33+5 the end is finally near!

So, I've been pretty terrible at updating the blog lately, and frankly it's because I don't feel like it. Why? I'm not sure entirely but I think part of it has to do with not wanting to focus on the fact that I'm on bed rest and can't do anything I want to do. Bed rest is going as well as it can be going, I suppose. I'm not a fan but I don't really get a choice and the alternative sucks. So, here I sit in bed 80% of my day doing a whole lot of non-productive things.

I have had more contractions in the past few days and I went in on Monday morning because I woke up with a lot of contractions and cramps. There were no changes though, and I'm still sitting at a 3 and 80% effaced. I feel like a ticking time-bomb really, because I went into labor with Ellie when I was barely a 2. The Dr. I saw on Monday said that at this point they probably wouldn't stop my labor since I am so close to 34 weeks. I had my normal appointment on Tuesday where I had a NST, Ultrasound and normal check-up. 

The NST went well and the babies are doing really great. I didn't really have contractions while I was on the monitors, but yet I had them later and all evening. Silly. The Ultrasound went well too and here are the baby's stats:

• Baby A is weighing in at 4 lb 9 oz and I think the Dr. said he is in the 40th ish percentile.

• Baby B is weighing in at 5 lb 7 oz and is around the 60th percentile.

• Baby A is still head down and is sitting on my left side.

• Baby B is transverse with his head on the left.

• They're both squished in there and I'm not confident that B will be able to turn since there is seriously NO room for them! 

• I'm carrying 10 lbs of baby. Wholy moly, no wonder my body is trying to be done!!

The ultrasound tech was having a hard time getting a good abdomen measurement on baby A since his brother is basically laying on top of him so there could be a small margin of error in his weight and he could be closer to his brother's weight. Guess we'll see! I'm kind of afraid of how big they'll be if I make it to 36 weeks!!

I'll answer my weekly questions then update more at the bottom with everything else.

 
How far along are you: 33 weeks 5 days

Maternity clothes: I have 6 shirts that still fit somewhat, but mostly I wear David's t shirts since mine are all waaay too small.

Sleep: Is very hard to get and I toss and turn ALL night long trying to get somewhat comfortable. I'm up at least 3 times a night for various reasons, and I'm not anticipating this getting any better soon!

Best moment this week: Hearing that they won't put me back on mag if I go into labor!

Miss anything: Feeling normal!

Movement: All the time, really.

Food cravings: Steak, comfort foods, sweets.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Getting dehydrated.

Have you started to show yet: This question is officially banished...

Gender: Two boys. Baby A = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Alan Grigsby, Baby B = _ _ _ _ David Grigsby :)

Belly button in or out: bulging and sore.

Labor signs: Daily contractions, but never more than 4/hour, lots of pressure and random cramping here and there.

Wedding rings on or off: On! Still no swelling!

Looking forward to:  Hitting 35 weeks in a little over a week and not worrying if I'm going to go into labor.

My ideal day for when they arrive is November 1st. I will be 1 day before 36 weeks, the babies shouldn't need any NICU time at that point and then all my kids will be born on the 1st! How fun is that? ha ha. Really, I just want to avoid Halloween. Not a fan of that being their birthday, however, then all my kids would be born on a holiday. So there could be a lot of fun days for them to be born. Just as long as they're born the 26th or later, and no longer than the 2nd ha ha. I'm picky, huh!?

I'm anticipating that everything will continue how it's been going thus far and I will easily make it to 35.5 weeks.

The Dr. I saw yesterday said that if they're born before 36 weeks then I should go to medical center to have them, just to avoid having one or both of them be transferred to the NICU and having me stuck at Franklin Woods Community Hospital recovering alone. He's the ONLY Dr. who has said this. All the others say they can handle 35 weeks and beyond just fine at Franklin Woods. So, really I'm not too worried if they come before 36, as I trust they'll do great considering I've had steroid shots to mature their lungs. However, I do realize that having them as close to 36 weeks as possible is best, and beyond would be even better, if it wouldn't interfere with when my mom is coming!! She's coming on the 4th/5th (late night flight) and is leaving on the 18th. So if I make it to my c-section, I'm stuck in the hospital until the 12th, and I only have help from my mom at home for 6 days. Not OK. Which is why they need to come on like the 30th or 1st, so we maximize our time with my mom helping me out with the babies at home! Keep your fingers crossed for me & thanks to everyone for the prayers, well wishes and help you've given us at this stressful time in our lives!

Any day now, huh?

No, Mr. I've never met you before and why are you talking to me and asking about my ginormica belly (which mind you is ONLY 38 cm...plenty of people prego with singletons get bigger than I am now...) while I sit and wait for my food at Five Guy's!!!

Seriously, biggest reason I'm GLAD I'm on bed rest. I surely could do without all the "any day now" comments and, "oh, looks like you're gonna have another baby real soon". 

I get it. I'm large, you're curious, so you make a comment. So I explain, "No. Not any day now, because I'm having twins, and I need to make it for a while longer." Yes, twins usually come early, and full term is considered different with twins. Oh, you want to know my life story now, well guess what?! I don't want to share it with you but I will so you stop talking to me. 

