Favorite Time of Year!

I apologize for not posting more regularly; life has been very busy and hectic preparing for these little guys that are nearly here! This is my absolute favorite time of the year because the seasons are changing, the weather is getting cooler, and holidays are quickly approaching. To top it all off, the babies are going to be born during my favorite season. I'm so excited!

Here are some updates:

• I am 34 1/2 weeks pregnant now, but the picture below was taken when I was exactly 34 weeks pregnant. Although my belly is obviously stretched to the max, thankfully I do not (yet) have any stretch marks.
  

• I developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands about six weeks ago, but it is worse in my right hand. I wear a brace at night to help control the tingling sensations, but my hands constantly feel like they are asleep. I have a hard time cutting food and grasping onto things now, so most things I pick up end up on the floor. Blow drying my hair, putting on makeup, and writing have become difficult tasks. My doctor said this occurs because of swelling in the hands and will resolve itself about 8 - 12 weeks after I deliver.
• As of a week ago, I was up forty pounds.
• As of two weeks ago, the babies were measuring very well, in my opinion- 3 pounds 12 ounces and 4 pounds and 2 ounces.
  
• My ankles are pretty gross. Swelling becomes painful by the end of the day and is now consistent no matter how much I sit or stand. I pretty much wear flip flops every day because they are most comfortable. Once I get home from work, I go barefoot or wear house shoes.
  

• I am still working full time, but my body and I are slowing down. Most days I have to come home and take an hour nap because I am so worn out from the day's activities.
  
• My back pain has actually decreased. I'm not sure if someone has been praying for that or not, but if you are- keep on! Because of my scoliosis, I am amazed I am not in excruciating pain at this point. Woohoo!
• My doctor is going to deliver the babies in mid-October, and she has told me we have a 50/50 chance of making it until then. That's not too far off, so I'm hoping my body will continue to hold out for the three of us!
• I am out of breath all the time and feel like I am gasping for air, especially if I walk even a short distance. Everyone notices it and asks me if I am okay, but it is just my regular breathing at this point.
• I have to pee anywhere from 1-3 times an hour during the day and wake up about every two hours throughout the night to go potty. Thank goodness people take pity on pregnant women because there have been a few emergency situations where I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. HA!
  
• We found a pediatrician we are going to use. He came highly recommended. Allen thought he was a bit fruity when we interviewed him, but I reminded him that he works with kids all day long. When we went to our consultation appointment with him, he had a huge skeleton with sunglasses on sitting in a chair in his office. I thought it was hilarious and can see why he will be very good with the boys.
• I had three baby showers, and they were all magnificent! We received an outpouring of love from friends and family. Honestly, we were both shocked at how many gifts we received and are so thankful for every single warm thought and gift. I have spent several moments in the nursery, rocking in the recliner, crying, and thanking God for the miracles in my belly and the support we have been shown; we are so grateful. We have been blessed beyond measure and are completely aware of how amazing our friends and family are and will continue to be once the boys arrive. Below are a few pictures from the showers-

• We also have the nursery finished. Yippee! The babies will sleep in our room for several months, but we do have the cribs and nursery ready.... I posted several pictures throughout the organization process so you can see what a task it was. Also, Allen painted the orange monkey pictures at the bottom, which I absolutely love. They are the perfect "dad" touch to the room and definitely tie it all together. My hubby is so talented!

• Danielle made the invitations for one of my showers, and I absolutely loved them. That girl is so talented and good to me. Thanks, friend!

• I think at this point the only thing we have left to do is pack the hospital bag. For the past three weekends, I have planned to do it but then keep putting it off. I feel like if I pack the bags, the babies will see that as an invitation to arrive early. So, I'm not packing yet, despite the doctor's orders.
• I see my regular ObGyn once a week now; she is keeping tabs on my weight and dilation so I don't go into preterm labor. Although at this point, the specialist has told us if the babies arrive now, they will still do very well. They will have to stay in the NICU for a bit, but they will do just fine. What a gigantic relief- not that I want them to come yet, but just knowing they would still be okay takes a great deal of pressure off and lowers my stress tremendously.
  
• I have to say that I think my body is holding out so well! I never thought I would make it this far without being on bed rest and have had major concerns about the babies arriving too early. I guess it just goes to show that my body can do more than I thought it would and will power and attitude can move mountains, or in this case, carry the weight of two mountains. Hee hee.

Thanks to those of you that have checked in on us. We're fine and hoping to keep on keepin' on for another few weeks. Hopefully I can update more after our doctor's appointment later this week.

