Preggers II -- Twins: 34 Weeks

 

How far along?  34 weeks... well, I actually missed this post from last week and tomorrow will mark 35 weeks, so I'm technically 34 weeks 6 days... but the picture is from 34 weeks.

How I am feeling? From the best of my memory, at 34 weeks, I was very excited and felt very accomplished.  At 34 weeks, I had reached a big milestone in the twins' development that the doctors were excited about; I fulfilled all of my teaching obligations this fall and was now officially on maternity leave; and we had just received the great news that the babies were over 5.5 pounds each, which is wonderful!  Now, six days later, I am still feeling glad and grateful for all of the above... but I'm also getting physically pretty uncomfortable.

How big are babies?  The size of melons... between 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and 17.2 to 18.7 inches long... but at our appointment last week, we were told that one twin is estimated to weight 5 pounds 10 ounces, and the other is 5 pounds 11 ounces... and that was a week ago.

Sleep:  Well, the good news is, I am very tired at the end of the day... the bad news is I get up often to use the restroom, and have a hard time sleeping in a comfortable position.

Boy/Girl, Boy/Boy, Girl/Girl Predictions: Well, we now have decided on names for the babies if they are two boys or two girls... so I'm kind of hoping for either of those combinations.

Babies Nicknames:  Babies, or Twins

 

  Best moment this week:  We've probably had a lot -- Hubby and I took a little baby moon getaway for an overnight in Grand Junction while my mom and dad watched Tracey Ann.  It has been so nice to all be on Christmas vacation the past few days and get the house more and more ready for the babies.  Hubby and I had a Rifle date night and got to watch the movie ELF.  It is such a joy to watch Tracey Ann interact with my parents and play games and get into a routine with them prior to the twins' arrivals.  It was great news hearing that the twins are so big and growing so well... the larger they are, the more developed we expect them to be when they are born.

Food cravings:  Nothing specific... but I do get very hungry every few hours.  Food is very important to me these days.

Missing:  Oh, this is probably not a topic I should get started on.  Let's just say that I am getting very uncomfortable -- a level of discomfort I never experienced with Tracey Ann.  I have to remind myself many times throughout the day how important every day in utero is to both of the babies and how blessed we are that both babies are doing so well.

 

Movements:  Yes, and I love them.  Sometimes the jabs get a little rough, but for the most part, I absolutely love them and will miss them when the babies are born.

Labor Signs:  Well, yes... my body does seem to be preparing for labor.

Comparison:  Here I am carrying Tracey Ann at 34 weeks

and here I am 34 weeks with the twins...

and our favorite pregnancy picture to date:

 

General Attitude: I'm starting to feel ready for the twins to be born... although still trying to remind myself that they would still be premature if they were born now, and we want them as healthy and mature as possible.

 What I am looking forward to this week:  Christmas Eve and Christmas, and over a week ahead of Hubby and me home together with my parents and Tracey Ann.

Milestones: As I mentioned above, hitting 34 weeks was a really big milestone in terms of the babies' development, but also fulfilling all my teaching obligations, getting our home more ready for the twins, and having a baby moon getaway with Hubby are big milestones for us.  When you consider that we were told in October we needed to be ready for premature labor and delivery, I am just overwhelmed and overjoyed to think of how far we have come and the babies are still cooking.

 

Thank you for your prayers in this journey.