24 weeks!

As of Friday I am 24 weeks along!
As a labor and delivery nurse, I have seen more heartbreaking situations with pregnancy and baby's then I would ever like. Because of this, I have quite a bit of nervousness, anxiety, and stress when it comes to pregnancy. As the weeks pass, I begin to become less nervous and more excited. Chances of loosing these babies lessen, they move more so I can constantly judge their well being, and the fact that each week they are more and more likely to be viable outside of utero makes me a little less anxious. Of course, I still have a long ways to go, but am cautiously beginning to prepare more and more for their arrival.
24 weeks is a stepping stone in my mind...they have a chance now. 28 weeks will feel really good...then 33 will be GREAT. 33 weeks on, the NICU at Madison can most likely keep them. 36 weeks will be AMAZING. As nervous as I am about them, I have a very positive outlook on carrying them long enough to have minimal or no complications. I very easily see myself having them at 37 or 38 weeks. My body seems to be cooperating with carrying them. I am hopeful it will continue this way, and although maybe uncomfortable, I will carry them no problem.

I am definitely feeling and looking pregnant lately! What a difference the past 4 weeks has made! They are growing like crazy, which means I am growing like crazy! I feel pretty good, with some aches and pains that are to be expected. It is so neat to be able to feel them so much. I am starting to be able to tell which baby is moving. It is strange, but I am feeling kind of like I am getting to know their little personalities just from their movements. Baby A is SO active. Constantly moving, kicking, punching, and making me very aware that he is there. Baby B is not. He is much more mellow. I rarely feel him, and I think when I do his brother is moving at the same time and is much more active so that is what I notice. It suprised me SO much when I went to my Dr's appointment on Thursday and saw that baby B had flipped completely around and is now head down too. I thought that would have been something I would notice....yet I didn't. I don't know when he flipped or why I didn't notice, but he did! There is always a chance of him flipping back, but it is nice to know they are both head down. I plan on trying to labor and delivery them regularly. I am in no way opposed to a c-section and will not hesitate to have one if I need it....but it would be nice to not have to recover from it if they can do just fine the other way. So that's the plan! The way my Dr put it is that if I can deliver a 9 lb baby, 2 smaller ones will be a breeze :) We'll see what happens. I am willing to change my plan in an instant if these boys need it!
My Dr's appointment went great. No concerns, no problems. They look fantastic! Next appointment will have a little more to it. A full ultrasound measuring their growth, the glucose tolerance test, blood tests, and I will get Rhogam (for being 0 negative blood type). Then after that I will probably start going every 2 weeks or more until I deliver.
We are starting to make preparations for them. Buying some things we need, making blankets, burp clothes and carseat covers. We will be painting the nursery next week, and start setting everything up. My goal is to have EVERYTHING ready by the beginning of march. I will be huge and pretty useless by then, so hopefully we can get it all done.
I have 14 weeks (until 38 weeks, which is the longest I will go...so its the end in my book :) )
It works out to be 25 shifts at work...if I can work that long.
Devry will only be home 4 times between now and then! That means lots of projects for him the weeks he is home!
It is crazy! Time is flying by with this pregnancy. I have so much to do!
And we have to come up with names. Ugh. We are really having a hard time.
We are excited to hopefully get to take a quick little trip for just Devry and I this month. We figured it will be at LEAST a year before we ever get some time away for just us, so we want to before I get too far along. Not sure exactly what we are doing yet, but we will figure out something.

Here is my 24 week belly picture. It's getting harder for me to post them as I begin to get huge....but I know I will be glad later that I did. Even if I do look like a giant whale :)

The next 3 months will be challenging, yet exciting.
I feel like no matter how difficult things are, I am always taken care of.
For example...
Last year, when Devry decided to take the job in Wyoming, we had to decide what to do with Payton the nights I worked. The first month or so we took him to family's houses to stay. They were so willing to help us out. At first I thought that would work. The more I took him the more I realized he just did so much better at home, in his own bed. I knew he would do better with consistency since his whole world was already be turned upside down with Devry gone. Plus, he is a routine kid...and needs all his "bedtime stuff"...which was a hassle to get to and from the various places he was staying. Devry and I both felt like we needed to hire someone. We posted an ad on the university's website and were overwhelmed with responses. So many wonderful girls that wanted the job. We filtered through them, and after many interviews, chats, and prayers we chose a girl. Her name is Carissa, and he has been incredible! All semester she would come before I had to leave for work, and stay until she had class the next day. Payton ADORES her! She is so helpful, and always tidy's up my house after Payton is in bed. She takes care of him so well, and keeps his routine. I don't have to worry when I work.
This semester is her "off track." So I thought she would be going back to Boise for the semester. I was disappointed and nervous to try to find someone else. Then she decided she didn't want to leave Rexburg for the semester. Everything worked out perfectly. She found a part time job that she works at m-f 12-4...which never interferes with my work schedule, and also makes her free the mornings after I work to watch Payton for me. She is going to be living with us. She is so willing to help me out, and I will be so grateful for her help the next 3 months. It is a huge stress lifted from me that I know I have her help if I do get put on bedrest, or any other problems. Even things like I can go to my appointments without taking Payton, or go grocery shopping. It is wonderful to have her! I feel so lucky and spoiled that I found such an awesome girl, and that we have the financial means to have her work for us.

Anyways, Happy New Year!! It has been a fun, eventful, memory filled 2011, and I am so excited for what 2012 will bring! My New Year's resolution for the year.....

To survive it :)