I love how...

I love how when you are nursing you both like to have your hands on your face.

I love how sometimes I am the only person who is able to console you.

I love how you both like to sleep right up next to each other.

I love how you comfort each other.

I love how you each have your own distinct personality.

I love how you are so similar yet also so different.

I love how you make me feel.

I love how you like to hold my finger while nursing.

I love how I just met you and I already love you both more than anything in this entire world.

I love how you both already have your daddy wrapped around your tiny little fingers.

But most of all, out of everything, I love how God chose me to be your mommy. 

Potentially Offensive...The Final Belly Pic

Warning!
Potentially offensive content included!

15 Weeks

16 Weeks

 

17 Weeks

 

18 Weeks

 

19 Weeks

 

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Oops, we missed a few.

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22 Weeks

 

23 Weeks

 

24 Weeks

 

25 Weeks

 

26 Weeks

 

27 Weeks

 

28 Weeks

 

29 Weeks

 

30 Weeks

 

31 Weeks

 

32 Weeks

 

33 Weeks

 

34 Weeks

 

35 Weeks

 

36 Weeks

37 Weeks

-Potentially offensive content-

"The Last Picture"

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37 Weeks 2 Days

(Pre-Op)

(I had planned to take a final belly picture before I delivered but things were a little hectic so this is all we've got. This was just a few minutes before they walked me back to the OR. Its tough to really appreciate how large my belly is -errr was- but I thought this was a funny picture. Oh and please excuse the stretch marks.)

FULL TERM! - Yay! We made it!

37 Weeks - Full Term

How big is baby? Not sure exactly but I'm sure they've grown since the last time they measured them (two weeks ago they were 6 lbs 13 oz and 6 lbs 5 oz). My belly is stretched to the max and there isn't a soft spot to be found meaning they're taking up virtually every square inch in there.

What is baby up to? I think they've slowed down a little bit probably due to lack of space. That doesn't mean things are peachy in there though. They still find my bladder and ribs and such. They may not be moving around quite as much but they make it count when they do.

Maternity Clothes? Still only have 3-4 shirts that are long enough and the non-maternity t-shirts I've been wearing the whole time when I'm just bumming around the house are down to two of Zach's Under Armor shirts that for some reason are extra long. Other than that, my belly hangs out several inches. Its pretty cute. Half the time I just pull the shirt up on top of my belly. Its much more comfy that way. Last night, Zach went to Walmart on his way home from work and bought me a couple 3X t-shirts. They are the only thing long enough lol. 

Stretch marks? Still coming. Not only does my skin on my belly feel like its stretched to the max and like it could literally tear, the boys are also pushing around near my belly button and it feels like they could just pop out. It is by far the most miserable thing ever.

Sleep? Same. Can't get comfy, wake up a lot because of said lack of comfort or to pee, napping every day, etc.

Best moment this week? Our weekend was pretty uneventful but it was nice. The weather was beautiful and we took the dogs to the park both Saturday and Sunday. They had a blast as usual and it was relaxing just sitting in the sun enjoying the peace and quiet and sunshine. I look forward to taking the boys there for walks.

Miss anything? I'm just anxious to move on to the next phase....BABIES! Being "9 months pregnant" for the last 3 months has gotten old lol. Don't get me wrong, I am MORE than thankful to have carried these boys this long. There's a lot of women who would have LOVED to have gotten to carry their child/children to 37 weeks and I am very grateful that we have been so blessed. I'm just so ready to have my babies in my arms. Being able to tie my shoes will just be a plus.

Feeling movement yet? They don't have much room in there but I still feel those jabs. Instead of internal movements, most of the jabs are visible from the outside.

Cravings? Soda (ugh), sweets, chocolate milk (Ovaltine really), strawberry lemonade (every time we go out to eat...Wendys' is the best!). I've been wanting indulgent things such as cream slushes from Sonic or Starbucks frappuccinos (decaf obviously) but there isn't a Sonic close by and Starbucks isn't very convenient (its inside Barnes and Noble) so Wendy's strawberry lemonade will have to do. 

Food aversions? Same (BBQ and Chinese).

