My Stomach Hates Me

September is one day away.  Can I tell you how much I just love September?  It is the beginning of fall, football season, back-to-school, cooler air, and beautiful colors.  But the best part is that it is my last month to be pregnant.

Can I get a hallelujah?

I am going to be scheduling my delivery, via c-section, on September 30.  The c-section is really not an option since I have had 3 already.  I am dreading it, but I am just going to make the best of it and hope that it goes okay.

I wouldn't say that this pregnancy has been any harder physically than my other three. But it has been difficult mentally.  I have so many things I want to do and had planned on doing this year and I had to hit the pause button.  2013 is not my year. It will have to wait until 2014 or even '15.  

Ever since my first pregnancy I have had a really tough time with my stomach. I get terrible ulcer attacks, pregnant or not.  I even had everything tested at the beginning of the year and the results were inconclusive.  When I found out I was pregnant this time, I think it was my biggest concern.  This would be the end of my stomach. It would officially disintegrate. I still have a stomach and it is still functioning but I really think that it hates me.

Last night was definitely my worst night of pregnancy.  I went to sleep just fine, but woke up at about 1:00 a.m. because I could feel the volcano was about to erupt.  I went to the bathroom and then started coughing and then it could not been contained. I had completely lost control of my body. It was pretty horrible and very painful. The acidic content was exceptionally high. I am grateful that my husband was there to help me and that I could take a warm shower to calm myself down.

So, today I think I have been more depressed than anything. I have been a potted plant dwelling in the bowels of my house.  I just want today to be over with, and the next thirty as well.

I have to remind myself that this whole ordeal will be over soon. Life will move on. Children will grow. I will reemerge like a phoenix from the ashes. Tick tock, tick tock.

Pregnant Ladies

Okay, just look at this craziness. Three of us, very pregnant. Yikes! I took this picture a couple of weeks ago. I was 32 weeks, Catye was 35, and Leah 38 weeks. Yep, that is my first belly post for this blog. I am having number 6 and Catye and Leah are both having their first. They are having boys, and I have no idea what I am having. Actually, that is not true. It will be a baby. It will be Caucasian and probably look a whole lot like the other five that are currently living at my house.

Now, Leah is due any minute and Catye is close on her heels. Leah is my sister-in-law and Catye is my little sister.  But I know for sure that I will not be pregnant by October 1st. That is a guarantee. I am just counting down the days.

My New Superpower

I have come to a profound realization. I wield a lot of power right now. I know that when I call someone, I am guaranteed to get a call back almost instantly. I have to decide if I will use this power for good or for evil. Muahahahahaha!!!

I guess this is what happens when you are 36 weeks and 3 days pregnant with twins.

Every time I call someone now for regular stuff they automatically assume that I am calling from the hospital.

"What is it?"

"What is going on?"

"Are you in the hospital?"

This lent itself to a bit of fun yesterday. My beloved brother-in-law Lyf had his birthday on Friday. He made sure to request that I not give birth to my babies on his birthday. He just isn't inclined to share the sacred day with my kids. I decided to call him on his birthday to ask him a question and to also wish him a happy birthday. He fearfully answered the phone thinking it was "The Call". Much to his relief, it wasn't. However, it was only 6pm so anything could happen still.

Therefore, on Saturday I told Rinar to call him and tell him the bad news. Honestly people, it was just too easy.

You see, I guess I have decided to use my superpower for evil.

Therefore, if you get a call from me...you must ask yourself..."Hmmm?"

p.s. Still no babies. I am sure I will make it to tomorrow, at least.

Gut Check - 36 Weeks

Here is the latest on me and my babies...

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday with the perinatologist. They did a detailed ultrasound to see how much the babies weigh. Keep in mind that the margin of error is +/- 14 oz, which is huge.

My boy weighs 6 lbs. 6 oz. and my girl is 5 lbs. 13 oz. Everything is looking great. There is lots of fluid and heartbeats and movement. I am feeling pretty good and love the fact that my countdown chart shows 13 days left. I can do 13 days, because I am all that AND a bag of chips!

This is my latest photo. If you want to compare it with my last one then click on the link. My last picture was only two weeks ago. Oh, how embarrassing, I am wearing the same shirt. Well, let's be honest...I am running out of shirts that fit. But I do have a new hairdo. I actually think I look bigger in my last picture. I had the photographer take a picture of me in my skinny pose. I think it makes all the difference, don't you?

Eli thinks it is a touchdown!!!

Way to go Mom, you are almost there! I am going to be a big brother.