My answers to the most annoying questions I get WHEREVER I go:

• Yes, twins run in my family. If you want to know how many twins are in my family, then you're gonna have to sit down with me for an hour because there's a ridiculously large amount.

• No, I didn't think I would ever have twins even though they "run in my family"Who thinks they're REALLY going to have spontaneous twins? Anyone?? P.S. if they're identical, then guess what, it was by chance, not genetics. That status will be determined after they're born.

• YES this pregnancy was planned. Thank you for asking, wanna know the details!? Obviously you can't "plan" for twins unless you're doing IVF or some other fertility treatments, which we did not. Also if it was a singleton like we of course imagined it would be then my first and would be second child would have been 23 months apart. i.e. ALMOST 2 years. We wanted it that way. But because it's twins it's not going to be that way and I'm thankful no matter what. 

• Yes, I have a 21 month old daughter at home. Thanks for the mortified look on your face after that response.

• Yes I am going to "have my hands full". Thank you for telling me.

• Yes, I'll probably have more children, but I haven't even decided that one yet and why does it matter to you, Wal-Mart check-out lady?! Geesh, I'm pregnant with twins, do we need to be discussing this right now, especially since I don't even know you!?!

• I'm having twin boys, and yes they can tell what gender the babies are "these days".

• I'm due in November. This is my easy answer and if I tell you my "real" due date, you'll look at me like I'm huge and I'll have to explain myself and tell you my life story and you'll probably ask all of the above questions, so I'll just leave it at I'm due in November.

This week alone I have answered almost all those questions to people who I've never met and who frankly in my opinion shouldn't be asking me such personal stuff. The maintenance guy who came to look at our fridge said as he was leaving the house, "Looks like you'll be havin' another baby real soon, huh?" I just left it at that. I felt like I didn't need to tell him anything else since he was on his way out.  

I'm not writing these things to be rude or anything, but seriously I don't want to be asked any of these things by people I've never met before! Thank goodness nobody has tried to touch my belly, because I guarantee if they tried they'd be sorry and I'd be explaining to some manager or security personnel why I punched them, smacked their hand away or any other method of keeping someone from invading my personal space. Also, NO pregnant woman no matter how big she is or how miserable she looks wants to hear ANY FORM of, "You gonna have that baby yet?". Trust me.

So as I said before this is one reason I'm glad I'm on bed rest and don't have to deal with this much anymore. All I get to deal with are people in my OB's office that look at me like I'm ready to pop. At least they don't say anything. Looks are much better than obnoxious conversations with strangers.

Sorry, I had to vent since yesterday after my appointment when David and I grabbed lunch at Five Guy's some guy in his 40s had to make the "any day now" comment and I had to give him my life story including answering his question about how far along I am and him saying, "Oh, there's not that much longer until you're full term then, right?" Well actually full term is still 37 weeks, and that's another month away from 33 weeks... Ugh. People. I'm not a people person when I'm pregnant. Well, I take that back...I'm not a stranger people person when I'm pregnant, or actually ever.

30.5 weeks and only 6.5 left!!!

Today I had my 30 week appointment. Things are going well, I've gained about 33ish pounds and my blood pressure is normal and healthy.

I got to have an ultrasound today and here is what I learned because of it:

• Baby A currently weighs 3 lbs 9 oz and is head down. He's in the 43rd percentile for growth.

• Baby B currently weighs 3 lbs 15 oz and is breech. He's in the 67th percentile for growth.

• Both babies heart rates were in the 140s and healthy, and they're both doing well.

• Baby A was stubborn and didn't want to show his face to the ultrasound tech, and baby B is more active and crazy than baby A!

In talking with the Dr. today, we decided it would be wise to just schedule a c-section for 37 weeks, which is November 9th! Crazy, and I totally don't want a c-section, but it seems I'm going to end up with one unless baby B really cooperates!! If he decides to cooperate and I haven't had them by 37 weeks, my c-section can then be turned into an induction and hopefully that will lead to a good vaginal delivery of both babies. Any prayers that I get to have them without a c-section would be greatly appreciated!! The Dr. also said that they will aggressively try to stop labor before I hit the 34 week mark, so I can pretty much count on making it that far at LEAST. If I make it to about 35 1/2 weeks then I will be able to have the babies at the smaller community hospital here,which is what I want more than anything. I loved having Ellie at Orem Community Hospital because it was small and very personable, so I'd like to have the babies at Franklin Woods, not Johnson City Medical Center. However, if there are complications, I'll be having them at JCMC, which won't be the end of the world. When it comes down to it, I just want to get my babies here and have them healthy!

Things have been going OK so far. I am definitely feeling super pregnant, and now that I know the combined weight of both babies is MORE than Ellie was when she was born, I know why I feel this way! I have lots of pain and discomfort all day long no matter what I'm doing or how I'm doing it! I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but I have just accepted the fact that it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. I'm not able to do a whole lot before my body tells me that it's finished and is giving up for the rest of the day, and if you walked into my house, you'd be able to tell...Ugh. Hate that I can't keep up with everything anymore!

