Thoughts on Pregnancy

I am currently 17 weeks along in my pregnancy.  Almost at the halfway mark and just 2 weeks away from finding out the genders of our sweet little babies.  Ahhhh I am SO excited for that day!

Here's a picture from when I was 16 weeks along

And a picture from my 17 week mark

 I just want to jot down some of my thoughts on and experiences with pregnancy/being a mom as these babies keep on growing.  In no way is this comprehensive and, please, have mercy on me and remember that I am a hormonal pregnant lady :)

• The fact that there are TWO babies inside of me blows my mind!!!  TWO.  Wow and woo hoo!
• My stomach just keeps growing, and growing, and growing, and growing...I'm 4 months along and a little nervous for how big I'm going to get!
• It is such a cool feeling to feel things moving around inside of me!
• Maternity pants are quite comfortable!
• There are lots of things that go unsaid about pregnancy...probably because they aren't terribly enjoyable.  I'll keep them unsaid and just say that I'm learning a lot about various bodily functions. Thank goodness for the internet and good friends who don't mind if something is TMI.
• I wonder what "normal" feels like and if I will recognize it when it comes back?  Meaning, for 9 months I'll have aches, pains, a belly, constantly be thinking about the babies, etc. and that makes me wonder what my new "normal" will be.
• Baby clothes are ridiculously adorable!
• 2nd trimester has been wonderful! I really don't think I've had a difficult pregnancy overall (HUGE blessing) but it has been fantastic to enjoy the tastes of food again, be able to open our fridge without gagging, and to have energy back!
• I quickly learned that EVERY single woman has a different experience with pregnancy. When you are pregnant, many people have insights and stories and suggestions on every aspect of pregnancy.  It can be overwhelming sometimes.  But I've come to realize that people share their stories because their stories mean so much to them and we care about helping each other out!  
• A good friend gave me great advice regarding being bombarded with different perspectives: 
• 1) Research as much is a reasonable amount about a topic
• 2) Pray for guidance in making a wise decision but don't expect angelic chorus' to give you answers
• 3) Make your decision on what to do
• 4) Pray that your decision will have the best possible outcome
• 5) Confidently learn and move forward.  There is SO much information and there are countless perspectives on every little aspect of having a child.  I know that I want what is best for my babies and so do millions of other women.  What is right for me may be wrong for someone else.  But I will always try my best to do what is right for me and my babies.
• I LOVE seeing Marty with little kids.  He is one AMAZING husband and he is going to be an AMAZING dad.  It is so sweet to see and hear his excitement for our babies.  I am beyond excited to see him holding them :)
• I cry much more easily than before being pregnant.  I was watching a commercial the other day and started crying because it was so sweet.  This is the commercial that got me good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_gtD5U9Bck
• The more I think about being a mom the more I realize that my mom is Super Woman.
• I'm nervous to be a mom.  My confidence outweighs my nerves, but still, it's not an easy job!  As a nanny I get a taste of what it's like to be surrounded by boogers, poopy diapers, crying, messes, etc.  It's not always fun.
• I am really really excited to be a mom.  I believe that motherhood is truly a divine role.  Although there are many tough parts to motherhood that I've seen as a nanny, there are also incredibly tender moments.  Like when they snuggle up to you right after waking up, or when you see the kids playing with each other and teaching each other, or when they get uncontrollable giggles when you tickle them, or when they kiss you two times on the belly to make sure each twin gets loves.  These experiences melt my heart and I imagine motherhood being similar.

That's all for now.  I simply want to get my thoughts down so I can look back on this once the babies are here.  Here are a few more photos from 17 weeks.  Taking the usual "one hand on top and one hand beneath your belly" photo gets boring.

Feeling the power of the belly

The Carney Ninja pose for my dad :)

Practicing my balance...the belly certainly changes things