26 weeks and 1 day

I am officially 6 1/ 2 months pregnant. So amazing! I'm going to post in bullet points because it is late (9:30 P.M.), and I want to head to bed:

• My belly is a-growin'! I'm measuring 31 1/ 2inches as of last Monday (one day shy of 25 weeks). This equates to being 31 1/ 2 weeks pregnant with a singleton, but it does not really convert to a twin pregnancy. I don't have any stretch marks yet but know they may appear any second because my stomach is getting so large.
  
• I have gained 25 pounds thus far, and my doctor would like me to continue gaining because weight gain for the mom falls off in the last trimester. Babies take up so much space that there is very little room for the stomach to expand. However, our perinatologist said the babies are measuring right on track for weight so not to be too worried about my personal weight gain.
• The babies are super active, although I cannot tell which one is moving or what body parts are moving yet. I can see movement on the outside of my belly as well, which is super exciting. Feeling and seeing the babies move is the neatest thing I have ever experienced in my life. I LOVE it!
• My appointments with my regular ObGyn are now every two weeks.
• I failed my first glucose tolerance test; the nurse forgot to tell me to fast, and I ate a cheeseburger and fries prior to the test. HA! My repeat test was perfect. Go figure!
• I am slightly anemic, which is normal in twin pregnancies. The babies are taking every single bit of nutrition from me. I am supposed to supplement with over-the-counter iron pills once daily and will be monitored closely to ensure my anemia does not get too out of hand.
• I am out of breath pretty and take deep breaths often. I don't even realize I am breathing deeply or sighing/taking deep breaths and have been asked on several occasions if I am okay. Someone even told me that I shouldn't breathe like that because it makes other people nervous and concerned I might be going into labor. HA! Poor Allen wears himself out asking if I am alright when I breathe this way too.
• I have to go to the bathroom about once an hour (if not more) and am up throughout the night not only to go to the bathroom but also because the babies tend to be most active in the late evenings.
• My back still bothers me; the pain is becoming a nuisance. When I think about carrying these two little babies though, I can't help but smile and be thankful.
• My ankles have begun to swell a tiny bit but do not cause me any pain right now. They start swelling about 10 A.M. and just tend to stay that way the rest of the day.

• I am usually super tired after work and come home to take a thirty-minute nap a few times a week. I also think this might partially be related to the anemia, but I need to ask my doctor about that.
• I am constantly thirsty! Super. Thirsty.
  
• We were extremely productive this weekend while my best friend, "Peah," was in town from Houston. We picked out and purchased the cribs and mattresses (which take about six weeks to come in), we planned the family & friend baby shower, we found everything we needed to register for (plan to actually register this weekend), found a recliner/rocker for the nursery (Grandma Lucy paid for it), and we picked out new carpet in case we stay in our current house.
• My mom and my Aunt Sharri (my mom's best friend) willingly drove to Tulsa today to get the rest of our baby bedding for us, and we now have all the bedding ordered. How sweet are they to help us with this task?
• We also found out that we may get an offer on our house in the next day or two. Yikes! I was so not prepared for this and had resigned myself to staying in our current house until the babies were six months old, but I guess we'll see how it all works out in the end. Allen is dying to move, but I'm ready to nest. Our house officially goes off the market this Sunday at midnight. I just keep telling myself that if it is meant to be, it will be.
• My belly is the largest thing on me right now, but I feel like I have started to gain a bit of weight and swelling in my face, rear end, and ankles. I know this is all normal; I just want it documented more than anything.
  
• Other than that, things have been going well. Work is keeping me really busy right now, but it sure makes the days pass quickly. I'm thankful to have a job though!
• I also have a great husband who helps so much around the house! He has been amazing and tells me my main job right now is to grow these babies. Since I tend to be a control freak, it is hard for me to surrender, but my body is happy that I do.
• Allen tells me I move "at the speed of death." I do all tasks pretty slowly and feel like my "high speed" switch is currently broken. It's okay though; I'm growing babies. Remember? HA!
  
• I apologize if I haven't updated as much as you (or I) would have liked. I've been doing an awful job about commenting on blogs too. I am often reading and sometimes just don't have the time or energy to comment. I am sorry and hope I can improve on this.
  
• I'll leave you with a few parting belly shots and a few pictures from our anniversary trip to Eureka Springs as well.
  

More than halfway there!

Man, this pregnancy is flying by, y'all! I cannot believe that I am more than halfway through it. Considering most twins arrive at about 33 weeks, I need to get my butt in gear!

I wanted to start off with some things I have been experiencing and feeling for my own journaling purposes:

• I have been feeling great overall! I can honestly say I have been enjoying pregnancy! And the bigger-bellied I get, the nicer people are to me. Not to mention the bigger my belly gets, the bigger the babies are, and I want healthy twins!
  
