28 weeks

I really should take belly pictures more often and blog about my progress, but it seems like the weeks just fly by! I know I say this all of the time, but your second pregnancy is way different than your first. A certain 3-yr. old in our house keeps a lot of my attention these days! :)

So, here I am... large and in charge.

Once I posted this picture, I remembered that I had taken a belly picture of myself in this skirt when I was pregnant with Kaden. Below is what I looked like at 35 weeks pregnant with Kaden. Oh my. I'm WAY bigger now at only 28 weeks. I suppose it does make a difference when you have 2 in there instead of 1!! :) That also probably explains why I feel more like I'm 35 weeks pregnant instead of 28!

How do I feel?

This is probably the first time since early in the 1st trimester that I don't answer, "Great!" anymore. I feel kind of like I did in the 1st trimester. I'm nauseous again in the morning, and I really have no appetite lately. I seriously get full after eating only a few bites at any given meal, which I think is because my stomach doesn't have any room to expand with those 2 girls in there! Of course, then I'm hungry about an hour later and we start the process all over again. So, I'm basically hungry all of the time, but nothing sounds good and I get full after a few bites. I guess I don't have to worry about gaining tons of weight!

I still haven't had any major cravings since the 1st trimester craze of salad, pickles and egg/cheese sandwiches. Twice in the past 2 weeks I've craved a brownie sundae and driven myself to Burlingame Dairy Dip at 10pm to get one, but other than that, not a whole lot sounds good.

I'm getting bigger, obviously. This has posed some problems. Sleeping is not quite as easy anymore. I feel like I'm always squishing those babes. I can't get comfortable on the couch, in chairs, in bed... not anywhere! Standing up for long periods of time makes my back hurt because I'm so front heavy (is there such a thing?!?). I'm also finding that with this pregnancy I'm carrying all up front. This means that a lot of my maternity clothes from Kaden don't cover my belly so I've resorted to some of Andy's t-shirts for bed and around the house. Or, I just wear the same things over and over again as I make it work over the next couple of months. My stomach constantly hurts because of the growth. Not a stomachache, but instead, just a dull pain in the front of my stomach that reminds me that it's stretching. I wonder if it's possible for someone's stomach to actually explode? I figured if Kate Gosselin could stretch for 6 babies, I can stretch for 2 without too many difficulties! :)

The girls like to move. ALL. OF. THE. TIME. When I start to complain about it, I stop myself. This is what I prayed for. The movement is a reminder of those 2 blessings in there and that they're alive and well. Baby B likes to make large movements on the top of my belly and Baby A has the hiccups quite often and makes softer, slower movements since she's down deeper in there. If I put my cell phone on my stomach when they're moving, it typically gets bumped off because of the action. It is strange feeling 2 babies move. They usually move around at the same time, but oftentimes one will move and get settled, and then the other one decides that she needs to do the same. Oh, girls.... what will you be like when you're born? My guess is Baby A will be calm, cool, and collected and Baby B will be crazy. Fabulous.

The to-do list before the babies arrive is getting shorter. We're making progress on the room, sewing projects are getting completed, and reality is setting in (as much as it can I guess).

I see both my high-risk doctor and my OB/GYN every two weeks. It makes for a busy summer running back and forth to dr's appointments all of the time and finding babysitters for Kaden, but I'm thankful for the constant monitoring to make sure all is well. The glucose test results were fine, but despite the extra iron I've been taking, I'm slightly anemic, so we're monitoring that.

All is well. 20 weeks ago I wondered if I'd even make it to this point. I have so much to be thankful for! It's hard to believe that the doctors won't let me go more than 9-10 weeks from now. That is craziness. While it scares me beyond belief, it also makes me so excited. At times I feel guilty that I won't be able to give Kaden as much attention, but I know it's healthy and he's ready to meet his sisters, too. He needs some playmates! :) Speaking of Kaden, check out our family pictures we had taken a couple of weeks ago. Kaden was SO sweet in kissing my belly, and his personality shines through. Thanks to Photos by Kaity for the awesome pictures. You can check them out here (then click on "portraits," then "rysdam").

I'll keep you posted as I continue to go from doctor to doctor, but for now, that's the update over here!