belly belly

Finally a belly shot at 32 weeks! My belly is definitely much larger than its ever been with my singletons and my shirts are getting too small. I should have had johne take a front view too because my belly bulges out my waste!! I'm still having some thyroid issues (that will hopefully go away after pregnancy) and about 2 weeks ago developed gestational diabetes which I've never has before. This is the first time I've ever "dieted" and in some ways its been easier than I thought but most ways it's been pretty difficult. I've learned I have pretty good self control and don't get tempted by sweets. The hard part is cooking for myself, not just 3 times a day, but 6 or 7 because I've got to eat constantly. I think a diabetic diet would be much easier if I didn't have to feed 3 of us. I'd love to have a personal chef for the next few weeks! My blood pressure is higher than my normal but still pretty low, thanks to all of our family and friends who have been helping out with the kids! Hopefully we still have another good few weeks before the preeclampsia gets bad.

The twins are doing very well. They are both healthy and growing. Their growth is slowing down due to limited space, but not a concern yet. Baby A (boy) is measuring 3lb 14oz, 20th percentile (dropped from the 50th) and baby B (girl) is 4lb 9oz, 63rd percentile (dropped from the 70th). She has been bigger all along probably because she's on top squishing him and taking up most of the space. While he's down making my pelvic bone very sore, she's right up in my ribs. Movement of any sort is getting very difficult but I'm very thankful the babies are healthy and I'm not on hospital bed rest (one of my worst nightmares)!!

We still have come up with names so any suggestions would be helpful!

Easter

we were so lucky to have grandma and grandpa gledhill with us for a whole week!! the boys had a blast and i got lots of rest! we all had a great easter. here are a few shots of the boys in their easter suits. yes, the same suits from last year. i haven't been able to do much shopping this year!









there's a sneak peek of my big belly. i still haven't been brave enough to take a good shot. maybe this will be the week!

my sis

check out my sister featured on the clothed much blog! (now you know my secret!)

ps. i'll give an update on the twins when i can work up the nerve to take a pic of my big belly!

purple

i have been wanting a purple room for a few years now so i finally started this project back in september. i got the guest room painted and bought a few accessories. then i got pregnant and didn't finish the room. when my parents came out, they helped me finish up the stenciling so that we could get the room put back together. i love how it turned out and now wish it were our master!!! now we need lots of visitors to occupy our new room! Thanks so much mom and dad for helping us finish our purple room!!! We are all so grateful for all of the things you did to help us out while you were here! we got shelves up in the garage, lots of freezer meals done, organized the laundry and kids rooms, put up all the christmas decor and most of all helped out with the everyday chores and taking care of kids! we wish we could have you visit every month!! we love you gran and papa!!!

5 boys 2 girls

today was the big ultrasound day. they started out with baby A (closest to the exit). this was the one they thought was a boy at my last ultrasound and it was quite obvious they were right. he looks healthy and is growing right on track. they then moved onto baby B. this one was moving all over the place and the cord was blocking our view. after the ultrasound tech did all the checks and measurements to show us this baby was healthy too, she worked at trying to figure out the sex. after some time, she finally got a good view of her girl parts, took some pics, then double and triple checked to make sure that was right. she along with most people were really hoping for us to have a girl. we all know that ultrasounds are not 100% foolproof, but luckily i will have many more sonograms to confirm this. we are so excited to welcome these babies into our home and i'm especially excited to buy pink. after my appointment i stopped at target for a few necessities and couldn't help but buy some cute baby girl clothes! i have always wanted boy/girl twins. i guess all of my dreams are coming true even though the timing isn't exactly what i wanted.

Who knew?

You would think I would know most everything about pregnancy since I'm a nurse and a seasoned veteran. I must have overlooked this or learned it once and forgotten it but hyperthyroidism is common during the first trimester. And yes I have an extreme case. The pregnancy hormone HCG that runs rampant the first trimester can cause the thyroid to over produce hormones. That means when they do a routine blood test they will sometimes see a TSH level that is on the low side. Mine was very low so they tested my T3 and T4 which were high. Higher than they usually see in pregnancy. My HCG levels are usually on the high side but are off the charts high with these twins. I went to see an Endocrinologist who told me I look healthy other than my thyroid levels and enlarged thyroid. Luckily I don't have to start any medication but they will watch my levels every two weeks and make sure the babies are growing. We are all hoping this is related only to the HCG and not an auto immune disease. If that is the case my thyroid levels should start going down as the pregnancy progresses. Anyway I thought this symptom was funny but oh so true. Problems thinking! Oh yes have I had this and have it bad. My brain is a foggy mess right now. Since many of the symptoms coincide with pregnancy it's hard to differentiate between the two. A few I have noticed are rapid heart rate, shakiness, fatigue and insomnia. Being pregnant with twins these thing are pretty easy to write off but make sense now that I know my thyroid is overactive. We are all hoping my body corrects this on it's own without needing drug therapy. The babies will be closely monitored as well to make sure my thyroid is not affecting them.

big news

we found out some shocking but exciting news on thursday. i went in for a nuchal translucency sonogram on thursday and they found not one, but 2 babies. i'm 12 weeks along and both babies are looking healthy so far. we are very nervous about all that comes with twins but are excited for 2 new little babies to join our family. we must have agreed to have 5 kids in the pre existence, but HF knew the only way to make that happen was to throw in an extra with our last pregnancy!

the most common reaction: what!!??!!?!?

most commom questions

do twins run in the family: no
do you live by family: no
what kind of twins: fraternal
do you know the sex: one looks to be a boy (not 100%) the other was very shy but we still have lots of time
have you been sick: yes, very. but even more so i've been exhausted. 2 naps a day. just taking a shower tires me out
when are you due: june 13th, but will most likely be may
what about preeclampsia: since i've had it with my other pregnancies, i will almost for sure get it. hopefully it wont show up until close to then end.