14 Weeks (and babies update)!

*As you can probably guess from the title, this is a pregnancy post.  Feel free to skip on over if you're not interested in daily details of being pregnant.*

I'm back from Australia and we've reached 14 weeks today!  It doesn't feel like much of a milestone, as I am holding out for the big 24 week one, which is still so far away.  However, we went for a midwife appointment today, so I wanted to update on where things are at.  I wasn't supposed to see the midwives for 2 more weeks, but I couldn't get into my OB till next week, and I just felt nervous after coming back from my trip.  I wanted to make sure everything was in order, especially because we are planning to "tell" our big news this weekend (more on that later).

Officially we are in the second trimester.  Hooray!!!  Here are some updates:

Nausea: Up until a few days ago, I wasn't feeling any relief from the nausea/discomfort that comes with first trimester, but the last 2 days have been noticeably better.  I'm hoping this trend continues. 

Eating: I am still eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day, but this week my appetite has slightly decreased.  When I eat too much through the day (especially at dinner), I feel gross and bloated all night and have some heartburn (more like everything is pushing pressure at the top of my diaphragm.. wearing a bra is a nightmare!).  As for cravings, still loving ice cold drinks (slurpees are my downfall) and juicy fruit (I've eaten more watermelon in the past week than you could imagine!)

Fatigue: Well I made it through 2 days of work this week, so that was an achievement (though I was DONE at 8pm last night).  Exercising is still tough.  I try to go for a walk every day, but it's like my stomach bloats more when I walk, and then I usually have to pee like crazy part way through.  By the end, I am exhausted!  I'm going to have to find a better solution.

Body: I've had some lower back pain, particularly after walking.  I've had a bit of pain near my right ovary - just a dull throb that comes and goes.  The midwife said it was likely just my tubes shifting around, or round ligament pain.  It's not intense enough to worry about at this point.  My boobs have  settled down a bit.  They are less painful and may have taken a break from growing.  Overall, I think I have gained about 15 pounds since starting clomid.  It feels like a lot, but is okay and on track for a twin pregnancy.

Belly: It is HUGE!  Okay, not that huge, but definitely noticeable.  At my appointment, the midwife measured my uterus and I am measuring 19 weeks!  Hooray!!!  She said this is right on track for a twin pregnancy.  I knew I felt like I was growing like crazy.  Today I received my first "Congratulations" after someone looked at my belly.  I hadn't even said a word.  It made me smile (though since the news is not fully public, it took me aback a bit too).

Mood: Since I came home, I have been slightly more cranky, but I blame that on jetlag, and adjusting back to schedule here.  I have moments of feeling super teary, but haven't cried like crazy at the drop of a hat yet (I feel sure that will come sometime).

Lastly, today at the appointment we heard the heartbeats!  That is right... heartbeats!!!  Both babies were beating away strongly.  One was louder and slightly faster than the other.  While she was listening to it, it moved around and then the heart started to beat faster.  It was the cutest thing!  There was definitely a difference between the two that you could tell them apart.  I definitely cried.  I really just needed reassurance that they were both there.  And they are!

This means that we will go ahead and tell people this weekend.  It's not like I can really hide it anyways right now.  I told my work colleagues this week (wasn't much fanfare).  The big thing will be announcing it at church on Sunday.  Since my hubby is a pastor there, we will likely do some sort of announcement so that everyone knows!  Eeek!  It is exciting, but a bit overwhelming at the same time.  I'm not sure how I will react to all the reactions we get.  I have more thoughts on this, but I'll write separately on that later.  So, that's where we are at today.  Now, off to celebrate with some ice cream and fresh strawberries.  That's right... I feel perfectly alright to indulge!