A Letter to Indigo at Eleven Months

Dear Indigo,

My little cuddle bug. You've come a long way from being that scrawny "velociraptor" you were in the hospital, although you've still got quite a set of lungs. Lately I've been wondering if you are confused and think you are going to be turning two, not one, because you seem to be breaking out the temper tantrums a bit. You seem to get into fights with the shape-sorter cube on a daily basis, which end in you face down on the blanket screaming. We really wish we knew why you were getting so frustrated, but we'll keep trying to help you out.

Turning into a little boy.

And the other side of the coin, you are a gentle, sweet, and loving little boy who loves snuggle time with Mommy and Daddy, but especially Daddy. You've gotten into the habit of crying at bedtime again. We don't want you to prevent your sister from sleeping, so we remove you from the room and you end up falling asleep on one of us. The past week or so, I've tried to break this habit. I'll hold you until you are calm and sleepy, but awake, then put you down in your crib. You start to cry again but I quickly soothe you by rubbing your back and behind your ear. Eventually, you are asleep. Last night I didn't even have to hold you (but I did miss those snuggles). I just kept rubbing your back. If I stepped away, you started to cry, but a reassuring, "Mama's here" calmed you down again. I think you miss us. I think we don't get enough time together during the week so you just soak it up on the weekends and at bedtime. I'm sorry, little man. We miss you too.

More hugs!

But you are making so much progress at daycare and we are so proud of you. You are getting better at waving, and are a pretty awesome high-fiver. You stand with such pride, and I know you'll be walking, holding our hands, just as fast as your sister, any day now. But best of all, you are so expressive. You tell detailed stories with such earnest facial expressions, such perfect inflections of your voice, I can almost understand what you are saying in your baby babble. I do love a good story.

High Five!

You are definitely having fun testing your boundaries. You will repeatedly grab at bottles in the wine cabinet, turning around to look at us with a sly grin when we call your name and tell you no before reaching for them again. You think the tray of DVDs under the TV is yours to play with, and you recently discovered one of the cabinet doors moves. Part of all this is the many bumps and falls you've had as you realize the ottoman rocks back and forth and the new stroller will roll away from you if you try to pull up on it. But you keep trying. You are one determined little boy.

You braved your flu shot at the doctor's office, and are 22lbs even and 29.25 inches long. Your head circumference is 46cm. You are in 55th percentile for weight, 58th for height, and 69th for head size. Basically, you're right on track!

Trying to escape?

You are really into books lately, especially the one that makes animal noises. Every time I push the puppy and it barks, your face gets this look of such astonishment and delight and you give a little shout as if saying, "Mama, did you hear that? Amazing!" It's perfect. You like turning the pages, even if you are holding the book upside-down. And you love pointing to the kitties. I think you are making the connection with our two kitties, and I love it.

Nothing like a good book

One of the best parts of my day is still picking you two up at daycare. The second I walk through the door and you two realize I'm there, it's off to the races. The baby races, that is. You both just bolt for me across the floor. If I pick one of you up, the other will cry. If I pick neither of you up, you both cry. There is no winning. But I just love how excited you are to see me, because I am just as excited to see you. We put on some kids music in the car on the way home and have a grand old time singing along to "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Old McDonald." You seem to really enjoy the sound effects.

Let the race begin!

I love you, little man, with a "moo, moo" here and a "moo, moo" there.

Love,
Mama

Checking out the ground

Eight Month Doctor Visit

Yesterday we took the little boogers (literally - they both seem to have colds) to the pediatrician for their eight-month checkup. It was confirmed that Indigo just has a cold, no bronchiolitis, so that was a relief. He's sounded so pathetic for the past few days but seems to be improving on his own. Phew.

It was also confirmed that Periwinkle has a nice new tooth and probably a second soon to follow. Her runny nose could be a result of that, or a cold.

Periwinkle tries to eat the paper.

Both are growing right on their curves (doctors plot their stats on a curve each month to make sure the baby doesn't have a sudden abnormal drop or increase in weight or height that would indicate a problem). Indigo is now 18lb 5oz, is 28.5 inches long, and has a head circumference of 45cm (I actually remembered that one for once). He's up 1.5 inches and 1lb 7oz from his six-month visit. Periwinkle is 17lb 3 oz, up two pounds, is 26.25 inches long, up 1.25 inches, and has a 43.5cm head. She also showed off her new love of screaming and tensing up her arms, which is just a riot. Most of the time.

