Twin pregnancy: 22 weeks down, 18 to go!

How far along are you: 22 weeks!

Maternity clothes: The "maternity clothes are necessary if I want to go in public" phase has hit! My bump is too big for all my shirts, so basically I have officially been limited to like 3 outfits I can wear in public. Luckily, I don't go many places, so this isn't much of an issue! I do have quite a few sweaters/long sleeve maternity shirts from when I was pregnant with Ellie, but I don't have much when it comes to short sleeve shirts...guess I need to go shopping...

Sleep: I am sleeping well for the most part, but I have been waking up earlier every day regardless of when I go to bed, so that's kind of a bummer! At least it gives me time to myself with Ellie still sleeping in the morning.

Best moment this week: Hm, Was there a "best moment" this week? I don't think so. Not my favorite week.

Miss anything: The days when my pelvic bone didn't feel like it was splitting in two.

Movement: Yep. Pretty sure these little guys are having boxing matches in my belly from time to time.

Food cravings: Ice cream. Lots of it. ha ha! Oh, and Marv n'Joes! USU peeps should know what these are. It's french bread (or any thick cut home-made bread) with butter, garlic salt, then a couple slices of ripe fresh tomatoes, then some pepper then a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar and a slice of provolone cheese with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top. Then you broil it until it's a bit brown and crusty. Delish. Everyone needs to try it. NOW!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Other than the scary bugs here in TN, nope!

Have you started to show yet: You betcha! 

Gender: Two boys :) I'm thinking Hortimer and Mortimer for names? ;) They're family names...

Belly button in or out: Out out OUT.

Labor signs: Had some contractions on Sunday and Monday so I went in to get checked. No dilating here, but they want me to rest and take it easy as much as possible with an 18 month old. :) It's been going OK but I've been feeling much better since Monday.

Wedding rings on or off: On. No swelling yet, however I think my feet are getting bigger! My favorite pair of heels doesn't fit anymore.

Looking forward to: Having everything purchased and set up for the babies! I am having a lot of anxiety lately and I just want to GET IT ALL DONE! I know I'm not due for technically 18 weeks, but by golly I want to get everything ready and set up by the end of August for a few reasons. 1. I doubt I will be very mobile as time goes on, so I want to do it while I'm feeling good 2. I just want it done! 3. I hope they come at 37 weeks. Or 37 weeks 1 day, so their birthday will be 11/10/12. I need more children with awesome birthday's since Ellie's is 1/1/11!


In other news, I'm contemplating what to do for bedding sets, nursery decor and what not. Buying TWO bedding sets is so pricey, especially when I am already planning on buying a double stroller and two of so many other things. But I'm sure having two babies will be a joyous fun adventure we will enjoy!

Ellie's 18 month stats

We finally got in to the pediatrician this morning for Ellie's 18 month check-up. Don't worry, she's almost 19 months old ha ha. Oh well!

She weighs 23 lbs 15.5 oz and is 31 1/2 inches tall. Both of these put her right around the 50th percentile mark. She's still my little girl, that's for sure! Her head was just over the 50th percentile, so she's very proportionate.

Everything looks good with her development and growth and she didn't have to get ANY shots today! Bonus! She did have to get her finger pricked for some blood though, but she did remarkably well with that. They will call us if anything is abnormal, so let's hope it's not!

I wasn't 100% impressed with this pediatrician, because he wasn't very thorough. He asked me only a couple questions, but I felt like he was rushing us, which I hate when going to any Dr. Maybe we'll try someone new for the next visit?

All in all, our little Ellie is healthy and doing well. She's going through some anxiety with sleeping in her bed and I think it was triggered by taking the side off of her crib. She did super well the first night, but then she wouldn't take a nap in her bed or go near it. We put the side back up, and she STILL didn't want to go near the bed!When we got back from our early appointment, I made her take a nap, because she didn't go to sleep until 11 and was up at 7! She screamed for a while because I put her in the crib but hopefully this phase passes because she's always been a GREAT sleeper, and I'd hate for that to end now!

Time to go do something productive (or maybe just look at things on pinterest to make...)

I can do hard things...

This is the phrase I have been telling myself all day today as I have been in a lot of pain. My body just isn't liking being pregnant with twins, and I have been having so much pelvic pain, back pain and leg pain that I can barely walk, and when I walk it's more of a waddle. And I'm only 21 1/2 weeks pregnant. If I'm having such a hard time now, I can't even imagine what's coming for the next 15 1/2 weeks or so!!

