Two records, an ear infection and another twin sale

Two records were set this weekend. 1. I have now been pregnant longer than I was with girls. 34 weeks and two days as of today! 2. The girls slept in on Sunday until 8:35 a.m. Mind = blown. I can only assume it was because of the time change and being sick.

Took the girls into urgent care this weekend. Both acting funny and tugging on ears. In a shocking role reversal, Bailey was fine and Brooklyn had an ear infection. So one more antibiotic/sickness before this awful winter is over.

Cuties!

The twin sale was this weekend. Since I'm pregnant, I was able to bring Darren with me so he got to experience the chaos of the member's only preview sale. We did pretty well. Mostly clothes this time and a few toys. Spent $200 for all the stuff pictured below. My favorite find was the toy box with the bead maze (the kind you see in a doctor's office) on top for $4.50.

Now that I've passed 34 weeks, I feel so much more relaxed. Would love to make it another 4 weeks at least. I'm feeling super uncomfortable and miserable though. And GIANT and gross. End of pregnancy is hard whether you have one or two babies. (Though obviously it was soooo much harder with two). I am so sore and tired and just have terrible cramps and pelvic pain all day. I see the doctor on Wednesday so I'll find out if I'm more dilated/effaced than I was at 32.

Nearing the end!

Hit 33 weeks on Saturday. Here's the last comparison belly shot (never got a 34 weeks photo since I went into labor at 33 weeks 6 days). I feel GIANT. Somehow I thought I would look dramatically smaller this pregnancy but in the picture it doesn't really translate. My sister, however, said the picture doesn't really do it justice and I am way smaller this time. Thank you Katie. You make me feel less big and gross.

I saw my doctor for my 32 week appointment. Been having a lot of pressure/cramps/Braxton Hicks so she checked my cervix. Already 1 cm dilated and 80 percent effaced. I didn't get put on bed rest, but she told me to take it easy and wrote me a note requesting I work from home as much as possible. So basically I am to cut out all optional activities like grocery shopping. My doctor seems to think the baby is going to come a little early, but hopefully after 35 weeks.

I ended up in L&D last week with a false alarm. I think it was a combination of my appointment and just feeling really nervous. I was having a lot of uterine irritability but no major contractions (a few minor ones) so they sent me home. The doctor at the hospital didn't seem to think I had any risk of preterm labor so that was in contrast to what my doctor thought. I'm going to continue to listen to my doctor though. Overall I felt really stupid for going into L&D. I know everyone says better safe than sorry but I still felt silly. Oh well!

A few new words, including "fart"

We've been writing down all the sounds/words the girls say per the request of the speech therapist (ie- ma, da, ga, eh, etc.) They have said a few words over the past few weeks (uh oh, mama, dada, hi, go, roar, etc) but nothing made me more proud than Brooklyn's latest accomplishment. Bailey had a huge fart and I said, "Bailey you farted!" Brooklyn looked right at me and said "fart!"I was like DARREN DID YOU HEAR THAT? And then she said it again! AHAHAHAHA. Big accomplishments!

Ear infections galore

This is just the most ridiculous winter of all time. I can't handle all the non stop sickness.

We were all off Monday for President's Day. No work and no day care! Fun day right? Nope. Because this is the winter of sickness. So I went to urgent care in the morning since I still have a terrible cough and not really feeling better (my primary care doctor's office didn't seem to think being 30 weeks pregnant with asthma and difficulty breathing and persistent cough was reason enough to get me in that day, Screw them.) Doctor said my sinus infection hasn't gone away and wrote me another ten day prescription for augmentin. I am feeling kind of a little tiny bit better, sort of. Sigh.

So in the afternoon I took the girls to the pediatrician because their eyes were crusting over and coughing and what not. Ear infection and pink eye for both. They got put on an antibiotic I've never even heard of (cefdinir). So we hung out at home the rest of the day.

Then on Tuesday Darren got sick.

Wednesday Bailey got sent home for daycare with a fever of 102. She woke up from nap time with bad eye crusties again. Clearly the antibiotic was not working.

Took Bailey to doctor Thursday morning while Darren went and saw his doctor. Bailey's mild early ear infection in one ear turned into a nasty double ear infection. Doctor switched her to augmentin. Since this gives her super awful diaper rash, she suggested we try priobotics with it this time so giving that a shot. This is Bailey's FIFTH ear infection since October. If she gets another, doctor said it's time to see an ENT which I would assume would mean tubes in the ear. Poor baby girl was feeling a little better by tonight but still has the sick eyes and sick smell.

