Last Year

With the big first birthday just a couple of weeks away, lately I have found myself having a hard time not looking back on where we were a year ago.

One of my greatest accomplishments in life so far (and I really had nothing to do with it) was carrying twins for 38 weeks.  I am dead serious. I know you know what I mean if you have twins, and if you don't...lets just say the phrase "Enjoy being pregnant, because it is a lot harder once that baby comes out" DOES NOT APPLY! 

Now, I am not complaining at all.  I feel very blessed to have twins and have had a very easy pregnancy in terms of multiples.  I am just writing this blog entry for nostalgic reasons as I look back on some of the things I wrote down in my journal.   I can't wrap my head around how fast time has flown.  It all just feels like it was yesterday!

Here is one thing I wrote:

 "You know how you feel about week 38 to 40 with one baby?  Well, thats about how you feel with twins starting at about week 26!  By 32 weeks you feel overdue and at 37 weeks and 5 days, I just can't even explain it.  I am thrilled I made it this long and pray we have healthy girls that come home with us, but I need them out now.  I need to be able to be a mom to Theo and Mayzie again."

Anyway, like I said, I had a great, non-eventful twin pregnancy.  Though I was very sick in the beginning and  I did spend a couple nights in the hospital getting hydrated around week 9...I was better by 16 weeks.  Which is a shorter period of time than what lasted with Mayzie.  Both babies grew appropriately so there was no concern there, I never had to be on bed rest.  I stayed active and enjoyed it for the most part...until the end.

BUT HOLY CRAP, I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE AT THE END!!!

There are a few memories that I have of the end of my pregnancy that are as clear as day and I will never forget.

May 13th, 2010:  It was a rainy day, I had gone to lunch with my friend at Panchero's and my mom had the big kids.  I had the afternoon to myself but for some reason I just didn't feel right.   I finally started throwing up and having contractions at about 3 :00 pm.   I felt very dizzy, hungr and thirsty but couldn't seem to bring myself to drink anything or eat anything.  So I tried to take a nap.  I woke up to a very sharp pain and decided to call Michael to take me to the hospital.  We got there and got hooked up and they told me contractions were coming about every 4 minutes.  They decided to give me drugs to stop the labor and it worked.  We came to find out that Baby B (Tillie)  actually rotated from butt down to head down at 34 weeks 5 days, which is what was causing the terrible pain and nausea.  They couldn't believe that a twin flipped that late.  I felt terrible the next few days!





Preterm labor

 -May 26, 2010: On the last day of Theo's 2 year old preschool I felt like it was crazy for that school year to be ending because I literally was pregnant for the entire year and all of the other moms in the class just watched my belly grow every Monday and Wednesday.  The end of that year meant two things A) I had made my goal to make it to the end and B)  I was about to be the Mother of two more little girls.

Theo's last day of 2 year old preschool

-Walking down the street at the Valley Junction farmer's market and the downtown farmer's market trying to put myself in labor while already pushing a double stroller with a 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old, people would ask me when I was due all the while looking concerned.   I would say "2 weeks, with twins"...I saw their smiles fade in an instant and turn to panic for us.  We would alwas laugh about it and then ask each other "Do we really know what we are in for?"  Turns out they were right it was a little crazy in hindsight, but it was fun at the same time.

A whale

-Memorial day weekend:  I look back and try to ask myself why?  Why did I go to Des Moines Golf and Country Club 36 1/2 weeks pregnant with twins and wear a bikini???  Looking at pictures, I am not so sure I knew how big I really was, but I can remember  floating in water felt heavenly!
 

-Eating a Dairy Queen strawberry cheesequake blizzard every night.  I CRAVED cheesecake, funny because I didn't really like it until then.  I wish I could get pregnant again just to do that.  No matter how much I ate, I wouldn't gain.  It was AWESOME!

