26 Weeks

How far along? 26 weeks

Days since transfer: 164 days

Total weight gain: +21.0

Maternity clothes? Yep! But can we talk about maternity clothes for a second? They are SO dang expensive, especially for something you wear for about 2 seconds. {Not really, but you definitely don't wear them for long before you grow out of them}. I had several sweet friends let me borrow some of their maternity clothes {HUGE blessing}, but as my belly grows, I have had to purchase a few more items. I shop the clearance sections as much as possible. I realize that horizontal stripes and flowing shirts may not be the most stylish or flattering, but you know what? They're cheaper and more comfortable. So flowing stripes it is for this preggo! ;)

Sleep: I didn't get my mid-afternoon cat naps this week {the horror!} because I was working in the office. But man, did I crash when I got home at night. Slept like a rock.

Best moment of the week: Receiving the invitations for 2 more baby showers! This is starting to feel so real, and we are so thankful for all the friends, family, and co-workers that want to celebrate with us and our little ones. 

Cravings: ICE WATER. I think because it was so hot and I was on the go so much, my body was really needing all the water it could get.

Symptoms: This week brought some new ones: swollen feet and dry skin. I think the swollen feet were because I was actually on my feet all day and because of the heat. When I got in my car at the end of the work day, I could literally watch my little toes swell to look like vienna sausages. Not at all attractive. But thankfully, they seemed to calm down by the next morning, so I'm hoping this isn't the norm yet. The dry skin has me a little concerned, mostly because of how much water I craved this week. I don't want to get dehydrated, so I am trying to be diligent about my water intake.

Stretch Marks: Lots of people have asked me about this. Thankfully, I don't have any yet. My mom didn't have any, so genetics is playing in my favor. But I'm having twins, so my expectations are realistic: there's no way I'm escaping them. It's really not a matter of if, but when. For now, it's not yet. But I do have the lovely linea nigra, so there's that...

Looking forward to: My first baby shower this weekend! I know it sounds super early {and it probably is}, but... TWINS. There are so many possible factors: pre-term labor, bed rest, travel restrictions. I am hoping for none of these to be an issue, but also didn't want to miss out on the fun of baby showers in case any of them do become an issue. And thus, the early baby shower :)

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Size of baby? About the size of an eggplant or butternut squash, a bowling pin {what?!?!}, or a slow loris {an adorable, big-eyed animal}  :)

Development: Babies are piggybacking off my immune system to develop their own, and they are putting on a ton of fat. They have also started opening their eyes and are becoming more responsive to light. Their lungs are perfecting their processes and, with assistance, they could breathe if they were born. But we're wanting them to stay put for quite a bit longer ;)

Heartbeat: Supposedly, if the room was really quiet and you put your ear to my belly, you could hear their heartbeats {which is CRAZY to me}. We haven't tried it yet, but how fun would that be?

Movement: Babies have been super active the last few weeks, but I feel like this week was PARTY time in my belly. There were several days where they moved NONSTOP and seemed to be either playing for fighting with each other. It's entertaining to watch my belly dance, for sure :)

Gender: We're having a BOY and a GIRL :)