The Final Countdown

I'm going to cut right to the chase::
If these babies don't come naturally this weekend, I am going to be induced on Monday!!!

This news came as a total shock to me... I always knew these babies would come soon, but the reality of  Monday, Monday, Monday is kind of freaking me out.

Now, let me explain:

At my ultrasound appointment on Wednesday, the babies weighed in at:
Baby A- 6 lbs!!
Baby B- 5.5 lbs!!
Both babies are still head down which is glooooorious!

My sister, Val, came to the ultrasound with me! It was fun to share in that experience... these babies are so lucky to be coming into a family with so much love. Both AJs family and mine are so excited and ready to shower these boys with love and kisses! lucky boys!

After the ultrasound, I had an appointment with my OB.
Unfortunately- my blood pressure was a little high.... and I was feeling nauseated and light headed. So I was taken to the room to rest for a little bit.

Once I was feeling better (the teensiest tiniest bit better) Dr. K came in. He said that he had just finished looking at the latest research for my type of twins: mono chorionic something something... basically two babies sharing a placenta but separated by a membrane. The latest research says that it is best to deliver between 36-37 weeks- so that the babies don't start fighting over the food supply (and some other doctor-y reasons). 

That in addition to the elevated blood pressure led Dr. K to feel good about delivering these babies soon!!

Soooooooo... he suggested for me to be induced on Monday! 

I totally agree with him. I feel healthy and the babies are growing well- but I know that high blood pressure can cause problems. I had my blood tested for pre eclampsia and it came back negative -thank goodness! I would have been induced that day if I had pre eclampsia! 

I also trust my OB very much. He is knowledgeable and logical regarding medical decisions, but he also takes my views and emotional aspects into account. He always says, "This is what I would say as a doctor... But this is what I would say if you were my daughter." Most of the time the two suggestions are the same- but it is nice to know that he gives me all the options before I make a decision! 

SO- now we are really getting ready for babies! We thought that we were ready... But I keep thinking of things I have to get done! It will all be fine- and everything is coming together. 

I do find that I'm more nervous about being induced than I am about going into natural labor! I don't know exactly why- but it kind of makes me hyperventilate!

Well- I'm excited. Nervous. Happy. Sore. Swollen. Grateful. And all sorts of other emotions rolled up into one.

I'll keep y'all updated!

G

THE CURVEBALL WEEK: Week 34/35

So- at what I thought was my 34 week appointment, the OB said everything was looking great! He told me to schedule my follow-up appointments for the next few weeks. I went up to the scheduling desk and said that I needed to schedule my 35 week appointment. The nurse who was helping me during the appointment overheard me and turned around. She said, "No Grace, today was your 35 week appointment!" Apparently, somewhere along the line, my due date was changed from Oct. 28th to Oct. 22nd based on the babies' growth rate! WHAAAAAT!!! This is amazing news- because our goal was to make it to at least 36 weeks... and that is now just a few days away!

Other awesome things that happened this week! 
- BOTH BABIES ARE HEAD DOWN!!! Baby B has been breech since the 20 week ultrasound... but this week he decided it was time to flip around! I am so happy because two vertex babies means a higher likelihood of a smooth delivery! They could move around at any time... but they have stayed vertex this whole week-- so I have a good feeling about it! 
- The dippy bed problem has been fixed!! It turns out that the box spring was broken in the middle, which caused the mattress to sink in. We have been sleeping in the basement in my brother's room (he is on his mission) but now we can get all set up on the main-floor bedroom! YES!
- Going along with ^, I no longer have to waddle up and down the stairs to get to our bedroom!!
- This week I made a peanut butter hot fudge brownie sundae-- using the brownie mix we found at the store and my coconut ice cream! It was heavenly!! Talk about a satisfied craving.
- I went in for my NST (non-stress test) today and they found BOTH babies' heart rates on the first try!
- I finally have all of the 'thank you' cards mailed out! It feels nice to have that done before the babies come! Also, the new stamps I got are ADORABLE... they have birds on them. c:
- We attended the Ogden Utah Temple Rededication on Sunday! It was wonderful to hear talks from church leaders. I am so grateful that temple work is moving forward!
- Mama, Emma, and I got pedicures! The lady who was doing my pedicure was so incredibly sweet! She saw how swollen my feet/legs are and let out a sympathetic sigh. THEN she rubbed my feet for twice the amount of time that Emma's guy rubbed hers! It felt so wonderful-- I reclined my chair, turned the back massage on, and practically fell asleep!
- My family phone plan has an upgrade that I am able to use! It is awesome because last year I used my UPgrade to DOWNgrade to the simplest slide-to-text phone I could, hoping to save money on the phone bill. However, a month after downgrading the bill went up due to a new policy! And because of how lame the phone is- I can't take pictures or even receive multi-media text messages! I've missed out on a lot of family pictures and texting threads because of it. Also... when I receive a notification (text or missed call) it will BEEP every 30 seconds until I dismiss the notification! This beeping has woken me up in the middle of the night... and has just been plain annoying! So this new upgrade is going to be AMAZING!! I think my phone comes in tomorrow... just in time for the babies!