Before their appointment we took them to Applebee's. This was their first visit to a restaurant, something we've wanted to do for a while but just needed to get up the motivation. We knew it wouldn't be the relaxed visit it used to be with just the two of us. Surprisingly, they did great! Periwinkle kept looking around (of course), staring at other customers and throwing her crinkle book to the floor, to Blue's delight. Indigo was quite happy to bang his plastic keys on the table and attempt to grab at the utensils, the plates, the cups, or anything else that came within possible reach. They each sampled some of my potatoes and Blue's chicken, and Periwinkle decided to try the children's menu as an appetizer. They got a little bored toward the end and started fussing a bit, but luckily we'd paid the check and could pack them up and get them to the car (after dashing through rain for the third time that day). They were asleep almost immediately, since it was naptime.

Good times at Applebee's

They ended up with an early bedtime of 6pm, because that nap got interrupted by the doctor's visit. But during the witching hour before bedtime, in an attempt to calm Periwinkle, I took her outside and fed her some blackberries from the garden. Man, did she love those! She looked like she'd eaten an animal or something, she was so covered in red juices. It's such a nice feeling being able to feed them from things I've grown myself (not that I've done much other than plant the thing). Nice, natural fruit. I've been blending the berries into yogurt, which they've been enjoying the past few days. I also froze some of that berry/yogurt mixture into popsicles. Good times all around this summer!

They also got baptized on Sunday, but that's a whole other post!

Indigo vs. the Nebulizer

Little man got a little cold, and then started coughing a rather lot, and wheezing a bit. Fearing the dreaded croup, I brought him to the doctor last week. Apparently it's bronchiolitis, aka a cold gone bad. He was prescribed nebulizer treatments, which seem to be helping. Unfortunately, he's not a big fan. While he fell asleep in my arms during the first treatment at the doctor, ever since he tends to whine and try to look away from it. Or eat it.

As a result, he hasn't been as into the baby-led weaning lately. He'll eat applesauce or yogurt off a spoon, but he's not as enthusiastic about holding his own food. Although last night he did quite well with the banana I gave him. He also enjoyed a pancake over the weekend.

He has also rolled over from back to front twice! He's trying to keep up with Periwinkle, who will roll across the floor, or her brother, if you let her. We find her sleeping on her tummy nightly now.

We had a lovely Mother's Day at the in-laws. The kids got me some flowers and a sweet card, and Blue got me chocolate and a card. Stupid me had thought he'd forget, but of course he didn't!

Periwinkle also has decided lately that she loves to stand. Here she is showing off:

Five-Month Checkup

The babies went to the pediatrician today for their five-month well visit. The little lady is 13lb14oz and 24 inches long. Her brother is a whopping 15lbs even and 26.25 inches long!

I can't believe he has 2.25 inches on her! I mean, I can tell he's taller but I didn't realize how much. Looks like he might be getting some of the height genes from my side of the family (my brother and father are a few inches over six feet and I am 5'8''). Plus Blue has a few tall relatives, although he doesn't quite break the six-foot barrier himself. So we'll see!

I can definitely tell Indigo is heavier than Periwinkle every time I lift them in their carriers. Using a stroller to pick them up at daycare is becoming a very real possibility.

A Trip to the ER

So it turns out Indigo really wasn't feeling well. He didn't have a temp yesterday morning, so off to daycare he went. I got a call around 1:30pm that he had a 101.2 fever, so Blue picked him up and brought him to the doctor. His temp was then a tad over 102. His white blood cell count was high, and they ruled out an ear infection, so they sent the boys off to the Pediatric ER at the hospital I delivered at. I think Indigo just wanted some of that extra hospital time that Periwinkle got during her NICU stay.

They did some more blood tests, urinalysis, and a chest x-ray to rule out some stuff. Everything came back clear, which is good, except that it left us without a diagnosis.

The in-laws helpfully came by to watch Periwinkle while I headed to the hospital. Of course, as I got there they discharged him! He looked so tiny on the adult-sized bed. I walked into the room and I could see these tiny legs in the corner. He was kind of adorable. He had a splint on to keep his antibiotic drip IV in place, poor guy.

