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.

19 Weeks

your baby's the size of a mango!

At about 6.0 inches long and weighing in at about 8.5 ounces, she's getting there!

your baby at 19 weeks

• Developing a protective coating over her skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white and you may see some of it at her birth.
• Working on her five senses. Nerve cells for her sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in her brain.

Half-Baked

19 weeks down, 19 weeks to go.

So, here it is, the baby bump. This is not the most flattering photo, but really... how often can a woman get away with wearing horizontal stripes!

I had my first Preparation for Childbirth Class tonight and got to take a tour of labor and deliver, the nursery and the postpartum floor. It was very nice, I was impressed. My hospital delivers about 300 babies per month. So, it's a lot but not like that TV show on Lifetime. And they do have a level IIIc NICU should the babies need it. I am so praying hard that they stay inide until their scheduled delivery date and get to come home with me. 

Next week we discuss newborn and postpartum care plus infant CPR. Overall, I thought the class was well worth the $100. Of course I was the only single mom there (my mom went with me), but I was also the only mama having twins. And I was probably the oldest. I turn 39 on Friday. (yikes)

I am so not even caring about my birthday this year!

Baby Names

The two tiny humans now have two tiny names!

Audrey Grace & Lydia Louise

I wanted them to each have a first name that I loved and picked out just for them. I wanted traditional, but not top 25 and no natural nicknames. Finally, I wanted them to have middle names with family significance so they are named after my grandmothers, Helen Grace and Emma Louise - who both happened to go by their middle names.

18 Weeks

18 weeks, I cannot believe it. Almost halfway there.

Anatomy scan was Tuesday. In addition to finding out that both babies are girls, I learned that Baby A is about 9 ounces with a heart rate of 152 bpm and Baby B is about 8 ounces with a heart rate of 136 bpm. Initially I was concerned about the disparity, but apparently both are within the normal range of 120 - 160 so all is good. I was a little shocked that they seem to weigh so much more than their weekly fruit counterparts, but I imagine it is all an estimate right now anyway. Or maybe I just have big babies. that would be ok too (although not likely as I was only 6lbs 1oz at birth).

Everything seemed to look really good on the scan, but the sonographer did not get all the measurements she wanted to get on Baby B so I am seeing a MFM specialist on Tuesday for a Level II ultrasound. I can only imagine how much that is going to cost for this OOP mama.

Tax deductions, tax deductions - that's what I keep telling myself every time I have to hand over my credit card for another medical payment that SHOULD be covered by insurance if I wasn't a middle class, middle income, self-employed Texan. After IVF and all the prenatal care, mama is looking at about $35k in medical expenses that I can deduct this year. Yikes! That would have been a nice down payment on a new house, but I would rather have the babies. And if we have to spend another year in the shoebox condo, then that is what we will have to do.

I am 99.99% sure I have nailed down their names. I just need to sit on it for a few more days to be sure.

In other news, I have finally started gaining weight - 7 lbs in the past 4 weeks for a grand total of 7 lbs. I am sure about 5 of those pounds are due to all the crap I ate over the last 4 weeks. I really need to get that in check. Obviously I won't diet while pregnant, but  need to not put on more weight than is necessary for the health and development of the girls.

Girls - can you believe it? Twin girls!

your baby's the size of a sweet potato!

She's about 5.6 inches long and about 6.7 ounces now and she keeps on growing rapidly. (That's why you're probably feeling so hungry.)

your baby at 18 weeks

• Can you believe she's yawning, hiccuping, sucking and swallowing?
• And she's twisting, rolling, punching and kicking, too -- and she's big enough that you might be able to feel her doing it!