Keeping up with the Schultzes: 34 Weeks

We are SO grateful to be almost through our 34th week. Trae and I used to talk about 34-37 weeks like they were the "ULTIMATE" goals. They seemed so unattainable to us, yet we dreamed about all the fun things we would be doing during this time, like watching the Olympics... which we now find ourselves doing! What an amazing to be dreaming of dates and goals & acheiving them. It makes us feel like almost anything is possible!!

Having that said, I've worked really hard not to complain at all this pregnancy. Partly because I have an (understandably) overprotective husband who worries about me with any grunt or face grimace I make and I don't want him to worry more than he already does. But, also because I am genuinely, extremely grateful for every moment I have in this pregnancy. My Dr's have recently been making it a point to say "how are you" and when I say "oh.. you know.. a little uncomfortable, but mostly fine" they'll raise their eyebrows and say "Cyndi... really, how ARE you? It's ok to complain about something if it hurts- you should be uncomfortable and hurting at this point." How can I complain about sore back & not sleeping when it just means my baby girls are growing quickly, which means better health for them?
.....BUUUUUUT.... if I'm treating this blog as a true pregnancy journal, I should be honest here:

Pregnancy is hard. I've only ever been pregnant with twins and can only comment on my experiences.. but oh man... it's hard, especially now.

Moving too quickly from a lying or reclined position to a seated or standing position means I have 2 babies who have to switch positions in utero and they are often unhappy with this new positioning and let me know it with 8 limbs pushing, kicking & jabbing themselves into a more comfortable position, leaving me gasping for air.

Sneezing, a very common occurance in Austin in the Fall thanks to our abundance of Cedar sounds like I'm dying a little everytime I do it because the sound I make is a combined "achoo ughhhhh". I attribute this to my stomach muscles being blown out over two 5lb+ babies and not appreciating the quick contraction of a sneeze over said baby bump. Ouch.

Dressing myself is a team sport, depending on my outfit. At this point, my daily outfit usually involves a black maternity legging, maternity tank w/ layered sweater & boots. I have to sit to put on my pants as I can't lift my legs high enough/bend down low enough to put on my pants standing. Putting on socks involves me lifting each leg with both hands over my knee while grunting & getting out of breath. Yes, I get out of breath putting on socks. I also get kicked several times during this process due to bending over and squishing the girls in order to reach my sock. Now boots... that involves Trae's help to put on and take off. I simply don't have the ability to bend down in order to pull on a boot or take it off, unless its a loose UGG-style boot.

Sitting anywhere too long puts my legs or hips to sleep, making it that much harder to get up and walk. Laying anywhere too long puts my hips to sleep & means I have to get a good "rocking" side to side to be able to get enough momentum to roll off the bed/couch and then attempt to walk.

While most of this is uncomfortable & challenging, it has Trae and I laughing about it in some form or fashion, every day. We feel so grateful and work to enjoy every moment, even if some of them are at my bodies expense. There will be so much I miss about being pregnant:

I love making Trae laugh while I dance with my big baby belly around the house, I love snuggling with George up to my belly & having the girls kick him when he lays to long on them, I love listening to the girls heartbeats using our at home doppler every night before we go to bed and Trae kissing my stomach after hearing them. I love feeling each roll, kick, bump & jab these girls give me and know I'll miss feeling them so much. I really love the look of general "awe" I get from women when out in public. I feel proud my body has held up this long and grown these little girls so well.

I know we are mere weeks..even days away from meeting these girls and am so glad to know I've taken the opportunity to enjoy and really feel every moment in this pregnancy.. the good, the uncomfortable and the silly.

This belly deserves multiple pictures for us to remember it!

Trae "rooting" on 34 weeks & Team USA in Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

How Far Along? 34 weeks 5 days

Stretch Marks? No!! Amazing!

Sleep? I can't lie.. sleep is challenging. I fall asleep with 2 pillows under my head, one beneath my belly on whatever side I'm lying on, one behind my back supporting my back and one between my legs supporting my hips. Trae jokes I'm in a fort, but its the only way I can get to sleep. Even with all this pillow support, I find myself switching sides frequently as my hip falls asleep and wakes me up, or the girls kick me, letting me know they are ready for me to switch sides. Then at some point, my back starts hurting.. that's when it's time for me to give in and just get up for the day and move to my recliner. Challenging, sometimes tear-provoking when Trae is soundly asleep next to me, but still grateful I'm able to get some sleep.

Best Moment of the Week? This week was an emotional week remembering Sawyer & Tristan. Trae and I donated chancel flowers to our church in memory of the boys, talked about them to many people this week and tried to incorporate additional items of theirs into their sisters' nursery. Trae and I had a nice time continuing preparations for the nursery and checking things off our 'to do' list. We met with a doula to discuss our transition from hospital to home and are enjoying every additional day we get in this pregnancy, knowing our little girls will be born healthy, very soon.

Movement? Baby A loves to move throughout the day, especially after I drink fruit juice. Baby B is still my snuggler- I don't feel major kicks, but instead can feel when she is curling into a ball "nuzzling" into her sister.

Food Cravings? Fruit, Iced Tea

Genders? 2 Girls (Fraternal)

Symptoms: Swollen Fingers, Achy knuckles, sore hips & back with ANY standing/walking. Also, Braxton Hicks contractions have started to be more consistent this week. I take 10mg Procardia twice a day to keep them at bay but have been finding myself having to take a Benadryl or two to calm them down, further. At this point if I were to go to L&D, Dr's have told me they will no longer try to stop labor, so I am resting, hydrating and popping Benadryl as much as I need to, to carry these babies as long as possible. We want to avoid any NICU time, if possible.

Weekly Dr Appt: This week we saw both Dr. Reue (OB) and Dr Berry (Perinatologist).
Both appointments went very well! Dr Reue gave us some additional details on "what to expect" when we go in for our C-Section on the 27th, wrote me a prescription I'll need to help with breastfeeding and high-fived us for making it to the important 34-week mark! Here on out these babies are just gaining weight, which is music to mine and Trae's ears!

Our Dr Berry appointment was equally as positive- both girls passed their BPP (Bio Physical Profile) pretty quickly- Baby B was a little less active, so it took her a little longer to get her 5 movements tracked, but that just fits in with what is her "normal"- our Baby B is our snuggler/sleeper- always moving much less than her sister. Both heartbeats sounded great and Dr Berry was very happy with my blood pressure and the minimal swelling I'm having so far. We were reminded that from here on out, Dr's will not try to stop any labor that my body goes into, so its important to take it easy & not push my body too hard.
All in all- everyone is VERY happy to be this far in our pregnancy and planning on making it to our scheduled C-Section on the 27th!