24-25 weeks...

Lots of pictures to share from the last 2 weeks! Ann and Joe invited my family and my parents over to their house for dinner so we could see where these little boys are going to go home to, and to meet their two current fur-babies (2 sweet little dogs they adore). We had a very nice dinner and Leo and Carmela had a great time pointing out the things that needed child-proofing. Brandon and me think we should start a business renting out our kids to couples who are about to have a baby to figure out what they need to worry about in their home with children around. :) They have a great sense for the things they aren't supposed to touch - lol. But their home is beautiful and the most perfect place to raise their two boys - it will be so fun to watch it fill with baby gear as the time comes near.

Also some new belly shots just for fun from 24 and 24.5 weeks. It is wonderful that the pool season is over now, because I think my bathing suit is just about headed for a wardrobe malfunction. I used it for every inch it was worth - although I must admit at a pool full of pre-teen and teenage boys and girls, I swear I am a walking billboard for abstinence! I should wear a sign that states "this could happen to you!!" - haha. Their wide-eyed stares and whispering/pointing at me among their groups of friends pretty much says it all. You're welcome parents :)

We also went and got a 3D/4D ultrasound done. The first picture is Liam, the second is Luke. Sooo cute - they are really funny in there. Luke kept putting his hands in Liam's face and at one point one of the them had his butt right up in the other ones face. The woman doing the ultrasound said that the membrane between twins is really thin, and they actually are feeling/interacting with eachother. That is so cool!! It was awesome getting to see them bounce around together and get a glimpse of what is really going on in there.

It seems impossible to me that we still have about 12 more weeks to go! I just don't think I can get much bigger. But it will happen I know :) I believe starting next week is when the appointments will start getting a little more invasive - bi-weekly cervix checks, non-stress tests, and growth ultrasounds. One of the great things about right now is that we have reached viability!! The babies should be able to survive outside of the womb now, although with assistance. So now we must keep packing on the weeks to make sure their little lungs and organs develop as much as possible.

As for me, I need to find some alternatives for clothing. What do you do when elastic-waist pants and empire-waisted shirts no longer fit???!! Maternity clothing isn't panning out for me - the size I need for my belly versus the rest of me doesn't match up, so I am kinda at a loss of what's next. Is it really time already for the mu-mu's???? :) You know you're in trouble when you're working at the computer and go to stand up and your boobs are stuck to your belly, and your belly is stuck to your thighs... so hot, I know!!! :) :)

22 weeks...

Not too very much to update, but we have hit the 22 week mark! We had an OB appointment, and the babies heartbeats were looking good, blood pressure good, weight....ehhhh. Actually not too bad - I have gained 16 pounds so far. At our last appointment I remember feeling shocked and appalled when they told me I was measuring 6 weeks ahead (that is, ahead of a normal singleton pregnancy). Well, the pregnancy karma gods have struck me, because now at 22 weeks I am measuring 33!!!!!!! No wonder I feel like I am at the end already (although far from it)! My back and hips are starting to ache, I can't breathe when I lay down, and this horrible debilitating cramp down my left butt cheek that strikes at the most inconvenient of times, sending me into a crippled hobble :) . Typical end-of-pregnancy types of things. But it is the strangers of the world who remind me, when claiming that it must be "any day now!", that no, it is not any day now!! Nor any week now. And barely any month now :) :) But definitely more than halfway there. And although the discomforts are settling in, I have to remember that this is not going to be easy from this point out and I need to just accept it. Because I do NOT want these babies coming out any time soon. I know I need to keep them cooking as long as possible. My biggest fear with twins is being born too early. So although this seems to be a complaining post, it truly is not. Because any type of symptom or pain that means the babies are growing and getting healthy, is one that I happily will take on for as long as it takes to get them into this world healthy and safe.
Even if that means I may not be able to fit in the shower much longer (Leo expressed his concerns about this to me yesterday) :)