14 Weeks!

Well, I'm technically 15 weeks now...but I have been good about taking my weekly photos at least. My 14th week was actually pretty painful overall. I guess everything is stretching or growing, because I have been having lots of random sharp pains. I ended up going to my doctor's appointment on Monday just to make sure everything was ok instead of waiting until Friday and heartbeats were good on the doppler and these sorts of pains are completely normal according to the doctor I saw. Other than that, the week was rather uneventful.
14 Weeks!!

Weight: 136 (+ 0 lbs overall)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A lemon (note: all sizes are comparing the length of baby to a fruit)

Maternity Clothes?: Same as before. I did order another pair of maternity jeans, some maternity capris for when it gets warm, and my first maternity shirt because Zulily was having a maternity sale and I am way too cheap to pay full price for clothes that I'll only wear for a few months!
Symptoms: Fatigue, sore breasts, and lots and lots of random aches and pains this week.
Emotions: Feeling ok. It's been a few weeks since I saw the babies last and it will be 5 more until I see them again...so the worry is coming back a little. Still feeling positive overall, but it's so hard not knowing what's going on in there!
Notable News or Events: Both babies had heart rates in the low 150s at my OB appointment on Monday.

Movement?: Not yet.

Stretch Marks?: Still too early.

Upcoming Appointments: End of March.

What People are Saying: Just general "how are things going?" sorts of questions this week. 

13 Weeks!

Week 13 has been significantly less eventful than week 12, but still pretty great nonetheless. I know that anything can  happen, but just making it this far with both of my babies doing ok in there has me feeling pretty positive lately! My hubby and I had a really nice weekend together, just hanging around the house and shopping. We also went out to eat for lunch on Sunday which was  really nice. We (and by we, I mean Nathan) cleared out the guest bedroom  that will be the nursery this weekend as well. It mostly involved moving our extra bed into my craft room, which will now be a dual purpose area. It is exciting to think that we will begin the real work of getting ready for babies in just a few weeks!

WEEK 13!!

Weight: 135 (-1 lbs) Really starting to gain that weight back! That's up 2 pounds from last week.
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A medium peach, a tangerine, or the length of a medium shrimp!

Maternity Clothes?: Still the same as before. When I go out I either wear my one pair of maternity jeans or fasten my regular jeans with a hair tie. At home I wear mostly PJ pants because it's comfy! My shirts are still fitting ok, although my little bump is finally starting to show just a little bit.
Symptoms: Still fatigued, but it does seem to be improving. Sore breasts. The main symptom though is hunger! After weeks of no appetite, it is back with a vengeance. I need to eat every 4 hours with some snacks in between. 
Emotions: Feeling pretty upbeat!
Notable News or Events: I can sometimes find both heartbeats with my doppler at home. There are still days when I can't tell if I've found one or both babies, but I have definitely found both babies several times.

Movement?: Not yet.

Stretch Marks?: Still too early.

Upcoming Appointments: March 1st

What People are Saying: Nathan has been getting excited about my emerging bump and has started rubbing it and talking to the babies every once in awhile. Everyone is still very excited and people ask how we're doing all the time now. Nathan and I are also trying to narrow down names this week, but we still have a ways to go!

My left side is still way bigger than  my right side, which I think is kind of  funny. Ironically enough, both babies looked to be more to the right at my ultrasound. I think that they are moving a lot these days though, so that might change regularly!

12 Weeks and Ultrasound Pics!!

So week twelve has been a pretty eventful week around here. The biggest and most exciting thing was that we had our NT scan on Monday. I don't think that I can put into words how wonderful it was to see both babies still there with beating hearts and flailing limbs. I REALLY have to babies in there...it's amazing! It might seem kind of silly, but I've been trying not to get my hopes up about having twins, but after seeing both babies looking like babies, I am feeling pretty good. It is still possible for something bad to happen to one or both babies, but every week that we make it brings us closer to bringing home two little beings in August.

Baby A was measuring at 12 weeks 5 days (the ultrasound was at 12 weeks 4 days) and had a heartbeat of 148. This was my squirmy little one who wasn't as fond of posing for a picture. Baby A flipped completely over a couple of times during the ultrasound which was so cool to watch.

Baby B was measuring at 12 weeks  6 days and had a heartbeat of 154. This is my little ham of a baby, posing perfectly for profile shots. Baby B still wiggled around and kicked it's legs and sucked it's thumb...but was overall way more mellow than his or her sibling.