I hate this winter. I hate viruses. I hate illness. BRING ME SPRING!

3D Ultrasound of my big girl!

Had a growth scan earlier this week to make sure I wasn't having any placenta issues. Well baby girl is already at 3 lbs 11 oz, which puts her in the 89th percentile! I am going to have a giant baby. So I am currently 29 weeks, when I was 31 weeks with the girls they weighed in at 4 lbs (60th percentile) for Bailey and 3 lbs 13 oz (55th percentile) for Brooklyn. So this baby is a bit bigger.

Since she is growing so well it seems unlikely I am going to have any placenta issues so I won't have to have constant ultrasounds. Next appointment is at 32 weeks, then 34, the weekly starting at 36.

I also told my doctor how sick I have been since Christmas. I have a horrible cough currently. She called me in an antibiotic which I needed very badly. I'm on day 3 of augmentin, not feeling 100 percent yet but can feel some improvement. My death cough doesn't sound as violent at least.

Top left: Bailey, Top Right: Brooklyn. Bottom pictures are both new baby! They all look alike to me!

Help Me Grow Follow Up

We met with the speech therapist to go over the girls results. As expected they are doing really well in all areas but behind in expressive language. (They really scored high in fine motor and social. Also their scores were identical.) She suggested we start speech therapy with one session every three

weeks (half hour per child). Pretty manageable schedule!

So we'll be starting in a few weeks. For now she gave us a few pointers on things we can be working with. She also asked us to make a list of all the different sounds the girls make (ba, da, ga, etc) so I've been keeping track. Most of the suggestions are things we are already doing (see list to the left) but we are really concentrating to help them.

Upon her suggestion, we also cut pacifiers down to nap and bedtime only. The first couple mornings were a little rough but now they hand their pacifiers to us as we leave the bedroom and we put them on the dresser. They do seem to be a lot more vocal without pacifier access (not that  they used them non stop but they would periodically throughout the day have them). I debated for a second cutting them cold turkey, but they are already not great nappers and being in my third trimester, I need them to continue being good sleepers at night. We'll cross the pacifier elimination bridge some day.

28 weeks!

Twin belly vs single belly, 28 weeks.

I hit 28 weeks on Saturday which means I am officially in my third trimester. Woot woot!

Best part is not being on bed rest. Considering I was on bed rest at 26 weeks 6 days last time, I'm doing much better this time around. Starting to feel big and uncomfortable though. Mostly just big. I've been having a lot of pelvic pressure but seems pretty normal for this point in the pregnancy. Things seem to be going really well though.

I have been slacking on my blog writing but this has been the house of sickness since a couple days after Christmas. Aside from the pneumonia, the bronchitis, the high fevers, etc., we also had the stomach bug going around our house the last couple weeks. Started with Brooklyn. She puked all day Thursday. Seemed fine on Friday, puked on more time on Saturday. That was the first time we really had either of the girls throw up excessively (beyond minor baby spit ups). I felt really off all day Friday and Saturday. Weak and dizzy. Then super nauseous on Saturday. Puked my guts out Saturday right before my company holiday party (which we still went to...). Have been feeling a little funny since then. Darren got sick late Saturday night and spent the entire evening puking.  Then my parents both got sick last night after watching the kids on Saturday. Somehow and thankfully, Bailey hasn't gotten sick yet this round.

I would love for spring to come and end all the viruses going around! Let's hope February is a more healthy month.

The bad virus that took us all out...

Bailey did not leave the couch for four days.

So that stuff that's been going around  - the awful head cold, respiratory issues, chills, fever, etc. - we got it. Shortly after Christmas, Brooklyn got sick with high fever and cough/cold. I started to get sick too. We missed our New Years Eve party we had been planning with our twin parent friends, boo! Brooklyn was pretty sick for about a week (with a lingering cold that is STILL going) - took her to the doctor and it was just viral so nothing they can do for her. She was having a  lot of trouble sleeping and we had some extra mommy snuggles at night. At her worst I nearly took her to the ER b/c she was shaking so bad with chills and just acting really funny. Fever of 102 something. But the on call doctor said just to keep an eye on her. Luckily she started to get better. Then Bailey got sick. I still felt like death. We missed my dad's baptism which made me really bummed.

