36 weeks pregnant with twins - belly pics!

I've made it to the 36 mark - woo hoo! That also means I made it to the HMO mark (my PPO flipped to an HMO on July 1st) which is excellent because it means my hospital bill will be much more affordable. Everything from here on forward is just icing ... or padding on the boys.

Thursday we went to the doc, yet again, and he said "My goodness they're looking great!" I love hearing that. When we asked how long until we could expect to meet the boys, he said it could be anywhere from 24-hours to a few weeks - he's banking on me getting to 38 weeks. Oofa. While I'm VERY ready to be done, I also want rolly polly sleepers and the longer they go, the better our shot.

My bike on my beloved trainer:










Impersonation of being stuck in a doorway (believe me, I'm getting close - I keep bumping into it forgetting the belly is there):











Shield your eyes - lots of skin ahead:











My weekly non-stress test:

A non-stress test (NST), by the way (BTW) is a test to monitor the twins' heartrate as well as any contractions I may be having. "Baby B" loves kicking off his heartrate monitor the minute the put it on. This week, they did an ultra before the test and both "Baby A" and "Baby B" were heads down but kicking each others' feet - no wonder I'm at a loss for words sometimes, I have 4 little feet up there!

35 weeks pregnant with twins - belly is definitely bigger than a breadbox!

I've made it to the 35-week mark - woohoo! I'm shooting for July 10th (boys, that means you get to "cook" and hang out a bit longer). July 1st (1-week from today) marks my changeover from PPO to HMO so that's the minimum I'm hoping they hang out - and let me just say, "hoping" is being nice. I now have a belly that rivals the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and a walk that would put Jar Jar Binks to shame ...

+

= (mind your eyes! I'm showing a LOT of skin here...)












We continue to be amazed by our wonderful generous friends. Last week, Leanne surprised us with some awesome books and onsies to help tell the boys apart. This week, Matt's work threw him a shower (and I love that he got to ... had to be the center of attention - it's a little awkward feeling) where Tracy (a crafty-woman extraordinaire) made a diaper cake and the office stocked us up on all the necessities.












Last weekend Matt went to San Diego for a family get together (I'm not allowed to fly and can't sit in a car for longer than 10-min, so I unfortunately missed it). His cousin relayed the funniest thinking during dinner - he thought that babies were born knowing how to swim because "they're swimming around in the belly" and that they come out breathing because the "belly itself was mostly filled with air - hence the roundness." Love it ... not quite, but good thought.

In case you were curious, per Baby Center, here's what's going on in there:

"How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."

34 weeks pregnant with twins - belly pics - ready and ridin'!

I've made it to 34-weeks - woo hoo! I'm feeling quite "large and in charge" and I'm thrilled to be in the homestretch. Weeks are filling up with doctor appointments but I'm also thankfully working on a lot of cool projects during my day job and am still able to hit the gym. The bigger I get, the funnier strangers get. Last week at a festival a (very drunk) guy came over saying he wanted to "orbit" my belly. Weird ... and kind of gross. Homeless people have taken to singing to me - no joke, one man walked almost a full block behind me singing lullibys.

All the oddities aside, I'm feeling quite lucky to have the best husband, awesome friends, and still have energy (although it's dwindling). This week in spin the teacher cheered when I walked in - total motivation; I may be spinning on a much lower gear with my knees out to the side, but whatever - it feels great!

Per Baby Center, here's what's going on in there (side note - all the fruit analogies baby sites use for baby size are starting to get difficult to read - not only can I not look at a melon the same anymore, but I'm having fruit withdrawal as the GD limits the amount I can eat):

"How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies."

8 months pregnant (32 weeks) with twins

I've reached the 8-month mark! It seems like I'm reaching a lot of things quickly ... today I was walking into the office and one of the execs said:
"Whoa - your stomach got here a good few seconds before you!"

Maybe I should enter a race - win by a belly? Maybe not.

The boys are moving constantly now, and I love it! "Baby B" still seems to like doing flips and "Baby A" just kind of bobs up and down - he also gets the hiccups which is odd to say the least.

