Halloween Fun!

Today we had a busy, but pretty good day.

It started with our twin groups Trunk or Treat. Although it was kinda drizzly the whole time, the kids had fun playing games, riding power wheels and playing with friends. They collected a bunch of loot and used up a bunch of energy which lead to the wonderful nap we had when we got home.

My sister then took them out Trick or Treating in the neighborhood. I have never done this so it was their first time. They had a blast, of course, and added substantially to their candy haul. The twins then gorged on their candy for an hour or so when I halted the binge. They of course were bouncing off the walls, but I was still able to get them to bed on time.

Tomorrow is my first baby shower :) I look forward to seeing everyone and getting the chance to celebrate Max. I will try to post and upload some pics tomorrow :)

33 Weeks....A Total Bitch and Moan Post

Warning...the following post is full of pitiful whining and bitching...you've been warned.

Sleep - I am so friggin tired. I feel like I can't do this anymore. I get maybe 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night but of course not consecutively. I wake up constantly. I can't sleep in a bed...I can't sleep in the chair. On days I am home I compensate by lounging around the house all day and forcing the twins to take a nap. On days I work it's PURE HELL. I am always behind and exhausted at work and then I come home and I'm a zombie.

Work - I think there should be a law that women beyond 30 weeks of pregnancy shouldn't have to work. It's torture. I want to spend as much time as I can with Max after he born which means I have to force myself to work now. I spend my shift running up and down halls, tending to the sick and needy all the while being short of breath, fighting off painful contractions and disabling exudation. After tomorrow I have committed to 4 more weeks of work, one of those being out of staffing working on our units schedule. I just don't know if this body of mine will work for 4 more weeks.

Pain - My SPD is killing me. This impacts my sleep horribly. The saddest thing about SPD is the most painful activity is lying in bed. So even when I get the chance to sleep, it is accompanied but excruciating pain. Every time I move an inch I wake up in pain. I have been near tears just wishing that I could have one night were I can sleep without hurting. With the twins it was also horrible but didn't start until about 28 weeks. I have had this now since about 15 weeks of pregnancy and it just gets worse and worse. Sitting also hurts like hell so about the only thing I can do to stay pain free is stand. Well...I have no energy and I am beyond tired...so the standing isn't really a great solution either.

Okay. I needed to spew that out. I try not to complain too often. I have tried hard not to only bitch and moan with this blog...but I needed to do this. My midwife thinks I won't last until past 38 weeks. This is what is keeping me going. 4 more weeks of work...5 more weeks of this discomfort.

Some one tell me I can do this....

Good Appointment Today

I had my 32 week appointment this afternoon. Everything went well.

I had another US and Max looks great. His weight is up to 4lbs 10oz and he was moving like crazy! Of course he was facing my back again! so no great facial snapshots. He remains head down which is great.

My BP is good. I didn't gain any weight the last 2 weeks and my urine is clear. Still have swollen feet but it hasn't progressed any, or gotten any worse. I expressed some of my concern with bruising so my midwife drew another platelet count which actually came back a little higher. I guess I was just noticing things that maybe were there all along, I just wasn't paying attention.

I will have another 'check up' in two weeks and then a final US and full exam two weeks after that. My midwife says that at the 36 week mark we can finalize our plans...re-check platelets...and check my cervix to make an educated guess about when labor will occur. Since I started dilating and effacing at 32 weeks with the twins, she guesses I won't make it past 38 weeks...and that is fine by me :)

My Sensitive Little Girl

The other night I was sitting on the couch with K laying on my belly. Max started to get very active and kicked K in the head a few times. After the third or fourth time K looked up at me with her big blue eyes and said "I think Max don't like me". Of course I told her that he loved her but then K returned that comment with "Well why is Max kicking me?"

Poor thing. I think at the end she was convinced that Max was not kicking her intentionally but she sure did look upset about it.

32 Weeks

I am posting my weekly update a day early because I doubt I will get the chance tomorrow.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 8th month. I am so happy to be this far and although this pregnancy hasn't been near as horrible as my last one, I am more than happy to be nearing the end.

There isn't much to update. I will have my 32 week check up and US on Monday so hopefully I'll have some good updates and pictures. I am still a little worried about my platelet level, so hopefully she'll draw some labs as well.

Max is moving plenty and I think the little bugger turned back to feet down a day or two ago, however I am pretty sure he's back to head down. The twins are ready for their brother to be here, although I'm sure they don't have a real sense of what that really means.

Tomorrow I have day one of my required birthing class. I really don't want to take this, as I'm not sure how much it will really help, but I am required to take it if I want insurance to pay for my delivery. A good friend of mine will join me tomorrow night and all day Saturday, so at least I will have someone to talk to some.

That's My Boy!

S decided that he was going to do his best tonight to try and make K and me giggle. He did a good job and I just had to get a picture. Now to place this is a safe place until he's a teen when I need some good leverage.

Halloween Event #1

We had our First Halloween Party today. The kids finally got to wear the costumes they had seen a few weeks ago before they were tucked away. Other than it being unseasonably cold today, the twins had a good time and so did I.

After today, three more costume events; 2 Trunk or Treats and then of course Halloween night when Aunt J is taking them out :)

31 Weeks

Doing okay.

Had another doctor's appointment yesterday. Blood pressure and urine are fine. Other than that, no real exam. My swelling is still present, but just in my lower legs and feet, so from what I understand, not a big deal. I will go for another US in just over a week.

