Week 2 (and a half) Update

Looking back at the pictures from the beginning of this week to the end I'm amazed at how much the girls have grown in just one week. They have met some awesome milestones. I'm so glad I looked at the pictures though. The NICU is starting to get old! But seeing how much they have grown in just one week makes me excited for what is to come.

Ella: This little peanut has caught up with her sister fast. She now weighs in at a whooping 3lbs 13oz! Go Ella. She was having a lot of brady alarms (low heart rate) at the beginning of the week so they added rice cereal to her feeds and that has seemed to help a bunch. She still has them but the nurses have reassured me that it is a preemie thing and they just have to grow out of it. She is regulating her temperature well in is now in cute little girly outfits all day long. No more nakey girl. We are inching our way to the big girl (open to air) crib. We started breast feeding and bottle feeding once a day. She is a champ (when she is awake enough.) I swear she looks more like my side of the family, mostly I see her Uncle T but I seem to be the only one. Our biggest concern with this little nugget is they found a grade 1 bleed in her brain. The docs and nurses have all said IF (and it's a big if, about 11%) she has any issues with it it will be learning disabilities later in life. Fortunately she will be followed by infant and toddlers early intervention program regularly to pick up on things like physical or speech issues. She'll do this through her first 3 years. She is showing no neurological signs of issues though. YAY Ella girl.

Hailey: She is the same weight as her sister at 3lbs 13 oz. She is just tooo funny. She has my little spunk in her. She just won't do what she doesn't want to do. I love it! She is also breast feeding/bottle feeding once a day and doing well (when she is awake enough.) She's wearing cute little outfits just like sissy. Basically they are doing their twin thing and mirroring each other. She is having more brady's now so they are doing the same preventative measures to help her out. It is all related to reflux at this point. She is definitely a Bunker....well actually I think she is more a Crowe (G's mom's side.) She looks just like her cousin Zach which I'm sure he'll love! She also has a grade 1 brain bleed (these girls seem to want to do everything together.) I just can't wait to see what little girls they turn into.

They are both definitely Daddy's girls. When they hear his voice they search for him. The other morning he would go see Ella and Hailey would cry. He'd then go see Hailey and Ella would cry. They're kinda obsessed. He started back to work this week and it sucks not having him there. Especially because I can only feed one at a time at this point. So I always feel I'm giving one more attention then the other. Oh the life of twins. 

The girls definitely love their time spent together too. They will reach out and touch each others hands. Today they reached out and held on to each other. My heart almost exploded. I just love these little girls!

To find more pictures of the girls go to: http://bunkertwins.shutterfly.com/pictures

Week 1 update

The girls are doing fantastic in the NICU! Over the last week we had a few hiccups but over all they are proving to be fighters. Ella this week has given us the biggest scares. About 2 days after her birth she still hadn’t gone poopy. They did scans on her belly looking for infection and held her feeds. Fortunately everything came back normal and the next day…..well she cleaned herself out. After going of the CPAP on day 2 had to go back on because she was having way too many apenic events. The started her on caffeine and once that peaked she was able to go back to the nasal canula. They have weaned her down from 4 liters to 2 liters and her alarms are virtually silent now. She has had her feeds increased to half and ounce every 3 hours. After her poop we haven’t hear a peep from her. She is our teeny one. She just looks so much more fragile then her sister. She loves to sleep with her arms above her head like super man. Her hair is getting blonder and blonder. She looks an awful lot like her Uncle TJ. She is definitely Mottinger. Today we found out that she has a teeny tiny bleed on her brain, most likely from all the pressure of plugging up the cervix. The doctors don’t seem concerned as her blood levels are normal and neurological exam is negative. They will re-scan in a week. We are trying not to worry until then.

Hailey girl is a little more vocal then her sister. Who we kiddin… she is loud! Girlfriend can bring down the house when she wants. She also had the same GI issues as her sister but that has resolved and her feeds are up to half an ounce every 3 hours. She is a little more difficult to tell who she looks like. She definitely has my lips but George says she has a Bunker dome. She loves to move. She will be totally knocked out but her legs are going. She looks like she’s ridding a bike. She did this in my belly too! Her brain scan was clean but they will re-scan her again just to be safe.

