Now We Are Half a Dozen

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Today's Doctor Visits- 38 Weeks, 3 Days

Today I had my 10th NST- everything fine, of course, and another visit to the doctor. Kris was able to come for the first time, so it was nice that he was able to meet my doctor. Today she recorded each baby's heartbeat and put the recording inside of a little teddy bear. Well... only Baby A got a bear this time. Dr. Adams said she had a bear of a different color at the other office and will pick one up for me so the babies can have bears of differing colors. They are so cute!

I am currently 4-5cm dilated so Dr. Adams feels pretty sure that the babies will come this weekend. If not naturally, we'll be scheduled to induce Sunday morning. It's both exciting and terrifying, but I think we're ready!

Today's Doctor Visits - 37 Weeks, 3 Days

Had the NST in the morning, did fine. Went to the doctor in the afternoon, did fine. I'm at 4cm instead of 3, so that's good, but I haven't been having contractions so these little monkeys seem to be staying put. Blood pressure and weight are still perfect.

No, Not Yet...

I have been saying this phrase over and over for a week now. I have to admit that it's getting old.

I had a NST on Tuesday and did fine. As always, the monitor showed some tiny contractions that I couldn't feel, but I also had one small one like I've been having all week. It's not painful and it's just my stomach area. The nurse (probably trying to be nice) said that sometimes the longer contractions do more work than the short, painful contractions. If that were the case, I'd think we'd have some babies by now!

If I thought I was uncomfortable before, I now stand corrected. I now have indigestion all day whether I'm lying down, sitting up, drinking, or eating. Walking, sitting, and lying down are all painful. My "over the belly" maternity pants are now midrise and cut into my stomach. The skin on my belly burns all the time- you should see how ridiculous I look sitting here with my shirt up. How sad is it that a cotton tshirt is painful? I have been having contractions on and off for a week now and am READY FOR BABIES TO COME OUT.

Mom has helped me get the babies' room organized this week. Pretty much finished, just have to figure out where to put a small pile of art stuff and need Kris to hang a couple more birdhouses. We've put together two bouncers, a bassinet, and a play gym. Tomorrow we'll tackle the swing... and figuring out where to put all this stuff!

In other kid news...
Ella's recital is coming up May 12th and she'll have picture day this Saturday. She's very excited to have her hair curled and wear her sparkly costume.

Jake was eating dinner before baseball practice today and lost his third tooth! He was surprised, but pleased. Just have to find that Tooth Fairy Bear so he can get his payout.

Jacob's First Baseball Game

Jacob's game was rained out yesterday and rescheduled for today. The Mudhens did great! Both teams had three at-bats and everyone did amazingly well for the first game. Jacob got a hit at all three at-bats and didn't have to use the tee once. He made a good stop at third and threw the ball all the way to first. We were so proud of him!

Day Two of Maternity Leave

By 10AM I'd already had three calls about my lesson plans. Apparently the sub is nuts. Trying to keep my Type A nature in check, but I was really really wanting to just go back to work. Of course, every time I get up and move around the contractions start, so it's easy to get back to the couch pretty quickly. Mom arrived around 11:30 so we went to Ella's school picnic. The weather was the nicest it's been all week so it was refreshing to be out of the house for a while. Afterwards, I took mom for a pedicure and we headed home. My feet were a little swollen so I hit the couch until it was time to get Jake and Ella and go to my two doctor's appointments.

My first appointment was with the regular doctor. Everything looks fine and I'm still at 3cm. I didn't gain any weight, but I did receive news that I'm negative for Strep B so that's good. I'd hate to have to be on antibiotics for four hours! We then went to the maternity ward for my NST. Again, everything went well. Being up and about today gave me a few contractions here and there but as before, they were light and didn't lead anywhere.

Day 1 of Maternity Leave

Wow, today was boring. I just stayed on the couch watching movies. Walking around *does* feel terrible right now, but if I'm lying down, I'm okay. I think I may have had two contractions total, but enough indigestion to last a lifetime.

Must. Resist. Urge. To. Clean.

2 NSTs and Some PreLabor

Friday and Tuesday had uneventful NSTs. Heart rates and movement are perfect!