As I was dressing him, he spit up some bloody mucus, which was kind of scary. We got the doctor back and they decided it was the result of suctioning his nose earlier. He did it one more time at home but other than that seems fine now.

I have to admit, loving being home with him today. Periwinkle went to daycare so Indigo and I are having some quality mother/son time. I'm just hoping he stays fever-free!

Four Month Checkup

Yesterday was doctor day for the kiddos. They were not too happy about it, mainly because we had an appointment in the evening and it crossed into their witching hour when the only cure is napping. Lesson learned. Also, they were not fans of the shots. Periwinkle even debuted a new cry that closely resembled a car alarm. Needless to say, they were in bed earlier than normal, which was great, because it meant we went to bed before 11 for the first time in a LONG time. It was glorious. But I digress.

Indigo is now 13lb 5 oz and is 25 inches long. That means he's gained 8lb1oz and 6 inches since birth. Go Indigo!

Periwinkle is now 12lb 2.5oz and 23.5 inches long. That puts her up two pounds and 1.5 inches from last month, and 7lb 1.5oz and 4.5 inches from birth. We're so happy she's growing so well!

I missed the head circumferences due to Periwinkle's crying, sorry. Indigo still has a big head, though. That much is certain.

And I believe they are both around the 25th percentile for height/weight, which is good.

We were told that if they start seeming unsatisfied by formula, we can slowly introduce solids at this point. Part of me is tempted, but since they both seem okay with just bottles right now, I won't jump the gun. I'm excited to see how they react to food though. We'll be doing it in two months, at the latest, anyways, which is soon enough I guess.

Besides, do I really need mashed banana and avocado all over the living room right now? No. No, I definitely do not.

Our future. Times two.

Three Months Old

We just got back from the babies' three-month checkup and they are doing great!

Periwinkle is 10lb2oz, up from 9lb6oz. She is 22 inches long, and has a head circumference of 38 3/4 centimeters. Indigo is 11lb12oz, up from 10lb6oz, and is 23 3/4 inches long. His head is 40 3/4 centimeters. They're both right where they should be on the growth curve and are between 10th and 25th percentiles for growth. Which means they are doing great!

Now, to go write their three month letters...

Day 20

Happy Holidays!

I hope you all had a great Christmas and will have a fantastic New Year! We headed up to my parents' house for a few days, which is always great because Grandma and Grandpa love getting up in the middle of the night to feed them and let us get more than three hours of consecutive sleep. Feeling somewhat well rested now, thanks to them!

The babies made out like bandits, and we are so grateful for all the adorable clothes and toys they got, as well as the Ergo carrier that makes Periwinkle conk out in .5 seconds. I've yet to put Indigo in it, but his turn is coming soon. We also got a single Snap N Go stroller for when we want to get individual time with a baby, and a humidifier for the nursery that will hopefully help with dry skin and congestion. I'll let you know how that goes!

The babies also got spoiled rotten, as I don't think they were put down for more than two minutes during the course of the three days. Someone was always holding them and loving on them, especially my grandmother, who has decided to go by GiGi. My grandfather has been dubbed More GiGi, which is a nod to the fact that my younger cousin, as a baby, called me Red and my brother More Red. I felt so popular.

Here are some pictures from our holiday!

Christmas Day Finery

Christmas Eve Eve PJs

Aunt Fuschia and Indigo in his Christmas Eve PJs

Peaceful Periwinkle in her Christmas Eve PJs

Me, and Periwinkle in the Ergo

They had their two-month pediatrician appointment today. How they are nine weeks old already is beyond me. Periwinkle is now 9lbs6oz!! And Indigo is still exactly a pound heavier, at 10lbs6oz. They've pretty much doubled their birth weights, and are both into size 1 diapers. Indigo now weighs about what I weighed when I was born. My poor mother....

Baby girl is 21 inches long to Indigo's 22. She has a head circumference of 36cm, and his is a whopping 39cm, which got a reaction of, "Oh, wow" from the doctor. But both are looking great, as, in the doctor's words, "I can't find a thing wrong with them." So that's good to hear!! Indigo is still a bit congested, but we're hoping the humidifier helps with that.

