Pregnant with Twins: 36 Weeks

How far along?  36 weeks. Only 9 days left. I try my best to imitate Scarlett O'Hara for these last few days so I don't have a meltdown every few hours. 
Baby Crauns' size:  At my final ultrasound last Wednesday, Chloe was estimated to weigh 6 lbs, and William 5 lbs 10 oz. However, they think he's probably the same size as Chloe, but they just couldn't get accurate measurements. His head is under Chloe's legs, and he's still curled up in a ball. 
Total weight gain/loss:  +34ish total. Putting on my compression socks is way too difficult with the pulled/bruised rib muscle, so I've abandoned that and I have swelled up like a balloon. My mom and I went to the mall this afternoon and lots of people were staring and/or asking about when I'm due. I realize why now, when I look at my picture for this week - I look huge!
   As for that weight loss team at work I mentioned last week - totally have one going! We'll be a part of the Live Healthy Iowa challenge that starts on January 26, and I'm ready to rock this. My plan for keeping sane is to increase the amount of time I spend practicing yoga, so hopefully the accountability from my teammates will make me take the time.
Maternity clothes:  My belly is hanging out the bottom of most of my maternity tops like an overweight dude in a cut-off shirt at the state fair. Thank goodness for belly bands to cover that up.
Stretch marks?  I'm faithfully applying the Mederma stretch mark therapy cream, and no new stretch marks have popped up. I'm hoping that when my balloon belly is deflated that I'll start to see the marks diminish. Fingers crossed.
Sleep:  I'm still in the super exhausted phase, so I'm actually sleeping in between the nightly four trips to the bathroom. With my side hurting so badly it's really difficult to roll from side to side and to get in and out of bed. Guess this is just preparing me for c-section recovery. 
Movement:  I was right about William's flip last week - he is now butt down instead of head down, which doesn't matter since I'm having a c-section. He didn't drop down like I thought, but was instead hanging out vertically instead of sideways. Friday night, however, he must have been laying sideways again right under my ribs, so my belly was very lopsided. The pic below is a my belly from my point-of-view. The center of my belly (where my belly button is) is by that girl in the mag's face. Chloe is all nice and round just like a baby belly should be on the left side, and then you can see that huge bulge on my right under my ribs (closest to the coffee table). William had his little butt sticking out and it sort of looked like I had this ginormous tumor on my side. With that being the side with the bruised/pulled muscle, I was in major pain!

Pain aside, I'm going to really miss the feeling of having a little life (well, two lives) inside me. It truly is amazing, and I can't believe it's almost over. I feel sad knowing that I'll never feel little kicks and hiccups ever again, but we seriously are done having children!
Symptoms:  My new antibiotics have helped, so I'm feeling much better! The heartburn has picked up some, and I think the acid is what is continuing to irritate my throat. Other than my side issue, I feel pretty good. I'm so thankful that I've made it this far without bed rest and that there haven't been any complications. Plus I've been enjoying all these good skin and hair days the last few months - the best bonus during pregnancy!
Labor signs?  My doc appointment and ultrasound last week went well, and nothing indicates that I'll go into labor early right now. My contractions have eased up some, thankfully. I have another non-stress test on Monday morning and one more appointment on Wednesday, then I'm done (I think) until the 21st. We're scheduled that morning to be in the OR at 7:30, which means we need to be at the hospital at 5:30, which means we won't be able to sleep in on our last morning as parents of one. Boo. Dominic is going to stay with my parents while we're in the hospital. If all goes as planned, I'll be discharged Friday or Saturday, and hopefully Chloe and William will get to come home with us.
Food cravings:  All this talk about Zombie Burger opening a location in Jordan Creek Mall makes me want a wedding cake shake. I may need to get one on Monday when I'm downtown...
Miss anything?  Brie, prosciutto, Jimmy Johns, booze, bubble baths. I discovered at my first non-stress test that Jimmy Johns delivers to the maternity ward, so I'm definitely having a #12 no tomato as my first meal (just like I did after Dominic). And as soon as I'm allowed, I'm going to take the most glorious bubble bath. I can't wait!
Belly button in or out?  Mostly poking out again, but it changes depending on how William decides to position himself.
Wedding rings on or off?  Off. My fingers are so swollen that they are sore and stiff.
Nursery progress:  It's completely ready, and the closet and dresser are as packed as I can get them. I have a few cute newborn sleepers for Chloe that I'm worried won't even fit her since she's going to be over 6 pounds. I totally did not expect them to be as big as they are!
Best moment this week:  I think Dominic might actually understand that we're going to have two new babies soon. A few times this week he has touched my belly and said, "Mom, you belly big!" When I ask why, he says, "Chloe and Lillam." When I ask where they're going to sleep he points to their cribs. I love hearing him say their names! It's so cute! He's going to be the best big brother.

And now he has a big boy haircut to match

Weekly wisdom:  A friend shared a pin she found linked to a twin mom's blog about her experience raising twin babies. I feel like all the stuff she talked about were things that I have prepared for as much as I could. We have a bajillion bottles, the room is organized, bags are packed, we have enough diapers and wipes to get us through the first month, we have a few frozen meals, a hoard of non-perishables, and the same plan to get everything prepared for the day the night before. I even have most of the gifts and cards we'll need for birthdays and other events purchased! (Side note - Dom's birthday present is seriously the coolest toy ever and we can't wait to give it to him!) Brian is taking the first two weeks off, and my mom will help the third week. I have friends who will be checking on me and other friends and family ready to help us. And then Mitch and Julie will move and we'll have both sets of grandparents close. Despite all this, I'm still dreading the first few weeks because I don't want to deal with recovering from the c-section and pumping and no sleep.
   All this reminds me of the night before my first marathon - I was prepared as I could have been but I was so scared of actually doing it, I didn't know what to expect, and I was afraid of failing (which you know I don't handle well!). If I remember correctly, I yelled at Brian when he tried to console me and I couldn't stop crying. I'm pretty sure the anxiety and crying (and yelling) are there now! Even though I feel like melting down every time I think about how crazy and tired we're going to be, I know we can do it. And hopefully Brian and I will cry tears of joy when we reach the finish line (we're aiming for their first birthday), just like we did when I finished my race.
Looking forward to:  Finishing my last full week of work next week. One of the perks of having a child is getting time off work, right? I feel like twin parents should get double the leave - wouldn't that be awesome!?!?