Tuesday night, I had several light contractions in a row. My feet had swollen more than usual that day, so I'd been sitting in the recliner as I graded papers. There's a list of 5 things I need to do to make sure I'm in real labor and not prelabor so I got up, got something to drink, got something to eat, went to the bathroom, took a shower, and walked around. That stopped it so I went to bed. I woke twice in the night, but again, the contractions were really light and I figured that if I could sleep through them, it wasn't the real thing.

Went to work Wednesday and had contractions all day. The kids were pretty patient with me so I was able to sit for nearly the entire day and just type notes onto the smartboard instead of writing them. I had one or two contractions which were uncomfortable, but still not intense. The rest of the time, I had about one per hour and they never increased in intensity or duration. I was stubborn about finishing my lesson plans, but as soon as I had everything in order, my principal drove me home. Debbie had the kids and kindly brought them over so I wouldn't have to get in the car.

My pelvis feels like the bones are separating and I'm a little sore. I kinda feel like I've been riding an uncomfortable bicycle. I took a hot bath last night and stayed in bed for the rest of the evening. My feet were really swollen but by bedtime, had almost gotten back to normal. I only had one or two contractions once I got home and none overnight, so I've taken maternity leave and will be staying horizontal from now on.

Mom is driving up from Texas today and should arrive tomorrow. Time to catch up on my TV watching!

Today's Doctor Visits - 35 Weeks, 2 Days

Today was a great couple of appointments! First I had my sonogram where I found out Baby B has flipped and is now head down. Baby A is weighing in at 5 lbs, 6 oz (but is probably more because weight is determined by head size and A's head is a bit squished at the moment) and Baby B is weighing in at 6 lbs, 6 oz. These babies are baby-sized! Breathing looks good, heart rates are good, movement is good... all good things!

I have been dying this week- discomfort is causing lack of sleep and my skin is very tight and sensitive. Lots of indigestion and foot swelling. I'm really considering only working a couple of days next week before calling it quits. I hate being a complainer, but that's about all I can be right now! We'll see if upping my indigestion meds helps me sleep and if sleep helps how I'm feeling.

My weight and blood pressure are good. I had a Strep B test today so we'll see how that goes. I am currently dilated 3cm and 50% effaced, but the doctor said that it's not really indicitive of anything. I'm supposed to watch for contractions 5-10 minutes apart for at least an hour. So far I just have random, light contractions which are mostly related to me sitting for a long time then getting up and being busy.

I'll be continuing with the two NSTs per week, but won't need another sonogram. My doctor's appointments will be upped to one a week so I'm considering just moving into the hospital lobby to save on gas.

Baby A


Baby B

Baby B has the hiccups:

Random Pictures

Two More NSTs

Friday's NST and today's NST were fine. Heartbeats were good, my blood pressure was good, there's some contracting happening, but it's nothing that I can feel. I have a couple of appointments on Thursday and another NST on Friday.

We're on Spring Break this week so I've just been hanging out with the kids. The weather has been good so we've been playing outside, making cupcakes, and having friends over to play.

Today's NST- 34 Weeks

NST stands for "non-stress test" and is a way to monitor the babies' movements and heart rates. It takes 30-60 minutes of me lying down doing nothing while I have two heart rate monitors, a contraction monitor, and a button to push when I feel movement. I'll have to do this twice a week from here on out.

From what I could tell, Baby A's heart rate stayed in the 140s and Baby B's was in the 150s. I had a couple of contractions that I didn't feel, so that was interesting. I can remember the same thing with both Jacob and Ella when I was hospitilized with stomach flu for each of them. It's very strange to see the monitor register something that you, yourself, don't even feel.

We passed with flying colors and will go in again on Friday!

Ella's Birthday

Ella's birthday breakfast was a specially ordered doughnut with pink icing and sprinkles.

Today's Doctor Visit - 33 Weeks

Blood pressure is good, babies' heart rates are good (140s for A and 150s for B), all aches and pains and stretching are normal. I now have to get two non-stress tests per week so the next two weeks will have a total of six appointments- two next week and four the week after. The good news is that I've suddenly found time to work on lesson plans!

Jacob's Birthday

Jacob's birthday breakfast was cinnamon rolls and orange rolls.

Today's Doctor Visit: 32 Weeks

Grandma, Aunt Peggy, and Ella got to come along for the ride this time. Baby B is still breech, Baby A is still head down. Both are growing great and look amazing. Baby A is 4 pounds and B is 4.6 pounds. Both babies have a lot of hair and are starting to get chubby. My stomach is really stretching now- I can feel parts of my skin tearing. It's just another thing to add to the ol' list of complaints!