I am hoping to finally get a post up with official "after" shots of the nursery in the next week, once I organize their new clothes and get the newborn stuff out of there. So crazy to think they've outgrown it all already... thank goodness for Christmas gifts!

One-Month Well-Baby Visit

Phew. Glad that's out of the way. Due to Blue being called in to work today, I got to take the babies to their one-month well-baby doctor's visit by myself. In the rain. I started organizing and packing things up two hours before I wanted to leave the house. I gave myself thirty minutes to drive five miles. I fed and changed them before leaving the house. And I somehow managed to hold two Chicco Keyfit 30s in one hand/arm while opening doors. I impressed even myself.

I had planned on popping the seats into the stroller, but given the short distance from the car to the door, I opted to just carry them to keep them drier. They still got a little rain shower, but neither seemed to mind enough to wake up or stop sucking on their pacifiers.

However, stripping them down certainly got their attention. It was very exciting to see they'd each grown an inch, so they are both 20 inches long now. Indigo now weighs 8 pounds, up from his birth weight of 5lb4oz and his weight of 6 pounds two weeks ago. Periwinkle has also gained weight, which just makes me so happy after her NICU adventures. She's now a solid 7 pounds, up from 5lb4oz two weeks ago and her birth weight of 5lb1oz. Plus, at one point during her NICU stay she was only slightly above 4.5 pounds. She's now a healthy, growing girl who regularly downs 3+ ounces at a feeding, sometimes even 4 ounces, just like her brother.

She's also a champion burper, strong gripper, and extremely curious girl who looks at everything with such wonder and thoughtfulness. It does a mama's heart good to see her thriving. Indigo continues to sleep like a champ, although his sister is taking after him more and more, which is fantastic. He's also very chatty and doesn't hesitate to let you know if he's uncomfortable or bored, usually with an adorable whine that sounds like a horse's whinny.

I'm considering getting a carrier so I can wear one of them. It would be useful when Periwinkle is spazzing out and I want to hold her while doing laundry or picking up the dining room. It also could have come in handy today, when I could have worn one baby and carried the other in the infant seat. Things to look in to...

I just ordered a new camera, the Canon T3i, with the standard lens and a telephoto lens. I'm excited to become more of a "momtographer" with higher quality shots, although my phone has done a fairly good job so far, wouldn't you say? Half of the cost of the camera is covered by my birthday and Christmas gifts, so it worked out to be a pretty awesome deal for me. I'm psyched for it to get here so I can start playing!

Expect an update on the nursery with some "professional" shots from my new camera of the finished product. I've been postponing it because it means I have to tidy up in there, and now because I want to use my new camera for the shoot.

And now, a better picture showing how alike Periwinkle and I look as babies:

I'm on the left, which is obvious by the 80s couch I'm on. Comfiest couch ever, though!

An Eventful Week

No, the babies aren't here yet. But I've been a little distracted by other things and haven't gotten motivated enough to come on here, my apologies! Thank you to those of you who have checked in with me privately!

So, last Monday (the day of my last posts) I experienced a little spotting. So little I wasn't going to do anything about it, until the ladies on my baby board highly encouraged me to call my doctor just in case. At first the nurse said that since it was so little, and had stopped, I was fine. Apparently she then talked to my doctor, who wanted me to get to labor & delivery pronto. So I left work around 4pm last Monday and headed to my hospital. Blue had his last class session and then was going to meet me and/or pick me up, depending on how long it took them to check me out.

Note to self: Next time I head to L&D, stop for food and a gallon of water beforehand. They don't let you eat or drink, the bastards. I was so unbelievably thirsty and was never so grateful for a cup of ice chips in my life. In any event, they checked me out, determined that the bleeding was not coming from my pregnancy (and not reassuringly never found WHY I had spotted), that I still had a good cervical length and there were no signs of preterm labor. They hooked me up on the same monitors they use at my twice-weekly NSTs and left me there for a very long time. Luckily Blue had arrived by 8:30pm and helped keep me amused. I do have to say the "bed" they had me in was the biggest contributor to my discomfort and intense desire to go home. Not. Comfy. Also, watching Dancing with the Stars sans music just isn't the same... Oh, and apparently I had a few minor contractions while there. I didn't feel a thing.

