Today

Today was full of emotions for me --

* excitement

-- less than 48 hours and my babies will be in my arms.

-- Today was my last day of work. I know, I was planning on working tomorrow, but with everything going on and being able to wrap up loose ends at work today, I figured I needed one last "me" day. If anything else I'll try to get some sleep and keep my feet up as much as possible (oh yeah, in addition to the load of laundry I want to get done and the sterilizing of bottles I still haven't done...whoops!)

-- I had my last "pre-baby" hospital visit today. My non-stress test last night went great and today I had to go back to get blood work done to expedite things for Thursday. Next hospital visit = Thursday at 12:30 to prep for 2:30's C-section.

* exhaustion -- although I've been quite tired when I go to bed, I've been ITCHING like crazy and when I lay down in bed, all the itching starts up again. I've developed this rash that started on my stomach, then has moved to my thighs, my hands, and my upper arms. I noticed it Friday and did a bit of research and think it might be PUPPP. Luckily I haven't had it too long and it supposed to go away shortly after delivery, but in the meantime, I load up on as much cortisone cream as possible. Otherwise, I give in to the scratching and itch it so bad my stomach has welts on it. Not good, I know, but it feels soooooo good when I'm scratching! So, it has kept me up at night at times, and when I get up to go to the bathroom (still every 2 hours), I'm lucky if I can fall back asleep without the itch starting up again.

* extreme sadness -- today was my Grandma's funeral service. She was the strongest woman I knew for going through so many challenges in her life (including fighting and winning breast and bladder cancer). Unfortunately, her most recent challenge was too much for her tired body and she passed away on Sunday morning. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her (and the rest of my family) all day. What made it worse for me was that I wasn't able to attend the service since it was over 4 hours away and not a good idea to travel since I would be giving birth in 2 days. I do, however, have comfort knowing that she is now resting peacefully and like a co-worker said "she's got the best view for Thursday." You are greatly missed Grandma -- I love you!

One week...

..my hospital bag is finally packed,

..the carseats are ready to go in Troy's car,

..I have my last ultrasound today (but will still have a non-stress test next week Monday),

..my doctor "feels bad" for my ankles but has told me that they could get worse after the c-section because of all the IV fluids they pump you with (oh dear!!),

..I am measuring 45 weeks,

..my students are very understanding of my moods and the need to sit down so much with my feet up (thank goodness, the superintendent completely understands too!)

..I don't wear shoes anymore, not even to work -- oh how I love slippers,

..I can eat very little before feeling like I'm going to vomit -- more proof that they are taking up every spare inch of abdomen that I have,

..I just finished a very informative book that my mom gave me, "Ready or Not, Here We Come" (the guide to the first year with twins) -- it was my reading material during all my non-stress tests!

..the only thing that is still a "must-do" (that I can think of), is sterilizing the pacifiers and bottles we have and getting my breastpump out of the box and ready to go,

..I'm having my last girls day with my Mom and sister before motherhood, on Saturday,

..only 4 more days of work (after today) -- yes, I'm working right up until the c-section date -- some call me crazy, but if I was at home, I'd be driving myself nuts with boredom. Plus, I want to keep all my days for after they are born (we don't have paid maternity leave here, we can only use accumulated sick days).

..we still can't agree on a second boy's name...we have agreed on the first name for a while now, but just can't commit to a second one.

..172 hours and they will be here!!!!!

For the boys..

This weekend Nicole and I ventured out to get pedicures. We needed a bit of pampering and I personally was hoping that if the lady doing my pedicure rubbed hard enough, it would trigger some contractions, making me go into labor sooner. Well, no such luck on that part, but we did get pampered and boy did it feel good. We opted for the blue polish too -- for the boys! I am usually a pink/red/purple nail polish girl, but I gave in to blue for this occasion (Nicole wanted to have blue polish on her toes when Parker was born last year, but I was hesitant because she had him in June and in the summer, more people are likely to see your toes...it didn't happen then!)