            Each day both girls are more and more alert. They will open their eyes when they hear our voices. OK well maybe just when they hear daddy’s voice but I’m not jealous. I’m glad they have that bond with him. I got to hold them together today for the first time. I was in 7^th heaven. At first they were holding pinkies, like “We pinky promise not to tell mom what you did.” I hope they are best friends. I can’t believe just a week ago they were in my belly! We love them more then we ever thought possible. I can’t wait to see them grow up, but I’m already a little sad that they will never be 1 week old again. Hopefully they keep going the speed they are going and they’ll be home where we can snuggle them any time we want soon!

Ella and Hailey's Birth Story

As most of you know, I had been having complications since about 16 weeks. Monday the 18th I went to my high risk doctor as I had been doing every 2 weeks since 16 weeks. At that point my cervix was extremely short and baby A's head was very much engaged. He said to me, "Well if you're still pregnant in 2 weeks we will see you then." I was pretty confident that if I took it super easy I could make it. My body was telling me something different. Since the Thursday prior my nausea had kicked back up, I was starting to swell something fierce, I had gained 10 lbs in just over a week, and I was having some serious pressure. All of these were signs of pre-term labor. In fact I was in labor and delivery that Sunday with what I thought were contractions. By the time I had gotten there nothing was showing on the monitor. I think the nurses thought I was crazy.

Well Tuesday I just didn't feel good after dinner. I can't really explain it other then saying I had that icky feeling you get when you are coming down with something. I went to bed and woke up the first time around 11 with what I thought was the babies "balling up." My belly was incredibly hard but the nurses said if there wasn't pain then it wasn't a real contraction. I woke up again around 130am. My belly was again rock hard. I woke Geo up and told him that I just didn't feel good. I was having some sharp pain, which I thought was Round ligament pain. On Sunday when I took a shower things started to slow down so I thought I'd give that a try. When I got out I was still having the "balling up" feeling with the sharp pain. I thought I might throw up too. I was sitting in the girl’s room, petting bobo, eating a poptart and I just thought if this isn't something real I'll feel like a real idiot...again. But if I wait and George goes to work and it is something then I'll be up the creek. So I called. I tried to explain to the doctor that it felt similar to Sunday but now I was having a little pain, thinking he'd tell me it's nothing just go back to bed. But he had me come in.

So after I had a mini panic attack, crying like a fool (mostly because I was worried and less about the pain) wet hair, no makeup, lookin r-o-u-g-h, into the hospital we went. When we got there the girls who came to get me said weren't you just here! I said yeah, it's probably just me being a crazy pants again. I was so worried that they were starting to think I was making it up. The nurse I had was so sweet though. She put me on the toco monitor first to make sure I was contracting. When the first one showed up I was celebrating....YAY I'm not crazy! But when the next one came 2 minutes apart and then the next one and the next one, we knew it was something more real. She found the babies, who were doing great, started fluids to help slow the contractions, and called the doctor. He ordered a medicine to help stop the contractions but asked to check my cervix first. The nurse checked me and at first said...1.5 cm....I thought well that's more then I though but that's not so bad. Before I could finish the thought she said wait no no you're 4 cm. Oh crap! She called another nurse to confirm. By the time she came I was 5cm with a bulging bag. No meds for me. They made me lay flat, which increased the contraction "pain." It was nothing like I thought it would be. I thought I'd be screaming for an epidural at 5 cm but it was more pressure then pain. The doctor came in and joked..."Why'd you wake me up!" He checked me again (have I mentioned that isn't pleasant in the least.) Sure enough still 5 cm. He did an ultrasound to check the position of the babies. Baby A was head down, Baby B was transverse. He said it was time to start talking delivery options. I still at that point hadn't really acknowledged this was it. I told him I'd like to try vaginal, thinking he'd say no way in hell. But to my surprise...and every nurse in L&D he was willing to try and agreed to a breech extraction. I had to sign consent that I might need an emergency C-section for B.

