33 Weeks

Whew…every day seems to add another special symptom to m ypregnancy. I am 33 weeks and 5 days today. On average, twins arrive between 34 and 36 weeks which means we could be talking days until their arrival. I just can’t fathom that they could be here any day. I am SOOO ready to not be pregnant anymore. I am measuring in at about 42 weeks (singleton)…aka HUGE. I have been placed on a partial bed rest which means I am only to go into the office a few days a week for a few hours. Outside of that I am to stay home and rest as best possible. I am growing increasingly tired and it is getting increasingly harder to sleep, walk, and basically do anything. I’ve even found it hard to sit at a table and eat because my belly is in the way and uncomfortable.

On top of all the wonderful pregnancy symptoms that have ensured, a few months ago we decided to go ahead with a kitchen remodel before the babies were to arrive. Kevin and I love to add stress to any situation we are in. For one reason or another, start of the demolition kept getting delayed. Long story short the kitchen remodel began about 3 weeks ago and every day there seems to be something that is getting in the way of finishing. They have knocked a wall out, replaced the load bearing beams, re-done the electrical and plumbing, begun painting, and put the cabinets in. Tomorrow is granite day and then the floors. Fingers crossed this all comes together in the next few days. I am really stressing about the condition my house is in (complete shambles) with the anticipation that these babies could decide to arrive any time. I would LOVE to get my house back together and be settled back in before heading to the hospital and or a more permanent bed rest is induced. All in all I know it will be worth it because already the kitchen looks a million times better and larger. It is going to make it much easier to have so much more storage and open space with two little ones. Not to mention who doesn’t love a complete upgrade of appliances. I just wish it hadn’t come so close to potential D day.

Kevin is still working the week days in Richmond and this weekend and next he actually has to work the weekend in Newport News, Virginia. Surprisingly I’ve dealt with it okay. I guess I’m just getting used to him not being around. This time apart has believe it or not grown us as a couple. We are absolute soul mates and as they say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. I find myself longing for him to be home and truly enjoying every moment spent with him. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have him back home but we are making the best of a crummy situation. The good news is his boss has promised him as soon as the babies arrive they will bring him back to DC permanently. WHEW! Daddy needs to be home.

All in all life may be a little complicated these days, but I have two incredibly healthy babies baking away in my belly. What more could we ask for? We can’t imagine what life is going to be for us in the coming weeks, months, or years but at least we have each other and a sweet baby girl and boy on the way. BLESSED

Office Baby Shower

On January 24th a few co-workers put together a baby shower at the office. It was incredible to have my office family recognize the babies. I forgot my camera and did not get pictures of the actual shower, but I snapped a picture of the balloons and diaper cake seen below after the shower. The hostesses were Celeste Leich, Amy Baker, and Nancy Morgan. They did a great job and even had some fun games to play for all my co-workers. One of which they had to smell the diaper to determine which candy was in the diaper. If only I had pictures of all these Navy men sniffing diapers :)

Diaper cake Celeste made :)

North Carolina Baby Shower

On January 21st a few of my best girlfriends (Anna Crawford, Claire Flye, Erin Angel, Tiffany Whitehorne, Brittanie Coleman and Lindsay Morgan) hosted a baby shower for us in North Carolina. So, that weekend we packed up and headed out on our last little road trip before the babies arrive. I'd have to say it was a lot harder to travel at this point than I had expected. I was worn out and completely swollen by the end of the weekend but it was WELL worth it. I had the best time spending the weekend with my friends. We literally stayed up until 2am Friday night catching up and having a good time together. Saturday was the beautiful shower where I got to see even more of my friends I miss so much. Sunday it was time to hit the road and head back to Maryland. I was so sad to leave everyone. We had such a good time together and we just don't get enough time like this seeing as we are all located in different cities/states.

Adorable PIRATE infant outfits for the babes to get all dressed up in after they are born...I can't wait!

Avery & Grayson letter game. We had to guess which baby item that started with the initial was in the bag.

My awesome hostesses

The Flowers

Everyone made onesies with cute sayings

Linds & Colson

Some of the gang that attended

Awesome stools the girls had made that match the babies nursery

The beautiful and yummy cake Anna had made (pound cake-my favorite).

The adorable diaper cake Claire had made

The Grandmothers to be :)

Maryland Baby Shower

On January 7th we had our first baby shower. Our good friends Jessica Clickner and Melissa Fry hosted a BEAUTIFUL baby shower. I was so excited when I walked in to see so many of my friends and all of the adorable decorations. They did an amazing job with each and every detail. We were spoiled by each and every person that came to celebrate Avery & Grayson.

Some of the guests
The hostesses

AXiD ladies

How big is the belly?

The adorable quilt my mom made for Avery. She made Grayson one but I didn't seem to get a picture.

Opening gifts!

My god-mother (Annette), my god-sister (Suz), my mom and I.

Delicious cupcakes with cute "It's Twins" toppers that matched the rest of the decor.

Pictures of Kevin and I as babies :) and yummy cake pops!

I love how they matched all the decorations with Avery & Grayson's nursery.

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!