17 Weeks and Growing!

We've made it to 17 weeks!! Honestly, every week feels like a little miracle. These babies are such an amazing gift and I feel so blessed to still be pregnant. I think that too many women take their pregnancies for granted. Mind you, I wish that I was still naive about the things that can go wrong.  I had my own early loss and through that I have met so many women who have dealt with late miscarriages and stillbirths. Perhaps that knowledge and those relationships is why I worry so much, but I wouldn't change it. It sounds weird, but I know that without that first heartbreaking loss, I wouldn't have my twins. I still mourn the what ifs of that baby, but I know that I am on the path that I was meant to be on.

I had no intention of this becoming a sappy post, but there it is...I am completely in awe of this pregnancy and the little lives growing inside me. I am not really sure, but in the last couple of days I have started feeling odd sensations in my stomach. They have been a little higher than where I've been finding babies' heartbeats though...so I am not getting my hopes too high yet. The babies are growing, growing, growing and should now measure approximately 5 inches long from crown to rump (which means head to butt, so that doesn't count their little legs), so it's entirely possible that it really is the first sign of movement in there. If it's not, I know it should happen within the next several weeks. I am so eager to feel them moving and know that it will make me feel even more connected to the pregnancy than I already am! I will say that having the doppler and being able to find and listen to their heartbeats (one on each side of my belly now!) is the most amazing thing in the world. I normally wait to listen for the day until Nathan gets home so that I can share the moment with him. It makes me feel even closer and more connected to the babies and I hope that it does the same for him.

We also started working on the nursery this weekend!! We picked out our primary paint color and Nathan primed and painted the room. I intended to help paint since we purposely bought low VOC paint, but honestly the smell of the paint was just too much. I've always had a strong sense of smell, but now it's crazy! I will post some pictures soon to share our nursery progress with you.

I also have a post planned to share some of my craftier baby projects with everyone. I don't have a ton done yet, but I'm suddenly in the mood to make things for the babies and am really happy with how things are turning out. It's so exciting to actually be able to start doing things for these little ones, it definitely makes it seem more real that we will have two babies this summer!

Now, onto my weekly pregnancy update:
17 Weeks!!

Weight: 141 (+5 lbs overall)
Due Date: August 22, 2013
Baby is the size of: A turnip (note: all sizes are comparing the length of baby to a fruit)

Maternity Clothes?: I got my second pair of maternity jeans in the mail at the end of last week and they fit much better than the first pair. I also got a pair of capris for the spring and summer even though it's WAY too cold to wear them now. I tried on my first maternity shirt and I think it will still be a week or two before it fits quite right. I am small busted, so that's actually where most of the fit problem is at. Luckily most of my shirts are made of stretchy cotton and will fit for awhile longer. 
Symptoms: Tired and achy mostly, but overall doing alright! Sleeping is fairly uncomfortable and so is staying in any position for a long time, but as long as I can readjust every 15 minutes or so I am doing ok! I have also had a pretty big appetite this last week as evidenced by gaining 3 whole pounds in a week! I'm honestly not concerned at all about weight gain, especially since I know that I should have gained a lot more than I have by now with twins. So hopefully that trend of 2-3 pounds per week will continue for awhile. 
Emotions: Optimistic and thankful! 
Notable News or Events: Painting the nursery!

Movement?: Not sure. Nothing that I can be certain is fetal movement, but some new unique sensations that have me wondering!

Stretch Marks?: I got my first stretch mark this week and it's on my breasts of course. I have always been very small busted and have only gone up MAYBE one cup size, but apparently that was enough. 

Upcoming Appointments: March 26

What People are Saying: People are mostly excited about the fact that we should be finding out the genders of the babies in the next several weeks!