Week 26

This was a busy week with lots to report.

On Monday, we met with Dr. Kueny at the midwifery center. He is the main doctor with the midwife practice we are considering switching to and so we wanted to meet him before we made our decision. After spending about half an hour asking lots of questions, we both came away from the meeting with a very good feeling about him. He understands that it is very important to explain things and make sure that we know what choices are available to us, and why he (or any of the midwives) would recommend something, which we both really appreciate. Plus, he is a father of twin girls!

On Tuesday, I did the GD (gestational diabetes) test at Hampshire OB. The whole thing was fairly painless. I went in when the office opened in the morning and had my blood taken. I wasn't allowed to eat anything that morning before the first blood draw, which was difficult for me because I woke up VERY hungry at 5:30 a.m. Also, there was leftover quiche in the refrigerator and I really wanted it. By the time they had taken my blood, it was 9:00 a.m. I had the bagel with jelly and glass of orange juice I was supposed to eat with me, so as soon as I was in the car I got to eat. Even though I was so hungry, I don't usually eat sweet bagels and orange juice for breakfast and I had a hard time finishing it all. By the time I got to the second half of the bagel, I was making up games to help myself keep eating. How many bites would it take for me to finish it? Could I do it in 5? Could I finish the whole thing in the next 3 minutes? Would anyone but me know if I didn't finish it all? There were some birds just outside the car who looked hungry...

Eventually, I did eat the whole thing and I finished the juice. I felt very proud of myself. I spend the next two hours trying not to think about food. At 11:00 a.m. I had my blood drawn again. Then I went home and ate some quiche. It was delicious.

That evening, Brett and I went to our first childbirth education class at the hospital. The class is a four-week series and we were one of about 10 other couples. Almost everyone will be first time parents, but we were the only ones expecting twins. A lot of what was covered in the class I already knew, but I did enjoy parts of it. I enjoyed seeing all the other pregnant mama bellies. I felt huge in comparison to some, even a few who are due next month!

By the end of the class all I could think about was eating dinner. Next week we will bring some food with us.

On Wednesday we spent a lot of time finishing up the rearranging projects in the house that we started over the weekend when we had the tag sale. Our tag sale on Saturday was a huge success! We cleared out a whole bunch of stuff from the basement, garage and house. Many of the big items sold, it felt great to de-clutter, plus, we made money! Kathy came down for the day and brought food for lunch. She was a big help and good company during the tag sale, and she also took this great picture of Brett and me.

Our family.

Our neighbors across the street also put some things out for sale on Saturday and by the end of the day the bookshelf I had been eying hadn't sold. They gave it to us for free and I think it will made a great shelf for baby stuff. Another fun gift came from one of Brett's coworkers. Gretchen called Brett up and asked if we would like a bunch of cloth diapers and a few small clothing items! The next day, she dropped them off on our front porch. It's so nice when people are so giving. We look forward to passing things along when it's our turn.

I also called and got my GD test results Wednesday morning. I passed! Here are my numbers:

90 - blood sugar, in the morning after fasting all night
133 - blood sugar, two hours after I'd eaten
5.4 - hemoglobin A1C
12.2 - CBC

Actually, the most stressful and annoying part of the whole GD test process was when I called to get my results. The nurse who called me back was very rude to me and was not willing to explain what anything meant.
All she kept saying was, "Your levels are normal."
"Great, and could you tell me what that means?" I asked.
"Your level is 133, and that's normal."
Grrr.

It went on like that for the whole conversation. Finally, I just thanked her, said goodbye and hung up. Then I cried on Brett's shoulder for a good 2 minutes. I think I am just overly emotional right now, but I hate it when people are rude to me and won't explain things. After the conversation, I spent some time on-line and found out most of what I wanted to know. For example, what a normal range is, how that compares to my numbers and how important those things are. I seem pretty healthy, and I'm not anemic, so yay!

Thursday afternoon I got together with Benita, another expecting mama of twins who are due just a couple days after ours! She and her husband Sam live in the co-housing community just a few miles down the road from us. I went over there and we took a walk through the woods on the bike path.

