23 Weeks: MFM appointment

Today was a normal checking on the Mommy appointment.  It was pretty fast and not super interesting.  This was our first real appointment with this doctor, and I really did like him.  He answered all of my crazy questions way more thoroughly than some of the other doctors. 

This appointment was the first time we didn't get an ultrasound.  That is kind of a bummer, but it is the first time that we've actually heard their heart beats on the doppler. It was pretty interesting to finally get to hear their hearts.  We'll have another ultrasound next Friday anyway. 

The doctor said that they will not let me go past 35 or 36 weeks probably depending on their size.  That means we only have 12 or 13 weeks tops left before we have TWO babies!  He said one of the 3 MFMs will be there at delivery even if it happens on Christmas. 

I am officially measuring in at 27 weeks.  I'm only measuring a month ahead of schedule.  The next 12-13 weeks are going to be awesome.

The babies have been moving like crazy the last two days.  They have finally started really moving at the same time.  It is really exhausting. I think I'm going to miss the days when they felt like goldfish flopping around in my belly. 

23 weeks: Stats

Cassie came in today.  We almost forgot to do pictures because Cody was having so much fun with Colt.  Here I am celebrating 23 weeks!  We are getting pretty close to the point where some babies survive outside the womb.

How far along? 23 weeks !!

 Baby's size? 2 Large mangoes!  (Over 11 inches and more than a pound)

 Total weight gain: 5 pounds (0 this week)

 Belly circumference:   At the top: 37"   At the belly button:  42.5"   At the maximum: 43.25”

 I have noticed that my belly size changes.  This weekend it was over 44” at the max.  I was breathing way better then.  I think someone moved and is now back by my lungs.  Come on babies, I’m fine with a huge belly if it means I can breathe.

 
Belly Button Status:  Cody is still on belly button watch waiting for it to pop out.  Apparently he is hoping it makes some sort of popping noise at the moment it pops out.  I really doubt he will get his wish.

What I’m Wearing:  I’m pretty much out of all pre-pregnancy shirts.  I can technically get some on, but they look silly.  They don't fully cover the panel in the maternity jeans, so that makes it worse.

Symptoms:  I’m still having trouble breathing off and on.  I imagine it has to do with baby positioning.  I’m also having more exhaustion after little activity.  Other than that, things have been pretty smooth.

Nausea:  My prenatal vitamin is starting to upset my stomach more.  I’ve had some issues there, but otherwise my nausea is pretty much gone as long as long as I don’t eat too much.

Baby Movement:  They are still moving around in there.  It is still mostly small movements.  Cody finally felt them again today.  I got them pumped up on ice cream and ready to dance.  They occasionally move at the same time.  It is definitely a weird feeling.

How I'm Sleeping:  I’m officially not sleeping through the night ever.  I can sleep about 4 hours max before I have to get up.  That is definitely not fun.

Things I Miss:  I miss being able to do dishes without getting my belly all wet.  I’m still not used to how far out I stick out, so my belly gets hit on things or gets wet. 

Best moment this week:  My parents came to help with the house and see us this weekend.  It was a short trip, but it was really nice to see them.  We had a couple of nice neighbors come over to help with the siding Sunday and they made some real progress.  I feel bad that I can’t help anymore, but I can barely get out of bed without a struggle… ladders are just really out for me.  The siding looks good.  We may finish by the time babies are here!!!! (God, I hope so)

Mood this week:  I’m having more bad moods related to not being able to do things because of the strain on my body, but I’ve been okay.  I had trouble getting in the pickup today to move it, and I had a little meltdown over that.  I’m going to have to carry a step stool.

Upcoming Appointments:  I have an OB appointment Friday.  This will be my first real appointment with the last MFM in the practice that I haven’t met.  There are 3, so I’ve met the other 2.  I will ask about who will deliver me and how long they will let me keep the babies in.  I’ll also ask if I need to gain more weight and how they would want me to do that.  I’ve only gained 5 pounds and the babies alone are over 2 of that.    

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Cassie will be here in a couple of hours.  Cody and I are pretty excited about that.  Trying to clean to get ready for company has really shown me how little I can do before I just get knocked out.  So if anyone plans to visit, please practice ignoring dust and such.

22 week Appointment: Growth Scan

My appointment today went very well.  Cody couldn't make it, so I asked my friend Amy if she wanted to go with me. It was nice to have company and she had never seen an ultrasound in real life. 

 

The ultrasound tech was very friendly.  I've had her before.  She is a lot more excited about how cute things are than some of the other techs.  She decided to take a few 3d pictures for us this time.  They look really creepy, but they are pretty cute if you don't think about it too much.  You can really see how crammed in there they are in 3d.  One baby is head up and one baby is head down.  That means a lot of the pictures of one's face is ruined by the other one's junk or butt.  They look bony and weird because they haven't started gaining their fat yet.  They are still just skin and bone.  Soon they will start filling out.

