One of Each

Today we went to the doctor for the ultra sound. How exciting. The ultra sound tech was so nice and super funny.

We sat down and she asked if we knew the sexes yet and when she told us that Baby A was a boy I started crying and saying, I so wanted a little boy. I am so excited and feel so blessed.

Then came Baby B and I started getting a little nervous. I was thinking it was going to be two girls, or one of each, but then started thinking what if it's two boys? I wasn't mentally prepared for two boys. Luckily, she informed us that Baby B is a girl. I started crying again. Yet another blessing. One of each.

Laying on my back I wanted to see the babies and watch them move and all, but got really lightheaded and hot and my toungue started going numb. I could tell I was about to pass out, so the nurse had me turn on my side. Apparently laying on back can cut off blood supply to a vein and causes women to pass out occasionally. So after a few minutes of Kyle fanning me and the nurse rubbing my back, we were able to concentrate on the babies again, but she had to do the rest of the ultra sound with me on my side.

Baby A has his head on my left side, while Baby B has her's on the right side. It was so cute to see how lively they were. The boy kept kicking his feet and moving around and looked like he was kicking his sister in the head and the little girl was swatting her hand and looked like she was trying to push his feet away. They are fighting already...too cute.

Their heads look normal size, spines look good and from what they can tell through an ultra sound, babies are doing well. They are both 8 ounces (a half pound) and the baby boy is measuring at 18 weeks 1 day (we are 18 weeks 3 days today) while the baby girl is measuring at 18 weeks 0 day. Those measurements though are normal.

Also found out I gained 7 pounds since last appointment four weeks ago. So nearly two pounds a week. Good motivation to start eating healthier, although I know I am suppose to gain weight. Just don't want to gain too much, or more than necessary.

Also, have a sharp pain on lower left side that is sensitive to the touch. Found out it is just a ligament stretching and with twins it will get that strong since uterus is having to stretch even more.

Thank you Jesus for a great report, two healthy babies, a husband that was willing and excited to go to the apts with me, and for the opportunity to raise twins...a boy and a girl.

More movement

Have been feeling the babies move more lately. It's such a cool feeling. Still can't feel them on the outside but on the inside they are squirming around.

The baby on the left side is really moving a lot the past two days. My roommate told me if I drink ice water or cold orange juice they are suppose to move around more, and I have been eating ice a lot the past couple days because I have been sick.

Nausea is pretty much all gone. There are certain foods that I eat that still make me nauseous, like pears or acidic foods, but that's not a big deal. I am so grateful that I am feeling better!

Sleep is really hard to come by it seems lately. I am uncomfortable, mainly because I went from no belly to one that is big enough to lean to the side when I lay down. Uncomfortable on my back, and if I lay on my left side my hip cramps up and really hurts. The right side seems to be more uncomfortable for my stomach than the left side. Also, I have been getting bloody noses almost every night, and congestion is really bad so when I finally fall asleep I usually wake up unable to breathe. Am fine with lack of sleep though.

We find out the sexes of the babies this Friday and we are so excited. I am still up in the air with what sex they will be. I think two girls, but most other people think it will be one of each. Will be fun to see what they are.

The Baby Bump

Here are a few picture updates of the Belly...Red is for week 15. Blue is week 16 but doesn't show belly very well. Purple is week 17. I think the pics make my belly look bigger than it feels, but I no doubt have a belly now.

Went and saw a few friends today and first one said, oh you have a little baby pouch. The other said, wow, you can really tell you are pregnant. Hahaha...guess it really isn't "hideable" anymore.

Maternity Clothes

Well, I caved in after the first couple days in MT. Couldn't fit into my pants anymore with the rubber band so went to Old Navy and could a couple pairs of pants. My belly has grown so much in the past week and a half that half my shirts I brought that I thought were long enough only go to about my belly button, so had to get a few shirts too. Have enjoyed getting the new stuff, but dreading shipping back THREE boxes of stuff to MO, between the stuff purchased and the stuff we got for Christmas. Oh well, totally will be worth it!!!

