31 Weeks

31 weeks and counting! I’d love to stay completely positive when blogging on my pregnancy, but let’s face it, not everything about being pregnant is awesome. Don’t get me wrong, I have been incredibly fortunate for this entire pregnancy. I have had very few complaints and no major issues. Up until a few weeks ago there really wasn’t anything to complain about at all. I was LOVING being pregnant. Oh how a few added days can make a difference in my attitude. While I still don’t have a lot to complain about, this pregnancy is quickly growing increasingly difficult. I am having a hard time breathing. I am sleeping very little these days. I see just about every hour on the clock. My bladder is the size of a pea. I am so swollen it hurts on a regular basis and I have cankles that look like the Michelin man. However, my doctor told me last week that I am already measuring in at 39 weeks (single pregnancy) which is why I am feeling the “pregnancy pains”. I feel rather lucky to have made it this far with so little to complain about. Not to mention these are all things that will go away in a few short weeks when I’m holding two healthy babies.

I have included a few pictures of what pregnant with TWINS at 30 weeks looks like. I will try and get some non-self portrait photos however; Kevin is STILL working in Richmond so for now it’s up to me to get the pictures. I am just praying everything works out with his job and he returns home soon  It is really beginning to wear on him physically and emotionally and me emotionally.

BEWARE SCARY BELLY PHOTOS BELOW...VIEW AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

I can't believe this belly could still continue to grow for weeks...oh it's going to be a scary sight!

Last but not least- we began a kitchen renovation this past weekend. I know, I know, better late than never. This was one of our projects we intended to complete after purchasing the house…4 years ago! Somehow we never got around to it but now it’s a must. For 4 years I have had about 3 cabinets, one small counter top space to cook and prepare foods on and no dishwasher. We quickly realized with two infants on the way we needed more cabinets, more space and a DISHWASHER. I will officially retire my OCD dishwasher duties (for the most part) in a few weeks when I have a brand new beautiful kitchen with a dishwasher. We had hoped to start this a little sooner but with the help we are getting on it we had to wait until they had availability. Thus it has come down to crunch time. Let’s just hope these babies hold out a few more weeks to March or so!

The current state of my kitchen

29 Week Stats

I saw this on a friend of mines blog and thought it might be fun to answer the below questions the remainder of this pregnancy.

Size of Baby: According to Baby Center, about the size of a head of a Chinese cabbage...around 15.0 inches long and almost 2 ¼ pounds! Therefore I have 30 inches and about 4 ½ pounds of babies inside of me!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Last doctors appointment at 24 weeks I had gained 22 pounds in total but I have a feeling this is jumping rather quickly.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time. Even pregnancy pants are beginning to annoy me and feel a bit tight. I can’t get my comfy clothes on fast enough when I get home in the afternoon.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Avery Grayson Hatcher And a BOY! Grayson Everett Hatcher

Belly Button In/Out: Sort of flat at this point but SO very close to poking out.

Stretch Marks: None so far! Obsessively lathering the belly, boobs, and hips at least once a day but most days morning and night. I LOVE Palmers belly butter. It’s cheap and it’s working so far. I am beginning to show that faint line from my belly button down.

Movement: My belly almost looks like the ocean at times...very wavy. :) especially with two. Avery is a bit more active than Grayson but they seem to annoy each other and push and kick each other every now and then. They are most active when I finally sit down to relax after work. However, I feel them throughout the day sporadically. They are getting so tight in there I can feel limbs moving across my belly.

Sleep: Getting pretty darn uncomfortable and short lived.

What I miss: My non maternity wardrobe…I have a new appreciation for my pre pregnancy wardrobe.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing these babies for the first time that Kevin and I created! What/Who they look like, personality, etc. I just can't wait!

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing much at this point. I love cereal but that’s because it’s easy!

Symptoms: Shortness of breath and back pain. I'm sure the extra weight is just catching up to me. Major swelling all of a sudden (feet, hands, face, etc). Carpel Tunnel is really bothering me.

Best Moment This Week: Sunday was our first baby shower. It was so exciting to see the love these babies already have and to start putting things together  Although, by the time we get all the stuff we need for two newborns I’m not really sure where we will fit it in our tiny little house. Ha!

And so it begins...

