Half way there and then some
18 1/2 weeks is about halfway point for me (HOPEFULLY!) and I was looking forward to enjoying the honeymoon stage. Morning sickness is now gone mostly (there is usually a weekly incident and last week occurred in the car, good thing I was prepared). So just as I began to get an energy surge and the itch to begin nesting while I can still safely waddle around the house with reasonable speed, I was treated to a nasty cold that felt like a sinus infection. I didn't quite feel up to a photo op then so here it is now as I am recovering.
19 weeks.
My belly is growing by leaps and bounds. Evidence of this includes the all infamous shifting of eyes to my belly as I walk into the room. I now have parents (of kids I DON'T work with) commenting on things like-'that baby sure is growing' as they have observed weekly changes. I have now developed a little padding on the sides of me and have weird creases. Apparently when I bend forward, my waist has moved up to just underneath my chest. I have resorted to tying my shoes with legs crossed resting one on the other and bows to the side of the shoe, and someone seems to be moving items on the far back corners of my desk farther and farther out of reach.
The best part is that I am now for sure feeling 8 little tiny arms and legs moving around-I am going to give birth to an octopus. I first felt it on Christmas morning and was not quite sure that was it until the last two weeks. However it has become quite apparent we have a wiggly one on the right and the one on the left dances to the tune of cheese cake and brownies. Hubby has frustratingly not yet been able to feel anything as they seem to quiet down every time he is interested in resting his hands on my belly. I had him convinced that a peace offering of brownies last night would initiate the nightly belly dances but to no avail (but the brownies and frozen yogurt sure tasted good, thanks hon').
The other night I got up to use the restroom (an at least once nightly occurrence)and just as I was sliding back into bed, Hubby reached over and poked me in the belly and I leaped back out as my foggy brain tried to comprehend why on earth he had slid his hand under the huge body pillow over to my side and was poking me in the belly in the middle of the night. Then he actually woke up and asked why I had such a weird look on my face. The kiddies are fooling me already and daddy's taking the blame. I swear it felt exactly like HE poked me. Very weird.
Breaking the news and Baby Sockies
The symptoms of pregnancy were pretty foreign to me. (After 17 weeks, they still take some getting used to). So while waiting to see if I was pregnant initially, I jumped the gun and got a pregnancy test and took it two days before Hubby and I had planned to take it together. Just in case some of the weird symptoms I was having weren't from pregnancy, I wanted to make a visit to the Dr.
Lo and behold, two lines turned pink, much to my surprise. I had bought some baby toys along with the test, just in case. And I decided to let our fur baby (baby kitty nutmeg as I affectionately call her) do the talking. Later that night, I scooped her up and claimed there was a bug in the bathroom she had to go see. (Very unsuspicious, she loves to chase them). Hubby didn't suspect a thing. I velcroed two baby rattles on to her collar and tied a little bell around her neck. She was eager to race off to her "dada" to save her from this torture and she perfectly slid out the bathroom door, around the corner and laid down right at his feet with her chin on the floor, peering up at him. I peeked around the corner. The tiny bell tinkled and he looked down at her perplexed at the noise and spectacle. He scooped her up and took off the items asking Nutmeg what they were. I walked around the corner. He looked at me with a sparkle in his eyes I'd never seen before and a grin on his face and said "Does this mean what I think it does?" Yep, I'm pregnant!
SOCKIES
I left some baby socks on our counter in the bathroom the same evening and since then, Hubby has taken a liking to them. She really likes all kinds of socks, I found out early in our marriage. I came home for lunch in our old apartment to find socks strewn across the floor right in the middle of our apartment thinking Hubby was especially messy that morning. I got a little confused when I came home later that day to find even more socks strewn across the room when Hubby hadn't even come home. I later discovered I had left my sock drawer open and the furriest member of our family (Hubby?) had been pulling them out and dragging them across the room.
Well, Nutmeg likes baby socks too..We received many baby items from mother-in-law (THANKS!) and I had laid them out in the guest bedroom to organize for later. The next morning we had baby socks and bundled pairs of socks in our bedroom, bathroom, hallway and down stairs. Baby kitty, just don't take them when they are on the babies feet, OK?
Caught in the act
Andrea's morning sickness guide with twins, Belly's and Andrea's reality check
Week 16-The week morning sickness is supposed to 'disappear' for multiple pregnancies. Instead, morning sickness has metamorphisized into several variations. I had exactly 4 weeks to oogle secretly in the mirror in the work bathroom that I was pregnant. Actually two really if you subtract out the waiting to find out if your future has been changed forever...
WEEK 5: BAAM! The week it all began. The absolute worst stomach type flu feeling I have ever had that lasted 24-7 waking me up at night because it hurt so bad. It began the weekend of Halloween (I will never look at mini-snickers and twix the same again) and the week Hubby was painting the house (Two weeks later-Honey, LOOKING at the paint color is making me nauseaous). For all you on chemo or needing to try that medical marijuana, I understand and sympathize with you acutely. We however, had to go with the legal stuff: saltines, preggie-pops (a waste!), jolly ranchers (cheaper version), sprite, ginger ale, ginger tea, motion sickness wrist bands (They made beautiful cult like marks that remained on my wrists through the following work day but didnt do a darn thing and fortunately no one ever questioned me about it). We tried them all but not a darn thing squealched even an ounce of that deathly nausea feeling out of me. I was indeed pregnant...and it all made a little more sense a few weeks later-TWINS.
WEEK 6-9: Fortunately the morning sickness lessens slightly enough for me to quit complaining to my husband that I am dying, fly and attend a baby shower in the Bay area with a bit of effort, and continue the work thing. I have no idea how I happen to make it through work the week before but only know that if the sickness had continued this week, sick day's would have been lookin real good. Hubby slowly realizes the woman he once knew and loved is now returning and I now realize I have a very good reason to "TUFF it out" since we have discovered there are TWO!
WEEK 12: Hot flash incident #1 (age 31): My morning sickness has now metamorphosized into random flashes of excessive nauseau throughout the day. This one includes a suddenly enormous urge to puke (didn't help to have the kid I was working with needs a diaper change while I deal with my super charger pregnant nose). I place him down and begin sweating profusely for about 5 minutes. This all ends with me feeling like I have the shakes. Gradually it subsides. Is this really what I have to look forward to at age 50+? Does this count as getting it over with now?
WEEK 12 to Present: The nausea now comes on when I am not stuffing my face or about 15 minutes after I have stuffed my face which causes me to continually stuff my face.
At least I am now enjoying looking at and eating food. I think my return to watching the Food channel will signify that life and my stomach has returned to normal...
REALITY CHECK...
In regards to my
hubby's post on his web sight about viewing bellies and delerious giggling episode, I had a reality check moment. I think I need to readjust my views on what my belly will be looking like in the later weeks of pregnancy. Not that I mind getting big, I just had no idea bellies could take on take on such weird shapes. And will I be able to MOVE in the later weeks? I think I'll be readjusting my view on work in the last few weeks.
BELLY BUTTONS...
For those of you that know me (really)well, Yes I have an "outie" and yes, it was conspicuously "hidden" from view in my picture. It has already popped out and is now definitely way out there. Hubby has been talking to my ever-growing-by-the-minute belly in the last few weeks and he is now annoyingly and affectionately using it as a 'microphone'. (OK it is kind of cute)
Happy New Year
The best thing about being pregnant with twins and ringing in the New Year...
New Year's resolution:
EAT, EAT, EAT.
GAIN WEIGHT, GAIN WEIGHT, GAIN WEIGHT.
