Happy Wednesday friends!

I share this little update on Instagram the other day and thought it would be helpful to share it here too:

Hey y’all! Chelsea here! Okay, so real talk: you guys all know my story… 9+ years of infertility, 3 miscarriages, a PCOS diagnosis, Factor V Leiden, tons of medicated cycles and IUI’s and 5 IVF cycles. And then you see me above, and you know that we are expecting boy / girl twins this May, a true miracle and something we are so thankful for!

So here’s the thing … I’ve been a bit convicted lately that I’ve allowed the whole “infertility” thing to mask this true pregnancy joy out of sensitivity to so many of you who are still waiting. And while I absolutely still want to remain sensitive and loving, I feel sad knowing you could easily glance at my feed and not even realize I am pregnant with two miracles, when for the last 5 years, so much of my feed was about infertility. And while I want to shout my love for these little ones from the mountains and celebrate every baby step, I tend to hold back and I think in doing so, it’s holds my story back a bit … tucking away the glory that God deserves to be getting every week we check off the list.

So here’s my resolution – I want to do a little better at balancing it all out. Celebrating this miracle, remaining sensitive to those still waiting for theirs, sharing my every day life and cute pup, and giving encouragement whenever and wherever I can. This pregnancy doesn’t define me, just as infertility didn’t define me! As a daughter of Christ, that’s the only title I really bear.
That said, I probably will be posting a *few* more celebratory baby pics, so if that gets too hard for you, I GET IT! You are under no obligation to follow me just because you’ve been a part of our story thus far. However, I care about each of you so dearly, read all your comments multiple times, and savor the relationships we’ve formed. Thank you for inviting me into your stories and lives!
All that said, here’s me and babies at 23+2 days pregnant. I have an aversion to eggs and pizza sauce and am savoring and treasuring every single stinking moment of this blessing, because it’s not taken for granted and I’ve waited far too long for these stretch marks and sleepless nights! Thank you for loving me so well.

I wanted to share here as well because I do want to start incorporating a little more “baby stuff” here, only because I have very little paper trail of this miracle! I hope to share pregnancy updates every 2-3 weeks, especially as we creep closer to our due date. I COMPLETELY understand if you need to take a massive time out from the blog!

But, with that said, we are now 98 days from our babies-will-come-no-later-than-this-no-matter-what due date! 98 DAYS! Considering I have been pregnant for 169 days, this seems like a tiny number! YAHOO!

How far along? 24 weeks – also known as “viability week”, meaning even though a baby born at this point would still require a lot of intervention, a baby is considered viable to survive outside of the womb. Every day here on out is a wonderful bonus!

Gender: Boy / Girl

Weight Gain? 7-8 pounds

Maternity Clothes?  Basically only now. I am starting to struggle to find tops that are long enough to cover my chest, longer torso, and bump! Eeeeek! But seriously, slip on pants are wonderful.

Stretch Marks? A couple new ones higher up – not that I am complaining! Stretch marks = BABIES!

Belly button in or out?  Stretching out but still in.

Sleep:  I typically have one rougher night a week, but have been getting a good 7-8 hours a night with about 2 bathroom breaks. I have been told this is a sweet spot of sleep in a pregnancy and I am savoring it! I took my first heavy, solid, felt-like-I-was-drugged nap this past Monday and don’t think I will be doing that again. I was so groggy all day!

Best moment this week: We had a great doctor’s appointment at our high-risk clinic last Friday and got to spend nearly two hours looking at our babes in detail. Baby boy was described as “slightly chaotic” (he is always moving!) and baby girl was said to be “calm”. I am feeling baby boy almost hourly, and little girl moves less often but usually more dramatically. I LOVE that I am feeling them more regularly.

Symptoms:  Back pain. Don’t take this as complaining! I am grateful to be couch-bound if needed. Some days are better than others, but my muscular skeletal frame is struggling a bit to the point of debilitating pain. But you know what, massages, heating pads, Tylenol and laying down helps, so on bad days, that’s what I’ll do! Otherwise no symptoms and I am so grateful!

Miss Anything?  Nothing comes to mind!

Cravings?  No specific cravings. Although my mom’s homemade French fries sound good right about now … J

Food aversions? Eggs and pizza sauce. No changes there!

Queasy or sick?  Nope!

Looking forward to?  Josh being able to feel the babies moving from the outside. We are allegedly getting closer to that being able to happen. I think he is going to get a kick out of it. Ohhh and our first baby shower is on Sunday the 5^th and I am so excited! I am unsure if I will be completely dazed the whole time, or a hot crying mess. Either way, it will be incredibly surreal! God is good!

Prayer Requests? Nothing major! 1) Baby girl has a placenta that is connected to the membrane, meaning she is growing a little smaller rate than her brother. It’s nothing concerning (yet) and she’s in the 15^th percentile and a few days behind. They are monitoring her closely to make sure the gap doesn’t increase and that she continues to still get the nourishments she needs. We were told this happens in about 1-3% of pregnancies, but of those pregnancies, most of the time it is a non-issue. We are pray that’s the case! And 2) for comfort for my back pain. I have had to pull over on the side of the road at times when it hits quickly and painfully, and it’s a helpless feeling.

Nursery Update: AH! The room has been painted, the cribs and dresser are set up and in there and Josh is finishing up the final pieces! Mama still have a lot of decorating to do, but we are making significant progress! YAHOOOOO! I will share pictures at the very end when it’s all done.

That’s all! Have a great rest of your week!