37w6d: End of the Road

Tomorrow, 5AM. Scheduled call to L&D to find out what time they want me to come in for my induction.
Last night before becoming a mom!

My mother-in-law arrived safely last night, and we went for Indian food--I was hoping that the old wives' tale about spicy food would get labor going....but it didn't happen. All the walking didn't get it going either, but I did enjoy getting some stamina back and seeing all the pretty spring flowers in the neighborhood. Today we went out for brunch and did some grocery shopping. We put away my work stuff and set up the pack-n-play on my side of the bed. I also got in some last minute nesting--I finished the scrapbook I started in 2006 of the roadtrip David and I took to Joshua Tree and Death Valley and the roadtrip a friend and I took from here to Madison through Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Yes, five years later, I finished a scrapbook. It was very satisfying.

MIL made a delicious chicken piccata for dinner. I talked to some friends and family on the phone after dinner, and then we watched--are you ready--The Parent Trap on TV. I cannot believe we spent our last night pre-twins watching a movie about twins.

Whenever the babies have been moving today, I've been trying to memorize the feeling. I'm never again going to be so close to them, and I'm never again going to feel new life moving and growing within me. I can't wait to meet them, but I'm also sad for them to have to leave the place where they've been safe and warm for so many months.

Babies, your mommy and daddy greeted the news that we were expecting you with disbelief. The news that we were going to be parents was scary. As lucky as we felt, it was still a shock. We wondered how our lives would change and if we were ready, if we could handle the responsibility. But the most overwhelming sensation I felt was love. You were mine, something I'd made, and I was so excited about the future--your future, and my future with you. What would you be like? Would you be a girl or a boy? Would you like me? Would you look like me?

And then, at the first ultrasound, we found out you were you and you. Twins. Your father was terrified. I was in disbelief. Seeing two heartbeats and two healthy babies growing inside me....how could this be? Your Opa's reaction--that this was "the best news"--was the beginning of my ability to process that we could do this and it would be a good thing.

Now....it couldn't be anything else. Of course you're twins. Of course you're the two of you. Of course we're having two babies. Of course we love you more than we ever could have imagined.

And tomorrow we get to meet you!

37w4d: End in Sight

Tomorrow is my last day of "work" before I have babies. I've continued to work from home although nowhere near a full schedule, and it's been good for my mental sanity and to stay connected. I am very lucky to have wonderful co-workers who have picked up my parts of projects and will cover for me while I'm out. It's going to be so weird not being attached to a laptop or blackberry for the first time since....October 2008? Wow.

David and I went for a nice walk last night and tonight, and I went for a really long walk this morning. Nothing doing. The babies were "textbook" at their NST/BPP today, so that's exciting. The nurse congratulated me on getting so far with them. I'm really proud too, but I don't feel right accepting congratulations. I know that every mom with a premature baby or babies in the NICU wanted to make it to full term too, and I don't think I "deserve" this more than any of them, or that they did anything wrong or should feel bad. When I was first on bedrest and when I first got my GD diagnosis, I felt like my body had failed me and that my body was rejecting my babies. I felt so guilty. But I hadn't done anything wrong--it was just what was happening. Same thing here--yes I was very careful with bedrest, but bedrest doesn't work for everyone. I just got lucky. I am glad something finally seems to have gone right, but I'm not going to take it for granted. I'm very grateful to David for everything he did to keep me and the babies safe, and I believe my mom is protecting them from Heaven.

It is now my favorite time of day--bedtime snack! No Sugar Added ice cream is actually pretty darn delicious, and David found my favorite flavor--Mint Chocolate Chip. Snack time! Maybe the cold will move the babies along?

37w3d: Holding Pattern

I'm still pregnant.

Those are the first words I have to utter when I call/email anyone these days. All our family and friends are so anxious and when they hear from us I know they're expecting news. I'm hesitant to call David at work even because I know he's waiting for "the call."

I'm really hoping I'll go into labor naturally. I'd like to avoid Pitocin--I just would prefer to limit the amount of drugs in my body. And unfortunately it's started raining so it looks like I'll have to wait to go for a walk, which is one of the things I was going to try to get things moving here.

