The Boys are GROWING... and So Am I!!!

     I am now 28 weeks and had an ultrasound today... I am a happy mama.  My boys are doing so well and it is such a relief to see them.  Maverick has his head right above my cervix looking up and is in an L shape along my right side.  Zayden is in the fetal position taking up the space on my right.  Z is literally sitting on Mav's head and Mav's feet are kicking Z's head.  I've been able to feel them moving for the past 2-3 weeks.  Based on the last ultrasound at week 20 I thought I knew which one was kicking or punching and I thought I had their personalities figured out...WRONG.  They've moved and grown a bunch.  I thought Z was constantly kicking me and was the rowdy one, but it was Mav the whole time.  Z is much more relaxed than I thought.   Right when we started the ultrasound we were able to catch Mav yawning... so cute!!! Mav also had is hand up over his head pushing on Z's butt :) haha.
    Mav is 2 lbs 6 oz.  Z is 2 lbs 8 oz.  Both boy's weights are awesome.  They are the same weight as a single baby would be at this point, which makes me super happy.  Their length is 3 days ahead of my gestational time, which puts them in the 47-49 percentile.  I wish the Dr would tell me inches, I'll try to get inches on my next appointment.  Mav's heart rate was 149 and Z was 143, both great.  Basically, ALL GOOD NEWS :)

This is a side profile of Mav yawning :) LOVE IT. 

28 weeks @ 170 lbs!!! I've gained 38 lbs!!! I was told that is good though, Yikes!  I am measuring the same as a 36 week single pregnancy.

     So life now consists of lots of heartburn/acid reflux.  I've resorted to using Tums, which are safe, but I am hoping to find a natural solution.  My neighbor said she had something, so I need to call her ASAP.  I don't make it through the day or night without Tums.  Sleeping is getting tricky.  I've tried the U-shaped pillow, the straight body pillow, and a tiny little wedge pillow.  I like the wedge pillow.  I place it under my belly with another regular pillow between my knees.  I feel like this set up allows me to switch sides constantly and easily through the night.  I have to switch a ton because my hips hurt and occasionally go numb... not fun.  My energy is getting less and less.  I am back to needing naps, but for now it is an every other day thing.  I have so many things I want/need to do before the boys come and it is getting harder and harder to get through even a quarter of my to-do-list each day.  Bending over sucks and totally random, but no one tells you that wiping after using the restroom also gets tougher and tougher!  My feet feel bruised on the days I walk around a lot.  This extra weight is for sure being felt!  BUT with all the "fun" stuff I just mentioned, I can't complain.  I am not on bed rest, I am not throwing up, I am able to still go and do fun things, my boys are very healthy and I feel great most days.  

     I was blessed on July 11th to have a baby shower planned for me by sisters and friends.  It was amazing to me to see and feel the amount of love and support there is for me, Beau and these little boys! It was chaotic, but wonderful and thank you to all those that were there and I missed you for those that weren't able to make it.  Our house is a mess with all the amazing gifts we received.  Its a good problem to have :) 

     I decided I wanted to see what all the Hypnobirthing buzz was about, so Beau and I started the Hypnobirthing classes this past week.  We are taking them from Launi Anderson.  She keeps it real and entertaining.  The philosophy behind the practice is basic yet thought provoking.  I think it should be called "Self Relaxation for All of Life's Challenges".  It simply takes labor back to the way nature intended it to be and not the way it is portrayed in the media.  It shows you how to fully relax your body and allow it to work the way it is designed to work...in sync.  In a very quick nutshell, think of woman in 3rd world countries or animals.  When they give birth they typically do it alone and in a very calm manner.  Most (not all) complications occur when tension or fear becomes present during labor, which causes a woman's birthing muscles to no longer work in sync.  Fear causes blood to go to areas of the bodies based on where the brain sends it (fight or flight kicks in with fear) and the uterus/cervix is last on the brains list.  Hypnobirthing is a good birth route for healthy woman with healthy babies.  There are of course circumstances where it wouldn't work totally, but the relaxation will help with whatever way labor goes.  I was surprised at how much Beau got into it.  He is happy we are using it.  I told my OB today that we would be using Hypnobirthing and they are totally fine with it.  They actually appreciate when woman learn about it because of how much the relaxation techniques help with any situation.  I am oddly kind of excited for labor to see how it all pans out. 

     Lastly, the nursery construction was finally finished about 2 weeks ago.  We had the carpets cleaned last week and finally have the cribs set up! They fit perfectly and I love them.  They are mini cribs and super cute.  We picked out my rocker/recliner and it is super comfy! Beau picked out our double stroller... it matches his truck :) haha.  It is a pretty awesome stroller though.  Things are coming together!!! 

Cribs and Rocker.  Now the fun part...decorating begins!!