 Things moved very fast from there. I hadn't planned on calling any family until later in the morning but once delivery was confirmed I thought it better to at least call my mom and dad. They whisked me away from triage to my labor room. Shortly there after I got my epidural. Had this not been a twin pregnancy with the potential of a c-section, I don't think I would have asked for one just yet. I was surprised at my tolerance for the pain. Mostly I just wanted to pee! The epidural hurt was worse then the contractions. After about an hour on the epidural I got checked again. I hadn't changed and my contractions had started to slow a bit. Since we were committed to delivery and I had no prior plan of taking the al'natural route, the doctor broke A's water an hour later I was 7cm. He started me on pitocin to get my contractions a little closer and about an hour after that I was 9cm. They switched me to a room that could accommodate the twins and the team it would take to deliver them. The neonatologist came to visit and gave us the low down of what would happen. Then it was time to push.

 I was super surprised that the only 2 people at first were the nurse and a surgical tech. Once I crowned the whole slew of people showed up. I pushed for 20 minutes with baby A. I giggled the whole way through. It was the weirdest feeling. It felt like my head was going to pop off. I giggle in the most awkward times. The nurse finally told me to shape up. I couldn't even look at George or I'd start to giggle. Baby A plopped out without me even knowing, one of the only upsides to delivering premature babies. A GIRL! The whisked her away to the other side of the room. It didn't even feel real until I hear her little cry. I looked and George and started crying. We waited so long for that moment in time. Words just can't even express. While all this was going on the doctor was working on getting baby b out. The anesthesiologist gave me an extra dose of meds so I wouldn't be feeling them try and turn her. They pushed so hard on my abdomen I still have bruises, but I was distracted. You could definitely feel the tension in the room though. This kind of delivery is very rare. The nurse even told me they don't do them at this hospital. But the doctor agreed, I trusted him (even though I'm pretty sure I was his guinny pig) and I preferred a vaginal delivery. They were unable to turn the baby to head down so feet first was how she was going to come.  The doctor said every time he went to grab her she would slap him away. The whole time the nurse had the sono on my belly trying to keep track of where the baby was moving. They had a very short amount of time to get her out before my cervix would start to close. Finally he grabbed her feet and started to pull her out. George said he pulled her straight out and her arm got stuck so the doctor had to reach back up and pull her arm out. Then her head got stuck. I swear you could hear a pin drop. The doctor lifted her legs straight up and all I saw was purple feet. I was never so scared. I could tell she was a girl though and got to announce that to everyone (Even though that shouldn’t have been my priority.) Then the doctor looked at me straight in the eye and said you need to push hard, in the sternest way possible. Then everyone started yelling at me to push as hard as I can. Seeing her purple feet and hearing the seriousness in everyone’s tone was all I needed. I’ve never been more motivated to do what someone told me to do. Finally she came out! It felt like at least a half our but they announced they were only 6 minutes apart. The stabilized her and both the girls went off to NICU. We didn’t even get a picture of baby A before she was whisked.

George was amazing. Everything I could have ever asked for. He was just so calm, even though I know he was freaking out on the inside. We only had to wait an hour to go see the girls. We didn’t want to pick their names until we saw them. Ella was pretty much a given but we were torn about baby B. We had fully anticipated her being a him, of which we would have named him Jackson. But she threw us a curve ball. I was pretty set on Delaney and so was George until she was born. We talked about Hailey…. Well actually we typed on my phone since my mom was in the room and we wanted it to be a surprise. Now that she is a Hailey I just can’t see her as anything else. We were so sure she was a he George kept calling her a he! But now it’s all about his baby girls. Ella was on the CPAP, but she did have to get intubated quickly for some surfactant. Hailey was intubated (my worst fear) but she did so well that they extubated her that night.

After such a horrible way to get pregnant, a not so easy pregnancy, and the fact that they were in the NICU, I couldn’t have asked for a better birth experience. I had minimal pain, I had fantastic nurses, while it was dodgy there for a few minutes with Hailey, it was darn right perfect. I am so grateful I had the only doctor in the hospital that would attempt a breech extraction and allowed us to deliver in a normal room so my mom could be there. The girls are doing remarkably well for their gestational age. I feel fantastic. My muscles are really sore but that has to do with being on bed rest for so long. George is more then I could have ever hoped for as a daddy. He is so gentle and loving. I have had several nurses tell me how great he it. The girls respond to him far more then me. They know his voice, they’ll open his eyes for him, and he’s the only one who can get the smiles. I didn’t think it was possible to love him more, until I saw him through my daughter’s eyes. They are very lucky girls. Now we just wait for them to continue to mature. They will probably be in the NICU for about 5-6 weeks. Then they will be home where we can spoil them rotten!!!!   

