20 weeks

Yesterday was 20 weeks! Went to Dr. McKee today for a check up and all looks good! Iron level still good but was a little lower than last time. Blood pressure was still perfect at 104/64. Weight.... Um I won't mention how much I gained since my last visit but I was shocked. Nurse said since I just got back from the beach yesterday that I probably am a little swollen from the sun, heat and salt. Doctor didn't say anything to me about it though. After all, there is 2 growing babies in my belly. Ultrasound looked good! They looked at my cervix and it's closed and a really good length at 4.45 cm. Both babies looked good as well. Alyssa is head down with her head in my pelvis and her heart rate was 141. Garrett is head up with his feet at my bladder, I should note I knew someone had their feet next to my bladder based on the kicks I have had at it and the instant "gotta go" feeling I have been getting! Silly babies! Garrett's heart rate was 152. He was doing his cardio workout in there today. He is by far the most active one! My belly was measuring almost 26 weeks today. Doctor said everything looks good and to come back in 2 weeks on August 7. Praise The Lord for another good report!!!

This is Garrett 

This is Garrett's bottom on Alyssa's face haha! 

Alyssa's face 

How big are the babies this week? According to the many pregnancy apps I have, they are about 10 inches long and about 10 1/2 ounces each, however 2 weeks ago ultrasound showed they were 9 ounces each so they are probably bigger than that! 

What are the babies up to this week? The babies keeps gulping down that amniotic fluid, now consuming multiple ounces a day. They are also sprouting teeth buds underneath her gums, as well as lips, eyelashes, and eyebrows.

Maternity clothes? I should just take this question out cause at this point it's about all I can wear! My t-shirts are so tight now! 

Stretch marks? None so far, knock on wood! 

Sleep? It is becoming harder and harder to be comfortable while sleeping. I am sleeping with a body pillow which helps but I can't sleep on my back anymore and my hips hurt not long after I have been on a certain side now so I constantly toss and turn. 

Feeling movement? Yes, everyday I feel those sweet babies now! Somedays I feel them more than others. I love feeling those sweet movements! Makes me smile everytime! What a miracle! 

Miss anything? Can't say I miss anything! 

Other symptoms? Well I was having fierce heartburn, like really bad. Doctor told me to get rid of the tums and try Zantac 150, which I did and that helped for a week. I am now taking Prilosec OTC. It is helping for sure. Other symptoms is back pain, spider veins, feet and leg aching and acne on my chest and face. I got the approval to start Proactiv so I started that today. No pregnancy glow here, just acne! Haha! I also have shortness of breath with pretty much any activity, walking included! They said that's normal!  I am not complaining, just stating the wonderful changes my body is experiencing cause of these miracles! I actually feel pretty good considering all the stated symptoms! 

Cravings? This week I was having an intense craving for a hot Krispy Kreme donut, so I ate 2! :) Today, I was craving white cheese dip and chips from a Mexican restaurant. Haven't given in to it just yet! 

Food aversions? Nope, not anymore! 

Swelling? No swelling. I even asked Dr. McKee today to look at my ankles and make sure I wasn't, he said no and to enjoy how they look now cause they won't look like that for much longer! Haha! 

Looking forward to? Feeling those sweet babies everyday and taking in the wonderful miracle of growing life inside of me! 

Praying specifically for? To be able to carry the twins to 37 weeks and that there will be no premature labor scares during the 20's and to be able to work as long as possible! 

The next 10 weeks are critical! We need to be able to keep them in and not have any premature labor scares. I am going to have to really take it easy and not do anything strenuous. We know God has got this so we will continue to trust Him and believe His perfect timing for their birth! God has gotten us this far and we know He will continue to do so! God is soooo good and we thank Him for sweet Alyssa and Garrett! 

Week 18 and 19

Tomorrow is 19 weeks which means we are half way there! Woohoo!!! Cannot believe that! Last week I was so busy with work and multiple doctors appointments I just didn't get around to making a blog post so I will update both weeks today. Last week I went for my regular visit with Dr. McKee on Tuesday. My iron level was good, blood pressure was 110/70 which is perfect, and I had gained 5 pounds since my previous visit 3 weeks prior so the weight is coming on now! :) Had an ultrasound and both babies looked great. They also measured my cervix on ultrasound and it was 4.29 cm and anything over 2.5cm is good. Fluid levels in both babies sacs was also good! So praise The Lord for a good visit! Last Thursday we had our target ultrasound with UAB. The ultrasound took about an hour and looked at all the organs in great detail. Both babies looked healthy!!!! Thank you Jesus! They are both weighing at 9oz a piece. Garrett was very active during the ultrasound and the doctor had to take over the scan to "wrestle" him! Haha! The doctor is a high risk OB and made a few recommendations that he said he would let Dr. McKee know. 1st recommendation was to take the babies between 37-38 weeks if they haven't come by then and 2nd was to screen me for gestational diabetes at my next appointment and again at 28 weeks if I pass the first screen. Yuck! My next appointment with Dr. McKee is June 24. We finished registering at the last place last weekend, Babies R Us, looking forward to the baby shower Sept. 28! This past weekend we got the nursery painted and today the cribs came in and Keith put those together! I will do a separate blog post of the nursery and it's progress! So exciting!!!! So happy and blessed everything is going so well right now. We can only pray that God continues to allow the journey to be blessed with health and happiness!

