Weeks 35 & 36- Happy Two Months Ari!- Weeks 7 & 8 NICU

Let me start off by apologizing to my loyal readers for leaving you hanging for a week, however once you get through this post you may realize why I’ve been MIA.

Week 34: Growing Guy- Week 6 NICU

The highlight of this week is something I didn’t anticipate happening so quickly, but am so thrilled that it has- ready for this? Ari has already grown out of his preemie clothing! Seriously, this little man is going to need a new nickname soon because he’s not so little anymore! Before he outgrows it, here’s a positive reminder to my baby boy (and myself!):

Week 27: Cauliflower Power!

We have officially made it to the final week of my second trimester- and what a trimester it has been! The most exciting part about making it to this point is that with every passing week the chance for a better entry into the world for little A increases.

Nagging Nursery Nonsense

Really not sure where to go from here in terms of the look for the nursery. Do I stick and stay with the existing theme, one that was developed with my two little men in mind and just adjust it for the needs of only one little inhabitant? Or, do I treat this like a whole new experience, and develop a new look altogether?

TTTS- Results

And then just like that, it’s all over. The world goes black and you have that deafening ringing in your ears. The doctor in front of you is still valiantly trying to speak, but you can’t hear him and it doesn’t really matter anyway.

Week 24- Day 7- Ta-ta TTTS

Day 7- Monday

At least that’s what we’re hoping. That the worst is behind us, that we are all on the mend, and that as long as I stay focused on taking it easy so that my little men have the time they need to grow big and strong, we’ll all be ok. There really is nothing more that can be done at this point but wait and see.

Week 24- Day 2- TTTS?

Day 2- Wednesday

Wednesday, unbeknownst to us, was going to be a very long day. By 9 a.m. One of Dr Ryan’s fellows has commenced our first ultrasound (u/s) in which he took a very detailed look at both babies and did a ton of measurements. Following his assessment the head of ultrasound came in and she took her own set of photos and measurements. Finally Dr Ryan came in to speak with his colleagues, get a rundown of their findings, review the photos and plots made from the data and proceeded to complete his own exam. After roughly 2.5 hours of ultrasound, one near fainting spell on my part (it was so hot in that little room and I had been flat on my back for too long before speaking up), and lots of medical terminology being used in hushed tones, we were done our first part and were told to have a seat in the waiting room and Dr Ryan would come to get us for discussion soon.

24 weeks- Day 1

Day 1: Tuesday

My unplanned plan. That’s what this is all about right? Well this week was certainly no exception.

Week 23: Eggplants and Egghead Decisions

There really isn’t much of an update this week in terms of medical news since I won’t see my OB again until next week- must say it’s kind of nice to be back on the every-other schedule as opposed to the intense every week meetings we’ve been having.

I’m not sure which food comparison more accurately describes my boys this week, be it eggplants or grapefruits (or any of the other hilarious ones out there!), but I can certainly tell you that the size of my dramatically growing belly would definitely indicate that things are ramping up pretty quickly! Apparently, my little gents are slated to double in size over the next four weeks, which I suppose means I’ll quadruple in size?! Stretchy skin, it’s time to get your game face on! Speaking of my growing belly, check out my current view (at least I can still see toes right?):

And check out this viewpoint from when I was about as far along with Isla:

I don’t remember my belly being so pointy with Isla! I’m not sure if it’s because I’m having two, or just because it’s my second pregnancy, but my belly seems so rotund this time.

Some current pregnancy issues I’m happy to be avoiding are an aching back, and growing feet (that apparently don’t go back to their normal size!). I’m very happy with my standard issue size 8’s thank you very much.

Side note: To those poor ladies who have to go to hell and back to earn their ticket into motherhood I sincerely feel for you. This journey is full of challenges without those added bumps in the road. Keep your heads up and your eyes on the prize(s)!

In other week 23 news, as only we can do, Payam and I interpret a little downtime as an opportunity to start (yet another) project. As I mentioned previously, part of the boys’ nursery will involve installing a doorway from their room to gain access to Isla’s ensuite bathroom (this will keep all the kids stuff in one bathroom and keep the other full bath nice for guests- no one should have to fight off an army of squeaky tub toys or cutesy hooded towels just to make a quick trip to the loo!). However, this simple door project does not come easily. It involves removing and replacing the custom vanity and installing the doorway. Here are some pics from our vanity demo:

As you can see, we were greeted with the unfortunate realization that the builders decided that 10 extra tiles would have really pinched the budget, so we will now be replacing the flooring. Oh, and of course, that gross daisy wallpaper had to come down- so the ceiling and walls will need to be painted. Talk about some uplans! Stay tuned as this mini-project turned can of worms unfolds.