 

Leonidas:

 

This is the best 3d picture we got.  You can see his face really well.  Since the boys are identical, you can just pretend this is also Zeus.  You can see Zeus's foot by Leonidas's ear on the left side.

 

 

This one is not as clear on Leonidas's face, but you can see more of Zeus's foot.

 

Zeus:

 

Here is a regular scan of his whole body.  His skull is on the left side and his legs are bent down on the right side.  You can see his spine along the top.

 

Here is a picture of his face looking straight at you.  His arm is bent above his head on the top.  On the right side, you can see his belly and his legs bent on the top and bottom.

 

Here is a less good image of Zeus.  I don't know what is by his ear, but I imagine it is just one of those things that shows up in this time of image.  He does not really have an elf ear.  You can see Leonidas's leg pressed against his face. 

 

 

 The doctor says the babies look good.  Their size is within 1% of each other which is very good.  They weigh about 15 oz each.  The doctor portion was very short, so that is pretty much all she said.  I go in for a doctor's appointment next week, so we can talk to the doctor more then if we come up with questions or concerns.

 

 

22 weeks: Stats

We've made it to 22 weeks.  We are just a couple of weeks away from them having a chance to survive outside of the womb if something happened.  I'm starting to get fairly big.  At least I'm starting to feel quite big.  I'm feeling pretty good right now.  I have to take a lot of rest breaks, but it sure beats how I felt earlier in the pregnancy.

Here is the belly:

How far along? 22 weeks !!

Baby's size? 2 Spaghetti Squashes!  (about  11 inches and nearly a pound each)

Total weight gain: 5 pounds (1 this week)

Belly circumference:   At the top: 37"   At the belly button:  41.5"   At the maximum: 42.25"

Belly Button Status:  Cody has developed a measuring methodology for belly button progress.  It involves 2 of those small straws that go in alcoholic drinks.  Ultimately, the belly button still appears to be getting shallower.

What I’m Wearing:  I’m officially getting a little too round for some pre-pregnancy t-shirts.  Some are too snug in the belly and some are just too short.  Maternity jeans are getting more comfortable.  I’m going to have a hard time going back to jeans with buttons and zippers. 

Symptoms:  I can’t really complain.  My biggest issue right now is occasionally not being able to breathe.  I assume it is because they are both head up and really high against my stomach and lungs.  Some days are worse than others.  Overall, I’m feeling pretty good.

Nausea:  My biggest issue with nausea now is when I eat too much.  I can only eat like 10 bites at a time or I feel so full I just want to throw up. 

Baby Movement:  Cody felt them move today!!!  It was funny to see his confused reaction.  I think he was expecting something more powerful.  He was pretty excited though.  Their movement is still not very steady overall.  They seem to be most active at around 2am, 6am, and 10am.  I’m not sure why these times, but they tend to wake me up with all their moving on this schedule.  Then they seem to sleep most of the day.   That should be a fun schedule when they are born!

How I'm Sleeping:  Well, I have to get up every 3-4 hours to pee.  The babies have their dance party every 4 hours overnight.  So, when those events line up, sleeping is going okay.  When they don’t line up, it can be pretty miserable.

Things I Miss:  I miss being able to sit in a chair comfortably for more than an hour.  When Cody and I went to watch the KSU game at the bar last weekend, I was so incredibly uncomfortable by half time.  I told Cody that it’s a really bad sign when I can’t even sit down anymore. 

Best moment this week:  We had a lot of fun watching the football game.  That is something that will be a lot more difficult when we have the boys.  We got to eat crappy food in bar stools and drink way too much beer (Cody) and half a glass of soda (me). 

Mood this week:  Considering I’m getting much less sleep, my mood has been fine.

Upcoming Appointments:  The growth scan is Friday.  It is a super fast appointment.  They pretty much just look at each baby’s head size, belly size, and femur length then look at their fluid levels.  It will be nice to see the babies again and I hope they are growing okay. 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Well, Cassie is coming up to visit next week.  That should be fun.  Cody still hasn’t seen Colt, so it will be fun to see how he handles having a baby in the house for a few days.

21 weeks: Stats

Another week has chugged along.  I can't believe we'll probably have babies in 3 months.  Things have been much better for me overall.  I'm finally feeling that freedom and happiness that the second trimester is supposed to bring.  Our picture taking experience for this week was much better.  My face was not filled with rage, but there are still weird people on the internet so I've cropped my face out again.  These pictures are not the best.  We had some trouble with the flash in the bathroom.  It gets dark so early now we lost all the natural light to make a normal looking picture. 

