Audrey Grace & Lydia Louise

I have had zero time to put together a birth story, but I wanted to get these pictures posted for everyone to see.

Audrey Grace
5 lbs 9 oz, 19"
December 6, 2012
12:20 pm

Lydia Louise
6 lbs, 19"
December 6, 2012
12:21 pm

Audrey Grace

Lydia Louise

Lydia & Audrey

Reindeer Butts!

Very Long Overdue Update

Ok, so clearly I am way overdue for an update. In the interest of getting this documented as well as I can, here's the quick summary.  I will post a full update over the next few days as I can.

On November 7 at 32 weeks, I was admitted to the hospital due to high blood pressure. I was diagnosed with pre-ecclampsia and told to expect to deliver within days. However,  I am now almost 35 weeks and still in the hospital on bed rest and still pregnant.

My c-section has been moved up to 12/12/12 which will be 37 weeks exactly. I am hoping I can hang on that long, but it is geting tough.

My belly is also HUGE!

30 Weeks

Wow - I am not getting any better at keeping things updated am I? Yikes. Next post will be 31 weeks and since I have an MFM appointment the same day, there will definitely be more to report on. I also promise an update on the 4th and final baby shower along with a nursery update - maybe even a sneak peek.

But for now... here we are with the 30 week details.

Your baby's the size of a cucumber!

Your 15.2- to 16.7-inch, 2.5- to 3.8-pound baby continues to grow.

your baby at 30 weeks

• His skin is getting smoother.
• But his brain is getting wrinklier -- to make way for all that essential brain tissue.
• He's now strong enough to grasp a finger!

30 Week Bump

Too tired to even stand up for Bump pictures anymore. LOL! But I am enjoying that Pumpkin Spice Latte.

And for a totally different perspective. 

Twin Closet Madness!

29 Weeks

Your baby's the size of an acorn squash!

Baby already measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long. Right now, we weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds but he's still got a ways to go -- can you believe he'll triple in weight before birth?

your baby at 29 weeks

• He's getting a little cramped in there, since he's growing so fast. But you probably already realize that, since you're getting all those jabs and kicks.
• He's growing white fat deposits under his skin, and his energy is surging because of it.
• Feel a subtle twitch? It might be baby hiccupping.

28 Weeks

Yeah, I know. I feel like I am phoning in this post before the clock rolls over onto 29 weeks. these stats are kind of funny to me this week though. Estimated weight of 1.5 to 2.5 lbs? My girls were 2.5 pounds LAST week.

I know it's all just a guess, but I really feel like they are growing faster than the average singleton. And that's crazy.

I definitely feel like I am growing, that's for sure.

Your baby's the size of an eggplant!

Putting on layers of fat, your baby now weighs in around 1.5 to 2.5 pounds and measures about 13.6 to 14.8 inches.

your baby at 28 weeks

• She's starting to develop more fat, so her wrinkly skin will start to get smoother.
• Her lungs are mature enough that she'd probably survive if she was born now. Wow!

Baby Shower #3

Last weekend was my big shower thrown by my Junior League friends. It was amazing. The girls received so many nice and thoughtful gifts. I feel so incredibly blessed. And a bit overwhelmed to be honest. I had always thought that it would be so much fun to register, have baby showers and get gifts, but it really is kind of awkward. It's not that easy being the center of attention for that long and have so many people doing wonderful things for you and giving you so many nice gifts. It is far better than any expectation that I ever had. It's also humbling. I really am reminded how lucky I am to have so many wonderful and amazing women in my life. So many women that love and care for me and in turn will love and care for my girls.

Here are a few pics from the shower. I have more on my camera that I need to download, but here are some from my mom's iPhone. I still need to get pics from the first two showers.

Is this too much booze for a baby shower?

My lovely hostesses Jessica, Amanda, Jamie and Joy.

All the girls gathered around the kitchen island. This is usually a good place to find us at parties. 

The amazing food. 

More amazing food.

Popcorn! Mac & Cheese, Jalapeno Ranch, Caramel and Cinnamon Toast. Yum!

Plus the beautiful name pictures Jamie had drawn for the girls.

Popcorn treats to go.

It was a great party and I am so thankful for everyone who was there to celebrate with us. Here we are a week later and I think I have just about everything washed and put away. Almost anyway. Time is ticking away. Less than 10 weeks to go!

28 Week Bump

More details coming soon, but for now, enjoy...

27 Weeks

Wow - 27 weeks! I almost can't believe it.

On Tuesday, I went back to Dr. Ryder's office for my 3-hour Glucose Tolerance test. I should get the results tomorrow. I pray I do not have gestational diabetes. I don't think I do. The girls are big but I have not gained enough weight to have it I don't think.

I also had my monthly appointment with Dr. Weiss, the MFM, yesterday and the girls look great. Audrey weighed in at an estimated 2lbs 7 oz and Lydia at 2 bs 6oz. Ultrasound also showed that my cervix is still long and closed. Both have now flipped breech with Audrey just a little lower than Lydia. I could tell that they had turned or something as I was feeling less pain. Oh, I am still in a lot of pain, but it's not quite as bad. Sleep is rough, the stair are worse and forget getting up if I forget and sit on the floor. But I am hanging in there. Less than 11 weeks to go. I even managed a trip to Buy Buy Baby with mom to purchase a few items. I had some 20% off coupons that were expiring that I did not want to go to waste. I have been sorting through the clothes and trying to at least get the newborn stuff washed. I might have gone a little overboard in the clothing purchase department. I just can't resist the cute matching baby clothes.

