23w4d

Hi everyone!

The weekend was really nice! Friday evening (Our wedding anniversary), Brian surprised me and came home with really pretty flowers for our anniversary - I love fresh flowers in the house! They are beautiful!!! And he remembered what I like and also remembered not to include those big lilies that make me sneeze - ha ha! I just love them, he did a GREAT JOB! Then we had some dinner together and pretty much had an easy and relaxing night. What else am I allowed to do anyway?

The next day was my shower which was beautiful! I was a little nervous about the weather since it had rained the night before but it turned out to be perfect weather and a perfect day. I'll post the shower update when I have more pictures - I am waiting on pictures from other cameras. I can't wait to show you how beautiful it was...just hang on!

We have finally both SEEN the babies move while watching my belly. It looks like something pops under the skin. Its so cool to watch! Baby C kicks/punches HARD! Baby A seems to kick only when I am sleeping (of course - the stubborn one that won't comply with the ultrasounds). Baby B, kicks a couple times a day. I am sure they are all constantly moving when they're awake, but because if their positions I feel baby C most intensely and most often. I still can't get over the feeling! So cool, even when it makes me nauseous! I LOVE feeling my babies. :)

My skin on my belly really HURTS - like a sunburn. I actually rubbed Neosporin Plus cream on it because it had a topical pain reliever! I'm desperate! And the itching comes and goes. The other night, I was so itchy in bed that I jumped out at 2am (more like grunted and ROLLED out) and went into the babies' room and ransacked the giftbags until I found some Aveeno lotion. I had heard oatmeal helps the itching and I remembered one of my friends included Aveeno baby lotion (which has oatmeal - thanks Niki!) in her gift. I ripped into that and slathered that on my belly right then and there! I know it is for the babies, but I was desperate!!! It did provide some relief so I was able to go back to bed - but not before making a PB & J. Somebody was hungry. :)
My next appointment is not until next Thursday at 4:30. I'll be 24 weeks and 5 days! I am not sure if I'll have any u/s pictures to post since this is just with the regular OB. Surely, we'll have lots to talk about though. Now, I am a little more nervous before each appt because of the bedrest factor. This modified bedrest is tough enough (If you don't think so, you've never done this!). I can't imagine the full bedrest -not being allowed to sit up for my meals and not being allowed to have my 10 minute walks or short outings. I live for these things nowadays! I look forward every day to when Brian comes home which is when I usually get up and walk around for more than a minute. I am tired of laying on my side. My hips hurt and my butt-bone is so sore, it is impossible to get comfortable. I guess this would have been somewhat nice - the mandatory laying down for so many hours - if I wasn't so physically uncomfortable. I just want to SIT UP, but I know laying is best for the babies and takes pressure off of my cervix. I am looking forward to someday being allowed and able to lay flat on my back or on my stomach! Boy, did I take laying on my stomach for granted. When you are limited to your sides, the already aching hips get so sore. Its funny, I look forward all day long to STANDING - exciting for sure! LOL :)
This besdrest stuff is way more psychologically taxing that I ever anticipated. Its a gift, really, but such a tough thing sometimes. Its amazing how much you are forced to deal with yourself when you are not allowed to distract yourself with 'keeping busy' and planning up your life and keeping a perception of productivity - for yourself. The busy-ness is a crutch sometimes, and an effective one. I think many of us cope or avoid by keeping busy and packing our calendar with things "to do" that we somehow make more important than the internal work...I certainly did. I was always go, go, go. Now, I am forced to deal with things I have been avoiding, so many things that are truly way more important than what we sometimes put at the top of our lists. Yes, my house has seen cleaner days, but how clean was my house 'inside'? Yikes. Fascinating reality check. But difficult too. Cleaning out your closets, both figuratively and literally, can teach you a lot about yourself. What do I really value? What is this friendship or that friendship, REALLY? The answers to these questions are sometimes not what you think they are - sometimes painful. Sure, I can watch hours of TV or fill every hour with some mundane distraction - which I definitely do for part of the time, of course. But I don't think that's what I am supposed to do for the entire time - I can't be that checked out. I'll have to delve into that more another time. :)

Anyway, back to the point - I am hoping the doctor lets me stay on the modified version so I can still walk around once in a while. I know the next step is inevitable but I am really not looking forward to it! However, I'll do whatever is best for the babies. :)
Pregnancy wise, not much exciting to report. Very tired. Strange pains. All to be expected. I even had these sharp shooting pains on my belly that I was initially concerned about. But apparently, its "perfectly normal" and expected when your muscles are PULLING APART. Ugh. Nice.
And remember my cold? Well, Its gone but I am still sinus-y. I can't seem to totally shake the sinus thing at night. I hear from some of you who had the same cold that you too have the unshakeable sinus thing too - all better cold-wise, but still sinus-y (yes, that is the medical term) for weeks. Not a big deal, but just a minor annoyance and another item on list of things that make it difficult to sleep. All deal-able though. I can deal with this!

The car - Brian is picking it up tonight. Hopefully, that poor little car will NEVER have to go back to the body shop. Short explanation of why we had to take it back...the body shop messed up on the paint job and had to re-do the entire thing. Everything should be all good now.

The truck - I don't even know...next week? There's a lot of work. Not fun.

I need to go eat some lunch now and lay back down...Have a great week and stay tuned for details on the beautiful shower!!!

Much Love,
Cindy