I took Fable to the doctor with me Friday morning so she could see her sisters on the ultrasound screen (fun!) after which we met my mom (who was visiting) and sister for lunch, marveled over the fact that even though we asked for a "table for four" we were actually six ladies lunching... fiiiiive gooooolden riiiiiiings! Also had a lovely birthday eve with Hal, friends and tapas. No Emmy, though. Whatever, Emmys. Psh.
I hate to be redundant with last week's twitter fodder but my realization last week that I was carrying around three vaginas has become my go-to excuse for:
1. Being a snappy bitch.
2. Crying incessantly because of... everything/nothing.
3. Obsessing over all things Real L Word. (HGTV was sooo last week.)
4. Flaking on playdates.
5. Sleeping in until 11am on the weekends.
6. Buying Milky Way Midnight bars like it's my job.
7. Traffic violations.
8. Typos.
9. Forgetting Archer's backpack.
10. Forgetting Archer's free-dress days.
10. Forgetting Archer's free-dress days.
11. Forgetting Archer's name.
The babies are eleven inches long this week (large Mangos! Good luck with that one, mom!) and weigh over one pound each which explains my nearly forty pound weight gain. Ha!
I'm currently pushing 178 pounds, which is pretty much exactly where I assumed I'd be at this point. For peace of mind, I already have my postpartum diet/workout plan in check. Maybe it sounds crazy, but for me it makes me feel less afraid of potentially gaining 75+ pounds and having to lose fifty... which I have done before, but with far less children in my Baby Bjorn.
At Friday's appointment, babies were still face to face, which made me cry. (Because I have three vaginas.)
Yesterday, with Archer and Hal's help I finally painted the bookcase purple. I bought special (Zero-VOC) paint so that I could do it myself without inhaling harmful fumes, and Archer, of course, being the cutest ever, wanted to help. So he fetched himself a roller and we went to town.
"The twins are going to LOVE this, mom," he kept saying.
I think he's right.
It needs an extra coat of paint and the photo was taken with my cell phone so the color looks far more dull than it appears in person (BRIGHT PURPLE!) but it looks really cute, I think.
And yes, in case you were wondering, it totally matches the grapes in the curtains... and other such purple accents TBD:
Stretchmarks have arrived and everyone has a different recipe for how to make them go away, but seriously, guys. In twenty-three weeks I'm almost exactly the size I was at thirty-seven weeks pregnant with Fable.
Me, today:
Me, 37 weeks pregnant with Fable (she was born ten days later):
There's NO WAY, regardless of my good skin-elasticity-genes/slathering all kinds of oil on my person, I'm not going to fuck up my shit this pregnancy. And I'm okay with it. I am. My body is never going to be the same, duh. Neither is anything else. Plus, I have plenty of terrible tattoos I don't regret. I'm pretty sure stretch marks reign supreme in terms of scars.
***
Everywhere I go I meet twins. The checker at Trader Joes the other day was a twin. She told me that her and her sister had never been apart since they were babies, that she loved being a twin, that it was like "having an instant soul-mate/partner for life " and then she hugged me and we jumped up and down together.
This time, I didn't blame my crying on my three vaginas. Girlfriend was tearing up right there with me.
"Solidarity," she said.
***
59 comments:
love the picture of fable looking up at your belly. of course you can do whatever you want and eat whatever!
Wow! love reading about this journey of life x2. You look amazingly beautiful. Girl power! :)
Love the pictures of Fable kissing your belly...her sisters... tears
OMG, the picture of Fable peeking up from below your belly is BEYOND CUTE! I love it!
I know it must be even stranger for you because, well, it's your body, but every week I go, "No way! There's two of them in there!" So, so amazing!
Now I might have to cry.
~ Noelle
You look amazing. I am so impressed with your ability to embrace the change in your body. I lacked such ability; never took pregnant pictures; was far too involved in my own looks than the amazing changes going on. So you go, sister. I'm amazed.
I maxed out at about 180lbs during my pregnancy... but 1) I'm only 5' tall; 2) my babe was six weeks early; and 3) she only weighed 3lbs 4oz at birth. Needless to say I did not carry that weight nearly as well as you do. You look almost unfairly awesome :-D
You look gorgeous! And I adore the pics of Fable and your belly. <3
Those pictures of Fable under your belly are a-freaking-dorable. Thank you for sharing your pregnancy with us. I've birthed two myself, but separately and with many years in between, and I find watching TWO! grow inside of you to be fascinating and beautiful and amazing. Yay you!
Would love to hear more about your diet/workout plan!
You look awesome!
You and your three vaginas are looking just perfect for 23 weeks. And the pics with Fable and your belly--presh!
amazing photos. so cute. i'm almost 33 weeks, and my dr and midwife are concerned about my weight gain. (almost 30lbs. for a singleton. whatever. sigh.) thanks to you, i feel almost tiny. my hormones and i would like to thank you for that. ; )
beyond - DUDE. That is NOTHING. 55 pounds is what I gained with Fable (70 with Archer). At 33 weeks with Fable I was already <40. The averages are bullshit. Just do good by you, girl. Kiss on that bod!