Waiting for test results took us to about 11pm (still starving, but they finally gave me a glass of water) and we headed out around 11:30pm. And headed straight to Wendy's. Dinner at midnight, a kiss for our anniversary that we had just crossed into (two years!), and then to bed. See below for the beautiful flowers Blue sent to the office for our anniversary.

I somehow got up in time for work and headed in for a half day, as I had my usual NST and ultrasound Tuesday afternoon. My boss commented that we should meet and discuss my projects "in light of Monday's events." Which we did, and we came up with a list of about eight things I should aim to complete by November 6th, my planned last day (and election day!).

Well, at my appointment my doctor happened to be the one on duty. And due to the spotting and the minor contractions, and to her longstanding desire that I stop working, she told me to stop working. Pronto. I asked if I could complete the week, and she said no.

So I went to work the next day anyways. I planned to go in Wednesday and Thursday (mainly to say bye to my coworker friend who was out on Wednesday) and finish as much as I could off that list. Well, work wanted me to go home immediately. I insisted on staying the day, finished exactly ONE item on the list and updated my boss on the rest, and then bid sayonara to work until February. I left a note for my coworker to take care of my flowers for me, and took two stems home with me. Unfortunately tulips are toxic to cats so I couldn't take them all home.

Thank you to my Facebook friends who repeatedly insisted I not go in Thursday, which worked out well because my cold made me absolutely miserable on Thursday, so I pretty much stayed in bed all day.

It's so absolutely bizarre that I'm done with work already. Today was the first day it really hit me, as Thursday and Friday just felt like a few vacation days. But today it was real. No more Monday commutes for 15 weeks. Ironically, Blue has to go into the city for the week, so we've reversed roles. And I cannot be more grateful to my doctor for telling me to stay home. I think it was really time. Going to Target the other day was exhausting. Sleep cannot last long enough. My body is just worn out and needs to focus on the babies for these last few weeks. It was just perfect timing, although unexpected, and I'm so glad I have these last three weeks at home to get things ready without overexerting. And to have Blue there during the day in case something happens (although not this week, of course).

I tried to take it easy today, doing a few loads of laundry and reorganizing the freezer, trying to honor my doctor's wishes that I rest as much as possible. I've got a list of projects to keep my mind from going crazy, one of which is to blog more regularly again. It was always a quick mental break at work, so it takes more planning to do it at home. I also am excited I might actually finish our wedding album before the babies arrive. Actually, might START the album. I'm a procrastinator, what can I say?

So that's the big stuff from the past week. Still to come, an update on baby size, celebrating hitting 35 weeks, and an update on the nursery!

Baby Growth Update

I've been slacking writing my next entry because to be honest, I usually write blog posts as a mental sanity break at work and I've been off since Thursday, when I had my latest appointment. But since I'm trying to relax as much as possible today and have been vegging in the bed in the living room watching various sports all day, I suppose I have time to write!

So Thursday was my latest non-stress test and ultrasound, along with a visit with my doctor. Great heart rates, no contractions, all is looking well on the NST side.

And the ultrasound revealed that the babies are growing perfectly. I believe they are in the 56th and 54th percentiles or something to that effect. Baby Boy is 4lbs 5oz, and Baby Girl is 4lbs 6oz (she's the bigger one again!). By now they are probably more like 4lbs 8oz, as they are growing at about 7oz a week. Which means by the time November 14th rolls around, we're looking at 7lb babies. Oy. Great news for them, not so great for my expanding belly and increasingly achy back. Just glad they are looking healthy, though! Baby Girl still refused to show her face, and Baby Boy remains easily identifiable by his nose. No pictures this week, though, sorry.

I then visited my doctor and learned that after 34 weeks, I have to have NSTs done twice a week. My boss is just going to LOVE that. I do love that, because it means even LESS time at work. I think I'm already down to 19 full days left (including some half days that combine for a full day). Hey! My last day of work is a month from yesterday. Sweet!

In other news, my dad and his girlfriend were in town en route to a family wedding and spent a few days with us. They live in Florida so it's always great to see them. And they brought gifts for babies. Lots and lots of bibs, among other adorable things. I'm a slob, and it's a good bet our babies will be, too, so I'm sure they'll come in handy. They also stocked us up with diapers and wipes. Except with two, the stash will probably only last a week or two. A sobering reality to see how much will go so quickly...