I am getting more excited to meet these babies, but mostly to get them out of my ribs! I'm excited to see how Ellie does with having TWO little babies in the house but I'm nervous as well. She loves other babies, so hopefully she'll love her little brothers! I start going to the Dr. twice a week starting in 2 weeks, so that's fun...I will have NST's and normal check-ups every Tuesday and Friday, and ultrasounds about every 4 weeks or so. I'm pretty much going to feel like I live at the Dr.'s office! Not much else to say, so here are my normal questions:

How far along are you: 30 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: Are becoming too small...

Sleep: I need to try to get MORE of this, because I fight my brain to fall asleep at night!

Best moment this week: Knowing that I will be 100% done by November 9th!

Miss anything: My lungs being able to expand and my ribs being un-occupied!

Movement: Lots, but only crazy movement when I'm trying to sleep.

Food cravings: Ice cream, cookies, milk.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Only when I forget to eat.

Have you started to show yet: this shouldn't even be a question anymore

Gender: Two little boys, and we've figure out who gets what name and what middle name and I'm so excited to announce their names and see them once they get here!

Belly button in or out: Big time out and stretched to the max, almost looks like it's bruised for 3 inches all the way around it!!!

Labor signs: Daily contractions, but never more than 4/hour.

Wedding rings on or off: On! So happy I'm not swelling at all!!

Looking forward to: November, when they'll be here and I'll be done!!

Too lazy to go take a pic, so I guess we'll have to wait until next time, if I'm feeling like taking pictures of myself at that point...

Closing in on third trimester!

I will be done with my 2nd trimester at the end of the week. WEIRD! As much as it seems like this pregnancy is taking SO MUCH DANG TIME TO GO BY (sorry for the caps, it's how I feel on a daily basis!) it is going by surprisingly fast. I can't believe it was just after we moved to Tennessee that we found out we're having twins. Also I can't believe it's basically September. Where did summer go??

Today, I had my 26 week appointment. I had an ultrasound to check on the growth of the babies since baby A was so far behind baby B. I was excited for this ultrasound because I was very curious as to how the babies were positioned, and I am pleased to say I was right in thinking that baby B had turned transverse. A couple of days ago I had some very uncomfortable movements coming from my right side, which belongs to baby B. I started having more pain in my ribs on my right side and I thought that baby B had turned sideways. Glad to know I can tell these things. Let's just hope he doesn't get stuck this way, because that's c-section material for sure! Baby A is still head down, so that's nice. He should stay that way. This is both a hope and an order.

As far as growth goes, Baby A has caught up for the most part with his brother. Their stats are:

Baby A:

• Weight: 2 lbs 1 oz
• Measuring "age" 26 weeks 6 days
• Heart Rate 132 BPM
• 33rd percentile
• Position: Head down, left side

Baby B:

• Weight: 2 lbs 5 oz
• Measuring "age" 27 weeks 4 days
• Heart Rate 138 BPM
• 66th percentile
• Position: Transverse with head on left, feet on right side

The doctor is the same one I had seen 2 weeks ago and I still really really like him. My fingers are crossed that he is the one that I get when I deliver!! He went through things with me and all is well. My weight gain is good, blood pressure is normal and everything else is normal. These are things I like to hear :) He gave me the same low-down this week about taking things easy, not doing too much and taking frequent breaks throughout the day to avoid preterm labor. He also gave me a list of when to call with contractions, bleeding and what not. I am scheduled to go back in 2 weeks for a normal appointment and then in 4 weeks for an ultrasound to check up on growth again. Then starting at 32 weeks, I get to have NST's twice a week. Woohoo! I'm glad everything is going well and I am not having many problems other than pain and being tired, which is to be expected with pregnancy in general. Oh, I passed my GTT so no more nasty sugar drinks for me! However, my iron was super low, so the Dr. called in a prescription for an iron supplement that I have to take every day in addition to my prenatal vitamin. Guess I should've been eating more steaks, eh?

Now for the "normal" questions:

How far along are you: 26 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: You know it. I even think I might need some maternity sweats. goodness.

Sleep: Getting to sleep can be a challenge for me. Also, if I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, getting back to sleep is difficult.

Best moment this week: Watching a twin wrestling match take place from outside my belly. Those crazy babies are NOT happy with how the other one is kicking/squishing them! It's kinda funny. Rarely is one only moving...one moves, and the other quickly kicks/hits back in protest.

Miss anything: Being able to walk like a normal person. Geesh, I hate that I waddle!

Movement: Lots and lots! Baby B was more active today at the ultrasound though, which is rare, because it's usually been baby A who is moving the most!

Food cravings: Ice cream.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not getting enough sleep.

Have you started to show yet: I look like I should pop.
 
Gender: Boy and Boy. I'm still trying to decide what name to give what twin. Do we put the names in alphabetical order? Shorter name for first twin, longer name for second? I don't know!! I had it in my mind what name baby A would have and what name baby B would have, but I can't decide anymore...They sound good together either way.

