For the first few weeks, I had a dr appointment every week. Josh started going to every appointment with me from then on. I think he was afraid there would be another surprise! At 7 weeks, we had another ultrasound and could clearly see at that point that there were two little embryos. They actually looked like babies! We also were able to hear both heartbeats and they sounded great! By that point we had all realized things were ok and started having appointments every 4 weeks.
In the first trimester, I had a lot of food aversions and didn't really feel like eating much, but didn't really have "morning sickness" or any other time of the day sickness. I really had no complications (other than 2 different instances of very light, very brief spotting) or issues. I couldn't wait to get to the 2nd trimester so I could take a deep breath and feel like things were a little safer. Around week 12, I started to outgrow my regular clothes. Although, I didn't gain any weight until right at the beginning of the 2nd trimester. By the time the 2nd trimester rolled around (May 23rd to be exact), we had told most of our family and close friends. We decided not to make it facebook official until after we found out the genders. I started reading as much as I could about planning for twins. As soon as I hit that 14 week mark, I started registering and figuring out what I would need 2 of. I also started trying to figure out where and how to buy diapers the cheapest and we started looking for deals on some of the stuff we needed. It was actually a lot of fun figuring out where we could save $$$!
Our anatomical scan was scheduled for July 3rd. At this appointment, the dr would also do a very in depth scan to check bone lengths and things like that. I was so anxious about this appointment! I have always wanted to have all boys and NO girls, but decided I would be ok with having 1 girl. I have 2 nieces that are pretty fun to be around and Josh really wanted a girl. I had thought all along that we would be having a boy and a girl. I had even started planning how I would decorate their nursery. Back when we found out we were having twins, I kept telling myself "it'll be fine...as long as it's not 2 girls". I should've never had that thought! The dr was able to tell us very quickly that we were having 2 girls. I was very disappointed for a while. I was ok with having 2 girls, but sad that I was not going to get to have another sweet boy like my Caden. Also, I knew Caden would be disappointed because he really wanted a little brother. But, the important thing was that both babies looked great and seemed to be very healthy. All the different things she looked at on the ultrasound were great. She even said that they were measuring very big. That was a good sign to me, because I knew twins were usually smaller. In fact these guys (according to the ultrasound estimate) were measuring large for singleton babies! When we left the appointment, we stopped by a store and got 2 pink balloons. Once we got home we took a picture with a somewhat disappointed Caden and sent it out to friends and family. We let Caden announce it on facebook and then I also announced it on mine. At this point I was 20 weeks along and halfway through the pregnancy!
I started looking forward to the next milestones. At 24 weeks, babies can survive if they are born. 24 weeks came and we took a vacation to North Carolina and Virginia to visit Josh's family. We had a great time, but I have to admit I was a little stressed the entire time. I had convinced myself that Baby B (the one highest up) was moving less. I also had a couple of nights where I had some more light, brief spotting. I think part of my worry was that we were so far from home and most of the vacation we were and hour and a half away from the nearest hospital. The flights were pretty uncomfortable too. By this point, I had gained most of my weight and had trouble sitting fastened in the seat belts comfortably on the plane. I was very relieved to get home. We had another appointment the following week, including another ultrasound. At this appointment, the dr confirmed we still had 2 girls growing in there. They were still measuring big and looked very healthy!
The next big milestone was 28 weeks. 3rd trimester! And the babies' chance of survival goes way up. 3rd trimester also meant I would start having dr appointments every 2 weeks. Throughout the pregnancy up to this point, I really had not had any limitations. But, now I was starting to get tired easier and starting to stay sore. I had lots of swelling in my feet and legs also. I discovered that I could only wear flip flops comfortably. But, I still felt very good considering how far along I was with twins! At about 31 weeks, we finished the nursery and had all the furniture ready. I had read that we should be ready at 30 weeks because twins usually come early. On September 18th, my coworkers had a shower for me. On September 22nd, a couple of my friends had a shower for me. Both showers were amazing and we got lots of great stuff. But, I had a little mini-meltdown because I didn't think we had most of what we needed. My amazing husband told me to go ahead and get what I thought we needed. Speaking of my amazing husband...I don't think I could've asked for anything more. Josh has done so much for me throughout this pregnancy. He very rarely lets me cook or clean or do laundry. He has taken over getting Caden to his baseball lessons and practices. Even when he was sick with a sinus infection, he made dinner because he knew I was worn out. I tease him that he has spoiled me and possibly created a monster. I tell him as much as I can how grateful I am. I hope he knows how truly thankful I am for him!
The next few milestones, came and went very quickly! I have Caden's baseball season to thank for that! Baseball 5 nights a week kept us very busy! 32 weeks, then 34 weeks (when babies viability sky rockets!). At 34 weeks, I had to start getting monitored twice a week. Each baby for 20 minutes to check their heart rate, fluid levels, movement and my uterine activity. The babies had already developed a bit of personalities. Baby B, who always measured a little bit smaller and was closer to my ribs, was always much more active. I could feel her movement constantly throughout the day. She was also the "difficult" one when trying to get her heartbeat. Twice, while trying to monitor her, she was so squirmy that couldn't catch her heart beat for long enough and we had to just go to the ultrasound room. Baby A, the baby closest to my cervix was much more mellow. I couldn't feel her move as much. Both babies have looked great on the monitor each time. At 34 weeks, we had a growth scan. The babies were estimated to weigh 5 lbs 10 oz (baby A) and 5 lbs 6 oz (baby B). 11 pounds of baby! No wonder everything was starting to hurt! My walking and movements started to slow waaaaaay down, but I was still able to do pretty much everything. I just got tired a lot easier. At 35 weeks, I turned in my 2 week notice to work. Josh and I decided (after much deliberation and stress) that the best thing for our family would be for me to stay at home with the babies. This was a scary, scary decision to make, but we have faith it is what we need to do!
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