Brandon came over today to help me continue to work on the nursery. We went up to Ikea and picked up on of the cribs. It is now put together in the nursery which is really starting to make this real. I also scored a Double Snap N Go stroller off Craig's List for $40 which we picked up today as well.

My Baby Shower thrown by my JLCC friends is Saturday and I am really looking forward to it. With Jamie, Joy and Amanda in charge I am sure it will be fabulous. After that, I will still have one more shower to go. I truly am blessed to have so many people that love me and the girls. I don't know what I would do without all the support.

And now for the 27 week details.

Your baby's the size of a rutabaga!

At 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, she's not just getting bigger, she's getting smarter.

your baby at 27 weeks

• She's practicing inhaling and exhaling with her rapidly developing lungs.
• It's official: Baby's showing brain activity! And her brain will keep on getting more complex.

26 Weeks

Wow - I am becoming a really bad blogger. Here I am trying to squeak in the 26 week post before the ticker turns on 27 weeks.

I am doing well. Thankfully there really isn't all that much to report. I am large and swollen. My belly is big and heavy and I hurt... a lot... all the time. But it's not unbearable and I get through it. I can do this for 11 moe weeks if I have to. And I will.

My blood pressure is still great so that makes me happy and I don't think I have had any contractions yet so I am doing well. I did fail my 1 hour glucose tolerance test so I have to go back tomorrow for the 3 hour test. Ugh. I pray I pass. I have only gained 13 lbs so far. I can't have gestational diabetes.

Dr. Ryder has moved my appointments up to every two weeks now so add in my appointments with my MFM, Dr. Weiss and I am going in about once per week. Dr. Weiss does my ultrasounds, but Dr. Ryder does heartbeat check ultrasounds at each appointment since the doppler is not effective for twins.

I'll go in to see Dr. Weiss on Wednesday for my 27 week appointment. I assume he will keep my appointments at 4 week intervals unless something looks like it has changed and he feels the girls need more monitoring.

Then on Friday, I am going back to the hospital to finish my pre-registration and sign all my consent forms. Whew. Glad to get that out of the way so that whenever I do go into labor it is all done and ready to go.

I am also finally making progress on the house and the nursery but I want to save that for another post. So, for now I will leave you with the 26 week update and my two little heads of lettuce.

Your baby's the size of a head of lettuce!

She's still growing in the 13.6- to 14.8-inch and 1.5- to 2.5-pound range, and developing her senses, features and talents!

your baby at 26 weeks

• Her eyes are forming, and his eyes will soon start to open.
• And her eyelashes are now grown, too.
• She's getting her immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up your antibodies.
• She's taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.

25 Weeks

I'm falling so far behind. Just now getting to my 25 week post when 26 weeks is lurking right around the corner. Truthfully, I really don't have a lot of updates. Other than heartburn and severe round ligament pain, this pregnancy has been fairly uneventful. That's a good thing because work is super-busy right now.

I have my Gestational Diabetes test Wednesday so I promise a much better 26 week update.

Your baby's the size of an cauliflower!

During month six, the average fetus measures about 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

your baby at 25 weeks

• She's enjoying her new sense of equilibrium -- she now knows which way is up and which is down.
• She's growing more fat and more hair too!

24 Weeks

Ugh - better late than never. I promise to come back soon and provide a good narrative for this week. There is actually a lot I want to say, I just don't have the energy today.

your baby's the size of a cantaloupe!

Your 10.5-to-11.8-inch fetus weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces and every week she gets closer and closer to being ready to survive (and thrive!) in the outside world.

your baby at 24 weeks

• Her see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque.
• And it's got a new pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.

Bump Pic - 23 weeks

Getting a little round.

23 Weeks

Wow - it seems like time is really starting to fly by. 23 weeks already. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was only 7 or 8 weeks. I have less than 15 weeks to go. That's less than 104 days. And that's provided they stick around until their scheduled delivery date at 38 weeks. They could very easily come a week or two before that on their own. Yikes - I have so much to get done.

I have literally done nothing to ready the house for the arrival of two tiny humans but all of that changes tomorrow. Brandon will be coming over most days to help me get everything cleared out and ready to go. I need to have the windows and the carpet replaced in both bedrooms too. September is going to be a busy month for me, but it needs to get done. I will feel much better when it is all done.

I was in Baton Rouge last weekend for my first baby shower thrown by my college best friends. It was a wonderful party. The babies and I are so blessed to have these friendships. We received some really amazing gifts. I will do a whole post later on the entire shower when I get the photos that were taken. For now though, I really need to knock out my Thank You notes as quickly as possible. In fact, I think I will do a few tonight before I go to bed.

