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!

Made it to 31 weeks...

before having to check-in to the hospital! I went in for my routine perinatology sonogram, and the first thing she saw was that Summer's cord was looped around beneath her, and my cervix was funneling to an unsafe length (less than 15 mm). She called my OBGYN up to look, and as we waited, explained that should my water break at home or at work, Summer's cord would be the first thing to come out and would create a dire emergency known as cord prolapse. Summer would likely die from suffocation since her body would compress the cord on her way out of the birth canal. My OBGYN looked at the images and confirmed that I needed to stay put. I couldn't even drive home to pack a bag! I called Kason and told him as best as I could what was going on, and an hour later, he brought some essentials to me. I was still processing all the information mentally and felt pretty numb as the nurse walked me to Labor & Delivery and I checked in. But as I looked up more information on cervix funneling and cord prolapse, the seriousness of the situation became much clearer to me. Will it be a long four or five weeks until my scheduled C-section (35 weeks at the earliest)? Yes. Will I get homesick and miss the independence of being able to move around and go places? Yes. But this is what is best for my daughters, and I will do all I can do to make sure they bake for another month at least. I am restricted to going to the bathroom and taking a shower. Any other time, I have to be in bed.

The girls are doing fine except for the cord issue. Summer weighs 4 lbs, and Scarlett weighs 4 lbs 2 oz. It's interesting how they trade off being the heavier baby. :) The girls' heart rates are 136 and 139, respectively. I am relieved they are growing just fine, but the cord problem worries me. Part of me feels relieved that my doctor has gone ahead and said I will have a C-section, but another part is dreading it. I've talked with the nurses, and they assure me that the anesthesiologists are so good at administering epidurals that they could do it in their sleep. I am impressed with this hospital thus far, especially the food. :) The menu is so extensive, I'm not worried about getting tired of what they offer. Kason has brought me other foods from home, and I have a few people bringing me goodies.

The outpouring of support and encouragement has been so touching! People are asking me what they can do and bring to me and want to visit me. I feel so blessed to have the friends that I do. And most of all, I feel incredibly lucky to have such a caring, attentive, hard-working, selfless husband who will always be behind me 100%. He is already such an amazing father!

I will post updates as time progresses. Right now, the nurses monitor the girls' heart rates three times a day. Scarlett really hates the monitor and kicks it each time. It's supposed to stay on there for at least 20 minutes, but she prolongs the time by kicking it. I wonder if she is getting all this feistiness out of her system, or if Kason and I are in for an exceptionally fun adventure in parenthood!

30th week

Eek! I can't believe I'm already in my 30th week! Well, I was overambitious about getting the nursery all done during the break, but Kris did come and help me paint the walls, thank goodness for her! They look fabulous, and I've sketched the trees and heart. My concept is two cherry trees whose branches form a heart in the middle over the two cribs, which will contain the girls' names. I will paint cherry blossoms around the heart and on the branches. I might get some decals to help me out since that is a lot of painting. I overdid myself last weekend in helping to paint the walls and had to stay in bed for the majority of the day on Sunday. It's hard to remember that I physically can't handle nearly as much as I used to earlier in my pregnancy. Sleeping is really uncomfortable now because of all the extra weight causing my arms, legs, butt, and hands to fall asleep. I have tried sitting up in bed to sleep, but it's not much more comfortable since all the weight is focused on my tailbone and lower back. Kris got us a recliner that will be delivered on Saturday, and that will be one of the best days of my life!!!!! I fell asleep in it at Havertys while waiting for her to settle the bill, so I have test-drove it successfully. :)

I had minor swelling in my right ankle this morning when I woke up, and as the day progressed, my right leg swelled quite a bit. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow and see what she says. Hopefully it's just because I didn't drink enough water today, but better safe than sorry. I'm just going to stay off my feet for the rest of the evening and hope it doesn't happen again tomorrow. My next sonogram will be during my 32nd week. I am measuring at 34 weeks already--a month ahead!!!! My doctor says it's normal for twins, but I am worried about measuring at 38 weeks when I'm 34 weeks. I'm afraid I won't be able to walk by then, especially if the swelling doesn't improve. Then I will have to throw in the towel and get the doctor's note for bed rest. I'm hoping to be able to work until early May. We'll see!!

29th Week

Time is just flying by now. We went to Tyler last weekend for the family baby shower, which Lauren and Karen hosted. It was a small, intimate affair mainly because none of my family could make it, and Liz and Buckley had three showers (two of which she hosted) this weekend. I appreciated Kason's family throwing me a shower, though, and Kris got the girls soooo many adorable, handmade outfits! They're going to be the best-dressed little girls in Texas. We have mostly the big-ticket items from our registry, which is reassuring. I plan to have the nursery all painted and cribs/changing table assembled by the end of this week. Thank goodness it's spring break! It wasn't too fun losing an hour of sleep, but at least we get a week to adjust to the time change. Once the nursery is ready, I'll feel like it's more real. I have nine more weeks, which feels like so little time! I've started my two-week appointments now. Life is going to change so much. Part of me is excited beyond words, and the other part is terrified! It will be quite an experience, I know!