32 & 33 Weeks

First day of winter break, woke up early with
Daddy so he could get my picture before leaving for work

Thursday, December 21 - 32 weeks
Not too much to report today, other than that shirt barely fits me anymore! Anna had her first dentist visit today and was a total rockstar! No tears and she did everything they asked her to, some of it even with a smile on her face. :) After the dentist, we went to the bank, the library and then out to lunch together.
This afternoon, she took a nice, long nap while I relaxed on the couch. You had the hiccups (again - you get them at least once a day!) and were rolling around quite a bit. I think I had several Braxton Hicks again, but sometimes it's hard to tell if that's what it is, or if it's just you laying/pushing in a weird position. I'm glad I have a doctor appointment tomorrow so they can check you and your growth. I'm going to the local clinic since my regular MFM team isn't in the office on Fridays. I'm curious about what they'll say about everything. I'm on to weekly appointments right now, and starting in January, I'll be going twice a week. As much as it's going to suck driving there and back two times a week, it'll be nice and reassuring to have you monitored so often. Some days I feel like you're due date is so far away, but then other days (like today with the Braxton Hicks) I worry that you're going to come early.

Friday, December 22 - 32w, 1d
Good appointment today, Brother. :) Four weeks ago you were measuring small/normal in the 16th percentile. Today, you were measuring in the 37th percentile! You're weight was estimated to be about 4lbs 3oz - up almost two pounds from four weeks ago. I'm so proud of how well you're growing! No wonder I'm starting to feel huge and uncomfortable. I know that ultrasounds aren't always the most accurate, but it's reassuring to see you growing so well.

Tuesday, December 26 - 32w, 5d
We've made it through Christmas and I am so ready for you to be here! My plan for today is to get all of Anna's new toys put away so we can start taking down the Christmas decorations. I feel like it's Baby Crunch Time and finally time to focus on getting your room finished. Daddy has to put up the moulding, finish your rocking chair, put up your shelves, assemble your crib...and then I think we can finally start organizing your room. I can't wait to get in your closet and pull everything out. I've been itching to organize for months, and now that Christmas is over, there's nothing else in the way.

Thursday, December 28 - 33 weeks
One more week of winter break. Christmas decorations and toys are all put away. Daddy started working on the crown and moulding in your rom. He also started reorganizing the basement a bit so he can put all of the extra stuff from your room into the basement. Slow and steady....we're getting there.

The last few days I've been really concerned about catching the flu when I go back to school. I've seen so many people posting on FB about catching the flu and how they've never felt worse - it makes me nervous to go back to school. I'm worried that I'll catch it and need to take several days off work and possibly end up in the hospital. I can't really afford to get sick right now, plus I barely have enough sick days available for maternity leave, let alone sick time before you arrive. Yesterday, Anna and I had to run a bunch of errands, and I ended up wearing my mask in all of the stores because I was afraid to catch someone else's germs. I wish I could quarantine myself for the rest of your pregnancy to make sure that both of us remain healthy! I'm going to ask the doctor today if I can have some TamiFlu to keep on hand in case I start feeling crumby over the next few weeks.

Saturday, December 30 - 33w, 2d
Your appointment on Thursday went well. You were moving, practicing your breathing and had a good level of fluid. Every week from here on out, they'll be checking those things through an ultrasound until you're born. I'll also be getting weekly non-stress tests, where they'll monitor your movements, heart rate and if I'm having any contractions and how you react to them. My first one is on Monday. You'll be measured in another two or three weeks, but at the rate you're growing, I'm guessing you're going to be bigger than Anna was when she was born.

28 & 29 Weeks

Thursday, November 23 - 28 weeks
Happy Thanksgiving! I am beyond thankful to be having such a normal, easy, healthy pregnancy this time around! I'm so excited to officially be in the third trimester now -- you'll be here before we know it!
Today was a busy, but productive day. Daddy finished the ceiling in your bedroom and hung your ceiling fan. Tomorrow I'm hoping he'll clear out the room so we can finally paint the walls! We also started putting up our Christmas decorations around the house today. I'd love to get a tree soon so we can put the presents around it, since they've been wrapped since Halloween. This year we have six stockings hanging along the mantel. Mommy, Daddy, Anna, Baby A, Baby B and yours. :) It was a little sad seeing their little stockings and name plates from last year, but I plan to keep them up in memory of your brothers.

Sunday, November 26 - 28w, 3d
Back to the daily grind tomorrow and finally another ultrasound! We had a great, relaxing yet productive weekend. I always look forward to this weekend because we get to spend so much time together as a family. Its the longest weekend we typically have off together all year.

I'm really looking forward to your ultrasound tomorrow because it's been six weeks since you've been measured and about a month since we've had an ultrasound. I'm sure you're going to look so much bigger! I just hope you're not getting too big.

Tuesday, November 28 - 28w, 5d
I had your appointment yesterday and everything went very well. You are definitely not too big, in fact, measured small-normal at around the 13th percentile. At first this concerned me a bit because the last time you were measured, you were in the 45th percentile, so that seemed like a big drop to me, but the nurse assured me that they aren't worried at all. She said you could have been going through a growth spurt the last time you were measured.

Needless to say, I don't think we're going to have any issues with you getting too big by the end of this pregnancy. I think we're actually going to be more aware that you're not too small...just like we did with Anna. Your estimated weight was about 2lbs 7oz which is right on track according to the nurse and my apps, so that's really good. I thought you looked so big in there, and completely squished. You were moving all around while the tech was measuring you and had your legs in front of your face pretty much the whole time. Every now and then you'd peek out between your legs and we'd see your nose and lips. You were also clapping the bottoms of your feet together at one point which was pretty funny. We also saw you practicing your breathing, which is excellent that you're doing that already.

I'll go back in two weeks for just a regular check-up, no ultrasound. And then after that, I go back right after Christmas and I'll be 32 weeks, so that's when the appointments will start happening twice weekly because of the gestational diabetes. Speaking of, my sugars have been better - although, not the best when we eat out at Chinese or Culver's! But, for right now, they are not increasing my insulin since overall the numbers seem to be getting better, so I was happy about that. Yesterday, I also got the whopping cough vaccine, so that I can pass some of it on to you before you're born.

Monday, December 4 - 29w, 4d
Wow, December already - that means you'll be here in just two short months! I'm so excited! I can't wait to snuggle your little squishy self! Although, it's going to be a long two months because the last few days my discomfort has really kicked in. I've been having a hard time getting comfortable when sleeping, standing/walking for too long makes me hurt, and standing after sitting or laying is not fun either. I don't know how I'm going to make it another two months - lots of sitting.
A coworker made the comment yesterday, "you better watch it because that's how it all started last time". I didn't even think of that, but she's right. I was getting really uncomfortable like this a few weeks before I had the boys. But somehow, this feels different. This feels like normal pregnancy progression discomfort. I'm not having any leaking or discharge and Brother is moving around all the time, which is really reassuring. I go back to the doctor a week from today, so we'll see how I feel then and I'll definitely be bringing it up if I become concerned.
In other news, we are still completely stuck on what to name you! I thought we had it narrowed down to a couple choices, but then we look at lists again and add/change things. I really hope we can choose soon because it's driving me crazy! I had a dream the other night that we had you home from the hospital for a week and you still didn't have a name. Your name is going to end up just being Brother! Ha!

22 & 23 Weeks

Friday, October 13 - 22w, 1d
We had your anatomy scan yesterday and everything went very well. My cervix is staying long and thick, no signs of any issues. You looked wonderful! You're measuring right on track, 45th percentile, and weighing about 1lb, 1oz. You were moving a ton during the scan - we saw you grab your toes, kick them above your head, and you had your hands by your face a lot, but we were still able to get a few really cute pictures of your face.

In two weeks, I'll go for my last cervical check. I'll be 24 weeks and that's when they stop checking my cervix unless they absolutely have to (having negative symptoms) because technically you'll be "viable" if something were to happen, but you need to stay in there for a long, long time still. Over the last month or so, I was worried to stop these cervical checks because it has brought a lot of peace of mind for me, but to see that you're doing so well and that my body is still hanging in there, I'm feeling better. Soon, I'll be far enough along where I'll be back to getting more frequent ultrasounds anyway, so skipping one or two might not be that big of a deal. I'm sure, if for some reason I'm really stressed about it, I'm guessing they'll do one for me.