Unfortunately, for the majority of the visit with Benita, the right side of my belly was very uncomfortable, which made it very hard to relax. It was a feeling of intense pressure, and it made me worried that something was wrong. It lasted a couple of hours, and then it finally let up, almost all at once. Maybe one of the girls was pressing on something inside me? I'm not sure, but I really didn't like it.

On Friday I turned in the paperwork to switch our care over to the Midwifery Center! We feel really good about the switch, especially after how I was treated on the phone trying to get my test results explained to me after the GD test. I'm looking forward to our next appointment/ultrasound on the 25th of this month. The next day we'll have our first "official" appointment with the Midwifery Center.

26 week belly! It's lilac time! This month just May be my favorite time of year.

Week 25

We had our monthly check up yesterday. This time we saw Dr. Jones. She was very nice and is one of my favorite doctors so far. She checked the babies heart beats and measured my belly. I am measuring at 30 weeks, which is normal for twins.

At our last visit, I told the doctor that I was considering declining the glucose drink (a sugary drink taken to test for gestational diabetes that is recommended for everyone between 24 & 28 weeks) and asked for an alternative to the regular test. Following up with that this visit, it turns out that I will be allowed to come in before I've eaten anything in the morning, have my blood drawn, eat a whole grain bagel with two tablespoons of homemade jelly (black raspberry, mmm!) and drink an 8 oz glass of orange juice. I will then get my blood drawn again in two hours, and that's it!

I am very happy that I won't be drinking the glucose concoction, and I feel proud for standing up for something that is important to me. I still hope the test goes well, but I'm a lot less anxious about it now that I know that I can just eat real food.

Our next appointment is in exactly 3 weeks, for an ultrasound. It looks like we will be having appointments every 2-3 weeks after that, until the due date, with an ultrasound every other time. It seems like a lot to me, but they want to make sure that the babies are growing at the same rate and the best way to do that is with ultrasounds.

I have been getting a little more sleep at night recently and don't have much of anything to complain about! We started buying our milk from The Hartsbrook School this week. They have a Jersey cow named Heatherbell. It is the most delicious sweet raw milk that I have ever tasted. We signed up to receive a half-gallon every two weeks. I love that if I ever don't feel like drinking it all, I can just make it into butter or use it for baking! So exciting. Also, I went to the first Tuesday Farmer's Market of the season and got the the most delicious salad mix. I've been eating a couple salads a day and enjoying them immensely.

25 Weeks!

Week 24

I've been having a difficult time accepting that I'm unable to do things easily/safely that I used to do without thinking. We both spent a bunch of time this week at the Springfield house, dealing with problems and diagnosing/fixing a water leak. It's not that I can't do anything. I was helpful by handing Brett tools and I even climbed up the tall ladder at one point so that I could see for myself what the problem was. I'm just used to being able to do more things on my own. It's becoming very uncomfortable to bend over, and I don't feel like I have as much balance as I used to. Plus, I'm just so much slower at moving around; it's ridiculous.

Working with Brett on projects this week, where he needed to be the one to actually DO the majority of the work, has been a lesson for me in patience and letting go. He thinks things through more than I do and his time frame on what gets done next is often different than mine. There were times when I had to just clench my teeth, take a deep breath, and remember that taking a little bit longer, or doing things in a different order than I would do them, would be okay.

In the end, it all worked out and we got a lot accomplished.

I feel thankful that I don't have a cold anymore, and that most of my complaints seem to center around being tired and dealing with moving slower than I'm used to. My feet and hands definitely get slightly swollen sometimes, often if it's warm out and I've been on my feet for too long, but sometimes it just seems to happen randomly. I've been trying to drink lots of water. My belly seems to get larger every day, but I'm actually surprised by how good I feel, and how much I can still do. The baby kicks continue and this is the first week that they have kept me awake at times during the night.

Week 24 belly picture!

