The Third Trimester and The Nursery

So my third trimester started at the end of June. I was so happy to have made it through all the events I wanted to attend. The one event I didn't get to attend which I was really bummed about was the birth of my nephew Rex. Jill's due date was July 4th and I knew I would not be allowed to travel at this point in time. She ended up delivering Rex on July 2nd. We kept in close contact throughout the birth process and Alex went to see Rex the weekend after he was born. Here are some pictures Alex took while he was there visiting. We are so happy for Jill and Ryan and I can't wait to meet Rex sometime soon and introduce him to his cousins!



Little Rex a few weeks after birth!



Jill and Rex right after birth!



Jill and little man...she looks great!



Alex's parents Paulette and Mike with little Rex...happy grandparents!



The Geis family...Ryan, Jill, and Rex



Alex and his nephew!


Almost as soon as the third trimester began I started to feel very differently....mostly uncomfortable! It's amazing how each trimester brings on something new. I was also getting really big, so doing normal things became very difficult for me. I had already started resting a lot during the day and only trying to do one or two activities per day. Even in doing those activities I would get worn out very quickly.

My mom and grandma were able to come and visit me from June 15th- July 12th. They came for all the showers and to work on the nursery. This was such a wonderful time spent with them and we got so much done in preparation for the babies. I will talk more about this when I discuss the nursery.

When I went to my doctors apts in the beginning of June everything was great with the babies and me and when I went back at the beginning of July things had changed a little bit. The babies were still doing great but Addie (baby A) was measuring more than 20% smaller than Allie (baby B). The doctors said they weren't too concerned about this because both babies were measuring in the 50th percentile or greater but because there was more than a 20% discordance they need to start monitoring me weekly. I would begin getting a non-stress test which monitors the babies heart beats on Tuesday's and what is called a BPB (biophysical profile) on Friday's- this was basically an ultrasound to check blood flow, heart rates, breathing exercises, and a few other things. The two days of testing would give them a score out of 10 to rate the babies well being. I started these on Tuesday July 8th and would do these every Tuesday and Friday for the remainder of my pregnancy. These tests are typical for twins to start at 32 weeks, I just had to begin mine 3 weeks earlier at 29 weeks.

Here is a picture of the non stress test. The babies get hooked up to the monitors and they watch their heart rates for 20-30 minutes. They hope to see the heart rate go up and down several times as they move around. The babies did great at this test for several weeks. I will talk about how things changed around 32 weeks in my next post.



The NST machine. My mom has fun pretending to be a nurse reading the results on this machine.



My belly hooked up to the monitors.



Here is me at 31 weeks trying to go to the pool on a Sunday afternoon. I lasted about an hour.



Okay so let me now talk about the nursery. As I said before my mom and grandma were here for about 3 weeks helping me with this, really doing it for me because I couldn't do much physically at this point. My mom is extremely creative and though we planned most of it together it was really her talent and creativity which brought it together. It was a lot of fun to do and I couldn't be happier with the way it looks. We think it's a designer nursery on a budget that could be featured on HGTV! HA! I must also give my Nana kudos because she washed, folded, and put away all the girls clothes, towels, socks, etc. It was a lot of work and I couldn't have done it without them.



This is the bathroom. My mom painted the flowers and butterflys on the wall. Our friend Kris painted the picture with the girls names on it. The shower curtain, towels, tooth brush holder, and rug all came from Target.



The right side of the nursery. The two gliders, table, lamp, and cd/mp3 player came from my grandma and mom. We were given the advice to get two gliders from our friends with twins so that two people could help out at bedtime. I love the way it looks.



The dresser (one I bought in college) with a changing pad, and the hamper that matches the crib bedding. You can also see the flowers my mom painted on the two side walls. Thanks to my dad and Alex for hanging the mirror. They have put up this mirror and taken it down in the last 4 places I have lived.




A glimpse at how stocked the girls are. Everyone has been so generous and I really think we have enough to get them through the first 3 months.



As you walk into the room this is what you see (we didn't have the gliders in when this pic was taken). I love the cribs (thanks to Paulette and Mike), the bedding (thanks to my mom and dad), the bookshelves (Ikea), the letters and paintings (thanks to my mom), and the curtain (again, my wonderful mother). I think it's the most beautiful nursery in the world!



And here is a picture of their closet. They have gotten so many clothes and we have gotten a ton of beautiful handmade blankets to use with them.

We feel extremely blessed to have been given so many things for our girls and to have such a beautiful nursery. Thanks to everyone who contributed (especially to Mama and Nana)!