Anyway... Courtney at 21 weeks:

 

 

 I will probably remove this one after a while, but these nice normal size belly shots are probably something I will soon want to remember:

How far along? 21 weeks

Baby's size? 2 Bananas!  According to the baby sites, the babies are each about 10.5” long and each about ¾ of a pound.  (I don't think I've ever seen a 10.5" banana.  Someone, somewhere must have gigantic bananas)

Total weight gain: 4 pounds (2 this week)

Belly Button Status:  Cody has been contemplating the best way to measure belly button progress.  I think he is weird.  My belly button looks about the same as last week.

What I’m Wearing:  It has finally been cool enough to break out the jeans more often.  I’ve been wearing pre-pregnancy jeans with a belly band to cover the top unzipped/unbuttoned part.  It feels really weird to walk around with your pants open.  Weird but awesome.

Symptoms:  The last week has actually been great with few symptoms.  I think now that my belly is rounding out the babies are putting less pressure on my lungs and stomach.  It was getting to the point of being difficult to breathe, but it has been much better this week.

Nausea:  My nausea has been pretty much gone this week.  I have still thrown up a couple of times, but I don’t feel so sick before or after.

Baby Movement:  Their movement is getting quite a bit stronger.  It is funny because I never really feel them both at the same time.  They do alternate though.   Usually Zeus is the one that gets it started, then when he stops Leonidas will flail around for a while, then Zeus starts up again.  Once in a while they both make a ruckus at the same time.  Cody still hasn’t felt them, but he probably will soon if he is patient enough.

How I'm Sleeping:  I’m getting better at rolling around, but the restroom problem is worse.  I can sleep for about 4 hours tops before I have to get up to pee.  I imagine it will only get worse with time. 

Things I Miss:  I miss being able to sleep without getting up in the middle of the night.  I can probably look forward to the babies ruining my sleep for the next 20+ years.

Best moment this week:  We put the first crib together this weekend.  Cody did most of it, but he did trap me inside the frame to help put screws in.  It is really weird walking by the guest room/soon to be nursery and seeing a crib.  2 cribs put together will probably rock our world.

Mood this week:  I haven’t thrown any hammers… so it must be better than last week.  There is a lot less stress after the positive anatomy scan.  Now the babies just need to grow at the same rate and they need to stay in until 35/36 weeks.

Upcoming Appointments:   I have a growth scan next week.  Ultrasounds are so much less exciting than they used to be.   I’m getting to the point where appointments will be even more frequent. 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  We are looking forward to our shower in October.  I got the shower invitation this weekend… well,  I actually got two.  That way we have one for each baby book.  The invitations are adorable.  It will be really nice to see all of the family on my side before the babies keep me home bound. 

From the invitation:

 ... Priceless

 

Anatomy Scan Results

Today we had the Anatomy Scan.  This was a long, detailed ultrasound.  After the tech had been taking images for about 45 minutes, she said,"All done." I got excited until she finished the sentence, "with baby A."   So it was another 45 minutes to get through measuring Zeus.  We then had to wait 20 minutes or so for the doctor to review the images.  Then we spent 5 minutes with the doctor.  3 of those were filled with the doctor asking Cody how pigs are slaughtered.  Another appointment, another discussion of farm animals.

There was really no news to report. The boys have all of their fingers, toes, hearts, kidneys, boy pieces etc...  The doctor said he didn't have any concerns right now.  They have an 8% difference in growth which is well within acceptable parameters.  Leonidas is 12 ounces and Zeus is 11 ounces.  I have nearly a pound and a half of baby total and I've gained 2 pounds.  I think that means I can up my strawberry shake and Snickers bar allotment.

The tech printed 16 images and I'll just post them all.  I'm a crazy first time mom, so weeding out less interesting images is impossible.

Here are the babies:

Here is the top of the baby heads.  You can see Leonidas's hand in between them.

A more clear image of the tops of their heads.  You can see how close they are.  One of them was poking the other with his finger during a big portion of the scan. 

Leonidas:

His first profile shot.  It is way more clear than any of the previous scans have been. 

A second profile shot.  His nose looks a little different between the two images.  As long as he has a nose, I'm sure it is adorable.

 

On the left side, you can see his left arm and left hand.  On the right side, you can see his right arm only.  I don't know for sure which body part is with the arm, but I imagine it is his chest/belly.

The tech had to work to get the right hand image, and here it is.  He was giving up a thumbs up.

I will probably delete this picture once the family has had a chance to see it because.... yuck, I don't want to be that mom.  Maybe this image will satisfy Grandma enough to not take the usual naked baby shot after he is born... probably not.  Here is proof that we are having a boy!  His pieces are the bright white area below and to the right of the word boy.  The blobs to the left are probably Zeus.

