29 weeks

I apologize for all of you who continue to check my blog for things/pictures I've promised...only to find nothing. I seriously have no ambition lately to get anything done. It's much more comfortable for me to just hang out on the couch with my feet up.

Here are some of our latest pictures:

*baby girl profile with her hand up by her face

* baby boy profile (facing opposite direction) with his hand up by his face

*the process of painting the bedroom

(painting is not really Cody's favorite thing...I think he got a little side-tracked)

(finished product...I think he did a fantastic job!!)

*my 29 week "belly picture." It's getting harder and harder for me to see how big I'm getting :(

*I found a little information (because I know some of you are curious) about the "pubic bone pain" that I've been complaining about for several weeks now.

SPD--Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction:

It is caused by a loosening of the pubic symphysis (a joint at the front of the pelvis) during pregnancy. The number one problem that many pregnant women complain about is pubic pain.

Because of hormones, it is normal for there to be some extra looseness and pelvic pressure during pregnancy. This is good because it means your body is getting ready for birth! It's loosening up to give you maximum space and flexibility, and to help make things easy for you and your baby.

However, in some women, either because of excessive levels of hormones, extra sensitivity to hormones, or a pelvis that is out of alignment, this area is extra lax or there is extra pressure on the joint.

Common symptoms that I'm experiencing:
*substantial pubic pain! Tenderness and pain down low in the front is common, but often this pain feels as if it's inside.
*Any activity that involves lifting one leg at a time or parting the legs tends to be particularly painful: difficulty/pain with stairs, getting in and out of the car, sitting down or getting up, putting on clothes, bending, lifting, standing on one foot
*difficulty/pain rolling over in bed (this is primarily my biggest complaint and is severely jeopardizing my sleep right now)
*"clicking" in the pelvis when walking
*waddling gait
*difficulty getting started walking, especially after sleep


Ok, now I'll finish on a brighter note. I just can't resist posting a picture of my niece Khloe....

TOO PRECIOUS FOR WORDS!!!

Looking Good

Once again, I've been pretty bad about getting any updates on here. Early this week my grandma passed away, so it's kind of been a busy week. We were originally supposed to have our ultrasound/appointments yesterday, but that's when the funeral ended up being scheduled.... but we were lucky enough to be squeezed in today so we were still able to get to see the babies this week.

They were able to finish the echo this time around on our little man.  He still wasn't being very cooperative, but the perinatologist was able to get in there and get what the ultrasound tech was not able to. He was very pleased with everything he saw. He was originally following us due to the fact that we had slightly higher risks of birth defects due to IVF....but everything has looked good up to this point so he feels he won't need to continue to see us unless there other concerns that arise. Our boy appears to not be able to stop moving. He is literally in a different position every time we see him. Now he is laying across the top of my stomach. He also continues to grow like crazy. Now weighing a whopping 3 pounds!!!  That puts him somewhere in the 70th percentile for growth (typically twins are down in the low 30th percentile) so needless to say, they are very pleased with their growth. His heart rate is 138.

Our little girl continues to remain in the same position she started in. She is on my right side with her head down low....VERY LOW.  She is pressing right up against my cervix. Her heart rate is 143 and she is weighing 2 pounds 14 ounces (which places her somewhere in the 60th percentile).

I am currently showing no signs of any preterm labor...thank goodness. I have started to swell in my legs and feet, but my blood pressure looks good, so no worries there...just an annoyance I guess. My uterus is measuring at 39 weeks, so this would be as big as I would get...I don't think that's going to be the case here :)

I did get a couple more ultrasound pictures....no 3D ones again this time, so none of them are really that great. We are in Brandon for the weekend, but I will try and get some posted when I get back home and get them scanned into the computer.

I will also get some pictuers posted of our progress on the babies bedroom. We have the room painted, and I think it turned out really great!

I have another quick appointment in 2 weeks and we do our next ultround in 4 weeks.

Just a couple of things I found out at my appointment yesterday:

*my glucose testing turned out just fine

*I will be checked every appointment now to see if there are any signs of preterm labor...as of yesterday, nothing!