Afterwards, I visited with the Reaves for just a short time before coming home. Morgan is such a sweetie -- she looked with awe at my belly, but was not short with the kisses or hugs for the boys. She kept running up and hugging my stomach -- so cute! She has also declared that she will be bringing a blanket to see the boys so she can hold them. Gotta love it! Parker -- he was just cruising around the house, crawling as fast as can be, and climbing up whatever he could. It is possibly my last visit with Morgan and Parker before the Perez boys come, but I just know it's going to be super exciting seeing these cousins grow up together!

Another busy day

First of all, Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Second of all, welcome to March Madness and all the drama that comes with filling out a bracket!

Third of all, isn't this weather wonderful? Looks like we have to soak it up while we can though -- the 10 day forecast looks like we might be getting back to high 30s/low 40s for part of next week.

Fourth of all, how funny is it that I've been called the poster child of a twin pregnancy by the nurses at Beaumont? Oh if they only knew! I had 3 appointments today. The first was the growth ultrasound to see how big the babies are. Because they are getting more cramped in there (tell me about it!), it is getting harder and harder to get accurate measurements of the stomach, which is the biggest predictor of their weight. Unfortunately, Baby B was making it hard to see Baby A's size because his head kept pushing into Baby A's stomach. The closest measurement they had for Baby A is 5lbs 3oz, but she said that might be a bit low. Baby B was measuring at 5lbs 8oz, and she said she was pretty confident with that measurement since there was little in the way. Interesting that they only grew exactly 1lb each since the last appointment 4 weeks ago. She said that is normal and that everything looked perfect.

The second appointment was for a biophysical profile ultrasound where they measure the breathing, amniotic fluid, movements, etc. of each baby to make sure they are both active and have enough fluid. All checked out with that and the both passed the test with flying colors.

On to my non-stress test -- another good result. Both babies had good heart rates and everything with me ended up good -- no unusual contraction pattern or anything. Looks like those of you that were looking for St. Patrick's Day babies aren't going to get them...sorry.

So, on my way out of my non-stress test, as I was making my appointments for next week, the nurse said I was the poster child and about fell on the floor laughing. Of course she was referring to the fact that I have had no complications thus far, I'm still working, and still "looking good". If only she knew how READY I was -- how uncomfortable every part of my body is. Yes, I'd rather be uncomfortable for a few weeks to make sure that the babies are ready to be born and not come prematurely, but I think we're good at this point! My ankles have taken the word "swollen" to a whole new level. I no longer wear shoes to work -- I got some cheap slippers with a good sole that can be worn outside and wear those instead. I am just SOOOO ready to meet these boys. I'm ready to forget all about this uncomfortable phase of pregnancy, which everyone apparently has in some way or another, and enjoy motherhood and all it will bring. The countdown is on -- 14 days or less -- and only one more week of all these crazy appointments!

This weekend: I still have to pack my hospital bag and Troy still has to install the car seats (yeah, being productive during the week after work is just not happening these days). We are meeting with a potential pediatrician tomorrow and hopefully we'll make a decision with that. On Saturday, Nicole and I are getting some much needed pedicures. I hope they aren't afraid to touch my swollen feet! The rest of the weekend will be spent watching college basketball and hopefully doing nothing but relaxing!!! Enjoy!

36 weeks

How time flies! It's crazy to think that in 18 days (or less), the babies will be here. We're definitely ready to be mom and dad, but I'm also very done with this uncomfortable stage of pregnancy. As my doctor says, my body is acting like I'm already 3 weeks overdue (based off of measurements, but only able to be compared to someone having a single baby), so the aches and pains are to be expected, but their arrival can't come soon enough. What will they look like? What will we decide to name them? What will their temperaments be like? So many things on my mind, I just can't wait...

Every test I've taken so far (my 2 non-stress tests and 1 biophysical ultrasound per week) have come back good, which is very promising that I'll make it to March 31st. I have a growth ultrasound this coming Thursday to see how much they each weigh. Knowing that they naturally lose weight after they are born, I'm hoping they are around 6lbs each. That way they can gain a little more before their delivery and still be okay to lose some and not be at risk for falling below 5lbs (which is when they'd have to visit the NICU).

