Double the kids, double the chins

By popular demand, here are belly pictures!  First, a lame self-portrait I tried to take in the bathroom:

Yeah, this is not a good picture.  I'm just including it because my belly looks fairly reasonable here, sticking out about the same distance as my boobs.  Doesn't everything look nicely contained?  Then, not 24 hours later, Matt took this picture of me:

Good god, y'all!  I was even making a concerted effort to stand up straight and even suck in a little.  Yet, clearly, my belly has a couple inches on my bust.  This is why it's taken me so long to accept that yes, I am actually showing, because I bet this is at least 50% bloat here.  So my bump feels like a lie, but I guess it really is there, even on a good day.  

As for the rest of alllll that, I am doing my best to put on some nice fat stores to support the kids in their insatiable third trimester.  I'm up about 14-15 pounds now, which is insane, but pretty on-target for a twin pregnancy.  And I have a healthy appreciation for that fat; it's nurturing and nourishing and it's going to (hopefully) let the potatoes grow big and strong.  But man, looking at that picture, all I can think is "OMG BUTT."

I'm going to take my measurements at home tonight so I can start padding out my creepy, Silence of the Lambs dress form.  I'd like to make a few muumuus dresses, because the idea of no waistband sounds unbelievably luxurious.  Maybe something like this, easy and expandable:

I'm glad the weather will be warm when I'm at my biggest.  As of April, I'm going pants free!

My HGTV show

I knew I wanted to start a blog once the kids came, and preferably before, but I could never think of a good way to start that wasn't just a list of complaints about my various aches.  But today presented the perfect opportunity... pictures!!!  I'm seizing the weekend to start nursery preparations, and I have some befores and afters.

Our two spare rooms are the Bug Room and the Planet Room, named after the decor left behind from the previous owners.  The Planet Room (planets not shown) was our art/sewing/junk room:

And the Bug Room was our spare bed/junk room:

After lots of junk removal (mostly to the basement) and some organization, I present to you The Soon-To-Be Bug-Free Nursery:

And the Still Planetary Spare Bed, Sewing and Everything Else Room:

Yes, our house is teensy.  That queen takes up about 75% of that room.  But what are you going to do?  Well, yes, move.  And we will, eventually, but until then, I'll just have less space to explode my sewing projects.

I don't have a real fancy plan for the nursery decor yet.  All I know is that it MUST include this peacock decal which has stolen my heart.  I'm so smitten; I want one in every room!!

Of course, once that's on the wall, there's not really much room for anything else.  Here's my Sketchup of the room with just two standard cribs and a dresser.

Add a rocking chair in the corner, and that's pretty much all the real estate.  So while a fancy chair rail beadboard thing would be pretty cool, I don't know if it's worth the effort just to cover it all up anyway.  So, peacock it is!

Anyway, that is the fascinating story of my interior decoration thus far.  I suppose I should give an update on the twins, too.

How far along: 17 weeks, 2 days

Gestation completed: 45.5%

Fetal Size: Baked potatoes

Sexes: Unknown until 2/7

Kicks: Undetectable

Worst symptom: Headaches and pizza face

Best symptom: Boobs

Cravings/aversions: None

Belly: Round and awesome

And, for those who are counting (me), 74 days left until retirement.  Woo!  I still have no idea what I'll do with myself in the jobless, babyless, mobility-less interim, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.  Streaming Netflix won't let me down.