34 weeks

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +42 lbs

Babies: The beetle twins are the size of butternut squash. No ultrasound this week, but based on the last growth scan, this sounds about right.

 (images from http://pregnant.thebump.com)

Belly: Feels like I am smuggling a very heavy beach ball under my shirt:)

Sleep: Someone wise once said if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I'm going to stay quiet on the sleep issue for the moment.

Best moment this week: Making it to 34 weeks! 10 weeks ago, I was in the hospital getting steroid injections to speed up the babies lung development in case they were born early. I honestly wasn't sure I would still be pregnant in August and thank my lucky stars that no matter how uncomfortable I am now, the babies are growing in my belly and not in the hospital.

Food cravings: Liquids- the colder the better! I think all the fluid I take in is going straight to shrek foot, so maybe that is why I am so thirsty!

Gender: I don't feel strongly one way or the other this week, but I do know that I am getting very anxious to find out!

Labor Signs: More frequent, intense contractions but not in a consistent pattern (yet...)

What I miss: So silly, but I miss giving my house a thorough cleaning! I am sure that will be low on the priority list once babies make their arrival, but until then I wish I could give everything a good scrub!

What I am looking forward to:The arrival of these two precious loves! We are definitely getting closer!

Milestones: 34 weeks! This feels like the magic week in a twin pregnancy!

33 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +40 lbs (oh dear god. Good for the babies, painful for every last one of my joints that is supporting that additional weight)

Babies: The Bradley babies are the size of durians this week. If you are like me, you have no idea what a durian is. Let me enlighten you, the durian "is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family^[1][3] (although some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family, Durionaceae^[1]). Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species." Thank you, wikipedia.
 

Thankfully medicine is a little more scientific than comparing the babies to fruit we've never heard of. That being said, I had a growth scan yesterday and Baby A is estimated to weigh a whopping 4 lbs 4 oz and B is a bit smaller at 3 lbs 14 oz. On the growth curve, baby A is clocking in at the 44th percentile for gestational age, while his or her sibling is around the 29th percentile. I was hoping both babies would be at least four pounds this week and am pleased that A surpassed this goal and B is pretty darn close.




 (images from http://pregnant.thebump.com)

Belly: Is large and in charge. Chris has been referring to me as big mama for many weeks now. This week I feel like big mama more than ever. 

Belly comment of the week once again took place in the elevator on the way to the doctor's office. This time it was a newspaper delivery man who said, "you have to have two in there, right?" I smiled and said yes, while thinking to myself and you my friend are pretty lucky that I am indeed having twins or you would have just offended a very pregnant woman in a small, confined space.

Sleep: While being out of work has been very difficult over the last several weeks, I am now taking advantage of the ability to cat nap during the day because there is definitely not a whole lot of sleep happening at night.

Best moment this week: Two pretty big ones this week. The first was hearing that the babies are growing and getting bigger and stronger was such a relief. At the last growth scan my doctor mentioned that he was a bit concerned that babies were measuring somewhat small, so it was a huge blessing to hear they are doing well! 

Another wonderful moment was holding a very special newborn baby who was welcomed to the world just a few days ago. Our dear friends from college had a baby girl earlier in the week and we went over to meet sweet little "A" earlier this afternoon. Ben held his first newborn ever and on the way home told us "that little baby was really, super cute." We think so, too!
 
Food cravings: No big cravings this week. Food has sort of become a means to an end (the end being big, healthy babies). I am quickly running out of room and find myself eating small, frequent meals. My sister gave me some inspiration for smoothies that are jam packed with protein, so those have definitely been helping!

Gender: Starting to wonder if perhaps Beetle A is a boy and Beetle B is a girl simply because of the size difference. I take that a with a grain of salt though, because the ultrasounds while helpful, are not terribly accurate at this stage in a twin pregnancy simply because of the difficulty in getting good images due to the cramped quarters.

Labor Signs: Stronger, more frequent contractions. Exam was stable yesterday at my check up. Dr. C. thinks we have at least another 1-2 weeks to go, which is amazing news considering we were preparing for a potential very early delivery when I first started showing signs of preterm labor at 24 weeks. I am hoping to make it to at least 35 weeks, and the way things are going I think I can do it!

What I miss: My ankles, especially my left one! Swelling in my feet is in full force despite staying in a horizontal position for most of the day. I have affectionately nicknamed my left one as "shrek foot."

