Our 3D Ultrasound

Clare on the left, with her eyes open. You can kind of see some chubby cheeks!
Jack on the right...I do love the shot of his little nose

Yesterday we had our 3D ultrasound, and the little beans did NOT cooperate, womp womp :( 

The two pictures above were the only two the tech was able to get of their faces. They were both being little punks, and kept hiding. Clare would keep turning her head in towards Jack's body or have her hands up by her face. Jack was basically snuggling placenta the whole time (which I didn't realize looked like stuff in ultrasounds) and so his face was pretty much always distorted. 

The tech definitely tried to get them to show us the good stuff....she slapped (yeah...slapped), shook, poked, and prodded my belly to no avail. But because of all of the poking, proding, slapping, and shaking, I was not a happy momma by the end of the 20 min sesh. Well, in all honesty, I wasn't a happy momma like halfway in, since she kept calling them little stinkers and would proceed to assault my stomach. It wasn't the intimate, miraculous moment I had heard so much about. 

On top of that, the tech never introduced herself to David or I, which I thought was pretty rude, and she didn't wear gloves. Which I guess should only be gross to her, but I didn't really like her bare hands all jelly-ed up with lube hitting my belly. 

I probably wouldn't care so much about all of those little things had the twins cooperated, but since they didn't, I left feeling more miserable than I did when we got there.

I know I'm going to love looking at these later, especially after they're born, and the DVD of the session is pretty interesting. Maybe I just had high expectations from what I've heard from my friends who've done it. And David mentioned that since we've had regular 2D ultrasounds from the get-go, it wasn't as 'magical' since we see our babes pretty often. 

I'm glad we did it, I don't think I'd do it again, but I'm sure it's going to be tons of fun showing them off to our families :)

30 weeks!

I'm such a brat this week. I had my sweet mom take a bump pic for me.
But I didn't like them (not because of the quality, Mom!) but because I was just having an
'I-feel-ugly-no-matter-what-I-wear' day.
So here's a sad selfie one (that I still like better haha)

OKAY big news this week...druuuuuum roooolllll.....Clare FLIPPED! Both my little beans are now head down. Good job, babies!! I'm having my first moment as a proud parent ;) Now I just pray there is NO more room for anyone to do any flipping, and they stay like this for another 7 or so weeks. 

So that was the best news that we got from this week's appointment. My mom (who came with me this time...so nice!) said she was surprised I didn't start doing a jig right there on the table haha 

I also mentioned to my doc that I've been having those braxton hicks-type belly feelings (i.e. some invisible little fairy inflates my belly till it feels like it's going to pop) so she measured my cervix again to make sure I wasn't going into preterm labor. This made me secretly super happy because I wanted to make sure my body wasn't getting all confused by the 6 pounds of baby in there and start kicking things into gear. It's not confused. This body clearly knows what's up...I've still got 4+ inches of cervix, yeaaauuh! She even commented that it's more than some singleton pregnancies she's seen (yup...singleton. Never thought I'd get used to using that word ha)

To top off a great week, we're going in for a 3D ultrasound tomorrow morning. I'm sure I'll be posting pics/video of that soon ;)

How far along? 30 weeks 5 days (oops kind of late this week)

Total weight gain: still 28 lbs. Looks like weight gain is slowing down...

Maternity clothes?  Oh yeah. I've grown out of a couple of shirts (Old Navy maternity is only good if you are a very small pregnant lady, I've decided) and shocker, I'm getting really tired of having such a limited wardrobe. Oh, on the plus side, we finally got a new key to our pool which means I can go get a bathing suit! Yay for something new!
Sleep: I've been napping a lot more. Almost as much as my first trimester. And I've been up less at night. So I've been getting lots of sleep, but oddly I never really wake up feeling refreshed. So that's fun
Best moment this week: See above ;) head down babes, long cervix, low BP, etc. etc.
Miss Anything? Being comfortable. I've realized I'm at that stage I've heard so much about where it doesn't matter what position I'm in, I'm not comfortable.

