T-1

This was the state of the belly at 34 1/2 weeks, the day of our last prenatal appointment. They had a hard time getting the fetal weight estimates because the babies were so big and intertwined, but it's looking like they might all hit the 5 pound mark; we'll see tomorrow (tomorrow - egad!).

A nice surprise that occurred over the last week is that all the swelling in my legs and feet disappeared, to the tune of a 10 pound weight loss from the water bloat. I've actually felt fantastic the past week and have had the best appetite of my pregnancy, which is ironic as tomorrow I can't eat or drink anything after midnight and my c-section isn't scheduled until after lunch. Hopefully nerves will overcome the hunger and hypoglycemia, otherwise I'm going to be one grouchy mama-to-be.

The babies have been super-active lately, pushing each other around, finding their way under my ribs and being generally entertaining. I can't wait to meet them in person.

33 weeks

Holy moly, there are going to be three tiny babies living in my house very soon! I have to admit that I'm starting to freak out just a little. Up until now it's all been about managing the pregnancy and hitting those all-important viability milestones. At my appointment last week the doctor gave me clear instructions about who and when to call and when to head in to labor and delivery should I go into labor. I gave him a breezy answer about how I don't plan to go into labor before my scheduled c-section date in two weeks and he looked at me in all seriousness and said "you realize you've passed the average delivery date and these babies can come at any time?" I thought that they would try to stop labor before 35 weeks but apparently not, they'll just deliver them. Gulp. He gave me a course of steroids for the babies' lungs just in case.

Overall, things are going great; the babies continue to measure in the upper 70% percentile for size which is awesome, I managed to work until last Friday and now have two weeks off before the delivery (another reason for those babies to stay put) and other than being tired and swollen and suffering with a horrible rash due to PUPPP for over a week now, I feel good. Speaking of PUPPP, it is horrific. It itches like the fire of a 1000 mosquito bites (and I'm allergic), it covers my feet, legs, lower abdomen and the back of my arms and is as hideous to look at as it is itchy. Combine it with the swelling that happens in my legs over the course of a day and it is misery of the highest proportions. I'm on my second prescription steroid cream and while it helps, I still wake up every hour or two at night scratching my skin raw and have to get up and put cold compresses on my skin. The only thing that helped for the two days I was being treated were the intramuscular betamethasone shots I received to help the babies' lungs mature but once that was out of my system the itching came back with a vengeance. I actually made my husband scrub out the bathtub and help me in and out of the bath so I could soak in tepid water which helps relax me so I can at least get to sleep at night. The "good" thing is that it should go away when the babies come out.

Our home renovations are nearly done, we're just waiting for our new bathroom window to be installed. It was very trying having the work done while heavily pregnant and unable to move any boxes around myself, but now that it's over, we love the results and I'm so glad we did it. I cannot imagine going through that with small children around. I'm having a couple of friends come over this weekend to sort through all the baby stuff I've been given and then I might be able to declare us nearly organized.

I have some great belly shots, but I couldn't find the camera cord, so they'll have to wait.