18 Weeks - Nearly halfway!

This week (18 1/2 weeks) marks the half-way point to full term for a twin pregnancy.  Holy moly!

As you can see from my bumpdates, I keep growing and growing.  Here's a rundown on how I am feeling:

Mood: I think those raging pregnancy hormones have kicked into full gear.  I've had numerous almost-melt-downs.  Sometimes I'm angry at DH for no reason.  Once I almost burst into tears because the store did not have the grapes they advertised on sale... and I REALLY wanted grapes.  Another time I threw a fit about watching Superman in a sub-par theater.  All these things I normally would not care about have become the end of the world for me.  Luckily, DH just laughs at me, rather than getting mad. 

Food: Not much has changed here.  I'm eating pretty good, though I allow myself to indulge in ice cream almost every day.  I am staying away from most other sweets, though sometimes I'll have chocolate with my ice cream.  My new drink is blended strawberries with limeade.  Mmm!  Hits the spot.  I really can't eat big portions though, or I feel really sick.  I'm eating every 2-3 hours, but much smaller portions/snacks.

Sleep: Still sleeping like a baby!  I could take 2 hour naps every day, but I wake up groggy and not feeling well.  I'm trying to just nap once a day for about an hour when I can.  Sleeping mostly through the night.  If I don't wake up to pee, I usually wake up early but that's okay because I'm in bed by 10pm. About once a week I'll have an "insomnia" night and be up for an hour or two in the wee hours of the morning.  Oh, and those crazy pregnancy dreams have finally kicked into gear. I have a dream almost every night!

Exercise: I think I've given up on walking for any length of time until I speak to my doctor.  Anything more than 20 minutes and I have intense pressure in my abdomen and can hardly even move.  Shopping last week was even tough, and I had to sit down whenever I could.  Fortunately, I have started swimming and this seems to work nicely.  I even did my first aquafit class last week (water aerobics).  It was tough work, but felt nice (I even felt it in my muscles afterwards too).  And I do yoga a few times a week when I have the energy.

Body: Changing, changing, changing!  My bump is huge.  My hips are definitely wider.  My breasts seem to have slowed down... but they are leaking colustrum (I think?) from time to time.  Whoa!  Crazy... this early?  I'm pretty much entirely in maternity clothes, apart from leggings with over-sized shirts/dresses.  Fortunately, my MIL took me shopping and bought me a nice wardrobe, and my mom picked up a few pieces to add to my collection. I haven't gained much weight this week though, so still about 15lbs in these 18 weeks.

Movement: I still am not entirely sure what I'm feeling is baby movement, but I think I feel them move from time to time.  It only happens when I lie down.  I can't quite describe the movement.  For me, it's not like bubbles or butterflies... more like muscle twitches inside.  Or it just feels like something is moving inside of me.  It's strange.  Maybe it's just my digestive system....I don't know.  I can't wait for our ultrasound so that hopefully I'll get to see them move and figure out how it feels.

Notable moments: Doing the ring-on-a-string gender prediction test!  See this post.  Coming up next week... 2nd ultrasound and OB visit!