Movement: Constant. They're kicking right now, ha! I've sort of been hating it this week, because it's gotten so uncomfortable, and I feel like no matter which side I lay on (since I can't lay on my back or stomach, obvs) I'm squishing one of them. I'm hoping that all the crazy movement I've been feeling this week was Clare flipping and that they'll mellow out. But I doubt it, haha. I'm trying to remind myself how special this time is--how I'm the only one who gets to experience these two like this, that this time is so fleeting, and I'll be missing this when they start getting older. 
Food cravings: Cravings are real. I found myself eating half a bag of baked cheetos and endless amounts of pickles the other day. Just those two things. I credit that to be the one totally wacky craving I've had this whole time (I maintain that wanting cheeseburgers all the time is totally normal and has nothing to do with being preggo)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nausea has returned! Hello old friend. If I eat too much at once, which basically means a normal-sized meal, I feel pretty nauseated. 
Gender:  Still our little boy and girl

Labor Signs: A confirmed NO for this week ;D
Symptoms: Joint pain has spread from my hips and back to my legs, ankles, hands and fingers. To the point where gripping something really hurts. I'm gonna remain Positive Polly and credit it to my body being awesome, making tons of that joint-relaxing hormone in preparation for twin birth
Belly Button in or out? In? I don't know. It's not poking out so I'm maintaining IN
Wedding rings on or off? Off. WAH! I had a backup ring all ready....the sapphire ring my mom gave me on my wedding day (the one I wanted ever since I was a tiny little girl) They still 'fit' but by the end of the day, it's a struggle to get them off. So I've just given up on them.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! Still get down on myself for not having enough energy to do simple tasks throughout the day, but the majority is happy 

Looking forward to: Our 3D ultrasound tomorrow, getting the cribs set up (finally!) and getting the nursery finished!

29 Week Bump!

2 posts in 1 day? Better believe it!! I didn't want to slack on my belly posts since I figured these last couple months will really show a difference! I mean...will you look at that basketball I've got going on?! The two little munchkins in there are really growing now. Oh, which reminds me! When we were picking up the cake for our shower, a woman in front of us in line noticed it was a cake for twins (it said Twice Blessed and had two little baby carriages on it. Totes adorbs). She gave me SUCH a pitying look, asked how far along I was, and proceeded to lament at the fact that now is the time the babies will just grow and grow and grow. Suggesting that in turn, I will grow and grow and grow. I smiled huge and said "I hope so!"

I haven't had pity comments in a long time....I more often get told how tiny I look for being 7 months along with twins (always makes me feel a bit better haha) But I think that has to do with my small frame more than anything. The scale doesn't lie! Haha

How far along? 29 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain: 28 lbs. Not much of a difference between this week and last, although the weight gain is supposed to slow down now. I think I'm still supposed to gain about a pound a week, and if that's true, I'll make it (or get damn close) to my 40lb goal. The babes should double in weight over the next couple months, so that alone will pack on pounds!

Maternity clothes?  Yep, although I'm loving dresses and leggings more and more, rather than maternity pants. Even when it's not really hot outside, I seem to always want my body to be as least constricted as possible.
Sleep: Some nights are good, where I'll fall asleep around 10pm, wake up around 2am to pee, and fall [almost] immediately back to sleep until like 730am. But some nights are bad where I'll still fall asleep around 10-11pm, wake up at 2am and stay awake until 6am. I'll usually fall back asleep till like 830-9am but it's not the most restful. If I could just turn my brain off and have just a little extra space in my bladder, things would be so much better ;)
Best moment this week: So many!! Finding out the beans are growing right on schedule--Clare, my little chunk is 2lbs 13oz and Jack is 2lbs 9oz (although the tech did say Jack is probably closer to Clare's weight, since she had a hard time measuring him. He's suuuper low and apparently that caused some difficulty.) And of course our lovely shower. Surrounded by so many loved ones was just the best
Miss Anything? My back not perpetually hurting. I'm thinking that going on the inversion table to help Clare flip might also help some of my lower back pain (since I think that's what it's for anyway). Crossing the fingers!