His legs.  Left on the left and right on the right.

His feet.  You can see the shape of the left foot on the left side.  On the right side, his right foot is in between the long horizontal blobs in the middle.  Those horizontal blobs may be Zeus's legs... not sure.  There are a lot of body parts in my belly.

Zeus:

Zeus's first profile shot.  Either he is going to pick his nose or Leonidas is trying to punch him.  Either way, you can see a hand and an arm near his face.

His second profile shot. It looks like it must be his own hand.  Looks like we're adding another nose picker to the family.

His shoulder, arm, and hand.  I think this is 2 images of the same arm.  It looks like he's got some pretty nice guns already. 

His other arm and hand.  You can also see his rib cage in the lower right corner.

Again, I will probably delete this after the family has had a chance to see.  Our second boy!  I asked the tech if they measure the length of the parts.  She laughed and said not usually, but there are people that request it.  Fun fact of the day.  There is an arrow pointing to the applicable pieces.

Here is an absolutely adorable shot of his feet.  On the left image, you can see his little foot arch.  His feet are kind of crossed so you can see some of both feet on each side. 

Here is the bottom of his feet.  The one on the right looks a little weird.  Maybe he got my monkey feet and his big toe is just really far away from his other toes.

20 Week Stats

Well here we are... 20 weeks.  The babies are half baked.  I thought I'd take this opportunity to finally start posting pictures of my belly.  In person, it seems like it looks more like a baby and less like burritos, but through the camera lens it may still just be burrito.  I cropped out my head for two reasons: 1) This is the internet and I don't know what weirdos may be reading and 2) Taking pictures with Cody turned in to such an ordeal that you can literally see my rage building in each picture he took.

I present... Courtney at 20 weeks:

(Note: this is the bathroom that we just finished tiling.  The shower door is new as well.  The walls are not finished being painted and cleaned of grout remains.)

 

How far along? 20 weeks

Baby's size? 2 Cantaloupes! Or you can say 2 Bananas.  (It goes by length not total size of the fruit)

Total weight gain: 2 pounds

Belly Button Status:  Cody has become obsessed with the status of my belly button.  I’m 99% sure he is more excited to see my belly button pop out than he is to have babies.  Right now it is firmly in, but it may be getting a little shallower. 

What I’m Wearing:   I need shirts long enough to cover my long torso + 2 baby belly and my jeans have no hope of ever being zipped let alone buttoned… but the maternity jeans are not quite doing it for me yet.  I love sundresses and stretchy black workout pants.

Symptoms:  There is really nothing new going on.  I eat much smaller meals, but I need to eat every hour or two.  I’m starting to get the line down the middle of my stomach.  It is still thin and light, but I can only imagine the horrors of my belly in 4 months. 

Nausea:  Some smells will still get me.  Mostly I get queasy if I wait too long to eat.  I’ve learned to eat as soon as my body starts to say I’m hungry or I end up throwing up the rest of the day.

Baby Movement:   I feel Leonidas and Zeus off and on.  If I am bent at the waist, they are more likely to give me a kick.  One night they woke me up every hour or so having a wrestling match in there.  I could feel movement on both sides high and low.  It really made me worry about what it will be like when they get bigger and stronger!

How I'm Sleeping:  I’m doing okay sleep-wise.  It is getting increasingly difficult to roll my giant body over.  It is not so much how round I am, but how inflexible my middle has become.  I can’t really bend or twist.  It takes a lot of effort to fling myself over.  If  something wakes me up while I’m asleep I have to get up to pee, but if I manage to stay asleep I’m good.

Things I Miss:  I miss being able to get out of a recliner without a struggle.  I miss being able to pick things up off the floor without getting woozy.  I miss being able to drink booze while we watch football.

Best moment this week:  Cody made his first solo baby purchase.  He ordered 2 K-State onesies and a set of K-State pacifiers.  He got nothing for himself.  Making a KSU order and not getting a t-shirt, polo, or new license plate cover…  It looks like someone is turning into a Daddy!

Mood this week:  I would like to say my moods have been less up and down, but I did throw a hammer at Cody this weekend….  This might be a better question to ask Cody.

Upcoming Appointments:  I have the ultrasound that everyone is familiar with on Friday.  It is the 20 week anatomy scan that pretty much everyone gets.  They will take tons of measurements and observations to look for abnormalities with the anatomy of each baby.  They will check to make sure all the organs and structures are there and formed properly.  I’m pretty nervous about this because this is when we find out if there are any major issues like heart problems or kidney problems.  If we do get an all clear, we are still not out of the woods because of the unique problems of mono/di twins, but it will be nice to know I made good hearts, brains, legs, etc…

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Cooler temperatures!  I can't wait to start wearing jeans again.  I'm going to cherish every second of this fall.