School!

I had a little bit of good news today! Remember I'd been bummed about not getting to go to school this semester because of the Big Stupid Meany? Well! Last night I emailed my advisor about a class that she's teaching this semester. She was so nice and welcomed me into her class with great cheer! So I'll start on Tuesday and the class lectures end on Nov. 17th. I'll maybe miss a class or two on bed rest. I'm so excited about being in school. I'm so grateful to my professor for being so willing to be flexible & easy to work with. 

Hoorah!

Birds, Squirrels & Brett

Here we are at fourteen weeks. 

We have a week off of going to doctors, so the Babes will have to grow on their own for a week. Brett & I have placed the ultrasound picture from last week on the refrigerator and I walk by and stare. I wonder if their noses will ever be less than amazing? Hah! I suppose when they're leaking green stuff I will become less than enthusiastic about them. But still! Even then! We've waited such a long time for those noses! 

Brett, God Bless Him, has already started nesting. It's really cute. He's obsessed with getting the office and nursery done. Not necessarily with the furniture in the nursery, but painting, redoing and preparing. He's in love with Sherwin-Williams right now. He worked tirelessly on what will be our office/guest room all weekend. He took all of the contents out of what was my playroom and put them in the front room on Saturday morning. Yes: bed, desk, two bookshelves, and their contents removed within a matter of three hours. Then Billy & Emmalee came over and while Emmalee & I chatted, Billy & Brett pulled up all the carpet to expose the hardwoods underneath. Then Brett spent the afternoon and evening pulling up carpet nails. He's been so busy! On Sunday, we went to Sherwin-Williams as soon as we could to get paint and caulk and "hamsters" (which may be a real term, or may be something I picked up from the Ramsdens and kept using!) and a wall paper book. He then spent all of Sunday caulking around the room! So I could be of some help (I can't be of much when it's this intensive), I patched holes around the room. Go Team Beaker! But it's something. B wants to start painting tonight! After we go to the gym! After dinner! Which means starting at like 10! The man is a machine! He's a Nesting Machine!! He's putting the birds and squirrels to shame. It's something to behold.

Go Team Beaker!

Big Stupid Meany

I had great hopes for school this semester. I had emailed with my advisor and she'd had great hopes for me for the semester. They've all been dashed. Here's the story: though I'm getting mixed signals from the OB and the Perinatologist, there will be a time that I'm on bed rest to keep these Babes safe. That's my greatest priority and I'm going to stick with whatever Dr. Smith ultimately tells me. After all, he's primary care for these Babes while they're steeping. 

I emailed the professor who's teaching the class that I was REALLY excited about taking. I'm a good student. I have a 4.15 GPA after last semester, a fact about which I'm very proud. I thought that my academic record, and the fact that I wasn't going to blindside her, and the fact that I'm not having just one but TWO babies might have softened her. NOPE. She said congratulations (which she closed with a period, not an "excited stop.") and proceeded to tell me that my grade would be based a large part on class participation and I wouldn't be able to do that during November and December. No trying to work with me. No help. No let me think about it. She replied to me within 20 minutes with a NO. Wow. Georgia State at its finest. What a Big Fat Meany.

So, for all of my excitement and enthusiasm about being in school and my hard work from last semester, I am rewarded with a Great Big Finger. Fabulous. Why, you ask, is this such a big deal? Well, I feel like I've been turned around at every attempt to get my Masters. I waited when I was at OLA because we didn't think I'd be there that long. Then I waited because I kept getting pregnant. Then when I thought "Stuff it, I'm going back to school," I got pregnant my 6th time. That was the one I lost in January, and as we all know, I lost it for a little while. Then, I went back and Kicked Butt this summer! A tough semester, but I learned a lot and enjoyed being in school again. Now, when I've got a good momentum going, I'm being turned away. Are there any other classes I can take? Nope. They're all full because school starts next week. 

I'm really bummed. I thought getting my Masters would be a great thing: I could go back to work sooner, Brett could get a break and do what he needs to do, career-wise, and everything would be great. I realize (and don't lecture me, please) that the Babes are the most important thing in the world. 

Please don't think that I of ALL PEOPLE don't know that carrying Babes to term and having a family is extremely important. After what we've been through, I dare someone to say that I don't have my priorities straight. I was just hoping to have another class under my belt while I waited for these guys to get here. 

Bummer.

Prawns & Noses

Brett had to go to Jacksonville today so Momma took me to meet Dr. Korotkin this morning. I'm so glad she went because until we were born, she didn't get to see what we looked like. So I was thrilled that she could go and see the Babes today. And what a day to go see them! 

We must have seen 30 minutes or more of ultrasound footage. Thing 2 was very cooperative and let the nice ultrasound lady take lots of pictures, and complete tests that were very important and see the things she needed to see. Thing 1, though, woof! It's a different story! I believe that Thing 1 is the Furin of the bunch: has a mind of its own, was upside down for most of the ultrasounds, and I'm pretty sure has a headlamp in there with it. Crazy Furin! 

