The guys arrived last Wednesday, anxious and excited as ever! Thursday we planned to go to the hospital for a tour. I felt like total shit at work on Thursday and wound up going home early so I could take a nap before meeting up with them at the hospital. Laying down helped a lot, although I didn't sleep. It seems to be a trend, I feel best on the weekends and then go down-hill as the week goes on. Sitting at work is just not good for my health. Imagine that! Working part time has done WONDERS for me, though. I do not regret the work restrictions, it beats being ordered on bed rest due to complications from what work was causing, any day!
The hospital tour was great. The nurse was very friendly as she gave us the tour and she knew who we were and about our special situation, which was really nice. The hospital is very secure, much more than it was when I had Kaleb there, so that was neat to see. We talked about how T&Y would most likely have their own room with the babies and how nice that would be for them. Afterwards they took me to lunch and we chatted for more than 2 hours, which felt more like 5 minutes. I really enjoy spending time with them and feel as though we're family that just haven't seen eachother in a long time! They were able to feel my belly for the first time and every time the babies would move I would let them know so they could feel it, too. They LOVE that and I love seeing their reactions and excitement. It makes it that much more real for us. Y asked if I was still comfortable having them in the delivery room. To which I responded that I want nothing less than having them in there and witnessing the moment they meet their children for the first time. At that time, I decided it was probably the best time to explain what my OB had told me the week before, about how only 2 people were allowed in the operating room at one time. I re-assured them that we wouldn't know for sure until that time arrives and that an OB and anesthesiologist might allow the 3 of them (this includes Terry) to be in the room, knowing our situation. My fingers are still tightly crossed for this one.
The guys are wanting to know everything they can, of course, but I have to laugh when they ask me questions about labor like "will you know about a week in advance before it happens?" and "could it happen in the middle of the night?" I'm not shy to respond and let them know that labor tends to happen at the most inconvenient times. Middle of the night, in the middle of the work day, when you're furthest from the hospital, etc. And no, I will have no idea when it's coming, it will just happen. I still have a very strong feeling that my water will break, like it did with Kaleb. The fact that I feel like Baby A's head is already about ready to hang between my legs, makes me wonder how his water has NOT burst already. Truth be told, I really have no idea what to expect when it comes to labor if my water doesn't break first. I've been having contractions for several weeks and they are getting stronger and stronger as the days pass. Now when I have a contraction, I feel some massive pressure in my pelvis and rectum (sorry if TMI). I've described it to the guys as this; it feels like a boa constrictor is slowly wrapping itself around me and tightening until it can't anymore, and then slowly releasing. It's not painful, but getting more and more uncomfortable, so we're making progress. As I sit here typing this, my contractions are relatively close together and becoming uncomfortable, but as soon as I stand up and walk around, they will become less frequent and not as strong. If not.....you can call my bluff and look for the birth story in the next post :)
On Friday the guys came to the agency to meet everyone in person and then we went to lunch and shopping afterwards. More specifically, they needed to buy car seats. T&Y have a very small vehicle in Israel and while T is usually the one who worries about everything, Y is the more laid back of the two and didn't seem concerned in the least. When we walked around Babies R' Us, they took one look at the carriers and T said "this is going to be a problem." Uh oh! Their rental vehicle is quite a bit bigger than their car at home, but is still a relatively compact car (Chevy Cruze). T&Y are tall guys, they needed to make sure they would still be able to drive and have the car seats secured in the back. So, they borrowed a carrier from the store and out to the parking lot we went. Watching 2 men, who have never so much as carried a car seat before, try to install one into their car.....PURE entertainment! I watched as they finagled the base into the back seat and then the car seat.....and then they tried sitting in the front seats. Fail. I felt so bad for them, I could tell they were really worried about it. T refused to think about buying a bigger car when they got back home. There weren't any car seats that were more compact than the one they tried, so they accepted the idea that they'd have to find a car seat at one of the more expensive European stores. Which they did, and I can tell they are relieved. What a fiasco for them! :(
Saturday we took T&Y to a couple of our favorite apple orchards. It was rainy and a bit chilly so we really only spent time looking through the goodies (hey, no complaints here!). They bought some apples and we chatted while we looked around. I think they probably thought we were pretty crazy with all the hype there is over apples. Terry and I LOVE apples and most Minnesotans really look forward to this time of year just for the apples and cooler weather.
