As it is less than two weeks to the girls’ first birthday, I thought it might be fun to look back to how I was feeling a year ago. Some extracts from e-mails I sent to my family and friends during November 2007 follow...

Thursday 8 November 2007: “Had 34 week growth scan this am - babies are 5lb and5lb 7oz each which means they are pretty massive already and potentially I have another 4 weeks to go yet, argh! No wonder I've been feeling so tired and heavy recently”.

Friday 9 November: “At the moment they are lying in the transverse position, with their heads on my left hand side and feet on my right. If they stay like that it is pretty certain I'll have a c-section as they can't risk a normal birth. I'll find out more when I see my consultant on Tuesday”.

Tuesday 13 November 2007: “I've just got back from seeing my consultant. The babies and I are doing really well, apart from the fact that they are still shifting position a lot, which is quite unusual for babies so large so late on in a twin pregnancy. Therefore, he's booked me in for a c-section on (wait for it...) 12th December. AAAARRRRGGGHHHH! If the babies wait that long I will officially go crackers! They wanted to book me in a week earlier but all the slots have gone, no doubt to
lazy women who can't be bothered to push their little singleton babies out (not that I'm annoyed or bitter about this or anything!) so it could be nearly a month. Having said that, the girls might decide to come early anyway - I'm planning to try long walks, hot curries and pineapple from next Weds (36 weeks)! If they stay in for another month I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself. I've now done everything I planned to do in the time off (yes, including Chartership) and I feel that watching telly and playing computer games is not a constructive use of my time (I find it VERY hard to relax) so I need to channel my energies into something worthwhile. I have no idea what though – any suggestions gratefully received!”

Thursday 15 November 2007: “12th December is 39 weeks so pretty much full term. I'm not happy about it as I was hoping to have them by the end of Nov (which would be perfectly safe) but as
they seem happy where they are there's no reason to artificially move the little 'angels'...
I don't think the spicy food and pineapple have to be eaten together and they are probably just old wives tales anyway. I am also aware of the more 'fun' way of inducing labour but as I feel about as wonderful as a grazing hippo at the moment that's probably not going
to help!!
As for your suggestions on things I could do...
1. Reading The Time-traveller’s wife is a LAST resort and if it appears on my Facebook status you will know that I am officially at the end of my tether
2. I used to know how to knit but the information has fallen out of my brain and I can't remember how to cast off.
3. You're as bad as Glenn with the whole writing thing! He's on at me to use some of my stories from
working at Blackwell's and in various libraries to write a sit-com. I've had a look on the Mills & Boon
web site - yep, they do accept unsolicited, un-agented manuscripts (three chapters and a synopsis)
but you have to decide on the type of novel you're going to write. The categories are here:
http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cgibin/millsandboon.storefront/473c141f006c30c8273f58d0dc9e066c/Catalog/1049
4. I've bought my Christmas cards - need to do a bit more Christmas shopping though (online)
5. Chartership - it was painful enough doing my own. I have no scruples though, so I'll write yours in
exchange for cash. Or chocolate”.”
“I have bought my cards but haven't written them yet. Slight problem, I don't know who to include on them. If I write them now from Glenn and I, people will wonder why the other two aren't on there. If I include them, I'm tempting fate. Sounds daft, I know. One of the joys of having children (so I'm told) is that they can be a wonderful source of gifts so I'm going to get *them* to make all the cards and pressies next year. No, I don't care if they can't hold a pen!! Anyway, they will be reading the complete works of Shakespeare by then (when they aren't composing number one hit singles for a range of artists) so I'm sure they will be up to knocking off a few designer cards...Look, they are going to have to pay their way! I've been mulling over M&B ideas all day but nothing is leaping out as being any good. I'll keep working on it...”

Tuesday 20 November 2007: “Every day I wait to feel the girls moving about and it's such a relief when they do. If they didn't I would phone the fetal assessment unit and get them to put me on the monitors - they did this when I went in with the beginnings of my kidney infection and it was
so reassuring. Apart from some excitement early on Saturday morning when I woke up with pains that came and went and then disappeared the girls show no signs of shifting. I'm actually hoping and praying that they rebel and arrive before the end of Nov as I'm pretty fed-up now. If I go into labour before the 12th I can still opt for a normal delivery IF they are head down. They don't take the risk otherwise. If I had to choose I wouldn't volunteer for a c-sec but you have to weigh up what is better for them and the op probably is. I have resisted the urge to watch too much daytime TV and have completed one of my cross stitch sets (Winnie the Pooh) and have a birth sampler to start on next.
I've also spent lots of time online and writing long e-mails (sorry...) Anyway, I will keep you updated - and please do likewise and keep your fingers crossed that things happen before 12th Dec...”
“I had some fun on Saturday morning when I woke up with pains that came and went. I started writing down the (very erratic) times and we got vaguely excited until they stopped after I'd been to the toilet 'properly' (sorry, too much info there!). The girls were leaping about as normal and probably having a good laugh. They are still leaping about and apart from the usual aches and pains there has been nothing untoward since. I am getting very attractive swollen ankles now (I have hobbit feet without the hair) but I'm doing ok”

