Six months already?!

I can't believe Summer and Scarlett are already six months old today. Time is flying by so quickly! Before I know it, they'll be walking and talking! Part of me is excited for them to start playing with each other, but the other part is sad that they're growing up so fast. I love them more and more each day--doesn't seem possible! It's adorable: Summer will laugh and smile at Scarlett every time she happens to look her way. Scarlett is usually more interested in looking at her surroundings and other people she's never seen before. Their personalities are so different, but they make very similar sounds. Scarlett has just now begun blowing bubbles, whereas Summer has done that for months. I feel so fortunate to be able to stay home with them and watch my baby girls develop and grow!

Some more pictures to enjoy:

Just some pictures I'd like to share...

I'm always ready with my phone to snap pictures of Summer and Scarlett, especially in the morning. They are so cheerful and expressive! Loving motherhood and loving my two blessings.

Welcome to the world, Summer and Scarlett!

Baby A's Name: Summer Helene
Date of Birth: 5/2/13
Original Due Date: 5/26/13
Weeks Pregnant: 36.4
Baby A's Weight: 6lb 7oz
Baby A's Length: 18.5

Baby B's Name: Scarlett Victoria
Date of Birth: 5/2/13
Original Due Date: 5/26/13
Weeks Pregnant: 36.4
Baby B's Weight: 5lb 13oz
Baby B's Length: 18.75

After a routine sonogram, my peri and OBGYN told me that it was time for the girls to be born. I had mild pre-eclampsia (high BP and swelling in my feet, ankles, and legs/thigh), and both girls were at a healthy weight so they would be fine. So I checked into L&D and had blood drawn and a doppler exam on my legs to rule out DVT, all of which came out normal.

At 10:15 a.m. on May 2, my nurse started prepping me for my cesarean with a saline IV, two stomach-acid-calming drugs, and an antibiotic. The anesthesiologist came in at about 11:30 to insert my epidural and spinal block. I think my nerves were already starting to run away from me because my legs started shaking like crazy. The nurse was wonderful, though, and kept me calm while the equally awesome anesthesiologist talked me through the entire process. I was dreading the needle that numbs you first, but really, now that I'm typing this up the day after and have experienced the uterine cramping, I can honestly say that needle prick was nothing. It really didn't hurt, nor did the lidocaine burn going in. The worst part of the surgery itself was not being able to breathe deeply, which was from losing feeling from the boobs down. I had to calm myself and concentrate on breathing by counting to three in and out. Kason was wonderful throughout, talking in my ear about how awesome our little family was going to be and how proud he was of me. As soon as the OBGYN pulled out Summer and I heard her cry, I felt like I could breathe and such a thrill! Then I heard Scarlett cry, and I could breathe even more easily. Both girls were healthy with no breathing problems or anything, and I got a little bit of skin-to-skin with them before being wheeled to recovery. While there, I got to nurse them, and Scarlett was a real pro. She went right to town, but Summer resisted a bit until she decided she was hungry and latched. After they were wheeled back to the nursery for other routine procedures and I was wheeled to post-partum, I felt so relieved and so exhausted. It was an amazing experience, one that I won't ever forget!

This morning, I fed both girls tandem. :) After a few failed attempts at switching babies between breasts (Scarlett will nurse from either with no problems!), Summer showed Kason and me that she will nurse only from my left one, so this morning, I put her on there and she got right down to business. It was so adorable!!! I love my daughters so much and am in such awe of them. We mamas truly do an incredible feat of carrying our little ones and bringing them into the world.

35 weeks

We've made it to the 35-week mark! Both appointments went fine today. I've scheduled my c-section for May 14, only 20 days away!!!! I'm measuring at 43 weeks and really feel like it. My legs tend to swell more than usual, especially the right one, so that's not very comfortable, and my hands actually swell a lot at night so it's painful to close them until I'm up for the day. I suppose it's because I don't elevate them while I sleep? I've also developed PUPPP on my left hip/upper leg, which is exacerbated by the fact that I have to sit/lie around all day. Kason got me some Grandpa's Pine Tar soap and Florasone to help with the PUPPP, and so far it's helped a lot. These are just discomforts I will forget when I'm holding my daughters in my arms. :) I have an end point now, so I will continue to take things a day at a time!