26-30 Week catch-up

You'd think by sitting on my butt all day I would find time to keep the blog updated. Clearly I found watching tv a more productive use of my time. So I'll catch ya'll up in one post.

26 weeks: We go to the high risk doctor every 2 weeks. Each time we see the babies via abdominal ultra sound, I get a cervical check (I'll let you figure out how that happens) and the do a test called the Fetal Fibronectin. I think I explained it earlier, but basically it's a test to show high risk for pre-term labor in the following 2 weeks. At 26 weeks I got a positive. Because of this they sent me to the hospital to get 2 shots of steroids to help mature the babies lung in the event that they do come. Obviously I'm still pregnant so it was a false positive... but I'll get to that later. At that time my cervix was measuring 1.5. Yikes! I was starting to get nervous.

28 Weeks: Ironically after I got the positive I felt the best I had in weeks. George set up a pool in the back yard big enough for me to float in. Heaven on earth! This weeks check showed the babies weighing in at 3 lbs even! For some reason this felt like a milestone for us. My cervix was wacky this week. It measured every where from .9 to 2.4. The doctor I saw said "I think you might make it kid." I was so excited about hearing that I think I floated out of the office. For the first time since 16 weeks I thought I might actually make it to 36-38 weeks and avoid NICU time. And then.......

30 weeks: ......Today we went in and babies are growing rock starts at 3.7 and 3.9 lbs. The look fantastic and are even a little ahead on the growth charts for singletons. I say it's because all the cheeseburgers I feed them lol. However that's where the good news stopped. Baby A is so low they couldn't even see his/her head on the u/s. My cervix is 0.7 and funneling pretty big (dilating on the inside) I asked if they could tell if I was dilated at the end or outside part of the cervix. He'd have to do an internal to see that and he didn't want to do it. But he said if he did he would be able to scratch A's head. He said I am at a very high risk of delivering pre-maturely. He even said we'll see if you make it to your next appointment in 2 weeks. I think I can do it! Regardless bags are packed and family is on alert. This all explains why I've been feeling intense pressure. No more trips to the pool or for car rides for me. I've been having lots of braxton hicks contractions too. They don't hurt but they are uncomfortable. My belly is just enormous and sleep is eluding me. Thank God for tivo.

BUT-- given all of this I'm just so thankful we have made it this far! When I was 16 weeks and all this cervix stuff started I did not think we'd get this far. Everyday cookin is a blessing. The doc said even if they are born today, they'll do very well in the NICU. If we make it to 32 weeks we're "in the clear" as far as bad complications in the NICU. In the words of the doctor "Growing a litter ain't easy"

And now for the ugly, stretch marked up belly shot that everyone has but never shows. Vanity is out the window....basically because the thought of getting off the couch to take a redo sounds like running a marathon. So if you've been pregnant you'll have mercy on my soul, if you haven't no judgy judgy, I'm earning my tiger stripes.

Update on Geo: You can just see in his face how worried he has been during the last couple of weeks. He gets home from work and cleans, cooks, does the laundry, does the lawn. He's just non-stop. I've had to force him to slow down and take days off to just sit and watch espn. Anyone who knows him knows this is just as much torture as being too busy. He has always been a light sleeper too but my goodness he has been sleeping hard. Like smack him in the head to wake him up hard. It's so funny to see him swallowed up by all my pillows. He is getting less worried with each passing week. He seems more at peace with the fact that the babies will most likely be spending some time in the NICU. He is just too excited though. Every day week do a holy cow no more then 8 weeks, no more then 7 weeks etc. It's starting to become really real. He's working hard on a bookcase he made the babies for their nursery. He just going to be such a cool dad. Go G!

Whelp that's all I have for you today. Hopefully I'll still be preganated in 2 weeks. All the prayers you can spare for our little nuggets will be greatly appreciated!

