Third-Trimester Morning Sickness

Well this was a surprise, but thanks to Dr. Google™ I was at least reassured it's not all that uncommon. Kinda stinks, but mercifully Vitamin B6 is both safe to take and quite effective for keeping the worst of it at bay – for now at least.

- L.

Traveling In Style

We really did our homework when we were deciding on car seats and in the end decided on the Chicco Keyfit. These seats are well reviewed by both safety experts and parents alike. M. said they were a snap to install and even though we had our firefighter brother-in-law on standby to do a safety check for us he said he really wasn't needed.

These seats are also an excellent choice if you're expecting smaller babies since the infant insert works with babies as small as 4 lbs.

- L.

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

As I sat here tonight while M. is away at his family's Christmas dinner – feeling a bit pitiful since I was in no shape to attend (and bored in the bargain) – I decided to Google™ "Twins 32 Weeks". Although I've seen this series of illustrations before, this image had the power to give me pause all over again:



It's one thing to see shadowy images in and out of view via ultrasound, or to observe the visible difference in your own outward growth, or to feel your babies moving around and kicking your ribs with their perfect, tiny feet. It's another thing entirely to have an accurate representation of just how perfectly and wonderfully formed they really are at 32 weeks gestation.

I'm in awe.

- L.

The Mommy Report: 3 Days Later

For awhile now I've enjoyed checking in (almost) daily at thecradle.com's Daily Pregnancy Calendar. You can enter your due date and every day there's an update with a fun fact regarding your pregnancy and baby's progress. For the past two days the offerings could not have been more timely. See for yourself:

Although you may be quite tired, you still may have difficulty sleeping because of backache, baby movement, feeling too hot, headaches, leg cramps, or trouble finding a comfortable position.

and...

You may notice more leg fatigue and more varicose veins in your legs and abdomen. As your weight and blood volume increase, more and more pressure is placed on the veins of your legs and the legs themselves, resulting in a dull, aching pain.

The timing is bordering on eerie since I just posted a few days ago about how great I've been feeling overall and then overnight it all pretty much went out the window. Sore back? Check. Leg cramps? Check. Pressure and dull, aching pain? Check and check!

For what it's worth this is in no way a complaint, but it's certainly an observation. Now I know what all those online mommies-to-be in my due date club have been talking about for the past couple of weeks. I'm actually feeling very blessed that I've made it so far without experiencing most of these symptoms and I definitely have a newfound respect for those who have been struggling for awhile now – all I've wanted to do today is stay reclined and hope for enough of an approximation of comfort to grab a nap. I will say this much: it's certainly good training for the impending baby bootcamp we'll be facing in just a few weeks when sleep will be a forgotten concept anyway.

- L.

Merry Christmas!

Because nothing says Merry Christmas quite like a cat in antlers (also because I just couldn't *not* get them). Zed's opinion may differ – and the pleading look in her eyes probably says it all. Ah well, we've done our best to ensure she'll be relieved to be ignored a little when the babies get here.

Of course, you'll be relieved to know her hard work posing was not for naught and she was duly rewarded for her efforts after.

See Exhibit A (a.k.a. the mysterious contents of the gift-wrapped box):



Of course, you should only mix the two at your own peril:



M. nearly lost a hand last night because he couldn't get the baggie open fast enough. The box itself actually contained a kit to grow your own catnip plant. The "sampler" was included to tide over impatient kitties in the meantime I guess. It was definitely a big, big hit and the claims that the contents are "proudly grown in B.C." are not to be taken lightly – this is some seriously potent stuff and since a little goes a long way Zed will be enjoying her gift for weeks days to come. We should all be so easy to entertain. : )

- L.

The Mommy Report: 32 Weeks

Well, this is what 32 weeks pregnant with 3 feet of babies looks like. I'm now up to 11.5 squares (actually I was expecting more so that was a pleasant surprise).

Everything is still going along nicely – no real complaints. Just the usual stuff that one would expect. It's getting harder to sleep comfortably, my feet are still puffy, and Gaviscon can only do so much to help with the reflux. All in all though, I feel pretty good.

It's hard to believe we only have another 4 or 5 weeks left if everything goes well. I'm still hoping I'll be one of those miracle moms that manages to stay pregnant until 38 weeks, but 36 or 37 weeks is more realistic with two. I desperately want to be able to bring my boys home with me from the hospital so the longer they stay baking the better. No Christmas surprises (or early birthday presents) please!