Blue and I are bummed we can't go to my side's family wedding and see everyone (congrats L & C!), but we actually had a wedding for Blue's side yesterday (congrats M & D!), and he was in it. It was a fun but very long day for this mama (hence lying in bed all day today). I managed to dance to a few songs. I can't resist oldies like the Twist! I did worry about their hearing, the music and bass were so loud, but I suppose it probably just sounds like Dory speaking Whale in Finding Nemo. I hope.

So many people commented on how small I am for having twins, but I was reassured by my doctor that I am just carrying well, so I'm not worried. I'm sure today's wedding will be great too, and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures. Even without yesterday's wedding, it probably wouldn't be good to go too far from my hospital at this point... 33 weeks tomorrow! Lots of twins decide to come now! Hopefully not ours...

Now, to drag myself out of bed and do some laundry. Blue is picking up creamy tomato soup and brie (one of my favorite lunch combos) so the least I can do is make sure he has clean underwear...

Baby Yawn

Today I had my now-weekly ultrasound and non-stress test (monitor babies' heartrates and check for contractions). After quite a wait, I finally got in to the ultrasound. Babies are looking great. Baby Girl still refused to show her face, but we got some major cuteness from Baby Boy. During an attempt to get a 3D image (didn't work out, sadly), we caught Baby Boy yawning. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. I think I even teared up. Just seeing our little boy yawning, his little tongue sticking out... he's a real little baby in there!

Here are some play-by-play photos:

Baby Boy, chilling

The start of a yawn

Open mouth, with a little tongue sticking out.

And now we have a demon child.

That last one reminds me of this guy:

In any event, it was way cuter on the screen than it's coming across in these photos.

And they didn't check growth this week. Apparently that's next week. Ah well. Judging by my new stretch marks they are growing fine.

To see for yourself how fat I'm getting, I had my awesome coworker take some more pictures of me this week.

Compare with four weeks ago:

My belly is way wider, I think. It was so cute and round at 27 weeks.

I can't tell as big a difference from the side. Belly might be sticking out a bit more.

In very exciting news, the babies have a birth date! I'm scheduled for a c-section for November 14th at 8am. I believe it's 1 month and 18 days away. And 1 month and 9 days until I'm done with work! Cannot come quickly enough. I've said it before and I'll say it again, commuting is exhausting these days.

And now it's pretty much bedtime. Except I want to catch that new show Elementary if I can stay awake...

Update on Yesterday's Many Appointments

For a day off, yesterday was quite exhausting. Sleeping in was glorious though, I have to admit. Until the neighbor's kids started playing basketball at 7am. Awesome. I fought through it and slept until almost 9. Or at least dozed.

First up was the anesthesia consult. He just took a brief medical history and cleared me for the anesthesia. I did get to see the L&D ward so that was cool. Although, apparently the hospital has a bit of a parking situation. When I got there, there were NO parking spots available. None. Zilch. Not in their patient lot nor in their visitor's lot. The attendant was in the midst of telling me to go find metered parking on the street, when luckily he saw I was preggers and had me pull up to the valet station. I handed over my keys and trusted they would find a spot for my car somewhere. Which they did. In the aisle of the patient lot. Whatever. Not my problem. Bonus of being pregnant! They all seemed quite amused by my car, too. It looks like this:

It is tiny and zippy and cheerful and I love it. And no, I don't know how we're going to fit two carseats in there either. I already know a double stroller won't fit. Luckily we also have a CR-V...

But I digress.

So next up was the fetal monitoring/contraction testing. Half hour hooked up to little sensors that the babies kept trying to knock off. I should have brought a book... But their heartrates were fine, no contractions, all was well. A quick ultrasound confirmed they still had lots of fluid around them, and two other things:

1) Baby Boy has no modesty. Spread eagle, proudly displaying his manhood. No doubt that he's a boy. It even made the tech laugh.

2) Baby Girl is a future gymnast or something. Her head is down. Her feet are down. Which means she is folded in half. Which makes me wonder exactly WHY my ribs hurt on that side if she's not kicking them... unless this was a temporary position just to hide her face... I haven't seen her sweet little nose in over a month now! She's apparently very shy. Unlike her brother.

Next week I'll get growth updates on them.

