Week 24

Only 15 weeks left!  On one hand, that seems like a short period of time.  On the other hand, it's 3.5 months, which sounds like a long time.  Good thing we have a lot to keep us busy!

I've gained 30 pounds now, and realizing that I didn't have as much maternity clothing as I'd originally thought.  A twin belly grows out of shirts awfully fast!  Right in the nick of time, four boxes of maternity clothes arrived at our house this week, thanks to my friend Carol.  In addition to much-needed summer tops, there were two pairs of shorts, which I was actually brave enough to wear this week.  What a relief!  (MJ told me I looked great in them, which made me feel good even if it was a bald-faced lie!)

I had an OB appointment on Thursday, and all is well.  I got to sneak a peek at the babies, since my OB keeps a portable ultrasound machine in his exam room and uses it at every appointment.  It's not as clear a picture as the large machines at the maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists' office, but it's still nice to see the babies squirming around.  They were so active, in fact, that he was laughing because they kept kicking the ultrasound probe!

At the end of the appointment, he informed me that although he would normally start seeing a twin mom every two weeks from now on, my pregnancy is going so well that he feels confident waiting another 4 weeks before beginning the bi-monthly regimen.  Great news!  I already have to go back to the MFM in two weeks, so it will be nice not to worry about yet another appointment that same week.

The twins are about 12 inches long, and weigh about one and a half pounds each now.  Their taste buds are developing, along with their respiratory systems.  We are just now entering the period of viability, where they would have a good chance at survival if they were born at this point.  Obviously I don't want them to be born yet, and I have no risk factors for pre-term labor, but it's still a nice stage to reach in the pregnancy.