all about the boys

I realize I'm getting behind in my posts... Tracy posted about her baby shower she had over the weekend (congrats, T - looks like you had a fabulous time!) and I still haven't posted about mine, which was what - a month ago?? So, in an attempt to stay current, I'm going to do this post just about the boys!

Over the past week, Zeus and Oden have been getting a lot more active - or at least I'm feeling it more. A couple of nights ago, as I was trying to go to sleep, it was like a game of Simon in my belly! Bleep, bloop, bloop, bleep - there were kicks in all four corners! It was pretty funny, actually, until it started to resemble something more akin to Riverdance. I was actually worried for a while that something was wrong, in there, the action was so rapid.

The boys start getting active late in the afternoon, though now I feel them throughout the day. Yesterday evening, I was sitting on the couch and actually saw my belly move with a kick! I think it was Zeus, but they change positions so much, it's fairly impossible to tell.

They're growing really quickly now. Between weeks 24 and 26, they're each going to be gaining a whole pound! It's pretty hard to believe, and even harder to imagine what it's going to be like for the next four months or so... our close friend Amanda is 36 weeks with her twin girls now, and looking at the photos of her belly over the course of 8 months is... wow... astonishing! She looks absolutely fabulous, but those growing babies really do take up a lot of room.

The doctor didn't measure me when I was in on Friday, but when I was in 2 weeks prior, I was measuring about 5 weeks ahead. I'm curious how many cm I am now, for sure.

Here are some of the scans from Friday - at 23w1d. The tech did try to get us some 3D shots, but they boys are so cramped in there, we didn't get any that were really clear. Kind of a shame, since that was probably our only shot of having those (slightly creepy) 3D scans of the boys. It's alright... not too much longer and we can look at them in full color!

two heads are better than one...
look at Zeus' fingers up near his head! Cute!
Pay no attention to their positions...
by the time we got to the doctor's office, they had completely switched.

Poor little Oden - we never get clear scans of his profile.
This one's pretty good, though!

I'm a real boy!
This is Zeus - it's so amazing to see him like this -
really looking like a baby in there, now!

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!

sore 'n' grumpy

No, these aren't replacement names for the babies, it's just the day I'm having today. How is it that every 2 or 3 days I feel like a completely different physical being? Oh my, it's just too fast to adjust to! I'm going to start going to the pool this week (in between all the other stuff I have to get done, plus sleeping whenever I possibly can), but for now, I feel awful!

First of all, I'm having a hard time sleeping. I think I've got to get to the store and get some kind of mattress pad, but sleeping on a twin mattress as I am is for the birds... or at the very least for children and very thin adults. My hips get sore after about a half an hour, my arms fall asleep, my ribs (now it's really my ribs) ache incessantly.

When not considering nighttime ailments, it is the progression of the day that literally weighs on me. By the end of the day, I'm out of breath all the time, my ribs are in constant pain, and my back cries out for me to lie down flat... but when I do so, getting back on my feet is a challenge, and then my hips hurt so much it makes me limp. Fun, right? No f*ing wonder I'm grumpy!

On the very bright side, my two boys are bringing me delight with their now-frequent movement. The roll and kick - a few days ago, Laurie got to be the first person to feel them move from the outside (beside me, of course). I have to admit being rather selfish with my hands-on-belly time... it's just so amazing to feel them inside and out, and with all the other challenges this pregnancy has brought, it's something to celebrate and relish.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is my new turn-over day, as the doc here recalculated my due date for 10/2, rather than 10/3. So, I'll get Laurie to take a new side-view photo to acknowledge completing 22 weeks.

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!

Arrived!

I'm in Portland!

There won't be any new pictures in this post, but hey, I've finally broken my Internet silence, so I've got to pace myself.

I'm now 20w2d - a number I really couldn't have ever imagined reaching before. It's amazing to think that in just 16 weeks (plus or minus), I could be meeting my babies! Right now, the belly growth is really starting to accelerate, and I'm having a hard time imagining how big I'll actually be in 4 months! It's getting hard to turn over at night, and when I lie on my back for too long, I get up and am surprised at how sore my hips are! Time to start swimming, I think.

The big announcement, which I'd wanted to make in conjunction with some photos, is that I'm having two sweet boys! That's right, these fraternal twins took the word literally and decided to show up as brothers. I'm excited for them that they'll have each other through their lives, and I'll just have to raise them in the Confucian tradition and train them to take care of their mama when they get older, lol.


I wanted to take a minute and thank my friends for their concerned inquiries about Daniel's family in Chengdu, Sichuan. So far, we've accounted for everyone in Chengdu and in the village (Nanchong County), but we haven't reached Zhang Lin's family yet to hear that she's safe. She's in school up in the mountains, and of course we're hoping for an eventual report of her safety.

We've both been very moved by the events in Sichuan - Daniel's home province and the place I feel most connected to in China. He's actually going to be there for 3 weeks next month, and hopes to be able to help in some of the work there. I do know that Mercy Corps is supporting the relief efforts in Sichuan - here's the link in case you've been wondering how to help.

Finally, Laurie and her friend Phil are making good progress in their cross-country trip. If you didn't know, Laurie's my sister, and she's moving out here, too - she & Phil are driving my car and a bunch of our stuff out for me, since I was too pregnant (and ailing with this stupid gallstone) to drive. You can follow their trip on her blog and soon she'll also be posting on Travels with Swatchy.

quick hi

19 weeks today!!

sorry for another drive-by post. i'm at my parents' house, and the first part of the move went... ok. the biggest problem i'm currently facing is a gallstone - the source of all the rib pain and discomfort i've been having. well, now the word "pain" is laughable - this is excruciating, and gets worse sitting up (like now). no wireless here means i have to sit with the computer. all i'll do right now is upload a photo of my hugely growing belly... i look like crap, but the babies are fine.

next time i'll be able to tell you all about the surprise baby shower and the anatomical ultrasound - scheduled for monday.

think pain-free thoughts for me!