25 Weeks

For some reason I have been obsessed with the thought of stretch marks this week, wondering if I will avoid them. I took a poll on one of Twin Mom groups and there were a few moms who said they didn't get any, but most said they did end up with them. I know it is a silly thing to worry about but I do. I can't help it with my body image issues.  Will I ever wear a bikini again?  If I do get them I should wear them with pride, they will by my badge of honor. I will be a tiger mom who earned her stripes. There are plenty of women out there who would give anything to have the stretch marks for a baby in return.

This past week I had my first crazy birth dream.  I dreamed I gave birth to two miniature sumo wrestlers. They were both boys, one was black and one was white. They were babies, but looked like little men.  I kept telling the doctors that something wasn't right, I was supposed to have a girl but no one would listen. They wouldn't even fit into their infant car seats.  It was so crazy and vivid!

This week is week 25, Every week gets harder but I am also so very happy that Robbie and Rylee are still cooking and doing well. I am always amazed when I catch a glimpse of my growing belly, sometimes it doesn't seem real. It's important to never give up hope.

According to Babycenter.com they should weigh about 1.5 pounds, but they are probably a little bit over that now. They're exchanging their long lean looks for some baby fat and are looking more and more like their newborn selves. They are also growing more hair! If they have it! I was born with a head full of hair.

25 Weeks
Total weight gain: 27 pounds
Maternity Clothes? Yes! They are cute and comfy.
Stretch Marks? No, moisturizing three times a day. I'm doing a combination of cocoa butter and vitamin E
Sleep? I have seen 2 am three times this week
Best Moment this week? We went to see Iron Man 3
Miss Anything? Chicken and wine
Food Craving? Fruit Salad from Publix (watermelon, strawberries, grapes, honey dew and cantaloupe)
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing this week!
Gender prediction? One of each.I was right!
Labor Signs? No and hopefully not for a very long time.
Symptoms? Shortness of breath, itchy stomach (not scratching though), heart palpitations
Belly Button in or out? Kind of flat
Wedding rings on or off? On but it keeps slipping off.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy and a little scared.
Looking forward to? 5 days off from work

24 weeks

It is hard to believe that I am already 6 months along, time seems to be going by so quickly but so slowly at the same time.  In 13 weeks I can be holding my babies, of  course there is so much to be done in the mean time, sometimes I panic that there won't be enough time to get everything done.

This weekend was Mother's Day Weekend. I received a lot of Happy First Mother's Day wishes. I appreciated the well wishes, but on the other hand. I have been a "mom" for four years now to my incredible stepson. He may not have grown under my heart but he did grow in it.  He did wish me a Happy Mother''s Day and said it will be my last one with him as my only child.  I have been really blessed to have him in my life. Next year will be my first one as a "mommy" though.

We spent Mother's Day Morning and part of the afternoon with my mom on Jekyll Island and went to dinner with Michael's family. It was a really nice day.  The best thing was that being in car for 2 hours allowed Michael and I to settle on baby names.  On the drive to Jekyll Island we settled on our son's name. We narrowed down our long list to 5 names and we agreed on Robert Steven, for my father-in-law and brother-in-law.  We will call him Robbie. On the way back we settled on our daughter's name. We didn't have many "R" girls names on the list so we had to start from scratch there.  We both fell in love with Rylee and of course she will have the middle name Perrell. Perrell is a family name, mine and my mom's middle name created from my Granny's name Pearl. So we have Robbie and Rylee!!

Since this is getting pretty long here is a quick development update.  At 24 weeks Robbie and Rylee (R & R) should have gained about 4 ounces. Their still pretty lean, but will be starting to plump out. Their brains are growing quickly now and taste buds are developing. Lungs are developing too!  Mommy is doing well, no new symptoms or complaints this week.

24 Weeks
Total weight gain: 25 pounds
Maternity Clothes? Yes! They are cute and comfy.
Stretch Marks? No, moisturizing three times a day
Sleep?It's difficult but I get my best sleep the nights Michael rubs my feet.
Best Moment this week? Spending Mother's Day with our families and choosing names
Miss Anything? Chicken
Food Craving? Pizza
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing this week!
Gender prediction? One of each.I was right!
Labor Signs? No and hopefully not for a very long time.
Symptoms? Shortness of breath, itchy stomach (not scratching though), heart palpitations
Belly Button in or out? Kind of flat
Wedding rings on or off? On but it keeps slipping off.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Mother's Day Celebration with Caleb

23 Weeks

23 Weeks, about 14 more weeks to go! WooHoo!  According to BabyCenter.com the twinjas are 11 inches long and weight a little over a pound, but at my amazing ultrasound yesterday I found out they weigh 1 1/2 pounds. They are about the size of a grapefruit. Babies are doing great and everything looks great. I'm doing well too!  It was so nice being able to see the babies, even though I had been able to feel them the past week.  I could have spent all afternoon watching them kick each other. Baby Girl wasn't so shy this week and we actually got some pretty good profile shots of her.  Baby Boy was a ham a usual.  He turned his face towards us and crossed his arms in an X.

The babies sense of movement is developed now so if I want to dance around to Prince, they can feel me move. Their blood vessels in the lungs are developing to prepare for breathing and they are hearing more noises outside of the womb. They can also dream during their time asleep.

23 Weeks
Total weight gain: 23 pounds (doing good with gaining a pound a week, scary but anything for my babies)
Maternity Clothes? Yes! They are cute and comfy.
Stretch Marks? No, moisturizing three times a day
Sleep?It's difficult but I get my best sleep the nights Michael rubs my feet.
Best Moment this week? Seeing the babies on the ultrasound and watching them kick each other.
Miss Anything? Chicken
Food Craving? Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing this week!
Gender prediction? One of each.I was right!
Labor Signs? No and hopefully not for a very long time.
Symptoms? Shortness of breath, itchy stomach (not scratching though), heart palpitations
Belly Button in or out? Kind of flat
Wedding rings on or off? On but it keeps slipping off.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Mother's Day!

