Well guys, I am somehow officially in my 9th month of pregnancy with these two little dudes!! Isn’t that kind of crazy?! I honestly never anticipated these guys growing cozy in there for so long – and am simultaneously in awe of it all and also totally ready for them to get out here and meet us already!! I’ll be 37 weeks tomorrow (which is full-term!) and will talk to my doctor at our appointment then about scheduling an induction date for sometime within the next week. Whoa!
Anyway – before we run full speed ahead into baby-land (God willing)… I’m going to look back at the month of February and what it looked like around here. Because I had been warned so often about early term labor with twins, we left February free of work commitments outside of the home – meaning I did all the behind the scenes stuff here (budgeting, tax prep, blogging, album designs, emails, and lots of phone meetings) and turned away any shoots or meetings elsewhere. I’m not going to lie – by the end of February I started to go a little stir crazy, but am very happy we decided to prioritize my health and the babies’ health during this time of uncertainty! There were definitely a LOT of days where I was totally wiped out and needed to just lay on the couch all day and rest, followed by days of energy surges and productivity. I never really knew when to anticipate either – so it was good to not have concrete plans I needed to follow through on outside of our home/office. Not to mention the fact that I pretty much only fit into one outfit that is suitable to wear in public at this point! haha. So limiting my time out of the house was helpful in that respect too. 😉 (At home I’m pretty much living in James’ sweatpants, maternity shirts that no longer cover my belly, and cardigan sweaters. I also recently started wearing seasonally inappropriate maxi dresses around the house because waistbands are no longer my friends.) 🙂
But moving on… let’s take a look at February behind the scenes! (Be prepared for a whole lot of bump photos… even more than normal…. sorrrrrry.)
- 32 weeks and 4 days – I was so stoked it was warm enough to wear a light coat and impressed with myself for actually getting dressed to head out and run errands!
- I finished the nursery!! I had the absolute best time putting their nursery together. It was honestly such a dream come true and felt incredibly surreal. You can see more of it in a full post HERE.
- James snapped this candid photo of me opening gifts we got in the mail from some amazing people! My belly is such a basketball in this pic!
- Chloe started taking a serious interest in the nursery this month – now that it was all set up! I’d find her just sitting in there sometimes!
- My stomach takes on some WEIRD shapes when the boys get to moving.
- I finally finished our bedroom decor!! It is such a relief that finally – 6 months after moving – we unpacked our LAST BOX!
- 33 weeks and clearly this shirt does not fit me anymore!
- Along with taking an interest in the nursery – Chloe took an interest in me this past month… and more specifically my belly!! It was seriously the sweetest. She’ll lay her head right next to my belly and the boys will kick her in the head. haha
- Morning cuddles with my pup – we did lots of that this month!
- More cuddles.
- Family cuddles. You get the idea…
- James’ robe fit me better than mine – so I started wearing it around the house. Looking super stylish at 33 weeks 2 days.
- Super Bowl Sunday and I made quite the spread, as we cheered on James’ Carolina Panthers (who unfortunately didn’t show up to play)! Eek.
- Thankfully I had a built in table for myself on the couch (…until the boys tried to actually kick the plate off my belly! No joke!)
- Soooommmmebody got a little carried away in the backyard trying to sniff out the stray cats that love to spend time in our yard and hurt her paw! She came in and I noticed she was bleeding so we tried to clean her up, but it looked pretty deep – so James took her to the vet. Here is her makeshift bandage to get her to the doc!
- James came home an hour or so later WITHOUT CHLOE and I freaked out!! He said they kept her at the vet because she needed surgery. She had cut into her foot and straight through a tendon!! Here she is after we picked her up – totally whacked out on pain meds and anesthesia. Poor girl!
- Cone of Shame.
- The diary of a pregnant lady’s nightstand. Snacks, enough water for a family of 5, and baby books.
- We were able to let her lounge without the cone of shame if we had her paw covered with a sock so she couldn’t lick it. Thank goodness because I couldn’t deal with her waking up every couple of hours to run into us with the cone on her head! haha
- Valentine’s Day = heart shaped doughnuts. Obviously.
- Did I mention someone stuck close to me this month?
- 34 weeks 3 days and wearing seasonally inappropriate dresses around the house… as you do. (You’ll notice I wore the same two dresses A LOT this month.)
- Sniffing the belly. “Boys…? Are you in there?! Can you hear me?!”
- Every time I thought my belly couldn’t possibly get bigger – it did! Whoa. 34 weeks 5 days.
- We headed out for a belated Valentine’s Dinner with a gift certificate a friend gave us! It kind of felt risky leaving the house for something other than the doctor – but it was delicious and we had such a good time. And I of course spilled food right on my belly – as I’m constantly doing.
- Oh nothing… just checking on the nursery, mom!! Everything looks good! Now when are these brothers of mine coming?!
- Our first non-stress test at the hospital at 34 weeks 6 days. All was well!!
- I’m just guarding the bathroom for you while you shower, mom!
- Our 35 week ultrasound!! James took this photo of me when I didn’t realize it and I’ve avoided sharing it because… WHOA. I mean. Seriously. But we were happy the boys were great, measuring ahead of schedule, and all was well!!
- We had another NST test on an unseasonably WARM February day and so we grabbed lunch (& I grabbed ice cream!!) after our appointment! 🙂
- It was a strangely mild February and Chloe was loving sitting in the sunshine in our guest room. I can’t blame her!
- 35 weeks and 5 days. The boys were still cozy as can be, even though we were convinced they would come soon! (We were wrong!)
- We ate really well in February and were loving all the fresh fruit options at Trader Joe’s lately! Yay for more things coming into season slowly but surely!
- Just talking to the boys – letting them know that anytime now is fine if they want to come out! 😉
- Poor girl had to wear the cone of shame every time we left the house because we couldn’t keep an eye on her!! She was not stoked about it and laid on the guilt extra thick by following me around the house as I got ready to leave. haha.
- 36 weeks and my stomach was starting to drop!! (And somehow still getting BIGGER!)
- I went to acupuncture that weekend and had a crazy surge of energy the couple of days following. I have been trying to keep up with lifting weights at least one time a week as my pregnancy progressed (sometimes I could manage more – but not always), and now that we are in a safer zone I felt even better about trying to stay healthy and prepare for labor!
- I can barely sit up straight because my belly needs its space!! It is halfway down my thighs if I sit straight up… haha. See what I mean from this pic James snapped at another NST at the hospital?
- My love. Looking crazy. 🙂
- I got the boys’ baby books together! I filled out everything I possibly could and packed them in my hospital bag to add to once they arrive!
- Girls’ night for Bachelor Monday! Chloe was really into it.
- I cooked a lot at the end of the month!! I made enough for us to have dinner and froze the rest for once the boys arrive. It is reaaaaally tempting to just eat these frozen meals now but we are holding strong so far! haha
So there you have it! A month mostly consisting of belly bump pics, a million doc appointments, Chloe busting her paw, and cuddles with my loves. It is crazy surreal to think we actually will meet the boys THIS MONTH!!! I will keep you all posted, as always! Praying all continues to go well and that I have a smooth labor resulting in two healthy boys! xoxo
