23 Weeks Pregnant.......Mothers Of Multiples......And Other Fun Stuff!

This pregnancy is moving right along. I cannot believe we are already nearing the end of October, belly keeps growing and my feet are starting to disappear. We have had a busy couple of weeks with no signs of slowing down.

Babies' Update: Patrick is definitely making his presence known more and more. Although I still don't feel him move nearly as much as his acrobat twin bother, I am feeling some pretty big movements coming from his side of my tummy. I'm not sure which twin is doing it but one of them is very entertained by poking at my belly button pushing it even further out and back in. It is funny and so heartwarming to watch all these little (and sometimes BIG) movements just below my surface.

Mama Update: Feeling pretty good actually. Tired. Less energy than non pregnant me but really pretty good. I keep thinking the monstrous heartburn I experienced with Elijah is coming back....the heartburn that used to wake me up from a dead sleep in tears......but every time I have an episode and think it is here for good, I find that it resolves as quickly as it came. Such a blessing because that was the hardest things about my first pregnancy, and something I expected to feel fully with two babies inside me. We still have a ways to go but by this point with Elijah, I was already fully aflamed.

I have been really diligent about doing my baby positioning exercises that I learned from our Bradley Method classes and Elijah even gets down on the floor and helps me do them. He did this on his own, holding my back for me as I do pelvic tilts and stopping every once in a while to walk to the front of me and give me a hug. I cant help but think what a great birth coach he will be one day for some lucky lady. ;) When I do squats he thinks it is funny to stand in front of me so I can kiss him every time I come down. Such a Mama's helper! We have also been very good about our walks and continue to add time to both the morning and the afternoon walks. My goal over the next couple weeks is to thoroughly research twin positioning on Spinning Babies Website and make sure to incorporate those suggestions so that my boys have the best chance at a natural beginning!

This week I also joined a new moms group North Houston Mother's Of Multiples.  I am so excited to be a part of this group! My mother in law (a mother of multiples herself!) told me of such a group and I have been excited to join our local group ever since. They meet once a month and it is Moms of twins and triplets+ of all walks of life, ages etc. I really appreciate being around moms that will be able to relate to the special concerns of twins and learn from their experiences, share frustrations and joys and just mingle with new friends. I am so blessed to have so many different groups of moms that I count as friends, many of them walking into my life just since this pregnancy. The fellowship found in this group (and the few others I belong to) is priceless. After the monthly meetings, the moms of multiples are invited to what is called the Moms' Meltdown where they all go to a restaurant for refreshments and more socializing. Due to some scary occurrences in our neighborhood recently, I have not been sleeping well so I skipped this part of the evening but I look forward to joining in next month for the Mom Meltdown!  I think it is so great that I am able to get this kind of "twin support" before my little sweetheart babies even arrive! I anticipate totally healthy children born healthy and ready for life outside Mama but if there is one thing my first birth taught me is that things don't always go as plan. And it is nice to know that I have lots of support.

Bola Ball: A couple of weeks ago, I got a small package in the mail that i was really excited about. My Bola Ball necklace! I had seen a post on one of my pregnancy boards about these necklaces that are popular in Spain and Mexico that Mama's wear when they are pregnant. The necklaces are very long, down to their belly and they have little bells in them that are supposed to emit a calming sound for the baby. I found mine on etsy through a seller in Spain on Etsy:

 The history of this unique piece of jewelry is several 100 years old. Here in Spain people call this kind of jewelry pendants "Llamadores de Angeles." They are very cute and the sound is really really nice. 
By wearing the pendant is told that the delicate sound of our angel caller calls our guardian angels and they come to our side.
In ancient India, pregnant women wore the sound ball around the waist and the sound is said to promote early childhood development and help women to relax.

Each color has their own meaning: I chose green for my babies. Although it is one of my favorite colors and I wear it often, my reasons for choosing it are the meaning behind the color.....

GREEN: People more down-to-earth prefer the color green. Green stands for hope, health, balance and honesty. It is the element of security and presents the beauty of nature. Green controls hope and illusion. This color is nature-flavored and lives of its own energy: water, air and sun.

My pretty new Bola Ball Necklace

I'm thinking of getting something to extend it so it falls a little lower but it does it the top of my growing belly. 

23 weeks and feeling great!

Still fitting into Maternity Smalls, even with that giant belly!  Yay for low carbs!

Love my twinsicles. :) (That is what my cousin calls them)

Baby bump love

Elijah was all ready for his turn!

My cutie cracking up as always 

Kisses for Mama......love his affection.  I hope that never changes!

This week.....eggplant! I held them facing down to let the twins know THIS is how I want them positioned!

Elijah and Mama, marveling over how big the newest Parishes are getting!

I'm not sure if Elijah is kissing the eggplant or trying to eat it. He definitely enjoyed it when I cooked it for dinner later that night!

Elijah and Mama holding our "babies"

Fun boy!

Daddy had a turn playing with this week's produce!

My boys dreaming about our new additions!