26 Weeks - Update on Me!

We are now at the 26 week mark! Yahoo!! I cannot believe how fast this is all flying by. Its absolutely insane. This weekend will be a first and a last for me. Sunday is my very first shower - YAY!! Its going to be in Knoxville. A mixture of my girlfriends will be there, and my mom's friends as well. We are doing a brunch on Sunday. However, Daylight Savings Time is Saturday night, which worries me. Prater's Law will tell you that half of the ladies will not show up b/c they forgot to set their clock. I am SO EXCITED though. One of my sister's friends, Shelley, will be there taking pictures too. She is a photographer, so I wanted to have some really pretty pictures taken of a shower, and since she lives in Knoxville, all the better! Now...what to wear, what to wear???

As for my last, this Saturday will be my last UT football game :( I just don't think I can do it any more this season. I am getting bigger and bigger and don't think I can waddle around UT stadium. The good news is that we really don't play anyone else of huge importance, but I am still sad. I'll miss Ole Miss, Memphis, Vanderbilt and KY.

The date for my maternity photos has been set! We are doing them on Sunday, Nov. 8th. I have been kind of worried about how late they are (um, have you seen how big I am?) so hopefully they will still be pretty and I won't look like a barn. Again...what to wear, what to wear??? They will be inside and outside. I am going to have a few outfits to wear, so I need to really buckle down and decide on this. Jake's going to be in them too. He is really excited about being a model.

How far along? 26 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: I am officially at the +24 pound mark. Yikes. I am two weeks behind the "gain 24 pounds by 24 weeks". But, I have also gained 6 pounds in two weeks. Don't you see now why I am worried about my maternity pictures? I seem to be expanding at a very fast rate! Here's hoping that my face is even visible in the pictures, and they are not just all belly.
Maternity clothes? I think I probably have enough. I REALLY hate buying maternity clothes. Its such a waste. And I also have some other things that are normal clothes that work as maternity. However, I have four showers coming up (one where professional pictures will be taken) and my maternity shoot coming up, and let me tell you- I am DYING to buy more maternity clothes!!
Best moment this week: We got the nursery painted!! Well, actually my sister Ginny and my mom came up this weekend and put up chair rail and painted the nursery. It looks so pretty. I appreciate their help so much. Now, all we are waiting on is the rug to come (is supposed to ship on 10/30), hang the chandelier, (will be hung next Wednesday!) and put up all the cute accessories I have bought.
Movement: They move around like crazy, but the girl is very dominant in this arena. Her head is up next to my rib cage, and is diagonally down my left side. The boy is now breech, and his feet are way down my right side. Needless to say, I feel the girl constantly. Its quite evident too, b/c when I lose my breath, thats when I know she is moving. She seems to love the rib cage area.
Waist Diameter: 42 inches. I inch in two weeks!
Food cravings: Still on the chicken biscuits. Thats about it these last two weeks. Still nothing strange. Since I don't eat pork products, I half expected to crave them constantly during my pregnancy, but nope! Really, though, all I am concerned about is my protein and water intake, and that is enough to drive you crazy. I am supposed to get 100 grams of protein and drink a gallon of water per day (almost 5 liters).
Gender: Baby Stribs are a boy and girl. No extra parts.
Labor Signs: Nope, but our Multiples Class teacher told us we can tell its a contraction if our belly is as hard as the bridge of our noses. Well, my belly is so hard and tight anyway, it just makes it all the harder to tell. So, here's just hoping pre-term labor stay very far away.
Belly Button in or out? Oh....still out.
What I miss: being able to do stuff myself. I am an independent person when it come to things. I hate having to ask people to do everything for me. Or I hate everyone being so careful around me. I appreciate and love these people all dearly, but its just hard to accept.
What I am looking forward to: our next doctor's appt in two weeks, my shower this weekend, and getting our nursery near completion!!
Milestones: I am so thankful to be past the 2 pound mark (the babies now weigh two pounds). This is alot less scary to me. I know as the weeks go by it will get less scary and less scary. I just need to have faith that everything will be ok.
Realization of the week: I know I say this all the time, but sometimes it just hits me that we will actually have two human beings to care for soon. We go on and on registering for things, buying things for the nursery, planning for their arrival, and talking about them all the time. But sometimes it just literally hits me that there will be BABIES in this world that belong to Jake and I! We will be responsible for two human beings at one time and forever after this! It is so crazy to think about. It is just amazing and so scary all at the same time.