22 Weeks

Sorry for no update last week, I was fighting a nasty cold barely made it out of the bed all week.

Week 22 has been a great one so far.  Baby kicks are the most amazing thing. Whenever I am having a bad, one of the babies will kick me and I can't help but smile. I have two little miracles growing inside of me, life can't be too bad.  The other night I had a Slurpee and the Twinjas went crazy, kicking up a storm.  Caleb and I could actually see the kicks.  Michael was at work so he missed it :(

This week the babies are about 11 inches long and should weigh about 1 pound each, about the size of a papaya. They're starting to look more like their newborn selves. They are sleeping in cycles for 12 - 14 hours a day.

Mommy is doing well I have more energy, but I am more uncomfortable.  It is harder to do things, like picking up things off the floor when I drop it or getting clothes out of the washer machine.  By the time dinner time comes around I feel like I don't have any room left for food. Sometimes I have trouble catching my breath.


22 Weeks
Total weight gain: 21 pounds (doing good, 24 pounds by 24 weeks reduces the chances of preterm labor)
Maternity Clothes? Yes! I'm embracing the bump, while it is still cute
Stretch Marks? No, moisturizing three times a day
Sleep?Still hard finding a comfortable position to sleep in.
Best Moment this week? Babies kicking
Miss Anything? Sleeping through the night
Food Craving? Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing this week!
Gender prediction? One of each.I was right!
Labor Signs? No and hopefully not for a very long time.
Symptoms? Shortness of breath
Belly Button in or out? Kind of flat
Wedding rings on or off? On but it keeps slipping off.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Designing the nursery.

20 Weeks

20 weeks and the big news is that we are expecting a little girl and a little boy! I couldn't be more thrilled to have  my perfect pairs. Dreams can come true! Baby 1, (my camera shy one) is the girl and Baby 2, (my little show off) is the boy. I had to rush our last night and buy them outfits, not their first ones, my sister beat me to that.

Here are same pictures from the party.

So how are the babies this week? If they were singletons then they would be about 10 1/2 ounces in weight and 6 1/2 inches long from head to rump, about the size of a banana. Their swallowing more now. Their taste buds are working now too.

How's Mommy?  I am feeling fine? No new symptoms.  I have a little bit more energy, but I still feel worn out by the end of the day. But that is better than being worn out by 3.  I have a few new symptoms to look forward to. Leg cramps, heart burn, shortness of breath, mild swelling, 

How far along? 20

20 Weeks
Total weight gain: 19 pounds
Maternity Clothes? Yes! Maternity dresses are really cute.
Stretch Marks? No, moisturizing three times a day
Sleep? It's already difficult finding positions to sleep in. But I am staying up until 9 most night now!
Best Moment this week? Gender reveal party!
Miss Anything? Chicken
Food Craving? Nachos
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing this week!
Gender prediction? One of each.I was right!
Labor Signs? No and hopefully not for a very long time.
Symptoms? Fatigue, cramping, break outs
Belly Button in or out? Kind of flat
Wedding rings on or off? On but it keeps slipping off.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Working the nursery

19 weeks

I am 19 weeks, almost 5 months and halfway through! If the babies were singletons they would weigh about 8 ounces. At my 18 week 4 day appointment the twins were about 5 ounces, so they are probably 6-7 ounces now. Their brains are developing their senses and they can hear my heart beat and voice. I read that if you sing the same song when they are born they recognize the tune. I sing You Are My Sunshine to them every night.

I am experiencing round ligament pain and leg cramps.

Last week I had an ultrasound and will post the pictures soon


How far along? 19 Weeks
Total weight gain: 16 pounds (I am a little behind schedule)
Maternity Clothes? Yes! jeans are hard to find in tall sizes so I just went up a size.
Stretch Marks? No, moisturizing three times a day
Sleep? It's already difficult finding positions to sleep in. But I am staying up until 9 most night now!
Best Moment this week? My ultrasound and seeing my babies.
Miss Anything? Still cocktails and cold cuts
Food Craving? Nachos
Anything making you queasy or sick? I have had nausea once this week
Gender prediction? One of each.
Labor Signs? No and hopefully not for a very long time.
Symptoms? Fatigue, cramping
Belly Button in or out? Still but starting to change shape.
Wedding rings on or off? On but it keeps slipping off.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Gender Reveal Party on Saturday finally finding out what they are!

18 weeks

This week the twins are about 5 1/2 inches long and weigh almost 7 ounces, about the size of a sweet potato. They can flex their legs and arms and I should be feeling them move soon.  I think I may have felt a flutter the other day but I can't be sure. Their yawning, hiccuping, swallowing and sucking now!

I am feeling good, just still tired all the time but no new complaints.

We had a great 4 year anniversary/babymoon. We rented a hotel room overlooking the ocean and it was nice to relax and reconnect. Our 18 week photo is taken where we were married.

How far along? 18 Weeks
Total weight gain: 14 pounds (I am a little behind schedule)
Maternity Clothes? Yes!
Stretch Marks? No, but I have a moisturizing routine down
Sleep? I fall asleep easily, but wake up due to potty breaks and allergies and can't fall back asleep
Best Moment this week?Celebrating our four year anniversary with a room on the beach.
Miss Anything? Still cocktails.
Food Craving? nachos
Anything making you queasy or sick?Nothing this week
Gender prediction? One of each.
Labor Signs? No and hopefully not for a very long time.
Symptoms? Fatigue, cramping
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On but it keeps slipping off.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Seeing the babies next week.