Yesterday I got my haircut! I hate getting my haircut--I don't mind the actual process; I just hate the leading up to it. Like almost everyone with curly hair, I've had some awful experiences with stylists who have no idea what they're doing with curls. But I was really happy with the salon/stylist I tried yesterday. I will definitely go back--at some point.

Taken this morning at 37 weeks, 3 days:

I think I look like I've dropped some. Maybe?

We are very lucky to have a lot of friends and family coming out to visit us this summer. And with my dad moving out here for the fall semester, we will have almost constant help until December! David's mom is our first guest; she's flying out on Friday and will be here through June 18. I know she will be a supportive, welcome presence.

Babies, we're all excited to meet you--anytime you want to get going, just let mama know!

37w1d: Grateful

Full Term!
Full Term!!
Full Term!!!

I cannot believe it. I should believe it--I've had so many people praying for me and the babies and so many good thoughts coming our way--but it's just so amazing to me that 10 weeks ago I wasn't sure I would make it to April, and now here I am. My twins will get to be Gemini twins after all!

Of course nothing is certain, but it is very likely that they won't need NICU time and will be able to come home with us. At my ultrasound on Thursday, Baby A was weighing 6lbs 1oz and Baby B was weighing 5lbs 15 oz. Both of them are bigger than David when he was born! Of course the margin of error is something like a pound, but even still. I'm very proud of my babies!

We considered this weekend a "freebie" because we fully expected to have babies by this point. On Friday we hung out with some friends; we went to a bar/restaurant because David said that I'm too much of a buzzkill to go to a regular bar (thanks honey). On Saturday we did a lot of outings--BRU, Target, grocery shopping. I really do love grocery shopping, and it is especially fun now that all the summer fruits are beginning to be in season.

Yesterday I went to church and enjoyed being ooh'ed and ahh'ed at. :) In the afternoon we went to the public rose garden and to a fancy hotel for drinks overlooking the Bay. We had never been to the rose garden before--it's kind of a hidden jewel. The roses seemed to be about a week or two past their peek, but it was still beautiful. My ankles got very swollen from the walking around, but it was worth it.



The roses all had fun names....we couldn't believe how many species (varieties?) were trademarked though!

The garden was a fairly extensive complex--I had to sit down quite a few times to rest. David is excited to add a trip into the garden on his runs--he'll be able to get a little more than a mile in additional mileage and there's a bathroom, always an important feature.

Thanks for giving your parents an opportunity to check this place out, babies!

36w3d: Cloth Diapers!

When I first heard about cloth diapering, part of me was intrigued but most of me thought "gross." But I kept seeing and hearing about it more and more, and the environmental benefits and cost-savings finally won me over. The fact that the diapers are so CUTE doesn't hurt either.

Having twins is a lot more of a financial burden than David and I realized. He initially thought we'd realize a lot of economies of scale, but we haven't found that to be the case. Families that have children one at a time can reuse a lot--the car seat, the stroller, the high chair, the crib. We have to have two of everything from the beginning. We're lucky to be in a position where this isn't much of a problem (and we have certainly been very lucky to receive so many generous gifts from family and friends!!) but it does mean that we're hoping that breastfeeding and cloth diapering will help take some of the wallet shock away.

So here's where the cloth diapering magic will happen:


I'll be the first to admit that a lot of cloth diapering people and websites are a bit....over the top crazy. There are a lot of women who appear to be completely obsessed with diapers and their "stash." The acronyms and lingo are like a foreign language. It made me run away the first couple (or more) times I tried to wade in to learn what was what. I just wanted simple, easy, and clear instructions, and that was tough to find. I liked the advice provided at Amalah's Advice Smackdown, but I also didn't want to buy 40 or so all-in-one style diapers at $20-25 apiece, which is what I figured I would need for twins.

So I decided on flat diapers, the old-fashioned kind that you fold yourself, and waterproof diaper covers. The flats live in the top drawer of the changing table. I bought 48 unbleached flats from Amazon for a cost of $81. The Snappis, the little plastic things that replaced diaper pins to hold the diaper on the baby, live there too.


