Seriously, I have no idea how some women have triplets, quads, and more! It really is unfathomable to me. I was getting my non-stress test the other day {which these little crazies passed with flying colors} and at the end, my doctor came in and asked me if I had been feeling "all those contractions." I just stared at her kind of shocked and said no. You see, when you have 8 limbs moving and grooving and stretching and protruding from your stomach all day, it's hard to tell exactly what is causing my stomach to be tight and feel like I sort of can't breathe. I just always figure it's these ladies letting me know they're doing alright in there. Can I imagine 12 or 16 or even more limbs?! No… and let's hope the closest I ever get to that is just trying to imagine.
We're 4 weeks from my induction date {twins have a greater risk of being still born after 38 weeks} and I am SO curious when these chicks are going to show up! Obviously I want them to cook as long as possible so they can get nice and strong, but come on! These are my first babies ever and I am sort of dying to meet them and see their sweet faces. I was trying to picture seeing them for the first time the other day, and I honestly can't. I have no idea what that experience is going to be like, but I'm pretty excited for it nonetheless.
This morning when JD was leaving for work {after a whopping 3.5 hours of sleep, mind you} we were discussing some baby prepping details, and he made the comment that he wishes they would've come yesterday. I started cracking up because he gives me a hard time almost every time I talk about how badly I wish they'd come {"they need to get healthy and strong, ash……." Yeah. Mom of the year award, already}. He claims he'll be sleeping even better once they get here because he won't have to be thinking about work and instead and he can just worry about babies, crying, and changing diapers. His job does kind of suck sometimes so I actually think there's a good chance that could all be true.
As far as sleep goes for me - it's sort of amazing what your body starts to do during pregnancy. You somehow begin to get prepped long before they come. Honestly, up until 30 weeks or so, sleep really wasn't an issue. I've never had issues falling asleep & I was starting to believe that I was just a good sleeper and wasn't going to have problems. HA! At first I would just wake up a lot to go to the bathroom. Nowadays I wake up having to go to the bathroom, but I literally can hardly support myself enough with my arms to even get up! I feel so heavy!! Since I have to sleep on my sides, I wake up about every two hours and switch sides because my shoulder/hip are killing and I need to distribute the weight. Then there's the super awesome part where every time I turn or roll over, I can literally feel both babies and whatever else is in that stomach of mine shift. Eeeeee…it's kind of a weird/gross feeling.
I'm sure that I'll feel about 20x more sleep deprived once they arrive - especially since I can't just take a nap if I feel like it, but at least my body is sort of preparing me a bit. I'm feeling pretty good about getting things prepped for these girls, in general. I just booked an appointment for someone to come do a deep clean in our apartment, I have an appointment with the State Highway Patrol tomorrow morning to install our carseats {the hospital strongly recommends you have them show you the appropriate way for your specific seat}, the stroller should be here next Wednesday, our newborn prep classes are over, my birth plan is written, the glider is ordered {although it won't be here until 3 days before the induction date - probably should've jumped on that sooner}, I pre-registered at the hospital, my breast pump has been ordered through insurance, their clothes are all clean, and I'm still debating whether or not to get our car detailed on the inside. It's not super messy, but I just want everything to be perfectly clean and ready for these babes. WHEW. Talk about a run-on sentence. I had NO idea there were so many knots to tie. Having babies is way more work and prepping than a wedding.
The nursery is pretty much done. I'm sure I could spend a little bit more time in there, but I'm sort of just over it. Turning a closet into a nursery is a lot harder than you'd think. I spent way too much time google searching "closet nurseries," "twin nurseries," and nurseries in general. It's like watching "Say Yes to the Dress" months before your wedding. You start to second-guess yourself and wonder if you did it entirely wrong. I love all the simple nurseries with the hardwood floors and all whites and creams with hints of gold and pops of color. Here's the thing though - My entire house pretty much matches that criteria. And I'm a little picky about all the colors and crazy patterns that you sort of can't escape when it comes to baby toys/gear. I've been a little plain with all of that. I figured that if my kids are going to have to sleep in a walk-in closet, I should at least make it fun and bright. I may have ended up going overboard, but we made the space work the best we could and I'm happy with it. We customized the shelving unit from Ikea {and painted it mint}, made the bookshelves from wood at Lowe's {for $8!!}, JD's mom made the crib skirts, I painted the two canvases behind their cribs, and I spent way more time than I'd care to admit searching for crib sheets on etsy. One day I'll post more details of the room when I feel like busting out our actual camera rather than my phone, but incase you're wondering how on earth I'm ever going to get into the nursery without running smack dab into the crib, there is a large door to the left of the photo that we will be using rather than the one that is open in the photo.
before
after
These past 8 months have gone by SO quickly, I can't even believe it. I always thought pregnancy would feel like it went on forever and ever but that wasn't the case. I have literally felt so overwhelmed with love and support by our family and friends as we've been prepping for their arrival. We had 4 showers{!!!!} and I don't know if I could put into words how much gratitude we've felt. A baby is expensive…two babies are REALLY expensive with the hospital bills alone, and there have been some days where I was a little stressed about all this money spending. We've had so much help from our friends and family and even more importantly, it's been such a testament to me that these girls are so cared for and are going to be welcomed into this world by SO many people who already love them. We are SO excited for these little chickadees to officially join our family. Here's to eternity with my best friend & my baby girls!
2 comments:
I'm so impressed! It doesn't even look cluttered! Love it!
You're an amazing decorator. That tiny space looks larger with the baby paraphernalia in the room than it does empty.
I'm 28 weeks and 2 days, though I'm carrying just one little boy. I've gone into labor twice, so I'm on bed rest and progesterone, and we're hoping really hard for another four to six weeks out of this pregnancy, but I know in my heart that the baby will be fine eventually even if he's born tomorrow, but he'll come home a lot faster if he stays put for several more weeks.
Your girls must be in great position if the go-to plan is for induction. Congratulations to them for passing their non-stress test with flying colors.
You're a brave woman. In some ways I envy you, but I have cystic fibrosis, which complicates things a bit, so I'm probably better off carrying just one at a time. I'm small, as you appear to be as well. That, too, as you certainly know, makes everything a little more cramped and a little more complicated. For your girls, it's good that they have a tiny mommy; the room won't seem small at all to them. It's exactly what they've grown accustomed to. (Pardon me for ending the sentence with a preposition. Expectant mothers have that privilege.)
May God be with you and your little family.
J.
Post a Comment