Let the Bed Rest Begin

The time has come for me to park my butt on the couch for the remainder of my pregnancy :( We went to our High Risk doctor appointment yesterday. The babies look fantastic as usual. We even got a cute little 3D on baby A. Baby A is weighing in at a whopping 1lb 10oz. His/her head is measuring a week ahead. (G says that's the Mottinger) Baby B is weighing in at 1lb 8oz. Baby B also had his/her hand between his legs so I'm even more convinced that is a little boy! My body on the other hand... is being a pain. My cervix is now down to 1.5 (should be at least above 2.5 but ideally above 3) with some funneling (dilation from the inside.) When that happens they start doing a test every 2 weeks called Fetal Fibronectin. It's a relatively newer test. Basically if it's negative it's something like 80% chance of not going into labor in the next 2 weeks. If it is positive then they will admit me for steroids. The thing with positives is they aren't as reliable as the negatives. There can be a lot of false positives for various reasons. So negatives are really good; positives are whatever. The doctors goal for me at this point is 28 weeks, which is super scary because that's only 3 weeks away. It's looking like the babies will most likely have NICU time. But at 28 weeks their survival rate is 90%. The nurse at the hospital said 28 weekers do really well. And I can stay at Frederick Memorial here in town if they come at 28 weeks instead of going to Baltimore or DC. I'm on modified bed rest, which means I can get up to make myself lunch as I'm coming back from a bathroom trip and I can do some sitting up instead of lying flat. I may even be able to go out to dinner one night a week YIPPIE! Fortunately G's Mom is here until June and has been a huge help. My mom is going to come next weekend and I think Em is coming from Jersey for a couple days to watch movies with me. I'm so happy I was able to make it to my shower and get most of everything unpacked and put away. It's crazy to think I had planned on working until this week. I truly believe had we not been insistent on stopping work and changing doctors I would have lost these babies. The new doctors have just been fantastic. They have never once made me feel bad about calling them. They have been super proactive. One of them even worked on the study for the fetal fibronectin test when she was going through med school! They are taking such good care of us. G is handling everything so well. He is definitely my rock. So any prayers you can spare for our nuggets would be greatly appreciated!

Baby Shower and V-day!

Two huge milestones for the nuggets happened this past weekend. They reached viability day on the same day as my shower. It was the most beautiful shower I could have asked for. My mom and best bud Misa spent so much time on it and it showed. We had it at the restaurant where my baby brother is a chef, The Columbus Inn, in Wilmington. It was so special to have him make some of the food for us too. My mom made little centerpieces with mine and G's baby pictures on it. We got so many gifts we were almost unable to get everything back home. Our family and friends were so beyond generous. My in laws made the 10 hour trip from Maine to come. I hope they know how much that meant to us both. We got to hang with them for a couple days which was awesome since we probably won't see them for a while. G's mom came home with us and is staying for about a month to help out. THANK GOD!! It was just the best day. I know it sounds cheesy but we felt so loved. Everyone was genuinely happy for us. Our nieces and nephews and my little cousins were very attentive in helping us open the presents. SO cute! Ugh I just can't say enough about how perfect it was. I had a whole speech planned to say thank you to everyone and all I could get out was thank you before I started crying. So if you were there, or sent gifts, we thank you so much! You all are so important to us and we appreciate everything you do!

Here are some of the highlights. My cankles made an appearance but I will not be sharing those pictures!

22 weeks (almost)

FINALLY! An uneventful week. I feel great, the babies are moving around all the time, and G got a week he didn't have to work crazy over time. We also got awesome news that my disability claim got approved until 6 weeks after the babies are here. Phew what a relieve. We've only got 2 more weeks until the shower which should go fast. My buddy Em came down last weekend and kept me company, which was awesome! This weekend we have a wedding to go to. Then the following weekend a birthday party. Then the shower! I'm so excited. I can get my full on nesting on. G has been so good making me sit and drink. He's too cute. We have been trying to take walks in the evening since it's so nice. I usually don't get to far (maybe only to the ice cream shop and back...) but I still have lots of contractions when I do too much. But it does feel to get out of the house for a little. The puppies are loving it too. We are inching our way to the 24 week- Viability mark. It will take a small sigh of relieve when we get there. My new doctors are so amazing, helpful, and supportive. I couldn't be happier with my decision to switch. So here's to another uneventful week!!

Baby A was the contortionist this week (Sorry for the crappy picture dang phone)

Baby B is cute as ever (so is a for that matter! I'm that mom!)

And what would a walk in the park be without daddy taking a picture of me being the dork that I am. Believe me this is the least dorky one but you can see my beastly belly.

