Shrek the 4th?

Just had to post this :) They of course don't look nearly as bad in this picture as they look and FEEL in person!

25 weeks

I had my monthly checkup Tuesday. Everything looks great, despite the way I feel :) Doc says the feet/ankle swelling is not harmful because my blood pressure is good and no there is no protein in my urine. He did acknowledge that it can be quite uncomfortable. Ya think? He also said that the pubic bone pain will concern him more if I feel it during the day as well as at night. I was "leaking" a little again. He checked me and there is no amniotic fluid, so it is most likely bladder spasms causing the leaking. The babies heartbeats were good.

My shower was Sunday and was amazing. My mom had it in her backyard and it was so cute! They even set out all my stuffed animals/dolls from when I was young. I didn't take any photos except of the cake, but I'll be sure to post when I get pictures from my mom and others who snapped some shots. The cake was Noah's Arc and it's one of the best cakes my parents have ever made. Look out Ace of Cakes!


We received so many gifts that I have to take some time this weekend to go back through it all. It was all a blur. Everything is in the garage until this weekend. Our nursery and master bedroom carpet is being installed Friday. After that, we can get the nursery finished and organized. I'll post before/during/after pictures when we are done.


Now, onto the kids! They now weigh about a pound and a half (about an average rutabaga) and are about 13 inches long. If we could see into my belly right now we'd know what hair color and texture they have! Their nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open. This allows them to take practice breaths! They are starting to put on baby fat and their wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out. The ears are now fully functional and they may even blink in reaction to a loud noise. Their brains are now rapidly growing.

Pelvic pain (SPD)

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction

This is what the doctor thinks I may have via our phone conversation on Friday.

She suggested I start wearing a support belt. I wore one the past 2 nights and while the pelvic pain has not changed, my hip pain has decreased. I plan on talking to her about this at the next appt. (which I may make for early next week). I need to work as long as possible to have time with the babies after they arrive, so bed rest is not an option in my mind right now! The pain when getting up in the middle of the night almost always brings me to tears. These lil' ones are worth every thing I am feeling, no matter how much it hurts!

On a much more important note, my shower is today! YAY!

24 weeks

The babies are growing steadily and have gained about 4 ounces since last week. They are now over a pound each and are almost a foot long. The lungs are now developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help their air sacs inflate once they hit the outside world. They will most likely gain 6 more ounces this week as they begin to fill out. This weight will mostly consist of muscle, bone mass, and the growing organs and tissues.

My shower is this Sunday and I'm excited! I can't wait to see everyone and for everyone to see me and my belly! Unfortunately the nursery won't be quite done yet, but we'll store everything in the garage until it's complete. Christian painted the 3 walls in the room this weekend and will be painting the 4th wall this week. My parents are going to help paint the one wall with a mural since I'm not allowed to paint!

Next step on my checklist is to visit another daycare and find a pediatrician.

Shrek Feet

My lovely brother told me the other day that I have Shrek feet. Oh, is he right... they are so swollen that I can get NO shoes on other than flip flops. Even the straps on the flops cut into my feet. I've heard good things about Crocs Flip Flops, so I'm hoping to find 2 pairs at lunch today... one black pair, one brown pair. I guess when fall comes, I'll need to buy compression stockings so that I can wear shoes!

23 weeks!

23 weeks already! This week we are in the process of switching the office and the nursery. It's pretty challenging since we both have desks, computers, and tons of stuff to fit into a much smaller room.

At 23 weeks, the kids are hitting the one pound mark and getting hiccups. They are approximately 11.5 inches head to heel. They are continuing to develop facial features and they are exploring their bodies and world in the comfort of their own personal "living womb." The babies now have eyes that open and close, ears that can hear, and a thumb well worth sucking. They can now can suck their thumbs for real, instead of just putting it in their mouths. This is a picture of what one of our lil' ones might look like right now if we caught them sucking their thumb.


Their sense of movement is well developed now, they can feel my movements. I can now see them on occasion as they practice their karate kicks.

Blood vessels in their lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that their increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing them for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as a dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze them when they hear them outside the womb.

Fat is still being deposited at a rapid rate, but the babies still look red and wrinkled. Skin is being produced at a higher rate than the fat is, so the skin hangs loosely. The babies look red because the skin is losing its transparency and pigment is beginning to form.