Baby A:

Baby A Yawns:

Baby B:

Baby B's Sweet Face:

Jacob & Ella at Monkey Joe's

Jacob and Ella had their joint birthday party at Monkey Joe's, an indoor bounce house place. This is the first year we've invited friends from school so it was a nice, big turnout. The kids had a great time, suffered a few injuries, got over them, then went back to playing.

Jacob's cake was a chocolate dragon and Ella's was strawberries with flowers. The kids both received great gifts and a good time was had by all!

Texas Comes to Indiana

Grandma and Aunt Peggy are here!

After much driving, the pair have arrived bringing a baby crib, rocking chair, and a multitude of baby items. We've organized and arranged and shopped until there is not a thing in the world these little guys could need.

Mom brought cards from the ladies at FUMC Holliday so I got to have two surprise, long-distance baby showers in one day! Since my crib was missing its hardware, the gift cards were used to get two new cribs and mattresses. Just need to figure out how to organize the closet and we'll be set!

Luck had it that I had a sonogram scheduled so our two honored guests got to see the babies first hand. I usually have to go to appointments alone so it was nice to get to show off the boys for once.

Surprise!

Went to Jacob's Irish Dance ceili and ran into Maroua, Ryan, Rami, and Laila! We walked into the Knights of Columbus hall on Friday night, expecting to eat and watch Irish dance when someone walked up to me and said, "Hey, double pregnant." I was amazingly surprised to see Maroua since she lives two states away. I mean, let's face it... Irish dance fundraisers at the Knights of Columbus are not exactly tourist destinations! It was really good to catch up and the kiddos had a great time running around and eating cookies. I, myself, ate entirely too many servings of green beans and potatoes, but at the time it made sense. I haven't had any true cravings during this pregnancy, but every now and then I'll eat something and be unable to stop. It's as though I've disovered the food for the first time and it's the best thing I've ever eaten.

The Jawadi/Ochsner Fam came over Saturday morning for yet another surprise. I received a long-distance surprise baby shower! Hope sent diapers, wipes, and nursing pads; Lisa sent super fancy birdhouses and a gift card; Michelle sent two hooded monkey towels; Gram and Paula sent gift cards; and Maroua brought me a ton of Rami's baby clothes. It was an amazing and unexpected gesture. We took the kids over to the Hilton for some swimming and wore them out completely. Mom called and she and Aunt Peggy were nearing the house, so we packed up and headed home. Once there, I had ANOTHER long-distance surprise shower! The ladies at the church had all written cards and included gift cards. I feel so loved! We are now able to get everything we need for the boys' arrival.

Today's Doctor Visit - 31 Weeks, 1 Day

It was short and sweet. Blood pressure is fine, weight is fine... I'm having issues sleeping because of leg cramps so the nurse practicioner recommended magnesium and potassium. Today I learned that a kiwi has as much potassium as a banana. This is good because I'm not very fond of bananas. Baby A's heartbeat is in the 140s and Baby B's is in the 150s. And no, we don't have names yet...

After the doctor was Ella's ballet class where she received her super-ultra-glittery costume for her recital. Pictures will be April 21st and the recital is in May.

Last stop was the siblings class at the hospital. Jacob and Ella learned about diapering, folding laundry, germs, swaddling, and belly buttons. Next we took a tour of the maternity ward. The rooms are such that they are for labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum and they're set up really nicely. There's a minifridge, microwave, 2 TVs, fold out bed, and food is served as it is ordered instead of on a schedule. The kids were mostly impressed with the view from the 4th floor. We walked by the nursery where the kids got to see a newborn baby.

Week 31

It has hit me. I am miserable.

I have been uncomfortable for some time now, but have now definitely passed into the realm of miserable.

The following are activities which I find to be terrible:
*sitting
*standing
*lying down
*sleeping
*eating
*breathing
*cleaning
*driving
*putting on socks
*putting on pants
*going to the bathroom
*bathing/showering
*typing
*feeding the cat

I now take Prevacid, so I only wake up once a night choking on bile, but the indigestion has been replaced with leg cramps. I wake up several times a night with my calves on fire and I wake in the morning feeling as though I've just run five miles. I've hit my goal weight so I only force myself to eat more than I want instead of eating more than will stay down. I've quit the Ensure and soda and am trying to eat actual foods and water instead. It's nowhere near the calories I'm supposed to have, but it makes me feel better, mentally and physically.