20 Weeks

It has been quite a week (I feel like I say that a lot!) so if you make it through this post you deserve a cookie.

Thursday: G got home early from work so we thought it be nice to get out of the house and go to our favorite place.... Lowe's of course. I got in the shower and got ready. By the time that was over I started getting this tight feeling in my belly that would come and go. I thought hmm I wonder if that is what a braxton hicks contraction feels like. It was weird but I didn't put much thought into it. We went to lowe's but by the time we made the 10 minute drive I was having them more frequently so I opted to just sit in the car. My big outing reduced to sitting in the parking lot but I was just glad to see something other than these 4 walls. We went to dinner and I devoured a yummy cheeseburger (my absolute new fav thing) By the time we got home they were happening more frequently. After I had 7 in an hour I decided I should probably call the OB. She decided I should go to labor and delivery to be checked out. Poor G had to fast forward the Red Sox game opener that he tivo'd only to see that they had lost. I knew this the whole time but didn't want to ruin it for him. Then we headed into l&d. They hooked me up to the monitor and I was having "irritability." I still haven't got a clear definition of what that is but they say if it doesn't cause cervical change it's normal. They gave me 2 doses of terbutaline, which is a smooth muscle relaxer, and they stopped. I begged them to check my cervix while I was there given the last time I had similar experience with this feeling my cervix had changed. Needless to say the didn't find it "necessary." Poor G was so nervous he didn't shut up the whole time we were there. Anyone who knows anything about G knows he doesn't talk much. He even went and talked to the nurse to make sure the machine is working. Usually he's like "Don't worry they'll be back soon." He said it hit him all of a sudden being there that our babies are coming soon and we are sooo not ready. It was very cute and sweet.

Friday: I found out my disability had only been approved through the end of march since my cervix improved from the 16 weeks episode. I was freaking out about that because I just know if I go back to working 12 hour shifts it would not end well. I had a follow up appointment that afternoon with my OB, of which I was certain he would agree and assist me in getting my claim approved. BOY was I wrong. To say I was emotional prior to going in would definitely be an understatement. G tried so hard to be there with me but DC traffic on a Friday afternoon ain't for the weak of heart. So I was on my own with him on stand by on the phone.  The doctor came in to assess me and I expressed my concern about the fact that the last time I had these "pains" I had cervical change and no one checked me in L&D. He persisted to tell me everything was fine, normal, nothing to worry about. He kept referring to my pains as "cramping." Maybe I'm being a little OCD but this felt very different then cramping. He said if it's not more than 5 in an hour i shouldn't be concerned. I then said well it was more like 6 in an hour. Then he changed his story and said if it's not more than 7 in an hour not to call. He then did his exam and said my abdomen was so tight he couldn't even feel where my uterus was. I'm pretty sure that's not normal since they haven't had issues with that in the past. He chalked it up to me having strong abdominal muscles. Clearly he didn't see my pizza 6 pack prior to pregnancy. Once I started talking to him about disability, of which we agreed at 16 weeks was the best choice, he said he was not surprised it was denied and there is no "hard evidence" that I need to be on it. I should just go back to work, everything is fine, all normal, as long as it doesn't cause cervical change. This is the part that bothered me the most. How the HHHH can you say it didn't cause change when you didn't even check. So I broke down. When I say broke down, I mean ugly cry borderline panic attack. What was his reaction you ask, o gotta get these notes in the computer, o were you crying, see me in 2 weeks, then left the room. I was in there long enough to try to collect myself that they came and checked on me. I may have a lot of anxiety about this pregnancy (most would right?!) but I am far from an idiot. He also had the nerve to tell me "If you took a biology class you would know what the muscles are doing." I was so shocked I couldn't even say A-HOLE I went to nursing school. Just as I was pulling out of the parking lot G was pulling in and all I could mutter was the babies are OK. It took me a good 40 minutes to calm down and tell him what happened. Needless to say he was not pleased and said no ma'am you are not going back to work, we will figure this out! And then he made me sit on my butt all weekend while he nested and got rid of a bunch of crap in our house. Yea he's pretty awesome.