37 weeks

- My 37 week appointment:  Tuesday, June 1, 2010 I knew there was a chance that the c-section could be that day if Baby A (Georgia) was in the 10th percentile.  I PRAYED that this was the case...I wanted them out!!!  They did the ultrasound and we met with the doctor after...Baby A averaged 11th percentile.  I had a breakdown and begged for the doctor to do it just ONE week early but he just couldn't do a c-section that early for no reason.  I told him this "The reason is the mom can't breath or walk because there is a head coming out of her vagina."  He didn't seem to care.  Michael told me I could hang in there for one more week.  That one week..8 days actually, felt like 8 years.  NO JOKE!

-June 5th, 2010:  (37.5 weeks)  A bunch of friends from Michael's work met at a park for a pot luck and games.  I did not feel like standing or sitting on a picnic bench and my legs needed elevated so I made Michael stop at Walgreens and buy a reclining lounge chair.  I parked that thing under the pavillion by the food and put my feet up for the night. 

-The night before the scheduled c-section:  I made waffles and watched the Glee season finale.  I remember telling Theo and Mayzie they were going to meet their sisters tomrrow, and I remember being so incredibly excited and anxious and amazed that I had made it this far.  So much for a last good night's sleep.  Theo woke up at 12:45 am burning up and threw up for a good part of the night.  I never got back to sleep that night and I never would sleep again at night for a very long time!

Dear Georgia Cakes and Tillie Bell, 

I have 3 weeks from today until you are one-year-olds!  I thought this picture was kind of funny because it reminded me that even though you have both changed and grown so much in a year, that actually not that much has changed.  This is exactly what I would have seen at an ultrasound.  Tillie hogged up all the space in the womb and Georgia was scrunched all up! 

In the shopping cart at 11 months...Tillie using Georgia as a back-rest

Tillie all sprawled out and Georgia all cuddle up at 2 weeks

Happy Mother's Day

I am so very thankful to be their mother!

Look Closer

Just giving my little Tillie Bell a kiss...but wait..

Can you see it?  She is spitting up in my mouth!  This has happened a couple of times before, but this is the first time we have captured it on camera.  After, Michael gave me a wet wipe to wipe my mouth off with...it was full of Tillie's boogers.  I found that out the hard way too.

28

It's my birthday, 28 years old...closer to 30 than to 25.  Theo is incredibly excited that I am having a birthday, its quite cute.  He woke up extremely cheerful.  Last night he asked me if I was going to "get pretty" tomorrow for my birthday.  The  kids drew me cute cards, Michael got me a wonderful gift, that I was very surprised about!!  So, props to him  :)  Honestly, it IS crazy what can happen in a year. 

Last year I was 34 weeks pregnant with twins.  I did some modeling for Blond Genius maternity jeans. No worries, it wasn'tn actually modeling because they didn't show my face in the pictures.  They had me in super tight maternity jeans and tall pumps for 2 hours while they had a photographer do a little photo shoot.  I BARELY EVER wore jeans while pregnant, and NEVER wore heels.  But, apparently people do wear that stuff pregnant.  Ever see the show "Pregnant in Heels"?  Its one of my new favorites.  I wish I had her job!  Anyway, I struggled to breathe and had to elevate frequently throughout the day just so my legs didn't start to swell.  But, I was excited and full of anticipation for the doubling of children that was about to be!

Now here I am a year later...watching one  of those babies push a walker toy around and the other grab her sister's yogurt drink that was left on the "kids table" and try to drink while spilling all over self and laughing at the same time. (That is what they are both doing right now). 

May 4, 2010...34 weeks with twins

Georgie Cakes and Tillie Bell almost 11 months old

No matter what it will be a good birthday for me today, like every day, because I get to spend it with my wonderful kids (plus 2 this year) and my wonderful husband.  And my back doesn't ache, I can breath my ankles are normal size and I don't have a head falling out of my crotch and another head busting through my ribs :)

Now I need this next month, go as slowly as it did when I was pregnant....because I am not ready for two sweet little baby girls to be turning one