The one bad thing that happened this week is my iPad just up and died. AJ plugged it in yesterday to charge and when I went to get it hours later it wouldn't turn on! I've tried different outlets, used my dad's charger, and taken it in to the Apple store... but nothing is working!! The only thing they can do for me is to get a replacement... but that will cost a lot of money since my warranty was only for a year. I am super bummed out about it- because my iPad is the only computer-type thing I own. I have to use AJ's computer now when I want to check something. Hopefully it will spontaneously work again... or else tomorrow I will send it in for the replacement. What else am I to do?

c: 
Grace

Blessings from Week 33!!

Wow- 33 weeks down and it feels great! Here are some of the good things that happened this week!! 

- I was able to Face Time with my sister-in-law and her kids, Clara and Christian! Clara is 3 now and Christian is almost a month old! They live in San Diego- so we don't get to see each other very often. But talking with Ashley Anne is always awesome! Also, she has a ton of recipes to send my way... So that makes me happy! 

- AJ and I went to the Logan Temple- we sat outside and talked for a while. It was such a gorgeous day and it was wonderful to spend time communicating!! 

- My puppy Sookie likes to sleep in our bed-- I love that doggie! 

See her snout?

- Our very good friend Kasi French came over! We had such a fun day together! She helped us so much by getting the babies' room together! The clothes are washed and folded by size, the changing table is all set up with diapers and creams!! It is all coming together little by little. 

- While Kasi was here we had a fun movie night with Chinese food! It was so fun for us all to chill in my parents room and eat the different take out dishes! 

:: Speaking of food:: 

- We had some of my favorites this week! Peach pie, peach dumplings (peach anything), Japanese curry, hamburgers, homemade tomato sauce pasta... YUM!! I love food! 

- At the grocery store we also found cake and brownie mixes that I can eat! For those who know my allergies- this is a big deal! It has been amazing, AH-MAZING! 

- AJ made me breakfast every day this week! It allowed me to sleep in! YAY! I love my husband.

AJ is getting anxious for these babies to come! I love seeing how excited he is and how giddy he gets when the babies kick! He is going to be an amazing father and I am grateful for him! 

C:

Grace

So Grateful for Week 32!

- AJ came back from Seattle!!! He surprised me a day earlier than I expected him home. It was the best surprise because I missed him a lot. A lot a lot. And I love having him home! 

- Our really good friend Danielle Woodall did maternity pictures for us!! On our drive to SLC, AJ and I had fun dancing in the car to some of my favorite songs from high school. The In'n'Out guy saw us dancing in the car and must have had a good laugh c: I am so excited to see how the pictures turned out- Danielle is super talented and the fall colors in the canyon were gooooorgeous.

- I shaved my legs! At this stage it was a pretty big undertaking, and I'm pretty vocal about how much I hate shaving my legs. But I did it because my mom found a shaving cream created for people with super sensitive skin. I figured I would try it out. I was still itchy and uncomfortable and taking Benedryl for the next few days, but hey I gave it a shot c:

- Going along with ^, I found out this week that the iron supplement that I have been taking has lactose in it! Sneaky dogs! Since I stopped taking the iron supplement, I have been feeling less itchy and irritable- so maybe that played into how miserable of an experience shaving was?

- At my 32 week appointment, the babies weighed in at right around 4lbs each!!! Grow babies, grow!  I also measured at 40 weeks- the women in my ward still say, "you don't look big enough to be having twins!" but I sure feel big enough! 

- I got all dolled up for Sunday! I curled my hair and wore earrings! I also wore the cute new shirt my mom got for me! Mom figured I needed a few cute things to wear these last few weeks. Not only do I loooove the color of this shirt, it is also super soft and cozy. Thanks mom! 

Do you see how long the shirt is? I love shirts that cover my belly, no question. 

- We got to spend some time with AJs sister, Mary, and her husband, Daniel! They live in Layton- so not too far- but we don't get to see them as much as we would like to. It was fun to chat for a little while and hear about their lives. 

