a week for my papa

My mom is arriving today and will be here until Friday, so I figure some sort of daily posting is in order. Dad couldn't come along this time, so this will serve to keep him included.

Actually, I'm just hanging around for now, waiting to be called down for my NST (non stress test) and waiting for the call that her plane has arrived, even though I probably won't see her until about 4pm (it's 12:30 now). So far, it's been a pretty uneventful day.

I'm 31w3d today. I have not shared before that reaching that third day after turning over a new week is a big deal for me - it always makes me feel like the next week marker is most definitely attainable (unless there's an emergency). So today, 32 weeks is feeling close... something I can hardly believe.

Last night I got the idea that I should take a couple of pictures with a tape measure, so that's how we'll start.

Measuring around: 47"! Who ever thought I'd be proud of such a number,
nevermind post a photo of it! Ha!! That's my view of my belly, of course.

The red string is something some of my friends and I did at the beginning of this
pregnancy, to bind the babies to me until their healthy birth.

Fundus measurement: 47cm??? Ok, this is totally inaccurate because I'm standing up,
but this is a measurement from the bottom of my uterus to the top. In a singleton
pregnancy, after 20w, this generally measures 1cm for each week of pregnancy.
47cm at 31w? Probably not. ;o) I should be measuring somewhere around 36cm.

31 weeks!

Today marks the completion of 31 weeks!

The doctors changed my monitoring schedule this morning to two non-stress tests per day, which really just serves to increase my stress. I didn't even get a shower this morning, so please overlook the hair.

Without further ado or self-deprecation, here are the 31-week commemorative photos:

30 minutes

Every other day, I get to have someone take me out of my room in a wheelchair for a half an hour. Precious, precious time to fill my lungs and achy sinuses with fresh air. Here are some photos from Sunday, when Laurie, Korin, and daughter R were all here. Don't tell anyone I was standing!

the past week

from Sunday, 28w3d

refreshing shower? yes! stiff upper lip? not so much.

flowers from mom and dad

this is the printout from a non-stress test. the two lines on the top are the traces of the babies' hearts, and the line at the bottom shows any contractions of the uterus (none!)

3 belts: a fetal heart monitor for each baby, and the contraction monitor for me.

compression "boots" to avoid blood clots in the legs

hydration & communication, and rescue remedy

supportive friends.
Korin, me, my awesome nurse/friend R, and my amazing sister behind the camera.

To Do Some More

Now that I've officially completed my 26th week (yesterday), I'm feeling a little pressure to figure some things out... namely, the boys' names! Next Thursday marks the beginning of the third trimester, which means it's time to get busy! The clothes all need to be washed and organized, I have to strike some semblance of organization to my stuff that is still in boxes and now scattered between two houses, and I really must address the big decisions:

• Find a photographer
• Make schedule of visitors for post-birth
• Research pediatricians
• Finalize birth plans and back-up hospital team
• Get my teeth cleaned
• Make sure I have everything needed for at least the first 3 months (things I can anticipate needing, that is)
• Decide whether I want/ need a new camera
• Finish baby knits
  
• Make and freeze some meals
• Make arrangements for birth announcements
• Finish all work projects by end of August
• Figure out what to do about Bamboo Village Press for the summer/fall season.
  

No doubt there are 40 more things to add, but this is what comes to mind now.

I thought I'd share my short list of names... this has been HARD to generate, let me tell ya! There are a million beautiful and meaningful girl names that I've had on my list for years, but with boy names, somehow it seems much more challenging.

First Names in the Running

• Arjun (white, clear; hero from Mahabharatha)
• Aziz (beloved)
• Benjamin
• Isaac (he laughs)
• Maxwell (after W. Sutherland Maxwell)
• Oliver
• Njeru (wolf, after close friend)
• Noah (rest, comfort)
• Rowan (little red)
• Shoghi (after Shoghi Effendi)
• Sisu (tenacity of purpose)

Paired: Joseph/ Aaron (brother); Shoghi/ Maxwell

The Belly House

During the past week, I lost any arch in my back, and my ribs have definitely expanded... I think I'm going to have to get some new braziers. I'm not sure if you can see much difference between 24 week (brown shirt) and today (others), but I definitely feel one! Here's a smattering of pics for today.

25 Weeks, Part B

You know what they say about having nothing good to say, so I'll keep my typing fingers quiet and just post a photo from this morning, sans shower or hair styling.

Six Months

A lot has changed in the past 24 weeks... starting of course with what may prove to be my last ever trip to a fertility clinic on cycle day 3... 12/31/07. There was doubt about the viability of this pregnancy (when my HcG numbers didn't double "properly") and the mystery of how many babies were growing in there (first ultrasound showed only one!). I've changed my professional work, completed my first year as an owner of a small business and charitable organization, packed my apartment and moved clear across the country. I've gone from someone who had been in state of longing for children since she was 17 and working in a Brazilian orphanage, to someone preparing to be the mother of two boys - all at once.