One issue I've been having has been my fasting blood sugar in the morning. I talked with the nurse practitioner about it yesterday, and about the possibility of going on insulin in the evenings. She set me up with an appointment with their dietician at the end of the month, and in the meantime wants me to really control my diet, especially in the evenings to see if that helps. I haven't been doing the best about laying off the carbs in the evening, so I'm going to really try to up my protein intake to help fill me up after school and after dinner to help keep my post-dinner sugar lower, and then my fasting sugar lower. As much as I don't want to have to go on insulin, I feel like it might make things a lot easier, especially as I get further along. We'll see how the next few weeks pan out. Right now, Little Brother is not showing any signs of being affected by my sugars, so that is reassuring.

Wednesday, October 18 - 22w, 6d
Daddy felt you move for the first time last night. We were laying in bed and you were moving a ton, so I asked him to feel and you gave several big movements for him. It was really cool! Other than that, this week has been pretty uneventful. I'm starting to notice your movements more throughout the day, but the most I feel you is usually after I'm done with my Vest in the evening.

I've been really trying to eat better after school and at night. The problem is, even with eating frequently, I'm not feeling full. I'm used to eating a large meal at dinner, but I've been cautious about what I'm eating and I'm not filling up like usual. I hope I don't notice a decrease or slow down of my weight gain. If it does start to impact, then I'm going to continue to push for insulin.

Wednesday, October 25 - 23w, 6d
Not much to report, but I feel like I've been neglecting the blog lately. I don't remember the last time I've been this busy, holy cow! I feel like I never get a moment of free time lately. Tomorrow afternoon I have my last cervical check, then I have to pick up Anna from swimming, and we have to rush to get to her first parent-teacher conference. I hope you're a flexible little guy because it's going to be go, go, go all the time when you're born, too.

Daddy and I are still completely stuck on what we're going to name you. I thought we had it narrowed down to two choices, but after a long discussion about it this weekend, we can't agree and have added some more "maybes" to the list. Who knows...at least we still have some time, I suppose. Although, this pregnancy is flying by - which has been so nice.

Physically, I've been feeling really good. Last night you were shifting around my belly and laying diagonal - it was really obvious to feel (and Daddy could see) where you were laying, it was pretty funny. Anna isn't quite patient enough to feel you move - or maybe she just doesn't care! I know that there have been times where I've had her feel my belly while you move, but she always says, "Oh, I felt him!" at the wrong time...haha! Maybe when you're a bit bigger and she can actually see you moving around in there she'll be more interested.

20 & 21 Weeks

Friday, September 29th - 20w, 1d
We made it to the half way mark and it feels so good!! Yesterday I had my appointment and the nurse practitioner said that my cervix "looks perfect" and neither of us have any current worries right now. I'm having no pain, no unusual discharge, no cramping, etc. I feel huge, and I'm clearly much bigger than I was with Anna at 20 weeks, but all that I care about is that Little Brother is growing well and my body is holding steady -- both of those things are happening, so I'm very happy.

In two weeks, Tim and I will go in for Little Brother's "big" scan, where they do a nice, long ultrasound to examine every little inch of his body. The twins were born the day before their big scan, so I'm a little nervous as we approach this time, too.
As I'm learning, the anxiety never fully goes away, it's just presenting itself in different ways. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I was terrified to be excited or get attached to the idea of another baby. I was sure that we would going to lose the pregnancy and I didn't want to get my hopes up. Once we knew things were progressing well, I was having anxiety in between and up to each new doctor appointment. I was afraid that I'd get to an appointment and there wouldn't be a heart beat anymore. Recently, I needed to get past the 19+4 mark, and now that we're there, I still can't fully let my guard down. Although everything about this pregnancy has been extremely normal so far, I am too afraid to get my hopes up completely. Of course I'm still embracing this pregnancy - we're still buying little outfits for him, thinking of how to get his room together (clearly from the pictures, that's still a major work in progress), thinking of names, etc., but something in my mind won't let me 100% relax about this pregnancy, but I'm not surprised. Just because we hit 20 weeks, doesn't mean that he can't be born at 22, 23 or 24 weeks. Who's to say he's not going to come early in the 30s?! Heck, I might need to be induced because he won't come out on his own (I'd be okay with that!), but we just never know. I am happy to say that I am much more relaxed during this pregnancy than I expected to be, but there's always going to be something for me to worry about until he is here safely in my arms - IN FEBRUARY and not any sooner!

Monday, October 2nd - 20w, 4d
Baby movements!! You started moving around noticeably at the Cardinals game Friday night that Daddy and I went to. Since then, I've even been able to feel several little bumps outside of my belly with my hands! This is what I had been waiting for! What a sigh of relief every single time I feel a nudge! It's like you're telling me, "Hey mom, I'm still in here and I'm doing well." :) I can't wait for them to get a bit more noticeable so that Daddy and Anna can feel them, too!

This weekend was a good one, but had it's moments. Daddy and I had our first night out together in a long time. We went to the Cardinals game Friday night and spent the night in St. Louis. We picked up Anna to find out that she has an ear infection. After that first dose of medicine, you would never know it! She's back to her ornery old self again, but is a bit more tired than usual. I also got my flu shot on Saturday while we were picking up Anna's antibiotics...'tis the season for germs....

I worry about having you in the middle of flu season. I'm going to be very protective of you (and myself) when you're born. I don't want anyone coming to visit you in the hospital and will probably limit the amount of people that see you right after you're born, too because I'm worried that one or both of us will get sick. We were bringing Anna everywhere with us right after she was born, but in the middle of winter with sick people everywhere, I definitely think we're going to be staying home quite a bit more with you.

Anyway, the rest of the weekend was spent shopping more for your room - I think we finally settled on a color scheme of gray and dull navy blue - and then working on homework for me. Things are super slowly coming along for your room, but we're getting there. We are getting ideas down, it's now up to finding the time for Daddy to get the work done. Hopefully he'll make some good progress this month - can't believe we're in October already! November and December will fly by because of the holidays, and then it'll be a month before you're here already!! This pregnancy really is flying by! :)

Friday, October 6 - 21w, 1d
Your movements are slowly getting stronger and more noticeable throughout the day and I love it! I've had Anna try and feel a couple times, but of course you always stop. I think you're going through another growth spurt because of how big I'm getting. I'm really looking forward to your anatomy scan next week!

This week has been exhausting for me, work-wise. Yesterday I feel like I just hit a wall. After school I was trying to get work done and my head was just pounding, to the point where I laid my head down at my desk and closed my eyes for a little while until I was able to find someone in the building with some Tylenol. I don't know if it's all just catching up with me, or if I was just overtired yesterday, but it sucked. I ended up coming home after getting Anna and laying in bed for a little while, forced myself to complete my master's homework in my room with the lights off, ate dinner and went to bed (I even skipped my treatments because the thought of vibrating with a massive headache did not sound so appealing). Of course now I'm kicking myself this morning for skipping my treatments, but I know that one time is not the end of the world. There's always just so much to do between work, being evaluated this year, working on my master's, keeping up with housework, planning Little Brother's room....I just feel like I can't ever get a break!

I know I shouldn't complain. I'm very lucky to be in the situation I'm in. I'm so lucky to be healthy enough to be pregnant again. I've come across an amazing opportunity to get my master's done over the next year or so. I really do love my job and my family. But I think it's starting to hit me how much I really got myself into this semester! :) I'm about halfway done with my master's classes, so we're starting to get into the bigger papers/projects now which just feels like more busy-work. But, that's life and I know I'll be really happy when this part is over and done!

16 & 17 Weeks

Thursday, August 31 - 16 weeks
We're 16 weeks along in this journey and I cannot wait for my doctor's appointment this afternoon!

It's been almost 5 weeks since my last appointment, and it's been 8 weeks since my last ultrasound! Today I have a feeling of excitement for my appointment, and that feels a lot better than nerves and anxiety. I haven't had any terrible dreams in the last couple weeks, although we are approaching the timing in my pregnancy when I started getting uncomfortable and having issues. I really don't like comparing the pregnancies, because carrying two babies is completely different than carrying one, but it was so recent, it's hard not to compare sometimes.

I've been feeling so good lately, pregnancy wise, though. Sometimes, I don't feel like I'm pregnant at all, which is wonderful. Of course I have some groin and low uterus stretching when getting up after I've been sitting/laying for a while, but I know that's perfectly normal for this gestational age. I have very normal energy level -- considering how exhausted I am from back to school and starting my masters, I'd say that I've been feeling really good.

