30 weeks

And this Surrogate keeps chugging...

Apparently i never get rid of clothes :)

30 Weeks was a handful. I worked from home with 2 sick kids for the whole week. Holy moly... putting in a 40 hour work week while taking care of sick 4 year olds is hard enough, but then throw on this big belly and wala, you get one rough week with swollen feet. Just have to laugh off days like this.  Now if only i can find wedge slippers... Life sure doesn't stop when you're surrogate, but needless to say we made it through!!

Lil ones are now the size of cabbage! 

Getting lots of nutrients from the Organic veggies that are still coming from the grandparents... delicious! This week I made leek soup and it was a success!! Leeks, Kale, Carrots, Cabbage, black beans, Tomatoes and celery with Basil, garlic, salt and pepper. I think my other soups failed because i didn't use salt (as i typically don't cook with it), lesson learned. They're also getting an extra boost from daily vitamins: Prenatal, Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Vitamin C and probiotic... look at those nails growing!

They are very active, especially at bed time. Here's a little video of them being crazy! I know it's not the prettiest canvas but it's my canvas... a canvas that has grown 4 children.

Here are some pictures I didn't get a chance to upload last week.

Here are the Thank you cards we handed out at the shower. I like to make things personal as I hope it shows we care!

Here are some of the gifts I received!! So grateful. I still can't get over everyone's generosity. Very glad my IM and I have the same love for Betsy Johnson, she really takes into account the things I like, it means a lot.

A good friend to my IM hand made these adorable Twinjas for my girls... In case you didn't see the blog explaining what that is (it's Twin Ninjas... a nickname my mini's earned in my womb) It worked out perfect, one's a kitty and the other a bunny, lil Gianna is obsessed with the bunny tail!

N-e-who short and sweet update for this week. I hope everyone enjoys the video

XOXO Jenn

29 weeks

29 weeks

The babies are now the size of butternut squash!

 Can you imagine having 2 of those things in your tummy :)

Late post... kept it comfy for this one :)
Week 28 signified increased movement and boy do i feel it!

At our last ultrasound Baby A was measuring 2.2lbs and Baby B was measuring 2.5lbs. Very healthy weights for twins J My girls too were very different in weight, they were over a pound apart, so the difference doesn’t worry me at all. One is just a little hungrier than the other. I bet one is hogging the carrot cake J

My IP’s have come for all the ultrasounds, which is what I prefer. Although this time is only 1 hour to 30 minutes it’s their time to see their babies. On the last occasion my IF’s parents came too. It was great to see them all in aww while watching their new family members. I think it’s very important for surrogates to be flexible and understand the meaning of moments like this.

 So many body parts in this picture :)

I assume that the next ultrasound will show her knees to her chin, i really feel a growth spurt!

This past weekend I had my daughters 4^th birthday party, the baby shower for the buns in my oven, and a checkup appointment… Whew!

Yesterday’s doctor’s appointment~

This was a routine monthly follow up. It’s really brief and they listen to the heart beats measure my weight and urine ingredients (sorry TMI). Everything was a go. My doctor is so confident in this pregnancy it’s awesome! We have discussed and agreed that if their growth is on track we will try to induce on March 20^th, @ 38 weeks. Full term for twins is 36 weeks so technically we’d be overdue. Of course we’re always open to what the doctor requests/suggests however I think that’s what we’re rolling with for now!... Only 8 weeks to go!!

The baby shower~

I’m very grateful to have met friends and family that are so very dear to my IP’s. It was a very emotional event for me, I couldn’t help but stare at my IM, who glowed the whole time from head to toe! It was an honor to meet so many positive people and see all the smiling faces there in support of the parents to be. I was truly flabbergasted when I realized people brought my daughters and I gifts and thank you cards. If you’re reading this and I didn’t get a chance to say thank you… THANK YOU!! I was really lost for words. I love and appreciate everything! Sometimes I feel like I receive more gratitude than necessary and am not always sure how to handle it. To me this journey wasn’t something I had to think hard about and the fact that the couple I’m sharing this journey with is very understanding, respectful and grateful makes it even easier. A big thank you to the sweet woman who put the baby shower together ;) the earrings are beautiful and the meaning behind them make them very special. My daughters love the toys which occupied them the whole time (good thinking), grandma instincts are already kicking in!

Last but not least they had the name reveal! I had been anticipating this moment for a while because I’m a curios cat! When they revealed the name (one has been chosen for a while) my IM said she later researched it and found out that it originated from my last name and said that it must be fate. I cried and still cry every time I think about it. I’ve always thought this was meant to be and as time goes on that thought/feeling only gets stronger.

By now everyone knows I try to involve my girls as much as possible. At the shower I had them pass out vegan cookies to the guests as well as thank you cards. The cookies came out adorable and delicious, I hope everyone enjoyed them.

My mini’s 4^th Birthday~

We chose Frozen theme… which was such a blast! I bought my girls a bounce house for their birthday, I don’t think they understand the awesomeness of the gift yet J But they will this summer, since it’s a wet/dry bounce house waterslide combo! (can’t wait for the summer, mommy friends cocktails at my house while the kids run wild) We had lots of friends and family come. I love seeing everyone and their mini’s and try to make the parties as interactive as possible. We had: a surprise visit from Elsa, a face painter, star wand candy decorating station, bounce house w/slide, pizza, cake (my attempt at a castle cake), piñata, donut eating contest, photo booth!

 Some of the kiddos, all hyped up on sugar... sorry parents ;)

 Some of the decorations, including the picture wall!

 Girls decorating rice crispie treat wands with sprinkles and icing pens!

My mom girls and I... fellas in the back are helping hang the pinata!

Here's where I toot my own horn. This is a special picture not only because it has Princess Elsa in it, but also because it shows co-parenting at it's best. The woman on the right has been with my kids father for a couple years now and I'm so thankful that her and her 6 year old son came to the event. Although it's not ideal to have mommy and daddy apart we do what we can make the best out of the situation. My kids love her and I am very grateful for that! It's all for the kids, and how better to show them a display of love! We win at co-parenting!

Needless to say when Monday came around I was exhausted. My feet were so swollen I had to lay with them raised up. I pride myself on my generally skinny, veiny feet so this was a hard moment for me J It also helped bring to light that I am going to have to start slowing down. Maybe work, gym, girls gymnastics, grocery shopping and cooking dinner is too much for my heavy butt now a days. Hard to accept with my Wonder Woman attitude. Little Genevieve asked why I needed all the pillows and I told her mommy’s feet hurt, then she rubbed them for me. Gianna continued babbling and started jumping on the couch. However yesterday Gianna did help me rub oils on my belly. Little helpers, I think they’ve earned themselves a Disneyland trip when this is all over J

XOXO 

Jennifer Sibilla