20+ Weeks!

I’m slack, huh? I can’t seem to update things on time these days, but I suppose you all should get used to that for a while! I’m sure that things will probably get even busier once Nathan is back at work, so I don’t know how much time I’ll have to write my usual “novelesque” entries. But on to the fun stuff – ultrasounds and hospital tours!

Yesterday we had our MFM appointment, and I’ll just be honest… These are sooooooo much more fun than the regular check-ups. Instead of taking my weight, blood pressure and stats, the babies are the focus, and that’s always a good thing. When they look great and have progressed on track, I’m patted on the back instead of reprimanded. (This I like!) In fact, Nathan and I brought up the fact that the OB docs have told me to exercise a bit more and watch what I eat, and Dr. Greig was quick to tell us that we should just “nod and ignore” what they say. Haha! It’s not that I don’t realize they’re looking out for my best interest, but at the same time, I don’t feel like they’re putting my situation in a different category than someone carrying a single baby. The MFM’s are constantly saying to rest, don’t over-extend myself, don’t worry about the weight… just GROW BABIES and KEEP THEM IN THERE. That’s the main concern. After all the research I’ve done, this mentality is much more in line with what I’ve felt was best the whole time. I’ll work my fanny off at the gym after the fact, but until then, these little folks need to stay put.

:: Ok, seriously, I’ll get off my soapbox and get to the good stuff now. ::

3D Ultrasounds are the best! We were lucky enough to have our favorite nurse/tech this morning, and she did her best to get great shots of the babies. Unfortunately, Caroline was not having it… maybe it was too early in the morning for her. She was literally sprawled out across Tyler’s head the entire time and refused to be bothered by us. Even when the nurse jostled my stomach and attempted to push her off him, she would cover her head up and stay put. It was funny to watch, but irritating. Doesn’t she know I want to SEE HER FACE?! Give it up already! Anyhow, Tyler was his usual bouncy self (even with his sister’s big ol’ 6 inch, 12 ounce body barricading him), and he put on quite the show. He kept kicking his cord and it took forever to measure the blood flow, but eventually we got it. They got good shots of both hearts and all four chambers this time, so all in all, things looked great. Both babies have doubled their size since last time, so they are 12 and 13 ounces respectively. I think Tyler’s extra ounce went to his feet, because comparing his feet to her’s, he has skis already. The nurse made a comment about how “dainty and small” Caroline’s were, which is hilarious. Unless she takes after Nathan’s family, she will grow her own set of skis soon enough.

By the way, have I mentioned that my stomach measures 38" (fyi, that is bigger than 3 ft)??HA! So here you go... taken at exactly 20 weeks (Tuesday).

We also had our hospital tour of St. Francis last night, and we were impressed! I really hope that I make it past 32 weeks so that we can go there without question. It was rather uneventful, but being up on my feet so much yesterday seemed to take its toll. By the time we got back home at 7pm (sidebar: just in time for the NBA draft and wooohoooo! Our boy Tyler Hansbrough is now with the Indiana Pacers, taken during the 13th pick!!), I had swollen up like a balloon and Dr. Sims sent me straight to the couch with my feet above my heart. I've never had cankles in my life, and trust me, they aren't pretty. You couldn't see a single bone below my knee! Dr. Greig (MFM) checked my legs yesterday and said that I had started the beginning stages of edema, and Nathan agreed that as of last night, my bottom half was one of the worst cases he'd seen.

Lesson learned... do not walk extensively and put feet up as much as possible. Otherwise, Nathan may have been correct in his statement at Red Robin the other day:

"Hey, this is you and me in another 16 weeks".... See below! :)

19 Weeks! (Better late than never :)

Believe it or not, there has been nothing major to blog about since my last post. It's almost like the whirlwind excitement leading up to the "big ultrasound" has now passed, and now we're just facing the music that I'm closer to having these babies than we realized! FOUR MONTHS TO GO.... whoaaa! Last week I went to Virginia to see a few customers in Roanoke, and while I was there I stopped by Burlington Coat Factory to waste a little time. If you've never been to their "baby depot," you're missing out. They have a ton of clothes, equipment, and "stuff" that you need... and their prices are amazing. Anyway, the point of telling you this is the fact that I found myself picking out matching boy/girl outfits and thinking about how big the babies will be during what seasons, and what outfits they should wear home from the hospital. Whaaaaaaaat? :)

I can't believe that Nathan and I are calling them by name at this point, and that in just a few more days, I'll be in my twentieth week.