Week 23

There are lots of pictures this week! Brett and I have been in Florida since last Wednesday. We have been swimming, playing with Atom, picking blueberries, and spending lots of time napping, eating and relaxing with family.

Looking down at my belly: It's getting really big. Each of the babies should weigh about a pound now!

So many berries to pick!

I found you!

Atom learned quickly to just pick the blue ones. They taste better.

My feet have been a little swollen and hurting, probably because it's so hot here. I hope it's not a sign of what's to come this summer. I've been trying to keep my feet up when I can and go for walks when I am feeling good.

Swimming is one of Atom's very favorite things to do!

I like it too.


Atom bounces on the trampoline with Uncle Brett.

Can you find the Screech Owl in the Bottle Brush tree?

Group picture! Yesterday, we met Toby and his girlfriend Sabrina for dinner near his school. It's finals week for him coming up, so he hasn't had time to come visit. It was fun to have everyone together, even if only for a few hours.

Week 22

Time for comparison pictures!

22 weeks on the left, and 4 weeks on the right. Also fun photos for playing the "Guess how many differences you can find!" game.

It's been an emotional week for me. I haven't gotten enough sleep and I haven't eaten enough, both of which I'm sure have contributed to my weepy state. I have just been feeling overwhelmed with life in general. Brett had a really busy week with work and it was hard for me to see him so busy when I could hardly get myself motivated to work on a fun project like setting up the room for the babies. In the end, I did manage to start on that, which felt good.

But, now the week is over, Brett is on vacation and I am feeling better today. Also, I'm excited to see my family on Wednesday! The babies continue to kick me every day. I think they especially like when I eat oranges.

Week 21

On Friday, I finished the 21st week. The most exciting development was being able to feel the babies kick (from the outside) for the first time! I have been feeling them flip and move around for a while, but this week they really started kicking me. I was so excited for Brett to be able to feel them!

Week 21 belly picture!

We received a wonderful present in the mail this week from Katie and Dave. A Snoogle pillow!

It's VERY comfortable. I have mostly used it for naps during the day so far, but it's nice at night, too. I love how soft and cozy it feels to snuggle up with. It's also useful to prop myself up if I'm reading, or using the computer. Thanks so much Dave and Katie!!

(Brett also finds it very comfortable.)

On Sunday, while Brett was away at a Scrabble tournament, I went to a parents of multiples group meeting, at Cradle in Northampton. The group meets once a month and is for parents who are expecting twins (or more!), or parents who already have young twins.

Everyone at the group was SO nice, were happy to answer questions and talk about their birth and pregnancy experience. I wasn't the only other expecting mama at the meeting. Benita and her husband Sam, who are also pregnant with their first children, were there too! Benita is due the same week in August as I am! Just like us, they were very surprised to find out that they were expecting twins. Unlike us, they are having two boys.

I am so glad that I went to the meeting. I think that it's going to be a great resource for us as we continue through the rest of the pregnancy, as well as after the babies are born.

I get a kick out of you!

(Written by Brett)

Last night, for the first time, I felt the girls kicking! We were getting ready for bed, and Jenny told me to put my hand on her belly. Right away, there came one of the biggest kicks Jenny has ever felt from inside! It was unmistakable, and several more kicks followed within seconds. I'm really excited that I can now have a more direct connection with the girls. I know that I'll have years and years of connection after they are born and that the momma gets to (has to) carry them around for nine months, but I've been eager to share a more intimate knowledge of the girls.

I feel so lucky that Jenny and I look at life in such similar ways, and that we get along so well. I was away for the weekend, and while I was gone (to a Scrabble tournament in eastern Massachusetts) we both struggled to keep an even keel without the other partner around. So, when I came home Sunday evening, we were both relieved to be back in our normal routines and comforted by each other's presence.

When we rode across the country last summer, we had to work through so many things *together*. That really did solidify our relationship in some ways, and we are so glad that we took that whole summer to complete our dream adventure. Having done that together, we fight or have hard times significantly less often, and we are ready to move to a new adventure in our life, even if this new adventure is a bit intimidating at times.