7th Inning Stretch

Ok, well 7th month stretch is more like it. Tomorrow morning we have our 7th month ultrasound. I so hope we get some good 3D pics of these little ones. However, as much as they move around I'm gonna take a guess that it's not gonna happen.

I am excited for mom to hopefully feel her first kicks tomorrow!

2 weeks ago we did have our 6 month OB appt. I only gained 4 pounds (179) since my last appt, a pound a week. I figured it wouldn't be much because I still do not have much of an appetite. But don't worry, i do eat. I just don't have all of those crazy cravings (i'm quite sad about this) or crazy need to eat all the time. She said I am measuring just fine and the babies are perfect size. So, no worries.

I am enjoying this pregnancy so much! Maybe it's because I am stress/plan free, maybe it's the fact that this could be the last time I am ever pregnant again. I'm not sure. I loved my own pregnancies but this of course is just different. I love watching Riley and Ayden sit there and just stare waiting for any type of movement to happen. I love how they kiss my belly a few times a day. I love how they tell everyone we come in contact with who asks them "are you guys having a baby brother or baby sister?", our story. I love feeling 2 babies moving around in there 95% of my day.

I say this now because i am sure in the next month - i'll be at "that point" that it's just time to be over. And these thoughts will be far and few and in between : )

Alot of my surro sisters have told me to be prepared to want to do it again. Is it wrong that I feel that way already?? I'd have alot of thinking to do, but I don't think I will shut the door on it just yet. I just can't get it out of my mind, the day that these babies are born and being able to see the new mother and father holding them. That is going to be one.great.day!

Most of my surro sisters and myself will tell you - there is so much more reasoning behind being a surrogate than the almighty question that we get asked constantly "Do you get paid to do this?"
If one day my sister needs me to have a baby for her, i will no doubt do it at no cost. When you come into it the way I did, not personally knowing someone who needed a surrogate, there is compensation involved for pain, suffering, and all of the emotion al roller coaster that comes along with it.
So Tim and I got to sit down and think about what we would do with this "compensation" and we chose to take the kids on a nice trip to Disney. We aren't gonna hold anything back because it's not only the kids first time, but Tim's first time there as well. We are booking it this week and I am so thankful to have not only had the opportunity to make someone elses dreams come true - in return, the morning that we are leaving for Disney is the morning we will tell the kids we are going, that day when i see my childrens faces - I will feel the best mom and luckiest person ever!!
I better get to bed..ultrasound is early tomorrow. I leave you with some 6 month pics!

 My little man and I

 A pic I sent to mom this week

 

Look at that baby belly!!!!

 

PS...Not a sign of stretch marks yet!!! TRIPLE BONUS!

Zooooooooom.

Whew!!! Where has time gone??  This pregnancy has gone just too quick. I'm pretty sure I say this in every post, but I really just cannot believe it.

We have a C-Section date! November 27th. A few days after Thanksgiving. You know why this is great???  Because I will have one last excuse to eat as much as I want : )

We had our 6 month ultrasound last week. Even though everyone is going on about how small I look, the babies are growing right on target. We had the full heart anatomies done and everything looks great. Baby A is about 1.9lbs (the boy) and baby B is about 1.8 (the girl). They were so active that we didnt get any good 3D's like we had hoped. Maybe next time.

When i say active, I mean ACTIVE!! There isn't much time throughout the day that I am not being kicked, punched, head butted, or whatever else possible they can do to me. It really is one of lifes best experiences. I have been feeling great, like almost what I think is too great!! Although on one not so great experience, my back has still been an issue. It has simmered down a bit as far as how often, but every evening as I sit down to work on the computer, is when it hurts the most. This is the reason why this blog is not getting the updates that I want it to.

I realized as i was getting ready to snap some 6 month photos, that honestly this week I just didnt have much time to get all prettied up and do, realized that I was wearing the same shirt from a few photo shoots ago. In case you notice ;)

5 month OB

Mama came to this appt in hopes we were picking our C-Section date, buuut that didn't happen :(

She was pretty bummed and i was to, just not as bummed as i would've been had i been in her shoes.

I gained 5 pounds, so now up to 175. After i gain the next 5 pounds, which is clearly going to happen - i will be at the highest weight in my 32 years. Its crazy though because even though with past pregnancys, I have weighed this much and even though that was at the very end - i still don't look as heavy now, as I did then. I seem to be carrying just belly. I am very thankful. I already have enough work to do after these guys come, let's contain it where we can THANK YOU!
However, we do have 15 weeks to go, so still plenty of time for that to happen.

Blood pressure was great, we discussed physical therapy for the back discomfort I've been having but oddly enough, I haven't had any since that appt. That was the worst and it can stay away, far away.

Riley and Ayden have been totally involved with the growing bump. Kissing, reading stories, and talking to the babies. They can't wait to see their new "cousins"!

Kicks and giggles

Pretty much sums up my day. Even though I was at work.... Today was the first day that I was constantly feeling something going on in there. Kicks up top, head bumps on the bottom, All while I'm on the phone with my customers. I try not to focus on it, but when i do it just makes me laugh. Even though I've been pregnant before, its always a great thing to feel. These two little babies growing inside ya and feeling their movements throughout the day, just amazing. I feel so bad knowing that mom is missing out on this. I feel a bit of guilt talking to her about the kicks and movement, knowing that it has to make her feel some sort of a way. She always says "Please forgive them"  lol    Of course i do...this is all apart of being your surrogate!!

5 months and counting!

I am officially more than half way through. I know that time flies WAY. TOO. FAST, but that normally doesn't count when your pregnant, in the summer. I can honestly say though that this is going fast. I often wonder if it's because I don't have the added stress of baby preparations or maybe it's because the anxiousness of awaiting my new baby isn't there. Of course I am anxious to see these precious little ones, but it's just not the same as if it were my own. No matter which, I just can't believe that in 17 weeks, this surrogate journey will be at the end.