At my last appointment, they told me at 16 weeks they'd start checking my cervix to monitor it for any changes. Today, we start that. It's a little nerve-wrecking to watch for your cervix to begin failing, and hoping for the best, but going off of the way my body's been feeling, I think we'll be in the clear today. I should be going back every two weeks until 24 weeks, which is what they told me last time. I don't know what's so significant about 24 weeks, but we'll see what they say today. I just can't wait to look at that screen and see Little Brother's body moving all around, look at his face developing and just watch him for a little bit - soak it in, realize that this is really happening again.

Update after appointment: It was SO good to see you, little brother!! The ultrasound tech and I were both surprised to see that you were basically folded in half today! I can't imagine you're that squished yet, but maybe you just like to fold up -- just like Anna did. You looked good. We were able to watch you move your arms and legs a lot, wave, open and close your mouth, and just wiggle all around. It was also confirmed today that you are indeed a boy. It was so reassuring to see all of your fingers and toes, your beautiful little face and perfectly growing body.

My cervix is holding up very well. They don't want it to be under 2.5 and mine was measuring a 5, so I was (and doctors were) very pleased. I'll be going every two weeks for an ultrasound to check my cervix, placenta, and fluid around baby. This will end at 24 weeks because technically then baby will be "viable", so placing a cerclage (stitch closing the cervix) is not seen as effective at this gestational age - this is what was explained to me this afternoon. I'm hoping that everything continues to go well.

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around bringing home another baby. It just feels very surreal. I think I'm still struggling to really accept that we'll be having another child in our house later this winter because I'm still afraid to get my hopes up. I see my growing belly. I saw him moving all around today. I'm slowly starting to feel the beginning flutters. But I still had to tell myself at the ultrasound today, "that's my child". I feel like I'm on the outside looking into someone else being pregnant. It sounds weird to put it into words - I don't know how to explain it. Of course I'm excited to have another baby, but I still have this fear in the back of my mind that we won't be bringing him home.

Friday, September 8th - 17w, 1d
Hey little brother! It's been a week since your appointment and just another week until I'll see you again. It's a good feeling knowing that I'm going so often right now. This was about the time I started to feel off and funky with the twins, so it's really reassuring to feel so normal right now. I really cannot complain about this pregnancy at all.
Your little flutters are becoming a little more noticeable, although still few and far between. I'm excited for when they get stronger so Daddy and Anna can feel them - I think Anna's going to love that!

Daddy and I have started talking about names for you. We have a couple ideas, but nothing that we absolutely love yet. We plan to keep your name a secret until you're born - most likely because it won't be decided on til then anyway!
We also bought you a new stroller this last weekend. We were up visiting friends and we all went to Buy, Buy, Baby and they had a nice stroller on clearance for super cheap. We took it back to our friends' place to see if we liked it and we did. We got such a good deal. So now we'll plan on selling Anna's old car seat/stroller combo so that we can get you a new car seat that fits in with this type of stroller. Your closet is full of stuff - diapers, wipes, clothes, toys, books, etc. I'm getting excited to start working (watching Daddy work) on your room. Hopefully once things settle down for him at work he'll be able to start spending time on it.

Monday, September 11 - 17 w, 4d
Not too much to update here. I've been feeling really good the past few days. I haven't felt much movement from you, but I know it's still early. I'm really looking forward to my appointment on Thursday. It's just an ultrasound - no doctor visit. Just looking forward to more good news.
Daddy, Anna and I went to Hobby Lobby this weekend to try to get some ideas for your bedroom. They had some cute stuff that gave us a few ideas, but nothing set in stone yet. Daddy has a lot to do in your room before we can even think to start decorating. I can't believe we're almost half way through this pregnancy already. It feels like it's flying by! I know February is going to be here before we know it.

Wednesday, September 13 - 17w, 6d
I've started to have a fear creep slowly back into my thoughts over the last day or so. I'm terrified that when I go for my ultrasound tomorrow that you aren't going to be moving. I'm so afraid that you won't have a heart beat.
Physically, I've been feeling just fine and I have had no signs of issues, but something is making me really nervous. I don't know if it's because things are finally starting to settle down with work, school, home, etc., so I'm thinking about you more often. I don't know if it's because we're just getting closer to the day when the twins were born (19w, 4d), or the anniversary of when Alayna died. There's a lot of sadness approaching and I guess I'm just expecting something else to go wrong, too.

8 & 9 Weeks

Thursday, July 6 - 8 weeks
Anna and I got to see you today, little Bean! You pretty much just looked like a blob, but I saw your flickering heart and heard that beautiful sound. Your heart rate was 172bpm which is completely normal and you are measuring right on track. :)
My right ovary is still pretty swollen and has a couple cysts, but they said that's okay and I need the hormones from them to help support the pregnancy. I haven't been having any pain on my right side that I've noticed, so I'll have to keep that in mind over the next few weeks to see if I notice any pain/discomfort.
Even with seeing you today, I still feel anxious and a little stressed out. Today's appointment was reassuring, but it's like as soon as it was over, I started getting stressed for the next one, or what could happen in between. I feel like I'm going to be this way for the rest of the pregnancy. I know I just need to embrace this pregnancy, but it's hard. I'm so afraid something is going to go wrong.

Monday, July 10 - 8w, 3d
I've been having more typical pregnancy symptoms lately, which makes me think you're a boy even more. Looking back at first trimester posts from when I was pregnant with Anna and then the twins, I had similar feelings with the twins and basically zero symptoms with Anna.
I've been having more feelings of nausea throughout the day, and each day is different. Friday and Saturday, I felt pretty gross all day - nothing sounded good, but if I didn't eat, then I felt worse. Or after I ate I would feel like I might get sick. I haven't thrown up yet, but the nauseous feeling lingering around isn't fun either. I'm also very exhausted still. Sometimes I'll be tired enough to take a nap (like I did on Saturday at Chris & Sammy's), but other times my body just feels tired. Today and yesterday I've had lots of gas and bloating which is never fun. Of course I know that I should try to eat better, but sometimes I just eat what I can....and then feel sick after eating it.

It all sounds rough and miserable, but I really shouldn't be complaining. All of these symptoms are actually a little reassuring because I know they're normal in pregnancy and it means that my body is just reacting to the developing baby inside me. And after talking with a couple other CF moms, the bloating and exhaustion could be a symptom of the progesterone injection Tim gives me each night. According to the fertility clinic, my last day for those is August 4th. I'll double check with my MFM team at my next appointment (July 31), but its nice to see an end in sight.

Wednesday, July 19 - 9w, 6d
It's been an uneventful week in the baby-world over here. The nausea spurts are getting fewer and farther between and my exhaustion is manageable without a nap lately, but I'm still having some food aversions sometimes (I'm pretty sure that will last the whole pregnancy).
Starting last Thursday, at 9 weeks, I started checking my blood sugars. I know they're going to start asking me to do it soon, so I figure I might as well start. I've been doing pretty well, but my fasting has been over 100 and my dinners are usually a little high, so I have to work on those. But I can already tell what a huge difference in the management between one baby and twins! When I was pregnant with the twins, my blood sugars were constantly all over the place. This week, they've been about what I expect, so it's definitely less stressful and more manageable.

16 & 17 Weeks

January 11 - 16 Weeks today!
Morning:
According to my apps (yes, I have three), you're about the size of avocados - around 4.5 inches long. That's nine inches of babies!! All of my apps say that I should start feeling you soon, and I cannot wait! I can only imagine the shapes and sizes that my belly is going to be with two of you moving around in there!

The products I ordered should be complete either today or tomorrow, so we'll be revealing your genders before the weekend. People (especially co-workers, haha!) are getting very antsy - it's been pretty funny!

Evening:
The order is here! Waiting anxiously for Daddy and Anna to come home so we can make our little announcement. :) I am so surprised at how involved everyone has gotten (especially at work) with these two little beans already. I don't know if its because you're twins that makes it more exciting or what, but it's wonderful knowing we have so much love and support for these little ones!

January 13 - 16+2 weeks
The word is out:

You're both boys!! Anna is going to have two little brothers (even though sometimes she still says you're "girl babies")! I love the way my shirt turned out and Anna is very proud to wear hers - she even added in her own touch of the cape for the picture, which I thought was so perfect.

