21 weeks - names!

I think we've settled on names and are ready to share (let's hope the sonographer was accurate in her readings or we may need some new names).

Baby A, our little boy, will be Owen Charles Wolf.

Baby B, our little girl, will be Elizabeth Grey Wolf.

I can feel Owen wiggle more often than Elizabeth but I think she moved to a new spot in me so I can feel more flutters lately. I swear Owen kicked me in the bladder the other day; the urge to pee intensified so quickly after that. It made me laugh. I'm hoping Spencer will be able to feel them soon.

No bump pic this week because my photographer is out of town.

20 weeks

In a normal pregnancy, 20 weeks would mark the halfway point.  We hit that milestone last week since the doctor said she would want the twins to go past 38 weeks.  According to my pregnancy app on my phone, the babies should weigh about 10 ounces and measure about 10 inches long, head to foot.  Our babies weighed about 10 ounces last week, so I think they are right on track.  I've gotten my appetite back lately, so hopefully they will continue to grow nicely as I feed them more.  Heartburn can still be an issue occasionally, but it hasn't been consistent or terrible.  I suppose I'm in that nice phase of pregnancy between morning sickness and too big to do anything.  I still take it easy most of the time, but that may be harder now that I've made a to-do list for cleaning up the outside of the house (mostly projects we started but never finished).

So many choices!

Last weekend, Spencer and I ventured out to a few stores where we started looking at baby stuff and signed up for a few baby registries (we've been going to all of the stores that offer free goodie bags for registering).  Oh my! I thought I was prepared with my list of what we'd need. I guess I didn't factor in the fact that there are so many brands and varieties of each object.  We picked a few items out but will definitely need to do some more research before continuing. I think we'll just take a item or two each night and decide which brand and version we want. I found a bunch of friends' registries online to look at for inspiration.  If you want to provide some advice, I've created a google doc that you can comment on here.  I have it set up that anyone with the link can comment (not edit); hopefully it works ok.

Overall, registering was a fun experience.  We got to check boy and girl when we signed up, which was kind of cool.  I parked in an expectant mother space, which I got a kick out of.  And I got my first inquiry from a stranger (at Sam's, not a baby store) as to what we are having, boy or girl.  Totally blew her mind when I said both!  That led to a short conversation about twins and names.  Speaking of names, we think we've settled on names, but I'm not quite ready to share.  I want to sit on it a bit longer and make sure I'm really happy with them.  So maybe next week.

Like usual, I'll leave ya with a bump pic...

20 weeks (measuring 25 last week) - I think I've bumped it at least three times on doors and other things.

19 weeks - The results are in!

We had our doctor's appointment today.  I like this doctor's office, but I hate waiting and that seems to be all we ever do there. About 15 minutes past our appointment time, the nurse called us back and took us to the sonographer's room.  This sono machine was a little more advanced than what the doctor had used before; plus it was a sonographer instead of the doctor grabbing measurements of the babies.

There is so much more to see now that the babies are bigger (A is 10 oz and B is 9 oz) that I found it kind of hard to tell what we were looking at exactly.  Baby A is still toward the bottom, but more on my left side now.  Baby B is shoved up on my right side closer to my rib cage. I think Baby A was kicking, elbowing, or punching me a few times the other night; it felt like poking, but from the inside and slightly different.  After the sonographer grabbed pictures of everything she needed for each baby (spine, kidneys, heart, head measurements, femur measurements [I have to say that teeny tiny femur was adorable!] and a bunch more that she used weird abbreviations for), she showed us the sex of each baby.  Baby A, the one on the bottom, is a boy.  Baby B, the top one, is a girl. So one of each! I've no clue how the sonographer can read the images that quickly or positively, but I trust her judgement.  We are very excited.  Spencer is rubbing it in already that he was right :)  Now we can finally get started on planning names, nursery, registry, etc.