- We finished canning the peaches!!! Thank goodness. Between my mom and I (mom recovering from surgery and me being super pregnant) it took way longer than expected. But dad helped early in the week and on Friday, Val came over to help, too! Val was a total lifesaver in the canning process- without her we would have failed massively. 

- My dad ran and completed the WASATCH 100 MILE ULTRA-MARATHON!! He finished in 27 hours 37 minutes and took 59 th place out of 320 runners! I am amazed that my dad can do what he does- I mean he is almost 50 years old and recovered from an ACL surgery just 6 years ago!! That man can do anything. 

Dad is the goofy looking one in the glasses- c: My "Uncle" Vernon was dad's pacer for the last 25 miles. They sure had fun together! 

- My family has been a HUGE help in getting our room set up for the babies to come! My mom has really been the genius mastermind behind it all- getting the dresser painted grey (so cute), cleaning out the closets so we have room for our clothes, and clearing out space in her office so AJ has a work space and a place for the baby stuff. AJ and dad have also been invaluable because of their energy, muscles, and willingness to help. We really have been blessed!! 

- I washed the first load of baby clothes/blankets/etc. It was so fun to go through the clothes and I am really looking forward to getting everything put away today! I am having so much fun getting ready for these boys! 

...

I know I've been nervous and anxious and flat out terrified about having twins. But the closer I get to the babies coming, the calmer I become! I am the type of girl to get stressed out over all the little details. I need everything to be planned and perfectly figured out before I can relax and enjoy the ride. It's what made me a really good event planner at BYU. I am the girl that made an itinerary for our wedding (personalized for each family member) specifying all the teeny tiny details. I am the girl who the day after Christmas 2013 started planning what our Christmas plans are for this year.

Since June, this girl has gone on a whirlwind of a roller coaster stressing out about all the unkown factors involved in our unique twin circumstance. The packing and moving. Work and housing situations. Becoming a mom and entering this new phase of life. And don't forget about terrifying bed rest. c: All of these things at the time seemed so overwhelming. 

Looking back I've realized that I've gained so much in the past few months! I've started to gain an understanding of what it means to put my trust in God and go with the flow. Without this experience, I would still be the same stressed out, wound up girlie. But now I'm learning that it's okay if I don't know exactly what is happening for Christmas... Or next summer.... Or a year from now. Heck- I don't even know exactly what will be happening next week and I've come to be okay with that! 

My knowledge that God knows best has solidified. My ability to trust in Him has developed. He knew that our babies would be the best way to teach me a lesson, and He was right. I am so grateful for Heavenly Father and His path for us. That is the biggest blessing of them all! 

Love, 

Grace

Blessings from Week 31

Well, hello there!! 

31 weeks was good for us! 

AJ got back to Logan from work/church responsibilities on Tuesday evening. Then Wednesday afternoon got the call fm Novi's CEO that he was needed in Seattle for a conference. Sadly for me, he left early Thursday morning for his week and a half long trip. 

I miss him so much. I am definitely not built for AJ to be gone for long periods of time. When we were first dating, AJ was pretty intent on being in the Army. I knew that would be very difficult for me, but I was willing to make it work. I am grateful that AJs path led him to business... A week for business trips is way better for me than deployment. 

It also gives me more respect families who are in the military or other long-trip working situations. 

So blessing #1) AJ is only gone for a week and a half... Not longer. C:

- I was able to go to the Ogden Temple open house with my Aunt Gayle and cousin Abby. When a new LDS temple is completed, it is open to the public for around a month before it is dedicated as a sacred building. This allows all people to come and see what LDS temples are all about! 

- My mom and dad are back from their 2 weeks being away!! It makes AJ being gone much easier because I have people around me... Plus mom's surgery went well- so life is good! 

- Emma cleaned the kitchen to spotless perfection! When I came home from the open house, the kitchen was clean. It was such a nice surprise! 

- Emma and I had lunch with our Aunt Diana and cousin Ashleigh! It was so wonderful to see them- especially because Diana lives in Indiana and we don't get to see her often. We had a lot of fun chatting and eating and catching up on all the things going on in our lives. 

- I am grateful for technology- being able to meet my nephew Chrisitan while living so far away.... Being able to talk to AJ while he is on his trip... And staying in contact with my friends while I'm in Logan. Technology rules! 

Not too much going on right now, but we are definitely happy!! 

Love, 

Grace

Happy Week 30

This has been a really good week.