Random Thoughts

**Rinar and I went to the thrift store on Saturday and look at the fun hat I found. The kids love it, especially Eli.**

We had a fun weekend because we had special visitors. Jamie came to town for the weekend with his girlfriend. I would be hesitant to call her the girlfriend, but if they are going to hold hands in front of me, then I will go ahead and slap a big label on that one, for sure.

Sorry, no pictures.

Since he was here, he volunteered to babysit for us and so I got my hair done and then Rinar and I went to lunch together and did our thrift store shopping. I decided to darken my hair a bit and cut it short and sassy. I didn't take a picture today when I was all cute, so the pictures will come later when I am cute again.

Did you notice my baby countdown? Can you say 18 days??? We are rolling along. Thursday is the magic day. I will be 36 weeks, so if anything happens after that it is just fine and the doctors will let it happen. I might have said this before, but I am practically senile so I don't remember, nor do I care.

As for being pregnant, it is getting tougher these days. Last night was especially rough. I tried to go to sleep at about 1:30 am. Well, I was up at 2:30 am with a horrible acid attack. But this time, it coated my entire esophagus. It would not go away. Therefore, after fretting about what to do, I finally opted for a recliner and slept several hours there. Then at about 7am, I switched back to my bed. I was therefore able to get a whopping five hours of very interrupted sleep. Awesome, huh? I had not had any food for 7 hours, so it could not have been a diet issue. I have come to the conclusion that the babies schedule a nightly boxing match at about 2:45am and they warm up the hooks and jabs on my stomach. Well, it is either boxing or ballroom dancing. I am not sure which one, but either way, my stomach pays the price.

The Relief Society president has decided that they are going to help me the next few weeks. She gave me an offer I just couldn't (or wouldn't dare) refuse. Hence, I will be having lots of people at my house this week to help with whatever. I am not sure how I feel about this because I get very self-conscious about people in my house, especially if I sit around doing nothing and my house is a wreck. It is hard but I will try to endure.

Wish me luck.

35 Weeks in the Bag

I have officially made it farther than I did with Raef and Zach and I am so happy. My spirits are high and I know that I can endure to the end. Raef and Zach were born at 34 weeks and 5 days. I am 35 weeks today. My OB told me that when I make it to 36 weeks, they will do nothing to stop contractions after that. One week and I am in the clear.

Here are a few things I am looking forward to:

1. Eating whatever I want.
2. Putting the Tums in storage.
3. Taking a long, unimpeded pee.
4. Only visiting the bathroom 3 times a day, instead of 3 times an hour.
5. Touching my toes.
6. Sleeping on my stomach.

These are just a few of the things we take don't appreciate when we are not pregnant. I am ready to appreciate them to their fullest in about 2-3 weeks.

I mention #3 because I specifically remember last year when I was in the hospital after I had given birth to Eli. I went to the bathroom and I got it all out and it felt great. Sorry that I am lingering on about urination, but it is one of those things in life we don't appreciate until it becomes a big, constrained hassle. All you moms out there know what I mean.

Okay, enough about urination...

We went to the car show at the District tonight. They usually have a live band on the weekend and the kids were really excited to see a band there. They get out there and run around and dance. But mostly they just run around. Eli is especially fond of dancing. He got right out there in the middle of the little plaza and started doing his special dance moves. He really got into it. He lifted his legs higher than usually and his head was cocked to the side. Then he spun and spun and spun. When the song would finish, Eli would point at the band and say, "Mom." No, I wasn't singing. That is his way of saying 'More'. Rinar would ask him, "Do you want another song?" and then he would vigorously nod his head up and down. It was a fun night and a good memory.

A Pathetic Pregnancy Post

Oh... the travails of pregnancy. I guess I have become a little bit obsessed with this topic considering the fact that all I do is sit around and incubate every day. I am good for pretty much nothing else.

I went to church today and only stayed for sacrament meeting. But during the time before and after the meeting, I got a lot of very sympathetic women (and a few men) who asked me how I was doing and if they could help me at all. I have come to realize that I must look very pathetic. I mean, people are really feeling sorry for me, which almost makes me feel sorry for myself.

I have decided that in order to gin up as much sympathy as possible, I am going to follow the advice of Mrs. Bennett from "Pride and Prejudice", the best novel ever written...

"Those who don't complain, cannot be pitied."

My feet and hands are starting to feel a little bit swollen. My belly is really starting to be a hindrance to any kind of attempt at movement. And I am running out of clothing options. Hence, Rinar's stuff is looking more appealing every day.

