24 Weeks and Star Spangled Babies Shower

24 Weeks is always an exciting time--24 weeks is considered Viability! Viability, meaning that's about the earliest a doctor would try to save a baby if you were to give birth, or that the baby would be able to survive. 28 weeks is actually better in terms of baby's prognosis but 24 weeks is a good milestone to reach.

24 Weeks--Cantaloupes!

The babies may weight about 1 and 1/3 lb, and be about a foot long. Their movement is amazing! That has always been my favourite part of pregnancy, but it's even more mind blowing now when I feel one kick, and then the other kick back, and the squirming and the somersaulting! I love to try to picture them "playing" with each other. At the last scan one of the twins was head down and one was breech. The U/S Tech also changed her mind about which twin was A and which was B. At our 20 week scan, Dani was A, and on my right; Dean was B, and on my left. At our 14 week scan Dean was A, on my right, and Dani was B, on my left. At the quick heartbeat check at my 23 week visit, they were back to the 14 week position. Who knows what they will be next time! I guess I'll find out tomorrow--I have another growth scan! (I have a growth ultrasound every four weeks, and a checkup every two.)

The above picture kind of gives you a better idea than a cantaloupe as to their size. I really don't feel as though there are two babies that size in there. I actually feel like I don't really look pregnant at all to people who don't know it's not just fat, but I guess I do since I've been getting a lot of "when are you due?!" questions. And then I walk past a mirror and I'm like, nope, that doesn't look like pudge!

It seems like everywhere I go people ask me how I feel and I'm not always sure what to say. I feel fine, but I think people expect me not to! Honestly, I seem to kind of go in waves. Last week I think we maybe had a growth spurt, and my belly hurt and I was tired. This week I have a little more energy, and about a two page to do list. Overall? I really couldn't complain at all. I'm having twins. I'm going to be uncomfortable, and as the weeks pass I'm going to get even more uncomfortable! I think I'll save the complaining for when I really need sympathy, and continue to say I feel great for now. 

Whoa. There's a difference!

At 23 weeks the babies were supposedly the size of grapefruit. Grapefruit to Cantaloupe seems like a big size jump, but I supposed they are going to be putting on a lot of weight now. The big happening of week 23 was I completely forgot to go to the endocrinologist. Oops! Rescheduled, but it's a month away.

23 Weeks--Grapefruit

I don't have a size comparison picture for 22 weeks, because the fruit was supposed to be papaya and the only time I ever bought one of those in the US I nearly barfed trying to eat it. It was not the papaya of my childhood! Suffice to say, I wasn't about to waste money buying two of them.

STAR SPANGLED BABIES 

I was very blessed in early June to be a part of a baby shower, Star Spangled Babies, hosted by Operation Homefront. Sign ups were online and filled up within about two hours, so I must've gotten in in the nick of time! There there were around 125 ladies there, either due soon or with teeny tiny newborns. Once we signed in we filed through a front room of pregnancy and mother related services booths--babywearing, nursing, doula, formula, WIC, and a couple of others that I can't remember. They also had an area set up where a local photographer took a maternity portrait of each of us (which reminds me, I never got my link to get mine! Hmmm.) She wasn't allowed to give out her name or info, but I figured out later in the afternoon that she was a photographer Nathan had told me about months and months ago--who happens to be the wife of his chief! We had quite a nice conversation near the candy bar. 

Photography was done by Sassy Snapz

Eventually we went through a buffet for a delicious lunch, played some fun games, filed through the candy bar (I shouldn't have spent so much time talking to the photographer--all that was left by the time I got there were two Dove chocolates! Which were delicious, by the way), and got started on the raffle!

Candy Bar

The big ticket items (things like swings or pack n plays) were given away by raffle. I would guess maybe 25 women won. Then we had a speaker, and were released to another room to receive our shower gifts--a 31 diaper bag filled with baby gifts, and a second gift bag full of "essentials". Twin mommies got double, since they had a few extra things. The biggest surprise was that we were each taking home a brand new Evenflo car seat!! I nearly cried, what a great gift! It was fun to get together with other ladies and shower our babies.

Super cute decorations!

 Oh, and I nearly forgot, I made it into the news spot! My two seconds of fame. Literally, I'm at 22 and 23 seconds--polka dot shirt and curly hair. Check it out here if you want to see.

Here are a pictures of some of the goodies I brought home. Thanks so much, Operation Homefront!

Two diaper bags and two gift bags

Two new car seats for when the babies are a little older

Closeup of the boy set--they didn't have girl left so I got boy and gender neutral.

Some of the loot from the bags

Two handmade baby quilts.

And there you have it folks, you're caught up!

23 Weeks {6 Days}

Baby girl is getting big. One day early this week I woke up and just felt like I had popped! One thing that is really neat about this pregnancy is that I'm better at palpating my uterus and baby girl as well.  She likes to hang out on my right side and I'm feeling her kicks from above my belly button to my cervix. Yeah, that's an awkward feeling. But cool too! Sometimes I feel her spin around, and sometimes it feels like she has her back facing out and is pressing out with her feet against my back, so she makes the right side where she is laying really hard. It's so fun to be able to interact with her by poking and feeling her kick me back.

Pregnancy has brought me vivid dreams both times, but this week I've had some humdingers. A few days ago I had a terrible terrible dream that was so bad I don't even want to think/talk about it. Then last night I dreamed all night about trying to escape and save myself from zombies. I woke up a bunch of times and tried to change the dream but went right back to it every time I went back to sleep. I hate zombies. I hate zombie movies. I hate anything zombie. But, Nathan insists on watching zombie movies occasionally and sometimes I've been around for them.  So I blame him for a horrible night's sleep!

Sometimes I tell Shane that baby sister is in Mommy's belly and he pulls my shirt up and gives her kisses. It melts my heart!

The strangest thing that happened this week was that I sneezed a rib out of position. For real! I was sitting kind of crooked on the couch and I sneezed really hard and felt something pop on my left side. It ranges from being uncomfortable to really hurting, depending on what I'm trying to do. When I told Nathan he got this horrified look on his face and wanted to know how that could even happen! I told him it's probably because of all the relaxin in your body while you are pregnant. I can't wait to go to the chiropractor!

One of the sweetest things I've noticed lately is that sometimes when Azaria is sleeping in there and Shane comes near my belly and is talking loudly she'll wake up and kick at him. How cool is that, that she already knows his voice! She should, since he talks a lot. ;)

23 weeks, 1 day

Looks like we're a papaya for the entirety of month five. But if I had to guess, I would say that Piglet is a little on the big side. He sure can kick! My new favorite pastime is staring at my stomach during his active times to watch it bounce as he tries to kick a way out.  According to some sources, some of his favorite sounds are my voice and soft music. I should probably talk to him more. I sing to him in the car or if I'm home alone, and I think to him a lot, but I forget to actually speak those thoughts. Guess I need to talk to him, if I want him to know my voice.

I've had a pretty boring weekend. I didn't even do laundry or clean, just swept and did dishes. All I really feel like doing is being a bum, so I am.  As an update on my parents situation, they have decided to stay another year in Ohio. Mom will probably try to get a custodial job at the college. My heart hurts for Mom because she loved and was very good at the position she was in and it will be difficult to go to custodial from there.  Please pray that she will be able to find continued work at the college, and if it happens to be in custodial please pray for strength for her.  It's very physically demanding work. Me, I am bummed that they won't be moving to Texas but I didn't really think they would anyway and I really just wanted what was best for them.