Its been a while!

Life has been oh so busy...but really, when is life not busy.  The kids are gearing up for year end events at school as I try to figure out what I am going to do with them this summer while I work.  We are actively looking for a new home and the process has not exactly been what I had anticipated...that is a post in itself!  And I am GROWING!

This pregnancy has been by far, the easiest. I am sure that is all build up for what is to come in the next few months.  Four easy months followed by four tough months still seems pretty fair. We will see how I feel three months from now!  My belly is noticeable and I am tring to wear clothing that does emphasize the pregnant belly and not the "wow, you've had too many beers lately" type of belly. 

Work has provided a huge sense of stability and structure to my life too.  Maybe that is contributing to the sense of accomplishment and well-being I am feeling. I think having a set schedule so much of the time makes me more productive, plus I plan out snacks and meals...and I am reminded to drink a ton of water since many people at work are also trying to be healthy and drink up. There are no snack options unless I bring them and I think that has helped keep my weight gain slow and steady (5lbs as of today!).

The surrogacy is moving right along.  In the next few weeks we should have our big anatomy scan to determine that both babies are growing well--and to find out the genders!  We are also finishing up on the Pre-Birth Order (PBO) that will allow the parents name to go on the birth certificate immediately at birth. This is one of the key things to have lined up when doing a surrogacy as you don't want any confusion as to who the babies belong to...not only for distributing hospital bracelets (I don't get one with the babies info--only mom and dad) but also for insurance filing and all kinds of new baby paperwork.  The parents have been so on the ball and their attorney has been great in getting all this lined up.  Having twins made me slightly nervous since they can come earlier than singletons, but I am confident we will be all set in a matter of weeks.

Thinking about the PBO reminds me I need to get started on the birth plan. Our hospital wants to make sure that both my needs and the needs of the parents are met, so we are going to try to outline everyone's general ideas on how we want things to go. Luckily I am pretty easy going at this point and don't have too many demands on the labor time.  I am having to think long and hard about the possibility of a c-section and get everything figured out for that option as well.

I have also been feeling lots of pulling and ligament stretching as I grow.  I look like I am at least 20 weeks pregnant and it is all happening very suddenly. One of my coworkers remarked that she saw me on Thursday and now Tuesday I actually look pregnant!  I do get flutters/movements from the babies now too.  It is comforting to feel a little wiggle every so often, but it is still too early for the large kicks and bumps that truly settle your mind. At last newsletter, the babies each weigh around 5 oz...and 10 oz of baby actually corresponds to 20 weeks so everything must be right on.