25 and 26 Weeks {and three days}

26 weeks marks the end of my second trimester...woohoo! I can't believe how much this second tri has draaaaaaagged by. I felt like this pregnancy was flying by before the summer--we were doing something every day, whether is was a pre-school swap day (three days a week), bible study, church, or finding a fun free activity. Once summer hit we were down to bible study and church and time has not been ticking by as quickly! Of course now we go swimming most days and there are still a lot of fun things to do in the area but it has just seemed slower.

Cauliflower sized at 25 weeks

My kids ditched me for last week's picture and I didn't realize I had dropped something on my stomach, so be forgiving. I spent that week slaving away over a dresser and nightstand that I wanted to refinish for the babies. They were both side of the road freebies and worked well, just needed a little sprucing up! I spent hours outside in the hot sun, wearing a mask, sanding and cleaning and priming and painting and sealing. Between trips outside I worked on a couple of things I wanted to organize, washed and stored some baby stuff, and cleaned the house top to bottom. That Friday (when I turned 25 weeks) my dad kicked me off the remainder of my project (the dresser drawers) and finished painting and sealing them for me. That sounds like it should have been a simple project but the drawers are ornate and detailed and had to be completely painted with a tiny paintbrush. I had primed them all and by the time I finish my hips were dying from sitting on a stool hunching over the drawers. It sounds like it shouldn't have been much work at all, but it was unbelievably exhausting! Then my parents spend the weekend with us, and this past week I volunteered at our church's vacation bible school all week. That also sounds like it should've been easy, and was also an exhausting week! Saturday we ran errands all day, and yesterday I started volunteering at church so I was there all morning. In the afternoon we packed a picnic supper and spent a few hours swimming. Ahhhh, water. Sweet rejuvenating pain relief! I so love the pool. So to recap, the last two weeks have been busy, although fun, and I'm tired!

So here we are, 26 weeks, and according to everyone I've talked to lately, "not looking very big". The camera doesn't lie, people. Some days I feel massive, and some days I feel small. But the camera captures how I look! Can I just put this out there...

Shane, left, 36 weeks. Azaria, middle, 35 weeks. Twins, right, 26 weeks.

Babies: The babies should be about 14 inches long and about 1 2/3 lbs now, around the size of a head of lettuce. Supposedly they can hear our voices now, and are practicing breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid.

Weight Gain: I don't know. Azaria used my scale as a stool and now it just blinks. I haven't put much effort into fixing it yet.

Stretch Marks: No new ones yet!

Belly Button: Bulgy. Unfortunately I have an umbilical hernia, which is when a small hole rips in the membrane that holds your guts in and a small piece of inside pokes out. That's a really simple explanation but thankfully mine is small for now and it's nothing I did, it's just my third pregnancy and I'm stretching out fast. It hurts a lot, sometimes I have to press on it for a while to sort of push it back in and I've hit it on the corner of a chair or the couch a few times and I almost passed out from the pain. 

Maternity clothes: I've outgrown a couple shirts. :( Mom made my volunteer shirt into a maternity shirt, so now that we know how to do that we'll probably just get some t-shirts and convert them instead of buying bigger maternity shirts. Those things are expensive, and if I buy a bigger size to accommodate the twin belly they'll be way big up top, where converting a t-shirt allows for tailoring the top half to suit.

Movement: Feeling the movement has always been my favorite part of pregnancy, and it's even cooler with twins. I think Dani is the one who is more active, usually on my far right side. Sometimes I'll feel her moving, and then I think Dean kicks her back and they play footsies and wiggle together. It's not uncomfortable for me yet, although I've gotten a few zinger hits to the cervix, but my ribs are intact for now!

Sleep: I need naps and hours and hours of sleep, but I get neither. That's life! Thankfully I'm not terribly uncomfortable while I am sleeping, but I do always end up on my back and that puts my hips out which is painful. I've also found myself doing a lot of grunting and pulling on things for leverage to help me roll over. Some days I feel so tired and like I can't go on that I just want to cry my eyes out, but God gives me strength to make it to another bedtime.

I have no particular cravings or aversions, just a to do list a mile long and a limited amount of time in which to finish it! I hear that a lot of twin moms just hit a wall around 30 weeks and can't do much after so I'm trying to get as much as I can done now. Even at this point I find myself trying to limit how many hours I'm walking around at events because I start to get regular and uncomfortable braxton hicks. We haven't done many of the festivals or things like that this summer because of that, and thankfully the kids aren't really old enough to know. We just spend extra time at the pool! Any time I think of how uncomfortable I am or that something hurts, I remind myself that I have a long way to go and I am certainly not the first woman pregnant with multiples! I also tell myself that my kids know I love them even if I'm not on the floor with them much anymore, and they really like cereal, oatmeal, and sandwiches, so they forgive me on the nights I don't feel up to cooking a healthy, balanced meal. Excuses? Maybe. I like to call them temporary modifications I can live with.

26 Weeks {4 Days}

Hey, check out the countdown ticker.  We're under 100 days left until due day! Not that I expect to have her by then, but it's still exciting.

You can see a picture of me at 26 weeks with Shane here. I think it looks like I'm about the same size, surprisingly.

We had a checkup this week, and everything looks good. Azaria is measuring on track and her heartbeat was 140 bpm. Emily confirmed what I already knew, she hangs out on my right side.  I've been taking my sugars and Emily said they are really good and she would be surprised if I have diabetes.  We are still going to test at 28 weeks though. I've gained 12 pounds which is more than I'm really happy with but it's not that much. My BP is still low, although higher than other weeks at 103/67

How Far Along: 26 Weeks, 4 days.