The ultrasound tech didn't have any guesses about babies' genders, but for the first time in this pregnancy I have a gut feeling. It will most assuredly be wrong, but I just have this feeling that Baby A is a boy and Baby B is a girl. We will see in either 1 or 2 months!

In other week 12 news we went to Nathan's yearly work party and went and saw Warm Bodies at the movie theater. We have also decided to really try and look at baby names so that we can at least have a starting list to narrow down! We are each going to write a long list of names that we like, then compare lists and veto names that we don't like. Then we will combine the lists and continue to narrow it down until we have two boy names and two girl names. Whew...it's going to be a long process!

WEEK 12!!!

Weight: 133 (-3 lbs)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A lime! 

Maternity Clothes?: I alternate between wearing my regular jeans fastened with a hair tie and my single pair of maternity jeans. Shirts are fitting just fine.
Symptoms: Super fatigued! I have been eating quite a bit more and have even experienced some cravings (everything from strawberry shortcake to carrots and ranch dip).
Emotions: I am super happy this week! Just knowing that my babies are growing and moving around in there makes me feel happier than I could have imagined.
Notable News or Events: We had our NT Ultrasound!!

Movement?: Not yet.

Stretch Marks?: Still too early.

Upcoming Appointments: Sometime in the very beginning of March (apparently I'm too lazy to go check on the exact date).

What People are Saying: People have loved seeing the babies' pictures!! Lots of comments about how the look like babies now and how amazing it is! :)

**This post was actually written on time and I could have sworn that I posted it, but when I went to write my 13 week post today it was sitting in my drafts unpublished. Oops! I will publish my 13 week post in the next day or two.**

Getting Caught Up: Weeks 10 & 11

The last week and a half or so has been rough! I caught a virus on Monday the 28th and am just now starting to feel better again. At first I thought it was the flu, but the fever stayed low grade...so it might have just been one of those things going around. Let me tell you though, being sick while pregnant is terrible. Being pregnant on its own is exhausting, but adding illness really takes it to a whole new level of misery! Between panicking about my fever getting too high and hurting the babies and throwing up from coughing so hard...it was rough. I still have a cough left over from the ordeal, but hopefully that's on its way out as well.

In other news, we also had a prenatal appointment last Thursday (@ 11 weeks exactly). The doctor told me that we would only be able to hear one heartbeat with the doppler because the babies are so close together at this point in time that it's virtually impossible to tell the heartbeats apart. It was such a relief to hear that heartbeat though. Seriously, it's a beautiful sound! Towards the end the doctor pointed out what sounded like a second heartbeat underneath the first. It sort of sounded like an echo of the main heartbeat. He said  he was pretty sure that was baby number two. It made me feel a lot better, because I have been worried that something bad has happened to one of my little monkeys in there. This early stage of pregnancy is hard on the nerves because you can't tell what's going on in there! We have our NT Ultrasound scheduled for Monday (just 5 days from now!!) and I can't wait to see both babies. I am, of course, a little nervous...but it's mostly excitement. The babies should look like babies now!!!

Yesterday was mine and Nathan's second wedding anniversary. It is truly astonishing to think about how fast the last two years have passed. It hasn't always been easy and we have had our share of disagreements, but if I had to do it over again, he would still be the one. I can't imagine what my life would be without him. He really is my rock and I feel so lucky to have met and married such a wonderful man. I know that he will be a wonderful father and just thinking about that moment when he meets his babies makes me tear up a little. We ended up going out to dinner, which was my first time out of the house since I got sick (other than to go to my OB appointment). I always feel a little bad going out to eat when I still have a cough, but there was no way that I was going to miss my anniversary dinner! He got me some lovely roses, chocolate truffles, and the sweetest card ever.

Now, onto our weekly updates!!

Week 10

Weight: 132 (-4 lbs)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A kumquat or a prune

Maternity Clothes?: I bought my first pair of maternity jeans because they were on sale, but since I spent most of my week in my pajamas I didn't end up wearing them.
Symptoms: This week it was virtually impossible to separate pregnancy symptoms from my other symptoms of just being sick.
Emotions: Honestly, I was pretty negative this week...but I think being sick will do that to a person. I was super worried about how running a fever would affect the babies, but luckily Tylenol kept it under control.
Notable News or Events: Monthly OB Appointment where we got to hear heartbeats with the doppler for the first time.