Work has decided to make the H1N1 vaccine mandatory so I guess soon enough I will be getting the vax :( I was still undecided and I HATE like hell that someone else is making the decision for me, but what can I do. I can fight it, but I will probably lose. Time to just suck it up I guess.

My other worry is my low platelet count. I am a little worried because I have noticed that I bleed a little easier after my Copaxone shots and the other day I knocked my leg into S's bike and ended up with a hematoma and horrible bruise. These might be signs that my platelets are getting into the dangerous levels. I kinda forgot to tell my midwife yesterday, so I will tell her at the next appointment. I will be just over 32 weeks at that point, so she may decide to draw some more labs. I am really afraid that this platelet crap will end up causing me trouble and taking me out of work. I really don't want to be out of work until the baby is here. I do not want to go back any sooner than I have to, and I only have 12 weeks total.

Life is never easy huh? :)

I Love this Weather!

I am someone who is always hot. Even when everyone else is cold, I could be sweating it out. Well pregnancy has made this 10x worse!

The summers in Canada were always too hot for me and they only lasted a few months. Here, they are unbearable! From May through September hot, hot, hot. I don't leave the house unless I have to. I have been told that MS makes this worse...who knows. I just know I don't like the heat.

But in the last week or so we have seen weather in the 70's. Nice. I left the front door open for awhile this morning to try and air out the house. Definitely something I will do again next weekend. Now as nice as it is...it still creeps into the 80's by the afternoon. I am hoping in a few weeks we get the 60's/70's weather all day :) Of course, sadly it will only be a short time before the colder weather gets here, but in my experience, it's always easier to warm up...but near impossible to cool down.

30 Weeks

Yep...today I am 30 weeks pregnant. That means roughly 7-10 more weeks and I'll be holding my little guy in my arms.

Work is getting so hard. Each week is more difficult with feelings like I'm just not going to make it. Pregnant and fat just doesn't work with running up and down hallways and caring for every whim and desire for 5 to 6 sick people. As of right now, I am planning on working 7 more weeks, two of these being out of staffing working on the unit schedule. Keep me in your thoughts that I actually make it these next 7 weeks.

I am also starting to experience feelings of fear and worry. With the twins I was never nervous. I don't know why. I mean I knew how the birth process could be. Maybe they made me so darned miserable inside that I had no worries about how they were going to be leaving. This time I sometimes start to worry a little about this natural, vaginal birth I am asking for. Do I really know what I'm doing? Can I really do this? What happens when they pain is so bad I want to die, but it's too late for medications? You know...the usual stuff I imagine.

As far as after the babies birth, I really don't worry about adding the third to the mix. I figure the four of us will figure out how to navigate our new life. The twins will have a transition and there will be some challenges, but overall I believe will be okay. Although I will still be tired, I will love my new infant to pieces and take in every minute. But I do have one major worry here too....BREAST FEEDING! I was not successful at all with the twins. They didn't want to latch and I didn't have the patience to keep trying. About 10 days after their birth I gave up and went to pumping. I really want a good experience this time, with mostly breastfeeding (obviously bottle when I go back to work) for the first year at least. I did sign up for a breastfeeding class this go round, I have the number to a good lactation consultant and I am more determined to make it work this time. Hopefully these changes will make a difference this time.

So all in all I'm doing pretty normal. I do enjoy being pregnant more now, although I'm still ready to be done. Max is very active and keeps my belly moving for hours at a time. The twins are getting impatient and so is mommy. Hopefully not too long before we all get to meet this little guy.

Birth Control and Stupid Women

Question: Is birth control really that ineffective...or are women just plain stupid?

I was asking this question at work the other day and I think everyone pretty much agreed on the answer.

I am the leader of a single mom group. Right now there are 5 of us who are pregnant. If you take me out of the equation, you have 4 single moms who are recently divorced, in unstable relationships, struggling to get by and/or had no intention of getting pregnant. So how is it that 4 women 'accidentally got pregnant' during such crappy times in their lives?

If you listen to my mom...she says that no women accidentally gets pregnant. They all either consciously or sub-consciously wanted to get pregnant. They needed something to love/love them, they are trying to hold onto a relationship that is failing, or they want to be pregnant. Now before you go and judge know that my mother had four 'accidental' pregnancies, so she does have some clue what she's talking about. I think for the most part, I agree with my mom. I have many married friends who have been married for years and years and have only gotten pregnant when they wanted to. I know single women with quite the active social life, who again have never been pregnant.

And yes, I know that in all likelihood there are women out there who used the pill like they were told, who used the condoms they should have and who used the appropriate method of birth control like they should have and still ended up with a little bundle nine months later. My point is, I think these women are few and far between. I think for the most part, my mom is right. Most of these women are 'wanting' this outcome, whether they truly realize it or not.

Okay...that's my social commentary for today :)

Mostly Done

I am pretty much done with the nursery. I have a few things here and there but I am happy with where we are at. I am trying to sell or eBay several items that I have found when cleaning out the closets in the nursery. Since this is the twins old room, there are lots of their items still hanging around. I have found a ton of girls clothes with tags still attached. I will be working on getting those gone...maybe even get some spending money :)

The kids had a birthday party today. October is a busy month. Every Saturday we have a birthday party or Halloween party to attend. There are lots of appointments and other things too. I hope the business translates to a quick October and 4 more pregnancy weeks out of the way.

As of right now I am 8 weeks to term (37weeks) and 8 weeks sounds do-able. So that's what I keep telling myself. Just 8 more weeks! :)