Back to the babies, I will leave you with this happy thought for the week: There continues to be some sort of kickboxing competition being held in my belly. My boys are extremely active (as was Isla), and I can feel their movements throughout the day and sometimes during the evening hours. I understand that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly is mine, so I am happy to share their energy, but I must say the coolest part about it is how often Isla gets the opportunity to feel her bros say hello too:

Translation: Heart melted.

Week 22: Papayas and Pitter-Patters

The second trimester really is a beautiful time in pregnancy. As you’ve read, I’ve had it easy with both pregnancies, avoiding any kind of morning sickness in my first trimester. However, the first tri still doesn’t leave me feeling exactly like myself, I experience (albeit mild) waves of nausea, strong food aversions, and basically narcolepsy where the only way to stay up past 8pm is by skillfully placing toothpicks under my eyelids to keep them from shutting. The third trimester with Isla was still great, however by the end of it you feel so large and everything begins to tighten to the point that you walk around feeling like a balloon that might just pop! Second tri is like the lazy days of summer, casually passing through each day feeling happy, energetic, and optimistic about what tomorrow will bring.

I will admit, however, that nesting mode is still in high gear and this will likely continue until I get to meet my handsome little gents. Scattered around my house and maxing out the memory capacity on my iPhone are many, many to-do lists and random thoughts of things to remember to do/order/research. I believe that this is due in part to the fact that we’ve been slow to start on our renovation plans, which hinge on me completing work in both the twins’ room and Isla’s new big girl room. What on earth are we doing in terms of renovation at this stage of the game you ask? Well, we are adding a doorway from the twins’ room into Isla’s ensuite bathroom, which, while it is not a huge task, opens a big can of worms in terms of ripping out a vanity, and now remodelling the bathroom. You can envision this process and see now why I’m not just whipping some paint onto the walls to satisfy my nesting needs.

According to the updates I read about my growing peeps, the boys are now the size of papayas and are nearing or at the one pound mark (I would guess that A is very close to this point since he was 14 oz last week! And hopefully B won’t be too far behind). I can certainly vouch for this as my belly seems to be growing in spurts lately, and I’m amazed every week to see how much more it has popped since last week’s photo. I am also thrilled to say that the vats of cocoa butter I’ve been slathering on daily (combined with the well of water I dry up every day, and some pretty good genes!), I’ve managed to avoid any stretch marks so far. Yay stretchy skin! Let’s just hope it stays this way and no one will get hurt.

In other baby news, the boys’ hearing is developing this week and they can hear my voice, the soothing waves of my blood-flow as they sit belly-beachside, and just in time for Valentine’s Day, the pitter-patter of my heartbeat. Seriously, is there any closer bond than that which exists between mom and baby (/babies)?

My appointment this week was a quick one, following the usual format. No measurements of the babes were done at this week’s ultrasound since they were just taken the week prior, however the babies and their amniotic fluid levels were looked at and of course my cervix was checked, everything is in good order. Another week will pass with no baby falling out! I was happy to see my OB so that I could describe to him what has become a nagging pain in my groin when I walk. I was mildly concerned that I had pulled something or that it was a sign of some sort of early stage contraction/spasm… nope, just those pesky round ligament pains and yet another joy of pregnancy! Unfortunately nothing can be done about it; fortunately there is no cause for concern surrounding it other than the discomfort.

I will end this week’s update with my happy dream from last night. I don’t know about you, but when I am pregnant I have much more vivid and realistic dreams than I do otherwise, and often more bizarre. Well last night I dreamt that Payam and I were checking into a hotel for a weekend away (can you tell a vacation has been on my mind?!) then the scene flashed to me laying on a bed, in a house, wearing a blue hospital gown. I was completely disoriented as I thought I’d be waking up in my hotel room. Once I noticed my lovely blue gown, I looked side to side and there were my precious boys lying on the bed beside me! Two perfect, plump (can you tell I’m stressing about their size and the idea of pre-term birth just a bit?!) little boys and my heart overfilled with joy. I won’t bore you with the details of the rest of my dream as things really didn’t make sense, but the feeling was so great that I woke up on cloud nine and have been there ever since.