Also, last night was lots of fun. First of all, let me say that having a craving for Krispie Kreme donuts at 9:30pm does not coincide well with any attempts at slumber. And I may have eaten three donuts. I am pregnant, so my memory is not so good, but it might have been three...just maybe. After I ate a few donuts, I went to bed and turned out the light at 12am. This is some kind of record for me. Unfortunately, even with a preventative dosage of 2 Zantac, I popped up out of bed at 12:45 with a horrible acidic surprise at the back of my throat. I downed about 8 Tums and eventually went back to sleep.

It did not last long. I popped up rather frantically out of bed again at 1:30am. It would seem that the only time I can move with any kind of speed is in these pathetic situations. After a lot of coughing, water-drinking, and Tums-chewing I had to go sit up for about an hour until my stomach settled down. I read the news on the internet and contemplated an early morning blog entry, but decided against it because I was practically delirious. By 2:30am I was back in my bed and fast asleep, I mean until about 5:30 when I had to wake up and go to the bathroom.

If there isn't pressure on one end, then there is certainly pressure on the other end.

I guess I really am as pathetic as I look these days.

Gut Check - 34 Weeks

The time has come for another photo of me! I didn't realize how big I am right now. My belly is really out there. I guess I should have figured as much because I have a few little incidents due to poor depth perception on my part. I knocked over my drink that I was desperately looking forward to drinking. Yes, it was my wayward belly. Then I walked past the refrigerator and knocked some magnets off of the door. I was about a mile away from the door, I swear. It is totally understandable, isn't it?

As for my pregnancy, I am doing great! I had another appointment today and they did a quick ultrasound and the fluids look good and the babies are alive and very active. They also monitored me for about 30 minutes. Now I get to go in once a week to the perinatologist, and every other week to my OB/GYN. The biggest concern right now is the amniotic fluid, not my cervix anymore. Hooray for that! I am glad the focus of concern has moved upstairs, if you know what I mean. Now that I am so close to October, I am really going to concentrate on lounging and negligence of my children...oh, I mean the health of my unborn. That sounds better, right?

No really... I have decided to really cut back on school work with the kids since I definitely overdid it on Tuesday. We did do school work all through the summer for this very purpose. Therefore, I think it is time to cash in.

Speaking of children, here is my very enthusiastic photographer for this picture of me.

So demure and laid back, huh? I wish he could just show some enthusiasm once in a while. Sheesh!

Woe Is Me!

Well, today has been a tough one for me. For some reason this afternoon I got really nauseous. And surprisingly enough, it is hard to find a comfortable position for ultimate incubation maximization.

In other words...HELP! I think I am drowning.

I can't do anything, go anywhere, or even eat anything. Which aspect of this picture would be the worst part for you? I think loss of appetite is the most depressing of the three if you ask me. What can I say, I love food. I was finally able to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Unfortunately, sugary desserts don't have the appeal that they once did.

I weep.

At least I won't gain much more weight, right?

On Friday night I ended up taking myself to Labor and Delivery because I was having a lot of unprovoked contractions. I stayed up late watching television and at 11:45pm I started to count contractions, considering the fact that I had not moved for quite a while. Then the contractions followed at regular intervals: 12am, 12:10, 12:20, 12:28, 12:38. I got up and went to the bathroom to empty my bladder just in case. Then I laid down again and 10 minutes later, I had another one.

Rinar stayed home with the kids and I drove myself. I knew I was not in labor, but if I didn't get some intervention, I could end up that way. They hooked me up to the monitors and sure enough, I was having a lot of contractions. So, they did all their checking, did a FFN, put an IV in for fluids, and gave me 2 shots of muscle relaxers.

Can I just digress here and tell you how much I despise IV's? I mean, those things are torturous. They stay in your hand or arm and continually get more and more achy. I try not to think about it, but the more I don't think about it, the more my hand is screaming at me. When I go to give birth, I think I will be more terrified of the IV than anything else.

Anyway, after 2 hours of observation, the FFN (a swab test) came back negative. Hallelujiah. It is a test they do that has 99% accuracy to tell you if you will deliver in the next two weeks. As long as I take it easy I should be able to get to 35 weeks fairly easily.

There you go. I thought I would spice up this pregnancy for everyone a little bit. Now, I hope there are some good things to watch on television the next few weeks to keep my mind off of my impending misery.

One day at a time...one day at a time.

Thoughts on My Pregnancy at 33 Weeks

I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and I hit the dreaded scale.