Speaking of moving into the twenties, my regular OB appointments now consist of extraordinarily boring stuff. I go in, get weighed, give a urine sample, and talk to the doctor. This week, I had two nurses with me in the room since neither of them had ever found twin heartbeats on their own. (This was fun to watch... they were both so excited!) I am now an expert on where Caroline lays versus Tyler, so although they had no trouble detecting both heartbeats, he was turning flips and being a monkey while she was chillin'... doing her thing. It's no wonder that the first movement I've felt has been on the right side only. Yesterday, after downing some delicious pizza from our favorite restaurant in Greenville (Boston Pizzeria - YUM), the little guy seemed to really have a good time in there. I can't really describe how it felt, other than that I realized it was him moving and not gas :) TMI? Haha! Back to the doc appointment, though, this was the first time they started discussing scheduling a c-section. It seems that all my doctors are much more comfortable with this scenario, and I'm fine with it as well. They say that the worst thing that can happen with twins is that one is delivered naturally, then the other flips and turns into some uncooperative way and you have to have a cesarean also. Can you imagine that? No thanks. I just hope that I can make it to 37-38 weeks and all goes according to plan.

So onto the fun, terribly embarrassing stuff! BELLY PICS!

When I look back at these, I almost think that the camera does not do my "girth" justice. I mean, I know that I will be HUGE before long, but in person, I really look bigger than this. Seriously! Just last night, I'm laying on the couch (on my side of course) and Nathan kneels down and yanks up my shirt. He had this look on his face... almost a horrified look... and goes, "Wow. You REALLY look pregnant." Gee, you think? :) I have already had to take my wedding rings off and pack them away since my hands are swollen all the time, and I'm sleeping in wrist braces at night to ward off the carpal tunnel that has taken over my life. I'm not complaining, though, because I realize that if these are the worst symptoms so far I'm lucky! The funniest part of the no-wedding-ring-thing is that people don't usually realize I'm not wearing my own... oh yes, I have found substitute rings for the time being because I can't handle potential strangers giving me the "eye." With all the rude comments I've encountered so far (from the most random people in the world), I can only imagine what would happen if I appeared unmarried and knocked up! The horror! Hahahaha!

Also, for your viewing pleasure, here is glimpse of what I see every single morning as I drag myself out of bed to get ready for work. Nathan is not in the hospital this month because he has step 2 of his medical boards on July 1st, so his "job" for the moment is studying. While I wouldn't trade places with him for anything, life just doesn't seem fair that while I'm blazing hot from blow-drying my hair, uncomfortably trying to bend down and lotion up every square inch of my body, and my hands are falling asleep "just because," that this is what I have to look at:

And yes, that is how Connor prefers to sleep. He thinks he's human.

18 Weeks!

Technically, I am half way through as of today! Since 36 weeks is considered full-term for twins, I think of number 18 as a milestone :)

Nathan and I also decided on names for the babies, and it wasn't even a big discussion (shocker!!). We, obviously, are very decisive people... even when it comes to the most important decisions ever. If you haven't already heard the story, or if you have no idea about our passion for Carolina basketball, then I'll recap the scene for you.

Sometime in early February, during the middle of a fabulous and victorious bball game (I'm sure), we started joking around about our future (we thought DISTANT, but not so much) children and their names. I mentioned that we should pay homage to our love of UNC, and our future daughter would have to be named Caroline. I think I said it as a joke, but Nathan looked at me seriously and said he really liked that. We moved on to the future son, and I piped up quickly and irrationally that he needed to be named after the greatest basketball player ever!!! Who else but Tyler Hansbrough?! This time, he didn't have quite the same reaction as he did to Caroline, but we were messing around and he played along. So, from that day forward, we would say "Tyler and Caroline wouldn't like that!" or "Tyler and Caroline will be so..." or "We better start saving up for Tyler and Caroline's college fund!" Again, it was a total joke, but about a month later, I realized I needed to go pee on a stick :)

Fast forward about eight weeks, and there we were at the doctor and found out that it was not only one baby, but TWINS. We almost immediately agreed that we really, truly liked the name Caroline, so that one stuck. The whole time I've felt like it was a boy and a girl, so we always knew that we'd have to figure out a boy name to go with our southern, classic-sounding girl choice. I actually did like the name Tyler, but Nathan wasn't ready to commit. So, the day of the 2009 National Championship game, Nathan made a wager with me:

If UNC defeated Michigan State, and if we had at least one little fella in the mix, we would actually name him Tyler. So..........

