Twin Pregnancy: 28 Weeks!

Today marks another big pregnancy milestone . . . 28 weeks! This is a big deal for lung development and for survival. So thankful to be here!

I had a lot of trouble taking a photo this week. I just didn't like any of the ones Chris took, so I kept having him take and re-take them. After at least a dozen photos, I finally settled for this one of the baby belly:

Brianna cracked us up by wanting to take her own belly pic. She asked Brenson to take it, then instructed him just like I do with Chris! He did a pretty good job, and it was certainly entertaining to listen to the two of them. Love it!

I gained two pounds this week, putting my total weight gain at 18 pounds. This is exactly what I had gained at 28 weeks with Brenson, as well. I gained a total of 30 pounds with Brenson (which I didn't think was too bad considering I gained 42 pounds with Brianna, AND Brenson weighed over 9 pounds!), so I may gain even less than that with the twinbies. I will for sure carry them for 3 weeks less than I did Brenson, so that will make a difference. 

I had anticipated having a busy week with the kiddos this week, but several of our activities were canceled or rescheduled which resulted in several stay-at-home days. I was thankful for the downtime as it is getting harder and harder for me to be on the go every day. We were still able to do several of our weekly activities, but I definitely rest in the afternoons while they nap when we have an outing in the morning. 

I had noticed that some days I feel very weak and fatigued, even to the point that my limbs feel heavy. It's a hard sensation to describe, but my arms would almost ache they would feel so tired and heavy at times. I decided that I need to make more of an effort to keep lots of protein in my system. I had been trying to eat protein with every snack and meal, but I was still feeling like I needed more. The problem is that I need protein that isn't too filling, and one of my go-to protein sources (eggs) isn't settling well with me right now. Anyway, so I decided to try Boost protein shakes, and so far that's working out well. I drink one a day when I start to feel run down and it has helped a lot. I also bought some protein bars, but I haven't tried them yet. This, of course, is in addition to my normal protein sources of chicken, milk, string cheese, peanut butter, beans, and nuts. I had read that women pregnant with twins should aim to get around 120 grams of protein a day, so it's something that I constantly work toward! 

I'm also trying to be better about snacking more frequently so that I don't get that run-down feeling. It's hard because I get tired of eating and my appetite isn't always great. 

Sleep is still good some nights and terrible other nights. Sometimes my restless legs really bother me. Sometimes I toss and turn because my hips ache. Sometimes I get up 3 or 4 times to use the bathroom and can't get back to sleep. And, sometimes I sleep just fine. I'm always thankful for the nights of good rest as I feel so much better the next day!

On Saturday, we ran a few errands, then spent the day working in the nursery and the big kid room. We ended up rearranging both rooms (Chris did all of the actual rearranging obviously . . . I just directed!), and I like them both MUCH better now. We also hung a few things on the walls in both rooms, and made some decisions about other decorating that needs to be done. I feel really good about where we are with that process and the progress that was made. Just having some big decisions made is great! We also set up the pack n' play in our room just to make sure that it was still in good shape. This got the kids all excited, and Brenson even jumped up and down and said, "I'm so excited for the babies to come!" He hasn't been one to express too much excitement, so it was fun to see him like that. 

I do think I overdid it a bit on Saturday though, because yesterday I felt horrible. I woke up at about 4:30am feeling extremely nauseous, and even had that stomach bile taste in my mouth that you get right before you throw up. Ugh. I ended up not going back to sleep at all as my stomach was just in knots. When Chris got up to get ready for church, he brought me a sliced apple and some peanut butter. I thought eating something might help. I couldn't even sit up in bed to eat I was feeling so bad, and eating didn't really help at all. I debated and debated about trying to get ready and go to church, but after eating a cheese stick and drinking a Boost and still not feeling better, I decided to stay home and rest. I ended up staying in bed all day! I did feel better that evening, but still very exhausted. I need to be more careful about how much activity I pack into the day. I'm nervous about how I'll do this week with Thanksgiving, but I'm just going to have to take it as easy as possible.

Several of my maternity tops are starting to get too short. I can't believe this is happening already! This was never a problem I had when pregnant with Brianna, but I did outgrow a few things at the very end of Brenson's pregnancy. I am truly blessed with the most generous friends, as one of my dear friends gave me about 7 tops that she had from when she was recently pregnant (although she never wore part of them as they still have tags!). They are a size larger than anything else I have, but that's what I'll need to get me through the remainder of this pregnancy. Because they are a size larger than what I normally wear, a few of them are a bit big on top (like through the shoulders), but at least my belly won't be hanging out of the bottom. I am SO thankful for her generosity because I really, really didn't want to buy any other maternity clothes. 

We were scheduled to have an appointment with Dr. N this past Thursday, but it was rescheduled for this coming Tuesday. I'll do my glucose test then, and - although he told me to anticipate failing it - I'm hoping I'll pass :-). It's a bit unbelievable to me that we only have 10 weeks left in this pregnancy. Eeeeeep! It's so exciting and so terrifying at the same time! Ha!