Movement: Still constant with some really hard kicks. Little soccer stars in there!
Food cravings: I wanted Taco Bell last night, but I've always loved Taco Bell. It's a guilty pleasure. I didn't run out and get any though, so I don't think it really counts.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, although getting up or standing up for too long is again making me feel dizzy. Such a bummer.
Gender:  Still our little boy and girl

Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: Hip pain started this week, which is awesome and makes sleeping that much more difficult. I'm only comfortable sleeping on my side, so I'll wake up with my hips in such horrible pain. Luckily, it's not so bad during the day, but it's making me dread sleeping at night. That, on top of my raging heartburn and sore back makes nighttime in general my least fave.
Belly Button in or out? In, but I can tell it's on its way out. The top of it is starting to poke out a bit.
Wedding rings on or off? On, but only my diamond band most of the time. I'll throw on my engagement ring if we're going out, but I know it's a bit too tight. Even my band is pretty difficult to get off
Happy or Moody most of the time: I've been a bit moody this week, I'm not gonna lie. The stress of last minute shower things, hearing about birth options, and just feeling more and more achy and heavy in general has not made me the most pleasant. I still try to tell David how much I love and appreciate him but I know I've snapped a few times this week. 

Looking forward to: Getting the cribs set up in the nursery!! David's parents got them for us, and I cannot wait to see them in there!!! 

Birthing Talk and The Beans' Shower

FYI this is going to be an uber long post (with pics at the end!! Bonus?) But I started this little blog to remind myself of all the big things happening on this twin journey of ours, and I don't want to forget any of this! So apologies to anyone else who reads this too! 

First, let me start off by saying YAY another week! I'm to that point...well, if I'm being honest, I was always at that point where every week preggo counts. I've always (and still somewhat remain) fearful that these babes are suddenly going to be fed up with the sweet digs they've got in my womb and want to make an early entrance. But for now they're still loving it...they're both growing nice and big, and my body is apparently all like "I GOT THIS". Good job, body :)

On that healthy babes/healthy mom note, we had an ultrasound and our bi-weekly checkup this past week. The ultrasound took forever and not in a good way. There are two techs that work there--one is this old, smoker, grumpy-cat of a lady (the one who scolded me for drinking so much water before my 1st!) and the other is this really pleasant, quiet twin mom. Which do you think I like better??? Friggin Grumpy Cat! Now that I know she's just like that every day, I love her. She's super fast--a get in and get out kinda lady. Which is awesome since now laying flat on my back and having someone push on my stomach for more than any length of time is not my cup o' tea. Ms. Peaceful Twin Mom is so slow and takes so long getting the babes measurements. My dislike for Ms. Peaceful rose to new levels when my ultrasound this past week took 45 mins. FOURTY FIVE MINUTES. And a lot of that time was soaked up by her not understanding the new computer system they installed....a month ago. 

Needless to say I was the grumpy cat in the room that day, and was definitely missing my Grumpy Cat lady. She knows what's up. But again, the babes are growing at a good and steady pace, so that will be my last complaint about that visit ;)

At our checkup with Dr. Fung (YAY for getting back to seeing our doc!!! She's seriously so amazing. I always want to hug her after), we had our first big birth discussion. She knows that I want to go for a vaginal birth if at all possible. Which seems like it has been possible from the beginning, since my little champion Jack (aka Baby A) has stayed low and head down. But my sweet Clare-love has decided to remain breech, and not only that, she's a tad bigger than Jack. I never thought it mattered much which baby was bigger, but turns out it totally does. If Baby B (aka Clare) is 15% or more bigger than Baby A (aka Jack), there is much greater risk that the 2nd baby would potentially not be able to be flipped once Baby A was out OR get stuck if delivered breech. So that's a bit worrisome. Right now, Clare is 10% bigger than Jack :/ which is still great for twins (they're still growing together basically at the same rate) but not so good for my "ideal" delivery plans. Fung said we'll check out how things are progressing at my next ultrasound in a month. In any case, we went ahead an scheduled a c-section for 8/19 at 8:30 am. Partly because as of right now a c/s is the safest option for my little ones and partly because I wanted to at least schedule a c/s with Fung, and not end up with some other doctor (which is the case if I just went into labor...dumb Kaiser. It's the only thing I'm hating about this insurance)