"Baby A" is Caroline Morrow Sims, and "Baby B" is Tyler Davis Sims.

But back to my 18 week shots, here you go! I've decided that I'm going to do the bare belly ones from now on, since it is apparent that soon enough, I'll "have no shame." If what they say is true, after you birth a baby then the word modesty isn't really in your vocabulary anymore. Why worry about it now? :)

And the verdict is........

Boy and Girl!

We are officially "Team Green" :)

The appointment took a little longer than I expected it to, but I suppose that happens when you have to look for 2 (or 4) of everything! We didn't get finished with everything until about 10:30, but it was so much fun to see the babies for almost an hour on the ultrasound. After they checked for all internal and external (haha) parts, they checked my cervix. All in all, everyone looks great and we're cruising right along.

It was easier to tell how they were lying today, but it was much harder to get one screen with both of their full bodies showing. They've grown so much since last time! Baby A (girl) weighs in at 6 ounces, and Baby B (boy) checks in at a whopping 7 ounces. I really hope he turns out to be bigger in the end, since Nathan was just "so sure" that the girl would be like me and be a big ol' baby. Have I ever mentioned I weighed 9 lbs 3 oz at birth? Ha!

Anyway, we did find out that the two placentas are basically "cushioning" them inside, so that's a positive since Connor seems to sit on my belly ALL THE TIME. One is between the outside of my stomach and them, the other is between my back and them. (I think?) It makes sense now that I can't really feel them move yet, since they'd have to be pretty strong to punch through one or the other. I will say, though, that our little man is quite active while the little lady is acting as a "lady" in there. He is all over the place and she is quite chill.... maybe they take after their parents?? :)

17 Weeks!

So here is my "real deal" belly shot... with Connor included. He always has to be a part of the show! Nathan was taking the picture for me this time, and he decided that we should take a shot of his belly as well. I wasn't feeling too "heifer-ish" until I flipped from my pic, to his pic, and back to my pic. Very disgusting that my husband looks this skinny when he's enjoying every last morsel of food that graces our house. We even made Ghiradelli double-chocolate brownies last night, and he had twice as much as I did. Can you tell he's trying to "stick it out" like mine? Should I be offended? Haha!

I hope these kids get his metabolism, FO'REAL.

Two more days to the BIG ANATOMY U/S! I can hardly stand it... so stay tuned. What do you think? Boys, girls, or one of each? :)

"It's like going from a car to a minivan"

This is what I was told when I picked up the first major purchase for the babies... a GINORMOUS, long, beast of a double stroller ;)

I have been cruising through Craigslist about once a day, just to see if there are any "big ticket" items in great condition that I could scoop up. Lucky for me, I happened upon a listing for an almost brand-new double stroller, with matching infant seats, bases, and super cute Eddie Bauer accessories. Nathan and I had casually been looking at different websites over Memorial weekend (remember all that sun I got? Yeah... had to stay indoors a bit) and we noticed that the "nicer" infant seats were at least $100 each. Couple that with a compatible stroller, and you're looking at dropping at least $300 out of the gate. The stroller that I was told to get for the first 6-8 months is called a "double snap n go," and it's basically like a skeleton of a stroller. You just snap in the infant seats and off you go. The problem is that it doesn't convert to anything else, so you have to purchase another one in less than a year. So, with that in mind, I thought that this one was a steal when I saw the posting last week.

As you can see, we got the two Graco Snugride infant seats, two bases for the car, the Graco Duoglider stroller (we can snap in the infant seats, then remove them later and use it as a regular one), two little "snuggly things" (sorry, I lack the correct baby terminology at this point), and two Eddie Bauer car seat covers. I'm happy to report that the seller is as anal-retentive as I am and made sure that everything matched perfectly, and she kept it in mint condition. Her babies were actually born at 29 weeks, so they were not allowed out of the house until they were six months old except to see the doctor. So she basically used this entire travel system about 10 times, then decided that she'd rather have a side-by-side stroller. They paid over $500 for all of this, and I got it for $250. We probably wouldn't have gotten the infant seats alone for that, so I'm happy!

Nathan took the picture below the first day we had everything, and we have laughed hysterically ever since. Not only are we not used to baby stuff, but the size of this thing is just comical. I will drop the weight quickly if I take this big guy out for a spin every day!

*Disclaimer, this is not a flattering pic of me, and this tent of a dress does nothing for the figure... but I'll post a "belly pic" tomorrow so you can see the real deal.