Bailey had a 103.6 degree temp the weekend after NYE. This made me very, very nervous. She was pretty lethargic and in general not feeling well. I spoke to the doctor on call and she basically said just to keep an eye on it (they NEVER seem as worried as I am. I'm like, she is sick! With a fever! And a cough! Should I go to the emergency room???? And the doctor always says just to keep an eye on them.). The next day her fever was gone and she seemed to be recovering. So we sent her to daycare on Monday. Her fever spiked Monday afternoon and by the time Darren picked her up and I got home from work she was back to 102.6 and acting very sick again. I took her in Tuesday morning to the doctor - double ear infection AND pneumonia. Last week was the sickest I have ever seen either of my kids (apart I guess from the NICU). She was just miserable. Missed an entire week of day care. She FINALLY started feeling better after about four days on the antibiotics.

Finally starting to feel better. Day 3 antibiotic vs day 4. Still on the couch. 

Bailey is now on day seven of her antibiotic.She had to be put on a pretty heavy dose of augmentin. One of the side effects of augmentin is diarrhea. Poor Bailey has had awful diarrhea all week. Her butt is just raw, red and bleeding. I have tried every diaper rash cream known to man (or baby) on her butt and nothing is helping. Spoke to the doctor this morning and they recommended mylanta/aquaphor mix (which I've been trying!) and to give her yogurt to eat (which I have been) so not much more I can do. Luckily it's a ten day antibiotic so she's almost done.

Two sick toddlers and a sick pregnant mama made the last couple weeks hard. I am really nervous about taking anything when pregnant so I was resisting. I felt AWFUL. Finally talked to the doctor on call asking what I could take and she says "literally any cold medicine is fine." Oh. So I took sudafed. I am pretty sure I had bronchitis through all of this. I didn't have time to go to the doctor (I know how bad that sounds, but I was trying to still work AND take my kids to doctor's appointments, and I had to take one day off to be with Bailey when she was really, really sick). So I never went. I was having a lot of shortness of breath and I've had bronchitis in the past so I knew what to expect. All they usually give you in an inhaler anyway (which I have for my asthma) so I just used that as needed. I also had my sister listen to everyone's lungs. Since she is a nurse on the pulmonary ICU, I figure she is just as qualified. She confirmed the bronchitis wheeze sound. And she also monitored Bailey to make sure the fluid was leaving her lungs. And she let Brooklyn play with her stethoscope. Fun times for all!

Dr. Brooklyn.

So this week everyone is better, back at day care, and I can't wait for spring to kill all these germs and viruses hanging around!

Somehow Darren hasn't really gotten sick yet. Either he already had it (Darren was sick for basically two months in October and November) or he is a lucky, lucky man. Or it's coming!

24 weeks!

Here is my 24 week photo (from Saturday) compared to 24 weeks with twins! Baby is about as long as an ear of corn and weighs about 1 1/3 lbs. She is really starting to move around a lot! 

18 month check up and Help Me Grow referral

Girls went in for their 18 month well child visit (which was actually two days shy of turning 19 months) last week. Both are little peanuts - Brooklyn weights 21 lbs 4 oz and measures 31 inches long (7th percentile for weight, 20th for height), Bailey weighs 22 lbs 6 oz and measures 31.75 inches long (22nd percentile for weight, 25th for height). I have no idea if that is on the normal or the adjusted scale either. I think they stop using that at the 2 year mark so they are pretty close to caught up.

Anyway, my main concern has been the girls delay in speech. According to the baby books, they should say around 50 to 100 words by 18 months. The girls say one. They are really good at "uh oh." They have said a couple others but not on a regular basis (mama, dada, hi, bye, kitty, light, dog, jacket, cracker) and even then I'm not 100 percent sure on some of those since it was a one time deal. Mostly they just babble and point. They are very vocal, just not forming real words.

It's not unusual for twins or preemies to have speech delays. The doctor said she's not terribly worried about it until 2 years, but she did refer us to a free state program called Help Me Grow. Basically they will come into our house and evaluate the girls to see if they need any early intervention. So a case worker, a developmental specialist and a speech pathologist will all come over. Got a confirmation call from them today, just waiting on our case worker to call and set up a time.

I'm not that worried about it, but figure a free program wouldn't hurt anything!

Here's a video of the girls doing that twin talk back and forth (shot in the Target parking lot so it's dark, just listen to the audio):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrSYFA