14 weeks!

Well here we are at 14 weeks already! The second trimester has been all I'd hoped it would be. I still cant eat certain things, but the nausea is mostly gone and I've learned a little trick for dealing with the tiredness: If I let myself lay on the couch and be lazy in the morning, I'm ruined for the whole day. If I get up and do things and keep myself awake, then by afternoon I am good to go. So no more being lazy on the couch in the mornings!

I keep saying how I will need maternity clothes soon, but its kind of sad to think I need them already. But I am carrying TWO babies, not one, so its to be expected. I want to go to Gap Maternity but the only Gap around here with maternity clothes is in Mall of America. And I try to avoid that place like the plague! I'm gonna have to give in soon though.

Well here's what's going on with the babies' development at 14 weeks:

• Thyroid gland has matured and baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.
• In boys, the prostate gland develops
• In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis
• Little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!
• The bones are getting harder and stronger by the day!
• Baby's skin is very transparent still
• Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!
• Baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long (the size of a lemon) and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!

And, as promised, here is my big belly. I decided to spare you all from having to see my pale, fleshy skin this time. ;) My pants are as low as I can get them so that they will still fit, so its making my behind look enormous. Its big but its not THAT big. haha

I will have another doctor appointment in a couple weeks. I am going to beg and plead to get an ultrasound just so we can check in on both babies and see how they're doing. I dont know if they will allow it or not, but it cant hurt to try!

Nothing else is really going on. Today is Halloween and Chris will be taking the boys around from house to house while I stay home and hand out candy to whoever stops by our house. Ian is going to be Venom (the black Spider man) again this year, and Quinn is going to be Batman. Chris and I wont be dressing up like we did last year since we wont be going anywhere due to lack of babysitter. Maybe next year!

Dont forget to vote on Tuesday! :)

My hair

So I was waiting until I was out of the first trimester before I dyed my hair. I dyed it a couple weeks ago. I'm really enjoying the darker look! I even felt like straightening it. I had put in some highlights but I think I would have rather left them out. So here's my new color:

Dont worry...a new belly pic is coming tomorrow with my 14 week update!

Here it comes

I've gained 3 more pounds, for a total gain of 5 pounds. :) By the time my next appointment comes around, I should have caught up to where I should be!

The heartburn is back too, but that's to be expected the larger my uterus gets. I have these Tums Quick Dissolve packets and they seem to work decently well. If it gets really bad, I know I can take Zantac. But lets hope it doesnt get to that point.

:)

13 weeks!

Week 13 update!!

• Your infant is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm) - This is about the same weight as 4 quarters.
• If you could peek in again you may spot baby as he begins to practice inhaling and exhaling movements
• Eyes and ears continue to move and develop
• Baby's neck is getting longer, and the chin no longer is resting on his chest
• Her hands are becoming more functional - Baby may find it comforting to start playing with her fist.
• At this point all nourishment is received from the placenta
• On your next doctor visit you should be able to hear heartbeat with a Doppler by now - (Don't worry though if you can't, the heartbeat can be confirmed through U/S). Baby's heartbeat is much rapider than your own and may remind you of the race towards birth that he is running!

The babies are the size of peaches now! I feel like I am growing bigger every single week. I am waking up 2-3 times each night just to go pee. The nausea seems to be going away but I'm still pretty tired all the time. Hopefully that will change soon too.

Nothing else is really going on. Things are pretty uneventful, which is good thing right now. :)

12 weeks!

Well, depending on what website you look at, I am either entering the 2nd trimester or still a week away from it. The 2nd trimester is supposed to be the magical, uneventful trimester and I am looking forward to it! Here's what's going on in this uterus of mine this week:

• Vocal cords begin to form
• Those precious eyes begin to move closer together
• Ears shift to their normal place on the side of the head
• Intestines move farther in to your child's body
• His or her liver begins to function - Responsible for cleansing the blood, storing nutrients, and providing needed chemicals, this is an important event!
• The pancreas begins to produce insulin
• Guess what? Baby's average size is now at a whopping length: 2.13 inches (5.4cm) and weight: 0.49 ounce (14gm)

So there are two plums in there this week that have made my belly look like this: (keep in mind I have only gained 2 pounds...the jeans I'm wearing are getting snug and they used to fall off of me)

Tomorrow I will put up a gender poll. I'm so anxious for the ultrasound on December 8th! But I know that nobody is more anxious than M&B are! Ian has decided that the babies are a boy and a girl. Whenever he refers to them, he now says "the little boy and girl" in my belly. So...is he right? We shall see!