We saw little feet and hands, saw and heard the heartbeats and most importantly got to see the NOSES! These sweet babies already have cute little button noses! Oh My Sweet Cow! 

The Babes are 7.2 cm & 6.6 cm respectively, so approximately 3 inches each. Dr. Korotkin settled the "argument" that Petunia & I had been having about sizes. I said they're the size of peaches, she said shrimp. Dr. Korotkin said that they're a bit smaller than peaches, but bigger than shrimp. He says they're the size of Prawns. So that settles that!

From now on out, I'll get seen by someone every two weeks - Dr. Korotkin or Dr. Smith. Dr. Korotkin says that I CAN go to school for the fall semester, if I go with the understanding that eventually I may get yanked out for the end of it. There are so many opinions - it's amazing my head hasn't fallen off! But mostly, they are there to relieve my anxieties, and that's what they're doing!

Here are the pictures from today. Thing 2 is on top and Thing 1 is on the bottom. There are closeups of their faces and the wider shots are of their whole little selves! God Bless Our Babies.

Go Team Beaker!

Thirteen Weeks!

We've made it thirteen weeks! Technically, I'm in the second trimester and that's Miraculous!

Tomorrow Momma & I are going to meet the perinatologist. Hopefully we'll get some good pictures of the Babes to share. Brett's going to be out of town, so it'd be nice to have something to share with him while he's away. 

This weekend we went crib hunting. Talk about a daunting task! There are a million styles out there by a million makers. Thank goodness for the Baby Bargains book! It has been invaluable as we researched the cribs that we found and liked. We have found three or four that we are mulling over. We went out to The Baby's Room in Norcross, where we were assisted by the owner who has a twin sister! Imagine our delight to meet another boy-girl twin set! He was most helpful and Brett & I came away feeling less overwhelmed and more informed about our preferences and what we want to do in the Nursery. We'll have to make a decision in the next few weeks in order to have everything here before I go on bed rest.

Speaking of which: we're not sure how strict the doctor's going to be about bed rest. There's a chance it could be a modified bed rest where I can be up a few minutes every hour or so. Whatever it is, it means totally adjusting our existence for the last two, maybe three, months of our pregnancy. It's all in the name of making sure that I don't go into labor before the 34th week. That's why we want everything done and ready by November.

Anyway, the Babes are theoretically the size of peaches - about 3 inches. We'll see tomorrow! I'll report back after we meet the latest member of Team Beaker!

Go Team Beaker!

Oddness - but I guess normal?

I keep finding myself forgetting things, losing my train of thought, running out of breath & forgetting what I was talking about. In fact, I'm inside but I can't remember why I came inside....

Dr. Smith

B and I went for our 12 week check-up and our first meeting with Dr. Smith today. Dr. Smith is a nice OB, seemingly in his late 50s or early 60s. He is very conservative in some ways, but pretty liberal in other ways. We are his first set of twins in a while, so the nurse was pretty excited and Dr. Smith shifted into Twins Mode to tell us all the News That Is News About Twins.

Most importantly: We did NOT get pictures to post here today. We'll get those next week at the perinatologist and I'll post them then. We DID get to see the Babes in there squirming and playing and doing backflips. I'm fairly certain that I will have my little gymnast to whom I'll be able to teach cartwheels and back-walkovers! We could see good images of arms and legs with the rudimentary ultrasound machine at the office, and are so excited about seeing them in all their glory next week.

A brief run-down of what the Good Doctor said:

1. I will officially be in my second trimester next week. I guess week 12 is the final week of the first trimester. 

2. There really aren't foods that I have to avoid completely and entirely. He said to keep things in moderation and it will be fine. (That means I can have a hot dog!!!)

3. My heartburn isn't going to get any better, but there are things I can do to help it, including propping my head up at night and not drinking anything before bed and taking a wonderful fizzy antacid that he recommends.

4. I will be placed on Strict Bedrest at the beginning of November. That means no getting up except to go to the bathroom. I'll be reading and watching a LOT of movies. I hope people will come visit me so I don't die of boredom. I'm hoping to take a class online because going down to GSU is kinda out of the question. (Conversely, that means no housework!!)

5. I'm allowed to be a piggy, but I am not supposed to be a Hog. I understood the difference, do you?

How am I feeling, you ask? Oh, my. I'm tired all the time. I'm hungry all the time. I have decided that someone is stuffing me with upholstery every night because I look like an overstuffed couch. I will never be a Lovely Pregnant Lady, but I'm Pregnant and that's really all I care about. 

What questions do you have that I might be able to ask the next time I see Dr. Smith? He's a font of information and I am thrilled to have him on Team Beaker!

That being said:

Go Team Beaker!