The shirts came in a day early so that was exciting because people were asking me like crazy! Daddy and I had a bit of fun with it and only showed one side for about an hour before posting the picture above - just had to drive people nuts one last time! :)

Yesterday we received your double stroller in the mail and we all couldn't wait to open it. Of course Anna had to try it out right away and she loved it. Unfortunately Anna's old infant car seat isn't really compatible with the new stroller, so we'll be looking to sell her travel system set and purchase two smaller infant seats for you guys.

Now that we know & have announced your genders, I'm getting very anxious to start on your bedroom! We don't have a specific theme picked out yet, but have a couple ideas. We also don't have any names set in stone and probably won't for a while. I'd like to keep your names to ourselves until after you're born so there's a least some element of surprise.

It's crazy to think I'm almost half way through this pregnancy already!

January 14 - 16w, 3d
Horray for a three-day weekend! Right now, my biggest struggle is food, and I hate it. I want to eat everything in sight, but I have to watch my blood sugars so I don't develop gestational diabetes. It was around this time in my pregnancy with Anna that I struggled with post-dinner time highs, and I wish I would have written down what we ate all the time!
I'm struggling because I'm trying to eat healthier, but I don't feel like I'm taking in enough fat and calories that way, and I don't seem to ever feel full. Last night I cheated at ate a ton of pizza because I was just so hungry! I'm hoping my CF doctor and dietitian have a few ideas and suggestions of fatty foods that are not going to spike my sugars.

January 18 - 17 weeks!
Anna and I went shopping over the weekend and got better snack and meal (breakfast & lunch) options for me. It's slowly starting to come back to me about what I lived on -- peanut butter, jerky and cheese! I've also started drinking one Boost drink with my lunch at work to help get a little extra calories and protein instead of having water. I'm curious to see what my weight will be next week at my CF appointment. I'm also wondering what my lung function will look like. I don't feel like the boys are squishing my lungs at all - in fact, today they felt so low they were going to fall out! By the time I get to my appointment, I will have been off Cayston for just about two weeks, so we'll see how they're still holding up.

I went to my first local "Moms of Multiples" meeting last night at a church in town and met with three other moms who have twins (and some with other children, too). It was so nice being able to chat and hear their twin pregnancy experiences. I've also been able to meet another local mom with 18 month old twin boys, who loaned me a book about being pregnant with multiples that's been pretty interesting so far. One of the women from the group last night met up with me today to lend me her belly brace/support. As soon as I found out we were having twins, Tim and I always joked that I would need one by the end of my pregnancy -- we were right! I'm almost half-way through (which is crazy!) and I definitely feel "heavy" sometimes. I think it'll really help this spring when I'm getting a lot bigger and still working. I've been trying to, and will continue to try more, to sit as much as possible throughout the day, but sometimes the discomfort is worse when I get up after sitting for a long time. Sometimes I feel it's best do shorter intervals of sitting/walking/standing. I just keep reminding myself that the discomfort I'm feeling now is nothing compared to what it can/will be later, so I'm really trying not to complain!

Speaking of almost being half-way through, twenty more weeks and these little guys will be considered full-term. That would put us at June 7th. I really hope I'm able to make it past the end of the school year so that I don't have to use my sick days/maternity leave for bed rest. As of right now, on our last day of school, I'll be exactly 35 weeks, so I feel like it's do-able, but I'm really going to have to take it easy in April and May at work.


January 20 - 17w, 2d
I was really uncomfortable yesterday throughout the day, but mostly in the evening. I don't know if I stood too much at work, plus taking Anna swimming was just too much on my body, but I was sore. Plus, it felt like the babies were teaming up and laying together on the lowest part of my uterus! At some points I couldn't tell if I was starting to get mini Braxton Hicks, or if it was just the position of the babies, because my whole belly wasn't hard, just the bottom part. Either way, I had Tim help me put Anna to bed so I didn't have to lift her the rest of the night, and I tried to go to bed a little earlier.

This morning I woke up and had a little bit of pinkish-brown mucus-y discharge when I went to the bathroom. From what I've read and talked to people, pink/brown is old blood and if it was red, it'd be new blood and potentially a problem. I'll definitely be calling MFM this morning, just to let them know, but I'm feeling totally fine this morning and definitely not as uncomfortable as I did last night.


January 22 - 17w, 4d (Sunday)
You two have been keeping me on my toes these last couple days. MFM wasn't too concerned about my call on Friday morning, saying that as long as it wasn't bright red and I wasn't having any contractions, I should be fine. Then Friday afternoon it came back as I was packing the car to head to Bloomington then DeKalb - of course...

So I called MFM again, just to be on the safe side. I was uncomfortable throughout the day on Friday, but tried to sit as much as possible. After talking with the nurse, and she consulted the doctor, they decided it was better to have me come in and get checked just to make sure there weren't any problems. So I headed off to Springfield to see what these little boys were up to! First they did an internal ultrasound to check my cervix and the tech was "very pleased". It was measuring just fine and showed no sign of thinning or shortening. Also, we were able to see Baby A's little head way down low, so that confirmed the very low discomfort I'd been having! Then she did an external ultrasound and you two were moving all over the place! I even saw (I think) Baby B moving his arms back and forth, looking like he was trying to push/hit his brother!! Both placentas looked great, fluid levels were normal, both heart rates were in normal range and both boys were very active. All in all, everything looked great. Phew!

They gave me the all-clear to continue my activities as planned, and didn't even tell me to take it easy. They're going to call me on Monday to follow-up and see how I'm doing. Yesterday we did lots of shopping with Linda & Roger, and I had to sit for breaks frequently, but I was able to get a lot more rest/relaxation today which made me feel better. I'm really going to try to take it easy at work this week - wear comfy shoes, sit when I can, drink even more than I am now, etc. I'm hoping this is just a growth spurt/position issue and it goes away. I cannot imagine being this uncomfortable (plus more as they get bigger) for another 20 weeks!

January 23 - 17w, 5d
Oh boys - you just can't let me relax! It's been one heck of a week! I woke up this morning with a terrible headache and tried to get myself to drink lots and lots of water to help get it to go away, but nothing seemed to help. Aside from the headache and feeling really tired, I wasn't feeling a ton of pressure or discomfort down below like I had been Friday & Saturday. I was still having a little bit of discharge, so I was keeping an eye on that, too. Well, around 10:50 this morning at work, I started bleeding - like a period! Thankfully I have amazing co-workers and I was able to leave to head straight to MFM to get checked while I knew my kids would be in good hands.

Originally, the MFM office suggested I go to the local ER because they typically don't see patients for things like this before 20 weeks, but I told them I'd be much more comfortable seeing them (since they know about my CF & history) than a random person in the ER. The nurse on the phone talked to the doctor and he agreed to see me. When I arrived, they checked my blood pressure which was completely normal and pulse ox was 99%. I had another internal ultrasound to check my cervix. We saw Baby A's feet kicking away way down low, which means he was now breech. My cervix looked just fine - again, no signs of labor, thinning or shortening.
She then did an external ultrasound to check on the boys. They both had high heart rates today because they were so active. Baby A was 175, and Baby B was 168. Baby B was nice and squished, folded in half and we saw him kick himself in the head at one point. The tech was great, took her time, measured what she needed and took lots of pictures for me. One of the 3D pictures, I swear Baby A looks a lot like Anna did from one of her 3D pictures. Baby B was harder to see because he was rolled up into a ball. The tech was very pleased to see them moving so much and also said my fluid levels and placentas looked normal.
After the ultrasounds, they did an exam to check for any active bleeding. She could not see any - just brown old blood. So, overall, everything looked normal again, which is good to hear, but also annoying to me because I felt like I got no explanation as to why I was bleeding!
After everyone looked me over, the doctor came in to chat with me before I left. He said that it's not completely uncommon for women to have bleeding in twin pregnancies due to the extra blood supply and pressure. He said I could probably expect to have spotting throughout the pregnancy and this could potentially put me at risk for preterm labor (which I'm already at risk having twins), but everything looks completely normal today. He was very happy that I was willing to come into MFM today instead of going to the ER because he said they know me (CF + twins) and any time you have bleeding, it could be a sign of labor, but thankfully today its just there to stress me out - haha. We joked about how Anna's pregnancy was so easy, that this one couldn't be just as easy, too!

