Seeking Warm Stable: No Room At The Inn

We had our weekly appointment with our obstetrician yesterday where we were hoping to find out if we had an induction date set or not and the answer is... we're still waiting to find out.

It looks like it will boil down to availability vs. necessity. Currently Labor & Delivery is overly full so they will not induce Sunday if they don't need to. We will be going to the hospital that day either way so they can check on the babies, but if everything is still looking good and I haven't gone into labor on my own they will send us back home to wait some more.

Here's hoping things resolve themselves naturally before then – we are more than ready to meet our boys!

- L.

Cute Stuff!

My mom, the consummate bargain hunter, found these adorable outfits at The Children's Place end-of-season sale. Everything was priced at $5.99 apiece – which is a super steal, especially when you're buying for two.

These couldn't have arrived at a better time and cheered me up immensely while I was spending yet another day planted on the couch. Thank you again Grandma Rita!

- L.

A Small Update

It's been a little slow around here while we're waiting for our boys to arrive. We had an appointment last Thursday with our OB but it was fairly uneventful – other than garnering his deepest sympathy for "carrying around more than anyone should reasonably be expected to" there really wasn't any news to report.

We have another appointment tomorrow afternoon so fingers crossed we'll have some encouraging labour-friendly news when we leave (or at least an induction date set). These babies are entirely too comfortable I think.

- L.

The Mommy Report: 36 Weeks

I can't believe we've made it this far.

I have to concede that the past week has been pretty difficult, but I'm still hoping to keep our babies baking for at least another 7 days. I'm not really showing any signs of imminent labour so you never know. Even my OB who has been reiterating that the babies really could come at any time said that we might hang in there until Jan. 31st after all.

It's hard to imagine – and probably best that I don't imagine – how much more unwieldy my belly might be in another week or two though.

- L.

The Baby Report: 35.5 Weeks

It seems "absurdly good" is the catchphrase this time around. The doctor at the obstetrical ultrasound unit was very impressed with how well the babies are looking and said to keep on doing whatever we're doing since we're clearly doing something right. Yay!

Our boys are still solidly in the 50th percentile which is amazing news since that's compared to singleton babies, not other twins. The weight estimate for Baby A is 5.6 lbs. and Baby B is slightly bigger at 5.75 lbs., which means that even if they were born today they would not be considered low birth weight – which is not only wonderful news but a great relief.

Every day the babies spend baking increases the odds that we'll avoid the NICU and be able to take them home from the hospital with us. Hearing that they are already at such healthy weights makes me think it's entirely likely we'll do just that. : )

- L.

Now Accepting Pity

So Friday afternoon I noticed my throat felt a little scratchy like it does when one is starting to come down with a cold. I was pretty upset about it since I've been so careful to avoid germs, but since our OB is located at the hospital I figured I probably picked up a case of cooties while we were there the day before. Unfortunate, but it made sense – hospitals are full of sick people after all.

Saturday my throat felt worse – full on pain that just got more and more intense as the day wore on. I laid on the couch all day and waited for the sniffles to set in. And waited. And waited.

No sniffles. No shivers. No nothing, other than this awful pain in my throat that was reaching epic proportions.

Around dinnertime I got curious enough to take a look in the bathroom mirror and immediately saw the problem. The good news was I didn't have a cold or flu. The bad news was that there was something horrifying growing on the back of my throat.

Of course I showed it to M. (who fortunately isn't grossed out by much) and we immediately consulted with Doctor Google™. The diagnosis? Thrush.

Ew.

And OUCH. Serious ouch. I'd put the pain on par with strep throat if you've ever had it.

Sunday morning was spent tracking down a walk-in clinic to get everything confirmed by a doctor and also to find out what my options would be for treatment while pregnant. We found a clinic nearby and went shortly after they opened, but even at that there was a lengthy wait. I was pretty surprised that they offered us the option to either wait at the clinic or leave my name and come back. Bonus points for that since neither of us relished a lengthy wait in a room full of germs – we went and got our grocery shopping out of the way instead. By the time we returned there was only one person ahead of me so we didn't have to wait long.

The doctor was very nice and so sympathetic she almost had me feeling sorry for myself right there in the office. She seemed pretty surprised that I ended up with thrush since it's not too common during pregnancy – although it does happen obviously. Treatment is 7 days of pills 3 times a day and with any luck I should notice a big improvement by tomorrow.