Then it was on to lunch (I was starving!), then my regular OB appointment. She said everything seemed good, and I even got a lower score on my glucose test redo! Go me! So no gestational diabetes for me, and hopefully she doesn't make me re-re-do it. She filled out the paperwork for a c-section for November 12th, so we'll see what we get. She did try to get me to switch to an old-fashioned birth, or at least reconsider, but I'm pretty set on the c-section. Judge all you like. Let the mommy wars begin. Don't really care.

And then today I had a dermatologist appointment, at which I discovered my doctor gave birth to her twins right at the point I'm at now -- almost 31 weeks. Just what I want to hear. They spent some time in the NICU but are now three years old and thriving, so I guess that part was good to hear. Just funny that both my rheumatologist and dermatologist have twins. Fate?

So that's the update. Back to work with me now.

Latest Doctor Visit

Just wanted to pop on and update on my doctor's latest appointment! I had to redo my glucose test just to be safe, so here's hoping I pass again. If I remember my weight correctly from my last appointment two weeks ago, I'm down two pounds. The doctor didn't say anything about it, but perhaps I'll start having an Instant Breakfast every day again. I've been stuffing my face less lately, perhaps because the babies are taking up so much room.

I asked her about how things will go from here forward, since I'm less than ten weeks from delivering these babies (cue screaming). After Monday's ultrasound and cervical check, I'll switch to doing weekly contraction tests along with quick ultrasound checks of the babies (I'll be 30 weeks at this point). They want to make sure I'm not contracting like crazy without realizing it. So far I have had a few Braxton Hicks contractions, mainly when I overdo it or am dehydrated (they are practice contractions that don't advance labor or anything).

She's paranoid mainly because of the stress of my daily commute. It's eased up a bit because Blue drives me to the train and picks me up, but there is still the super sweltering subway and walking between work and the subway. I caved and took a cab one afternoon this week -- I just couldn't take doing the subway. Each day I make it home gets me one day closer to babies and is one less day on possible bed rest. And each Friday I send up a silent "thank you" for getting me through one more week of being able to work. As much as staying home sounds awesome, I know I need my leave AFTER babies arrive and want to keep as much vacation time available for post-baby doctor appointments. And, you know, maybe a small vacation next summer.

Cervical checks will be done weekly by my doctor in her office (joy). I'm hoping I can roll all of those appointments into one day and perhaps take Thursdays off from here on out. My doctor only does appointments on Thursdays, which makes it fun when my rheumatologist in the city also seems to only do Thursdays... will need to finagle my appointment with her.

Then when I hit 34 weeks, they'll start adding fetal heart checks onto the contraction test appointments. They'll want to make sure they aren't stressing out and that there is still enough fluid around each of them. Speaking of hearts, today Baby A had a heart rate of 147 and Baby B was 151. So they are both staying strong!

We also discussed my delivery. I'm opting for a C-section for several reasons, so I was wondering about scheduling one versus waiting until I go into labor on my own. At my next appointment in two weeks, we'll schedule a section for 38 weeks, which will be around November 12th. I'm not sure what days she is available to do them, so it may be a few days sooner or later. 11/12/12 would be rather easy to remember though. If I go into labor sooner than that, they'll do one when I get in to labor & delivery. My next task is to make an appointment for a consultation with the anesthesiologist, which I assume is to go over the risks and sign consent forms for the medication they give you. Good times there!

Oh, and she's ordered me to buy new shoes for more support for my back. Gotta go shoe shopping. Darn! Maybe that's something my mom and I can do on Saturday while my stepdad is finishing up the nursery floor and making built-ins for the second closet area in there.

So that's where things stand! It's so crazy that they will be here in less than 10 weeks. So much left to do! I might pack up a hospital bag in the next two weeks, just in case. Maybe by being prepared we won't need it until mid-November!

And a small addendum to say that I have indeed finished up our honeymoon album! Today I also finished writing our thank you cards for the wedding (yes, the wedding that was almost two years ago). Profuse apologies were given and forgiveness begged for. It really was just ten or so people that we truly meant to send cards to long ago, but we saved them for last because we knew they'd be most understanding (and because we see them a lot). Still don't feel great that it took us this long. Off to start baby shower thank yous now! And beginning to wonder if our wedding album will ever get done. I have ten weeks, right?