• The babies are moving like crazy. I can feel them on the inside and outside now; it feels like popcorn popping in my belly. The babies are the most active early in the mornings and then later in the evenings from about 7 - 11 PM. I love it!
  
• I went to the specialist about a week and a half ago (20 weeks, 6 days). I see the specialist in addition to my regular ObGyn so both can monitor the progress of the babies and to ensure I don't go into preterm labor. Both babies looked great and are gaining weight. One weighed 14 ounces and the other weighed 15 ounces. Here are a few pictures:

• Both babies are still boys. HA! Sorry to anyone who was still hanging on to the hope of a girl.
• We are still working on names but have decided not to reveal the names once we know what they are for sure. We're keeping them a secret for several reasons: 1) we don't want others' opinions about liking/disliking them, 2) we want to surprise everyone once the babies are here, 3) it's one of the things we can keep secret, 4) we know it drives everyone crazy!
  
• I asked the doctor how my (severe) scoliosis would affect the remainder of the pregnancy as well as labor and delivery, an answer I wanted to know but was too scared to ask. He said I would likely have more back pain than a normal pregnancy, which would also be exacerbated by the fact that I was carrying multiples. In addition, it would likely be more safe to deliver via c-section (which my ObGyn and I had already discussed). It might also be difficult for the anesthesiologist to find the right spot in my back for my epidural, and if that was the case, I might have to be completely knocked out for the birth. Definitely not what I want, but I'm glad I asked now instead of being surprised later.
  
• Allen felt the babies for the first time the other night, and I thought he was going to pass out. He raced around the room screaming about how creepy it was! I'm not sure he can believe all this is happening and feeling them kick makes it all the more real, not to mention my ever-expanding belly. Here's me on Tuesday of this week at 22 weeks:
• I'm still not craving sweets, although I will eat them on occasion. Fruit has been at the top of my craving list as well as pasta/carbs.
• I have times when my heart races and feels very fluttery, but all the books say this is normal since pregnant women have twice the amount of blood racing through their bodies.
• My back has started to hurt if I stand too long or sit too long, and I know this will get significantly worse the bigger I get.
• Walking has slowed to a snail's pace. Allen makes fun of me because he says my normal speed is "high gear" and my new speed is "turtle gear." I suppose all the extra weight has really slowed me down, but I think that may actually be a good thing.
• I was never graceful, but my clumsiness is amplified. I trip over my own feet and sometimes just start leaning to one side and have to regain my center of gravity. Again, I think it is due to the belly weight and is totally normal.
• I am beyond absentminded. I can't remember things to save my life right now, so I have things written on notes and then forget about the notes. For those of you that know me, you know this is totally out of character and is driving me crazy. I'm a Type A personality gone astray!
  
• My near-perfect eyesight is off these days too. My eyes get really blurry and occasionally have a very difficult time seeing. This may also contribute to my clumsiness.
• Peeing has become like breathing; I do it almost as frequently.
  
• Last but not least, I seem to be out of breath all the time. I sigh ALL the time, and Allen asks me nearly every single time what is wrong.
• *None of these things are complaints at all; they are more a documentation of my symptoms so I'll remember these fun times later. Allen and I are both thankful and blessed these babies are on the way and can't wait to hold two, healthy sons in our arms!
  

Allen has been awesome! He worries about me constantly, although I like to think I'm still somewhat self-sufficient. He is taking such good care of me, asking about my every sigh, moan, and move. I adore him. No wonder Sunday the 5th we will celebrate our seven-year anniversary. Happy early anniversary, honey!

I had a great weekend with my college girlfriends. We met in Southlake, TX (near Dallas) for a weekend getaway that was just amazing! Three of us are pregnant, and my best friend Leah, the only non-pregnant one, was such a good sport about it all. It was hotter than hot; we kept the room temperature at 61 degrees. HA! Poor Leah about froze her tush off!

Leah & Ashley



The four of us: Ashley, Leah, April, Amy


Amy (27 weeks pregnant), April (due in about five weeks), Ashley (due November 3rd)

Thanks for a great weekend, friends! I love you and am glad we make it a point to see each other at least once a year!