Super Pose!












Itchy belly:
Per Baby Center, here's what's going on in there:
"By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth."

31 weeks pregnant with twins and nesting!

I've made it to the 31 week mark - woo hoo! The twins are growing and moving like crazy and every day I feel like I'm in a new body. My belly is now so ginormously round, I feel like I could rival Santa.

Not knowing if I have 4 weeks or 7 weeks to go, I'm not in "nesting" mode trying to get ready for the boys. This entails cleaning, setting up the cribs, and (trying to) get rid of stuff - I love love love my shoes, but I think having over 5 pairs of flip flops, 6 pairs of running shoes, 10 pairs of boots, and 80 heels is a bit excessive.

Per Baby Center, here's what's going on in there...
"This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy."

Photos - going back in time

My photos are up from the Lululemon shoot! We shot these when I was 6-months pregnant in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. The shoot was a blast - the photographer was awesome, the community manager (who is, in one word, rad) was there, and passers by kept stopping yelling "go mama!" and other words of encouragement.

You can view all the pics on my profile page on Lululemon.com.

30 weeks pregnant with twins - belly pic!

I'm now 30-weeks pregnant (woo hoo) and counting down the weeks until we get to meet our boys. I'll be honest - I'm both excited and scared to death.This pic is not from tonight so it's not exactly 30-weeks, but it's from the shoot we did Saturday, so close enough! The shoot was with an awesome photography team called Real Exposure (the photogs also happen to be a rad couple and new parents).

Per Baby Centre, here's what's going on this week:
Your baby's lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. While your baby may soon slow up growing in length, (he measures about 15.7 inches/ 40 centimetres from crown to toe by now), he will continue to gain weight until he's born.

This week your baby continues to open and shut his eyes. He can probably see what's going on in utero, distinguish light from dark and even track a light source. If you shine a light on your stomach, your baby may move his head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow. Some researchers think baring your stomach to light stimulates visual development. But don't expect 20/20 vision when your baby is born -- newborns can see a distance of only about 8 to 12 inches/ 20 to 30 centimetres. (Children with normal vision don't reach 20/20 vision until about age 7 to 9.) To complete the picture, your baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes.

29 weeks pregnant with twins - belly pics

I've made it to 29-weeks - woohoo! Another 6-10 to go. This week the tiredness kicked back in in full force with one new (un)pleasantry - being winded, I am constantly trying to catch my breath from just sitting still.

Goodbye 2nd trimester, hello 3rd!












Had to get the cheesy shot - check out how veiny the hands are! Blood is a'flowin.









I don't know how much bigger this can get!

(Side-note: thank goodness for Lululemon clothes! I am living in my workout tunics and Grove pants.)



Per Baby Center, here's what's going on in there (BTW, I used to love butternut squash - this just ruined it for me for the next few months):

How baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

28 weeks (7 months) pregnant with twins and counting!

I've made it to the 7-month mark and I now officially rival my Bosu ball.

WHOA belly! I did not know human skin could stretch that much. And guess what - more to go!












According to Baby Centre, here's what's going on in there:
"At 28 weeks your twins will have grown to about 15 inches/ 38cm from top to toe (10 inches/ 25.5 centimetres from crown to rump) and will weigh nearly 2 lb /875g each.

Their eyes open and close, they sleep and wake at regular intervals and they may suck a finger or thumb.

Your twins' brain growth is very rapid this month. The characteristic grooves on the brain's surface start to appear and more brain tissue develops. Nearly all fetuses react to sound by the end of the seventh month.

At about this time, your twins can open their eyes and turn their heads in utero if they notice a continuous, bright light shining from the outside. Their fat layers are forming. In boys, testicles descend from near the kidneys through the groin en route to the scrotum. In girls, the clitoris is relatively prominent because it's not yet covered by the still-small labia. These will grow to cover it in the last few weeks before birth.

Their skeletons are hardening even more. While your twins may soon slow down growing in length, they will continue to gain weight until they are born.

