Charlotte & Ruby at 25 Weeks

The appointment went well with the high risk doctor today. The girls have gained about one pound each since the last ultrasound, and are now both head up and facing each other again.





Finally, a profile view of Ruby:


I am 24w5d, but both girls are measuring slightly ahead. My uterus is currently measuring 28 weeks. I have now gained 36lbs, or about what one might gain with an entire singleton pregnancy.
We have our next appointment with the regular OB on July 1. A week later on July 8, we have our 3D ultrasound scheduled so we can get a realistic look at the girls' faces.
Tonight is our hospital maternity tour at Rush-Copley. I scheduled it earlier than normal because I was worried I might end up on bed rest before we got the chance to take one. Even though I still have 3 months to go before these babies should arrive, things are starting to feel more imminent now that we are almost fully prepared here at home.

Expanding (Weeks 13 - 24)

I decided to post the photos of my stomach a bit before the 2nd trimester is done due to popular demand. Below are weeks 13 through 24 (today is officially the start of week 24).

13 weeks:

14 weeks:

15 weeks:

16 weeks:

17 weeks:

18 weeks:

19 weeks:

20 weeks:

21 weeks:

22 weeks:

23 weeks:

24 weeks (sadly, my belly button is starting to pop out):


No matter how much lotion I slather on (twice a day, mind you), I cannot fight genetics. Stretch marks have started appearing on my hips this week.
You may notice my skin just beginning to fold over my ribs in Week 16 (and proceeding to get deeper as the weeks progress). Turns out, I have a stuck rib in that area which is causing some considerable discomfort. I am doing physical therapy 3 times a week currently to correct that among many other back problems.
The girls are quite active in late afternoon through the evening now. Bob is able to feel them move a few times each night, though they do try and stay still when I initially put his hand on my stomach. They have gotten strong enough to move my stomach with their kicks & jabs, which is quite odd to watch.
We go see the high risk doctor next Tuesday, so we will have an update on how the girls are doing along with some ultrasound photos.

Sisterly Love Already

At the appointment with the OB today, we found that Charlotte (Baby A) is head down while Ruby (Baby B) is still head up. This is not an indication of their final positions yet, but it was quite amusing to see Ruby's foot in Charlotte's face, kicking her randomly. The loving bond between them is apparent. Both of their heart rates are in the 140s. Sadly we did not get any photos to take home from the ultrasound today, but it was nice to see them moving about while we were there.
I am now officially measuring 26 weeks (for a singleton pregnancy) while actually being 21w4d. I have gained 27lbs so far, with 33lbs more to go to reach the goal of 60lbs gained total.

Below is a photo from a couple days ago when Bob & I took Siouxsie to the park:


My (round) shadow:


Due to my ever-increasing size and the scoliosis I was diagnosed with at 13, I will be going to physical therapy for my back. The pain is getting harder and harder to deal with, so my OB wrote me a referral to a practice that specifically treats pregnant women. I hope to find some relief with their help. Our next appointment is with the high risk OB on June 24. We should definitely have ultrasound photos to share then.