I am so thankful to have such a wonderful team taking care of me. Not once, Friday or today, did I feel like I was inconveniencing them by coming in on such short notice. Everyone was kind, took their time with me, and answered any questions I had. They all commented on how I can call any time I have questions or concerns.
Hopefully I won't have to go back within the next two weeks, before our big anatomy scan coming up. I'm looking forward to watching them spend lots of time examining and measuring each baby. They seem so big on the screen, but I'm curious how they're measuring for their age. Let's hope I don't have to go back until then, and that they behave!! :)

January 24 - 17w, 6d
Bleeding slowed down a significant amount last night after my appointment and seems to be back in brown stage as of this morning- which I'm hoping means it's the end. I still have a slight headache, but they gave me the okay to take Tylenol, so I'll probably keep that handy today.

10 & 11 Weeks

December 1 - 10 weeks!

Not much difference between this and eight weeks - but still difficult to hide!!

I'm ten weeks today and there's just something exciting about entering double digits! I am dying to tell everyone about BOTH of you, but I can't spill the beans just yet....but we're getting closer!! We're within two weeks of everyone knowing! I am SO excited for my ultrasound on Monday afternoon. You two are about the size of a Lego person this week and your arms/legs/joints are starting to move and bend - which I can't wait to see on the ultrasound. You're going to be so much more baby-like and much less blob-like! :)

As long as everything goes well on Monday, then on Tuesday I'm planning on taping our Christmas card to the board in the lounge, at school, where we put all of our announcements. It's getting extremely hard to hide my belly, and I'm pretty sure everyone at work is suspicious, but too afraid to ask! I'm going to ask them to keep it off social media until we mail the ones out to all family and friends on the 10th. 

The Christmas cards came in yesterday (two days early!) and they look great! I'm very pleased with how they turned out. I would have liked the fireplace picture to be bigger, but Daddy likes that you have to look at it closely to actually figure it out. It'll be so exciting to hear everyone's reactions and to see who actually notices. We're bringing two to Linda & Roger this weekend and I cannot wait to see their reaction!

December 6 - 10+6
Linda and Roger were very surprised! We had to ask them to look at the fireplace again because they didn't notice at first. Linda said NO WAY! And Roger said, No shit?! Then later he said, "Shit, I can't spoil three of them! :) That's the Roger answer I was expecting! :)

I had another ultrasound yesterday and you're both still in there! It seems silly now to think that you wouldn't be, but I just get worried. Everything looked good. They actually moved your due date up one day and I'm officially due June 28th - even though twins never make it to their due date.

I met with a new nurse practitioner at the MFM office yesterday who was fantastic! She answered all of my questions and we talked about a lot of things. You two are "Di Di" twins which means you each have your own sack and your own placenta. The NP told me this is the best kind of twins to have because you're at a lot less risk. You don't share a blood flow, or a placenta. You're each growing individually of each other, which means we most likely won't have to deal with one twin being the "bigger/dominant" twin. That really helped put my mind at ease. She also informed me that the national average for twin delivery is between 35 and 36 weeks, although 37 weeks is considered full term. She said they'll closely monitor you guys and me, and obviously right now there's no telling how long you'll be in there.
With a twin pregnancy, I'm at a higher risk for pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure) and gestational diabetes (the CF puts me at high risk, then the two placentas - she said it's a "triple-whammy"). These are things that they will closely monitor me for and we'll adjust accordingly. If I delivered around 36 weeks, that puts me at the very end of May/beginning of June. I just hope I can make it through the end of the school year!

December 13 - 11+6
The word is spreading quickly!!! We dropped our Christmas cards in the mail on Friday evening and people received them very quickly (yesterday was Monday). Lots of messages and texts with surprised notes! It's been so fun! Grandma Dorothy is VERY EXCITED to watch two babies and she is definitely not bailing on us! :)

The day after my doctor appointment, I put our Christmas card up in the lounge at school. I made sure to get their early so most people would see it as they came in in the morning. All it took was for a couple people to notice before they were pulling other staff members in to see the announcement! Many people understood quickly that I was pregnant, but lots of "look closer" and "count the stockings" comments were made by each other to help them see the surprise! I wish I could have been recording everyone's faces when they went from thinking it was one, to realizing it was two! HA! Lots of open mouths, terrified-for-you looks, but also lots of happy, that's-so-amazing faces, too! Lots of hugs and even a few happy tears! :) It was so fun! It's also been SO nice to be able to wear my maternity clothes to work this last week because I've just been so much more comfortable. My belly looks 4-5 months pregnant, but most of that is still just weight gain & a growing belly during the day from eating/digesting. I think after winter break it'll actually be babies making that belly. 

6-7 Weeks

November 8 (Election Day): 6w, 5d
24 hours from now I'll be having my ultrasound and I cannot wait!! Daddy and Anna are going to meet me there, and I'll be running out of work as fast as I can after our meetings. Tomorrow is the day where we find out if there's one strong little baby, or if our life will be turned upside down with two! I think either there's two, or you're a boy because I've started having some nausea this week (and I didn't have that with Anna) - yuck! It has not been fun. Its typically in the morning right around when I'm about to eat breakfast. I don't know if its because I'm hungry, but it's something I have to get past and make myself eat because that usually makes it go away. Thankfully it doesn't usually come back throughout the day, but we'll see...
Daddy and I already have our Christmas card idea picked out and it's going to be really hard to get through Thanksgiving without telling anyone because I'll be 8-9 weeks by then. I've already noticed some people looking at me differently, but I haven't had anyone ask me yet. Most of my problem is that I've gained so much weight (in my belly, of course) over this summer/fall, so things aren't fitting correctly. I can't wait to stop hiding my belly and have it actually look like a baby bump!

November 9th: 6w, 6d
There are TWO of you in there!!!! They actually saw three gestational sacks originally, so for about five minutes Daddy and I thought we could be having triplets which was quite terrifying! She told us to not freak out and that she would just check each sack individually and see what we're dealing with. Baby A looked great and had a heart beat of 152 bpm. Baby B was a little harder to see because of it's position, but still measured great and had a heart rate of 135 bpm. The third sack ended up not having anything in it, so they called it a "blood sack" or something like that. They said it'll eventually just dissolve itself and shouldn't pose any problems.

Tomorrow I am scheduled for my routine CF appointment, so I'm excited to tell and talk to my doctor about what to expect. I'm hoping my lung function is better than last time, but I'm also feeling a bit of a cold coming on, so we'll see. I was 138.2lbs today, so I've already gained 4 pounds since the IUI three weeks ago....thanks, Kalydeco. It's getting extremely hard to hide my belly, and not because of the babies. It's because of my weight gain and it all going straight to my belly. I may have to tell people at work sooner than I planned because I'm already getting weird looks from people. I'm sure it'll become a hard baby belly soon enough though with this being my second pregnancy and with there being two babies in there.

After our ultrasound, Daddy, Anna and I went looking at car seats and double strollers at Babies R Us and Target. Double strollers are expensive, but we saw a really nice one at Babies R Us that we both really liked, so we'll have to start saving up. :) As of right now, the plan is to still share at Christmas on our card. The discussion now is to share whether there are two at Christmas, or wait until we know your genders. I want to put two on the Christmas card, Daddy wants to wait, so hopefully I can convince him to announce it sooner.

November 11: 7w, 1d
I don't think it has set in completely that there are two of you in there. I talk about "them" and "they" and "babies", but I don't think I've fully grasped what it's going to be like to take care of both of you at the same time! Luckily I have the next eight months to let it sink in! I am getting excited thinking about everyone finding out this Christmas, that it's going to be so hard not to say anything for the next month. I want to send out our cards in early December, just so everyone will know!

Oh, how could I forget?! I had my CF appointment yesterday and Dr. Dowell was surprised but so excited for us! She went running around the office showing off your ultrasound pictures, it was so funny. She isn't too worried about me staying healthy during this pregnancy since I am starting off really healthy. But, there aren't many oral antibiotics safe for you guys (especially now), so I'm hoping that I can fight this cold with extra treatments and extra rest. My weight wasn't as high as it was at the ultrasound the other day (must have been my large lunch that day!), but still stable at 134.9, which means I've gained only about a pound since the IUI -- seems more reasonable than the four I thought I gained the other day. My lung function was good, at 86%, so I hope it's able to stay around there throughout pregnancy. I have my first high-risk appointment scheduled for December 5th and I'm really looking forward to see how much you've both develop. It also means that after that appointment we can get our Christmas cards ready to send out - woo hoo!