At last weeks ultrasound, I asked for some "different" pictures (I always seem to get a profile picture or a head-on picture, so I wanted something new). This week we got a shot of Baby A's hair and Baby B's foot. It's amazing how close Baby B's foot is to Baby A. Lucky that they are in different sacs so Baby B couldn't really pound Baby A with it!

Baby A's hair (he is looking away from us, but you can see the little fuzz off the side of his head!):

The side of Baby B's foot (his toes are pointing towards the 8:00 mark on a clock, his heal is straight up and his leg is going towards the 5:o0 mark on a clock):

Me at 36 weeks -- amazing how I have seemed to lose the roundness and now look more "boxy".

For now, its lots of resting, prepping (putting car seats in the car and putting together my hospital bag are first to be done on that list), and counting down.

Cankles gone wrong

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my ankles were pretty much gone. They had swollen enough that day or night, they definitely blended in with my calves. The past few days I've noticed that even my slip on shoes that I wear to work were getting tight. Well, today, my ankles took it to a whole new level. After work I was so happy to take my shoes off because they were throbbing quite a bit (even though I really wasn't standing much of the day), and saw that I had ROLLS in my ankle area. Yeah, seriously... Now, I'm not proud of this (I actually laughed in shock), but I didn't really know that they would swell so much that this would happen, so I thought I'd share the scary picture with you! Just don't be jealous...

The Nursery

Here it is folks -- the nursery. It's not completely finished because we aren't sure what to put on the walls yet, but the majority of everything else is all situated. We were going to get some wall decals but then realized that with the placement of the furniture that they might take up too much of the wall. We'd at least like to get some shelves to put some things on, hang some pictures, etc. but we don't want to rush that just to have it done. We'll be on the look out for anything that sticks out to us. Enjoy!!

WOAH!!!

This comment has been common the past few days:

1) After one student said it in shock yesterday, I asked what was wrong and he said he could see my stomach moving from his seat...hahaha!

2) Today, another student said it, followed by "It looks like you're gonna pop!" "Um yeah, I feel like I'm going to" was my response, only followed by -- "No I'm just kidding, it doesn't just happen that way" (after he looked freaked out).

3) Today I said it, after the doctor told me I was measuring 42 weeks. Good lord -- only 2 weeks ago I was measuring 38 weeks -- seriously, I "gained" 4 weeks of time in 2 weeks? The doctor claimed it was all good, the babies are growing well, but also said that it is the exact reason for all the extra aches and pains that I've been feeling lately (if I was having a single birth, she'd be concerned that I haven't given birth yet).

I thought I was in the clear for not getting any new "symptoms", but not so much. This weekend I started feeling numbness and tingling in my fingers and pains in my wrists (thank you carpal tunnel, you are making it SO helpful to blow dry and straighten my hair in the morning), a shooting pain in my leg/butt every so often (sciatic nerve, thank you), and even more difficulty in standing up and sitting down like a normal person. Amidst all of these uncomfortable feelings, it is nice to know that I have 4 short weeks before it is all over and I get to see, hold, cuddle, and love our new babies. It is amazing how fast time has gone by. In the meantime, I will continue having my 2 non-stress tests, 1 ultrasound, and 1 doctor appointment each week to make sure the babies, and me, are doing well. So far, so good at this point.

Our goal this weekend is to finish up the nursery. We've had problems with items being shipped (poor packaging = many broken/scratched pieces) and we just received all the replacement parts for our dresser today so Troy will finish putting that together this weekend. We got our glider and ottoman last weekend (thanks to my parents), and along with the cribs and changing table we got at the shower, we're pretty much set. Now, it's just a matter of placing everything where it goes and organizing all the little odds and ends! For now, the goal is getting through the next two days with less exhaustion and less cravings for a darn slurpee!! Let's see how that goes! Happy Hump Day everyone...