This is Garrett  :) 

This is Alyssa :) 

This is both! Alyssa is Twin A and Garrett is twin B. Garrett is looking down in this pic. 

The belly continue to grow!!! 

How big are the babies now? Well according to the target ultrasound they are 9oz a piece and about 7 inches long! 

What are the babies up to this week?  This week their sensory development is exploding and the brain is designating specialized areas for taste, smell, hearing, vision and touch. The kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on their scalp is sprouting! 

Maternity clothes? Yep. Still able to wear some lounge clothes and the bigger scrubs I bought but everything else is maternity! 

Stretch marks? Not yet. I have noticed the veins on the side of my tummy are very blue and more prominent. 

Sleep? I'm still sleeping pretty good for the most part. My hips and back and hurt a good bit if I'm in a certain position for too long so I toss and turn a whole lot. I can only imagine how it will be as the weeks progress!

Sickness? No more sickness! Hallelujah! The appetite is back! 

Miss anything? Nope

Feeling movement? Yes! I am feeling them more and more and some kicks are strong. Keith was able to feel one of them kick the other night for the first time!!!

Swelling? None yet!

Cravings? I cant think of any specific cravings I am having other than a banana and mayo sandwich and a big glass of milk!

Food Aversions? Havent had any lately and I can finally eat meat again!

Looking forward to? Going to the beach for family vacation soon!!

Praying Specifically for? To be able to work as long as possible and for both babies continue to grow and be healthy and to make to November 19, which is 37 weeks!

God is sooooo good and to Him be all the glory for these 2 miracles!!!!!

16 and 17 week update

So I missed last weeks post due to me going out town so I'm going to update both weeks. So we registered at Buy Buy Baby and Target and it was a lot of fun! We still are going to register at Babies R Us but we couldn't fit all 3 in one day. It was exhausting haha! It really started to make everything feel real. We got the results for the second trimester screening which tests for neutral tube defects and the results came back normal! Praise Jesus!!! Next week is a big week! We have our regular appointment with Dr. McKee on Tuesday and we have our target ultrasound with UAB on Thursday. This is like the anatomy scan but just a little more detailed. Please be in prayer with us that everything will be healthy and normal at the target ultrasound! We are excited to see them twice in 1 week on ultrasound! I will post pics! As you can see, I am getting bigger and bigger. Strangers are now commenting on the belly, which I love, because I hated just looking fat! Haha! Yesterday a lady in publix told me a looked beautiful pregnant, it made my day! :) We are starting to get the nursery ready. We got the room all cleaned out today and now it is ready to be painted. I can't wait to see it come together! Now time for the weekly questions! 

How big are the babies now? The babies are now about 5 inches from head to bottom and weighing in at about 5 ounces each. 

What are the babies up to this week? This week the babies skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. They can move their joints and their sweat glands are starting to develop 

Maternity clothes? Yeah and I got some new ones. :) 

Stretch Marks? Nope not yet. Still continuing my routine. However my belly itches soooo much! 

Sleep? Sleep is starting to become not as great. I toss and turn so frequently cause my sides ache so quickly. Of course laying on my belly is completely out of the picture. I am sleeping with a body pillow which helps but it has become Keith's enemy! He he :) 

Sickness? Last week, I got sick twice but so far I haven't gotten sick at all! (Knock on wood) yay!

Miss anything? Nothing I miss this week, other than sleeping on my belly. 

Feeling movement yet? YES!! I felt the babies for the first time this past Thursday, June 26! I had just landed in Austin, TX and we had just gotten to the gate and I felt this "flutter kick" and I knew it was a baby and then I felt it again and again! It was awesome!!!! Keith is dying to be able to feel them but for now I am enjoying being the only one to feel their sweet movements! 

Swelling? No swelling yet. However, I am getting some terrible spider veins in my legs... Ouch! 

Cravings? I definitely have a sweet tooth right now. Anything from fruit, candy, and beyond! I am trying to deny the cravings so that I won't get gestational diabetes but it is hard! 

Food aversions? Anything really with an overwhelming garlic flavor is not good right now. 

Looking forward to? Next weeks ultrasound! Love seeing those sweet babies!

Praying specifically for? Healthy babie and a healthy mommy! To be able to make it to 37 weeks which is Nov 19! And to be able to work as long as I can to save up for maternity leave! 

Thanks for reading! And as always we give God all the glory for these sweet growing blessings, Alyssa and Garrett! God is sooooo good!