Belly button in or out: Out. I'm wondering if it can get even more out? We'll see. (No need to change answers from last week...)

Labor signs: Daily contractions, but never more than 4/hour.

Wedding rings on or off: On. No swelling here :)

Looking forward to: The next time I get to have an ultrasound. I love seeing my babies :)

 

24 1/2 weeks

I had my 24 week appointment today. I had the great privilege of having to take the Glucose Tolerance Test. Yuck. At least this time I had a choice between orange or fruit punch. I chose fruit punch because orange rates higher on the nasty scale than fruit punch. I made it through drinking it, but felt ill for the next hour as I sat waiting to be seen. At the end of my appointment they took my blood, and I'll hear back from them in about a week about the results. Let's hope I passed, because I don't want to do the 3 hour test, in which you drink 2 of those nasty drinks and get your blood taken twice!!

In other news, I had an ultrasound to check growth and to look at Baby A's face, since he was being stubborn and wouldn't give the ultrasound tech a clear shot of his nose and lips at our 20 week ultrasound. This time, he cooperated, and they were able to get the pictures of what they needed. Hooray. Both babies look good and everything is normal (another hooray!). I hadn't really told anyone but a select few that at the 20 week ultrasound, baby B had cysts on his brain and a heart problem. The Dr. assured me all was well at the time, and to NOT look up anything online because it would scare the crap out of me and do me no good!! Well, of course, I didn't listen, and I looked up things online and I flipped out, cried, freaked out, cried some more and read some horror stories of babies born (if they're lucky) with Trisomy 18. Unlike others genetic problems, this one cannot be lived with and the chance that the baby actually is born living is very low. Sad disease and I hope nobody ever has to deal with it! Anyway, long story short, the cysts on Baby B's brain have resolved and all is normal with him! So, big sigh of relief!!

Baby A is measuring at 24 weeks 2 days, weighs 1 lb 6 oz and is in the 14th percentile. His heart rate was 140 BPM. Baby B is measuring at 24 weeks 5 days, weighs 1 lb 9 oz and is in the 41st percentile. His heart rate was 135 BPM. Baby A is head down (woot woot!) and Baby B is breech (sad face) and they are side by side with A on the left B on the right. This explains why I feel way more movement from A. Because his feet are up by my ribs!!! I really liked the Dr. I saw today because he took the initiative of telling me everything up front instead of me having to ask a billion questions (which I did ANYWAY). He was very thorough and I liked that a lot. He said the likelihood that B will flip is not in my favor. This is bad news. Especially since B is the bigger twin, too!! We went over the signs of preterm labor, preeclampsia and when to call for anything. This assured me that I know when things are OK and when to get to the Dr.'s office. I'm thankful for that since this whole pregnancy feels like a first-time pregnancy since it is SO DIFFERENT than having a singleton!

Now for my normal list of questions and answers.

Here is a picture from Sunday when I was 24 weeks 2 days:

How far along are you: 24 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: Yep.

Sleep: I'm sleeping great, actually! The only problems are having pelvic bone pain when I try to roll over/get up out of bed.

Best moment this week: Being done drinking that nasty glucose drink!

Miss anything: Cookie dough. I made some eggless cookie dough, and it was sickly sweet. Not a fan...

Movement: Tons and tons, though sometimes they calm down and sleep. Miraculously I think they even sleep at the same time!

Food cravings: Comfort fooooooods.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Glucose Tolerance Test drinks!

Have you started to show yet: Yep, and my belly is measuring 30.5 cm So it's like I'm already 30 weeks along! I wish!!!
 
Gender: Boy A and Boy B. Names: Ben & Jerry, Copy & Paste, Gregory & Gabriel (can you image that with the last name Grigsby!?) We've got real names, but they're a secret until the babies come. Why? Because I'd like to hear everyone's opinions AFTER I have named my boys. Not before, because I REALLY REALLY love the names we picked :D

Belly button in or out: Out. I'm wondering if it can get even more out? We'll see.

Labor signs: No labor signs. I have had contractions from dehydration/doing too much, but that's nothing that can't be resolved by drinking two glasses of water and lying down on my left side for an hour or so :D

Wedding rings on or off: On. No swelling here :)

Looking forward to: Hearing that I don't need to take another GTT! Cross your fingers that my blood sugars like me! Also looking forward to being comfortable again!

Everything is looking a-OK and I am glad. The Dr. doesn't want me to be doing much exercise other than living my daily life since preterm labor is such a huge risk. This means I need to cut back on the ice cream so I don't swell up like a balloon from eating my feelings and cravings since I am not really doing much to combat weight gain. I will return BACK to the Dr. in 2 weeks because they want to closely measure growth of the babies, especially since one is measuring bigger than the other. Fun. I can't wait until I get to go to the Dr. TWICE A WEEK starting at 28 weeks ;)

K, time for a nap. Ellie is sleeping, and I should be, too!

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!

16 weeks pregnant with Twins

How far along are you: 16 weeks 1 day

Maternity clothes: Pants but not shirts.