194

I didn't gain any weight. So my babies continue to gain weight and I am holding steady. I seemed to have slowed down and I am happy about that. Hopefully, I will be able to maintain this trend for the last month. We shall see.

Everything seems to be going well. I talked to my doctor about an amniocentisis. Apparently, they will do an amnio if you want to be done and you are at least 37 weeks. I do not want one, no matter what. I can stick it out for one more week and be absolutely miserable if I don't go into labor on my own. I know I can do it. I have done this before, plus I have run a marathon. This is nothing!

I called my perinatologist' office today and they said that he wants to do an amnio on me at 36 weeks. I told the office lady, "No way!" I guess I will be able to have that discussion with him next week for my 34 week appointment.

I have already decided: I am going to be pregnant in October and those babies are coming home with me from the hospital. No NICU, no tubes. They will be healthy, fat little babies. I know I can do it. In order for this to happen, my house will be extra messy, Eli may be a little neglected, and Raef and Zach might get extra television and computer time. But I don't care. I am having fat, healthy, October babies.

32 Week Pregnancy Update

I had my last ultrasound yesterday. Hallelujiah!!

I am doing great. It is such a difference from when I was pregnant with Raef and Zach. This time, my body is holding up really well and there are not any signs of preterm labor. Thank goodness!

The entire time I have been pregnant, the girl has been in the breach position, but she surprised us all because now her head is down in the right spot next to the boy. His head is so far down, they can't really get a good look at him. He is hiding. The technician decided to take a few 3D pictures of the girl, and of course she kept her arm in front of her face. So, neither one of them is very cooperative. But take a look at a side view of her.

Doesn't she look just like me? :)

You can really see her arm in the top two pictures. The third picture is a regular 2D.

Okay, so they calculated the weights and these are the numbers.

Boy - 4 lbs. 9 oz.
Girl - 3 lbs. 13 oz.

If you add up those numbers, they weigh more than Eli did when he was born at 39 weeks. They are 32 weeks. Hence, I am bigger than I was with him already, and I have 6 more weeks to go. Gravity is really going to be setting in soon.

Updates and a Little Crisis

I forgot to do my pregnancy update this week. I had an appointment with Dr. Sauter on Monday and that is when I get weighed. I came in at a whopping 194 lbs. However, the last time I was weighed, a month ago, I weighed 192, so I really lost weight. How? Okay, this is my reasoning. The babies have been gaining over a pound each every 4 weeks. Yes, they are getting bigger and heavier, but I got a tiny bit lighter. Yeah for me! So, I am heavier, but really I am lighter. It makes perfect sense doesn't it?

Everything is looking good. I only have one more ultrasound, scheduled for next week...my 32 week ultrasound. Then I am done with those infernal things. Hallelujiah! After that, it sounds like I will have to go in once a week and get monitored for one hour to make sure the babies are doing well. I can handle that. I will just continue reading the ginormous book I am working on right now, a tome by George Eliot called Middlemarch. It is interesting, but very detailed. I am determined to finish it.

We had a little bit of excitement last night. My wonderful husband decided to take the boys on a weekend trip to an exotic location: San Antonio, Texas.

He picked this city because it has the biggest water park in the country, the Schlitterbahn. They have been excited about going for weeks now. Last night, he was checking on things and then came to a horrible realization. It is not open on Friday. No amusement park is open on Friday. {{gasp!!}}

We started to scramble. They intended on flying there today, going to the water park all day Friday, and half the day Saturday. The park is open on Saturday, thankfully. The only solution was to either find another water park that was open or extend the trip by one day. I did some research and saw that there was a park open in Southern California. But Rinar decided to just extend the trip by one day.

So, tomorrow he is going to take the kids, with Uncle Nordel, to a drive-thru safari. The animals come right up to your car and you can feed them. It looks really awesome and I think the kids will love it. They are also going to love flying on an airplane. So, with one entire day at the water park and another day doing fun things around San Antonio, the trip should be a wonderful experience for all of them.

So, its just me and Eli for the next three days.

Gut Check - 30 Weeks

Okay, I am now 30 weeks pregnant. Final, official, last day of pregnancy will be October 15th. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am making progress from 4 weeks ago. I even did my hair this time!

Everything is looking really good and I think I might be able to make it to 38 weeks. I would be really happy if I can. I mean, I know I am going to be miserable, but a few weeks of misery will mean the world to these little ones. They will be nice and healthy when they come out. No NICU for them!

