33 1/2 Weeks

Y'all.  I am seriously sucking at blogging regularly lately.  I can't even say that I've been going out and doing such exciting things.  Colby has been gone for a week now, and my mom and I have been working like crazy on the nursery.  Really, I have to blame nesting for my extended absences.  I feel like the only time I sit down is when we eat and when we crash in front of our television shows for the evening.

But panic has well and truly set in because one month from today is the LATEST that the little ladies will arrive.  ONE MONTH!!!!!  And I still have nothing hung on the walls in the nursery, no hospital bag packed, I haven't even begun to think about a birth plan (Have babies.  Can that be my plan?), I only have one package of diapers and I still have a pile of books to read that I'm CERTAIN will teach me all I need to know about taking care of two babies (ha) (HAHA).
As absolutely not ready as I am to bring these babies home yet (We haven't even decided where we want them to sleep!), I AM ready for them to get the heck out of my uterus.  The last two weeks have been rough.  And I don't foresee it getting any easier over the next month.  My pelvis is so sore--I constantly feel like I've just gotten off a horse after a looooong trail ride.  My hips ache.  My feet and legs are almost always swollen.  I get winded and exhausted after the slightest exertion--just taking a shower and getting dressed wipes me out.  My stomach feels so heavy and Charlotte is just bouncing along on my cervix while Annabelle kicks me in the ribs.

That said, I honestly thought I would be a lot worse off at almost 34 weeks pregnant.  I'm still mobile, I've been sleeping a little better than I was a few weeks ago (probably due to sheer exhaustion from all the NESTING) (and a shoutout to my new best friend Tylenol PM), no gestational diabetes, no signs of preterm labor or preeclampsia.  I really do feel incredibly lucky.  I know an awful lot of singleton moms who've had far more difficult pregnancies than mine has been, so I do feel a little bratty complaining about the normal aches and pains that come with the territory.
I had my 32 week appointment last week and it went very well. My mom came with me, and it was nice to be able to introduce her to my doctor and ultrasound tech. The girls were both head down (HOORAY!!!!!), and are getting so big! Annabelle was 4 pounds 13 ounces, and we could see her hair wafting in the amniotic fluid and little fat rolls along her sides! Charlotte was just slightly smaller at 4 pounds 6 ounces, and she's so ready to come bursting into the world that they had trouble checking my cervix because she was right on top of it and not budging. Both of their heartbeats were a bit fast at the beginning--in the low 170s/high 160s range--but they slowed down toward the end, so the u/s tech thought they were probably just annoyed at being woken up by the jabby ultrasound wand!

I think I forgot to mention in my last update, but Annabelle's placenta has a small cyst on it which evidently could be a problem if it were bigger, but it's quite small and hadn't grown between appointments, so no one seemed very concerned. Unfortunately, once more, no good pictures. Both girls kept facing toward my back and didn't seem too interested in performing for us. We'll just all get to be surprised when we see them for the first time!
My next appointment is on the 19th with a regular OB as opposed to the high risk doctor I've been seeing. They want me to meet another doctor since there's always the possiblity that mine won't be able to be there for my delivery, and we'll just be doing a quick check up instead of the hour to hour and a half long growth scan. Then, assuming the babies are still in utero, we'll go in the next week for another growth scan and do a Non-stress Test. I think that's also when we'll officially schedule the induction, though my doctor told me it would probably be some time between November 5-7th since that's when he'll be available.

So, that's about all the news that's fit to print this go round. I can't believe I'm staring down the barrel of labor and delivery already. I feel like I was just writing my big announcement post, and here we are, all these months later, gone by in the blink of an eye.

Comments

[Jen]

You look great and I'm so glad to hear the girls are doing so well. And props to you for knowing what a canary melon is, let alone where to buy one (or two!).

[Kaela]

Wow, it's amazing to me that at 32 weeks you have more baby in your belly than most women do at 40 weeks. I bet that feels pretty heavy!! Good luck! I hope you can keep those babies in for another month- they are looking like they are about to fall out! ;-)

[Janet]

Great update! Yeah, I'm starting to feel REALLY uncomfortable all the time too, but feel bad complaining. I know it could be worse and hip pain is better than pre-e...but still. OW!

You look FABULOUS and not swollen at all to me! Keep up the good work. I am right behind ya!

[Labor and Delivery]

Nice pictures!! Are colds and flues are harmful to the developing babies?

[Karen]

You are getting SO close! And as always, you are beautiful. :)

[thoughtsappear]

You look amazing!

I hope your babies have a lot of hair like those pineapples. =)

[Kate P]

They're growing like weeds--or is it squash and melons? I think they both are at weights higher than my baby nephew's when he was born 2 months early, and that was almost a year ago now. Time definitely does fly, and in the most exciting way. :)

[Keith F]

Yikes, there is something especially cringe-worthy about the idea of giving birth to pineapples. You look fantastic though! I hope the remaining weeks go well :)

[Kaity]

Stumbled upon your blog today and am so excited to follow along. Your maternity pics are the cutest- between posing with the approximate sized veggies and the name tag picture- so much adorable-ness and creativity! Prayers for the safe delivery of your girls <3