In other news I saw Dr. Evil, aka Dr. Weiss, my MFM, yesterday. I would like to go on record and say that I no longer thing he is evil. He was much more personable this visit and he really spent a long time looking at he girls on the level II ultrasound. I also got good news when I talked to his financial coordinator. All this time I had thought that I would have to pay $650 per visit. Which, when you multiply that by 10 or more visits, is ridiculously expensive. However... I found out that he caps his costs at $2500. that means no matter how many times I see him, I will not pay more than $2500. AND, since he will be doing the ultrasounds at each appointment, I no longer need to get ultrasounds at Dr Ryder's office so I won't be paying OOP the $360 for each of those anymore either. Yesterday, I literally saved over $7000. Awesome!!!

The girls looked great on the ultrasound. Audrey is weighing in at 1lb 5 oz and Lydia is right behind her at 1lb 4 oz. They have shifted around and are now both head down, kind of laying diagonal across my belly, side by side.  I think they were working to shift around ove the weekend. Last week, I was just having the standard round ligament pain, but sometime over the weekend, they shifted on top of my sciatic nerve and holy cow it hurt. Then on Monday or Tuesday, they must have shifted to their current head-down position as they are off my sciatic nerve but the round ligament pain is back but on my lower right side - where their heads are.

It's so crazy to think about them moving around in there so much, but I can definitely feel them more and more now. It's creepy and cool all at the same time.

And now, without further ado, the 23 week update.

your baby's the size of a grapefruit!

At about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces, baby's not just getting bigger, she's getting even cuter.

your baby at 23 weeks

• She's forming little nipples (yeah, really!)
• Her face is fully formed now -- she just needs a little extra fat to fill it out.
• She's listening to your voice and your heartbeat -- and even to loud sounds like cars honking and dogs barking.

22 Weeks

Made it to 22 weeks and it really feels like the girls are growing and moving all around. I had an OB appointment yesterday and everything looks great. The girls are great and my cervix is long and closed like it should be.

The girls were really moving around a lot during the ultrasound. Lydia is just above my belly button with her head on the left. Audrey is just below my belly button with her head on the right. They look like they re in bunk beds.

Total weight gain so far = 7.4 lbs. I really thought it would be more by now, but I am sure it is coming.

I am flying to Baton Rouge tomorrow for my first Baby Shower and I am so excited. I am really most excited about seeing my college BFFs though. It will be a while before I can get down there anytime soon so this will be my last chance for a while. I won't be able to fly alone with them for a LONG time and a 7 hour car ride is out of the question until they are a little older or someone can go with me.

Here are the 22 week details...

your baby's the size of a papaya!

During month five, the average fetus measures about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.

your baby at 22 weeks

• Now that he's got more developed eyes and lips, he's looking even more like a newborn.
• He's sleeping in cycles -- about 12 to 14 hours per day (hint: they're probably those times you're not feeling any kicks!).

21 Weeks

I'm 21 weeks and I managed to post on time this week. Woo hoo!

Pregnancy wise, I am feeling pretty good this week. However, I have developed a cold. Ugh. I can't let this get out of hand and stay sick for a month like I did in June. That was brutal. I think this will blow through quickly though.

Not much going on, really. I am pretty busy at work which is good because I need the money to pay off the fertility treatments, cover the endless Dr visits and save for the cost of delivery. I think it will all work out though. And if i have to put some more on my credit card, then I will and if i have to pull from savings, then so be it.

These girls are worth it!

your baby's the size of a pomegranate!

At 10.5 inches and about 12.7 ounces, she's big enough now that you've probably been feeling her movements.

your baby at 21 weeks

• As her digestive system preps for the outside world, she's manufacturing meconium -- the tarry black substance you'll find in her first dirty diaper (ew)!
• If it's a girl, she's already got a lifetime's supply of eggs in her womb -- about six million of them!

20 Weeks

Oops, I almost forgot about my 20 week post. I am feeling pretty good. Really, it is just the tailbone and round ligament pain that is bothering me. Other than that, I am just large and slow.

I did have a business trip to Houston Sunday - Tuesday of this past week and that was brutal. Flying wasn't so bad, but walking through the parking garage and then the airport was difficult. I just get so tired so easily and my back starts hurting and then my feet start swelling. Yikes. It was fine though.

I have one more trip planned for Labor Day weekend. I am flying down to Baton Rouge for my first baby shower hosted by my college girlfriends. I am so excited. Mostly to see everyone, but yes I am excited for the shower too. After this trip, I am grounded though. No more flying and no more traveling. I plan to stay at home with my feet up and work as much as I can.

I've been busy with work the past few weeks which is good for my finances so I paid off a significant chunk of debt last week. I hope to keep it up and get all my IVF and fertility stuff paid off AND save the money for the delivery so I can start the year with a clean slate. Then, my only goal will be to save the money for  down payment on a new house - because I don't think I will be able to stay in my tiny, shoebox condo for very long after the girls arrive. And definitely not when they become mobile!

Awww, my little bananas!

your baby's the size of a banana!

Baby weighs about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5 inches. She's still got a lot of growing to do though. Can you believe you're halfway done?

your baby at 20 weeks

• She's got working taste buds.
• Now, she's gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day -- that's significantly more than before.