31 weeks tomorrow!

Seriously.  How blessed are we?  We've made it to 31 weeks with such minimal stress and complications.  Twin pregnancies, not to mention mo/di pregnanies, can have so many issues to deal with and we've reall cruised by all of them and faired so well so far.

I'm up to 160 lbs and my body is tired.  My stomach is "as big as a house" and my middle back cramps up often, especially at the end of the day.  I was LOVING taking Epsom salt baths, but because of the cramping, often times when I get in the tub, it's too comfortable to lay there.  Sometimes the shower feels good but because I'm so heavy, my feet start hurting and my legs get tired.  My OB measured my stomach last Friday and said I'm measuring full term for a singleton pregnancy.  My old stretch marks are now starting to lengthen and are reddish purple on either end.

I really haven't had any gross pregnancy symptoms at all, no major swelling, and I typically only get up one or two times a night to go to the bathroom.  My first trimester heartburn hasn't returned, my face hasn't broken out, and I haven't been overly emotional or crazy feeling (although recently I've started to have a few panicky episodes which was disheartening since I've been doing really well with that for quite some time).

I've eaten WAY more dairy I think I ever have in my life in an attempt to get some extra protein and calcium in my diet.  I've been on an "organic fuel" chocolate milk kick recently.

I've started having timeable contractions, which I know the routine from Judah and Aylahs pregnacies.  I was so proud and couldn't believe how well my body was responding up until about 26.5 weeks when they started to become more consistent.  Last Monday, they were every 10 minutes for over 24 hours so I made the decision to go to the hospital and get checked out.  I didn't want to wait until my MFM appointment that Wednesday to see if they were changing my cervix.  Sure enough, there were lots of "mountains" on the monitor but all tests came back negative and my cervix was normal.  If they get closer together, more intense, or with pressure, I need to head back in.  Over the past few days I've started experiencing pressure with some of the contractions, and some are really uncomfortable, whereas before they'd just happen and feel tight.  The dr said he's not surprised I'm feeling this way because of the size of my belly now at this point, etc.

My stomach is so heavy I have to stuff a pillow underneath of it.  When I forget and pull it out quickly, it kinda jerks to the side and in like ouch!  I've been sleeping mostly on my right side, with pillows wedged on either side, but usually still find myself laying on my back when I wake up.  What I had originally thought was rib pain, feels like nerve pain and the skin burns so bad.  I've been putting biofreeze on it so that it takes the edge off so I can fall asleep.  It's bad.

I've been having really weird dreams and many nights are not super duper restful because I wake up dreaming/thinking about weird stuff.  Usually I can fall right back to sleep though.

It's hard being so big and most things hurt...I can't really leave the house anymore because it takes too much out of me.  That's been hard and an adjustment.  The summer, most of it anyway, kinda passed me by because I just felt so crappy.  The exhaustion, like major MAJOR exhaustion has been probably the hardest part (besides my body hurting).  In the two previous pregnancies, id find some relief from resting and I distinctly remember "forgetting" that I was  pregnant with Aylah because I really felt well, especially in the second trimester.  This twin thing though, it's not joke. I take extra iron, all my vitamins, and have been watching what I eat...I'm literally exhausted by mid-morning most days.  It was noon today and I was reading Aylah a book on the couch.  I was so tired, my eyes started bouncing and rolling back into my head.  I'm not even kidding.  I've fallen asleep siting up countless times--sometime I'm definitely not prone to doing.

I'd love to make it to 37 weeks and have healthy boys!  That'd be so great.  It's going to wreck my body and hurt so bad but if I could carry them that long...how awesome would that be?!  Jareds prediction is the last week of December, very early January. I'm not sure I have a prediction, but would certainly like to make it into January.  Tomorrow will be 42 days until 37 weeks...only 34 days until 36 weeks...just under 3 weeks until 34 weeks...goodness. I can't get over it.

I know they'll be here so soon and one day I'll look back on these writing and crave to have the feelings I'm experiencing now--the anticipation, the excitement, the wonderment (is that a word?) of the unknown.  In so many ways, this feels like it's my first pregnancy.  We've gotten so many new or new to us gear.  It's really exciting.  I'm scared.  Really scared.  But also really excited, finally.  God is so cool.  I never could have guessed in a million years how my life would end up going or the twists and turns it'd take.  I'm really grateful and love my life.  I feel so blessed to honestly be able to say that.

Well, it's almost 11 now and I have to get up and pack my oldest boys lunch tomorrow morning before school...better rest up and try to enjoy these wiggly babies in my belly (while trying to ignore the back pain, ha).

See you along the journey--