chilipino miracles: 18 weeks + "just like his mommy"

this was a pretty exciting week for us... i finally got to feel the babies move! unfortunately, it's still too early for mark to be able to feel them. the night before my sonogram, i didn't sleep well at all because i kept feeling this sharp stabbing pain near my belly button. it wouldn't go away unless i rubbed the spot. but as i would start to fall asleep and stopped rubbing, the pain came back. and then there was this little twitching feeling on the other side that didn't really bother me too much, it just felt weird. i can describe it as a feeling similar to when your eye twitches when it's tired. it was a rough night to say the least. i was worried the next morning as i was telling mark what happened all night. i attributed it to gas, but it stayed in that same spot, so i was more concerned. i was so glad to have our appointment that next morning.

we went to the sonogram and saw the babies on the screen. there they were, squirming around. thank God. i had told the doctor about the stabbing and constant pain. she placed the sonogram wand right where the pain was and told me to look at the screen. there he was, on the screen, bobbing his little head up and down and rubbing right at the spot where the pain was... out little lincoln jude. so it turned out it was just him... probably wanting some affection from mommy to help him sleep according to the doctor! mark said, "just like his mommy." apparently, according to mark, i've had a tendency to want lots of hugs and affection right before i fall asleep and want mark to rub my back to help me sleep better. and the little twitching feeling... our little reagan elizabeth. as usual, she was calm and only seemed to nudge her brother when he'd get into her space... calm, just like her daddy.

unfortunately, the carpal tunnel has gotten worse. i ordered some wrist supports that were supposed to help alleviate the pain and numbness, but they did nothing but make my hands all swollen. so i returned them and ordered another pair. i hope the new ones help. it's been difficult staying asleep because my hands just get completely numb, fall asleep and are just so painful! just this morning, i woke up with both hands numb, asleep and almost impossible to move; i couldn't even grip the blankets to get them off me! it took almost half a hour before i could ball my hand into a fist. even then, it was painful.it was a rough start to my morning to say the very least.

mark, the twins, and i also had brunch with one of their ninangs this week. ninang is the filipino word for Godmother. it had been a while since we had seen Sera cause we had all been so busy lately. we had a great time and brunch was delicious. we went to Maple Ave in Virginia. you definitely have to make reservations to dine there cause there are only 8-10 tables, but it's totally worth it!