I totally get the - enjoy gaining the weight now; plan to lose it later mindset. If I didn't just go ahead and assume I need to have a diet/exercise plan ready for post-baby body I would really not enjoy gaining all the extra weight.
What stretch marks??? Good lord, your stomach is like a beautiful porcelain basketball! LOL! I carried my daughter to full term and she was 8lbs 2oz, and at my last maternity session my SIL(photographer) had to photoshop out my angry red stretch marks! YOU look FABULOUS!!!! I can't imagine getting even bigger but you will, and I know you will continue to look as great. Sending you good vibes!
Hey, I shed a few tears after reading this post. . .and I only have one vagina!
Carry on, Beautiful. If anyone can rock a "trigina," it's you!
--Marisa
I totally get jumping up and down with the cashier at Trader Joe's and crying. And I've only got the one vagina. I so hope I get to have twins someday! :)
First of all, you look great! Stretchmarks- Who cares?
Second: I have never seen as many mixed kids as since I expected my baby. It's like your eyes spot them!
Lastly: can I be allowed to be all the things you are (listed on this post) because you are pregnant with twins, even though my baby is 4 months today and therefore I am obviously not pregnant anymore?
LOOKING GOOD! I just gave birth to my third (Pepper Jane) 2 weeks ago, and took lots of belly shots along the way, but now I'm wishing I had taken some peering up from under the belly shots of my big kids. How did I miss that angle??
I loved involving my other kids in all the baby prep, midwife visits, etc. It was so fun to share with them. One thing that was super fun, which you might also enjoy, was belly painting. When I was about your size we went Pollock all over my belly with face paints. Good messy fun. Highly recommend.
You look lovely! yes, your body will seriously change. sometimes I wonder what the hell happened; but then I see my two lovelies and I remember... totally and completly worth it. not sure what to do about a bathing suit though, still haven't found one 15months later... any ideas for a long legged/long torso'd gal with a permanent twin-skin pooch?
I looked at your belly and thought of the girls facing one another in the last picture and I instantly started rocking form side to side. Is that just a mom/woman thing?
Love this journey you are sharing with us all.
You are truely blessed!
Jackie
you're all belly. its so cute!
I have to tell you I look forward to your weekly pregnancy updates every week! I am currently 31 weeks along with twin boys and I just love reading about other moms pregnant with twins.
You look fantastic!! I have gained about 36lbs, but I am only 5'2" and these two boys hardly have anywhere to go. Mine are weighing around 4lbs 8 oz and 4lbs and are gaining about 1/2 lb a piece a week. It is so amazing to watch them grow and interact. I unfortunately have the angry red stretch marks hip to hip and up to my belly button, but I just figure my body will never be the same and it will forever be a reminder of how hard my body worked to nurture and grow my two precious boys!
Thank you for sharing your pregnancy journey with all of us!
Fable gazing lovingly at you from under your sweet belly made me cry - and I only have one vagina.
I would love to hear more about you post babies workout/diet plan...I feel like mine is just I'm fat so what? BTW you look amazing!!! Keep it up girl!
You look so fantastic!
oh, and regarding stretch marks (although i can't detect any in these photos) i got Weleda pregnancy oil as a gift and it is fantastic. a little goes a long way and i plan on using it after i deliver, too...
your blog has made me a lover of mondays!
The picture of Fable smiling over your belly is the cutest thing I've seen all day. Your twins are the hill and Fable's face is the sun.
xoAmanda
It's so fun watching you grow. I wish I had done this three years ago when I was pregnant with my twin girls. But unlikr you I was terrified of the weight gain and did not want to capture it on camera. Now I realize how silly I was and wish I had more prego pics. You're gorgeous!!
Omg, your belly is amazing! Your bod is doing such amazing things! Your stretch marks are helping you grow twins, so i think they are totes AWESOME!
I definitely need to take more belly shots. I'm sure I can find the tripod in the basement somewhere since the hubby isn't always a willing photographer.
Where on earth did you find those leggings? I LOVE!
-Abi, walking around with 2 vaginas
Abi - leggings are Motherhood Maternity. Have them in black, too. xo!
You're looking gorgeous. :)
It's so neat to read about this journey; thank you for sharing it with us. I truly look forward to these posts every week!
Fable + belly shots = heart melt.
Also, can I please move into the nursery? Dreamy furniture to boot!
Being all redundant and chiming in with another squeal over the picture of Fable smiling from under your belly. That is a framer for sure. Perhaps on the new amazing bookshelf? Damnit...you're passing decor frenzy vibes over the internet.
I gained about 60 lbs. with Jack and my belly looked noooooowhere near as perfect as yours.
I remember reading an article in Bust when I was about 14 (1999ish), where the author wrote about how if she had paid someone to brand lightning bolts on her lower stomach than people would think they were rad, but because she got them from growing a human being they were gross. I have no idea why that stuck with me, but I found it helpful to think about when those lightning bolts started streaking across my belly. And even though I am jealous of my friends who, through multiple pregnancies and babies, have managed to retain their smooth flat bellies, it IS totally worth it. .