Sleep: It's getting harder to stay comfortable while I sleep, but it's not impossible unless Ellie decides to be a monster like last night and keep me awake all night. Yuck.

Best moment this week: Going to my 16 week appointment and having a doctor who not only is in favor of pushing for a normal, non-c-section birth, but who did us an AWESOME favor that will be blogged about later :) He had a very open mind and didn't try to just shoot down my plans for an unmedicated birth like the first doctor I saw. He was also VERY impressed that I had Ellie unmedicated because he said at least 80% of the people who plan to go without an epidural don't go through with it! That gave me a reason to be proud of myself with Ellie, and more hope for having the experience I want! Thank heavens there is at least ONE doctor in the practice that's on my side!

Miss anything: Other than being comfortable, nope.

Movement: More than last week, but always very spastic and out of nowhere.

Food cravings: Sweets, SWEETS, sweets, SWEETS and SWEEEEETS! Holy moly, I have never in my life wanted so much sweet food! Luckily, I don't keep much sweet food other than fruit and honey in the house so it's not really a problem. I just let myself have cravings and get over it by replacing it with something else that is a better option.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just when I don't get enough sleep, or haven't eaten in a while.

Have you started to show yet: Yes, but I'm still in that stage where people would probably not dare ask me, for fear that I've just had too much to eat lately and am not pregnant.

Gender: I have no inclinations one way or the other, I just want to find out! Luckily, we find out at my next appointment!

Belly button in or out: More out than in. Good thing it's not like the Turkey timer, because I am definitely NOT done!

Labor signs: Nada

Wedding rings on or off: On. I'm hoping things are similar to when I was pregnant with Ellie and I don't get super swollen, because that was one of the best things I had going for me!

Looking forward to: Like I said, the next appointment, because we get to find out what they are and I CANNOT WAIT!

Things are all going well and the babies are healthy as far as we know. We opted to not do the amniocentisis and when we have our big 20 week ultrasound, we'll be able to see that everything is going well for sure. The babies' heart rates were in the 130s for baby A and in the 140s for baby B. Does this mean they're different genders? WHO KNOWS! Make sure you take the poll on the top of my blog!

Pregnancy updates

I stole this format from another blog I saw, and I loved it, so I am going to update this way! It makes it easier!

 

Sorry, no picture today!

 

How far along? 14 weeks 5 days
Maternity clothes? Baha, since like 9 weeks I've HAD to wear maternity pants and/or wear my pants unbuttoned. These days we're rocking maternity jeans full-time.

Sleep: I sleep relatively OK for the most part. I wake up every once in a while uncomfortable and have a hard time falling back asleep.

Best moment this week: Finally having energy to do things!

Miss Anything? Cookie dough!!

Movement: A bit, but not much

 Food cravings: Bagels and cream cheese!! Can't get enough! Also salty things, fruit and ice cream!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Only if I don't stay hydrated. I usually feel pretty good most days, I just still don't have a big appetite for food yet!

Have you started to show yet: Yep. I'm as big as I was with Ellie at like 22 weeks hah!

Gender: ? Hoping for one of each!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? Half & Half
Wedding rings on or off? On

Looking forward to:  My 16 appointment next Friday. Cross your fingers that they'll do an ultrasound and we'll get a peek at the genders!

 

All in all things are going well. I've finally come to terms with the fact we'll have TWO newborns! AHH! It's getting less scary and more cute the more I think about it :P

Blessed

I just wanted to take a moment to write my feelings that I've been having lately. As more and more of my friends are having babies, I can't help but compare their experiences to mine when I was pregnant with Ellie.

In particular I have been feeling very lucky and blessed that I had a super easy pregnancy. My only complication was that I got sick, and had a lot of back pain after about 30 weeks. I didn't have any complications with Ellie, nothing was out of the ordinary, I never had high blood pressure, I didn't get gestational diabetes and I didn't even go over my due date.

I'm so thankful every day that I was able to have Ellie the way I had hoped--natural, without medication and relatively quickly. It's hard for me to see some of my friends suffer during their pregnancies or experience complications at the very end when they planned the whole time to not have a c-section or any other unforeseen complications.

I could have easily had complications just like they have had, but I was lucky enough not to. I count my blessings for this every single day!

For those of you who have dealt with complications/are dealing with them now, my heart goes out to you. I can't even begin to imagine the worry/stress/heartache that you must have felt/feel as you went through such hard things.

There is one friend I know of in particular that is having a hard time with her pregnancy and is stuck in the hospital until they deliver her little girl. Her name is Suelyn and I hope that you can all pray for her to have comfort and peace in her heart as she's going through such difficult times.

38 weeks

So, I had my 38 week appointment on the 20th and everything is looking good. I was still dilated to a 1 despite all the contractions and false labor I had had throughout the week. I was however, 70% effaced instead of 60% effaced so I guess some improvement is better than nothing!

The baby's heart rate is still in the 150s which is good and normal and she's still head down (she better stay that way, too!)

I was very unfortunate on Sunday and got very very sick with a stomach bug. I had a miserable afternoon throwing up, having the chills and a fever. I was happy that I didn't end up going into labor because I would have had absolutely NO energy to deal with anything!