- AJ had a vacation from work... Meaning we had a ton of time to spend together. It was so fun just to relax and recuperate together. I love my husband so much!

- We had an awesome (repeat awesome) ward activity. MASTER CHEF MYSTERY BOX CHALLENGE. We gave bags of secret ingredients to different groups and each had to make either an entree or a dessert. We had some AMAZING creations come out of those kitchens! It was so fun to cook together and eat together and talk together. I love ward activities!! 

- I met my new OB here in Logan. He rocks!! I told AJ that we may need to move to Logan permanently so that this OB can deliver all of our babies. C: He is just the perfect mix of "it's your babies, your way" and "I know what is medically best for you and your babies." We went over my very flexible birth plan (flexible because I know with twins often times nothing happens the way it was planned to), and he was on board with everything. He had advice on each point but most of it was in line with what I wanted already- sooooo I felt pretty good about that. He also was super happy with how healthy the boys and I looked! He thinks we have a good chance of making it to 36-37 weeks!! After months of stressing out about super preemie babies, it feels wonderful to get such poisitve feedback. 

Look at my baby bump grow! I'm measuring @ 37 weeks (even though I'm only 30 weeks along)

Then a few days later I had my Maternal Fetal Medicine appointment. They were just following up to make sure that no signs of twin to twin transfusion popped up in the last two weeks. And there were none! The tech doing the ultrasound and the perinatologist kept saying how healthy the boys are and perfectly they are growing c: I was pretty much beaming from ear to ear. Baby A clocked in at 3 lbs 8 oz (8 oz growth in 2 weeks) and Baby B at 3 lbs 5 oz (11 oz growth in 2 weeks)!!! They are growing so fast- no wonder I'm tired and hungry all the time! 

- I made homemade cookie dough ice cream sandwiches! I have been craving sweets lately- which is funny because for the first two trimesters sweets really had no appeal. Anyways, I saw these ice cream sandwiches on Pinterest a while ago and have been dyyyying to make them- they are just pretty expensive to make with my food allergies. But this week I finally caved and I am so glad that I did! AJ and I plowed through the first batch in a day... Emma barely got any! So last night I made some more! 

Just writing about it makes me want one. Be right back....

10 am isn't too early for cookie dough ice cream sandwiches, right? C:

- AJ and I set up the crib! It is so pretty, I love it. We found this great deal on KSL a few weeks ago (crib and mattress) and I have been really excited to get it set up. I practiced reaching in and getting something out of the crib...because I am short and the crib seemed tall... and it made this whole soon I will have two babies situation become really real. It was a happy moment for sure. 

- I got to hang out with my friend Kaitlin Shick! We made dinner, and chatted, and just caught up on life! When I lived up in Logan the summer after freshman year, she and I became good friends. We don't really get to see each other too often when I am up here for short trips... So I am really looking forward to spending more time with her while we are living here. 

- AJ and I went to the temple! It was wonderful as always. 

- My parents have this awesome bed that has a remote to raise/lower the head and feet portions of the bed. Since they have been out of town, we have been sleeping on their bed. It's nice because when I sleep on a regular bed, I have to prop my legs up with pillows to elevate them. If I change positions, the pillows fall over and aren't effective. But with my parents bed, I just use the remote to raise the feet and vualah! Elevated, not swollen/sore feet result! Plus AJ can leave his side flat so he can sleep well. I know what I'm asking for for Christmas... JK the bed is super expensive.

- OUR NEW NEPHEW WAS BORN! Christian Spencer Fuller (son of Spencer and Ashley Anne Fuller) was born Friday, August 22, 2014!!! He was a little over 7 lbs and has a lot of hair. C: 

Now they are home and Christian's big sister Clara is ecstatic! We video chatted with them yesterday and it was clear how much she loves her brother. San Diego really is too far away. I'm seriously considering making the drive (but I'm pretty sure my doctors wouldn't be thrilled about the trip c:). 

This week was full of happy things. I am grateful for it.

Love, 

Grace

My Twin Baby Bump

I am 30 weeks pregnant... but my baby bump measures at 37 weeks!

Since I have nothing to compare this pregnancy to- I've been thinking a lot about how different this pregnancy is than future pregnancies will be!

Here are few things I have noticed so far:

I haven't been able to see my feet for weeks.
I don't know when it is normal to stop seeing your feet... but keep in mind I stopped being able to see them around 23 weeks!