7 week ultrasound showing twins!

11 weeks pregnant

24 weeks pregnant - shirt no longer covers the belly!

Today marks the beginning of viability for the twins outside the womb. Don't get me wrong - I have every intention of keeping them in place for another 14 weeks or so; it's just that this milestone is a big one for multiples. From now on, they'll be gaining weight rapidly, maturing their lungs, and continuing to develop their muscles with their aqua-calisthenics. By 4 weeks from now, my belly will be the same size as a full term singleton preggo's belly.

I'm still writing out my thank you notes from the shower, but at the same time, I'm thinking about scheduling my portrait session (must do something about this awful hair before then), looking at options for birth announcements, and trolling craigslist for things like cosleepers, strollers, and other accouterments that will be necessary for their first few months. Looking at the ultrasound pics from last week, I can see for the first time how different Zeus and Oden's profiles are, and it's gotten me to imagining what they'll look like, how their temperaments will be... It's all starting to get very real and exciting.

Here's hoping the next 3 months are as good - or better - than the last 6!

23 weeks!

With only one more week to go until the boundary of viability outside the womb (forgive the cheesy reference - all the others that came up quickly were about abortion!), things are going well! The boys are became more active in the past week... or at least I became more able to perceive their activity! Now I can feel them both moving and kicking and poking at the same time, making it so that sometimes I can have my hands on both sides of the bump and feel them. It's such a reassuring, wonderful sensation. I still feel confident that they'll stay put well into the upper 30-weeks.

Tomorrow I'm meeting again with MFM at OHSU. They're repeating the high level ultrasound first, which should take about 90 minutes. They claim they have a 4D ultrasound, which while I was on the Cape, I was told didn't even exist... so I'm curious to see what we're going to see on the screen. I have a feeling Zeus (A) is still head-down - I think I feel his hands right at the base of my uterus and his feet up top, while Oden (B) is perhaps head-down along my right side. I feel his feet more on the side... or maybe it's his hands. At any rate, I'm curious to see how they're positioned now.

As for me, the past week was more comfortable than the previous. I think I got used to the expanded size - it's now easier to turn over in bed. I am not, however, able to stay on my back for very long anymore. The boys seem to put more pressure on my diaphragm, making me feel pretty breathless. When I lay on my sides, the boy on the bottom frequently pushes out against the pressure beneath him... it's pretty cool. Heartburn continues to be an issue, and I'm getting a new round of nausea. Fortunately, being treated by a very able chiropractor is helping a lot - especially my hips... Thanks Korin!

And now, without further ado: my 23w belly -

another try

OK, so the last photo wasn't a side-view, and boy, you guys called me on it! We took some more photos today, but um, the belly is undergoing some weird transformations... specifically, it's a little "boxy" right now, as Laurie put it. I'm rather self-conscious about it, so you can have the best of the lot... I'm also in this horrible phase of the short hair grow-out. The cute little peanut is Ruby.



The soreness of a couple of days ago was due to over exertion, I think. I'd taken a little walk into the village, which was great, but then the return was way too much. I'm feeling so much better now, especially after taking the bath of a lifetime last night.

In other news, I met with a new care provider today - a homebirth midwife team. It went really, really well, and I'm thinking seriously about switching from MFM. They listened to my whole history, and I have full trust that if they were concerned, they would not take me as a client. If you want to learn more about obstetric/midwife care in the US, definitely take a look at the new documentary "The Business of Being Born." You can rent it almost anywhere, and Netflicks has it as a "Watch Instantly" movie.

Tomorrow morning, there's a spring sale hosted by the local Moms of Multiples group here in Portland... a very exciting event indeed! We're going to head over in the morning to check out the goods. I'm hoping to score a double stroller at the very least. Wish me luck!

popular demand

Look - PHOTOS!

Here you have it - 21w, 3d! Not the "traditional"side-view style photo we've been getting, but we were out and about today with our hosts, and Laurie and Phil, when Laurie captured me, Maria and Swatchy waiting for breakfast.


Finally, here are Zeus and Oden (new gestational names, compliments of Maria!), from their 20 week ultrasound. Alpha put on the better show that day, and we were lucky to capture a really cool still of him with his two wee hands up near his face:


And here's Beta... in a not-so-glamorous profile pic. You probably have to be an ultrasound tech to discern his little face...


Here's the shackteau - the little cabin we're staying in at our friends' house:

I stole this last one from Laurie's camera, so if you see it repeated on her blog, you'll know why!

That's a wrap for tonight - these babies are kicking, now that mama's sitting down, and it's making me have to pee!

belly

Go figure, I don't see a huge change between the last pictures and these. The difference in person is that the bottom has pooched out more. I guess we haven't really figured out the best belly pic taking mode yet.