27 week bump date with twins!

27 Week Bump Date

 

My age: 29

How far along: 27 weeks

How big is baby: On Monday, Baby A was 2.3 pounds and Baby B was 2.5 pounds. They are about 14-15 inches long
Weight Gain: Up 26 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight of 135 pounds.
Exercise/Activity Level:  This week begins are busy month of March while means less time for the gym. I'm still not supposed to be exercising much minus walking/swimming/stretching. Barry and I went to the gym on Wednesday and I swam for 15 minutes or so which definitely helps my back.

Maternity clothes:  I can still get away with wearing some of my regular yoga/workout pants to work as long as they sit below the belly. All my shirts now are too small and my belly hangs out of the bottom.

Stretch marks: None on my stomach/hips... for now! I'm applying lotion 2-3 times a day as I know my stomach is being stretched to the max.

Belly button: Flat/Outie.

Sleep: I'm more and more uncomfortable at night. My hips are beginning to ache and I still have a sharp pain in my pubic bone when I try and move from side to side. The doctor said my body is starting to loosen the joints to prepare for childbirth so this fun will continue for the next 2.5 months :) I only wake up a couple of times a night to reposition my growing belly and try and get comfortable.

Best moment of the week: Seeing the girls at our ultrasound appointment on Monday with Barry and my parents by my side. We were finally able to get a good look at Baby A which hasn't happened in over a month. Baby B was the shy one this time, but did show us she's growing quite the hair! Following our ultrasound was our hospital visit. It was surreal to see where we will become a family of 4! Everything is starting to become more real.

Food cravings: My appetite seems to be increased this week. I haven't wanted the food I have brought from home and am wanting to eat a lot more this week than previous weeks. I assume that means we are up for another growth spirt!

 

Food aversions: None

Symptoms:

• Pubic bone pain
• Round ligament pain in the hips

Movement: Lots of kicks and dancing
Gender: Girls

Labor Signs? I have had a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions this week. They haven't been painful though- which is good!

What I'm looking forward to:  I'm looking forward to our baby classes next week and baby shower!

What I’m nervous about:  I'm a little nervous about the baby class, specifically watching a birth.

What I miss: Being able to move around easily, my workouts, and sleeping pain-free!

Next appointment: I'm back to weekly appointments so I will be seeing my OB every Monday at 3:30pm until these girls arrive in May :)

26 week Bump Date with twins!

26 Week Bump Date

Just imagine another little girl in their too! :)

 

My age: 29

How far along: 26 weeks

How big is baby: 14 inches long and at least 2lbs each
Weight Gain: Up 24-25 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight of 135. I feel like babies and I had a growth spirt this week after I lost a couple of pounds last week.
Exercise/Activity Level: Barry and I hit the Healthplex Monday-Wednesday this week. I pushed it a little too hard on Monday and my back felt it Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday I stuck to the pool to swim and stretch out my lower back/legs. Thursday I took to rest as I was exhausted and struggled just to get through the day.  I can tell I'm a lot weaker in my upper body than when I got pregnant, but trying not to worry about it knowing I will have two little bodies to hold soon that will strengthen my arms right back up!

Maternity clothes: The bottom part of my belly sticks out if I try and wear any of my regular t-shirts. I've been stealing Barry's to sleep in :) Maternity clothes is the way to go!

Stretch marks: I think I have a new friend that popped up this week. I'm not thrilled about this, but trying to focus on how my amazing it is that my body is growing two babies and is most likely never going to look the same as it did pre-pregnancy.

Belly button: Outie/flat

Sleep: I fall asleep pretty quickly and wake up 3-5 times a night to change positions. It's quite challenging to move from side to side. There's lots of moaning/groaning and pain in my hips/groin. The pregnancy pillow I use is becoming necessary to support my belly and lower back.

Best moment of the week: Having one of the members of my gym call me, "Tiny" was a nice change from the "how are you going to get any bigger?!" or "how much longer do you have?!" followed by "Good Luck!" comments :) Another amazing moment was while relaxing on Saturday night catching up on the newest season of House of Cards with my hubby, the girls were SUPER active! We could watch them move just by looking at my stomach and they were pushing back when we would push at them! I could just feel them move all day long and never get sick of it.

 

Food cravings: My donut craving is seriously out of control! I took the long way home on Wednesday to swing by Dunkin Donuts and pick up a couple of donuts and ate them immediately--I NEVER used to eat donuts! I'm trying to not be too hard on myself as I'm eating fairly healthy most days and continue to track my nutrition on myfitnesspal.com.