Mom and I went to my 5 month ultrasound this week. Since everyone has been telling me that I am measuring small, I was kind of curious to see what the doctor would say about the sizes of the babies.
Thankfully they are doing great, measuring right on target and I just will embrace my small bump because i'm sure it probably isn't going to last.

Little mans heartbeat was 148 and little ladies was 142. They were busy moving around the whole time putting on quite a show for their mama.

I have been feeling really great for the most part. No sickness, no soreness, just starting to get tired earlier and feeling a bit stretched out at times. Comes with the territory. Never been pregnant with twins before, I'm actually a little shocked at how great I am doing so far. It's very hard for me to sit and relax. I always have to be doing something. Tonight I was out pulling weeds, digging holes for flowers and just finally making the outside of our house look nice. One of our neighbors came by and said "You have got to be the most active pregnant woman I know", made me chuckle. Kind of hard to just sit anyhow when every other minute one of my two are yelling Mom, Mom, MOOOOOM!!!!!!
I know the time is coming that i will have to relax for both me and the babies, but for now - i'm enjoying having the energy.

4 month Checkup

Can you say...Boring!!  But that's a good boring. Blood Pressure is fine, weight gain she said is fine but it was up 4 pounds since last month, and heartbeats for both were heard. I'm gonna put it out there for record keeping purposes. I'm at 170 now. This is what i was at during my last month of pregnancy with both of my own kids  : x
Of course when i left there, i realized there were 2 questions I wanted to ask and I didn't..oops. I'll save them for the 5 month check up. Mom didn't come with me to this appt. It's a pretty far drive for her to come for a 5 minute appt. Towards the end I'm sure they will attend these.

Saturday morning I met mom at Babies R Us. She wanted to start browsing baby stuff and i was soo happy when she asked me to meet her there. Tim had to work third shift the night before so we had 2 tag alongs. It's always nice meeting up with her, we always have a good time together.
We had a great time looking at all of the ideas, oooohing and ahhhhing over all of the adorable baby stuff! She decided not to register that day though because while most of the stuff was cute, she wasn't in love with alot of the "big" things. So she is going to do some more research and then register from there.

This Babies R Us is a trap! It is attached to Toys R Us and inside the building the two are connected. The whole time through Babies R Us, my kids were asking "can we go to toys rus, when can we, can we go now?!"

Since they were fairly good during Idah and I's shopping, i decided to give them each a $10.00 max over at Toys R Us. When we got to the register, Idah actually paid for their toys. So awesome! I could get used to this treatment ; )

I had read in my surrogate facebook page about this body pillow that is amazing during pregnancy. So i mentioned it to mom the other day that i wanted to look into purchasing one. As we were leaving, i was putting the kids in the car and she surprised me with a big bag. In it.. a body pillow! She said she had actually bought it for me before i even said anything to her about it. How freaking awesome!! I have slept with it every night since and let me just say..it is even more tough to get out of bed in the morning. I highly recommend this for everyone - pregnant or not!

Some pics from our day out...

 

     

It's a...... and a .......

Wednesday morning we had our 4 month ultrasound and of course the "big" one because it was most likely the ultrasound that we will see penis or no penis. Mom met me there and she was SO nervous. She kept saying she felt like she was going to have a heart attack! (not really though. at least i dont think anyway)

She held my hand the whole way up to the office. This bond is just amazing! I would have never ever thought that when i started my surrogacy journey that I would meet someone like this or be this close to my IM. She knows just the right boundaries but yet is always there to check on me in whatever way she feels like she should.

The other day she sent me a text, more like a reality check that was in midst of. She was at the grocery store and mosied on over to the baby aisle. Her text consisted of this..

"OMG...i just saw how much a can of formula cost! And i need double of everything. Clothes, food, toys...I think i'm going to pass out for a minute!"

She has quite the sense of humor. Of course she is just kidding. She like all other IM's are usually ecstatic to be at this point and she definately is. But I think for any mom, the reality hitting you of having 2 babies at once, can sometimes overtake it all.
On that note, we haven't talked in much detail about breastfeeding. She did ask me to breast feed them while we were in the hospital and i love that she did. I also will pump for her while I am on maternity leave but once I go back to work, i know my life goes back to pure craziness and without trying to sound selfish, i just dont know if i will be able to continue. We will definately need to talk more about that as time moves on.

Ok, Ok back to the important things of the week. Sexes!! Did we or did we not see??

             We DID!!

My two tator tots were right all along. Back in the beginning when they first found out i was pregnant with twins, they names the babies on their own. Baby A was named Alvin by our son Ayden...making him a boy and Baby B was named Emily by our daughter Riley, making her a girl. And they were right! Except that isn't going to be their names.

We found out baby A was a boy first. Mom was so happy and very anxious to tell dad. Then we found out B was a girl and she had the best reaction I have ever seen. I really wish i was video taping her. She was so happy and she cried for hours. What an amazing thing to be a part of! And how awesome, totally awesome that they are getting one of each!!?? They deserve this, they really do.

Mom and dad are both African. They moved her from Cameroon, Africa a few years ago. They are going to name them from their heritage. Their culture believes that twins have specific names.
I won't go into a whole culture lesson here but basically when you have one of these names, anyone you meet within the African culture, knows immediately that you are a twin. Pretty cool, right??

So baby boys name will be Sam-gwa (trying to type it so u can pronounce it)
and baby girl is Nigella.

Here are some 4 month pics of the bump, a pic of mom after we left the dr office and pics of the babies of course!!