I mean... I guess I can see them if I bend over far enough c:

My feet/ankles are swollen all. the. time.
When AJ and I flew to Japan, my feet swelled up like balloons! It was painful and I could barely put my shoes on!
This has become my norm. Every day I cycle through putting my sandals on in the morning, hoping and praying that they will still fit! When I take off my shoes later, I have the braided rope pattern imprinted on my poor little (or I guess not so little) feet.
AJ has been lovingly rubbing my feet for weeks and weeks helping the swelling to go down. Now-a-days compression socks hardly do the trick! The best way I've found is to keep my feet elevated (especially while I sleep).

I am always hungry.
The other week AJ and I were at Noodles & Co. with AJs mom. I ordered Pad Thai with pork and it was deeeeelicious!
After scarfing down the dinner, we chatted for about 30 minutes and decided it was time to get going. We were going to run an errand or two before we got home. I felt embarrassed (but got over it quickly because of how hungry I knew I would be soon) and I mentioned that I was going to be hungry again before we finished our errands. I ordered a second Pad Thai- this time with shrimp! I took it to go and about 45 minutes later I scarfed it down, too!

Sleeping is uncomfortable.... and it has been for a while.
I was on Facebook about a month ago and saw that my friend had posted a picture of her adorable baby bump at 31 weeks. She had to hold her shirt down in order for the bump to be really accented. The caption read something like, "31 weeks! Sleeping is starting to become a pain- I can never find a comfy position!"
I chuckled.
I was 26 weeks and I had already been dealing with the big bump discomfort for weeks!! Sleeping soundly is a thing of the past- replaced with bathroom breaks and waking up with a sore back/neck. I guess I am being prepared for when these boys come and keep me up at night c:

Every week more clothes don't fit.
When my friend Erika was pregnant, she didn't start wearing maternity clothes for a while. Towards the end of her pregnancy she wore the maternity clothes- so I was thinking the same thing would happen to me.
Around 12-13 weeks in, I no longer fit into my pants. My mom and I had gone shopping for maternity pants around 10 weeks (when I first told her I was pregnant). I was SURE that the clothes would sit on my shelf for months before I had to start wearing them. lies.
I remember the first time I wore maternity pants- they felt amazing! I couldn't believe I had kept squeezing into my pre-pregnancy pants because the stretchy ones felt soooo good. I could breathe and move and dance if I wanted to!
I also remember waiting to wear some maternity clothes for so long that once I did put them on they didn't even fit! we had a good laugh at that one. One of my favorite maternity skirts I never got to wear. It makes me look forward to wearing it during my next pregnancy though c:
I boxed away my non-maternity clothes one at a time as they stopped fitting. First the pants and skirts, then the shirts, then the dresses (length is an issue- even if the dress is super flowy... it no longer goes to my knees!!). Now I am having to do the same process with my maternity clothes. Each week I pack one or two more things (pants a few weeks ago and shirts mostly these days) that no longer fit or cover up my bump. I am only 30 weeks along and my wardrobe is becoming scarce!

I already do the preggo-waddle.
A guy in the office next door to me said, "You're walking pretty gingerly these days." That was at 24 weeks and its only gotten worse.

Occasionally I don't fit places/do normal things.
On Sunday I tried to go into a bathroom stall at church that was too small-- I couldn't get in and close the door around my pregnant belly! I had to use another stall!
Two weeks ago, AJ and I got into the car. I reached my arm to close the door and couldn't reach! I was stuck in my chair and couldn't get enough momentum to propel me close enough to the door to close it either. AJ had to come around and close it for me!
I can no longer bend over in the car to "pop the trunk" open. AJ has to come around to the window and do it.
There is a bed at my mom and dad's house that I have deemed the dippy bed. This bed has a dip in the middle of the mattress and if you lay on the edge of the bed you sort of roll into the dip. Anyways- I can no longer sleep on the dippy bed because once I get into the dippy bed I cannot get out. I roll into the middle (stopped by my belly) and due to the angle cannot roll back over to get out. This becomes an inconvenience when I have to pee in the middle of the night and have to wake AJ up to help me out of bed. its pretty funny, actually.
I was sitting at the dinner table one day and Kaylie and Dallas were about to sit down. I moved over a chair so they could sit next to each other... but when I tried to sit down in my new chair I couldn't fit between the wall and the table! We had to scoot the table out a foot so that I could fit in that chair c:


These are the sort of things that have been my twin pregnancy normal for weeks, but probably won't happen until towards the end of my singleton pregnancies. Since I have never been pregnant before- I don't have any real life experiences to gauge the differences.
In some ways this makes the inconveniences easier because I don't know any better. c:

And despite being uncomfortable... I wouldn't change a thing.