Monday, October 28, 2013

25 Weeks

Today I am 25 weeks plus 2 days.  You'd think that would help me to not worry so much, but....  I just can't help it.  I am so incredibly happy to have made it to viability, but now I am more and more aware of the fact that we really don't have control over when these babies will come.  Of course, nobody in our family wants to hear that, and everyone has a story about knowing this set of twins or that set of twins that went full term.  That's great.  But the fact is that twins WILL typically come early.  It's just a matter of how early.

It's kind of like all those people that tell you to "just relax" and you will get pregnant.  Or, "as soon as you stop trying" you will get pregnant.  Yeah, well, that never really worked out for us so great.  If we kept going about our softball lives and "stopped trying" any longer, the FACT is, I wouldn't be pregnant right now and we wouldn't have an opportunity to have kids of our own.

This pregnancy IS going pretty dang good so far.  We haven't had any problems or markers to be concerned about, other than my age and twins being considered a high risk pregnancy to begin with.  I am so extremely grateful for that.  I also know that things can change in a heartbeat.  I know that pre-eclampsia is a very real concern.  It's something that can come about very quickly and there's not much you can do about it.

(as I sit here and type this, I have sneezed twice and dammit if I haven't peed a little bit both times!  Another uncontrollable thing that has come with pregnancy!  haha!)

Anyways, as I've mentioned before, I am not out of my mind crazy with worry over all this.  I just can't help but for it to be on the back of my mind on a constant basis.  I have an OB appointment this Wednesday and here are a few things I am going to ask about:
  • The rash on my belly.  It's not major blotches or anything, but it's definitely a rash that causes constant itching!  It's very uncomfortable.  I stopped putting lotion on my belly because it made the rash burn.  I'd rather have stretch marks and itching, than stretch marks, itching, AND the burning sensation!
  • My nipples have grown a tremendous amount of moles.  I realize that your boobs change during pregnancy, but I'm not so sure all these moles (maybe a few warts?) is normal.  Will that impede in breast feeding?  Maybe this isn't even a big deal at all, but I thought I would ask just in case.
  • It seems that I am developing pregnancy induced carpal tunnel.  My hands get all tingly and fall asleep every time I lay down.  It's not painful, but it is uncomfortable and annoying.
  • I have a pain in my right rib area that's been going on for over a month.  It sometimes is just uncomfortable, but sometimes it is also a burning sensation.  I assumed this was because that is where Baby B is hanging out, and I did ask the MFM doctor about it.  She said it's probably just normal, but she did ask about my blood pressure and expressed some concern because that is also where my liver is.  The burning sensation could be an indicator of pre-eclampsia.  She wasn't too concerned about it since I haven't had (much) swelling and my blood pressure has been pretty good lately.  However, she did plant the seed for me to worry about pre-eclampsia (obviously), so I am going to ask the OB about it just to be sure.
25 Weeks

In other news....

Our kitchen is almost put back together.  We once again have a dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator.  The walls have been painted and we have new linoleum flooring.  It looks pretty good.  I will post pictures when we get everything else done, like hanging the pictures back on the wall and moving the food cupboard back in.

I had some friends come and refinish/stain our two antique dressers.  They did an AMAZING job!!!!!  I cannot even begin to describe the difference.  It's like we have two brand new dressers.  Again, I should have taken before pictures so you could really see the difference.  My friend is going to come put one more coat of stain on them this Friday, and then I will share pics of the finished product.

While they were working on the dressers, I spent that time cleaning out our spare bedroom (aka, the hoarding room).  We can now see the floor!  It is not finished, but I got enough done so that this weekend we can completely empty the nursery, now that we have a place to put the stuff that is currently in there.  Since the nursery is our main priority, we will get that done and then I will go back to finishing cleaning up the spare bedroom.

There is a clean floor space!

And then...the other half of the room, which is what the ENTIRE room looked like to begin with.  I told you - hoarders.  How embarrassing.

Things kids say:

Saturday night, two of our nieces spent the night with us.  The very first thing the 6 year old said when she saw me was "you suuurrrreeee do have a fat belly with those babies in there!"  She went on to tell me a few more times that night how fat my belly is.  I just laughed because, well, it's true and she's a 6 year old without a filter.  lol.

