35 weeks: Check!

Well, we reached 35 weeks! Wahoo! I have to go in for preeclampsia bloodwork today, so you could be praying that I don't have that... or that it's not a huge problem before I deliver and doesn't affect these last however many days of the babies' growth. I have a growth ultrasound, as well as BPP+NST on Wednesday morning and then my weekly OB appt. on Wednesday afternoon. I had a dream last night that when they checked my cervix at that appointment, I was already at 7 cm. But I'm pretty sure that's just wishful thinking. :-P

7 more days to full term. When next Monday rolls around I am done laying down all day - I'm pulling out the Just Dance II (Wii game) and climbing the stairs. (Actually, my aching knees will prevent both of those things, I'm sure, but the point is I will be doing everything to get these babies out.) But we'll see if we even make it that far!

Jonathan awesomely finished all of my baby laundry this weekend and got our pack-n-play set up in our room and I feel like we are just about ready to go to the hospital! We just need to finish packing our hospital bags. Well, the babies' bag is ready, so they won't be needing for anything, but my and Jonathan's bags are only partially done - we could survive with what I've got in them, but it'd be nice for him to have snacks and reading material and I need to get our baby books in them, etc.

Thanks for your prayers - I can't believe we are days (21 or less!) away from holding our little boys!

34w, 4d: Babies soon?

For those of you non-facebook users (ahem, Bill and Jen!), I just wanted to update you with the latest news.

Yesterday I was feeling a lot of pressure on my cervix all day from Baby A's head... It seemed like he was trying to ram his way out of there! I had an appointment at 3:45, so I went in and of course it was an eventful appointment... They found protein in my urine (they tested on two different samples to make sure), which is one sign of preeclampsia (which I am doubly more at risk for because of the twins and gestational diabetes), and seeing as how my blood pressure has been getting fairly high around 130/75 (which is pretty high for me! I started at 90/60), I now have to do a 24-hour urine collection and some blood tests on Monday to see if I really have it or not. The worst that would probably happen with that is that they would induce earlier than originally planned because they want to avoid me having a stroke... But you gotta love racking up the "high risk pregnancy" factors. :-P

Then there was the other news... I am dilating! I went from closed two weeks ago to 1.5 cm dilated, 60% effaced and Baby A at -2 station (so he is starting to sink into my pelvis). Because of all of the pressure I am feeling, which is normal at this point for twins, I am now on bedrest, although she didn't actually use the word "bedrest." Basically, she told me our goal now is to make it to Monday, which is 35 weeks, and that reclining in bed will hopefully keep the dilation at bay. My goal is to make it to my brother Matthew's birthday, which is Wednesday, March 2 - 35w, 2d. We have a growth ultrasound that morning and it would be nice to be armed with weights of the babies, so that I can have a valid argument for a breech extraction of B - he was more than 1/2 lb. smaller than A last time and the gap is probably even a little wider now (just from their growth patterns, not because he isn't getting enough nutrients or anything). If I make it to Wednesday, then the next goal is full term on Monday, March 7!

I did have a bit of a labor scare this morning - contractions every 8 minutes for an hour, and then they slowed to every 15 minutes and then stopped. I called the doctor to make sure this was okay, and apparently we are no longer worried about stopping pre-term labor, so I'm not supposed to call the doctor back until I've had 6 contractions in an hour and things are getting closer together.... So WOW - I guess if I actually go into labor at this point, we will be meeting babies soon thereafter!

We have a few more odds and ends to do, mostly laundering blankets and sheets that we were waiting to do until after the vent cleaning that finally got done yesterday. I was hyperventilating a little bit this morning thinking that they weren't going to have clean blankets to bring them home in! But Jonathan will do those tonight or tomorrow and then we will be ready (at least materially, maybe not emotionally hehe)... eek!

We are so excited to meet our babies. Thank you for your prayers!

33 weeks: Happy birthday to me and three weeks to full term!

Happy birthday to me! Glad that my boys held out this long, and hoping they don't come for a few more weeks, although it would be fun to share a birthday.

We had a couple great appointments last week... The boys passed their first NST/BPP (now weekly because of the Gestational Diabetes), they are both head down now(!), and they are chunkers, both over 4 lbs. already! Baby A is 85th percentile, and weighed 4 lbs., 13 oz.; Baby B is 50th percentile at 4 lbs., 3 oz. Wow, those are good sized babies already!

I will be full term in three weeks and while I am wanting to get to that point, I hope they won't stay in much longer than that!
- I have developed PUPP (an itchy pregnancy rash) over the past week and so far nothing is working for relief! My birthday present to myself is calling my doctor today for a stronger, prescription remedy. The rash started on my belly, but is now on my wrists and will probably spread up my arms and down my legs, as well (according to the books). Oh the things we have to live with for our kids' sake. :-P It's kind of sad to be missing out on my last few weeks of good sleep because of a stupid rash!
- Also, my ankles have disappeared over the past two days... and I kind of liked my ankles. I woke up this morning with puffy eyes from lack of sleep and puffy lips (who knows why!) and I looked pretty awesome, not gonna lie.
- My knees are groaning under the 50 lb. weight gain that they have endured so far and I am ready to lose this weight and be normal sized again (I'd even take 25 lbs. less, that would be fine with me)! Gotta love the twin breastfeeding diet.
- Also, not going to lie, being able to freely eat chocolate and cupcakes and all means of sugar again means that I will probably be binging on those things for the first few days after birth.

We got the boys' dresser in this weekend, so I am ready to finish the last few items on our to-do list before they are born! I am going to start baby laundry (clothes and cloth diapers) today and hopefully the folks who are coming to clean our vents will come today or tomorrow so that I can wash the babies' sheets and get their beds ready, too! So excited to have things all set up for them... I can't believe how close it is now!

I love you babies so much and can't wait to see you soon!!! But not too soon. Three more weeks and then you can come at your leisure. LOVE YOU BOYS!