In case the picture I posted is making you scratch your head, it's the other kind of thrush. Actual pictures of what's going on in my throat can be found in a Google™ search if you're curious and don't have a weak stomach. Personally I'd rather imagine the little birdie.

- L.

The Baby Report: 34.5 Weeks

We had an appointment with the OB yesterday for a regular check-up—weigh-in, blood pressure check, all the usual stuff—including measuring fundal height. If you're pregnant with a singleton it's a pretty accurate gauge of how far along your pregnancy is. Centimeters correspond with weeks gestation, so if you're 34 weeks you should measure approximately 34 cm. as an example.

With twins, it's done mainly for curiosity value I think since there isn't really a set number that you should be measuring at. That being said, my fundal height measurement yesterday at 34.5 weeks is 48 centimeters! The doctor said my body is "holding up really well" for being pregnant with two. Ha ha. That made me laugh since I've been feeling so uncomfortable I had to wonder what state I'd be in if I wasn't "holding up" so well. It did make me feel somewhat better (in that moment at least) to hear it though.

I mentioned the daily Braxton Hicks contractions I've been experiencing and the OB was totally unfazed. I already had a good idea this is all to be expected, but as he said, "well, you'll be in labour at some point" and at this point whether it's real labour or false if the babies are determined to come the doctor won't be intervening.

In fact, the babies will be getting their walking papers if they haven't arrived by 38 weeks/January 31st. Having a deadline suddenly makes it all seem so real (and surreal too!). After being pregnant for so long, it's strange to think that sometime in the next 24 days our boys will finally be here.

Of course, the OB thinks it will all happen sooner than that and pointed out more than once that the babies really could make their way into the world at any time now. Certainly there are plenty of twin moms that don't make it this far, so we are counting our blessings.

Both babies are still head-down and Baby A appears to have dropped in the past few days. I'm finding a small amount of relief from the reflux as a result, but oh how my bladder is suffering – and I thought it wouldn't be possible to feel a need to pee any more than I already was!

We are down to weekly appointments now with the OB until the end and also have an ultrasound scheduled for next week. The OB did do a quick check with the portable ultrasound machine in his office but it really wasn't the same quality you'd get with the high-end machines they use at the obstetric ultrasound unit down the hall. We still had a pretty good view all things considered and it's easy to see there's not a lot of room to move around in there (it's amazing how often they manage to kick in spite of that though).

I think that's all the news from yesterday. Today I'm finishing packing up the necessities for the hospital, and after that... we wait.

- L.

Happy Birthday To Me

I wanted to post a picture of my little cake before it disappears. It was all I could do not to have a taste while I was taking it out of the box, but I decided to be civilized and wait until I've had a proper dinner (fortunately the Thai food we've ordered is en route).

Also, it's a good thing I've got a good supply of Gaviscon on standby. Ah, it will all be worth it.

- L.

My New Toy

... is a Nikon D90 – and while I love our little Canon point-and-shoot, this is just so much more, you know? I spent the earlier part of the day getting the battery charged and then got started on figuring out my new camera. I still have a way to go, but Zed made a very cooperative test subject and I was really pleased with the practice shots I was able to take.





The close-up shots are amazingly sharp. I think I can almost smell the cat breath here:



Also, with our boys arriving soon, M. couldn't have picked a better time to spoil me with such a great gift. Thank you sweetie! : )

- L.

The Mommy Report: 34 Weeks

I thought I'd better not wait 4 weeks like I usually do to post an update since our little ones might be here by then, so here is me at 34 weeks. It feels like the babies have grown a lot since the last post and looking at this picture I'd say I'm onto something. I can't imagine how much bigger I can possibly get before the babies decide it's too crowded and hatch their escape plan, but I'm still hoping they continue to make themselves comfortable for a few more weeks.

Today is also my birthday and I've spent it at home with M. having a wonderful and relaxing day (and getting spoiled) while I celebrate my 39 years. We're ordering in tonight (no cooking – yay!), putting our feet up and watching the original Sherlock Holmes series (with Jeremy Brett, of course) and there's a yummy looking cake waiting for us after dinner. I even feel pretty good today! This is one of the nicest birthdays I can remember having and I really couldn't ask for anything more this year. I am one very lucky mommy to be.

- L.