Still going strong

I had a follow-up appointment on Friday and they did a biophysical profile to check to make sure the babies are still doing ok.  They both passed with flying colors.  They did not remeasure them, so we're still not sure if the weights were correct or not but both babies are getting the blood and nutrients they need to keep growing.  My Dr was still on vacation so the Dr that was covering just asked and I had any questions and told me to come back Tuesday for my normal weekly appointment with my own physician.  I'm hoping we will finally get an induction date at this appointment since the twins will be considered full term on Tuesday!  The picture above is from today (36 1/2 weeks).  I'm HUGE!!!  haha.  I don't fit my clothes, I don't fit behind the wheel of my van, we went out to dinner last night and I just barely squeezed into the booth.  I'm definitely ready to hold my babies and get back to my normal self.  Sometime in the next two weeks we should be meeting our little ones and we can't wait!!

36 Weeks!!

I had my 36 week appointment today, if I make it one more week they will be full term! I can't believe we've made it this far! During the growth scan the sonographer found that the twins are now growing at very different rates and we're not sure why. They have been measuring within a few ounces of each other the whole pregnancy, and two weeks ago they both measured 5 pounds 3 ounces.  Today Liam only measured 5 pounds 12 ounces (only a gain of half a pound) and Lizzi is up to 6 pounds 11 ounces (gain for a pound and a half).  My Dr is on vacation so I had to see a different OB and he's not worried, but wants to play it safe.  I am going back in on Friday for a biophysical profile to make sure they aren't in distress.  With identical babies that share a placenta there is a condition called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) that is very dangerous and can happen any time in the pregnancy.  This is where one baby receives more the of blood, oxygen, and nutrients than the other and causes the difference in growth.  They say this is not possible in fraternal twins since they do not share a placenta, but my twins have a fused placenta (meaning it started as two that have become one, and there isn't even a thin membrane seperating them).  There is also the possibility of an issue with Liam's cord or with just his placenta aging and no longer giving him enough nutrients.  With all this said, there is also the possibility that the sonogram was wrong (although the sonographer did repeat her measurements) or that they are just different kids and are growing differently.  If they do find a problem on Friday then at least both babies are a good size and there's little risk in delivering them at this point.  We are hoping for the best and will post on Friday as soon as we know the newest results.

My beautiful little girl :)  She's getting so big!  Tori is officially a big girl, she's been wearing exclusively underwear for almost 3 weeks now!!  She started asking to wear underwear instead of diapers and since I'm home it was very easy!  We've been working on potty training for close to a year now and some days she would do great and others she would struggle.  We were running into problems with our schedule and it was so hard to be consistent until now.  After a couple of days at home with no diapers she was doing great!  So proud of my little munchkin!!!  :)

34 Weeks!!

My Doctor's goal for me for this pregnancy was to make it to 34 weeks...that was yesterday!! :)  I'm hoping to make it at least another week to decrease the twin's chances of having to go to the NICU.  They're both measuring 5 pounds 3 ounces (Almost exactly average for their gestational age which is awesome for twins) and are both head down.  Everything is going great, no complications or any speak of bed rest.  What else could a mama ask for!?!

Here is a picture of fraternal twins in the womb at 36 weeks just to give you an idea of how squished everyone is.  I am short waisted so I've got baby just about everywhere possible, especially under my ribs which gets pretty painful.  Now I understand why twins like to be swaddled so much once they're born :) 

We're getting very excited as the likely hood of their arrival becomes more and more likely.  Tori likes to hug and rub my belly and will tell you she's going to be a big sister.  She knows both babies names and that the pink clothes are baby Lizzi's and the blue are baby Leeman's (how she pronounces Liam, it's so cute!).  She's really into wrapping her twin baby dolls in blankets and rocking them which melts my heart right now.  She even sings them this little song "rockin' my baby, rockin' my baby."  I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone by.  We can't wait for the twins to be born and for our little family to be complete!