 

Food aversions: None

Symptoms: The end of this week was the start of a lot more pain in my hips/pelvic bone. I tried wearing a support belt a couple of days, but I'm not sure it's helping. I'm hoping it will get better because two more months of this pain will be a challenge- especially at work.
Movement: They kicked and played all day and night Monday and then I felt NOTHING on Tuesday which naturally freaked me out completely. By Wednesday morning, I felt a couple of kicks which let me relax again knowing they were okay. I think they were just exhausted from their dance party! I feel most of the movement on my right side still around my belly button, but have recently been feeling it higher and on the sides too :)

Gender: Girls

Labor Signs? None

What I'm looking forward to:  Our ultrasound on Monday, March 2nd! I'm excited for my Mom and Dad to come for the first time to see the girls in 3D. I can't wait to see how much they have grown. I'm also excited to take a tour of the hospital on Monday.

What I’m nervous about: Not much- I just pray and thank God everyday that I was chosen to carry these girls and look forward to being their Mommy. Every week that I am still pregnant with two healthy babies is a blessing and miracle.

What I miss: Being able to easily sit down or get up, red wine, and easily seeing my toes.

Next appointment: Monday, March 2nd at 3pm I see my OB for my now weekly appointment. We then head across the hall for an ultrasound at 3:20pm and finish with a hospital tour at 4:30pm! Busy Busy!

25 Week Bump Date

25 Week Bump Date

My age: 29

How far along: 25 weeks

How big is baby: About 13.5 inches and almost 2 pounds each!
Weight Gain: 22-23 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight of 135lbs.
Exercise/Activity Level:  I had my first official "workout" in months on Saturday, February 14th. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical and did 15 minutes on the TRX. It felt amazing! Then I woke up sick on Sunday :( I finally felt good enough to head back to the gym on Wednesday. I did a TRX workout along with some cable machine exercises and swam for 10 minutes in the lap pool. My back is feeling so much better and I feel better about myself when I can get to the gym :)

Maternity clothes:  My regular workout pants I wear to work are starting to be a little too snug- luckily my Mom bought me a new pair of workout pants last week that I have room to grow into in the coming weeks.

Stretch marks: None yet...

Belly button: It's not an attractive situation, but is starting to not stick out at least when I'm wearing a tighter shirt.

Sleep: I'm noticing this week that I'm starting to get more uncomfortable. I'm having some round ligament pain which makes it painful to move from side to side during the night, but I don't have to wake up to go potty in the middle of the night so I'm not complaining!

Best moment of the week: For Valentine's Day/our babymoon, Barry suprised me with a night downtown on Saturday. We went to dinner at Scotty's and then to The Band Perry concert at Banker's Life Fieldhouse! The girls danced like crazy the whole concert. We ended the night with a late night snack from Rock Bottom and then put the girls to bed about midnight. We had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel before heading back home.

And passing my glucose test! No gestional diabetes! Yay! :)

 

Food cravings: I'm still craving sweets more than usual. I broke down and had a donut from Dunkin Donuts on Monday after my glucose test...and then went back on Tuesday for more... (ok, 3 more)..Opps!

 

Food aversions: Nada.

Symptoms:

• Round ligament pain- or at least I think that's what it is occurs more at night and makes it uncomfortable to move from side to side.

Movement: The girls are crazy active. I always feel one baby I think more than the other. (I think it's A because it's on my right side where she is) This week I could see my stomach move with my t-shirt on and then kicking/dancing away! Everytime I go to record it on my phone, they stop. (Naturally)
Gender: Girls

Labor Signs? Nope

What I'm looking forward to:  The next exciting event is an ultrasound at 27 weeks and a tour of the hospital. My parents are planning on going with Barry and I to the appointments. I'm excited for them to see the girls on the ultrasound. We are also doing our baby classes in March which I'm semi excited about and semi nervous about.

What I’m nervous about:  Not much! I'm more excited for the month of March. We have two baby showers, baby classes, ultrasounds, and lots of OB appts! We will be putting in the floor to the nursery in the coming weeks and then can start putting together cribs, dressers, and more! Everything is starting to get more real.

What I miss: Laying on my belly, not being so out of breath, and my abs.