The second drawer is where the cute stuff lives. The front box contains seven x-small size Thirsties-brand covers and five Size One Thirsties Duos, which will fit up to 18 pounds. The back box contains the larger size covers and the all-in-ones I've gotten for free. These are from Kelly's Closet, which I've found to have the best selection, deals, prices, and customer service. I'm planning to buy a bunch of Thirsties Duos in Size Two, but I'm going to wait a few months just to see how everything is going. The white pads to the right are inserts to go in the diapers, and "soakers," in case I have any heavy wetters. Farther to the right are clean changing pad covers and waterproof pads.

Total cost for the diapers in this drawer: $305.


The third drawer contains receiving blankets, swaddle wraps, and the clean pail bag and wet bag for the diaper bag. Two pail liners andwet bags came to $66.

No diaper stuff in this drawer--it's crib sheets and bath towels--but I figured so long as I was taking pictures of drawers I'd be complete.


So that's that. So far I've spent about $450 on cloth diapers. I've also spent about $50 on a package of cloth wipes, cloth diaper wipe spray, Bummis flushable liners, and the Snappis. Given that diapering two babies to age 2ish could easily run over $3,000, I'm feeling pretty good.

There are so many people coming to visit us to help with the babies, and I'm really excited about showing them how cloth diapers have come a long way. David's parents used cloth, and his dad was fascinated by the snappi and how cute the new covers are. Maybe I'll win over some converts for future cloth diaper usage!

36w2d: Bump Update

Here I am at 36 weeks!

How far along? 36 Weeks!

Total weight gain/loss? 48 pounds!
Maternity clothes? I only have a couple shirts that still cover the panel on my maternity jeans.
Stretch marks? :( I was doing so well, but I would say that my days of being able to wear a bikini are over. I am comforting myself with the knowledge that these marks mean that I've grown big enough to grow my babies big enough to earn them. Hopefully the babies are going to be nice and big and strong!
Sleep? Gahhh.....I'm getting up to pee twice in the middle of the night and then around 6:30. Every time when I come back to bed and lie back down, I have horrible heart burn and need to take a Tums. The babies usually wake up and kick for about 10 minutes after I get up, so that's fun at least.
Best moment last week? Having my dad come to the NST with me where he got to hear the babies' heartbeats.
Movement? The little boy is getting really aggressive and kicking my upper right rib cage HARD. I think he's mad that we haven't chosen a name for him yet.
Food cravings? Cookies. Carb-y baked goods. I am dying to make some Tollhouse.
Gender? Girl and a boy!
Labor signs? Same old Braxton-Hicks.
Belly button in/out? It actually has popped out even more. The area right around it is kind of soft and bouncy.
What I miss: Not running into things and having a normal center of gravity.
What I am looking forward to: My last growth ultrasound on Thursday! I am really hoping the babies are still of relatively equal weights and sizes and that they have enough fluid to keep going. My goal has been for both of them to weigh over six pounds.
Milestones: "Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement."

36w1d: Babies Room!

The babies' room is finally in shape!


Sorry the first picture is dark. The room gets a lot of sunlight--great for babies; not as great always for cameras.

We went with a "safari" theme.


His and hers sides to the closets.

Picture frames waiting to have baby pictures added! The quilts that David's mom made are hanging from this crib. She also made the crib skirt. That was going to be my project, but obviously that didn't happen. The second bouncer is also visible in this picture.

Crib #2. The quilt that my aunt and cousin made is hanging here.


Two cribs take up a lot of room--so much so that the changing table has to live in the alcove outside the babies' room. One of my mom's friends is making them cross stitch birth certificates, and they're going to hang above the table.

You can see little masking tape labels I made for on the dresser of the changing table--the top drawer contains the flat diapers and snappis, the inserts and covers are in the second drawer, swaddling blankets and sleep sacks are in the third drawer, and baby bath towels and crib sheets are in the last drawer. I figured since we're having so many different people visiting that it would just be easier to label everything so I don't have to answer the questions all the time.

Now we just need to add some babies!