Thursday 22 November 2007: “Anaesthetist appt was very straightforward - it is advisable with twins to have an epidural (spinal block) regardless of whether I have a c-section or go into labour naturally, the reason being that if T1 is delivered normally but T2 gets distressed and can't be delivered in the same way, I'm ready for a section and won't have to be put to sleep, which I absolutely don't want as they can't give an epi in the third stage of labour. They are all convinced that I'll hold out until 12th
and I suspect the girls have heard this and put their feet up and got comfy! They are still moving around, which is reassuring albeit extremely uncomfortable. I'm finding it quite hard to sleep now, so I tend to do two shifts - one from normal bedtime until 4-5am, then I get up and potter around a bit, go back to bed between 7 and 8 and sleep until about 9 or 10 so I don't feel too tired during the day. While I was there I got the nice ladies at the fetal assessment unit to check my blood pressure just to check that the swollen feet weren't a sign of anything untoward. 120 over 60 so pretty much perfect for a normal person, let alone someone 36 weeks pregnant with twins! I'm lucky that I'm so healthy :) They said that the swelling was very common and more so with twins (of course...!) but just to keep an eye on it”.

Friday 23 November 2007: “I keep getting people asking how I am as well. It's nice that they ask, but I don't have anything new to report! Glenn is hoping that the girls decide to arrive this weekend as he's doing nights next week and would like a good reason to get out of it! I'd like the girls to have their own birth date to be honest so they don't have to share it with anyone (not for any horrible reason, just so they feel special) but that gets harder as everyone seems to have their birthday
around now”.

Tuesday 27 November 2007: “Still no sign of the girls making an appearance. I had a bit of a wobbler yesterday about everything, had a good sob on Glenn's shoulder and now feel better. We realised that I hadn't been out since last Weds and that was for a hospital appt so he took me for a pub lunch at our 'local', which was very nice. It was good to get out for a couple of hours and clear some cobwebs away. I have returned to my cross-stitching with renewed vigour and have been chilling out watching Frasier videos. Anyway, I'd better go as I'm waiting for Jules to phone - I phoned her for a chat and once she established I wasn't in labour again(!) she said she was having dinner and would call me back...”

Wednesday 28 November 2007: “Just a quick note to say that I had an appointment with the midwife this morning. I decided that I wasn't happy with not being seen by anyone this week so just
phoned for an appointment and they fitted me in. The appointment went really well. I'm still fit and
healthy and measuring 45 weeks pregnant(!) now. The midwife had a good feel around and listened to their heartbeats which were both really good and strong. Guess what though - they've moved again! Twin 1 (Grace, on my left) is now breech, with her head by near my ribs and her feet in my pelvis and Twin 2 (Ruth, on my right) is head down and feet kicking my ribs so they are once again kicking each other in the head! As Twin 1 is now breech and unlikely to turn again (hoho) and they appear to run out of room, I have no option but to have a c-section so I'm glad I'm booked in even if it's going to be a bit grim. If I go into labour before 12th Dec I have to phone the delivery suite, explain the situation and go straight in. I'm seeing the consultant again on Tues (they may have
moved again by then!) and he'll re-scan me anyway”.

Wednesday 5 December 2007: “Well, I'm 38 weeks pregnant today and still no sign of these little terrors showing any inclination to make their grand entrance into the world. My 'elective' section is still scheduled to go ahead next Wednesday - 12th - (Twin 1 is currently breech) but I would dearly love something to happen before that as I've officially had enough! I seriously didn't think I would still be pregnant at this point. I'm currently being monitored more closely as I've been quite itchy recently and they are trying to rule out a liver problem. I don't have any of the associated symptoms so it is unlikely but I had some bloods taken yesterday and they put us on the monitors for an hour. The girls were leaping about perfectly happily, as always. They love prodding the sensor pads and making the trace go haywire! I'm going back for another trace on Friday. I'm on the verge of shouting 'just take them out - NOW'!!!”