For the record

For the record, steroid shots HURT! I had a vague memory of the shots I received with the girls, but again, I was on a lot of different drugs trying to stop the labor and that memory was dim. I recalled it hurting a little, but in all honesty, it is painful. There is the usual pinch when it goes in, but wow there is a burn  as the medicine enters the body and an ache long after the needle has been removed. I am sensing that I will be achy later and I get to do it all over again tomorrow. I know it is worth it though, keep little one strong in case there is an early arrival, which we hope there won't be, but you never know, so better to be prepared than not!

27 weeks then and now

27 weeks then...2006.

27 Weeks Now

Today marks 27 weeks for me and the beginning of my third and final trimester. I couldn't be more thrilled be be 2/3 of the way done. I am not sure what it is, whether it is because I am short, or because I carried twins or what, but my body and pregnancy just don't agree. I get tired easily and I have been pretty sore and stretched out. But alas we are almost there and this little one just needs to keep cooking. My doctor thinks we may be looking at a big baby, but we will have a better idea of that at my ultrasound in a month. For now, she has moved our "goal" to 38 weeks. I told her I was fine with 37 and that mentally that is what I am trying to achieve. She said she may be okay with that, but would like to go for 38, but that if things are really stretched she would do an amnio at 37 and if the lungs are mature than deliver. Today I was measuring 31 weeks, so still 4 weeks ahead, but other wise healthy.  I had my glucose test as well, that is one nasty drink to say the least, but I passed without any problems. Which is great, because if I had had to give up sweets and sugar this time of year, I would have been miserable. I did find out that I have anemia, which may explain my excessive tiredness, my occasional dizziness and some of the other things that I have been suffering from. Hopefully a nice iron supplement will help clear up some of that and the anemia can be controlled. Monday, and Tuesday I will get my steroid shots as a precaution to help the lungs mature in case I go into early labor that can't be stopped. A benefit the doctor and I both think is well worth the small amount of pain and soreness that I am going to experience. I had steroids with the girls at 32 weeks when I went into preterm labor and I recall the shots being pretty painful, but I was also on a lot of other drugs attempting to get the labor to stop, so we shall see how painful it really is unmedicated. All I know is that the shots go into the hips and my hips already ache at night, but you gotta do, what you gotta do to help the little one arrive safely! So, as you can see, I am big, but still not as big as I was with the girls and all is still growing and stretching well!

Happy Fourth Birthday Beautiful Babies

Natalie and Maddie 2 months.

Natalie and Maddie 4 years.

To my beautiful baby girls,
Today, you turn four years old. I am not sure where time has gone or how it is possible for you to be four years old already, but here we are. Four short years full of laughter, crying, temper tantrums, hugs, laughing and most importantly fun. You two are two of the funnest and funniest kids I know. You may be identical twins in DNA, but you have such different personalities and you are definitely individuals, yet you are both so carrying and gentle. Maddie you are our little sports girl. You love playing soccer and swimming without your life jacket and of course your gymnastics. Natalie, you are our artist. You spend time drawing pictures and you prefer ballet over aggressive sports like soccer.  You take care of each other and are for the most part so sweet and loving. You have gotten very self reliant    and you can do so much for yourself and by yourself. Your imaginations are amazing and the way you two play together is unbelievable. You started school this year and you go two days a week. One day a week you go to the new school at the Children's museum. You love this school and you have learned so much already. The opportunities you are getting at the museum are amazing and you get to see a new exhibit each week and you do crafts and they are teaching you how to do design on the computer. Some of the pictures you have brought home are pretty amazing for a four year old! You spend your other day of school at a nice church school near our house. You enjoy this school as well, but in a different way. This school is more structured, but the things you are learning are amazing. Maddie, you love dinosaurs and my favorite thing is when you ask me what kind of dinosaur something is and I answer and you usually say, "no mom, it is a..." correcting me and telling me what the correct dinosaur is.  Natalie you like to create, whether it is drawing or singing or building things out of books or blocks or whatever you are both creative. Smart, beautiful and amazing. We are beyond blessed to have two sweet little angels to bring such joy to our lives on a daily basis and I can't wait for the two of you to become big sisters in a few months. I know your life will change when little peanut joins us, but already you are so great  with it. You enjoying laying on my belly and hugging it and kissing it. You like to make the baby kick and you tell it you love it. I can't wait for  you to have another sibling so you can teach it all of the things you have learned and look out for it like you look out for each other. My beautiful babies I am so pleased and blessed to have you in my life and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I love you so much and I hope you have such a wonderful birthday. Happy Fourth Birthday Baby girls, I love you, Mommy

25 weeks and I waddle

Yup, you read that right I have reached my 25 weeks, only 14 more to go and I am already waddling. I was out shopping yesterday and I caught myself doing it...waddle, waddle, waddle. I couldn't believe it and try as I might to stop it is like my body has a mind of its own and that is just how it is choosing to walk these days. Today I feel like an old lady. Everything aches, I have heartburn and I was finding every day simple tasks, like walking up the stairs to be tiring. I know I still have a long way to over 3 months and I will make it, maybe I need more sleep. Not sure what is up, but I will push on. No other real updates as of today, I don't have another appointment for two more weeks so no growth stats or weight statistics. Just this lovely picture showing how increasingly large I am getting in the front and the back and my new waddle. Good Times :-)

Back Up and Running

Well, I think we are officially back up and running here at Shades of Green. I am not sure what exactly I did to my template, but it was a disaster, but I think it has now been revived!
In other news, we have made it to the 24 week mark. I am feeling pretty good, although I definitely had a growth spurt this week. I woke up yesterday and felt huge, I asked Tom if I looked bigger and he unfortunately said I did. Not sure what this little one is doing but it is sure growing like a weed. We spent most of the weekend, okay all of the weekend painting peanut's room and cleaning the carpets and trying to get everything ready. I can't decide if we are jumping the gun on getting everything done this early, but I feel like the next 15 weeks are going to fly. The girls turn four in two weeks and then before we know it Thanksgiving will be here followed by Christmas and then we are there. Sometimes I feel like this pregnancy is taking an eternity, but in reality it is going pretty quickly. In a few short weeks I will already be into the third trimester and it is all down hill from there. I am currently on my last few weeks of four weeks between appointments and then I go to every two already. My stretch marks or messed up stomach from the first pregnancy doesn't look as bad as it did before,everything is flat and stretching out nicely. Unfortunately I am not holding out hope that my belly button is going to remain in. It is slowly stretching and I am hoping against hope it doesn't pop, it never did with the girls, but I am not so sure this time. So really that is all that is going in this little world and one of these days I will get another belly picture up since we have really grown in the last few weeks. So for now we are back up and running and more is to follow.

All Messed up

As you can tell, I was attempting to do some maintenance on my blog and update my template when I screwed everything up. Please bear with this horrible layout as I try to figure out what I have done. As in don't mind the double posting because I have no idea how to get rid of the side bar posting or where my archive disappeared to. Hopefully we will be back up and running soon!