Both her and her sister were concerned about where they would be sleeping.  We got sleeping bags out for them and set them up on the living room floor.  They were going to have a slumber party in the living room with Uncle Tony.  The 4 year old asked "where are the babies going to sleep?"  I let her know that they would be all snuggled up in my belly for the night, in the bedroom with me.

On Sunday, we went to another one of my other nieces go-kart races.  She is SO excited about these babies!  She asked me "are the twins going to be born next month?"  I told her I really, really hope not.  She was very disappointed, especially when I told her they aren't supposed to be here until January.  I had to explain to her that if they were to come next month, they would be very sick babies.  It's fun how excited the kids are about the babies :)

I will end this with once last picture.  While we were at the race track, Uncle Tony got some practice in for when the babies do arrive.  He's going to have to build up his endurance because he didn't last very long holding both of them at the same time.

Uncle Tony with our nephews

34 comments:

  1. Wooo hoooo viability! You look adorable. You'll get that room ready in plenty of time. Can't wait to see the photos.

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    1. Thank you! We plan to have the nursery done by the end of November, so we should have plenty of time if everything goes right!

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  2. Great post! Those girls are hilarious with their questions! Kids are so honest it's hilarious!!

    Here I was hoping that you would say that as soon as you got to 24 weeks all the worry vanished!! ��

    Room looks great! Can't wait to see the nursury!

    I bet you have the rash simply because of skin stretching! What I have read said to expect itching! The skin is new/stretched and raw! I wonder about the moles. Are they dark? Could it have to do with the nipples getting ready to breast feed?

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    1. Gotta love kids! I was hoping the worries would go away as well. I am learning that they just change! I'm pretty sure that's the reason for the rash too, as I have been prone to similar rashes in the past. They've just never lasted this long. I'm hoping the OB can give me a suggestion or a prescription for something to put on it. I'm not sure about the nipples. Some are dark, some are not. I wouldn't be concerned if it were just one or two, but it's several, so I thought I'd better ask about it.

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  3. My hoarding room is DEFINITELY worse than your hoarding room. But at least it's nice to know I'm not the only one who HAS a hoarding room!

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    1. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. If I'd taken a picture at the start, you might not think my hoarding room isn't as bad as yours! The floor was covered! Lots of papers and junk. It feels so nice to be finally doing something about it!

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    2. I would absolutely have a hoarding room if (1) our house was bigger than 900 square feet and (2) my husband wasn't a clean freak of a man who hates "stuff." I am constantly hiding things so he doesn't throw them away! If it were up to him, we'd buy a new toothbrush each time we needed it so it didn't just "sit there taking up space" on the counter. :)

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  4. How adorable is the pic of Uncle Tony and kids and your post about it!! You two are definitely keeping in practice with all of the little ones!!! Love their questions!!! The hoarding room looks Great!!!! You've done well and I can't wait to see the pics of the kitchen and the dressers!! What a great friend you have there!!! My prayers are with you about all of your concerns and for those 2 little ones to just hang out with Mom for a couple 2 or 3 months longer!!! Hugs, love and prayers. Auntie

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  5. I love that picture of Tony! YOU would be the one to truly appreciate the difference of the hoarding room since you actually saw the "before" in person! It's so nice to be getting all this stuff done! Thanks for the prayers.

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  6. Look at that bump! I love it!

    Like you said, the worries don't go away. They just morph and focus on the next new milestone or phase. All you can do is take things one day at a time and enjoy as much as possible--because really, wouldn't it be horrible if you look back and regret anything about the journey you're on right now? (It was for me. Fear is a soul sucker if you let it be.)

    Keep on nesting momma...you've got some little ones who will make their appearance in (hopefully) the next 12ish weeks!

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    1. Thanks Stacie. Yeah, I don't want to look back with any regrets, and really I don't have any so far. The worry....it's just there, but not overpoweringly so, thank goodness.

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  7. Sounds like a very busy life which is no surprise because you are always going going going :) Btw you look wonderful and beautiful!

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    1. Definitely busy. It's a good thing we gave up softball or we wouldn't be getting any of this done! And thank you :)

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  8. Haha I can't believe what kids will say! You are not FAT! It's sweet little twinsies! LOL And good job on the progress! Big accomplishment!