___________________________________________________________________

My good friend Danielle (the one I love and adore) and also the one that happens to be the best blog designer ever is hosting a giveaway that you should totally check out and take advantage of right now. She is giving away one pre-made blog template a week during the month of July. Go read all about it and take advantage of winning a new blog design. If you still want a blog makeover and don't feel you are the lucky type, she is having a great sale on pre-made templates through July 7th. You should check out this special offer too. Or, if you aren't interested in a new blog design, she has lots of other talents too: stationery, buttons for your blog, custom logo designs, and a whole shebang of other things. She is truly THAT amazing and creative, not to mention that she is always doing some kind of crazy sale or giveaway! In fact, if you are not a follower of her blog, you should be so you can take part in all of her fabulous and crazy special offers! I mean, HELLO, she redid my blog AGAIN, and I think it is absolutely adorable! She is so
good to me and does the most awesome blog designs ever! You'll have to leave a comment about her newest blog design for me so she knows how much her work is loved and adored.

I am really behind in life right now (emails, laundry, mail, ironing, baby registry) and blogging has taken a back seat. I'll try to do better about reading and commenting soon, I promise.


Well, I think I have posted plenty this time, but I hope you at least enjoyed the pictures if nothing else. Allen and I are off to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to celebrate our seven-year anniversary and have one last "hoorah" before these babies join us. We'll be safe, and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll have pictures when I return.

Random

My belly button looks like a pig's nose, and it is NOT attractive. Weird. Ick. Hmmmmmm.......

Oink, oink!

What a week- Your Prayers Worked!

I apologize for not updating sooner on Tucker's condition, but we have had our hands full since my last post. For those of you that prayed for our sweet buddy and emailed asking for an update, thank you. Thank you very, very much.

I'd like to start from the beginning of Tucker's latest episode, which goes back to last Monday and actually about a month prior to that, but I'll begin by saying that your hearts can rest throughout the story because he is home now and doing amazingly well.

I can't even remember where I left off with him, but to make the beginning of this ailment go more quickly, here's a speedy recap: my best buddy was very sick, urinating blood, acting very clingy, and he was on two antibiotics over the course of two weeks to try and rid what we all thought was a bladder infection. After neither antibiotic worked the way we wanted it to, the vet said he needed to do an x-ray to see if he had bladder stones......

So, Monday, June 1, Allen took Tucker in, where the vet proceeded to give him a shot to knock him out (sedate him) and take an x-ray. We anticipated a call in the early afternoon to let us know if he had bladder stones with all intentions of scheduling a surgery once we knew for sure it was stones.

I got a call from Allen about 11:00 AM Monday letting me know that Tucker had been sedated for his x-rays, but our vet, Dr. Marshall, had called and said there were quite a few stones in his bladder and urethra that needed to be removed immediately. Given the severity of the situation and that he was already sedated, we had no choice but to move forward with the surgery.

During the surgery, the vet found multiple stones in his penis/urethra. Dr. Marshall tried to use a small catheter to move them back into Tucker's bladder for easy removal, but the small catheter couldn't budge them. He tried a thicker catheter and was able to move some, but one was unable to be moved. Thus, the vet had to take all the stones out of his bladder and then cut an extra hole in Tucker's penis for him to urinate out of since the stone would continue to get larger, to the point he would no longer be able to use the "normal" hole for eliminating urine.

Although there was more to the surgery than we originally anticipated, Dr. Marshall had done this same procedure in the past with success. We brought him home Monday evening with great hopes for an uneventful recovery.....

Monday night Tucker Bug ate a small bite of food that contained his medication, but he went downhill rapidly after this. I was up all throughout the night and had planned to work from home on Tuesday to ensure Moxie (his little sister) left him alone and that he stayed "calm." About 6:00 AM, I heard him moving around under our bed; it took some gentle pushing to actually get him to emerge. Once I had my buddy in my arms, it was obvious he was not doing well at all. He was pretty lethargic, the swelling had more than doubled from the night before, and he refused to eat or drink. We knew this wasn't a good sign, but we also knew he had been through some pretty major surgery. After letting him down, Tucker walked over to the corner and just stood. He wouldn't lie down, he didn't respond to his name, and he generally looked awful overall. Allen finally got him to lie down in his bed, but that is when we noticed some bleeding and just how bad the incision and surgery area looked. We waited until the vet opened and called immediately to get him back in that morning. From the looks of things, neither Allen nor I were even sure Tucker could make it that long and started our discussions of possibly having to put him down immediately. We couldn't allow him to suffer just because we weren't ready to say goodbye.

Our appointment Tuesday AM was at 9:15, and Dr. Marshall told us things were not good from the looks of him. He needed to go back in and do exploratory surgery to ensure his bladder hadn't ruptured. We left Tucker knowing this was far from an ideal situation.