A pint and a half/around a litre of amniotic fluid now surrounds each of your twins, but that volume decreases as they gets bigger and have less room in your uterus."

27 weeks pregnant with twins and stretching

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm trying to get more into yoga as I think it will help my brain and body in the homestretch of pregnancy. I'm now 27-weeks pregnant and loving it! I still have a ton of energy which I need to channel into setting up the nursery and cleaning the house.

Here are the latest from the commenters...

Conversation:
Man: "You're big! When are you due?"
Me: "End of July / beginning of August."
Man: "Whoa..."
Me: "Twins"
Man: "Wow, you're going to be GIANT! These next two months will be pretty miserable for you."

Comment:
Man: "Hey lumpy!"
(side note - lumpy?!)

Conversation:
Me: "You'll never guess what people said to me recently!"
Man: "What?"
Me: recounting the conversation above and "lumpy"
Man: "Well ... people are weird."
Me: "I should have said: at least I have an excuse. But I'm bigger than that - I was just polite knowing I'd blog and vent later."
Man: "You sure are ... bigger than that! Haha."

OK, I'm starting to come around and see the humor. Besides, with the bigger belly I do get kicks and somersaults, squirms and stretches, and poky heads (the boys are curious, I can tell - they keep poking their heads out to hear what's going on).

Per Baby Center, here's what's going on in there:
Now that you're approaching the final stage of pregnancy - your third trimester - your baby is really starting to grow and fill the available space in your uterus. She can now open and close her eyes, sleeps and wakes at regular intervals, and may suck a finger or thumb. Although they're still immature, your baby's lungs will function with some medical help, if she's born prematurely.

25 weeks pregnant with twins

I'm now 25 weeks pregnant with our twin baby boys and counting. It seems like every day there are new changes and people loooooove pointing them out. Here are the latest:

• "You've gotta stop wearing tight sweaters - looks like you've got a beer gut"
• "Hey baby maker"
• "Are you smuggling a watermelon?"
  
• "Looking freakish..."
• "Whoa!"

Hm.

Comments aside, there really is a lot going (growing) on in there. Per Baby Centre UK, here's what's happening:

"The baby now weighs nearly 1.5 pounds/ 660 grams and is approximately 13.5 inches/ 35 centimetres long from crown to heel. He makes breathing movements but has no air in his lungs yet. At 26 weeks, fetal brain scans show response to touch. If you shine a light on your abdomen, your baby will turn his head, which according to researchers, means his optic nerve is working.

At every antenatal visit, your midwife or doctor will take your blood pressure and do tests on a sample of your urine. In this way, pregnancy-related conditions such as pre-eclampsia and diabetes can be detected and treated.

Your fingers, wrists and hands may be feeling achy and numb. The carpal tunnel in the wrist is swollen, as are many other tissues in your body. Nerves that run through the tunnel end up pinched, creating pressure that manifests itself as shooting or burning pain. Wearing a brace may help; so will taking vitamin B6. Talk to your midwife or doctor about other ways to cope. Find out about natural remedies for numb or achy fingers."

Well, I may be bulging but I still got biceps! Actually, these are new - with running on hold, I've had a chance to hold (curl and press) more. Good practice for holding the boys...










What would a week be without a super pose (aka, hands on hips):

24 weeks (aka 6 months!!!) belly pics of the twins

I think the boys are considering becoming gymnists already ... I can feel them moving, flipping, kicking, and growing constantly! And I love it.

I'm not at 6-months (24 weeks) and growing. I'm not sure how much more my body can stretch, but I'm sure it'll figure it out ;o)

Again with the super woman pose:












Mental note, brights really do make everything look bigger (and I have told you lately - I LOVE my Lulu Remix hoodie and Groove pants?):












"Baby B" (it's Wilson) loves hanging out on my side - you can see him sticking out his bum here:



p.s. I really do still have a belly button - the boys play kick ball with it sometimes - you just can't see it in all it's outie glory here...





Per Baby Centre UK, here's what's going on in there:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

23 weeks pregnant with twins - and booming!