I Think I am Drowning

Do you ever have those times in your life when you just want to escape? For obvious reasons, I feel that way right now. I can't do anything. I went to Sam's Club this afternoon and shopped for about 15 minutes. When I got home, I was completely wiped out. The feeling never really went away and getting a simple dinner on the table was quite an accomplishment. Putting a belligerent toddler to bed was like climbing Mt. Everest.

Regardless of being pregnant or not, there are times in my life when I feel very inadequate and a bit lost, if you will. I really feel that way right now. I just feel unsatisfied and so I want to escape in any way that I can: mindless television, dumb computer games, sleep as late as I can possibly get away with, without the house falling apart. The last one is always a good tactic because then the day seems a little bit shorter. Ugh! Besides being an incubator, I feel like I accomplish nothing. It is frustrating. Of course, I know it is because I am pregnant, but I still feel this way.

But I really am trapped right now. Physically, I am about as useful as a manatee on a ferris wheel. And I really can't go anywhere because it is so friggin' hot outside. Plus, we live so far away from anything, that a day drive somewhere will only move me to an even hotter location.

Usually my husband rescues me, but he is getting in his last hurrah before these last few months of pregnancy. He is fishing and golfing with his brothers this weekend. I won't see him till late Saturday night. Please, I am not griping about an unfeeling husband or anything. I am glad he can get this in before things get really harry around here. But it is still hard not having him here to help me. There is only so much effective yelling you can do while lying down on a couch.

Help! I think I am drowning.

Well, off to bed.

Gut Check - 26 Weeks

Yep, 26 weeks today and this is me in all my glory. I think I have popped out a bit more from 22 weeks. I think I should have done my hair before I took this picture. Oh well. That would require me having to walk up my stairs and I am too tired.

Everything is Great

Well, I had my 26 week check-up with the perinatologist. Everything is looking great. He is really happy. My cervix is still nice and long which is what can send you into early retirement, meaning BED REST. No bed rest for me just yet, only the self-imposed kind.

I will be giving myself a lot of breaks, but I plan on seeing this through to the end. No early arrivals around here, darn it.

And my baby counter has me at less than 100 days, if I go full-term. It is one day at a time, and before I know it, the whole pregnancy thing will be a distant memory.

I like distant memories of those kind.

Shocking Pregnancy Facts

Here is a little doctor update for all of you out there who might be curious.

I went to the perinatalogist on Thursday and had a detailed ultrasound of my babies. They are doing great and everything is looking perfectly boring: just the way the doctor likes it.

Hey, I am all about boring when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Four weeks ago they both weighed in at 10 oz. a piece. When they take the measurements the computer is able to calculate how much a baby weighs in-utero. Cool, huh?

So, now the weight was calculated and the boy weighs 1 lb. 10 oz. and the girl is 1 lb. 5 oz. Yes, in four weeks the boy gained an entire pound and the girl was close behind at 11 oz.

This leads me into my appointment today with Dr. Sauter, my OB. It is so fun to see him because I get to stand on the fun scale and see how much poundage I have packed on. Last month, I weighed 175 lbs. Now for the drum roll people....

187 lbs!!!!!

Oh my heck. I can't believe I am that high already. For crying out loud, I am only 24 weeks along. It is interesting because all of my maternity clothes are fitting me the same in the legs and the arms. Grant it, I am a bit bustier and my abdomen has made a huge leap forward, but sheesh! I talked to the doc about this rapid weight gain of mine, and he wasn't concerned as long as I can still fit through the door. I believe that is a direct quote from him.

Hence, this evening when I carried my cute, but slightly irate and irrational (i.e. belligerently squirmy) toddler to bed, it dawned on me that I have to lug an extra 60 lbs up the stairs. Whoa! That is quite a lot, don't you think?

Now is the time when my body is going to be transitioning to the next phase of pregnancy. Imagine, I have been walking up a moderate incline for the last 22 weeks, with modest daily weight gain. But now I will be heading into the hills, as in the Himalayan hills, straight for the top of K2.

People, I am going to get huge. And since I am determined to make it to October before they are born, I would expect the final weigh-in could top me out at over 215 lbs. For reference, I weighed 205 lbs. the day before I gave birth to Raef and Zach.

What do you think? Based on the facts I have laid before you, what do you think I will weigh before I give birth?

One thing is for darn sure, in approximately 10 minutes (sometime in October, of course) I will definitely lose about 40 of those pounds. It is in the bag baby.

Gut Check - 22 Weeks

Well, time is moving right along and gravity is starting to kick in. Look at how I am progressing compared to my 18 week picture...

Gut Check...18 weeks

This is probably about half way for me.