So now I am praying that Clare flips. Pleeeeeeease flip!!!! My good ol' dad said he'd bring over his inversion table, so hopefully hanging upside down a couple times a week will help :)

I'm trying not to worry too much about birth, but there are so many factors to consider and unknowns just looooming in the distance. So for now, I will just be thankful they're still locked in there, healthy little Beans, I'm healthy (no bed rest!) and we'll see how it goes. David, my forever-calm husband, reminds me of these things daily now :)

Alright, lastly we had our baby shower! It was this giant party of our friends and family (I think we did end up with upwards of 60 people) and lasted from 3 till 10pm haha. Needless to say I felt like I had the worst hangover the next day....from a baby shower ;) But the day felt so relaxed--everyone just hung around drinking, eating and chatting. These days, with everyone grown/growing up, it's so hard to get together as often as you'd like. So it was nice to spend some quality time with everyone we love before we become infinitely more unavailable! On top of this, we really were showered with so many adorable onsies, blankets, and necessities. These babes are already so spoiled!!

Sadly I didn't take any pictures (womp womp), and am SUPER sad that I didn't get a single one of David and me, but here's a couple my friends Raech, Jessica, and Jenay snapped. Glad I got at least a few! 

Jenay is not ready to be a mommy ;) 

Love this girl and her awesome mom! So glad Raech could drive up from SD
(it being Father's Day weekend helped ;)

The hilarious accession number onesies my ex-coworkers Jessica and Jenay made for me.
B.2014.1.1 and B.2014.1.2. On the back it said "Gift of David Bunch"
Oh, museum humor. So good! 

Soon they'll fit into them!!!!

28 weeks!

Hello, 28 weeks!!!! I just read that viability jumps up this week to 90%. That is AWESOME and is giving me such a peace of mind. I feel so grateful that I've made it into my third trimester with no complications with myself or the babes. Saying additional prayers that this continues for 10 more weeks!

This week has been full of catching up with folks we haven't seen in a while, planning our giant coed shower, and doing random crafty things for the beans' room. I had David take the sliding mirrors off the closet and hang up some really cute teal embroidered curtains. Much easier access to all the goodies we'll be storing in the closet, and I'm sure I won't want full length mirrors in that room anyway. This mom doesn't need reminding how tired she looks ;) I'm thinking after our shower, I'll be in full on 'get-the-nursery-ready' mode. David will be so THRILLED hehe

How far along? 28 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain: Still about 27 pounds. Maybe 28? I'm not too sure

Maternity clothes?  Yep, and I got the best dresses for a baptism we had this weekend for our Godson and one for our shower. The pictures don't really make them look that cute, but I promise they are. And they are SUPER comfy, but still hug in all the right places. 
They're both Motherhood Maternity, which I've decided is my favorite maternity brand. Both these dresses are amaze-balls, and I've got a couple of t-shirts from them that somehow manage to make me look slimmer. Win. 

this is the one I got for the shower 

and this one for the baptism

Sleep: I have good days and bad. I've been waking up more needing the bathroom, or with heartburn despite taking an antacid. But I had the best nap the other day after running errands, so it sort of makes up for some sleepless nights.
Best moment this week: Hanging out with friends we haven't seen in a while. Because everyone (including us) is so busy, it's inevitable that we can go weeks (sometimes months) without seeing friends. Lucky for us, it doesn't matter how long has gone by...we always have a good time :)
Oh, and my sister-in-law giving me a big bag of newborn BOY clothes for poor little Jack, who is seriously being neglected in the clothes department. Sorry bud, but girls like clothes more anyway 
Miss Anything? Getting out of bed/car/etc easily. Yep, missing that.

Movement: Constantly, and I'm getting strong kicks now. Ladies, you were not kidding about that 'karate kicking' thing.
Food cravings: Cake! Still cake. I had David flip a u-turn to stop at 7-11 so I could get some hostess cupcakes. It was a desperate moment I'm not too proud of
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still heartburn. Not drinking enough water will make me lightheaded, but I live in California and it's summer. Anyone would be feeling that way, I think.
Gender:  Still our little boy and girl

Labor Signs: Nope! Stay cookin' little loves!
Symptoms: Nothing new. Still large and in charge. 
Belly Button in or out? Still in!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. Even with those crazy strong baby kicks, I think "Good. Get nice and strong and FAT so we can snuggle you right when you make your big entrance!"

