Baby News

I know I am way overdue for an R update, and as usually happens, the biggest reason I haven't been blogging is we've been busy living which leaves much to share. So I promise to write about her soon before things get too out of control and I have to report that she's started driving and already graduated from high school.

But for now, an update on the bambinos. The boys are growing. Lots. I had an ultrasound last Friday when I was almost 30 weeks. From everything I've read, average babies at that age weigh 2.5 pounds. My monster boys weighed in at three pounds, two ounces each. Big, healthy babies! (But not so big there was any reason for concern.) It was good to see that they are still gaining weight at the same rate, and they have plenty of fluid.

The boys are hyper little things. I don't know if they are moving that much more than R, or if I just feel it more because there is less extra space, but it seems like they are in constant motion. Every time I sit down one of them goes nuts. The other night I was completely exhausted when I climbed into bed, and I instantly felt movement all over. I was cranky enough to start rubbing my belly in annoyance, rather than out of love. That's when I discovered they both had the hiccups at the same time. Then I melted and thought it was the cutest thing in the world.

I am constantly inundated with questions about how I'm doing, and the truth is I'm doing pretty well. I was lucky and had an easy pregnancy with R, and so far, this pregnancy seems to be about the same. I am pretty tired these days, but I think that has as much to do with working full-time and taking care of a two-year-old at home as it does with being pregnant. Based on my conversations with a good friend who has a thirteen-year-old daughter, the only real differences between our girls is that mine isn't potty trained, and hers can call her more creative names. Otherwise, they are about the same, and my mini-teenager is exhausting! My back has also started getting sore if I sit or stand too long in one position, but a short workout or a long shower still work miracles and can easily take care of it.

I think the strangest thing about this pregnancy is how different it is from my first. The boys are such an afterthought. At this point in my first pregnancy I had already had two baby showers, with a third on the way. I haven't had any this time, nor do I think I'll have any. (Thankfully, we also don't need much other than a semi full of diapers.) When I was pregnant with R, Jeff dutifully came to all my doctor's appointments with me, and we were both busy reading up on pregnancy and newborn care. This time Jeff admits to having "been there, done that" mentality, and is skipping the appointments. (I personally think he is terrified to go since the only appointment he attended is the one where we found it we were having twins!) As for reading, if either of us finds time to read, we are desperately cramming in personal reading while we can. Who knows when we'll get to do that again!

Being pregnant and hormonal, I did have a mild panic attack a couple of weeks ago about being completely unprepared for the babies. We have lots of stuff from R, and friends are giving us tons of hand-me-down outfits, but I still felt like things weren't quite ready. Thankfully, things have been falling into place since then. We recruited Jeff's parents to help us put together a nursery, since furniture needs to be rearranged in three rooms, and their future "nursery" is in boxes all over R's closet and our dining room. My mom came to visit and bought us a second car seat, which is the only thing we legally needed (in order to get the boys home from the hospital). She also got us some itty-bitty onesies and sleepers, which is good since we need basics. This week I got an email from a girlfriend who has a garbage bag of clothes for us, and today a gigantic mystery box appeared on our porch. Jeff's cousin works with a woman who has twin boys, and the mystery box contained tons of clothes in sizes newborn - nine months. I even met a woman in the bathroom at work who volunteered to bring me work clothes in the next size so I could keep my belly covered, and she showed up with a big of clothes the next day. People are amazing. And for once, I really mean that in a good way!

So for now I am grateful to have such big, healthy babies in me, and we will continue to just take things one day at a time.