Ultrasound day

2 weeks ago these babies weighed 4.5 pounds each.

Today, baby A (which is head down..yay!) is 5.5 pounds and baby B (which is again breach....nay!) is 6 pounds.
Both are measuring perfect sizes and the ultrasound tech was laughing as she told me I have 2 full size babies in me, tracking exactly how singletons do.

My reaction? Relief! My biggest fear having twins was going into premature labour andor having small babies....I have passed these milestones and the next few weeks are merely for weight gain. I would love to come home with these boys without any intensive care unit stay.

But what is a post from me without some type of venting!

We were at Costco on Sunday and as we tried to pull into an Expectant Mothers parking stall, some sneaky lady pulled in before us....she gets out of the car and lo and behold she is at least 60 and clearly NOT pregnant nor does she have a young child with her. Tim was livid, the parking lot was full and we had to park pretty far away. It's not the walk that bothered me, it's the fact that this lady clearly ignored the sign. The handicap stall was also open, how come she did not park there? If I were to pull into a handicap stall, chances are someone would say something to me. Would you have said something to this lady?

Confession: We like to go to Costco on Sundays around lunch time and Tim and Cole feed off of the free snacks. Last weekend there were crab rolls, protein bars, yogurt drinks, quesadillas and crackers and dip. Bad mommy? Please tell me you do this too!

Help is coming!

When we found out we were having twins, a friend of mine suggested I contact the Family Centre here in Winnipeg. Supposedly they provide help for families in need.....

Are we a family in need?

According to them, YES we are! Having a child at home (even part time) a hubby who works full time (even from home) and parents that live a decent jaunt away (even 30 minutes) is considered worthy of help...IF you are having multiples.

Knowing my friends experience with this centre was fantastic, I was willing to pursue...I am not one to leave my kids with just anyone. I made out a long list of questions, mostly related to qualifications of the staff.

This morning I met with the director of the program and filled out some paper work....Based on our monthly income the cost will run us $25 a day to have help here for 8 hours! That is about the same cost as having your child in a daycare with 15 other kids...cheap! The contract will run 6 months (whether I get 5 days a week or less is to be determined) and will start in January, which is perfect as Tim is off a few weeks in December. Now for the best part...

The worker is here to do baby only stuff....cleaning the kids rooms, kids laundry, help with feeding, changing, nap time and most of all ENSURING THE MOTHER GETS HER REST.....those were the directors words...not mine. I can walk Cole to school and have the worker stay with the twins. I can run errands, get in a workout, take a shower...whatever I need were the words she used.

Score!

There is a bit of guilt in me as I do have help available from my mother-in-law and my own mom...BUT I am much better at directing someone who is non-related to me. I can show her what I want and expect and not be judged (even if it is constructive criticism)! Hopefully our families can visit us and just enjoy the kids and help in other ways (ah hem....weekends and any night shift takers out there?)

A big thanks to my friend who pointed me in this direction. We've been coasting by in "la la" land here, not fully realizing the extent of work 2 babies will require. I feel like I have the start of a plan now...and it feels right.

H1N1..are you vaccinating?

Too much conflicting info is out there regarding the H1N1 shot and who should get it.

I am at a loss. Tim, Cole and I have never even had the flu shot... and I'm scared.

What is your plan? Are you getting you and your kids vaccinated when the shot is available?

I'm usually a good decision maker but in this case, I can't seem to feel comfortable with either option.

34 week pics...oy vey!

Ok, for those of you who have insisted on a recent belly shot, here you go..just know this is VERY out of my comfort zone...Considering I will likely deliver in 2-3 weeks, I think this will be my last belly shot post.

Rear view.

Side view....

Trust me, discomfort level is 10/10 these days. I am winding down, really trying to rest and put my feet up and enjoy the babies moving inside.....it's the MOST amazing feeling, my belly never stops moving and strangers sitting next to me have even commented as the movements are so obvious.

Today was full of more bloodwork, seems as though the infectious disease doctor is not satisfied that my last round of tests came back negative. He wants to ensure I have no virus before I deliver. Trumping the ID doctor has been fun, you get extra attention when they can't seem to figure you out!

Girl time!