34 weeks

Sonogram on Tuesday went well, and the girls are still growing. Summer is 5lbs 14oz (71 percentile); Scarlett is 5lbs 7oz (51 percentile). No wonder I feel so miserable getting in and out of bed! Everything is stable, though, and there's no more shortening or any funneling. I'm afraid the girls will be 7 pounds by the time the doctor gets them out. It's hard to breathe sometimes, especially when they're both in my ribs. I am happy that they're so healthy, though. The doctors and Kason tell me I'm doing a great job keeping them safe and baking. That's consoling, and I suppose it's only for a few more weeks. Then the real fun will begin!!

Another mom-to-be and I were talking about how small we used to be earlier in our pregnancy, and she suggested we make a side-by-side comparison picture. Here's mine, which I made using Photo Grid for Android. It's crazy to see how big I got, and I'm only getting bigger each week!

33 weeks

33 weeks 6 days

Last Wednesday, the doctors released me to go home on SBR, so I have been home since then. It was surprising but in a good way. Summer's cord is no longer in a dangerous position, and there is no more funneling. My cervix has stabilized in terms of length, so the bed rest is doing its job. It's still too short to allow me to graduate from SBR, but I'm just happy about Summer's cord. Spending all day in bed before my sonogram on Tuesday was monotonous, but after my perinatology appointment, the doctor said I could recline and lie on the sofa, not just in bed. So I've been spending more time out in the main room instead of just the bedroom. We got our new bed today--a Reverie http://www.reverie.com/. It is so comfortable and high up, which is going to make this last month of my pregnancy much more bearable. I get up at least every hour to hour and a half to pee throughout the night, and our old bed was so low to the floor that it just hurt to get out of bed. I am looking forward to sleeping well tonight!!! Kason has really gone above and beyond to make sure I'm taken care of. He's juggling caring for me, working, and going to his night law classes. He is such a blessing! We girls are so lucky. He painted in the trees and heart that I'd already sketched for the nursery, and it all turned out really well. Laura and Todd and the boys are coming today to help out around the house and for the housewarming party on Saturday, so that will be great to see them. Laura is very artistic, and I'm going to ask her to finish painting the cherry blossoms on the trees. She painted this beautiful family tree in their living room in GA.

Today was our housewarming/baby shower party, and the weather was beyond gorgeous! I got to sit outside in the glider with my feet propped on the ottoman for a good part of it. The fresh air was wonderful!!! It was such a treat to see friends I haven't seen in a while, as well as meet Kason's law school, childhood, and Army friends. It was a highly enjoyable day.

I'm including pictures of the nursery from half-finished to 95% finished (the crib mattresses haven't arrived yet).

Before flowers 

Thank you, Laura, for contributing your artistic talent!

Cribs and trees

Closet wall

32 weeks

Well, the girls have made it to another milestone, and their lungs are producing surfactant, which will increase their survivability if they were to be born now. Of course the doctors want them to stay in there until at least 35 weeks, but it's a relief they have made it to the 32nd week. Once off the mag IV, they have been very active and kicking a lot. A bit too much kicking for my comfort, but squirmy babies are healthy babies. They hate being monitored--the nurses do it three times a day for an hour (over an hour since the girls move away from and/or kick the monitors after 20-30 minutes), and I get restless sitting still for that long. I'm already going stir crazy but once I get to have wheelchair rides (30 minutes), I think maybe it'll help break up the monotony. The nurses are taking great care of me, and Kason stops by when he can. He traded in Tina for a 2013 Ford Edge yesterday, which was bittersweet. I had fun with Tina, but now it's time for a new chapter in our lives. It's so weird to think that I won't be able to even see my new car until the girls are here! In the meantime, I've been reading, watching HGTV and Food Network (I miss cooking!), and making baby blankets. If the blankets turn out well, I'll try my hand at booties and beanies. I am taking it a day at a time, really, and getting bigger each day. Bake, my little cupcakes!