25 weeks!

This is an exciting point to get to in my pregnancy since this is when Sophie was born!  Obviously, I hope to make it further than 25 weeks, but it is always exciting to make it at least as far as I did with her.  This week, I have a picture comparison.  I didn't document my pregnancy with Sophie very well as far as photos, but I do have a picture of myself at 25 weeks just days before I gave birth to her.  So, I put on the same outfit and took a picture of myself today to see the difference.

25 weeks pregnant with twins (my 3rd pregnancy)

25 weeks pregnant with Sophie (my first pregnancy)

Wow!  What a difference!  I have a feeling that if I were only having one baby this time, I would still look significantly bigger.  I just grew a lot more slowly with my first pregnancy.  So far, I have gained 16-17 pounds, which is great, according to my doctor.

Last week, I had another complete ultrasound with an echocardigram  to look at the twins in detail and view their heart function.  This is not normally done with single babies, but with identical twins, there is an increased risk for heart problems.  We are happy to report both babies are looking totally healthy and normal in every way!  They each weigh 1 lb. 10 oz., which is right on track with what Sophie weighed when she was born (1 lb. 12 oz.)  I wondered if they might be a little smaller, but so far, they are the same as a single baby. 

My doctor told me I will be seeing him every two weeks from here on out (well, I guess every week at some point later).  He also told me that, though I am still feeling good, I should stop working after this week until they are born.  This is both good and bad news.  I am excited to have a break from working and to get to spend all my evenings with Ryan and the girls.  At the same time, I was hoping to work a little longer since we need to save every penny we can to cover our huge deductibles (as well as just to pay for our normal expenses).  I waver back and forth between worry and trust, but overall, I have a sense of peace about our financial situation.  I have seen God provide for us continuously and immensely over the years, and I trust Him today with our finances.  Our medical bills for Sophie were over a million dollars, but we did not pay a single penny, and were even refunded a small check for overpayment from the hospital.  That was completely God's provision, so if I can't trust him now for thousands of dollars, then I am just crazy!  Of course, as the bills roll in constantly, I am challenged to renew my thinking from worry to trust.  My theme verse right now is 
2 Corinthians 12:9:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Mostly, when I think about having the twins and caring for the girls too, I just feel really tired.  But sometimes, when I think about this verse, it is almost exciting for me to think of how I will have to trust God in my weakness over the next few months (years?).  With the financial burdens we will undertake as well as just the daily struggle of caring for 2 toddlers and 2 newborns, I know that I will have to rely on God in a way I haven't before.  This is both scary and exciting.  I am excited to see how God will make this verse true in my life as I rely on him totally.  I am scared that I don't know what that will look like yet.

I really am so thankful for how well my pregnancy is going so far.  I feel like, even at this point, I was really uncomfortable for my pregnancy with Sally.  My tendons and joints were hurting a lot.  I had heartburn.  I had a lot of back pain.  All of this just got worse as I got bigger.  This time though, I am really pretty comfortable most of the time.  No heartburn.  No back pain.  Little to no joint and tendon pain.  No early contractions (yet).  I prayed for a comfortable pregnancy, and God has graciously granted it to me so far.  I am also praying for healthy, awesome babies who eat and sleep better than Sophie and Sally did.  We'll see about that one!    Thank you to everyone who is also lifting us up in prayer.   Please continue to do so!