It's official - I'm bulbous. Not quite sure how more is going to fit in here in the coming months (or how I'll stretch to accommodate more), but I'm becoming the amazing expanding woman. I can now feel the boys moving around and kicking all the time - sometimes, one boy's head will poke out the left side of my belly and the other will poke out the right side - the two bumps look like a belly butt! I dig it.

As I'm now nearly 6-months, I've decided to partay! Ok... April fools, it's an O'Douls:












Bigger belly, frizzier hair:












Ariel view:












BOOM!












Matt is growing, too:

The running gear

I get to run for 3 more weeks per my doctor - woo hoo 3 more! I'm not looking forward to the day I have to stop (some people smoke for stress, I run), but I really am loving getting into yoga, swimming, and spin so the tri-fecta will help ease the transition.

My new running gear is made up of a few staples:

• Lululemon tanks and long sleeves
• Any spandex pants
• The belly band
  
• The runner's girdle (yes, I am wearing a girdle to run - I find it quite amusing)

Here's some post run fashion:
(not sure why I always default to Super Man poses ...)











Blue steal and twin belly? Hah! I tried.












The infamous girdle - hot, right?

22 weeks

So I'm now 22 weeks pregnant with twins and I swear I'm changing daily.

Looking down I can no longer see my toes (I used to love my toes ... when housed in bright Choos or Pradas ... now I just hope my shoes match).









My ever-growing stomach also continues to be a surprising factor - I keep bumping into things (like door frames) forgetting what's going on up there.












Per Baby Center, here's what's going on in there:

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

21 weeks and counting!

The boys are moving more and more every day and I love it - a little kick to remind me what's to
come.

By the cribs (yes, we still need to put them together):













Boom - there it is:












Oh where oh where has my belly button gone? Answer: out!









All covered up by some cute onsies from auntie Ryan (from our almamater Cal Poly):












According to Baby Center, here's what's happening with the boys:

Your pregnancy: 21 weeks

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now

20 weeks - I have POPPED!!!

I'm now 20-weeks, or 5-months exactly. Time is flying and my belly is growing day by day (which people LOVE pointing out - especially at work ... not sure how I feel about that one).

When I was a kid there was a pregnant Barbie where you could pop on a belly and pop it off. I feel like something has been popped to the front of me - it's funny, sometimes I turn quickly and hit my stomach against a door or wall because I'm not aware it's out there! Then there are times like tonight - I took a yoga class with Linz and when we were in the final resting pose the boys were going nuts! I guess they did not zone out in yoga - their belly button kickball made me quite aware.








Per Baby Center, here's what's going on:
At 20 weeks hair on the scalp is sprouting and sensory development evolves rapidly. The nerve cells serving each of the senses - taste, smell, hearing, seeing, and touch - are now developing in their specialised areas of the brain. Nerve cell production slows down as existing nerve cells grow larger and make more complex connections. The smell of a newborn seems to be the most developed of all senses, enabling them to recognize you immediately.

You no doubt feel the kicking and somersaulting of your growing twins. At times, they may be so mobile that they will wake you up during the night. The next ten weeks or so will be your twins' busiest and most active time, until the uterus gets too crowded.

A whitish coat of a slick, fatty substance called vernix caseosa will begin to cover your twins. It protects their skin during its long immersion in amniotic fluid and acts as a barrier against infection after birth. Your twins are swallowing an increasing amount of amniotic fluid, good practice for their digestive systems.

Until now your fetuses have been measured from crown to rump but from 20 weeks the measurement will be from crown to heel. And from crown to heel they are approximately 10.5 inches/ 27 centimetres long. Their eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed and fingernails cover the fingertips.

Your babies can now hear your conversations. If you talk, read, or sing to your twins, sound waves are transmitted along your spine to make them progressively familiar to your voice, helping them to recognise you after they are born.

Your twins can hear other sounds through the skin covering your belly, but they are distorted as they pass through your fat and muscle, the wall of your uterus and amniotic fluid. Only your voice will be clearly recognisable to them by the end of your pregnancy.