevin is VERY excited to know what's hiding inside my belly as is the rest of my family. Kevin and my parents will be coming along for the fun on September 4! We can't wait!!!!!

Until then, I hope things keep progressing and the babies keep growing healthy! More exciting updates and pictures to come!

Love,
Holly

4 months going strong

We all made it to 4 months!!!! The babies had their check up yesterday to measure and listen to the heartbeats. My parents were kind enough to accompany me since Kevin could not make it to this appointment. Here are the updates:

Twin A – 156bpm
Twin B – 160bpm

They are still very close in range so that is good. The rates have come down a little bit since my 3-month visit and the doctor said that is all normal because they are growing bigger and their little hearts don’t need to beat as fast. She said as long as they are 120 or above, that is good.

I have also finally gained some weight for the babies, which I’m thinking, is mainly all the extra blood and fluid. I am now up 9 pounds for these first 4 months. I should gain anywhere from 35 to 45 pounds throughout this pregnancy.

My due date is still January 25, 2010. If I make it past the new year, they will induce twins at 38 weeks, which would be January 12. Hopefully these little peanuts can hold out long enough to be big, strong and healthy.

Here is my updated picture of my ever growing belly:



This was taken at 14 weeks! What a change from just a month before.

Our next appointment is the big anatomy ultrasound where we can hopefully find out the sex of these babies! We have been counting down the days. That appointment is set for September 4 so we will surely update everyone more then!

Until next time.....

Love,
Holly

Welcome to the 2nd Trimester!

Today marks 13 weeks and officially the start of the 2nd trimester. These last 2 months since I found out I was pregnant have gone by so fast. I can only hope that the next 6 months go the same.

Things have still been going great with the babies, as you saw in my last post. As for me, I'm still doing better but not great. I wake up with a headache almost everyday, I have strange dreams at night and I still have some nausea but not as bad as it was. On the bright side, every now and then I kinda feel a jerk in my tummy which I THINK is from the babies. Hopefully soon I can feel them without having to lay down with my hand on my tummy for 30 minutes.

The rest of the family is doing good. I think the kitties know that something is up because they always all follow me wherever I go. Kevin and I are very excited to have found a new place which we will move into October 1st. It's a duplex so we now only have 1 neighbor to worry about instead of 7 like we do now. It'll give us more space and a little more freedom than what we have in this complex right now.

Other than that, we are all doing fine and excited to see what these next few months bring. More updates will follow my next appointment on August 12th.......

Love,
Holly

3 month Doctor's Appointment

Today was one of the best doctor's appointments so far........for me anyway! It has been so awesome these last 2 months to see them and hear their heartbeats and most of all, see how much they develop from one appointment to the next.

All I was excited for today was to see a 'baby' formation. Little did I know I was going to get much more than that. I layed down and looked at the screen and of course, was happy to see my two little peanuts. The sonographer said they were sleeping. I was like 'ok'. She did her thing and measured them and checked the heartbeats. Updates are:

Twin A - HB 170 and measuring just over 2 inches
Twin B - HB 171 and measuring just over 2 inches

They are both growing almost exactly the same which they said is what we want. They don't want one to grow fast than the other. So that was pretty good news.

I was still lying there just having fun seeing them and the sonographer asked me to cough. I was like 'ooookay'. So I did and all of a sudden Twin B decided to start moving. It was the most amazing thing to see probably because I really wasn't expecting it. He/She was facing the screen and rolled over to the other side kicking me in the process. Then she went to Twin A who just didn't want to wake up. After laughing about it, he/she started bobbing their head.

Seeing them actually move just put me in awe. Things are starting to become more real as the days, weeks and months go on. Pretty soon, they will be here and this will all just be in the past and there will be new things I will be in awe about. But for now, I'm so happy with the progress and happy my little angels are growing great!

Here are some pictures from today's appointment as well as my first 'belly' picture:



Here is Twin A chillin' on his/her back almost sucking their thumb



Another picture of Twin A's face



Twin B (aka 'the active one') didn't want his/her picture taken.....the two pictures I got of twin B were pretty much identical. You can see his/her hands up on the side of their face and then a little bit of the squished up legs



I know I look so thrilled in this picture........this was about 10 1/2 weeks!

My next scheduled appointment is for August 12 and that is just to measure me and hear the heartbeats. Then I also scheduled the fun anatomy ultrasound for September 8 so we can find out what we're having. Kevin and I are both very excited for that appointment! I will continue to keep this updated as much as possible so check back often!

Love,
Holly

No more pains, please!!

Yesterday I called the doctor because starting Sunday night I was having some low abdominal pain on and off. On Monday it continued like that all day and yesterday it was just constant. It was starting to bother me for the fact that the pain wasn't getting worse but it wasn't on and off like it was the two previous days.

I asked the nurse what she thought it could be if maybe it was stretching or any type of moving of my uterus and she said it's too early for that......which I later did find out when I saw the doctor that it COULD be that! I think the nurses need to be more educated!

Anyways, they said I should just have an exam to rule out a possible UTI since that's the kind of pain it felt like. I went in and answered a bazillion questions. I was told I didn't have an infection or blood in my urine so that was good. But then what was causing my pains was my question. To make sure the babies were doing good I got to hear their heartbeats!!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUND! I didn't cry like I thought I might. I was just more in shock. It was so weird. I was scared at first just hearing some swooshing sounds and no heartbeat but then she finally found both of them and I was immediately put at ease..........not for long since I was still having these pains.

She took a look inside and said my cervix was closed, I had no dialation, no irritation and no blood. Hmmmmm, I guess I stumped her because I asked why I was having this if she can't find anything. She said she ruled out everything it could be. The babies are good, I'm fine so she said to call if the pain worsens otherwise.......duh duh duh duhhhhhh........it could be just stretching or moving of my parts into place so it could be completely normal.

I had no other choice but to accept that and move on my way...........last night was alright. My tummy still hurt and I had a hard time falling asleep but I finally did. So far this morning I'm feeling pretty good. I have some achiness in my lower abdomen and I'm hoping it doesn't get like how it was yesterday. I pray that it was just some stretching or moving and now I can feel better after the last 2 1/2 days of it.

My doctor still wants me to keep my appointment for July 15th. Kevin will be with me at that appointment and we'll be able to hear the heartbeats again. They'll do some other things like measure me and weigh me but other than that, it will be a pretty quick appointment.

I will update more then..........unless other fun stuff happens! :)

Love,
Holly