Twenty - One Weeks

How Far Along - 21 weeks 2 days

Total Weight Gain - 12 pounds - according to the official doctor report from today. I was a little nervous when I saw the scale to be honest. I was thinking of my pre pregnancy weight and I was off by a "few" pounds... going from memory. So when I asked how much I had gained I was relieved that it was in fact only 12... but not too excited with the difference in my "thought" pre pregnancy weight and my actual pre pregnancy weight... Oh well.

Maternity Clothes - YES! This baby girl has made herself more than known so maternity clothes are always part of my wardrobe.

Sleep - Pretty much the same as it has been ~ I can sleep pretty comfortably until the first time I have to get up to pee then it kinda goes down hill from there. My arm usually falls asleep and strangely enough my ear hurts from laying on my left side. Baby Girl likes to move at night and I don't mind it one bit... even if it does keep me awake for a few extra minutes.

Miss anything? Still not missing much.. maybe the ability to go more than an hour without peeing. It is becoming increasingly harder to reach my feet without sitting awkwardly on the floor. And I do miss Sushi when I think about it... so I try not to think about it much.

Cravings - Still chocolate and add in donuts (thank you to my sister) and anything salty. Seems to be my typical "girl" gender pregnancy cravings are right back for round 4. I also really enjoy anything Italian and could probably eat a variation of pasta every day of the week... but it's a good thing I don't do that because I would likely die from heartburn.

Symptoms - Nothing much has changed in this department - still heartburn and round ligament pain new these past few weeks has been leg cramps at night... if I wake up and try to stretch. Insert increased water intake here.

Looking forward to- Continuing to feel this little one kick, she certainly has increased her movement over the last week. Today was our anatomy scan and we found out everything was just perfect with her. She is still measuring a week ahead so I am sure we will be having  a March baby. She officially weighs a little over a pound and might just be my biggest baby... we will see. She has some pretty long legs that she was moving all over the place. I also found out that I have an anterior placenta which explains why it took some time for me to feel her more subtle movements. We are so happy with her growth and progress!

19 Weeks!

How Far Along - 19 weeks 2 days

Total Weight Gain - ???- I don't really know how much weight I have gained to this point... my scale broke so I have yet to step on a scale since my last doctors appointment on October 20. I would guess I am right around 8-10 pounds gained at this point. No new crazy comments or questions to report this week...

Maternity Clothes - Still a big fat yes! I will mix in some non maternity items here and there (insert leggings here). You aren't going to believe this but I have never worn leggings before this pregnancy ... I know crazy right?? Well either way they have made their way into my wardrobe this time around and I am very happy about it.

Sleep - It's going better - "for now" falling asleep is pretty easy.... but getting up multiple times a night to visit the bathroom makes it hard to stay asleep. Getting comfortable isn't the easiest thing at times but that is come and go... for now :)

Miss anything? Surprisingly I am not missing much these past few weeks. This pregnancy is just moving along and quiet honestly feels like it is going too quickly. I really just want to enjoy every minute of my time with this little.

Cravings - The Chocolate cravings I typically have while pregnant have returned! However, it has to be certain kinds of chocolate.. things like chocolate and frosting and m&m's really don't agree with me... making me nauseous and giving me some crazy heartburn.

Symptoms - Heartburn and frequent restroom breaks still top the list but let's add in round ligament pain. Round ligament pain is something I have experienced each pregnancy (especially with the twin pregnancy) but this time around it is pretty painful.. actually very painful. Most of the pain is right on the sides of my belly and let me tell you it feels like the inside of my body is being ripped from my skin.. yea it hurts like that. Mostly, if I am picking up the twins or move to quickly I can expect to feel this crazy pain.

Looking forward to- Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving just as a fact and being pregnant for Thanksgiving is even better. Our anatomy scan is scheduled for the 30th but all my fingers are crossed for something to open up next week! Baby girl has been moving around off and on for a few weeks and the movements I feel have been pretty sporadic. Mostly I will feel her a few times per day but nothing too consistently. I am looking forward to those consistent kicks!!

Oh and a special thank you to my bump photographer ... Kendal :)

No More Pacifiers... W H A T???

