24w0d: What a Welcome!

On 4/6 I attended the most beautiful shower!  I am still struggling to wrap my mind around that such a wonderful party was thrown just for us and these babies.  It turned out so beautifully!  Beyond anything I could have dreamed of.  I am humbled by the work and care that went into every detail.  The home of sweet Lidya was the perfect venue.  I could see the hearts of Lydia and my sweet friends Rebecca and Cheryl and Ashli in each carefully planned and executed detail. It was wonderful to look around each room/space in the house and see the faces of so many people who love us and who have prayed for us these past nine years.  I am humbled by the love that looked back at me.  I don't know if each of them realize that they were chosen by God to launch a campaign to walk beside me

, sometimes carry me through some of the saddest years of my life.  I wonder if they know that each of them played a part in teaching me what the love of God really is, and who God really is.  I also wonder if they know that they were the hands and feet, arms and shoulders, of the body of Christ when I needed Him most.

The generosity of the the guests at the shower astounded me.  I was filled in awe at the piles of goodies lovingly provided by everyone who came.  These babies are the most prayed for and lovingly welcomed babies this world has ever seen.  This momma plans to tell them so every day I get to hold them.

Here are some pics of the event...

23w6d: Best Appointment Ever!

On 3/31 we had the best appointment we've ever had, no questions were brought up that we don't already have the answer for. We aren't headed for more testing right now.  No results to wait for. Everything the ultrasound saw was the best it could be.  Nothing emerged that we should watch for.  The babies are looking wonderful.  Our girl is weighing in at 1lb 5 oz, and our boy is 1lb 4oz. Hoping we have more appointments like this to look forward to.  In other big news, this week my friends and familly are throwing us our first shower.  I am filled with heavy joy at the thought.  More joy than heavy for sure!  Thankful.

Our girl at 23w6d

our girl pouting!

Our son.

Our son snuggling.

(Drafted 3/31...Posted late!  Sorry!)

22w2d: Failing and Flailing Around in There!

Wanted to let you know that the doppler came back all clear.  No blood clots in my legs to worry about.  More testing adventures have followed....Last week we had the wonderful experience of the gestational diabetes test...otherwise known as the Glucose tolerance test.  We started with the one hour test on Monday.  I failed by 15 points.  I hear that this is a very normal occurrence for twin moms.  For many singleton moms too.  My punishment for failing was the three hour test which is a special brand of torture for a Friday morning. It's a fasting test, requires 4 blood draws over three hours, and the sugar high from the drink is not a good feeling.  I'm sporting a big bruise from the blood draws, but as an IVF survivor, I'm used to the needles.  I had some decent TV to watch in between blood draws.  For anyone worried about how this test works, here is the break down.  Fast for 12 hours before the test, when you arrive at your appointment (early AM is the only way to go) you will be brought back for a blood draw, afterward you drink this very sweet drink that was fruit punch flavored and not as bad as everyone says it is, then you will be given three times to return for blood draws each draw is one hour from the last (ex. 9:12, 10:12, 11:12).  After the last blood draw, stay there and eat/drink something.  After no water and food for all that time I was pretty woozy.  Driving would have been dangerous.  I had a protein bar, and a full bottle of water before I got to my car.  Then I was fine driving to the office.  A half hour later I was not so fine.  Here is what happened...

My sweet friends from work organized a bday lunch for me for right after the test.  I'm turning 36 tomorrow.  It's the first birthday in 9 years where I'm not looking through the filter of infertility and feeling the weight of the sorrow that has been my constant companion along this road. After the test, and after my drive to the office, I met up with the ladies and we headed out to lunch.  We drove separately since it was the friday before spring break and in teacher land that means we get to leave early.  Five minutes into the drive I could feel my blood sugar start to bottom out.  I felt clammy and really yucky.  I ate some of those belvita breakfast biscuits and drank another bottle of water. I still felt weak and shaky by the time I got there (only a few miles drive).  It wasn't until I got some red meat in me that I finally started to recover.  I must've really needed some protein.  The restaurant was tapas style spanish cuisine, and it was excellent!  I love those ladies!