Monday: I just was not satisfied with this doctors assessment (funny how work imitates life) so I called my high risk doc. He squeezed me in this morning. I've never wanted to be wrong so much in my life. As it turns out I was right though. Not only had my cervix went back down to 2.8/2.6 under pressure but I now have funneling. Funneling is dilation from the inside. Fortunately it isn't a bad case but at 20 weeks it certainly raises a red flag. He agreed that I should absolutely not go back to work and I should decrease my activity even further. He prescribed me 2 medications to stop/slow the contractions. He was kind enough to address the disability several times in his report and print out a copy for me to fax to the insurance company. (something the OB refused to do) I'm definitely uneasy about all of this and the next 4 weeks until Viability day can not go fast enough! But I definitely feel good that I followed my instincts and went around that jack wad OB. Bet you can't guess that I switched OB's already. I went to drop off my chart copy to the new doctor. The nurse that was helping originally said it can take up to a week for the new dr. to read through my chart and accept me as a patient, but she took the initiative and went and told the dr. about me who immediately accepted me. I mean I already feel like I'm getting better care!

The babies are doing great though. Still moving and shaking. I'm starting to feel them more but poor G is still left out of the loop. Hopefully in the next couple weeks he will be able to join in. Please pray for this poor guys sanity! He is working double time to keep up, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, being my fetcher. And never once has he come close to complaining. Where did I find this guy? Back off ladies I'm keeping him!!!

Baby A was suckin on his/her thumb. sooo cute. Daddy was sad he didn't see it :(

Baby B is proving to be more and more like daddy every day. I can't even touch my toes and am sad to say my husband is far more flexible than I'll ever be. I don't even know how this kid did it but he/she was sniffing their knees! baby b the bendy baby.

Hopefully the next update will be more like.... babies are great mama and daddy are great!

Half Baked!

19 weeks baby! Since the doctor won't let me go past 38 weeks, I'm officially half way done if not more. I've been off work for almost 3 weeks now. This is the longest I've been off since I was 13 years old when I got my first job. I'm not completely going insane yet. I'm finding little things to do. But I get so tuckered out so fast. It's really pathetic. I think I'm asleep as many hours as I'm awake. It has definitely helped though. My excruciating ligament pain had significantly decreased, thank ya Jesus! And the best news is my cervix has improved. When I went in last Thursday for the recheck, I think I floated out I was so happy. As if to say, everything is OK mama, baby A gave me a nice little kick during the ultrasound. Or she/he could have been just saying alright I'm done mom, get this lady off me. (which is probably more accurate!) These kids are just too funny. I love seeing them. I feel like I'll know them so much before they are even born. So we will continue to get checked every 2 weeks. It makes me feel better that the doctors are on top of things and are being proactive (even if it was to just shut me up.) Plus I get to see them and get tons and tons of pictures. Other than that things are just crazing along. Daddy got the nesting bug this weekend and cleaned out all the storage areas and got rid of so much crap. This is music to my purging ears! Usually he's a pack rat so I was impressed at how much he got rid off. He found a picture of the embryos from our 2nd cycle. I couldn't help but be sad for those babies. While we have never suffered a loss of a pregnancy, thank God, we still feel the loss of what could have been. It makes it easier that these babies are here but the scars of infertility are always a little raw. G put the picture up to my belly and said "say hi to your brothers and sisters." I tear up just thinking about it. From the darkness into the light.

Daddy Bites- Call him mr. mom but he is amazing. I cook dinner, he does EVERYTHING else. With the cervical issues happening the doctor told him he'd have to pick up the house work. I just laughed and said he already does! We have a little routine when he gets home. Of course Boston and Gandy get the first kisses, God forbid boston have to wait! Then I get a kiss, then the babies get a kiss. Daddy is definitely the most popular in this house. Everyone wants his attention.

Oh! In other news, after almost 5 years of marriage I've finally changed my last name. I won't lie, I cried. I've been that person for so long. But I've given that person up to be this person. A wife, a mother. So it's worth it. I'm sllooowwwlly getting used to it. Even G was a little sad to see my name go. That's all he's ever known me as. We agreed when he "yells" at me when I say something stupid he can still call me Kristen Ashley Mottinger. It just seems more appropriate to be yelled out that way.

Now for the half baked baby bump. Over night I got bigger so it's even bigger now. No seriously, I went to bed with an innie belly button and woke up with a flatter one. It was the weirdest thing!