Next appointment: Monday, March 2nd 3pm- OB Appt, Growth Ultrasound, and a hospital tour! :)

24 week Bump Date

24 Week Bump Date

My age: 29

How far along: 24 weeks

How big is baby: The girls are as big as two corn on the cobs!
Weight Gain: 20-22 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight of 135lbs.
Exercise/Activity Level: The best thing we did this week was start a two week trial membership to the Healthplex. Since I can't workout, I have been using the therapy pool to stretch out my back and lap pool to work my arms and legs. My back feels great once I'm done. My goal is to go at least 3x's a week.

Maternity clothes:  Pretty much everything I wear on the weekends is maternity clothing. I can still wear my pre-pregnancy workout pants to work, but they are stretchy so that doesn't really count. I have a maternity jacket that I wear a lot and just bought a new jacket from Costco (large) to accomodate my expanding belly. 

Except mine is teal.

 

Stretch marks: None yet-- even though I feel like my belly is going to burst after dinner!

Belly button: I'm not really sure what's going on here... the top is an outie, but the bottom is just flat. It's a really attractive look...not!

Sleep: I'm sleeping relatively well considering the large baby bump that seems to be growing by the day! I sleep with a pregnancy pillow (thanks Mel!) and it helps support my belly and my back. I do wake up 3-4 times a night and have to rotate from one side to the next, but fall back to sleep pretty quickly. I do notice that my body starts to wake itself up when it's time for me to wake up for the day.

Best moment of the week: My mom took me out to dinner on Wednesday and on a maternity clothes shopping spree at Target. We went to Applebee's where my brother Joe works so we were able to spend time with him while we ate our dinner. I even resisted my FAVORITE dessert : The Triple Chocolate Meltdown. It's seriously to die for!

After our dinner, we headed up to Target to check out the maternity selection. I've been so blessed during this pregnancy to not have had to buy anything so far! I had a huge tub of clothes donated from my aunt's friend, my aunt's buying me outfit after outfit, and my good friend Mel hooking me up with all her maternity clothes. The good and bad about this is I can't wear most of those outfits to work, since I wear workout clothes everyday. Mom and I grabbed several workout tank tops, spring t-shirts, and some more workout attire clothes. I should be all set for the majority of my pregnancy :)

Food cravings: Sweets are still my #1 craving, but I'm not hitting up McDonald's drive through for Oreo McFlurries or ice cream cones like I was! I made a healthier version of brownies (greek yogurt instead of vegetable oil) and they were actually pretty good. Vanilla ice cream may be a nightly routine- but at least it's lowfat and no sugar added.

    

Food aversions: All food aversions are gone :)

Symptoms:

• Hot flashes, nausea, and light-headedness: This occured a couple of times this past week. It may have been associated with taking my prenatal vitamin on an empty stomach, but not 100% sure.
• Lower back pain: I can tell when I've been on my feet for too long. Stretching in the pool is my lifesaver for this.
• Hunger: I feel like this has ramped back up the past couple of days. At the beginning of my pregnancy I could never get full, but that only lasted a couple of weeks. I feel like the girls are going through another growth spirt because I'm constantly hungry!

Movement: Lots! Baby A seems to be moving the most- or at least I feel movement more on my right side than left. I feel most of the movement during the morning, right when I get to work. I have felt them move at the same time just a handful of times - which is pretty amazing :)
Gender: Girls

Labor Signs? I had a slight scare on Sunday. Barry and I went over to the Healthplex and I didn't feel great before we left, but I thought it would get better...it didn't. By the time I walked into the locker room, my stomach was as hard as a rock and huge. It was hard to breath and I thought I was having contractions. Julie, my 35 weeks along with twin momma friend, talked me through it and gave me some advice. We left the Healthplex and I went home and relaxed on my left side for the next couple of hours. The pain slowly went away and I haven't felt anything like that since. I think the girls didn't agree with my lemonade that I had for lunch that day... Lesson learned!

What I'm looking forward to:  Hopefully passing my glucose test on Monday, February 16th- and hearing the babies heartbeats.

What I’m nervous about: We are officially at 24 weeks which means viability! The girls could survive if they were born, even though we want them to stay cooking for a couple more months. Hitting this point in my pregnancy as reduced a lot of stress and nerves!

What I miss: My workouts, abs, and sleeping on my stomach- but I would't trade this experience for anything!