Looking forward to: Seeing all of most of our loved ones Saturday for our shower

27 week bump!

So this isn't a full-body shot, but it was my favorite from the ones David took.
I think you can still tell how gigantic my belly got in the last couple of weeks.
I feel like it grew SO MUCH from before we left.
It's blowing my mind what my body is capable of

We are back from our babymoon adventure, and LAWD almighty, it feels good to be home. 10 days of travel is enough to wipe me out anyway, but add 7 months of pregnancy onto that and my pooped-ness is a sure thing. I am really proud of myself though, for not only making it through the 10 days in Georgia and New York, but also for enjoying my time with my family, my hubby, and all that GA and NY had to offer. 

We had a check up today, and both babes are still totally fine (as am I), so looks like a bit of travel really doesn't hurt anybody! Oh, speaking of our checkup today, we had a different doctor than our lovely Dr. Fung and man alive, she was not my favorite. She started telling me all these horror stories of trying to vaginally deliver a breech Baby B. Everything she said was very rushed and in my face, to the point where I left feeling so panicked and anxious, despite the fact that once again, the babes and myself are perfectly healthy. 

David and I learned today how much we love our doctor, and appreciate how calm and mellow she is. I'd be much more of a mess if every time I went in for a check up, I heard stories of various other patients. It's bad enough I Google everything!

How far along? 27 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain: 27 lbs. Apparently I'm doing great with my weight gain, and could stand to gain more (according to Dr. Crazy Pants.) I'm gonna stick with the I'm-gaining-enough and not worry about it. People always say 'trust your body', and I'm realizing that is all too true.

Maternity clothes?  I feel like just deleting this question. Of course. Although it reminds me, Dr. Crazy Pants measured my belly today (something our normal doc has never done) and I'm measuring 32 weeks. Whaaaaaaat I mean...I guess it's to be expected since there are two babies in there but it still shocked me all the same.
Sleep: I slept great on our trip, despite the southern humidity. I think it was because we were so busy in GA for D's wedding, and we walked all the time in NYC. I was really diligent about taking Pepcid before bed each night, and was still up a couple times to use the bathroom, but for the most part, good sleep.
Best moment this week: Coming home, and doing absolutely nothing for a whole day. David was downstairs and I was upstairs. 10 days together and we need a break ;)
Miss Anything? I can't really think of anything. I want to say 'not feeling huge' but I'm about to go grab a scoop of ice cream, so I can't complain too much haha

Movement: All day and all night. But now I'm getting some freaky pushy-outy movements. Not just tummy rumbles. Stuff pokes out and then melts back in. It is so creepy and it makes me laugh every time. 
Food cravings: Omg, the last couple of days all I want to do is eat sweets. I would kill for cake right now. Or brownies. But like, a lot of brownies. I bought some Jell-o pudding cups to hopefully curb this crazy sweet tooth.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No. Still just heartburn like crazy. Tums Smoothies? You are delish. And I want to eat tons of you.
Gender:  Still our little boy and girl

Labor Signs: No, although I think I've been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions? I really don't know. I only say this because sometimes by belly gets really tight, hard, and heavy and I don't exactly feel crampy, but it's similar. 
Symptoms: Super big belly, I'm finally noticing my hair/nails growing like mad, aaaaaaand heartburn. No swelling yet, thank goodness! 
Belly Button in or out? I maintain that it's in still, although David yesterday said it's totally disappeared haha. (he's wrong)
Wedding rings on or off? On. Still don't want to give them up!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. But I did almost cry yesterday when David went to pick up pizza for him and a salad for me, and I thought he forgot my salad. I was really almost in tears. Oh, hello hormones. I was wondering where you've been. 

Oh, and today I did freak out about labor. I mean...LABOR, HELLOOO. Scary shit, y'all. I like being very organized and always having a plan and I know that's just not going to be the case. 
Looking forward to: Our baby shower in a couple of weeks!