I called this morning and found out my test results.  We passed the three hour test!  So even though I failed the 1 hour test by 15 points, it's still possible to come out ok in the end.  Hang in there if you are in that situation.  One good thing came of this, the blood work showed that I had borderline low iron (hemoglobin 10.5).  This means they are starting me on iron therapy.  Other twin mommas say that the iron therapy thing is just a matter of time with a twin pregnancy.  So the fact that they discovered a need before I was really really deficient feels like a win.  I don't want anyone going without in there!  Maybe now I will get to feel the benefit of that second trimester energy surge?  That has thus far eluded me, and maybe now we know why.  I've been on the iron for three days, and I already feel a difference, both in the way I feel, and the river dance auditions going on in my uterus.  These two are all over the place in there!  I am really excited to see them again at the MFM on 3/31.  I want to know if they are still in the same positions, or if they have moved somewhere else.  As it stands, when I feel kicks up high and to the right, I tend to think it's our boy.  When I lean forward and feel little kicks deep and down low, I think its our girl.  I think she is at more of an anterior placement because I can't see her kicks from the outside.  At least I think that's what's happening!  We will see when the MFM appointment rolls around.

We see the regular OB on wednesday, and I have requested that they take a look at my cervix via ultrasound.  I've been on my feet some lately (the swelling is better because of the low salt diet), and I've been busy and resting less, and I want to make sure there is no thinning going on in there.  

Here is a pick of me taken at bday lunch after the three hour test:

Here we are at a wedding vow renewal this past weekend:

20w4d: While Smiling, and Still Thankful.

Just a quick update: 

Went to see my regular OB on Monday.  The babies sound great.  I'm measuring about 6 weeks ahead of schedule.  I've gained 35 lbs.  I've never seen the numbers showing up on the scale these days...NEVER.  I'm only 20 weeks.  I've got quite a few weeks to go here, many lbs ahead of me.  Planning to take it all in stride.  Whatever it takes for these babies to be healthy, happy, and heavy enough to stay with us from moment one. 

The time has come for me to get tested for gestational diabetes.  Need more details on what that test entails.  The orange drink is my worst nightmare for sure.  Praying they will have the hawaiian punch flavor.  Also praying it comes out ok.

I'm also going in for a venous doppler tomorrow (an ultrasound on my legs).  I've had recurrent leg pain when I'm on my feet.  In the same area, the back of my right knee and calf.  As a precaution the OB ordered the doppler.  It's happening tomorrow afternoon. It will be good to know I'm blood clot free, one less common twin complication to worry about!  Took a half day after the test to spend some quality time with my momma.  She's in town with Dad for a conference.

I'm already growing out of most of the maternity clothes I've bought or received.  This is a problem.  So unbelievably thankful to have this particular problem.

I'm over the hump of most of my preggo symptoms thank goodness.  Except for the bone crushing exhaustion.  Speaking of, I need to get to bed.  Signing off, while smiling, and still thankful.

18w5d- 19w1d Sweet Faces, Symptoms and Showers

What a terrible blogger I am!  It's been ages!  So much going on!  Lot's of out of town family events!  No excuse for not updating you though!  Many topics to cover, let me try to capture it all (or at least some of it!).  How about a symptom update?

Nausea: Much much better!  Still have waves, but haven't thrown up in a long while.  I can eat and keep it away.  Don't miss it AT ALL!  I was thankful for it as a reminder that  I was really pregnant. Now I have many other reminders:). Including a big old belly.  Growing by the minute. Today, I went to Destination Maternity at Mall of Millenia.  I had to buy larger jeans. In the midst of that, a sales girl actually said to me "you must be due any day now". The pic below is last weekend with my beautiful sisters.  They are, obviously, very into fitness, I'm very into cupcakes and thai food right now.  Usually I can hold my own in the littlish department, right now, I submit to the necessity of the size L.  Whatever it takes to nourish these babies.