November 14: 7w, 4d
We had our Christmas card pictures taken yesterday and I can't wait to see how they turned out. I wanted to do them early so we could do them outside before it got too cold. Heather (and Berkley) took our pictures and created a cute little sign for Anna that said "Only Child Expiring June 2017". She did so good smiling in the pictures and tolerating the chilly weather. We're also going to do an indoor picture with stockings over our fireplace, but we have to wait until we reorganize the living room and decorate for Christmas. I asked Daddy to get our stockings out of the attic, so all five are out in the living room. :) With your ultrasound pictures hanging up, and the two little baby stockings out, it's slowly starting to feel a bit more real.

Thankfully my sickness and nausea has gone away for the most part. It comes about whenever I get too hungry, so as long as I'm eating regularly, I've been feeling pretty good. Lung-wise, this cold sucks! I did three treatments a day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'll try to keep that up this week, too, because I don't think it's going away any time soon without antibiotics. It's not too bad throughout the day, but in the evenings my mucus production is nonexistent and my cough is so tight and dry. I'm scheduled to start Cayston December 1st, so maybe I can talk to Dr. Dowell about starting it a week early to help kick this cold if it's still lingering by then.

Other than that, my challenge for this week is to keep my belly hidden at work. It's still mostly just CF belly, but I think people are starting to get suspicious. I'd like to hold off until the Christmas cards go out, but we'll see. It's getting hard to find clothes (and non-maternity pants) that fit and hide things.

38 Weeks

Friday, August 1 - 38 weeks (my last week of pregnancy!)
This is it folks, it's baby month...well, actually baby week!!! Today, I am 38 weeks, which is 9 1/2 months. I am so proud of my body for being able to take care of you and provide for you this long! This week you're the size of a pumpkin, you have a firm grasp, and your organs are fully mature for life in the outside world. You'll be making your arrival soon enough, but I am determined to have you sooner rather than later. This morning Natalie and I went on a walk, but this time we took the long trail that Daddy and I usually take. I thought since it helped me have contractions last night, it'd help me have contractions this afternoon...wrong! It was excellent exercise, but I think I've had maybe two contractions in the last five hours...oh well, I was able to get a nice little nap in this afternoon.

Got a picture with each kitty this week :)

Daddy and I have been having little date nights each Friday for a while, and tonight is our last one before we become a family of three. :-)

That's right...if you don't come on your own by next Friday, you're being evicted. I've had this induction scheduled for weeks now, but didn't want to make it public because I didn't want people bugging me about it. We're scheduled to go in on Friday, August 8th at 7:30 in the morning to start my induction. I'll be exactly 39 weeks then. We (doctors and I) agreed on 39 weeks because you'll be fully developed then and it'll take a week's worth of stress off my body. Of course as soon as they mentioned having you a week early, I agreed! As much as I'd love to experience going into natural labor, I am looking forward to the induction. I also don't think its going to be as bad as some people make inductions out to be because my body is already, slowly, starting the labor process on its own, so I'm hoping this will help the induction go a bit smoother and maybe quicker. Daddy's convinced that you're not going to come any time sooner, even with all the walking I've been doing...we'll see. It's exciting knowing there's an end in sight if you don't come on your own because I'm growing very impatient and cannot wait to see you and hold you!

Sneak preview of my maternity photos shot by my dear husband :)

Monday, August 4 - 38w, 3d
I just got home from my last OB appointment! It's so crazy to think that the next time I'll go will be for your delivery...in just four short days!! Today's appointment went well, your heart rate was 129bpm, my weight was 127.2 and blood pressure was normal. They did a growth scan on you today and you are going to be a tiny peanut! They're estimating your weight at 5lbs 15oz today, so I'm curious to see how accurate they really are come Friday. The doctor said you're on the small side, obviously, but she thinks that conventionally, you're just small...there shouldn't be any problems because my placenta looked normal, I have a good level of fluid still, you're still moving like you should, etc. She then checked my cervix and I wasn't quite 3cm, so she said 2.5cm dilated. She said my cervix is coming forward which is good, and because of these things, they'll probably just start me on Pitocin Friday morning to get the induction started.

Thursday, August 7 - 38w, 6d
This is it....we're going to meet you tomorrow!!!! Hopefully you won't make us wait until Saturday. :) I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that you'll be out of me so soon! As much as I have loved every second of being pregnant, I cannot wait to meet you finally! I have no idea how the induction is going to go tomorrow, but I'm hoping it'll be as smooth as this pregnancy has been. I'm very glad that it's scheduled for so early in the morning so that Daddy and I don't have to sit around all day waiting to go in. I didn't get the best sleep last night and I doubt I'm going to sleep well (if at all) tonight because I'm just so excited. See you tomorrow!!!!!!

37 Weeks - Full Term!

Sunday, July 26 - 37w, 2d

July 26 - 37w, 1d

Yay, you've made it to full-term!! Some pregnancy sites don't consider babies full-term until they're 39 weeks, but according to my doctors, you've hit that mark. They said that it's safe for you to come any time now...and since I'm writing this on Sunday, that means we made it through Tony and Brittany's wedding without going into labor!
Speaking of which, their wedding was a blast!! Daddy and I had so much fun with all of our friends, and I'm pretty sure you had a good time, too. I was out on the dance floor way more that I thought I would be, but how could I just sit and watch everyone have all of the fun?! I made sure to drink lots of water and take frequent breaks, and during those breaks you'd move around like crazy. Of course I was exhausted by the end of the night, but we all had so much fun.
This morning while Daddy and I were eating breakfast with friends in the hotel, I noticed that I was having frequent Braxton Hicks, but I wasn't surprised and they weren't painful, so I just assumed it was from my work out the night before. On the car ride home, I was having steady contractions about ten minutes apart, lasting 30-45 seconds, for almost two hours. They weren't super strong, but I was getting hopeful that they'd pick up during the afternoon/evening. But as soon as we got home and I started moving around and unpacking, they seemed to fade away or at least, slow down and become less noticeable. This evening, when I sat down again, I had a few more 8-10 minutes apart and a little bit stronger, but again, as soon as I'd get up to go to the bathroom or something, they'd become sporadic again or completely vanish. I'm planning on keeping an eye on them tonight to see if they return or pick up. Thankfully I have another doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon, so I'll have to see what they say. I'm also curious if they check me again if I've dilated anymore since having all of these contractions today.

Monday, July 28 - 37w, 3d
I had a few more contractions this morning, about 8-9 minutes apart, but they didn't stick around forever. My friend and I still went for our morning walk and it was gorgeous outside. Then this afternoon I had another OB appointment. You looked great on your ultrasound, even got a little profile shot of you...but that made me a little worried that you weren't as far down as you were on Thursday. Your heart rate was a nice, strong 159bpm, I saw you kick yourself in the head, make a fist, and wiggle your fingers around a lot. My fluid level is still good, so I did not have to have a non-stress test.
I met with the doctor after and he said that we'll do one more growth scan next week which should give us an idea of how big you'll be for delivery. He was very pleased with how I'm doing (weight:128.6) and as soon as I mentioned that I was having contractions yesterday and today, he said he wanted to check me. I'm now 1.5cm, my cervix is anterior and you're still very low (yay, you didn't move), so I haven't changed much since Thursday, but he was very pleased with where I am now. He told me to keep an eye on the contractions and that I should come in if they're five minutes apart for a couple hours, so we'll see. Aunt Linda has been predicting for a while now that you'll come this week...that'd be fine with me!


Tuesday, July 29 - 37w, 4d
Not much to report, but I did want to mention that my contractions have slowed down today. Last night Daddy and I took a nice, long walk, hoping to increase my contractions, but it didn't work. I've noticed a few today, but tried not to pay attention to them because they've been so sporadic. It's quite a tease having three days of irregular contractions - its been getting my hopes up that you'd be making your arrival sooner rather than later, but I know I need to be patient and that you'll come when you're ready....but I've been waiting all summer! I'd love for you to come before Friday so I don't have to drive six hours round-trip to my CF appointment, but I doubt that's going to happen.

Thursday, July 31 - 37w, 6d

Archie & I brushing up on our
breastfeeding info this afternoon.