A few weeks ago my hubby went on a 4-day "guys" trip to Minneapolis for the Viking/Green Bay game.. Last hoorah before babies arrive.



Hummm.....last hoorah eh? How come us gals never need a last hurrah...? Not that a wild weekend of drinking, staying up late and watching football would be my first choice at 8 months pregnant...but still, I felt like I needed my own last hoorah.



As though she read my mind, a phone call came from Kami...can I fly in and visit you? Let's have a girls weekend! YES!! YES!! YES!!!



I booked the pedicures, rested up for the endless shopping I knew we would do, and scanned the movie section for chick flicks, only a fellow girlfriend would appreciate. I'm happy to say all of the above was accomplished!



So as I write this, Kami has ventured back to Regina (sniff sniff) and is back home with her awesome family (Thanks Jay for taking time off for Kami to come visit me!). I am left a bit lighter in the wallet from shopping ...and a bit heavier in the belly from Starbucks latte's, sushi and The Keg dinner... but FULL of happiness that I had some girl time with such a great friend.



I'm hoping Kami will do a post on her shopping extravaganza...the girl can shop!!!!!! I enjoyed spending HER money...and seeing how fantastic she looks in every outfit she bought. Kami helped me buy a few accessories for the house including some wall art and towels. We all know my aversion to decorating...



While men may need weekly, monthly "guys" nights out....I honestly feel perfectly refreshed & rejuvenated now that I had one weekend with my gal...kid free, hubby free....schedule free...

4.5 lbs

4.5 lbs is the weight of each baby per my U/S today. Things are looking great.

As for the anonymous comment on my last post about U/S being "bad", grain of salt my friends. To each his own. The risk we take when we blog publicly. I love seeing that my babies are growing and doing well and ultrasounds give me that reassurance.

A HUGE thanks to all of my friends who have been so sweet and supportive, wanting to know how I'm doing, droping off meals, motivating me to keep these babies inside me and rest as much as possible. Also, many, many of you have been so kind to tell me I look great for carrying twins....you all make up for the few people who have told me my belly is MASSIVE and that I'm "really getting big" whisper, stare....

My personal opinion is that women have the toughest gig carrying a baby. Your body is NOT your own anymore, you grow in odd ways, some carry small, others carry big. Some gain 20 lbs, others 60lbs. It would be nice if we could simply celebrate pregnancy in general and not worry so much about size and weight.

To those who are concerned about my "growth" I say this:

I have gained 30 pounds to date, OMG 30 pounds, how dare I gain that much? Well there is more to come as the doc wants another 15 pounds from me. I eat alot...always have, but I eat well with the occasional "treat". I also walk Cole to and from school each day which totals 4km and I weight train 3-4 days a week. YES my belly measures a full term belly at 40cm (it should at this stage!) and YES I waddle and step slowly and cautiously due to the enormous pressure of 9 pounds of baby alone on my cervix. And YES, I likely have 4 more weeks to grow EVEN BIGGER, so let's just get used to it and try and filter any thoughts that include the words "big, huge, massive, gigantic, ready to pop etc.."

OK?

Oh, and for those who are assuming I will have a c-section (many people have asked me if I have booked my c-section) ..not so fast I say!. Both babies are head down now (thanks baby B for turning for me!) which means a vaginal birth can happen! I am not against C-Sections at all, if required but I'm certainly not " too posh to push! "

Back in 2 weeks for another U/S. We are in the home stretch.

4D babies!

A. The boys were not cooperating today...all I wanted was a few good close ups and all I got were limbs and bums and pee pees, and the occasional head shot...blurred by another baby's limbs, bum, cords, sac..you name it!

B. After 1.5 hours of trying to get a good 4D picture of them we gave up

C. I am back at baby moon "free of charge" next week in hopes of getting better pictures (the U/S techs felt bad)

We did manage a sleeper

And a yawner...

Cute nonetheless....

Here's hoping for success next week, although I will see them in person in less than 2 months....maybe this is a lesson in patience.

Maternity pics - Sneak Peek!

Yes I know, lots of pictures have been taken these past few weeks...Maybe because this is likely the last pregnancy and I want to capture it.

So I turned up on the photographers blog.... have a peek! She took some creative pictures and we truly had a great time!

http://karenhunterblog.com/


Cheryl