26 Weeks

I've gotten pretty lazy when it comes to taking belly pics, well I guess I can say I've just gotten lazy! I feel like I wait until I have a lot to talk about before I post anything. In the last few weeks I have had my OB appointment, an ultrasound and my last day of work!

My doctors appointment went well. He put me on activity restriction, so I am supposed to spend the majority of my time resting and stay off my feet as much as possible. The reason for my activity restriction is to keep the babies inside me as long as possible and to prevent going into labor while there is a chance of the babies having life long problems due to being born too early. As long as everything is still going well I think he will lift the restriction at 32 weeks when the babies have reached a "safe zone." No exercise, lifting, pushing, pulling, straining and NO MORE GOING TO THE LAKE! That last part is the most disappointing! I was hoping to be able go down there at least one more time, but these babies are more important than going to the lake! Everything else went great my belly is measuring about 7 weeks ahead of what it would if I was only have one baby, so at 25 weeks I was measuring at 32 weeks with a singleton. 

This month I went to Shawnee Mission Medical Center for a level II ultrasound. My doctor wanted a more detailed report than he was getting from Menorah. Billy couldn't come to this one so his mom came with me instead. I'm glad she was able to see the babies and I think she really enjoyed it too! My experience at Shawnee Mission was so much better than it had been a Menorah. For starters it was a place that only does prenatal ultrasounds and everyone there was so nice. They had a big flat screen across from the bed that we got to watch the babies on and they played some nice calming music. There is also a doctor that watches the ultrasound and comes in afterwards to let you know if he saw anything abnormal so that was nice. Both babies are looking perfect! They are measuring just a few days behind schedule which is to be expected with twins. Max weighed 1.9 LBS and Macie weighed 1.7 LBS. 

My last day of work was pretty bittersweet. I was so ready to be done both physically and mentally!  I don't think could handle getting spit at one more time! It was sad leaving the awesome women I have worked with for the past 4 years. Our classroom is changing so much next year and people are leaving. When the day was over and I went to say bye to Emily (my supervising teacher who has become a very close friend of mine) I gave her a hug and we both started crying. I couldn't even say anything to her. I just had to leave. I know that I have made some life long friends working in that classroom and it is sad knowing that I won't be spending 40 hours a week with them anymore.

I have been done working for a week now and it really harder than you would think to sit around the house! There is so much to do around here, but I am supposed to be taking it easy. I just do a little at a time and eventually everything will get done. I just keep reminding myself that my only job right now is to take care of myself and these babies. It is really hard adjusting to not getting a bunch of things done at once, but I guess that is how it is going to be once the babies get here.  Billy has been working till 9 or 10 o'clock every night for the past few weeks trying to get all of the fields ready to farm, so I know once that is taken care of he will have more time to help me take care of things around the house. It makes for a much longer day not having him around in the evenings. I am looking forward to being able to spend time with him again! 

I am hoping to update a little more often since I have a little more time on my hands these days! 

23 Weeks

I guess I can officially say that I feel pregnant! My belly is growing so fast, I'm tired, sore and have trouble sleeping. I think I have really started to notice my pregnancy being different than my friends with single babies. It is getting harder for me to run errands, I can't make it more than 20 minutes before my back starts to hurt and the muscles in the very top of my stomach get really sore. Enough complaining!

On an exciting note the babies room is coming together. We have both beds up and Billy has been working on refinishing a few old dressers that we have. He is making one into the changing table and the other is going to stay a dresser. Hopefully they will be done this weekend. I had all these ideas for things I was going to make for their room. We went to Hobby Lobby last Friday night to get supplies and I realized that it was going to be way to much work! We spent an hour and a half there and almost left empty handed! We ended up getting pulls for the changing table and wooden letters to put their names above their beds.

Liz (Billy's cousin) and I at 22 weeks. 

My dreaded "Activity Restriction" or "Modified Bed-rest" (the terms have been used interchangeably) is quickly approaching. I still don't know what all it entails, but I was just informed that I will be unable to work during this. My nurse was filling out my FMLA paperwork and informed me that my doctor does not want me working past 25 weeks. My last day of work is a little closer than I was expecting. My last day will be May 15th! I am excited, but it is kind of a reality check. I know that I have a high risk pregnancy, but I don't feel like it. I haven't had any complications so far and other than my aches and pains I feel pretty good. I guess I need to start gathering some books, because I am getting ready to have quite a bit of time on my hands! 

I have to take a minute to brag about my awesome husband! He has been working so had lately. Some nights I have to force him to sit down and relax. He has been working long hours then comes home and continues to work around the house. He has been so great about picking up my slack around the house. He has something to do with making dinner every night. Whether he does it all himself or he comes home and takes over for me so I can sit down and relax. He also makes time to give me awesome back and foot massages. I think I'm a pretty lucky girl!

20 Weeks

Half way there... well technically we are over half way, but 20 weeks is a pretty exciting milestone! I'm still feeling pretty good. Something exciting that happened this week was that I saw and felt Max's little kicks on the outside of my stomach! They were followed by some horrible pain, but it was still pretty cool. Apparently the babies are big enough to start pushing on organs and ligaments on the inside of my stomach now.

This week we got our cribs, but unfortunately we need to exchange one of them because it was damaged. Billy got one of them put together though! I think he was pretty excited about that little daddy project! The room is slowly coming together. I am anxious for my chevron crib skirts and curtains to get here. They should be arriving any day! 

Daddy putting the cribs together!

This weekend we went to Omaha to visit my grandpa before he moves to North Carolina. We drove down and back in one day so it was a short visit, but it was a nice one. My uncle, aunt and cousins came from Lincoln too. It was a really nice afternoon visiting with everyone. I don't know why we don't see each other more often when we only like 3 hours apart. 

My sister Jessie, my grandpa and I

It was a good thing we came home on Saturday night, because I woke up around 3:45AM and had the worst pain I have ever had in my life on the left side of my stomach that wrapped around to my back. I had gotten so bad that I started throwing up and we ended up in the ER. They tested me for everything, gave me an ultrasound and pumped me with morphine (which did nothing for me). They found nothing. They called my doctor and he said the pain was from my round ligaments and that my stomach was just growing faster than my body could keep up. He gave me instructions to lay on my left side and I should get some pain relief. Well, I tried this and it didn't work. I went home and tried to get as comfortable as I could and the pain finally started to go away around 4:00PM. I went to my chiropractor later that week and told her about everything. She didn't seem to think that the pain I had been describing was round ligament pain. She felt around and said my ligaments were not that tight. She checked my broad ligament (a ligament that wraps around your stomach and attaches to the spine). It was tight and when she pushed on it it sent pain around to my back. Not the severe pain I was in, but I could tell it was where the pain was coming from! It is crazy to me that the team of doctors in the ER and at my OB's office couldn't figure out where my pain was coming from and my chiropractor could by just listening to my symptoms and feeling around my stomach. She is AMAZING! Every time I leave I am so impressed with how knowledgeable she is. I really don't know how I would be getting through this pregnancy without her.