Well, here we are...the last day if July with no signs of you making an arrival in the near future. This means I'll be heading to Chicago tomorrow for my last CF clinic appointment before your delivery. I'm curious to see if my lung function has changed in the last two weeks, really hope doing the pulmonary function tests puts me into labor, and honestly don't see the importance of me going to clinic again, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
My contractions have been pretty much non-existent since Tuesday, although I've had a couple people tell me how much lower I look, even just within the past couple days. You're definitely in position, I can feel you. You're starting to put a bit more pressure down below each day, which is sometimes uncomfortable, but I know its a good thing. I think I lost a bit more of my mucus plug today (and I think I lost the first little bit on Friday before we left for the rehearsal). I really want to experience my water breaking (I don't know why...for the excitement of it, I guess?), but if that doesn't happen, it'll be okay because I know you'll be here so soon! :-)

Late night update: Daddy and I went on a nice, long walk this evening and while we were gone, Dr. Dowell called me. I called her back and we chatted for a while, both agreeing that it's a wise choice for me to not drive to clinic tomorrow, yay! Since I'm doing well, she just wants me to keep her posted about when you make your appearance and how I'm feeling each week after. I'll be finished with Cayston next Thursday, so the plan is to not go back on Tobi (as long as I'm doing well off it) and to start alternating Cayston each month since that seems to be working well for me.

Also, a couple hours after getting home from our walk, I started having contractions again for a few hours. At first they were about 8-9 minutes apart, then they progressed up to 5-6 minutes apart, which got me a little excited, but they never increased their intensity. I stayed up til a little after 11 timing them, but once they started to fade and get further apart, I caved in and went to sleep. I'll just have to keep up those long walks, and hopefully one of them will bring on the real deal!

36 Weeks

Wednesday, July 23 - 36w, 5d
Friday, the day I hit 36 weeks, I had a CF clinic appointment. Prior to the appointment, I expected my lung function would probably be around 70% still just because I didn't feel completely different from my appointment six weeks before. To my surprise, my PFTs were no where near 70%...

That's right, an FEV1 of 83%!!!! I'm back to my pre-pregnancy baseline!! I was ecstatic! My first round, my FEV1 was 79%, the second is shown above, and the third one was around 80 or 81. I am so happy! It's a relief knowing that I'll be heading into labor & delivery with my pre-pregnancy lung function! I have to attribute this major increase to you dropping (didn't happen overnight and have a huge 'relief' feeling, but I can tell you're sitting lower) and me starting Cayston about a week before I did this test.
My doctor was pleased with the results, of course. We also discussed my lack of weight gain and thankfully, she's not as concerned as I thought she'd be. She said it's just going to have to be a threshold thing, see if I can tolerate the frequent bathroom trips and extra gas/bloating for another three-ish weeks. I told her I've gone this long, I can make it until you're born. Plus, there's not much else I can do...I've already increased my enzymes to the max amount and I'm taking two probiotics a day. They suggested adding Ensures back into my diet to try to add in extra calories, so we'll see if that helps at all.

After my appointment, I stayed with Auntie Catie for the weekend while Daddy was at Uncle Tony's

bachelor party. Catie and I caught up, pampered ourselves (she got a manicure, I got a pedicure) and visited with her family - my second family before moving away for college. It was a nice, relaxing weekend. Monday I spent a couple hours working in my classroom, and went back again on Tuesday for several more hours to meet with my sub to finalize things for the beginning of the year. My plan is to have everything completely ready to go for her (and my sanity) by the end of the day tomorrow. This way I can enjoy the wedding weekend and be prepared to have you any time after & not be stressed about what still needs to be done at work.

Pregnancy-wise, I really can't complain. You're still moving a lot every day (not at night when I'm sleeping, thank you!) but your movements are different now. You like to shake your booty from side to side on the top of my uterus, right near my belly button. Sometimes, I'm guessing when you're stretching, you stick it out really far and my belly gets super hard in one spot & we can feel your butt! You also like to stick your little hands/elbows/knees/feet out on my left side. We're never exactly sure what we're feeling, but it's usually a little, hard, round thing poking out from time to time and it's so cute. My Braxton Hicks have noticeably picked up this week, so I'll make sure to let the doctor know tomorrow...hopefully that means my cervix is starting to ripen, even just a little. And thankfully, I've still been able to sleep great each night. Some women have trouble sleeping this far into pregnancy because they're uncomfortable and/or because their babies will move around a lot overnight. You don't move from the time I fall asleep to a little after I start waking up in the morning - let's hope that means you'll be a good sleeper! Occasionally I'll feel you shift when I'm in the process of rolling over for the 100th time, or when I lay down after getting up for the third time to pee, but you seem to fall right back asleep like mommy does. :)

Oh, and how could I forget, your cousin, Alayna, was born today!!! She's so cute, looks a little like Isaac and has lots of hair! I can't wait for you two to meet and to watch you grow up with all of your cousins!


Thursday, July 24 - 36w, 6d
I had another OB appointment today. They did the ultrasound first where you did everything you

Here's the back of your head & that white blob on the back, top
left side is your hair flowing in the fluid.  

needed to do so that I didn't have to get a non-stress test. Your heart rate was 153bpm, you moved quite a bit, practiced your breathing a little bit and were way head-down. After the ultrasound, I met with the doctor (weight: 129). She's extremely happy about my last CF appointment and there really wasn't much to talk about because everything's been going so smoothly. I asked her when they typically start checking my cervix, and she answered that usually they don't on most women because in their clinic many women don't make it to term. But she said she'd be happy to do it if I was curious, but she wouldn't change how she was going to treat the pregnancy and didn't think I'd be dilated yet. Of course I was curious, so I asked if she would check me anyway. My cervix is about one centimeter dilated and is about halfway thinned out, which the doctor was happy about because it showed that my body is slowly getting ready (I have been absolutely amazed at what my 'sick' body has been able to do this pregnancy!). She said she could also feel that your head was way down low which was a good sign because it indicated that you'll most likely fit through my birth canal, yay!

35 Weeks

Friday, July 11 - 35 weeks
Today, Rhonda and I met at school to set up my classroom furniture. We made a lot of progress, but I'll have to go back at least once more before the school year starts. I also met with my sub to start figuring out everything for the beginning of the year. Thankfully she told me that my maternity leave time is my time to relax with you, and that she wants to do as much as she can on her own while she's in my room...yay! I'm glad she's willing to jump right in this year.


Monday, July 14 - 35w, 3d
Developmentally, this week you're about 'ready'. Your kidneys are fully developed and your liver can now start to process waste. Your hearing is fully developed (although you'll respond best to high pitch sounds right now), your circulatory and musculoskeletal systems are complete and your lungs are still maturing a bit - the longer you stay in there, the better it is for your lungs. Since most of your developing is complete, you're main job is to keep gaining weight so that you're able to regulate your body temperature here in the outside world.

Today one of my coworkers bought a book shelf that Daddy made, so that freed up some space in the living room. As soon as her and her husband left, I pulled your pack n play into the living room, added the changing pad attachment and stocked it with a few diapers and wipes. Now your room is a bit less cluttered. :) I'm trying to wait on packing my hospital bag until after my appointment on Thursday, just to see what they say. Being a day shy of 36 weeks then, I'm curious if they're going to check my cervix yet. I'll most likely pack the bag Thursday after the appointment because we're going to be out of town the next two weekends, so I'm going to try to convince Daddy that I'm not crazy for wanting to bring our bag and your car seat....just in case. It wouldn't do us any good to just have your base in the car.


Thursday, July 17 - 35w, 6 d
Just got home from my appointment today and it went well. They did not check my cervix and said they don't think I'll be going into labor any time soon because I haven't shown any signs and haven't had any contractions. I'll be bringing all of your stuff with this weekend, anyway, but I'm thinking we probably won't need it.
They did the Group B strep test which was just a quick swab down below. If I test positive (which one in four women do), then they'll give me antibiotics through my IV during labor & delivery so that you don't catch it. If they didn't treat me for it, you could catch it and end up with meningitis or pneumonia which could be very dangerous on your new little body.
You did great for your ultrasound today, the tech said you were being "very cooperative". We saw you do lots of movements, you practiced your breathing and I still have a good amount of fluid, so I didn't have to do a non-stress test. Your heart rate was 171bpm and my weight was 127.8lbs. I asked the doctor if they were concerned at all because I haven't gained any weight pretty much my entire third trimester and he said, "I don't care. As long as the baby is growing, that's all that matters." I was very glad to hear that. Now we'll see what Dr. Dowell says about it tomorrow from the CF side of things...
I'll be seeing her tomorrow, I'm assuming for the last time before I have you and I'm curious to see what my PFTs look like. Coming off of Tobi I didn't feel so hot, but now that I've been on Cayston for a week, they're feeling a little better. Even with you being head way down now, I never really felt that "dropping relief" the some pregnant women get, but that's okay because I know you'll be out soon and then my lungs will have much more room to expand again.