Appointment update

Well I had my appointment yesterday and since it was my first official appointment for this pregnancy, it took forever! I had a physical, pap smear, blood pressure, urine analysis, weight, fundal height check, and fetal heart tones check. AND they took 5 vials of blood. AND I had to get a flu shot. When she did the flu shot the first time, the medicine blew out the sides of the needle where it connects to the syringe. So I had to get stuck a second time in the arm so I'd actually get a dose of the flu shot.

We were able to get a clear heart rate for one of the babies, it was 164. We could hear the other baby's heart beat but it wasnt loud enough for the doppler to pick up to register the heart rate. But it sounded about the same. So that was very nice...to get to check on both the babies! She said anytime I feel nervous and want some reassurance I can come in for a fetal heart tones check.

This morning I woke up with a headache. I took some Tylenol but it wont go away. I just want to go to sleep and see if it goes away. =( I hope I dont get sick from the flu shot. Ugh!

OH - I gained 2 pounds. Finally!

My next appointment will be in 4 weeks when I am around 16 weeks pregnant.

Intelligender

Someone showed me the website for this product called Intelligender. It's a pee test that is supposed to predict the gender of the baby you are carrying. It detects something in your urine that is gender specific. In the case of twins, if you get a 'Girl' result then both babies have to be girls. If you get a 'Boy' result then at least one has to be a boy.

It's only $35 and I am soooo curious to see if its accurate, come ultrasound time. According to their website, you can use it as early as 10 weeks pregnant. You have to be off of Progesterone for it to work, and I am. :)

Sooo tempted! I know two people personally who tried it and it was correct.

http://www.intelligender.com

Things I can eat often (or: Welcome to the land of 'aversions')

Here's a list of some foods I can eat repeatedly. This only matters because there is a large list of things I can only eat once or twice and then the thought of it turns my stomach.

• cottage cheese
• yogurt
• bagel w/ cream cheese
• Del Monte fruit cups
• 100 calorie pack of plain Pringles
• ceasar salad (but last time I made one, the lettuce was bitter)
• chicken burrito from Chipotle
• fries

Anything else is a crapshoot. I've been craving chinese food and a loaded baked potato for a few days now. Once I get to feed my cravings, I wonder if they will be added to the 'things I can eat often' list or the 'things I never want to see again' list.

Here's a small example of things I cannot eat anymore.

• Ice cream, any variety
• peanut butter (plain or on a sandwich)
• Frosted Miniwheats cereal
• Anything Mexican other than Chipotle (I'm so sad!)
• Pretzels
• Chocolate (I have a ton of Halloween candy and havent touched the chocolate stuff!)
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Pizza

I have two pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the freezer that likely wont be eaten by me. I was eating it every night, and then all of the sudden....I just cant. Pregnancy does some really silly things to your body and mind sometimes.

Appointments

Well I will have my first official 'new OB' appointment on Wednesday at 2pm. I wish I could have an ultrasound just to check in and make sure the babies are doing well. I think they are just going to weigh me, measure me, check my cervix, talk about any concerns, etc.

I also scheduled my big ultrasound for December 8th at 9am. That's only a month and a half away!

11 weeks!

• Nearly all structures and organs are formed and beginning to function.
• Fingers and toes have separated.
• Hair and nails begin to grow
• The genitals begin to take on the proper gender characteristics - It will be just a few more weeks before your ultrasound can show if you are having a boy or a girl! Have you been dreaming of pink or blue?
• Amniotic fluid begins to accumulate as the kidneys begin to function - This fluid, consisting primarily of water, helps provide a cushion for your baby while she's nestled within your womb.
• The muscles in the intestinal walls begin to practice contractions that digest food.
• Your baby is about 1.61 inches (4.1 cm) long and weighs 0.25 ounce (7gm).

So I've got two limes rolling around in there! I swear I feel them bumping around already. Sometimes its obviously gas bubbles or something, but other times it clearly feels like little bumps and nudges. I knew I would feel them earlier since they're twins.

Well I am off the Progesterone injections but I have to use Prometrium suppositories (3 times a day) for 11 more days. They are pretty gross. I think I'd rather be doing the injections! LOL.

