23 Weeks

The Kirtwins Update: Baby A is weighing in at 1lb, 7 oz, and Baby B is weighing in at 1lb, 9oz, which is about 5oz more than where most babies at 23 weeks are. Luckily their heads are still small so I'm hoping that'll be of assistance during their exit. In the car after we left, my adorable husband said, "I was kinda surprised. I thought they woulda been like 4 pounds each by now!!" LOL.

You know...I don't feel that big. But then I see myself in my weekly pictures, so dutifully taken by my wonderful husband, and I think something along the lines of "Dear God, I am massive!" But then I also think about the numerous blogs of other women I have read, and pictures of theirs I have seen and remember that I have a very, very long way to go, with many more inches and pounds to add in the 12-14 weeks I have left in this still-surreal adventure. 

How far along? 23 Weeks

Total weight gain: 15 lbs...HOLY CRAP. It seems 5 lbs of that is in my ankles and feet. 
Maternity clothes? Love 'em. THere's a few things I can still squeeze into, but it's not great. 
Stretch marks? None yet...kudos, coconut oil lotion which I will continue to slather on at least once every 24 hours. (Or maybe it pays a little to have a little pudge pre-pregnancy?)
Sleep: Sleeping pretty well once I get comfortable and given I don't have surprise heartburn. 
Best moment this week: Seeing the nuggets for 2 whole hours today during our ultrasound. Feeling them move is one thing, seeing them move is awesome!
Miss Anything? A nice glass of vino and pants that don't come up to my bra. 
Movement: Multiple times daily!
Food cravings: Today I was craving leftover, reheated mac and cheese, and yesterday I decided I wanted spinach leaf salad for lunch. It was delish. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm not crazy about beef. 
Gender: Boys! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn. Big, fat ankles. Back pain. 
Belly Button in or out? Depending on their locations, it's either flat or starting to poke out a little. It's so sad to see the outline of where it's been for 26.5 years...
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: Picking names and our shower! 

22 Weeks!

Well, I'm starting this blog a little late in the game, but better late than never! I'm over halfway through my pregnancy and am feeling pretty good! Getting off the couch and out of bed is increasingly more difficult, and if I don't eat fruit religiously, heartburn is pretty rough. I'm looking forward to our 23 week appointments to see how much weight I've gained since February 16th! (Who says that???)

22 Weeks

How far along: 22 weeks

Genders: Boys

Weight gain: Somewhere between 5 and maybe 10 (?) pounds.

Maternity clothes: There's no other way. For the most part they're comfortable, but the elastic on the belly of my pants feels pretty constricting, so usually by the time I get home from school, I need some breathing room. 

Sleep: It's difficult to get comfortable, but I sleep pretty hard until my bladder wakes me up. Naps are pretty frequent.

Best moment this month: Kevin getting to feel the boys move and poke at him, too! 

Worst moment this month: Waking up to pee, then climbing back into bed only to have awful heartburn. And I had left my Tums at school! That was a rough 2 hours of trying to fall back asleep. 

Miss anything: Adult beverages, specifically wine. Some of my clothes. Getting off the couch and out of bed without having to roll over or hoist myself up with my elbows. 

Movement: Every day! For a couple weeks, it was just on the right side of my belly, but now it's on both. I can't figure out how they're lying just yet unless we have ultrasounds.
Innie or outie?: Innie but it's slowly disappearing and transforming into an outie. 

Cravings: Applesauce and Lucky Charms

Queasy or sick: Nope! Thank goodness. 

Looking forward to: Our Dr. Seuss-themed shower, finishing their room & deciding what on earth to name them!
Rings on or off: On, but I think I'm starting to swell. I have a backup ring ready to go! (S/O to Charming Charlie for that one!)

Belly Pics!

 Ahhh 19 weeks...halfway done and finally past the "Is she pregnant or just gaining weight?" stage. Very small compared to others having twins-even the Dr. said so! 

My Story

Hello! Welcome to my blog, where the chaos of my life culminates on a web page. 

Here's the short version of the past 9.5 years of my life:
Currently, I'm in my 3rd year of teaching and am expecting identical twin boys. Only two of those three things were planned. 
Baby B, the most wiggly of the two of you...I think you'll always be our most surprising child. We'll see.
However, I always knew I'd be both of those things...I've never wanted to be anything other than a teacher, and knew that eventually I'd be a mama, too! 

It all started in August of 2006, I went to the most magical place in Ohio, The Bowling Green State University. I chose this particular school because of it's nationally renown Education Program for future teachers. I really had no idea what I was doing when I went to college. My first year was positively miserable for reasons I don't wish to revisit, and was reluctantly convinced to return for year 2 for a second chance. That second chance changed the whole course of my life, but I didn't know it at the time.
In 2007, I joined Kappa Delta Sorority, which has my heart forever and ever. I'm currently an advising alumnae and visit about once a month to help the current council do their thang. It's a blast.
In December 2008, I was set up on a blind-ish date with my now husband, Kevin. I say "blind-ish" because we had met once before, but we both had a few adult beverages so...there you have it.
Fast forward, and Kevin nervously popped the question on March 26th, 2011, and we were married on September 15th, 2012. (Four weeks into my first year of teaching. You can imagine the chaos in my brain.)
I continued a rough road at BGSU, as my freshman year made things challenging GPA-wise for the rest of my college career, but I finally graduated in December 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Middle Childhood Education.
I was fortunate to find a job at an inner-city charter school in Toledo for my first two years in the field. If you know me personally, this was no easy feat and I went through a lot, but I survived the first two years and it's possible I have a slight case of PTSD. It was rough. In the summer of 2014, I became incredibly lucky and was offered a job at a wonderful suburban/rural district not too far from home, which is where I now teacher 7th grade Language Arts...and wouldn't trade it for the world.
In the fall of 2014, we found out that I was pregnant and it seemed the stars had finally aligned. I was due early July, which was perfect for a teacher's schedule. 

Then we went for our first ultrasound on December 6th, 2014, and our lives REALLY changed.
Baby A and Baby B were spotted. 

The Ultrasound that had me sobbing uncontrollably and barely able to walk out of the hospital.
Don't worry, I got excited about 2 hours later.