34 Weeks

Monday, July 7 - 34w, 3d
What a weekend! Daddy and I went up to Linda & Roger's Thursday evening and went out to dinner at Daddy & I's missed restaurant, China House. Friday morning (4th of July) I woke up with a lovely fever and felt like crap. I have no idea where it came from, but it wasn't fun. I felt bad laying around all morning especially because Elise, Kyle and the boys showed up, but I was between sweating and the chills and just exhausted. I knew from first trimester that it was okay to take Tylenol, so I took a couple doses throughout the day and once it kicked in, I felt slightly better. I felt good enough to go to see fireworks, because who misses out on fireworks on the 4th?! Liam loved them and Cole was so exhausted from playing all day that he fell asleep during them, but really enjoyed the ones he saw.

Saturday, I woke up feeling a bit better. My fever was gone, but I still has a slight headache and was pretty tired. I sucked it up, took one more dose of Tylenol and had some fun with the family at Wild West Town.

Cole & Tim on the roller coaster...their arms didn't stay like this for too long.
Cole had fun until he hit his head against the back of the seat because the ride was so jerky.
Their faces were priceless as they went around!

I'm glad I was feeling a little bit better because it was so cute watching the boys play the games and do the cute activities. After Wild West Town, we all went back home and took a nap before going out to dinner together. Unfortunately, the night I slept terribly. I was experiencing shortness of breath and a sore & tight chest while breathing, I assumed from you getting so big and taking up so much room. But what was worse was that it was all night and into the morning, it felt like it came out of nowhere, and I couldn't produce any mucus while coughing, so I felt like I couldn't do anything to make it better. Thankfully, as Daddy drove home, I got in a little bit more sleep and started to feel a little better. My chest wasn't as sore anymore, but I still felt like I couldn't take as deep of breaths as I could even a couple days earlier. I distracted myself by doing a little project with Daddy that I've wanted to do since I found out I was pregnant - dye onsies for you (and Daddy tie-dyed a few). We used size 3m short sleeve, 3m long sleeve and 6m long sleeve white onsies and they turned out super cute. :)

Today I slept for just over twelve hours and didn't get out of bed until almost 9:45, which felt fantastic. I also woke up without any chest pains, breathing a little deeper, and producing lots of mucus - finally! I don't know if it's because of your size (I'm assuming so) or because I caught something this weekend, but I'm sure glad to be slowly getting back to 'normal'. You're definitely getting heavier and harder to carry around for longer periods of time without needing a break, but I know it'll all be worth it in the end....which is getting so close!
My next doctor appointment is on Thursday, so I'll explain everything to them and see what they think. I never called them over the weekend because not only were we several hours away, but it was also a holiday weekend. I was going to call them today of it continued, but I'm feeling 10x better than I was Saturday and you haven't stopped your crazy acrobatics, so I'm not concerned about you. Oh, I'm also finishing up Tobi this week (which I felt was not helpful this time around) and will be starting Cayston as soon as I'm done with Tobi. Let's hope the Cayston helps my lungs during this home stretch!

Thursday, July 10 - 34w, 6d
I had your weekly doctor appointment today and everything went very well. I'm 129.8lbs (I seem to be stuck right around 130 now) and my blood pressure was fine. I met with the third OB in the office, I've only seen her once before she went on maternity leave when I was around 16 or 18 weeks. She was very nice and sat and talked with me for a while about labor and delivery, pain meds, reasons for a c-section (which we're all trying to avoid if possible), etc. It was nice to be able to talk to her about all of that, so now all three doctors and I should be on board with my "birth plan", I guess you could call it.
After chatting with the doctor for a little while, I had a growth scan for you. They measured your head, belly, leg bone, and your arm bone and estimated from those measurements that you're now about five pounds! I'm so proud of you! Even though I haven't been gaining much any weight, I'm very glad to know that you're still growing just like you should. They say you'll probably gain around another pound or so before delivery, so you'll probably be a tiny little peanut, which is okay with me...then hopefully Mommy won't have any problems pushing you out.
Today you were still head down, but this time your head was way down there - even a little hard for us to see (so no pictures, again!), but, I'm glad you're in the correct position still & let's hope you stay that way. The doctor said she wants you to stay in there at least two more weeks (37 weeks) because then you'll be full-term and then you can come whenever you want. Plus then Mommy & Daddy can go to Tony & Brittany's wedding (the weekend I hit the 37 week mark) and then you can come any time after. :)

This week I also installed both car seat bases in the our vehicles and found you a pediatrician. Tomorrow I'm going to do one final load of laundry, then all of your clothes should be good to go. There's not much left to do aside from packing my hospital bag, which I'll probably start next week. One month to go, little lady!! :-)

33 Weeks

Saturday, June 28 - 33w, 1d
Daddy and I (mostly Daddy) have been working machines today! I feel like I've been nesting for a while now, pretty much since finishing school a month ago, but I feel like its kicked into high-gear now! My friend introduced me to a group on Facebook where I can buy & sell items with local people...oh man, I want to sell everything in the house! So far I've sold our extra range, recliner (yay, its finally out of your room!), a couple books and other odds and ends laying around the house. I also bought a super cute bouncy seat for you and a couple adorable outfits & a dress from a garage sale that was posted on the group. As soon as some of our bigger stuff sells, Daddy says I should probably get off of it so I don't go crazy...I'd have to agree with him!
We also bought new vinyl flooring for a portion of the basement today, so right now Daddy's working on organizing it and clearing the room so he can put it down eventually. I started helping him, but it's mostly his tools and stuff, so there wasn't too much I could do.
Oh, and how could I forget...Daddy finished painting the front of the house today & it looks amazing!!! No more blue!!! He still wants to add shutters, paint the gutters, add a window and paint the little bit of blue left on the side of the house, but man...what a difference!! The neighbors across the street even thanked us because they were tired of looking at it! :-)

This is when he first started this morning

The top picture is from last July when we first bought the house and
the bottom picture is from today!
We didn't remove the section on the left in the top picture, it's just a different angle.

Monday, June 30 - 33w, 3d
Yesterday, Daddy and I ran a few errands and it was the first time I was uncomfortable in public. My legs were hurting after walking around for a while, it felt like you were going to bust out of my belly and I ended up getting irritable. Today, I'm feeling much better - no leg pain, no belly pain, etc. I'm just glad it went away and very glad that I don't feel that way on a daily basis.

We had your next doctor appointment today and you're finally head down! (Maybe that's why I was so uncomfortable yesterday) Now we'll see if you stay that way....although the doctor said usually babies stay head down once they get there...we'll see about you. Daddy and I wouldn't be surprised with as much as you move. Speaking of movements, you've been going crazy this past week! You are getting so big that I can feel so many more of your movements and we can also see most of them which is very entertaining! You love to throw your body weight around in my belly and sometimes those huge movements feel so weird! Of course you move constantly at home, but as soon as we're doing an ultrasound, you stop. Today it didn't take you as long to show them some of your moves. You also showed off your practice-breathing skills, you were grabbing your feet, moving your mouth, and they showed Daddy your hair. Your heart rate was 163bpm today and they were pleased with that. My weight was 130.0lbs and my blood pressure was "perfect". My blood sugars were a bit high last week, so I paid better attention to what I was eating this week and they were back to normal. Yay!
After our appointment, we went to tour the Birth Center which was really nice. We were able to see a birthing room, a post partum room, the nursery, and just get familiar with where we'll have to go whenever the time comes. It helped put me at easy since I like to know where to go ahead of time, and I'm very glad that Daddy came with, too.

Thursday, July 3 - 33w, 6d
Not too much else to add to this week. I, thankfully, haven't felt as uncomfortable as I did the other day again, so that's been nice, although you're getting huge and definitely running out of room! Now that I know you're head down, it's a little easier to distinguish which body parts I'm feeling when you move around.
We're heading out of town to spend the weekend with Elise and Kyle & the boys, and Linda & Roger and I'm really looking forward to it. I can't wait for next summer when we're able to do all of this fun stuff with you, too. We only have a limited number of weekends before you're arrival and it's starting to feel more real as the countdown gets closer and closer! :-)