Ian is really interested in the babies. He knows to be careful around me and not use my tummy as leverage when he gets up from the couch. I've fully explained that these are M&B's babies and that they will not be coming home with us when they are born, and he is very happy about that. But he does like to hug my belly and say "Mama, I love these babies." He's such a sweet boy. I wonder, if he was in school right now, if he'd be telling everyone at school his own version of this? haha

Chris is out of town until Tuesday so I'm on my own with the kids until then. Yesterday went well, although the boys have already said that they miss their Daddy. When I went to sleep last night, it was so quiet without Chris' wall-rattling snoring, that it was hard to fall asleep. It was just too quiet. But once I was asleep, I was totally knocked out! I might take the boys to an apple orchard this weekend if I feel brave. I've been stuck in the house so much lately...I really need to get out and do something interesting.

Well...the second trimester is around the corner! Already! This pregnancy seems to be going pretty fast for me now, although I know its crawling by for M&B. I remember feeling like I was pregnant for an eternity when I was pregnant with Ian. It took us 2 years to conceive and I was totally impatient and couldnt wait to meet him and see who he looked like, what his temperment was, etc. My pregnancy with Quinn flew by since we had so much going on...we sold our house & moved from TN to MN during the pregnancy, then lived with my inlaws for a couple months until we found a house to rent. I sure miss my Mother In Law cooking for me every day. =)


I really want a cake doughnut. Too bad we dont have any doughnut shops around here. Just grocery stores with bakeries...but its not the same. =(

Weighty Issues

Never in my life have I had trouble GAINING weight. I really dont get it! I eat as much as I possibly can. I've even taken the advice of my book about carrying multiples and having full fat, premium ice cream every night before bed. I eat more junk than I ever have in the last couple of years...but my metabolism has shot through the roof! I wish it would give me energy too, but I guess I cant be that lucky. I can eat a big meal and then an hour or so later I get those really strong stomach growls and that feeling that you're starving and your stomach is going to start dissolving itself.

So here's where I stand with my weight = 0 lbs gained.

I thought I had gained a couple pounds, but next time I weighed myself I was back to my normal weight. When I started injections in March (for the mock cycle) I weighed 140. That's the smallest I've ever been. By the end of the mock cycle I was at 155 and I have hovered there ever since. 155.4 to be exact. I would really love to have this metabolism once the babies are born...thats the truth! Especially because I will be hitting the gym HARD once the doctor clears me in the spring. But good golly...this is NOT the time to not be gaining weight! Everyone tells me that eventually the weight will pile on and that the babies are getting plenty of nourishment. So I'm sure in the future I will be posting 'OMG I gained 10 pounds in 2 weeks!' or something similar. ;)

Now, where's that Halloween candy I bought today...

10 weeks!

Well I am now into the double digits! 10 weeks pregnant today! Here's what's going on with the babies at 10 weeks:

• Baby is now called a fetus in "medical terms".
• The most critical part of your infant's development is complete. Now you are headed into a period of rapid growth.
• While a bit strange to envision, baby's head is now about half its length - Soon the rest of the body's growth will catch up but this area is prepared to keep up with the rapid brain development!
• Eyelids fuse shut and irises begin to develop - Eye color is also determined by this point.
• Placenta begins to function this week or next - The placenta is the organ responsible for both the provision of nutrients along with the removal of waste to keep baby growing strong!
• Baby will be about 1.22 inch long (3.1cm) and weigh 0.14 ounce (4gm) at the end of this week

And here is my belly pic for 10 weeks. I'm rapidly outgrowing my clothes! My uterus is roughly the size of a 16 week singleton pregnancy.

And the babies are about the size of prunes (1.2 in long)

Tomorrow is our quarterly surrogate support meeting here in Minneapolis. I cant wait to see everyone again and meet the new girls. I will also get to officially announce my twin pregnancy. Some of the girls already know but it will still be exciting to announce it. I will also get to see my counselors again and I just love them. Ooh...and we get free dinner! :)

I'm doing well. Same old, same old! I need to go grocery shopping right now, but having to think of meals to make and write out a list is making me feel... 'ugh'. I have a love/hate relationship with food still. Come on second trimester! :)

OH - and I stop progesterone this week, thanks to the placentas kicking in and providing all the progesterone these babies need! No more nightly shots!