Total Weight Gain: 12 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Always. Maternity clothes are expensive, invariable cut too low, and are not made to last. I'm finding that a lot of my shirts are getting holes in them. Um...why?
Stretch Marks: A bazillion. But no new ones.
Sleep: Not great. Shane has been waking up screaming inconsolably at night, so between that and getting up to go to the bathroom I'm pretty tired. I don't seem to have a lot of energy lately! I am SO not looking forward to the work of this move, whenever it happens.
Best Moment of the Week: We had an appointment this week, and went to Central Market. Love that place! Something that is really neat is that Azaria responds to Shane's voice. It's so sweet!
Worst Moment of the Week: Shane has spent the last few days screaming. It's been VERY difficult, and it's so hard and stressful to keep your cool when your kid is just angrily screaming at you for hours on end! Nothing I did was right, not playing, books, puzzles, nothing. I took him to the Dr. yesterday and found out he has an ear infection, so hopefully the behavior improves as well!
Movement: What, you didn't get the dance party in my womb memo? Haha. She is very active and she likes to hang out on my right side. It's really neat that she is big enough that I can palpate exactly where she is now.
Food Cravings: I like sweets, unfortunately.
Gender: Girl! Azaria Natalie.
Labor Signs: I started having Braxton Hicks around 14 weeks. They are getting a lot more frequent now, and stronger, especially when I'm doing a lot.
Belly Button: Getting shallower. Sometimes it pokes out when I cough. I never had an outie with Shane, but I'm wondering if I might with this one!
Wedding Rings on or Off: On.
What I miss: Well, I miss being able to sit on the floor for long periods of time and playing and wrestling Shane. I also feel like it's been a very very long time since I was well rested! I doubt that's going to change anytime soon, with two under two!
What am I looking forward to: Finding out when we move--c'mon Navy, I need some answers!
Weekly Wisdom: Not having a vehicle? It's the pits. Also, if your kid has a dramatic personality change, there might be something wrong with them. 
Milestones: Under 100 days now!
Weekly Verse: Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

26 weeks

Ahem. Do you see my ticker, over there on the right hand side of the screen? And do you see the estimated number of days left in my pregnancy? That’s right, folks, we broke into double digits! Seriously though, I can’t believe I’m under 100 days! So here we have a 26 week belly shot…

Am I really that big? I think it's the angle. And this is our vegetable for the sixth month (that’s an awfully big eggplant)…

Mom: I’m sorry because I know you like the continuity, but this will have to be the last time I have a belly picture in the polka dot shirt. It’s not a maternity shirt, and it won’t be fitting over my belly again anytime soon I don’t think. I will try to pick another shirt that looks like it will fit me until the end, so that you can continue to have continuity. But holy moly look how big my belly is! I promise you that it was not that big at the beginning of this week!

Here’s a little survey:

How Far Along: 26 weeks

Total Weight Gained: A lady never tells…

Maternity Clothes: Always. Except for the polka dot shirt, which, as I said above, will be retired after today.

Sleep: I love to sleep, I do a lot of it, and I’m still doing ok with it. Not especially comfortable, but not especially uncomfortable. I love all of my pillows and can’t stand sleeping on my sides. Haven’t gone back to having to get up in the night to potty, but I’m sure it will come with the 3rd trimester.

Best Moment of the Week: Dropping below 100 days left!

Worst Moment of the Week: My brother in law’s dad died yesterday, and all of the arrangements and everything fall to him. Please pray for him—I can’t imaging losing one of my parents right now, and he’s only a couple of years older than me. That was also basically his only parent because he is estranged from his mother.

Movement: All the time!! I am growing a little soccer player. (Or if you’re going to take my husband’s side, a football kicker) I love that I can see it bigtime from the outside too.

Food Craving: I haven’t craved anything yet. I do like fruit and Asian food though. Ok, I just like to eat.

Food aversions: Some Italian. Haven’t even been able to think of it since it made me sick my first trimester.

Gender: It's a boy! We have a name, but I’m not putting it on here until after he’s born. If you want to know, you can email me.

Belly Button: Definitely in. But shallower than pre-pregnancy. It feels weird when you push on it. I’m not sure if it will pop. Nathan thinks it will. When I was a little kid, I thought that the baby’s umbilical cord connected to the mommy’s belly button, and that was how the baby breathed.

Labor Signs: Lots of Braxton-Hicks

What I miss: Walking like a normal human being. My SPD is coming back with a vengeance and it really hurts to walk. People think I have the pregnant waddle but I’m actually just limping and walking gingerly. I have to be really careful not to slip and getting in and out of the car or bed because if my legs go too far apart it feels like my pelvis ripped in half. I’m hoping to see a chiropractor soon. I know it’s all worth it for the end result though!

What I look forward to: Getting my nursery furniture! I ordered it and can’t wait to get it and see it put together in Piglet’s room!

Milestones: He’s getting pretty close to 2 lbs!

As an addendum to the waddling bit, Nathan and I were walking around the mall earlier this week and I was pretty sore from walking all day so I was gimping. Nathan looked at me and started to do a penguin walk to make fun of me, except he exaggerated it a lot. When I told him he was just drawing attention to us he said he guessed I could just be his penguin. Silly boy, he always makes me laugh.