Still looking fabulous and glowing! One thing I picked up while nannying for twins (twice) and triplets (once) was to always refer to them as and and not "the twins" or "the triplets" to help them keep a sense of their own identities no matter where they were or who they were with. All of my families highly stressed it with me and with the schools the kids attended as well.
mind blowing. . . you look like you were made for twin making!
Love this post.
I am LOVING your bump these days.
i love so much about this post...
1. your gorgeous and i love seeing ur fab tattoos on ur preg belly.
2. your gorgeous
3. love the pics of fable looking over your tummy
4. have you let us know the names yet? i don't think u have, but just cking.
5. PLEASE TELL ME UR WORKOUT/DIET PLAN that you have organized for after the pregnancy. I NEED IT NOWWWWWWWWWW. please.
6. lovin the bookcase and lovin that archer helped paint it even more.
7. stretch marks should be honored to be on your belly.
8. fuck my shit up = bff.
9. due date?
10 ur gorgeous and i'm so happy for you. xo
The tearing up won't stop after your girls come :) When you go out with them you will have TONS of people ask you questions etc. and lots of lovely grown twins sharing stories with you. I always tear up when they talk about their life long bond/love/soulmates. Makes me almost feel unworthy to navigate such a precious bond through life. you look fabulous and get lots of rest!
You look amazing!!! That belly is something to celebrate- seriously!
You. look. gorgeous! xoxo
That is a rad take on stretchmarks. You're so right.
Great post.
More on your diet/workout plan por favor! I'm halfway through with losing my pregnancy weight gain of... gasp... 50 pounds!
You look beautiful :)
You look great! I really wish I could adopt your attitude on weight gain. This is my first, and I hate being so freaked out about the weight. I'm almost 30 weeks and have already gained around 23 pounds. I'm really hung up on that "average" 25-40 pounds and did NOT want to be on the heavy end of that. Because unlike you, I don't have a diet/exercise plan for afterward, so I fear that a lot of what I put on now will be with me for quite some time. Boo.
The photos of Fable playing with and getting lost under your belly are beautiful.
I'm @24 weeks with a boy and love to freak out my hubster by saying, 'honey, I'm growing a penis in my belly!' hee hee
On a side note, what kind of maternity jeans / pants do you like? I'm a newbie and am regularly overwhelmed. appreciate any help. Thx!
Every time I read your bump updates, I go back to look at pictures of myself two days before my twins were born. The body's capacity to grow and nurture two little people in the same place is mind blowing!
That picture of Fable grinning from under your belly...holy moses. :)
Man-your blog these days is giving me a fever....not for more cowbell (well, no more than normal)...but for babies.
(Luckily for me, husband and I decided that we're going to start 'going for it' in August! Yaya!)
I have been reading your blog for several years and for some reason, I've never commented...though I've often wanted to. I am currently in my 22nd week (with just one little babe) so every week I eagerly await your weekly pregnancy update. Its neat being a week behind you. You look amazing! Cannot wait to see pics of your sweet girls and find out what names you've chosen for them.
I have to say (aside from the obvious 'you look great!' comment that you thoroughly deserve) that you are a truly wonderful human being, and it shows in every post that you publish. I wish I was surrounded by (more) people like you in real life. Thank you for being an inspiration.
The picture of Fable's smiling face peeking up from below your belly is my new favorite sibling preggo pic EVER. You look beautiful!!!
love this so much I sent it to my mother, who is still one of your biggest fans.
I love your smile.
I just stared at that comment for a solid minute debating if I sounded too stalkeresque to post...oh well.
It's a good smile.
Also, I know it makes sense for a mama with twins cooking to be bigger than a single baby pregnancy, but seeing your progress really puts things into perspective! I'm learning here!
You still look great..there is a saying if women is pregnant that the
time her real beauty comes out..congrats to your new princess.!
would so love to hear about your diet/workout plan - still have about 50lbs to lose after my twins (a year ago)
Solidarity. Love it.
Makes me tear up, with all the dreams and the hopes and the love you have for all of your babies; and how sure you are that *this* is exactly where you're supposed to be.
Solidarity.
Don't know if you'll see this comment, but just wanted to say hello. I've been reading your blog for a while, although I don't think I've ever commented.
I have a 3 1/2 year old son, and a daughter we lost last June (she died of a cord accident when I was 8 months pregnant with her). I'm now pregnant again for a third time, and we found out a few weeks ago that we're having twins. Woo-hoo!! Also: WOW!
I've enjoyed your blog for quite some time, and I'm sure to be following along even more closely now that I'm also having twins (a bit behind you, at 14 weeks). And twins in a third pregnancy to boot!
Thanks,
Mary in Portland
I would love to hear more about your diet workout plan. Maybe you could do an entire post on it, instead of just a reply here??
Thank you!!
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