Twins-in-Progress: Weeks 32-33

These past couple weeks have been a major whirlwind. We celebrated our babies yet again with a shower hosted by our home church in Story, WY.

Later, we had our 32 week ultrasound and check up. After that, we celebrated my June 7th Birthday by moving in to the new house!

I didn’t get a chance to post about week 32, since we were furiously unpacking (and I was too excited to be working on the nursery!). Here’s the catch up post for the past few weeks.

32-33 Weeks: June 1-14th

How far along? 8 months, 1 weeks

Babies size: Babies are still about the size of pineapples, just fleshing out some fat for insulation after birth. They are going to need it, because our new house has this ROCKIN’ air conditioner keeping it a balmy 67 degrees inside for this very preggo mama.

What’s new with babies? Baby B turned breech sometime in the last few weeks. Our little ninja is still head-down and ready to go.

What’s new with Mama? Tingly hands.  At this point, there isn’t a “comfortable” position to be in: sitting is as rough as laying down. So I just try to stay active and go for lots of walks/stretching sessions.

Weight Gain: At my appointment I was at a grand total of 207 lbs. They guessed the babies should weigh 4 lbs 10 oz (boy), and 4 lbs 5 oz (girl), give or take 10 oz. If we are even close to this weight range, I am carrying a good 8 pounds of baby around, with 1 1/2 months to go. Game on!

Sleep: My hands (and now hips) go numb when I lay down. What am I supposed to do with the limb underneath all the weight of this planet-sized mama when I sleep?

Exercise: Now that we are in the new house, I am establishing a very relaxed but active routine. I write one thank-you note a day and take a walk to submit it to the mailbox. I also have a glorious back porch to do yoga on. I find I am so much more comfortable when I make stretching a priority.

Best moment this week: 

God answered a prayer in a very personal and intimate way this week:

I was succumbing to anxiety regarding finances (a new mortgage, twins, and adoption can be intimidating). Taking that fear captive, I immediately prayed, “God show me how you are going to provide in all things.”

Within an hour, 3 things happened:

1. We opened a $100 gift card that was misplaced after the church baby shower. It was just significant enough to touch my heart, knowing God will provide each day at a time.

2. Later, I noticed on Facebook a friend who was looking for a gently-used woombie for her baby. I have also been looking for some woombies, so I commented on her status to keep her eyes open for a couple more. When I checked the mail less than an hour later, I discover a friend had sent us 2 woombies!

3. Finally, as I was praying for our adoption and provision, God brought to mind a family who has been struggling for three years to adopting a boy. I sent this waiting mother a message saying I was praying for them today. An hour after that, she posted on Facebook a picture of her and her son… That very day was their “gotcha day!” They will be bringing him home soon.

These 3 gifts testified to how amazing my God is. He loves to give good gifts to His children, even within hours of our prayers. I didn’t deserve these special gifts of encouragement, and I don’t expect them all the time, but I am no longer overwhelmed by looking at our finances. Instead, I am BEYOND overwhelmed by looking at the bigness and faithfulness of God’s kindness.

What do you miss/NOT miss? I am missing hiking and kayaking this week. The Yellowstone half marathon is this coming weekend…. Back in October I signed up to run in it. Thankfully I was able to sell my ticket and a friend of mine can enjoy the beautiful outdoors while I gear up for the FULL marathon coming my way in July

Babies’ Movement: I feel ninja kicks in my right rib cage. He also has a tendency to stretch his whole body and I can feel pressure from my ribs to my bladder and even on my side. Lil lefty does a tap dance on my left ovary (or around there) every once in a while. I’m pretty sure these kids are determined to scramble up my insides, making sure they never have to share with anyone but each other. Too bad, my beauties, we already have kid #3 on the way.

Food cravings: twizzlers. Snickers (I have never enjoyed snickers before pregnancy… so weird).

Genders:  a Boy and a Girl.

Kids room prep: My marvelous parents bought us these cribs, and thanks to my spectacular sister-in-law and MIL, they are all set up and ready for babies!

For my birthday, my dad took over my dresser-to-changing table UPcycle for me. I couldn’t be happier with the project!! (He used spray paint… I am still determined to tackle a chalk paint project another day)

And finally, my GLORIOUS and particularly good-looking-as-of-since-forever husband bought this bad-boy for my Birthday too. I will now be cushioned in luxury as I spend 40% of each day attached to the wee ones.

Labor Signs/prep: No signs. I am no longer subscribing to anyone who says “they’ll come early.” My body is a power house and both babies are healthy. My doctor said my cervix is like Fort Knox, so not to worry about preterm labor. With no complications, we are in this for the long haul. I’m getting off my Heineken and back in the game for overtime.

Symptoms:  My doctor confirmed my skin issues as Puppp, a common skin rash, especially for MoMs (moms of multiples). At a few suggestions, I invested in virgin coconut oil, really hoping I wouldn’t be allergic. TA-da, it has transformed my skin, cleared most of the rashes, and even significantly helped my acne. God knew what he was doing when he made the coconut. As a bonus, I smell like a piña colada all day.

Other symptoms include the tingly hands, difficulty sleeping, and occasional bladder leak when I sneeze. Hey, there’s not a lot of room in there, what can I expect.

Mood: the move has kept me distracted from potentially disheartening emotions this week. Still, when I feel a sensitive moment coming on, I try to warn Shane ASAP if the emotional forecast. It helps us both be better prepared for the emotional climate which may or may not include 50% chance of tears or “scattered thunderstorms” in the evening.

Lullaby of the week: At Last by Etta James. It’s an ode to finally settling into our new home, but it will be appropriate for the day in hold my twins in my arms too.

Truth I’m dwelling on:  There is life after labor and delivery!

Last week, I became very discouraged after we discovered baby B was breech. I was actually a little bit angry with her. I have put so much thought, practice, exercise, good posture, education, and prayer into having my best chance for a natural delivery. We were doing so good, then lil’ lefty decided to flip, and who knows if she will have room to flip back again?

After the ultrasound, a friend texted me to ask if I would like hand-me-down girl clothes for the winter. It truly lifted my spirits to know my friend was thinking of our little girl at 6 months of age. I gained perspective that day, that bring babies into the world is not just a one day event… just as a marriage is not all about the wedding day. In 6 months, we will be celebrating Christ’s birth at Christmas, regardless of my birth experience. I will keep praying and working hard for the optimal birth story, but in the end it’s all in Jesus hands.

In the meantime, I learned something about our little girl. Unlike her stretchy brother, she is a cuddler, and just wants to be closer to the sound of my voice. That makes me smile and feel quite endearing toward my daughter. Still, Shane is going to try talking through a paper towel roll at the bottom of my belly to get her to flip head-down again. We will see if it works!

Looking forward to: Hitting that all-too important 34 week twin milestone.

Questions for the Mamas: what would you change about my Go-bag list? I compiled it based on the “must haves” mentioned in various books, blogs, and magazines. Would you add anything or find anything unnecessary?

Thanks for answering by commenting below!