I've been able to fake "fine" for a while now, but this week I'm miserable.

Recital Pictures

Available here:

http://www.pictage.com/client/event.do?event=1209524

Rather than look through 1200 pictures of curly-headed kids, just look for the folder labeled "Jessica's Favorites." Those are all the pictures of Jacob.

Jacob's Recital

Because of today's ridiculous schedule, I have no pictures and no video of the event. I went to my double doctor appointment, came home, then realized that I was supposed to have received my RhoGAM shot. I grabbed Jacob, went back to the doctor, got a shot, then headed to the recital.

I volunteered this year, so I was in charge of getting all the beginners dressed and ready. The other moms and I helped them practice then took them backstage. They weren't even my own kids but I was just as excited as I could be for each and every one of them.

Bringing them back to the dressing room, getting their class picture, taking them to the bathroom, etc made me miss Jake's first dance, but Kris and Ella were in the audience to cheer him on. This is Kris's first year to be able to go. While I was taking Jacob, Kris took Ella to her ballet class, got her changed, and brought her to the recital.

We brought the beginners up to the balcony- I thought I would DIE on that 4th flight of stairs- and I was able to watch Jacob's second dance. He did so well! We've been practicing at home so I think it really made a difference. I bought a DVD so I'll be able to watch his first dance as well.

I thought I had been told that dinner would be provided for volunteers so I didn't stop to get food for Jacob or myself- big mistake. The only food available was cookies, so Jacob and I basically had cookies for dinner. Once the recital was over at 9, I took both kids to a drive through and ordered burgers for the latest dinner ever.

Jake had a good time dancing and was happy to see his Irish Dance girlfriend, Ashlyn. There were pro pictures taken, so I'll post the link as soon as it's ready.

Today's Doctor Visits - 29 Weeks, 1 Day

Had my double doctor's appointments today. First was my sonogram where I was dismayed to see that Baby B had flipped back to frank breech. All other news was good- the boys are three pounds each and about 15 1/2 inches long. Both are very (very!) active, heart rate is good, breathing and swallowing look good... they're just as cute as they can be!

I'm starting to have to go every two weeks instead of three so this is becoming a scheduling nightmare. I'll see the doctor in two weeks, get a sonogram in week 3, then back to the doctor the week after that. Again, let me say that I am so, so thankful for the Starbucks in the hospital lobby!

Last week I passed my glucose test and my hemoglobin looks good.

We've been working on birdhouses and have received 3 in the mail. I've been feeling up to doing some work so we've slowly been getting the nursery in order.

Baby B's Chubby Cheeks


Baby B and Baby A


Baby B is Head Over Heels!


Baby A


Baby B

Today's Doctor Visits - 26 Weeks, 1 Day

Today was great! Baby B is now head down, right where he needs to be. A is 2 lbs and B is 2.4 lbs. Both look great and are moving all over the place.

Baby A and Baby B

Baby B

Baby A

Baby A

Today's Doctor Visits - 23 Weeks, 1 Day

One of the unfortunate aspects of being considered high risk is that not only do I have an increased frequency of doctor appointments, I have an increased number. Every three weeks, I will have to have two appointments in two locations: one for a sonogram and one for a regular check-up. The sonogram is to check on placental function, cervical integrity, and the babies's growth. Today I am 23 weeks, one day and both babies are measuring 23 weeks, one day. Perfect!

They each weigh about 1 lb, 10 oz which is the 67% percentile. Both babies are amazingly active with long limbs and chubby cheeks. Baby A is head down, Baby B is frank breech. I'm told that there is still room for them to move, but I don't see how that is physically possible. I am so uncomfortable!

I have been struggling with my 3500 calorie diet. It seems like every day offers the choice of either making myself sick or depriving my babies. I know that they are doing well, but statistically speaking, I should gain 30-42 pounds by week 28. I have 5 weeks left and 6 pounds to go...

The pics from today weren't outstanding, but I'll post anyway:

Baby A

Baby B is folded in half!

Back in October...

Back in September...