Tuesday's vet report wasn't good; his bladder was still intact, but the swelling was out of control and he was refusing to eat or drink, a sign that he was not fighting the infection. We asked our vet if it was time to put him to sleep, and he told us he wanted to fight a bit longer. Dr. Marshall didn't feel putting Tucker to sleep at that point was best for Tucker or for us. The vet kept him overnight, giving him fluids intravenously, and we called several times to check in on him. Swelling had taken a major hold of my little buddy and the vet wanted to keep him for several days to try and eliminate the swelling and infection.

Poor Tucker was with Dr. Marshall Tuesday through Saturday morning on fluids and medications. Another x-ray revealed more stones in his urethra and bladder, which meant another surgery was in his future if he got over this major hump. I checked on him daily and encouraged him to fight for me and his best friend, Moxie. He actually ate some baby food and chicken for me later in the week. Yippee!

Saturday early afternoon I brought the little boy home, where he cried and begged me to hold him. Because the swelling was still so great and because he was leaking urine, we opted to keep him crated the majority of the time, but I did spend some time holding him and loving on him too. We also had to put him in diapers because the extra hole in his penis was leaking urine incessantly. Although he was embarrassed, I thought he looked absolutely adorable in his little "Pupster" diaper.

The checkup last Monday showed almost all of the swelling gone! Your prayers worked! Thank you! His next surgery was scheduled for Monday (yesterday) to remove the remaining stones, if he was still doing so well.

And yesterday.... guess what? The x-ray showed there was only one small stone remaining, and it was in his bladder. A catheter was easily passed through his penis and no surgery/ cutting him back open was necessary for now! He actually passed a few of the stones on his own throughout the week when we sedated him because he was straining to urinate.

My boy is so wonderful. He is a fighter. I cannot believe the recovery he has made, and I couldn't be happier. From thinking we were going to lose him to an almost-full recovery, my dog is a Superdog. An expensive Superdog, but nonetheless, a Superdog.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers! And I apologize for the long post, but I wanted to document Tucker's amazingness and all that we went through with him the past few weeks. In case you can't tell, Tucker is my first baby and always will be!

Baby Genders

So, I'm guessing you are wondering what these babies are and who won the drawing......

Baby A is a ...........









BOY!




With boy parts right where they are supposed to be!











And Baby B is a ..............














BOY too!







With boy parts right where they are supposed to be as well!







Can you believe it? My intuition was way off base! Who even cares- I am going to have two sons! I'm honestly thrilled with this news and even more thrilled that everything looked so great on the ultrasounds! Both babies had great heart beats (155 and 159), one weighs .6 ounces and the other weighs .7 ounces, and they both already have their own personalities in the womb. Baby A is laid back, makes it easy to get great photos, and has the slower heart beat. Baby B is always bouncing around, upside down, hands waving, hard to get photos of, and had a much more loud and distinct heartbeat. Hilarious!

I was also asked and realized I hadn't mentioned it, but the boys are not identical twins. The doctor said they will likely be as different as night and day, and from the looks of things on the ultrasounds, that just may prove to be true.

Two boys. Two bouncing baby boys. Man, we are in for a real action-packed adventure, I'm sure!

Thank you to all who guessed on the genders; I had a good time reading each of your responses. There were a few that guessed two girls, many of you that guessed one of each gender, but 6 people in total guessed two boys (4 in the comments and 2 via email). My best friend's mom, "Mops," actually told me we were having two boys the day she found out we were having twins, and my understanding is that she has not been wrong about a baby's gender yet. What a track record!

But, the winner of the drawing out of those that guessed two boys is.......(drum roll, please).......
Miss Anne.

Miss Anne, email me at ashleywithtwins@gmail.com to claim your special prize, which happens to be some stationery created by my good friend, Danielle, also known as The Design Girl. She's having a sale right now that everyone should check out and take advantage of- NOW! You can check out her website and all of her creations, but let me just show you a sample of the stationery Danielle creates (she also has other creations - address labels, blogs, moving announcements, birth announcements, etc) because I am sure you will all be jealous you didn't win the prize.....

I'm sure you also noticed that in honor of the genders, Danielle / The Design Girl has changed the blog colors too. Thank you, friend! You are so good to me!


Additionally, I wanted to post my eighteen-week belly shots. I'm scared to step on the scale, so I have no clue how much weight I have gained, but I'm sure the doctor will be quick to point that out when I go next time.And I'll have you know- I am not growing; the BABIES are growing!



P.S. If you are the praying type, I would like to ask for prayers for Tucker Bug. He is not doing well at all, and there were complications with his surgery. I don't want to say too much and get anyone upset because the news about the babies is super exciting, but there is a possibility we we may have to put the little guy to sleep in the next day or two if his condition does not improve. I'll post more later, but I've had a few ask about him. Thank you for your thoughts.