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    1. Lol, I definitely know it's the babies. There is no squishiness about my belly whatsoever! It's all baby and hard as a rock!

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  9. Your itching reminds me of Amanda over at Our Griswolds. She had an itchy belly with her twins that turned out to be PUPPP (http://akgriswoldfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/ive-got-itch.html)
    She eventually had to use Grandpa's Tar Soap to calm it down. I hope that's not what it is!

    Congratulations on all of the progress you're made, both with your house and growing those babies! I can't wait to see pictures!

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    1. I follow Amanda's blog and remember reading about that. It's been on the back of my mind and I will definitely be asking the Dr. about it today. The bad thing for me is I still have so much farther to go! I can't imagine having this rash for another couple months. Ugg.

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  10. You are so cute. Kids are so cute. :) I totally understand that 25 is nice, viability is nice. But people don't quite get that the 24 week viability mark means that 50% of babies might survive if born at this time. NOT VIABILITY IF YOU ASK ME!!! So, I'm thinking 28 weeks is another hurdle (and what I would consider REAL viability, as 90% survive at this point). And 32 weeks is really the safe zone. You are ticking up to those milestone so quickly, though, mama. You're healthy and feeling good. If you're concerned about preeclampsia, I might invest in a blood pressure cuff (you can always sell it on ebay later). Just something to use here and there to keep an eye on it yourself, so you don't worry yourself into high BP. :) But remember there is rib pain from your ribs expanding, too. And I wonder if the rash is PUPPP. It's apparently more common in twin pregnancies. It sounds pretty miserable!

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    1. Exactly! I've set 28 weeks as my next marker, and then 30, then 32.... And would LOVE to make it to at least 37. I know my body won't want to go that long, but I just want the babies to be healthy and hopefully not have to spend any time in the NICU. Good idea on the blood pressure cuff. We may actually have one at work. I never even thought about it.

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  11. Yay viability ! Your bump is adorable. I can't wait to see the pictures of the kitchen and dressers. Heck I can't wait to see pictures of the nursery :-)

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    1. I can't wait to get everything done so I CAN take pictures and post them! lol

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  12. Yay for viability!! You look precious :) Kids say the best things, I love their honesty!! It's too funny :) Can't wait to see how the nursery turns out.

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    1. Awww, thanks :) I don't think anyone's ever told me I look precious! Kids are definitely funny. I love the things they say!

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  13. You look beautiful Amber! I can't wait for someone to tell me that I have a fat belly with babies in there! Good job on all of the projects, lots of progess.

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    1. Thank you! Isn't it funny how we always think everyone else looks cute, adorable, or beautiful but we never view ourselves that way? It's nice to hear sometimes. Hopefully we will be talking about your fat belly (with babies!) soon :)

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  14. You look great!!

    I have a few dark spots/moles on my right nipple. I asked my OB about them and she said that they are totally normal. Just pregnancy affecting EVERY.SINGLE.THING. on and in your body! :-)

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    1. I'd never heard anyone talk about moles on their nipples or read anything about it on any blogs before, so I just wasn't sure. I know the nipples change with pregnancy and all that, I just wasn't expecting all the moles! Glad to know it's totally normal.

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  15. Great bump pic, and yay for viability- that's awesome! I actually have a cousin whose wife had twins and did go full term- both babies were 8lbs, I felt sorry for the poor woman lol. Have a great rest of the week/weekend!

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    1. Can you imagine 16 lbs of baby inside you? Oh. My. Goodness. The female body is amazing. AMAZING!

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  16. Ahh! 25 weeks?! You're the cutest!

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  17. Hooray for 25 weeks! Still praying for you for continued health of you and those little baybees! You are cuter than ever!

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    1. Thanks Risa! I'll take all the prayers I can get. I've been praying for you and your embaby as well.

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  18. So glad you are aware of the preeclampsia symptoms and are looking out for them. I wasn't at all. I knew preeclampsia existed but really didn't realize how bad it is and that I was at high risk for it. Crazy, right? I think I was just over knowing everything that could go wrong and wanted to just be normal. Thankfully my OB was on top of it.
    Anyway, sounds like things are going well. Can't wait to see the finished nursery.

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