Weight Gain: Speaking of nourishment, well my friends, I have an announcement to make. I have met....well exceeded......my goal of gaining 25lbs by 20 weeks!!!!!  This is yet another thing that I never thought I would be proud about.  My babies measured 9oz each at our 18w5d appointment.  We are doing pretty great at the weight gain thing.  So good that my ob said "we were all caught up" weight wise after the difficulties of the first tri.  I think he really meant "ok momma, it's ok to pump the breaks on the eating extravaganza".  

What's new? OMG Heartburn!  This is what was bugging me most these last 6 weeks, really bad at night.  I'm sleeping on an incline (when I can actually sleep).  Feeding my heartburn worked for a few minutes, tums had the same effect.  It was causing some major coughing, making my throat raw.  My GP tried zantac with me, and it worked to take the edge off, but it didn't really solve the problem.  We tried nexium next.....I never thought I would be thrilled to try a heartburn med. My doc said it would change everything. He was right! It's a brave new world!  I can sleep.  The pukiness is really gone. Being able to eat and sleep is making me feel like a whole new woman!

What else is new? Well, I'm swelling.  Mostly the back of my left ankle, sometimes both ankles, sometimes my toes. I didn't exactly have dainty feet before, now they are like tree stumps.   Shoe choices are very much dwindling.  I know this is only the beginning.  I already miss my cute shoes. Small price to pay:).

One more new thing, at the beginning of week 18 I definitely felt the babies move.  Now, at week 19, they are active, and I love every minute. Hubby can't feel them yet.  Soon I hope.  He's leaving for work for next week, home on the weekend, and then gone again the week after.  I don't know what I'll do without him.  His job has been very understanding not making him travel during all the IVF stuff, all will be well over the next few weeks, but I will miss him terribly.

On Thursday at 18w5d we saw the specialist again.  The babies were doing really well, both moving all over the place.  Our little boy caught up to his sister, no more weight discrepancy.  They both had echoes for their hearts, both hearts are beautiful.  All other body parts looked great too. No clefts, no signs of spina bifida. They didn't even bother pushing the rest of the genetic testing on us.  I took that as a good sign.  Also, my cervix looked plenty long, which is good news!  My BP was also good.  If I were swelling and had higher BPs we would have had a very different kind of visit.  Also really exciting news....great pictures of their faces were captured.  It's the closest I've come to ever seeing the face of a child of mine. Our Daughter is on the top and bottom left, our Son on the right. What they can pick up on the 3d ultrasound is amazing.

One more update, the showering with showers has begun.  My name is on a baby shower invite!  I saw it with my own eyes!  It was a bit of a shock to me.  I used to avoid the feelings that would overtake me at the sight of this genre of invite.  I even said "I just can't" to baby showers of some of my favorite people in God's green earth near the end of the nine year wait.  I just couldn't do one more.  Feelings were too raw, I wasn't any fun.  I just gave myself permission to take space from them.  To the women I didn't get to celebrate, know that today I wish I had been strong enough, and that my absence did not mean that I don't care.  

There are three showers on the books right now.  I am completely humbled by the thought of this many people loving us, and wanting to celebrate us.  I'm not great at being the center of attention, I tend to shrink away from it, look for little ways I can "give" instead of "receive", or hide altogether.  I need God to give me the grace to let people love and care for me.  I know this is a silly need to speak of out loud, but something tells me I need to learn this lesson now, so that accepting help is easier for everyone, especially if it benefits these babies. So thankful for the efforts of these cherished, sweet friends and family members of mine.  I'm speechless with gratitude.

Here is the first of the invites, elephants were chosen because I will never forget the nine year journey to these miracles.