On Sunday, T&Y had us over to their apartment (they are renting a furnished apartment in Minneapolis) for lunch. Their apartment is amazing and they are very happy with it. I'm glad they were able to settle in because I know they had a difficult time trying to find a furnished place that wasn't going to be too far from us (it's about 30 minutes). Y loves to cook and he's very good at it. They cooked for us when we went for the first transfer and while their food is "different", it was still very good. Y made a roast (my favorite!), lasagna, salad, bread, and potatoes. I really hate that I can't eat very much. But when I'm with them I tend to force myself to eat more, knowing full well that I will regret it later, because it's worth it :) I brought some gooey nutella brownie bars that I had made off Pinterest and they LOVE them! So Y and I exchanged recipes, he gave me his roast recipe and I gave him the nutella bars recipe.
On Tuesday T&Y came to my OB appointment and it was the first time they were able to actually hear the heart beats, which was another awesome experience for them. My OB answered their questions and could tell how excited and anxious they are. He also checked my cervix and finally swabbed me (again) for the Group B strep test. We kicked the guys out for this one. I am at 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced and this time my OB seemed a little less confident that I'd make it to 38 weeks, but he still thinks I'll make it to my due date. My due date is now just 9 days away.....I'd be ok with that :)
On Wednesday T&Y came to my ultrasound and NST. I was kind of bummed when the ultrasound tech. said that they weren't going to do the full measurements and only the biophysical like they did the week before, but it still gave the guys the chance to see their babies on the screen, which was awesome. She even pulled out the 3-D wand and got a perfect picture of Baby B's face! Baby A is always so low in my pelvis that there was no way to get his picture, but it was a major bonus to get them on 3-D, period! Both babies passed their tests with flying colors, woo hoo! That evening, my family joined as we took T&Y out for their first hibachi experience at Benihana's. They were so overwhelmed and taken aback by the gifts that my parents, my sister, and I gave to them. But it was TOO much fun for us to shop for them and I'm so happy they loved the gifts. It means so much to me that my family is and has been so supportive throughout this entire experience. I couldn't have done this without them. It was an amazing time spent together!
Today I woke up very tired and could tell it was just going to be another "one of those days." I made it through the work day and went home to scour the internet for the best "postpartum belly wrap" that I could find. I had never heard of them when I had Kaleb, and I was also 21 and he was 5 lbs. 6 oz., so a belly wrap was not necessary at that time. Now, about 8 years later and at least twice the babies......I welcome this idea. After trying to find the best wrap based on reviews and where to order it, I took the plunge (kind of like the Keurig) but I'm sure I won't love it nearly as much as I love my Keurig. That thing......amazing :). For those of you who do not know what a postpartum belly wrap is (I didn't until recently), it is a corset-type of thing that women wear after delivery to help put their organs and waist back in place, to keep it short and simple :) I look forward to trying it out.
Saturday I'm getting my hair cut (I finally jumped on the whole "every 6 weeks" band-wagon with this, even though I've never been keen on spending money on hair, just hair removal :) Saturday afternoon and evening we are taking my mom out to get her nails done and for dinner for her birthday (she turned the big 5-0 on October 1st!). Aside from my weekly OB, ultrasound and NST appointments, I've made sure to keep my schedule clear. If I had to guess, I feel like these babies might come in the next 48 hours. We'll see!
35 weeks.....................
My family and T&Y out to dinner last night.................
And now those sweet babies are in the arms of their dads! Wonderful wonderful!! Can't wait to read the birth story. Congrats to all!
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