Let me start by saying this pregnancy has been quite easy thus far and I know how lucky I am for that. Most of the time I have thought this really isn’t that bad…I could do this again easily. With that said, imy thoughts on being pregnant are beginning to change very quickly. I barely had morning sickness, I hadn’t gained a ton of weight, my sleep was okay and I wasn’t really having many other issues. In the last month or so I began to feel the back aches, other random pains, less sleep, etc. Week 28 has brought on a whole new set of issues. I am no longer sleeping much at all. I wake up numerous times a night and have a very hard time falling back asleep. Before it was simply because I needed to use the restroom and then I would fall back asleep rather quickly. Now it is primarily due to how uncomfortable I am in ANY position. Some nights I am so tired but cannot fall asleep. Other nights I wake up in such discomfort and find it can take me an hour plus to fall back asleep only to wake again in another hour or so with the same routine. I am trying to think about how much I will be up with the babies once they arrive knowing that the amount of sleep I’m getting right now really isn’t so bad. Right?
I also found that overnight I came across the swelling issue. I have this tingling in my fingers and hands that constantly wakes me up at night and bothers me throughout the day. Who knew there was such thing as pregnancy induced carpel tunnel syndrome. Let’s just say it is no fun and pretty painful. Luckily this is another one of those pregnancy symptoms that goes away right after the babies arrive.
I can no longer wear my engagement ring. At least my wedding bands still fit! I am quickly outgrowing my shoes with the amount of swelling that has taken place. My face is beginning to blow up, my hands, my legs, my feet, you name it. I know I shouldn’t be complaining considering I have two very healthy little babes growing inside of me and this is part of the territory, but let’s face it…the end of pregnancy is beginning to affect my attitude. I am trying to get as much rest as possible and keep my feet elevated. Thus far I haven’t had to change my abilities too much and continued working out in moderation. I am thinking this might come to a halt as well. I think it’s time I listen to my body and start to prepare for the crazy amount of growing these beans have to do over the next two months. For now I will rest when I can and drink LOTS of water. Apparently drinking lots of water REDUCES the fluid retention. Who would have thought?
Here’s to pregnancy pains and the growth of two healthy babies in my belly!

The Nursery

Deciding on a nursery theme for a boy/girl combo proved to be a little tougher than I thought it was going to be. I am not a huge fan of yellow and green together and most combinations I tried coming up with seemed to favor one gender more than the other. I stalked as many blogs and websites as I could that gave advice and samples of boy/girl twin nurseries. I finally stumbled upon a nursery that I was in love with. However, I still wanted to make it my own. I decided on a gray zig zag print to use as the main fabric as that would work well for both sexes. Next I wanted to find a print that I could use for both in different colors. I felt that was how I would make it work for both but still give each baby their own. I didn’t think I was a huge fan of animals in a nursery. However, when I stumbled upon a particular giraffe print I fell in love. Lucky me it came it a number of colors. Now it was time to try and actually find the fabrics at the best possible price. I searched many websites and a couple of stores. Soon enough I found the website Fabric.com to have the best prices by far. My sister and mom were gracious enough to help me custom make the babies bedding and curtains. Once they told me how much I needed of each I ordered everything plus a few small pieces of some complimenting fabrics. I may use those later for pillows, blankets, boppy covers, etc. Once the fabric arrived I was so excited to get started. My mom and sister were able to stay for quite a few days over Christmas which we utilized to make two sets of curtains, two sets of bumpers, and two crib skirts. Little did I know how much work this was actually going to be. We slaved for days but in the end it was well worth it. Everything turned out perfect and better than I had envisioned. I love every little aspect of the babies nursery, especially that my sister, mom, and I made it for them. Below are a few pictures of the nursery thus far.

I almost forgot to mention that my sister and I made the mobiles. I was having a hard time finding mobiles that would coordinate with their fabric. Again, after searching online I saw the cutest mobiles made out of pinwheels. After looking at the price I decided I could definitely make them for a lot cheaper. I then found a blog (love the Internet) on how to make them and set to work. They turned out so cute and match everything perfectly. I love looking up at them as they spin.

Avery's mobile in pink

Grayson's mobile in green

The changing table

Grayson's green giraffe's

Avery's pink giraffe's

Cute little piggy banks I found at Homegoods and put their names on

The zig zag curtains and rocker that I expect to spend quite a bit of time in

View of both cribs...WHEW they fit!