Movement?: Not yet...could still be awhile.

Stretch Marks?: Still too early.

Upcoming Appointments: NT Scan on 2/11

What People are Saying: We jokingly decided to call the babies our "halflings." Although, we still don't do so consistently. They are normally just the babies and sometimes still the baby beans. 

The photos are too zoomed in this week, but honestly I was so sick that I didn't care enough to retake them. They were also taken at the very end of week 10 and not the middle...but I did what I could!

Week 11

Weight: 131 (-5 lbs)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A fig! 

Maternity Clothes?: I can technically still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans, but I did wear my maternity pants when we went out to dinner last night.
Symptoms: Mostly just tired. I did end up purchasing a doppler to use at home so that I could hear the heartbeats (well, I can mostly just find one..but that's good  enough for now) which has been a huge relief.
Emotions: Feeling more upbeat this week! Hearing the heartbeats and seeing my OB at the beginning of the week really made me feel more confident. I am super excited to see the babies at my ultrasound on Monday. I'm a little nervous too, but mostly just excited.
Notable News or Events: Our 2 year wedding anniversary was on Tuesday! 

Movement?: Not yet.

Stretch Marks?: Still too early.

Upcoming Appointments: NT Scan on 2/11

What People are Saying: This week has been pretty quiet, but all of our family was happy to hear about heartbeats at our doctor's appointment. 

9 Weeks!!

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but my weekly updates are actually happening in the middle of whatever week I'm writing about. It's just easier for me to wait to take the weekly picture until the weekend, that way my DH can do it and I don't have to mess around with the tripod. I really need to buy a remote for my camera and then it wouldn't be a big deal! Anyways, I'm technically 9 weeks and  4 days pregnant right now...but really what's a few days!

Not a whole lot has been going on here. It's still very surreal. I don't have a lot of symptoms, so there are days when it's hard to even remember that I'm pregnant. However, my body is starting to change and the few symptoms that are still lingering around remind me every once in awhile.

9 Weeks!
Weight: 133 (-3 lbs)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A grape! (or a medium sized olive!)

Maternity Clothes?: Not yet! I have resorted to using a hair tie to fasten my pants. I can technically button some of them, but it is so uncomfortable that I have given up on it!
Symptoms: My breasts aren't as sore as they have been, but they still have their moments on occasion. Gas is still an issue, although not as bad as it was. My appetite has really picked up quite a bit and most food sounds delicious these days! I have been having a hard time sleeping because my back and hips hurt at night. I am pretty emotional and t.v. commercials have been known to make me cry. I am definitely still really worn out though. I would say that fatigue is my number one symptom right now.
Emotions: Mostly positive but a little nervous. The decline in symptoms that I've experienced over the last week has me feeling a little worried, but after comparing last week's belly photos to this week...it's pretty clear that I really am pregnant. Most of the time I am feeling pretty happy and excited. It helps to do things like talk about nursery plans with my husband and look at baby names. While we aren't purchasing anything big yet, these little acts help reinforce the fact that these will be my take home babies.
Notable News or Events: Not a lot has happened in the baby department this week, although I did put in an order for a few more cloth diapers. 

Movement?: Nothing yet, still  too early. I can't wait!! Although with all the gas that I've been experiencing, I think at first I might not be able to distinguish baby movements, which will be funny later on.

Stretch Marks?: Nope, nope...still too early. Although I'm sure that later on I'll have a lot more to report on this front. 

Upcoming Appointments: Regular OB appointment on 1/31. It's still ten whole days away!!! I will also schedule my NT scan at that time. 

What People are Saying: Nathan (my husband) referred to the babies as the baby grapes this week which was cute. He also kisses my belly twice (once on each side) since there are two little ones in there!

And now the belly pictures. I normally only post two pictures on here, but this week I have three. The reason for this is that from the beginning I have been taking belly pictures from my right side. I don't want to change this since I'd like a whole series of very similar photos to commemorate the pregnancy. However, my stomach is seriously lopsided right now. If you look at my tummy from the left it is WAY bigger than from the right. It's kind of comical really and I wanted to share this with you guys! I don't know if I am just super bloated this week or if I've started to pop, but my waist is definitely a lot thicker than it was and the change is pretty obvious.