This past Friday we took the leap and removed the pacifiers from our lives (for at least the next 5 months). There are so many great things that come from having pacifiers but at some point the time comes to take them away. The hard part is deciding when the "time" actually should be. Over the past few months I have said "ok we have to do it this weekend, or next week, or next month" but I always changed my mind for one reason or another. The last few weeks have been pretty crazy for our family and I promised myself that once we felt like things were somewhat settled and "normal" for the twins we would do it.
So we did it... we "prepped" them as much as we could... telling them once they gave mommy their paci's they would get a toy. About once a day we would say things like "are you going to get a toy when you give mommy your paci" and almost always they would had me their paci and say "toy, toy". A few days before the big day we adding that they could get a new stuffed animal (more for us to feel better about taking away their soothing item).
The big day came and I let them have their paci's while we dropped sisters off at school. We then headed to the mall for their new toy and stuffed animal... the Disney store to be exact. The whole ride there I reminded them they were giving me their paci's and they wouldn't get them back (eeeekkk) at one point Olivia threw hers and asked for a toy. We got to the mall and I asked them to hand me their paci's Charlotte did it right away and Olivia took few last minutes with her current bestie. They picked out their toy (a Doc McStuffins soccer ball..for each) and their stuffed animal (Minnie Mouse .. of course). Then I treated them to a smoothie and we headed to lunch at work with daddy. Almost as soon as they got in the car they began asking for their paci's... my worst fear had begun ... the begging and crying. Thankfully, the asking only lasted for a few minutes... phew. The rest of the afternoon was good.. minimal asking and some crying on the drive home. The first true test was about  to happen... N A P T I M E. I got them ready and they started asking.. I said "remember you gave mommy your paci's because you are big girls now" there was a bit of "crying" mostly whining and Charlotte fell asleep first after about 2 minutes. Olivia took a bit longer.. she didn't do much crying but seemed a bit bored, eventually she fell asleep. I was so impressed and honestly shocked at how well they did.
The rest of the day was great and soon it was bedtime... I may have stalled for  a few extra (30) minutes because I was so worried about how it would go. Turns out I had nothing to worry about Charlotte asked but then answered for me "I big girl", Olivia asked once and they just fell off to sleep. This mama was in utter shock... I just cannot describe how amazed and proud of them I was and I still am.

Looking back on the reasons why we didn't take them away at the different times we said we would I realize the reason was with me. The last few days of them with the pacifiers I found myself feeling like my babies would be gone. They are potty trained, nearly speaking in full sentences, and just all around acting like such big girls. Taking away the pacifiers was pretty much the last connection to babyhood (minus the cribs they still sleep in) we had. It sounds funny to say I don't want them to grow up or I want to still look at them as my "babies" especially when I have another one on the way But loosing that part of your children means you also have to accept they are growing up and that can be hard as a parent. Making decisions as parents is never easy... we never really know if we are making the right ones, sometimes until after the fact. But with each new decision we learn that maybe just maybe we have this parenting thing figured out... until the next time.

S E V E N T E E N WEEKS!

How Far Along - 17 weeks

Total Weight Gain - 5 pounds - I always laugh at the doctors office when they automatically put the little slider thing at "100" and I know they need to put it at "150"... I mean hey I am glad they think I am less than 150 but come on you do this every month!! My belly is certainly showing and there have been a few comments that I just shake my head at. Here is an example for you... a conversation between myself and an employee at SAMs club.
SAMs Club: are you having another girl? (I had Kendal and Madison with me)
Me: Yes, actually I am
SAMs Club: Awe.. my mom has three daughters
Me: Yes, Girls are great this is actually number 5 for me
SAMs Club: You need to stop having kids
Me: Uhhh..... That's why I didn't ask for your opinion

In all fairness this "girl" didn't seem to be much over 20 and probably didn't realize what was coming out of her mouth until she said it. Kendal told me that I shouldn't have told her this was baby number 5 if I didn't want her to say something negative. I contemplated this for a minute and thought maybe she was right... maybe I was asking for that kind of feedback. But really come on even if you have kids where does someone get the idea that it is ok to "publicly... out loud" say that you need to stop have children? Either way it didn't bother me just made me realize these are the types of comments I am sure I will continue to receive.. right or wrong it's the world we live in.

Maternity Clothes - Yes....I've started to realize I don't want to wear sweat pants and yoga pants all the time so I have invested in some leggings and jeans are on the list for the next purchase. I am waiting for this Florida weather to turn at least a bit cooler so I can start wearing any number of the long sleeve shirts I have.

Sleep - Ehhhh... So So... some nights are good and some nights are rough. I do find it very hard to get comfortable; I've been using the snoogle body pillow for a while now and I am not a body pillow person. I loved it at first but now I am not so sure, I am comfortable when I first go to sleep then I wake up and I hate it! Ugh... the struggle is real!

Miss anything? I still miss sushi of course and the ability to sleep a full night without needing to use the bathroom at least 2-3 times. Sleeping on my stomach and the joys of eating pasta without heartburn.

Cravings - Ok.. so I know this is going to sound crazy but I am actually  not craving subs this week. Will I eat one if put on front of me... uhhh yea, but much like most foods they no longer sound appetizing to me. I only really crave something for a short period of time.. like if I drive past a PDQ right away I am craving fries. Or if I walk past strawberries that is all I can think about for the next hour. Water with ice is still something I can't seem to get enough of, I am usually very thirsty and water is the only thing that takes care of it.

Symptoms - Heartburn and frequent restroom breaks top the list. My body hurts.. my back, my shoulders, my neck.. prenatal massage is scheduled for Tuesday.

Looking forward to- I've been feeling baby girl move off and on for a few weeks now but nothing consistent. Some days I feel her move once in a while and other days I don't feel her at all. I am looking forward to feeling those movement more consistently soon. We did see baby girl last Tuesday and she looked great measuring a full week ahead. We have our anatomy scan in a few weeks and we can't wait to see her again!

Oh and did I mention my niece was born yesterday?? My little sister and her fiance' welcomed her first baby to the world! This little one makes 5 granddaughters for my parents with one more on the way! I am so happy and proud of my sister, she did an amazing job with labor and delivery! This little girl is sure to bring lots of joy to our family... Welcome Paisley Jade - You are already loved more than you will ever know.