Since the passing of my sickness, I've been feeling quite well. I'm sleeping through the night about every other night, so I am happy about that. The only trial has been pelvic pressure/groin pain when I'm trying to roll to my other side in bed, or to sit up from bed. It's getting really really uncomfortable and intense, but I guess it's a sign that she's closer to coming...and that's exciting!

We got the baby's room all set up and ready to go. The only things we're missing are our lovely car, and the baby! Thankfully, the car is being repaired and will be ready to pick up on the 28th. I can't wait to have it back.

Anyway, not much else is new...we're just waiting for our little girl to decide to make her appearance! I finally got around to taking pictures, so enjoy!

Pregnancy updates!

So, I have been super bad at doing any updates lately, but I will attempt to make up for it this time!

I had my 36 week appointment LAST week, and everything was good. My weight was in the normal range, I measured right on at 36 cm and the baby's heartbeat was 150 bpm. Everything else was normal. They didn't check me but I had told them that I had had a few contractions the previous week.

The end of the 36 week appointment.

TODAY, I had my 37 week appointment (YAY FULL TERM!)!

I got to tell my midwife all about our lovely deer-hitting experience and she was very glad that I had gone in to the hospital to get checked out.

My weight was the exact same as last week--making my total weight gain during pregnancy 25 lbs. I measured right on today at 37 cm and the baby's heartbeat was 150 yet again.

They checked me today (hurray) and I am 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced. She is still head down and very low so I'm hoping this means some good news is coming our way soon...a.k.a. a baby before Christmas!

Not much else of note has happened pregnancy-wise. I am extremely uncomfortable (shocking, isn't it?), I don't sleep well at night and I still have killer heart burn!

I am pretty much ready to be done with being pregnant, but I think I shouldn't get my hopes up quite yet. I don't want to be disappointed if I don't have the baby before my due date, so I will just say I'm going to be 7 days late instead. Worst case scenario...I'll actually be 7 days late and I will get just what I expect.

I have already had a few people say when they think she's going to make her debut and here are some answers:

My sister Tyra says I'll go into labor tonight and have her sometime soon after. Hah.
Grandma Holman thinks I'll have her a week from today on the 20th. We'll see!

Make a guess on when you think she'll finally come along!

Pregnancy updates!

So, a lot has gone on since I last posted.

I am now at 28 and a half weeks! It's so crazy! I only have roughly 80 days until this little bundle of joy is here!

I had an appointment yesterday and I had the pleasure (ha ha) of doing the glucose tolerance test. One word: YUCK!

That drink is so gross. After the first sip I thought, aw, this won't be too bad...then after the next 3 sips I thought to myself, "How am I going to get this stuff down without throwing up?" It was a struggle, but by the end I had decided if I just gulped it down, I'd handle it. I was right. While I was waiting for my hour to be up before they drew my blood, they did the rest of the normal check-up things.

My blood pressure was a bit high for me, but still in the completely normal range. I've gained about 18 lbs during the pregnancy which they say is right on track, so I was happy to hear that. I'm measuring right on and our little girl's heart beat was about 150.

She's moving more than ever lately, and it's so much fun to feel her and on occasion see her roll around my belly. David has been able to feel her for a long time, but it's super easy for him to feel her move now.

This is what What to Expect says about our little one during the 28th week.
"Your baby is settling into the proper position for birth, with his head facing downward (toward your body's nearest exit!). Your little work in progress is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long. He's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. Your baby's sleep now includes the REM (rapid eye movement) phase — and that means he could be dreaming already (what do you suppose he's dreaming about?)."

She's about the size of an eggplant, and weighs about 2.5 lbs. They say that she has a super good chance of survival if she were to be born during this week, but let's all pray she stays in there for 11 more weeks like she's supposed to!

I recently figured out that I will not be receiving maternity leave (paid maternity leave) so I kind of didn't know what to do. After lots of discussion with the company controller about policies and what not, they told me that if I wanted to take unpaid maternity leave and have the delivery of our baby covered, I would have to commit to a year of work after coming back. Ugh. One year of full-time work while someone ELSE is raising my little baby? That's not something I wanted to do, so I rushed to find other options. I thought things out and at first I was going to just quit and end up on medicaid.

There were many things wrong with this sudden quitting plan, but the biggest thing was the issue of income. Without me working, we'd really be in a tight spot money-wise, and I didn't want to do that to us, so I knew I had to think things out a lot more. After much prayer and thinking things out, I came up with a better solution. I am going to cut back my work to part time the month before the baby is born, and after 8 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, I will return to work part time. Since my insurance will not cover the delivery if I cut back my hours AFTER having the baby, I needed a way to make things work financially because I can't rightly pay for the delivery without insurance--unless I want to be paying for it for maybe the rest of my life. We already tried the whole no insurance and major medical happening thing and I really don't want to deal with it again. Anyway, I am going to cut back my hours so I will be able to qualify for financial assistance to help cover the delivery costs. This went over quite well with my project manager at work, and I am so pleased that they like me enough to keep me as just a part time employee! (thank goodness!)