*babies heartrates are looking good at 142 and 145

*my hemoglobin levels were low and of concern. They will start me on iron supplements (and warned me that I should be adding some good doses of fiber into my diet to help alleviate any side effects...great, just what I need)

*my uterus is measuring 36 weeks...almost full term. I understand that when she measures my uterus like that, it's comparing it to a singleton pregnancy. And, I realize that the reason I'm measuring big is because I'm carrying two babies. However, it puts things in a little more perspective for me. It makes me feel a little more comfortable knowing that there is a reason I am feeling like a moose at only 26 weeks! It gives me a little comparison

*my doctor stated again that if we can get me to 36 weeks, that would be absolutely fantastic! If I make it that far but don't start labor on my own, they will induce me somewhere between 37 and 38 weeks. She said it's more likely for me to expect to go somewhere between the 34 and 35th week. It'll be interesting to see how the next couple of months play out.

*we go back again in 2 weeks. At that time we will have another ultrasound...I'm excited to see how much they've grown

Lately...

I'm not doing a very good job at keeping everyone posted as to what's been going on in the Finke household. I suppose it's time to share a little with you about what we've been up to.....

On April 24th, the last of our "group" celebrated their wedding day. It was beautiful. Congratulations Jeff and Emily!!!

Some back yard work. When we re-sided our house last fall we had to pull the deck away from the house and then that's where it sat...mangled/crooked/ripped apart...all winter long. Cody was able to find some beautiful weather to spend tearing it apart and cleaning up the mess. Although we're without a deck, it looks so.much.better.

Attempting to get some organizing accomplished. Our third bedroom in our house is basically an all-purpose room. Our laundry is in this room, and I've never been happy about our "system." It's kind of a throw-your-clothes-on-the-floor-and-sort-through-as-you-wash type system. But because it's a room we use often, we really needed to get things "cleaned up" a bit. Here is what I came up with. Everything is sorted. And the best part-no more clothes all over the floor.

 I LOVE IT!!

A visit from my sister and my niece Khloe. It was AWESOME to see them!! Khloe has grown so much from the last time I saw her. She is definitely going to grow up way too fast and having them so far away makes it super hard when they have to leave. She is just soo darn precious. Thanks girls for visiting!!

It's taken us a while to get the babies room cleaned out and in the process we've been working on preparing for a rummage. It's been so hard to get in that room, because every time we walk in there...we just stand there and stare at it. We've been stalling because we have absolutely no where to put the stuff that needs to come out. My family came over one day and helped me tackle it. We had so many rubbermaid totes around our house just piled with "stuff" that the only option for it, was to sell it. I just love this picture...this is where I found Cody that afternoon. Apparently he felt he needed a nap. (can you see him back there?)

FINALLY, we are starting to work on getting the babies room ready to go. Now that it's empty we are excited to get it painted and get the furniture in there. Cody absolutely HATES to paint, but this is one project that he has been looking forward to and has wanted to do all on his own. We'll keep you updated with the progress, but for now...the ceiling is all the further we've gotten:

And, if you haven't noticed...I have not been overly excited to be in any pictures lately. I am much more content being on the opposite end of the camera. But here is my latest "tummy shot" at 26 weeks. Holy Cow huh? The babies are certainly growing and I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

A couple of weeks ago, when I mentioned the terrible pubic bone pain that I've been experiencing and the dr. warned me that it's only going to get worse. I actually kind of laughed to myself because I thought "how could this get any worse?" Well, let me tell you.....it has certainly gotten worse!! I am finding it getting harder to walk and I already feel like I've got the "pregnant walk" going...yuck...I'm only 26 weeks! At night, while in bed, is the absolute worst. I have always been one who flops and turns during the night, and this is what causes me the most pain. It is so bad sometimes that I literally feel like I could throw up. Cody has been so great through it all...helping me roll over and get out of bed the "millions" of times that I need to get up and use the bathroom throughout the night.

But enough complaining...we'll get through it.

I have my 2-week check up tomorrow, the 6th. No ultrasounds this time, just a quick check. I will also be doing my glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes.

So there you have it. A little bit of what we've been doing the last few weeks. I actually can't give myself much credit...that's got to go my amazing husband!!!