Next appointment: Monday, February 16th at 8:20am

6 Things NOT to say to someone who is having twins...

I'm at the point in my pregnancy where most strangers feel confident enough to come up and say, "Are you pregnant?"

I always laugh a little because I fee like I've been showing for months, but I guess it's polite to never assume someone is expecting.

Since my baby bump is out there with no more ways to hide it, I've had some pretty interesting comments, especially when they learn I'm pregnant with twins.

Here's my list of 6 things NOT to say to someone who is having twins.

#6: "Do twins run in your family?!"

This is a very common first response as soon as someone learns you are having twins. Why they feel the need to know your family history suddenly is beyond me. Twins don't run in my family, nor do they run in my husband's family. We weren't able to just decide we wanted a baby and boom.. pregnant. Instead, we endured years of infertility, blood work, shots, etc. to finally learn we were expecting.. two babies instead of one.

If you aren't sure of someone's journey to start their family, don't ask them if twins run in their family. It puts them in an awkward position to decide whether to divulge their infertility struggles or just to try and smile, laugh it off, and say,

 "Nope, we are just double blessed I guess!"

 (This is my go to response these days)

#5: "Wow, one baby was hard! I can't IMAGINE two!!"

Awesome. Great news for me, right?!

I'm not sure what people truly mean when they say this. I realize babies are hard. I also realize two babies is going to be double the work.

 I am also aware that I get two babies with one pregnancy and only one birth. I get double the kisses and double the babies to love on.

#4: "Now you can be done having kids!"

Thank you stranger for letting me know that our family is now complete because we are having two babies at once, but I'm pretty sure the amount of kiddos my husband and I want isn't anyone else's place to tell us.

I genuinely think this is one of the more positive responses someone can say, but it's still a little awkward. Do I say, "Yep, you are right!" before I've ever even held a child of my own to know if I want anymore?
This comment usually gets the polite nod and smile response.


#3: "You are going to get ginormous!" and "How are you going to get any bigger?"
These are actually quotes from a co-worker. I literally just had nothing to say in response. Maybe, " Um, thanks. I've always wanted to be huge." - said no woman ever.
I try and dismiss these remarks to her age (23), but I'm pretty sure if I get another comment out of her my response may be, " Yeah, I still weigh less than you though."
(Ok, I wouldn't say that, but I will be thinking it!)


#2: What are their names??
When it comes to naming your child, EVERYONE has an opinion. When you are having twins, the questions just keep coming.
"Will their names rhyme?"
"Will they start with the same letter?"
etc..etc..
When someone says they don't know their names, they either A. don't want you to share this information or B. aren't 100% sure of the name. This isn't a cue to give suggestions. Instead, take the hint that they might not want to share every detail of their pregnancy and have something they can keep to themselves until their children are born.


#1: "Are you eating for three?!"
When you are pregnant with twins, it suddenly becomes everyone's business how much or how little you are eating. If I have a plate of food, it's a spectacle.
"Oh yeah, you need to be eating all that, I mean, you're eating for three!"
"Aren't you going back for seconds?"
"Of course you would order that.."
I am very much looking forward to eating my meals like a normal human again, not a baby making factory.

2014 in Review... Part Two

In 2014 in Review, Part 1, I reviewed part of 2014 goals to see how I did. Here's the rest of my 2014 goals.

Spiritual Goals

1. Attend church weekly

We struggled with this goal most of the year, but have recently made a much better effort to attend church weekly. Giving is one of our main goals for 2015 and we recently started with giving to our church. We want to raise our girls in the church and are trying to develop the habit now. Again, stay tuned for progress.

 

2. Nightly devotional with hubby: (5 nights a week)

The iPhones win again! Usually by the time we are in bed for the night we are exhausted and drained. We will read a little or decompress by checking out Instagram or Facebook. This goal needs to be revamped for 2015, especially considering how drained we will be come May with our newborns!

 

Personal Growth
1. Read 2 new Leadership books a month (24 in 2014)

Here's a list of the books I read in 2014 (that I can remember):
- Total Money Makeover
- The Millionaire Next Door
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad
- Many, many twin books

My goal in 2015 is to read one book a month that focuses on personal finances, parenting, marriage, or personal growth.


2. Volunteer once a month
I had a humbling experience volunteering at Gleaner's food bank last year. I also volunteered at a Dave Ramsey event in April that took me out of my comfort zone while allowing me to experience a great event for free... plus dinner!
I didn't volunteer every month, but want to continue to look for ways to volunteer my time to help others.