So, because I am cutting hours back but not quitting, we will be just fine financially, which is a huge blessing-especially when bringing a child into the world!

More and more every day, I find myself stumped at just how blessed I am. I am so thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the power of prayer and personal revelation. Without these fundamentals, I don't know where I would be, and I'm almost certain I don't want to. I know that prayer and fasting help me to make even the toughest decisions that don't seem to have answers, and what a blessing that is!

Baby Grigs updates

Where does the time keep going?? I swear it was only yesterday when I was all fidgety and anxious to find out if we were having a little boy or girl, and now I've only got 104 days left to go!

I'm at 25 weeks, 1 day today and things are going pretty well. I have an appointment on Tuesday to check up on things and I actually have a list of questions this time! Go me! I hate how every time I'm at the Dr. I can never think of questions to ask, but this time I am bringing a list of questions I have so I can remember what to ask.

Notable things about the past four-five weeks of pregnancy include:

• my belly button is starting to poke out on the top! AH! It's crazy!
• I'm finally looking somewhat pregnant, instead of just chubby.
• I've been exercising more which helps me feel loads better @ work while I sit at a desk for 8 hours (yuck!)
• My back is hurting more and more every day.
• Baby Grigs is almost always awake and kicking/rolling/punching/dancing/moving like crazy around 1-1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and bedtime.
• I feel incredible love for this little bundle of joy more and more each day, and I can't wait to meet her!
  

I'm starting to become more and more uncomfortable every day. It's very rare that I sleep through the night because I tend to get pretty uncomfortable in the middle of the night. And to think...I still have 14 weeks and 6 days before I'm due! I don't want to imagine the discomfort I'll be in during the coming weeks! It's all totally worth it (or so they say) because once she's here, I am sure I'll forgive her of any and all discomfort she's put me through.

According to thebump.com,
"Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
That oh-so-handy sense of equilibrium is kicking in, and baby's learning to distinguish right side up from upside down."

I can't believe this pregnancy is going by so quickly and it won't be too long until we get to meet her! Every day, I get more excited and more nervous thinking about her arrival. I am also super paranoid. It's ridiculous how paranoid I get about silly little things, but hey, I just want to do everything right so I don't screw something up, okay?

Anyway, I'd love to keep writing, but I'm very uncomfortable sitting in this chair.

Take a look @ a picture of the bump created by Baby Grigs.


This was at around 24 weeks.


until next time...

Excitement!

Well, if you haven't heard by now, I'm


I'm super excited, and David is too! A real update will follow soon and will include our adventures in Tennessee, as well as other things going on in our lives!

Anticipation!!

I am so excited for next Tuesday!!! Why, you ask? Well of course it's because we're finding out if this little wiggly baby inside of me is a boy or a girl! I want to know so badly, and I don't think I care either way what it is! I just care if it's healthy and happy and cute!

Keep on voting for what you think it is! It'll sure be interesting to see what group wins!

I'll update *maybe* on Tuesday. I'll be packing for our vacation to TN after my appointment, so I might not have the time!

yay for almost knowing!

I think it's finally time for another post!

It's been about 3 weeks since I updated last--but really there's not too much going on these days!

Today I'm 17 weeks 1 day pregnant! I went to my 16 week appointment on Wednesday and everything seems to be going well. I have gained a few pounds and I have a little bit of a belly that's trying to poke out! I'm FINALLY over the morning sickness part of this pregnancy...well mostly. I had two bad days this last week but I think the worst of it is really over. I'm measuring right where I'm supposed to be which was great to hear for my fear of being pregnant with twins! I can be about 90% sure that there's really only ONE baby in there :)

I scheduled my 20 week ultrasound for August 17th and I am SO stinkin' excited! I am excited to know if this little baby inside of me is a boy or a girl! I'm still banking on it being a boy, but we'll see in just a few weeks!

I've started feeling the baby move more and more which is strange but cool at the same time. I also just got into the "I'm always feeling hot" stage of pregnancy and I'm SO glad that I'm due in the winter so I don't have to live with being huge and hot in the middle of the summer!

Enough about the pregnancy!

Here's what we've been up to lately:

This weekend we both had Friday off for the observance of Pioneer Day. It was so much fun to sleep in and have time just be a bum all I wanted in the morning. ha ha. We went to the Mount Timpanogos Temple and then grabbed lunch on our way back. We also stopped at Simply Mac to get a cable to hook my MacBook up to our TV. The screen is broken officially--and is totally un-fixable. The cable will have to do for now and I like that I still get to use my mac, even if it means sitting in front of the TV.

Later Friday afternoon, my friend Hillary came to visit and we had a blast doing lots of random things. We went shopping, had some fun and walked around BYU campus. It was great to have Hillary to have fun with while David stayed at home doing what he does every day--lots and lots and lots of Organic Chemistry homework.