What I am looking forward to: Hopefully making it through the next few weeks with gratitude and grace. I remind myself that every day the babies stay tucked away in my belly is a day they grow stronger and healthier. That being said, every day is bringing new aches and pains for this Beetle Mama but of course they are a small price to pay for two healthy babies.

Milestones: 33 weeks! We're almost there!!

Copy Cat

We seem to have a copy cat on our hands. He is focused and takes his work very seriously. Last weekend my dad came over to help Chris fix our lawn mower (and in true Kirk style, also came prepared to tackle the jungle of weeds growing in our driveway. What can I say the man appreciates a well kept lawn! Thank you, Dad!) I was able to snap a few pictures of my dad and Chris in action, as well as their copy cat, shadowing every move.

What went wrong with our mower, went wrong with Ben's mower. The little guy mused to himself all along the way, muttering under his breath about "having a problem and no, that's not where that goes." He even managed to get a hold of a real screwdriver (a phillips head, and yes he knows the difference between a phillips and a flat head) and took out a couple screws from the bottom of his mower. The problem with our mower involved the pull start cable and you better believe that the old cable is now zip-tied to Ben's mower, so his can be just like his dad's :) 

All in all, it was a success for both parties. Chris and Dad had our mower fixed in no time and I was quite impressed that the task did not involve a single trip to our local hardware store (this is impressive because most of the fix-it tasks that involve our house and my dad involve a run to at least a couple hardware stores). And Ben's mower is looking quite "special."

Our little copy cat has also enjoyed watching the Olympics. He and Chris play volleyball and do "crazy moves" every night before bed. He has taken to putting on his volleyball uniform before the games begin. It looks a little like this:

Volleyball uniform = little boy tighty whities over jammies

He also enjoyed pickle-making recently and stayed very focused throughout the whole process and frequently pretends that he is making pickles at home. Tonight he instructed Chris on how he could make pickles at home, and he pretty much had the whole process down!

Getting ready with the pickle makers

Rolling out the cukes

Focused Papa and Grandson, measuring the mustard seed

Chris has started playing the trumpet again, and you better believe Bennie-boy has been sure to get in on that action as well. These pictures are from the beginning of the summer at Grammie Carol and Grampie Jim's.

Just like Daddy

Just like Uncy J

 

A couple new phrases the little copy cat has added to his repertoire include: 

"Be there in a jiffy." This had to come from one of his preschool teachers because I swear neither Chris nor I have ever uttered this one. 

"Quite" As in, "mom, the middle rock is quite dry, isn't it?"

And my all time favorite: "We're pretty damn good volleyball players aren't we, dad?" Yep, this one is thanks to Chris. I'm not sure what is more concerning, the fact that our four year old is swearing or that he is using curse words in perfect context!

31 weeks

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:+37 lbs

Babies: The Bradley babies are the size of pineapples this week (oh my goodness I have TWO babies the size of pineapples in my tummy!)







 (images from http://pregnant.thebump.com)

Belly: Big and feels like it is sitting lower to me (as in I sit down and it rests on my thighs, kind of low!)


Belly comment of the week happened when I was riding up the elevator on the way to my OB appointment. Two nice Harley riding gentleman happened to be in the elevator when I got on. One of them loudly exclaimed,you look like you could "hatch" any second! He then kindly asked if I could please wait to deliver until after they got off on their floor. I so badly wanted to feign going into labor just to give them a little scare ;)


 

Sleep: Same as last week. Hard to get comfortable with a beach ball belly and two little ones moving away on either side!

Best moment this week: Hanging out with Bennie-boy. I am enjoying our last few weeks together before life starts to really change!

Food cravings: Cold beverages again, I feel like a camel! Also, Trader Joe's has these delicious chocolate, sea salt almonds that I can't get enough of (thanks Jess for the introduction!)

Gender: Feeling boys again this week. No particular reason, I just think I am used to boys after raising Ben for the last 4.5 years.

Labor Signs: No change this week, exam at the doctor looked good!

What I miss: Hmmm, things this week have started to get a little tougher as far as the physical portion of being pregnant. I have heard of many twin mamas hitting the so-called "wall." I think I am there. I miss moving around with little effort and not getting exhausted by small tasks. I feel terrible complaining about anything pregnancy related, but honestly, carrying two babies has not been easy on my body. 

What I am looking forward to: Finishing up the final preparations around the house. We are almost there and the house is looking like we could welcome two babies very soon!

Milestones: Another week down, every day that passes means the babies will be born stronger and healthier and for that I am very, very thankful!