8 Weeks!

Well, we've made it to 8 weeks! This has been a relatively uneventful week and to be honest some days it's hard to believe that I'm even pregnant. Not knowing what's going on in there is so nerve-wracking!

8 Weeks!
Weight: 132 (-4 lbs)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A raspberry (or a kidney bean)
Symptoms: Still experiencing sore breasts and tons of gas! Every once in awhile I will have a small bout of nausea, but really no morning sickness to speak of. My appetite has returned somewhat this week and being able to eat a real meal here and there has been nice. I have been absolutely exhausted though. Fatigue is currently my number 1 symptom!
Emotions: Cautiously hopeful. Some of my elation and excitement has been tempered by concern over the well being of the babies. I am now completely in love with these two little ones and it's hard not to be afraid that something will happen to them. Each week brings us closer to a happy outcome though and I am doing my best to stay hopeful and positive!
Notable News or Events: We went to a local store that sells cloth diapers so that we could see them first hand. I have been committed to cloth diapering since before we even started actively trying to conceive, so I have already done a ton of research online. However, I had never seen these mythical wonders in person. The store was very nice and the sales lady was super knowledgeable. We haven't bought any diapers yet, but I am even more convinced that this is the route I want to go!
What Other People Are Saying About Baby/Pregnancy: Not too much new here, we have started referring to them as the "baby beans." This makes a lot of sense right now when they are itty bitty, but I still feel like we need to come up with better nicknames until we know the gender!

The pictures this week aren't very exciting. I was convinced that my bump was starting to show a little bit more, but when I compared last weeks picture to this week they look virtually identical. Can't wait until I have a little bump to prove that there really are babies in there!

7 Weeks!

Here we are already at 7 weeks (actually, 7 weeks 3 days...but who's counting)! There is still a lot of time left in this first trimester, but every day that goes by is a good sign. Just hoping that these little beans can both make it to term, but I know I'll feel a lot better as the weeks go on.

This has been a crazy week to say the least!! We found out about the twins at 6 weeks and 6 days, so week 7 so far has been about getting excited over two and wrapping our heads around this amazing set of new challenges that we now face. We bought a new car after deciding that fixing our old one didn't make sense financially or practically, our old one was a compact car and some friends explained that there was no way my 6'4" husband would be able to drive it with a car seat behind the driver's seat. Since we will be having 2 babies, there will be a car seat behind both the passenger and driver's seats...so we went with a full size sedan style car instead.

In other news I've been feeling pretty mediocre to miserable in the last few days which is kind of a relief. I know it's a crazy thing to say, but it's a little nice to know that my body is finally realizing that it's pregnant! I will probably be changing my mind when the nausea turns into all out vomiting, but for now I am thankful for the nausea and fatigue. It makes me feel like these babies are growing! Well, onto our weekly update for now:

Week 7

Weight: 132 (-4 lbs)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A blueberry!
Symptoms: Still experiencing sore breasts and tons of gas! My small bouts of nausea have increased somewhat and seem to be more prevalent in the morning/afternoon than at night. I have been out and out exhausted and between the fatigue and nausea I pretty much spent the weekend on the couch. My skin breakouts do seem to be clearing up somewhat, so we'll see how that goes. All in all, I  feel a little more pregnant this week and that's exciting. Although there are definitely still times when I have no symptoms and start worrying myself silly. 
Emotions: Excited and elated mostly! Once the shock of the twin announcement wore off, the excitement kicked in. I thought that I would be more scared and nervous, but really I am just thrilled. I feel so blessed to have been given two babies and I am praying every night that the Lord will let me keep both of them. I am also feeling more in love, seeing them on the ultrasound and listening to their heartbeats was life changing. I am totally in love with these two little beans already. 
Notable News or Events: Finding out about having twins at our U/S at 6w6d!! We also announced our pregnancy on facebook! This was a little bit scary for us because we know firsthand how fragile early pregnancy is, but we were so happy and we have decided to treat this pregnancy as if we will be bringing home 2 babies this summer. If something happens we will deal with it, but we wanted to share our joy and excitement with our friends and extended family as well! Other than that, I guess I'll be getting a haircut this week. 
What Other People Are Saying About Baby/Pregnancy: We have received countless congratulations after making our announcement and everyone is so happy for us!! We also received a number of "glad it's you and not me" sort of comments, but that just makes me realize how very happy I am that it is me!