Now for our Saturday adventure: Saturday morning we went to the Orem Firefighter's breakfast at Macey's in Orem. It was alright--but it was no Scout breakfast in the Basin! The food was served from big metal pans and it was cold and rubbery. I think this was the first year I have ever missed the Scout Breakfast so I was a little bit sad. Anyway, after our sad breakfast that was for a good cause, we grabbed some snacks and headed up Provo canyon to the Sundance area. We have wanted to go on a certain hike since David proposed to me so we headed up to Stewart Falls. It's about 4 miles total and MAN am I feeling it today! It was great to get some much needed time outside and exercise.

After the hike, we went home and cleaned up, took a quick nap and got ready to head up to SLC for the Real Salt Lake game with my brother and his wife. We ate dinner at Chili's and headed on our way to the game. Traffic sucked but we were able to find free parking which was awesome!

The game was a lot of fun even though it ended in a tie! We scored an AWESOME goal which was so fun to see and I think Chivas USA (the team we played) got lucky with their goal--it wasn't really skill related! Oh well. The game ended in a great fireworks show and I even got to see a good friend from my first year of school.

We got home super late and hit the sack. It was a great fun-filled weekend and it was very much needed! I'll add pictures later because I'm thinking I'm ready to do something else.

14 weeks

It's official! 1st trimester is OVER! That also means all the sickness should subside soon...and guess what? It's finally starting to! I'm so happy about this! I still have a hard time eating well, but at least I'm not gagging anymore :)

Let's see...not much to report here other than I'm still trying to gain weight. I'm down an additional pound from my 12 week appointment so hopefully I can gain weight and stop losing it.

I'm still having crazy dreams every night--mostly about finding out the sex of the baby and it's always a boy if anyone is wondering. I guess in 6 weeks, we'll find out if my dreams are trying to tell me something or not! The other recurring pregnancy dream I'm having is about having twins. I'm pretty convinced I am not, or else I think I'd be showing much more at this point. Another reassurance is that I've never heard a "shadow" heartbeat as they say sometimes happens when listening to the heart beat. Let's all cross our fingers that there's just one baby in there! :D

Life is great lately aside from the fact that I hardly see David because of school and work--but hey I'm still a happy camper!

This morning we had an adventure and picked up our first Bountiful Basket. SO awesome. Needless to say, my fridge is FULL of fresh fruit and veggies! I'm eating the watermelon right now and it's SO yummy. I'm thinking I won't be buying fruits and veggies @ the grocery store anymore. What's the bother when I can get so much for only $15???

This weekend is going to be a lot of fun! Tonight we're going to the Stadium of Fire for FREE '99. I love having connections/relatives that have connections! We're also seeing lots of friends and family and that will be fun as well!

That's all for now--I'll get some pictures up of our fun weekend...and MAYBE take a picture of my bump that I swear is showing--but hardly anyone agrees.

Firsts...

So if you've been reading along, you probably know our little secret! It's true, there will be a new baby in the Grigsby family around January 1st 2011!

Since this is our first child, I decided to write a post entirely about "firsts".

This first pregnancy has been quite the ride so far! I've had a good amount of morning sickness, but no throwing up! Oh how I'm glad that I haven't thrown up. I've had a few close calls, but alas I have triumphed over the throwing up monster....(I hope...I've still got 6 days left in 1st tri so we'll see by the end of this week!)

Another first that comes with being pregnant is the wonderful first of maternity clothes. I bought my very first pair of maternity capris yesterday and I have to say I like them for the most part. Aside from the fact that they are a bit big, they're super comfy! Anyone out there looking for comfy maternity jeans, check out the SecretFit jeans from Motherhood. They rock. My little bitty bump isn't big enough for most maternity clothes, but a few pairs of my jeans are getting pretty tight.

An exciting first is the fact that our little one will be the first grandbaby with the Grigsby name. :) Seeing how David's the only boy...we get to carry on the family name, which is exciting.

Finally, the scary part of the post. The first really scary thing to happen during this pregnancy. It turns out that pregnancy+migraine+sumatriptan(imitrex)=a numb/tingly face, left arm, trouble breathing and a trip to InstaCare. I got my first migraine during pregnancy last week, and it wasn't pretty. I called my O.B.'s office and they had me call the pregnancy risk hotline to check what medicine to take to kick the migraine. Well, the asked me what I have previously taken, and I told them and they said it was still fine to take. Well I did and that's when it got ugly! Needless to say, I won't ever take it while I'm pregnant again.

To end this post of firsts, I'll update on how I've been feeling. I feel pretty good most of the time, if I eat when I wake up and snack all day so I don't get too hungry. I have had some unfortunate times of eating a bit too much and having it bite me in the butt and make me feel gross the entire rest of the day, but mostly I've felt really good. Back pain is constant, but that comes with having an office job and sitting at a computer every day all day. I have been pretty tired lately and could probably sleep for a good 10-11 hours every night if I actually went to bed early. Overall, I think I'm doing pretty well for my first pregnancy. The only thing I don't like is people who think they know it all and tell you that you shouldn't take ANY medication while pregnant or you shouldn't do this or that. That bothers me. They aren't me and they don't know my circumstances so why should they tell me what to do? Silly people :)

Happy 11 weeks 1 day :)

Until next time....