Another hard thing: I started having some contractions on Sunday, and I went in to my dr. yesterday to make sure things were OK. It wasn't labor, and there's not really anything to be worried about since I haven't dilated at all. The dr. just wants me to rest as much as I can and to take it easy. And I have to go back next Monday just to be sure things are still good. So I'm not officially on bed rest since it's not preterm labor, but I am supposed to be taking it "easy" while taking care of my 18 month old...ha ha! Easier said than done. It is hard for me to not pick her up when she just wants me to hold her, but picking her up hurts so badly. It's also very hard for me to just sit around, and not take care of things at home, since I am the one who is home all the time.

Despite all these hard things that I'm faced with right now, I know I can get through this one way or another. Hopefully I find some ways to relieve some of the pain so I can at least be somewhat productive around the house. As for now, I'm going to keep sitting and enjoying the silence around me as Ellie continues to sleep.

Ellie loves to dance!

We got video of Ellie dancing tonight, and it was hilarious. She would copy anything we did and David was dancing with her. We'll probably be putting this one in dance classes!!

Twins: 20 weeks

Sorry no picture today. I didn't take one yesterday, and I am having an "I hurt too much to care about what I look like" day today.

How far along are you: 19 weeks 6 days

Maternity clothes: Still pants but I can get away with my long shirts.

Sleep: I have a hard time getting comfortable enough to fall asleep, but once I do I can sleep through the night without having to get up to use the bathroom (woohoo!) I sleep between 9-10 hours a night, and I need every minute I can get!

Best moment this week: Having a good Dr. appointment and meeting another Dr. in the office that is pro-vaginal delivery with twins instead of the younger Dr.'s approach of auto schedule c-sections for twins!

Miss anything: Being able to do anything I want without pain, limitations, lack of energy, and cookie dough.

Movement: Yes, but not tons still.

Food cravings: Comfort foods, sweets, foods that don't give me heartburn!

Anything making you queasy or sick: If heartburn counts as sick then yes. It showed up a few nights ago out of nowhere. Lame.

Have you started to show yet: Yes, and today when I had my appointment my big belly measured 27 cm, 7 weeks ahead of what I am! No wonder my body is thinking it's so much further along with TWO!

Gender: 100% confirmed two little boys!

Belly button in or out: It's all out these days. No signs of ever going back! hah.

Labor signs: Not that I have been aware of, but I have had some instances where I'm doing too much too fast and I start to hurt so I have to rest. Hoping I avoid pre-term labor, as this is what will put me on bed rest!

Wedding rings on or off: On. No swelling yet.

Looking forward to: My next appointment and the end...ha ha!

The babies both looked good today. Baby A wouldn't give us a shot of his face, so we'll have an ultrasound at my next appointment. They are both head down and I hope they want to stay that way to make things easier!

Ellie: 18 months

I can't believe my little Ellie is 18 months, but she is! She's getting to be such a big girl and is growing up more and more every day!

She's a busy little girl that keeps me on my toes 90% of the time and I just love her!

Here are some things about her at 18 months:

• She has 9 teeth now! One tooth came in right as we were going to Utah at the end of June, and she's got two molars coming in.
• She is addicted to her binky and has to have it everywhere. I was hoping to get it away from her by 18 months, but no such luck. Maybe after this round of teething is over?? She calls it her "ginky" and always knows where we hide them!!
• She has recently become a picky eater, but will still eat goldfish, grapes, bananas, cheese of any kind, turkey lunch meat, bread (sometimes), pretzels, peas, rice, pasta of any kind (except mac & cheese), watermelon, apples and sometimes bell peppers, cooked or raw. She won't eat much meat, especially not beef! I have no idea why.
• She is wearing size 4-5 shoes, size 3 diapers and 18 month clothes (though the few 12 month things I haven't put away yet still fit).
• She can say a big variety of words and is now especially good at saying "mine" since our visit to Utah. She and her little cousin who is almost 2 years older than her didn't always play super well, and she picked up mine pretty quickly! She loves to say "hewwo" when picking up a phone, remote or anything else she thinks is a phone. She jabbers all the time, and sometimes I can understand what she wants/needs.
• Her favorite show is Curious George (thank you, Netflix!) and sometimes it allows me to get some quiet time for 20 minutes/clean up uninterrupted, do what I need to do!
• She always wants to go "buh bye" and if we forget to lock the front door, that's exactly what she'll do!
• She loves giving hugs and kisses and isn't satisfied unless she gives you a kiss on the lips.
• She loves to sing and dance and twirl around the room.
• Her favorite toys are her stuffed kitty, her baby and the doll stroller. She will push that thing around forever, and also try to get inside it, too!

She is a silly girl and we love her so much! I still have to make her 18 month appointment, so after that, I can update with her stats as far as weight/height go. I'm guessing she's about 23 or 24 lbs.