Started showing? I'm just glad that I can now say "any day now" because it got really old telling people "10 more weeks" or "6 more weeks" etc. The looks I got were getting a little annoying. When you look like you were due a month ago and you tell them you still have 2+ months to go, they look at you like you've done something wrong. Then you have to explain to them that you're having twins and that you aren't due for another 2 months but that you could have them at any point up until then. Then they look at you with pity and tell you "Oh bless you! Better you than me." Ummm yea, it IS better me than you because I'm pretty darn pumped and my husband and I think its pretty awesome!

Gender? Boys.

Signs of labor? Not really. I've been saying for a few weeks that I can tell my body is preparing for labor but nothing definitive has happened so we'll keep waiting. **For those of you who didn't read last week's blog, I am scheduled for a c-section on April 29th unless I go into labor sooner**

Belly button, in or out? Even more out than it has been. The boys are rested right next to my belly button causing it to feel like it could completely pop out/off. Fun stuff lol.

Wedding rings, on or off? Off. Don't fit anymore :(

Mood? Comes and goes. 

Looking forward to...? Holding my boys and loving on them.

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I wore the same shirt for last week's and this week's picture to try to see if my belly has dropped anymore. Its a little hard to tell for sure because my shirt was pulled down last week and it was bunched up a little this week. Plus the camera angle is slightly different but I think it has dropped a little. What do y'all think?

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I'm not going to lie, I was REALLY hoping the boys would decide to come today. Not only because I'm ready to meet my babies but also because today would have been my PawPaw's 92nd birthday. He was such a wonderful man who always knew how to make me smile and I miss him every single day. Happy birthday in Heaven PawPaw. I miss you and love you! Love, I'll always be your Shweety!

36 Weeks: 21 days or less!

Well, we've made it! At least now if I go into labor we know that they won't stop labor. I know I say it every week but I can't believe how close we are to Smith and Sanford being here. We went to the doctor today. Everything went well, just asked lots of questions. We went ahead and scheduled my c-section for 39 weeks so we know that they will be here by Tuesday April 29th unless they decide to come sooner. I think just knowing we have a set date that we won't go past makes it seem even more real.

 36 Weeks

How big is baby? As of Friday they were 6 lbs 13 oz and 6 lbs 5 oz. Big boys!

What is baby up to? Hurting their mommy. I swear my bladder gets kicked more than a worn out soccer ball on an elementary play ground. Sometimes I even feel like I need to make sure there's not a little foot sticking out down there.

Maternity Clothes? Most of them are too short but thank goodness I have one of those bands that is intended for early pregnancy to allow you wear non-maternity clothes with your non-maternity jeans unbuttoned. I just throw that baby on and it looks like a camisole. Genius!

Stretch marks? ....

Sleep? Depends. Still have my days and nights mixed up a bit so I stay up pretty late and sleep all day. I think the boys have learned my habit too because they have become really active during the middle of the night. That's when they really love to take our their tiny frustrations on my bladder. Both boys are breech so I've got 4 little feet dancing down there. 

Best moment this week? At the ultrasound when we found out they're still growing...a lot. I am so thankful that they are growing well. We went to another doctor appointment today and scheduled my c-section. Unless they decide to come sooner, the boys will be here no later than Tuesday April 29th. That's 3 weeks!! Eeek!

Miss anything? I think the biggest thing right now is I would love to be able to stand up and not feel like my entire midsection is going to fall off. 

Feeling movement yet? Constantly.

Cravings? Soda (grrr), chocolate, milkshakes, strawberry lemonade, Starbucks (decaf of course), and pretty much anything else unhealthy. Its a good thing that at this point my stomach is so cramped that I can't eat much at a time.

Food aversions? Chinese (which doesn't make sense because when I'm not pregnant, I LOVE Chinese food) and greasy food.

Started showing? LoL we went out to eat the other night with some friends. We went in a few restaurants and the wait was pushing an hour in all of them. We decided to just stay at Outback with a 40 min wait. After waiting for an hour or more, our buzzer finally went off. They took us to a booth not far from the door but when I sat down, I could barely turn to face the table. Usually I can sit at a booth pretty comfortably but this booth was tiny. We asked if we could wait for a table so we waited another 15-20 min. Finally, they came to get us and said "We have another booth that is bigger and longer. Would you like to try it?" When we got over there, the benches were the same distance from the table as the last booth. Sooooo we waited...again. Finally they sat us at a table. Yep, that was a little embarrassing lol.