3. Make someones day, everyday.
I continue to strive to do this daily. If your focus is on what you can do for others, this will be easy...remembering to focus on others daily is the hard part.

 Budget Goals:
1. Hit our budget/debt payment goal every month
After getting slightly off track during the months of listing our home, purchasing a new home, moving, finding out we were pregnant, a promotion at work for me, etc... we got back on track with our budget! Every month we sit down and write out a zero based budget so we know exactly how much we will spend before the month even begins. We were able to pay off over $40,000 in debt in 2014 which included all of our student loans! We have about a year left of our debt snowball (paying off both vehicles) and can't wait to be debt free! :) 



2. Use envelope system
After paying off my studen loan, we got off our envelope system for a couple months, but got back on track in September. The only problem we kept running into was not having the evelopes on us when we would make an unexpected stop and ended up using our debit card.  We purchased the home edition of Financial Peace University which included an envelope system. I just started using this system in January and I LOVE it! It looks like a cute wallet, but has an envelope for every category you would need.. and more! I keep it in my purse and always have it on me.
 

  

 

I'm still working on my goals for 2015 and will be blogging soon about these goals! Look for a pregnancy Week 22 update soon!

xoxo

Sarah

2014 in Review.. What a year! ((Part 1))

 

2014 was the year our biggest prayer was answered.. actually, it was answered twice. Our struggle with infertility was something I opened up about a year ago, sharing this very personal journey with hundreds of friends, family members, and even strangers. Now, looking down at my 23 week pregnant belly and constantly feeling the kicks and movements of my two precious girls...
I can honestly say I have everything I've ever wanted in life.

 

I have an amazing husband who is perfect for me, a huge family and group of friends that support me during the highs and lows, and my two growing blessings in my belly.

I have a beautiful home with space to grow into as our family expands by four feet this May.
I have a crazy Weim, Smokey, who completes our family and loves us unconditionally.
I have my health.
I have my parents.
I am blessed.

I'm blessed beyond words can describe and can't believe this is how I'm beginning my 29th year. With such a great start to 2015, let's look back on my 2014 Goals.
 
Career Goals:
 1. Master my new position as a Health Fitness Specialist in Coverage with NIFS.
In August, I accepted a promotion with NIFS to become a Manager of my own corporate fitness center; NextGear Capital. I've loved the transition to corporate fitness from commercial fitness! Starting a fitness center from the ground up and getting it running has been great experience and I love coming to work everyday!

2. Build my Advocare business to the Gold level by February 2014. 
This is a definite failure. Our Advocare business has slowly decreased over 2014 with our focus being on starting our family. We continue to love the products and take them daily, but aren't actively recruiting new distributors. Advocare has been an amazing blessing of a Plan B income that we continue to generate today. Right now, we are enjoying our 40% discount and will see where it goes once the twins are a little older :)

Wifey Goals:

1. Prep all 10 of our lunches for the week every Sunday and plan out our week.

This goal has been a huge success over the year.  Some weeks are better than others...but for the most part, meal prepping is just apart of our Sunday routine.

2. Have a house cleaning schedule and perform 20-25 min of daily cleaning

FAIL! I need to recreate my cleaning schedule from our old house to adapt this to our new house. I do have a new routine that does work well (when I do it!) I will update on this soon.
 

3. Reduce our spending (ex. coupons, sales, etc)

Our focus has been on reducing spending a lot lately. With the thought of adding in two new family members this May and a hit in my salary for at least 3 months, we continue to look at new ways to cut costs in our budget. Our most recent success was switching from AT&T to Sprint, which will save us $30/month!

-$360 a year-
If we invested this little $30 difference over 10 years this will generate $5,697.15!

Next move...cutting cable?! Stay tuned

 

Fitness Goals: Maintain 125-128 lbs and 18% body fat

Looks like I'm going to have the same goal as last year! I'm currently tipping the scales at my heaviest weight with these girls growing by the day. I'm trying to keep my weight gain slow and steady by eating healthy (most of the time) and staying active at work. It's a huge mindset change to be happy about the scale increasing and isn't always easy to watch your body change, but I remind myself daily how blessed I am to be in this situation!

Before babies

 

 

22 weeks pregnant with twins

       

 

Part two of my 2014 Goals: Part II will be posted soon- Check back for that and more pregnancy updates.
-xoxo-
Sarah