26 Weeks!

Every week that the babies stay in my belly means that they'll hopefully have less problems (or none!) at birth. I'm about 1 1/2 weeks away from my first milestone of 28 weeks. Being on bedrest is boring and a bit frustrating, but I'm trying to keep a positive attitude.

Last weekend my mom and Kim came up to help us do projects and fill the freezer with home cooked meals. Brandon and Kim painted Jackson's new room a very bright green (Brandon calls it radioactive...it does kinda glow). I can't go upstairs, but B's been taking pictures for me so I can see the progress. Jackson's new room is almost put together...Jen put his clothes in the closet and in his dresser and put toys/books in the room. The bed frame was a little messed up so Mom took it to Auburn to get it fixed and we'll get it back the week of July 4th. The bed was Brandon's fathers, then his growing up, so it's pretty special. I really like the bedding that we chose for Jackson's room. We'll post pictures soon. I think once we get some pictures on the walls, the paint color will be a little less dramatic :)

Kim and Brandon also painted the nursery...the color is "svelte sage" and is a rich, neutral color. Brandon put both cribs together and arranged the nursery furniture in a new configuration that better accommodates 2 babies! Now, we need to get the mattresses and bedding in the cribs and the twins will officially have a room to come home to!

Mom spent Friday night and all day Saturday in the kitchen. She and Brian cooked a ton of food to freeze, which we are very thankful for. She even wrote instructions on all the packages so Brandon would know exactly how to heat everything up. It was very fun to have family up to visit! Mom will be back the week of July 4th, which I'm really looking forward to!

On Tuesday night we went to the pool for the first time since my doctor gave me the okay. It was a cool night and the water was colder than I'd normally want to be in...but it was totally worth it! I got to wear my new maternity bathing suit for the first time and actually felt like a normal person. The best thing about the 30 minutes I got to spend in the pool was that Jackson was able to see me doing something "normal" and we were able to play a little bit together. Since my pool privileges are 2x a week I think we'll go again this weekend...something to look forward to!

Last night, Brandon and Jackson went to church. Brandon went to a "Starting Point" class that talks about church membership. We joined a church a few months after moving here, but haven't really felt drawn to it anymore. Instead we've been attending Brian and Jen's church for the last 6-9 months. The church is Sugarloaf United Methodist and we really like it. They have incredible worship music, a godly pastor and a great kids program. We have been considering membership, but wanted to talk with the pastor about some doctrinal differences (Methodist vs. Baptist) before we made the decision to change our membership. Brandon was able to get our questions answered last night. If we do decide to join it will probably when I'm off of bedrest so that we can stand up together as a family.

I had a doctors appointment today that went very well. I took the glucose tolerance test, which checks for gestational diabetes. With Jackson's pregnancy I failed the 1 hour test by 1 point and had to take the 3 hour test (which I passed). This time, I won't get my results until next week...I'm really hoping that I pass so I don't have to take the 3 hr. test. Twin pregnancies are more likely to test positive for gestational diabetes...I seriously hope I don't fall into that category! My belly is measuring 31 weeks pregnant, which is perfect because twin pregnancies generally measure 4-6 weeks ahead of a singleton. Since I'm 26 1/2 weeks pregnant, that means I measured 4 1/2 weeks ahead. I can't believe I'm going to tell you all this, but here goes...I gained 5 lbs. in the past week which I attribute to my mom being in town and filling my plates full of high-fat foods (and being inactive on bedrest)! The doctor was pleased with the 5 lbs. because she said I was too skinny before (yea, right!). I was concerned about the weight gain, but she said that my total weight gain so far was in line with what the average singleton mom gains at 26 weeks. That's nice to hear, but in the back of my mind I still worry about gaining too much weight and having to lose it after the babies are born. The doc gave me the okay to go to dad's house for dinner tomorrow night. I have to be reclined on the ride there and back, and will have to stay on their couch, but the change of scenery will be very nice!

I'm lying on the couch typing to you all with the sweetest little boy asleep next to me. Jackson is so precious. I absolutely LOVE being his mommy! His new schedule is awesome!! He goes to the sitter in the morning, then our friend Jenny picks him up after lunch and brings him home to me. I let him watch one cartoon and then he goes down for a nap. It's been really nice because it allows me to still play a "mommy" role even though I can't get up. He takes his nap on the couch...sometimes snuggled up next to me and other times he lies at the opposite end. Either way, we have our own special time together that's just "ours." I LOVE IT!

Guess that's it for now. I have intentions of writing more regularly so the posts aren't quite so long...who knows, maybe I'll post something tomorrow (like pictures!). Margaret is coming up next week...we're all very excited to see her! She'll get to go to the doctor with me on Monday and see the twins via ultrasound for the first time...very exciting!