As for the rest, M. and I have been incredibly busy trying to get everything in order for our little ones (and poor M. has been working some long hours at the office on top of that). We're getting there, but the Christmas tree in the background is a sad testament to how crazy it's been. We put it up over a week ago, threw some lights on and a few ornaments... and ran out of steam. I'm still hoping we'll find time to get the rest of the decorations on the tree – it looks a little naked.

- L.

Guest Post: Gud Halp Iz Hard To Find

I iz halping. Honest! Someone has to guard the box and keeps the instrukshenz shredded. I also leav'd sum hairz behind to keep the babeez warm. U needz halp with ur nursry? Call me! I'z in the book.

- Z.

The Baby Report: 32 Weeks

"Disgustingly normal" were the exact words of the doctor at the obstetric ultrasound unit this morning.

AHEM.

I prefer wonderfully normal myself, but what really matters in the end is that the babies are doing great.

They are both in the 50th percentile this week, so still growing well despite their cramped quarters – and it is getting crowded in there! Baby A is 17.8" and approximately 3.9 lbs. and Baby B is a full 18" and 3.95 lbs. That's almost 3 feet (and 8 lbs.) of babies! No wonder I look like I swallowed a toddler.

Today is the first time Baby B has measured bigger than his brother, even if it is by a hair*. Actually it was a day of firsts for Baby B since this was also the first time he's shown us his face – finally! We're just so pleased to know that he has one after all this time. : )

Everything else is equally disgustingly wonderfully normal and we were thrilled to hear it. Both babies are vertex (head down) once again so I got to breath an extra sigh of relief. Hopefully they're nice and comfy now and will just stick to the regular kicking and squirming until they're done baking – no more fancy maneuvers please.

*We also found out that they both have hair already! Eeeee!

- L.

Murphy's (Pregnancy) Law

At the exact moment you finally find a comfortable position in which to fall asleep, you will suddenly discover an urgent need to get up to pee.

- L.

How Many Squares?

I regularly participate in an online pregnancy forum and have found it to be a fantastic resource for expecting moms (particularly if it's your first pregnancy). Membership can also be quite fun. Last week a post went up suggesting a simple game – measure your belly around the widest part using TP squares and post the results (along with how many weeks pregnant) for others to see and compare. I measured a solid 11 squares at the time.

I thought the whole thing quite funny and told my mom about it. Since she lives several provinces away I figured it would also serve to give her a tangible idea about how big I've grown.

Of course, she had to try it out and found herself measuring a respectable 9 squares, which was a bit of a shock since it's only 2 less than a woman in her 8th month of pregnancy (with twins no less). If you know my mom, then you know she's in fantastic shape so this made no sense to either of us.

After comparing TP brands (which turned out to be the same) and double checking our measurements, there was in fact no mistake made – so I guess it's safe to say there really is a lot of difference in 2 tiny squares since I obviously look *very* pregnant and my mom clearly does not.

Of course, it's all in fun – but it begs the question... how many squares are you?

- L.

Desperate Times

In all fairness these could be uglier I suppose, so I'll try not to complain too loudly since they sure are comfortable and actually fit my swollen feet – not to mention ankles that lately resemble my Gram's. My only other criteria while shoe shopping yesterday was "must be good in snow" since I'm sure we can't avoid a major snowfall before the babies arrive and I'm nervous about taking a tumble.

On the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised to discover I can still bend over enough to tie these myself. : )

- L.

Try To Act Casual

I'm not sure this is exactly the face of innocence:



But it's the face that's attached to the cat who immediately found the box with her name on it after we unpacked the presents my mom sent us for Christmas. Behold her handiwork only moments later:



Must be some serious catnip in there. Needless to say, this has been (safely) tucked away for the time being. Of course we'll let Zed finish opening it herself when the time comes – might as well since she's halfway there already.

- L.

LUSH Therapy

I am furiously knocking on wood as I write this post, but with my baby belly measuring 38 weeks I am reasonably convinced that Lush's Therapy Bar has been a wonder at keeping the stretch marks away. Yes, I realize conventional wisdom says that there's no avoiding them because it's hereditary – either you get them or you don't – but you can't blame a girl for trying anyway. This wonder product came highly recommended from a few sources and I tend to agree so I'll tentatively tag this post under "stuff that works" (for now at least). Also, it smells heavenly.

- L.

First Aid

Of course we've stocked it with all the basic stuff for babies – digital thermometer, Infant Tylenol, various bandages, etc. – but the main point of this post is to show off the cute little tin lunchbox we found to store it all in. The best part? It looks great sitting right out in the open with easy access at all times for fevers, bumps and boo-boos. Kisses are stored separately.

- L.