Gender? Boys!

Signs of labor? Nothing yet.

Belly button, in or out? Out.

Wedding rings, on or off? Always off now. I don't even try.

Mood? Same. Moody. Anxious. Unamused. (Geez! I'm so unpleasant!)

Looking forward to...? Meeting our boys soon. It won't be long now! 

Sooo about this whole slowing down thing...

Well, we made to the weekly appointment stage. From now on I will see my doctor and have ultrasounds once a week until they're born. I saw my doctor yesterday for a check up then had an ultrasound appointment today. Nothing much happened at the doctor. They weighed me, checked my BP, ran a test or two and sent me on my way. Today at the ultrasound, they did the typical monthly measurements on  both boys and just made sure everything is still looking good with them. With twins, they can't measure me externally like they would with a singleton so they have to do an ultrasound to check both babies' growth. That's a perk of having twins because you get to have monthly ultrasounds the whole pregnancy until the end when they do them every week. Up until this last month, they have been able to give us pretty good profile pictures of both boys and to easily measure them as well. When the girl put the wand on my belly today, the screen was almost black. I asked why it was so dark and she said because they are so squished in there, they shadow over each other so its hard to see a clear picture. Last month they were 4 lbs 4 oz and 4 lbs 10 oz which was approximately a 2 lb gain for each baby since my previous ultrasound the month prior. They've been telling us all along that instead of speeding up in growth during the third trimester like a singleton would, twins will actually slow down due to lack of space. Well, I'm quickly approaching full term and still waiting on them to slow down - not that I'm encouraging it. I gained right at 4 lbs this past month and every bit of that went to the boys. This ultrasound they measured 6 lbs 13 oz and 6 lbs 5 oz. The ultrasound tech even asked me if I had been checked for gestational diabetes yet. I had to laugh a little when I told her yes and that I passed with flying colors. All she said was "Oh, well that's great!".

We are so blessed and thankful for healthy babies thus far. This pregnancy has been tough in the fact that everything has moved so quickly and been multiplied by two but otherwise it has been utterly uneventful. We can not thank The Lord enough for that. Now we are hoping and praying for a healthy end of the pregnancy, a safe delivery, and two healthy baby boys. Oh, a healthy momma and sane daddy would be nice too. I go back to the doctor Tuesday so maybe I'll have some new info for my weekly update. Until then, keep cookin' boys!

35 Weeks: Won't be long now

This is the week that I set as my original long term goal to make it to. Of course early on there were short term milestones that I was hoping and praying we would meet such as 12 weeks when we could announce our good news to the world, 20 weeks which is half way, 30 weeks which is 3/4 of the way to the end, etc. Early on I told myself that if I could make it to 35 weeks I would be okay with having them this early. Ideally I have planned to carry them longer but I felt like 35 was a good, obtainable time where I would feel like I had made it to a pretty good safe point in the pregnancy. Now that I'm here, I'm realizing that my outlook on my pregnancy during those early weeks was pretty spot on. I imagined myself being pretty miserable, even though I didn't really know what that misery would entail, which was spot on. I imagined I would be pretty fatigued...again, spot on. I imagined my belly would be, well, rather large....and once again, spot on. The last few weeks I have grown more and more miserable and I can definitely feel the end is drawing near. I am constantly on the lookout for signs of impending labor. Any change in, well anything I am looking it up or asking my mom if I'm going crazy or if it is indeed a sign. Usually its nothing (obviously since I haven't gone into labor yet) so I just forget about it until my next possible sign. I have noticed recently but especially within the last several days that the boys have begun to shift downwards. Everyone has been telling me lately that I look like I'm dropping and yea, I probably have been for a few weeks but I can actually feel it now. **Before anyone gets alarmed, or excited, it isn't always a sign of soon to come labor. I've read, and heard, that it is pretty common for women to "drop" weeks before they actually deliver. So don't any of you start freaking out and thinking I'm for sure going into labor tonight, tomorrow, or even this week. This momma, as miserable as she may be, is still holding out for 37 weeks, or later.** Now that I've made it to 35 weeks, my next goal is to make it to 36 weeks. Then it'll be 37 weeks. I'm just taking it week by week at this point but I have a feeling that soon I will taking it day by day.This dang belly is making it tough to sit in an upright position. Laying horizontally is about the only way I can be remotely comfortable. These heifers are just too darn big. At least laying down the weight of my belly isn't sqishing all of my organs. So, hopefully I will get to update the blog with "belly pictures" at least one or two more times. Then, it will be updated with pictures of much cuter subjects, BABIES!!!!