After we finished the scan, we got to wait for 15 minutes or so to see the doctor.  The nurse answered some of my easier questions. She said my 9 pounds gained so far is right on track, so no need to worry about that as much as I have been. She said I have to suck it up and sleep on my side now.  My hips had hurt from laying on them all night, but now that I've finally wrangled the right pillows, it seems to be going better.  The doctor answered the rest of my more advanced questions (although the nurse might have known too) and measured my belly. I'm measuring 25 weeks right now, even though I'm only 19 weeks (she said that's common with twin pregnancies).  I'm progressing just fine and she doesn't automatically see bedrest in my future.  She still thinks/hopes the babies come right on time.  I'm allowed to get a prenatal massage; I'm rather excited about this because my back and hips have been shifting around and hurt some.  She gave me some advice for the heartburn I've been having.  And she said go see my primary care doctor for my earache I've been having.  She also cleared me to travel to San Antonio next month for a conference, so I'm excited about that (nervous too on how much I'll be able to do without over doing it; last year wore me out and I wasn't 5 months pregnant then).

We go back again in 4 weeks for another sonogram with the sonographer and then a follow up with the doctor.  Each scan will be looking for a variety of things, including their size. One may be bigger than the other, but if they get too different, we may have a slight problem.  I'm not too worried though, just as long as both are nice and big.  I'll have to start paying the doctor's fee next time, but I get to put off the glucose test until the time after that.  Spencer needs to find out his blood type to see if I can avoid getting a shot since I'm O-neg.  

I'll leave ya with a bump shot.

18 weeks - What are we having?

Sorry to tease, but we don't know what we are having yet.  We hope to find out at our appointment next Wednesday, if the babies cooperate during their anatomy scan. Until then, let's have some fun!

I thought I'd dedicate this week's post to going through many of the old wives tales used to predict the baby's gender. You can read through and see where I land and then vote for what you think we are having. I will say I cannot find any information about how these wives tales work for twins. We are pretty positive that they aren't identical, but that doesn't mean they can't both be the same gender. And I'm not sure if they can cancel out each other on certain wives tales. So take it all with a grain of salt.

Answers will be in blue for boy and pink for girl; those without a definitive answer are purple [because pink and blue make purple :)]

1. Sweet versus salty: Sweet cravings mean you’re having a girl. Salty cravings can mean it might be a boy. --Salty/sour usually (I'll eat sweets, but don't really crave it)

2. Morning sickness: If you’re suffering from excessive nausea and morning sickness, it’s said you could be having a girl. --I've definitely had both, even with meds

3. Moody versus mellow: If you’re feeling more moody than mellow, you might be having a girl. If you’re more chilled out, legend has it you should get ready for a boy. --I'm a tad more moody than I was (especially when I don't feel well), but feel pretty chill most of the time.

4. Carrying high versus low: According to pregnancy lore, carrying high means you’re having a girl, while carrying low means it’s a boy. --I have no idea how to determine that so you decide based on my belly shot.

5. The ring test: Tie a ring on a string and hang it over your belly. If it swings in a circular motion, you could be having a girl, but if it’s swinging side to side, it means you’re having a boy. --I thought it started side to side but Spencer said it was circles

6. Heart rate: During your next ultrasound, pay attention to baby’s heart rate. If that little ticker is beating faster than 140 beats per minute, get ready for a girl. --Baby A was 150 bpm and baby B was 167 bpm at their last ultrasound [they were flip-flopped the ultrasound before that and the exact same at the first ultrasounds, always higher than 140 bpm]

7. Chinese gender chart: Apparently by adding the number of your age at conception to the number of the month you conceived, a Chinese gender chart can tell you whether you're having a boy or girl. --GIRL (based on our transfer time frame); BOY (based on when the egg and sperm came together before being frozen) [I'll leave this one to you to decide how you define conception or if you need one or the other to sway your vote :)]

8: Acne: If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl. --My face has been the clearest it's been in a long time!

9. Dad’s Weight Gain: If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it’s a girl. If he doesn’t gain weight, you’re having a boy. --Girl

10. Clumsy vs. Graceful: If the pregnant woman is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she’s having a girl. If she becomes clumsy, she’s having a boy. --what if I was always clumsy? haha

11. Feet: Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you just might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl. --I was always cold and have remained cold so far [when does the furnace aspect of the baby kick in?]

12. What Do You Think?: 71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having. --I think two boys [but will love any combo :)]


So now you have some "evidence" to make a better decision. Or ignore it all (as you probably should) and just vote for what you hope the turkeys will be.  The poll should show up just after my bump pic (but I'm not sure it shows up on mobile devices; sorry).

What will the Turkeys be?!