Cousins

I am so excited that Taylor and Dominic are finally going to have Cousins!!! Taylor is in that stage where she is so interested in pregnancy, babies, and anything having to do with either of those. And Dominic, though he is six, is still really excited to hear about babies and all.

I stepped off the plane and Dominic and Taylor ran up to me and the first thing Taylor said was, "Hey Aunt Kimberly, you have two babies in your belly...TWO!" It was so cute and then she just kept touching my tummy. In fact, the entire weekend I was with her she would touch my belly and when Dominic would talk she would yell at him to be quiet so she didn't wake up the babies. Adorable!!! And, when I was leaving Christmas day to Dad's house, Taylor said she wanted to say bye to the babies, so she pulled up my shirt, folded down the cloth of the maternity pants and kissed my belly and just kept rubbing it. It was so cute.

Dominic is truly an angel too and like I said, though he is not to the extreme of Taylor, he kept talking about the babies. At one point he asked me why my belly was so big, and I said, "Oh, I'm just getting fat." Being the big hearted boy he is, he laughed and said, "Aunt Kimberly, You can never be fat." That has got to be the best compliment you can ever give a woman, especially when she no longer fits into her normal clothes.

I feel so blessed to have Dominic and Taylor in my life, and just know that they will be great cousins to Baby A and Baby B!!!

Christmas 2008

Well, I was really looking forward to this year. Kyle and I were going to Montana and going to celebrate our last Christmas before our beautiful twins are born...unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan.

Kyle's flight, which left two days after mine, was canceled. And, due to the holiday, he wasn't able to get out on another flight...until the 29th of December. By then all our holiday rituals and traditions would be over and he would just be hanging out with the family, so we decide he just wouldn't come out at all. Suddenly our last Christmas together before children turned into our first Christmas apart in six years.

I was really bummed out that he wasn't here, but it still turned out to be one of the best Christmases yet. We were so blessed with gifts galore, to the extreme that we are having to ship back two large boxes full of gifts. Mom gave us money to buy two cribs and knitted these adorable booties and a gorgeous blanket for the babies. I can hardly wait for them to be used and what a perfect gift that will be cherished forever!

We woke up Christmas morning (we open gifts Christmas Eve with my family) and Santa (AKA Auntie Mandie) had made two little stockings for Baby A and Baby B. My eyes filled with tears when I saw them and how it was set up. What a sweet thought and gesture for her to do that. The babies have pacifiers, blankets, bibs, onsies, and a lullaby CD that I am really excited to hear.

All-in-all, for Kyle not being there, this Christmas was still great and it made me even more excited to see our babies.

Heading to Montana

Well, tonight is the night that I have been anxiously awaiting for quite some time. I get to go home and see my family. Miss them terribly, especially with it being around the holiday season and being pregnant. It is hard for me that they won't get to be "active" with the pregnancy in preperation for the babies being born, and in watching them grow up, so getting to see them now is really important to me.

This is also the last trip Kyle and I are taking as just the two of us, before we are parents. I wish it would be a place and activities that he would be more excited about or that he would enjoy more, but grateful we get to get away together none the less.

We have talked about going on a "Babymoon" but I think we are both to nervous to do that. With twins it is scarier the thought of preterm labor or something going wrong. So I don't think we are going to do that. Maybe I can talk him into a weekend away to Branson or something.

Also, excited to see family because my belly is finally starting to show. In no rush for it to show since once it starts growing it is hard for it to stop, but helps pregnancy to seem more realistic.

Praying for babies to grow healthy and strong and that we can make it to full-term labor. Also, though very grateful that I feel a bit better lately I am still feeling pretty nauseous, so praying the nausea continues to go away and that my breathing gets better. Really struggling a lot to breath lately. Think it is anxiety, but also congested and keep getting bloody noses, which doesn't help.