35 Weeks

How big is baby? Considering they are obviously running out of room in there, they are obviously still growing. They're taking up every inch it seems like.

What is baby up to? Moving around a ton! I'm not sure if they are just hyper or if they are fighting for territory. Either way, they've both been pretty active lately.

Maternity Clothes? Sweats or yoga pants and t-shirts that used to be baggy but don't even cover my entire "bump" anymore. Its about as attractive as it sounds.

Stretch marks? Mmmmhhmmmm.

Sleep? Doing a lot of it. Getting up to pee several times a night which makes me sleep longer to make up for it. Sleeping a lot of the day too. What? I gotta soak it up while I can.

Best moment this week? I haven't really felt like going anywhere or doing anything for a while but today, since I actually did my makeup and did my hair, I figured it was as good a time as any to go out to dinner. So we got to have nice little dinner and Zach even went into the pet store and bought the dogs dog food. How romantic?

Miss anything? It hasn't changed much, my momma, good quality sleep, being able to stand up without pain, being able to sit upright in general lol, being able to touch my toes without wheezing and about passing out, my energy. 

Feeling movement yet? It's painful at times. Last night we were watching TV and all of the sudden, Sanford kicked/punched/spazzed out or something and it hurt! I jumped about a foot because it startled me so bad. Them having so little room in there makes every movement even more noticeable.

Cravings? Nothing really sounds good to me lately. Skim milk (lactose free of course) with Ovaltine is always a good night time snack. We go through orange juice pretty quickly too because Zach and I each drink a glass or two every morning before he leaves for work. I think drinking a gallon or more of water every day for the last 7 months has gotten me burnt out on it. Granola bars. They're about the only food that I don't mind eating regularly. Weird I know.

Food aversions? Pretty much everything the last few days but mostly still greasy food, Chinese food, and BBQ. Good thing everyone knows this and loves to be smarty pants about it and suggest one of these things every time we go out. Zach and his dad are the worst. Let me tell you, ITS NOT FUNNY! 

Started showing? Roll of the eyes....

Gender? Boys!

Signs of labor?  There's been a few small things that are signs that the end is near but nothing major. Just my body preparing for impending labor.

Belly button, in or out? Outty.

Wedding rings, on or off? Off. I might need to go to a department store or something and buy one of those big ol' CZ rings. You know, the ones that if they were real would only be worn by Carrie Underwood or Beyonce´?

Mood? Grumpy...And thank you to my sweet and wonderful husband who looooves to pick at me even when he knows, he KNOWS, I'm not in the mood. Isn't he great? No seriously, isn't he great? For him to be able to put up with me being pregnant and a total scrooge for the last several months, I'm pretty sure he is the most amazing man I could have even been blessed with. He's going to be such a great daddy, even if he does threaten to team up on me with the boys. For the first time ever, us girls will be outnumbered 4-3. That's alright though, everyone says little boys looove their mommas so good luck Zach.

Looking forward to...? My sweet boys being here! Every day goes by slower and slower. I'm so anxious to see what they look like, to hug them, to kiss them, and just to be their mommy. Our world is about to turned upside down and I absolutely cannot wait! Keep cookin' boys!

In the next few weeks we are going to need lots of prayers so I thought I would add a few specific things that you can pray for if you would like:

-a smooth last few weeks of pregnancy

-a safe delivery (most likely a c-section)

-healthy baby boys

-wisdom in the doctors and nurses

-peace over me and Zach

-safe travels for our parents

-a speedy recovery

-patience (mostly for me)

-good behavior from the dogs :)

Thank you all for all the love and support you have all given us over the past few months. We truly feel every thought and prayer. We are all so blessed to have so many great people in our lives and look forward to keeping everyone updated on this crazy journey we call life.