Hump Day Bump Day

OK I'm a day short on the hump day part but I can't think of anything else catchy for the title. So alas here is my first....of very few(don't want to scare the little kids) bump pictures.

As far as an update goes, basically the high risk and the ob left the decision up to us whether I should do light duty or short term disability. Their argument for light duty was if we financially needed it otherwise disability would be the least risk to the babies. Given that I am only 17 weeks and already have shortening of the cervix. We decided to not risk it. I would never forgive myself if I went back to work "light" duty (which still is a lot of walking) and things got worse and I had to go on bed rest/get a cerclage etc. Thank goodness I have 24 weeks of disability available to me. Why wait until something is really wrong?!? My cervix right now is 2.7. If it were to get to 2.5 I'd have to go on bed rest. For you math whizzes that's .2cm 2 mm. I mean REALLY it seems so nominal. So needless to say we are happy with our decision. Maybe I'll be able to get some decent sleep and my 3am worry session/cheeseteak craving session will be a thing of the past. Well that is of course until I can't roll over without a push from G which I suspect is not far in the future. So now i need to find a hobby. Maybe I'll become an extreme couponer!

With all these cervical checks, we get to see the babies more often; like every 2 weeks. SCORE! They are so funny. We already have personalities attached to them. Baby A is clearly like me because he/she just wants her space and doesn't like to be bothered. When the ultrasound tech put the probe on her/his head she threw her arms in the air like what the hell lady I was sleeping. Sounds vaguely familiar. Daddy was cracking up.

Baby B just seems so chill, just kinda mossies around in the womb. But he/she did show it's Delaware side and was fist pumping today. Mama's so proud. Yea Buddy

Catching up

I've been thinking of posts to write for weeks now but I never seem to make it to the computer. So we need to catch up. At around 14 weeks I started with some spotting. It turns out I was having some issues with a placenta previa (basically the placenta lies low over the cervix) Because of this I spent two days on bed rest. I was only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom. It sucked!!! Fortunately it resolved itself and I was back to work the next week. I felt better then I had since getting pregnant weeks 14 and 15. I had energy, I was sleeping, I did not have any nausea. I was thinking man I CAN do this. I have been working 8 hours shifts which have been making a real difference. That was of course until this week. I knew this would happen at one point but I didn't realize it would cause problems. I'm one of those people who run to the fires not away and this proved to be true this week at work. We had 2 patients not doing so well at the same time. Needless to say I over extended myself. I immediately realized I did to much when the cramping started. I had insomnia that night from midnight on. About 3 am I started to have this tightening pain in my umbilical area. I went in Thursday morning and the OB said it was just round ligament spasms but he wanted me to take the rest of the week off. Today we had our scheduled high risk appointment and as it turns out my cervix is being a little bugger. From what I have read the cervix is supposed to be between 4.0 and 5.0 cm at this point in the game and never really below 3 until labor begins. Mine is 2.7. It took everything in me not to cry my eyes out in front of the doctor (I have a theory they think I'm a crazy person) So I didn't really push for restricted work duty. I just don't think most people realize how physically demanding being a nurse is. Originally they said I'd need to plan on settling down by 28 weeks, this time he said I need to start thinking about 20 weeks. In reality, much like the placenta, the cervix can get longer. In order to do that, rest is an absolute. At this point he has not taken me out of work yet. I will get cervical checks every 2 weeks from here on out and if it gets worse I'll get them every week. God bless G and his sense of humor. His suggestion was of course he'd get his fishing line out and sew me right up. So my plans are to basically work and rest. I'll call my OB Monday to see what their spin on it is. They seem to be more conservative with their care (which I am all about!) Either way bed rest seems to be in my future at some point. All the prayers you can spare would be greatly appreciated.

Now for the good news! The babies must be jammin out to party rock because they just wiggle wiggle wiggle! The sonographer kept saying how they just never sit still. At last scan B was crushing A. I think she's about had it because she's now kicking her brother right in the head chuck norris style. Oh and no we don't know what they are we just "feel" A is a girl and B is a boy. It has absolutely no bases in reality because we won't know until they come but we just both have a feeling. G even made his new password our top boy and girl names. Time will tell but that's what we're going with now :) We could have found out today too! It will sure be interesting to feel these fist fights soon. Me thinks I won't be sleeping alot. They are both measuring spot on. Both are about 2 inches, A's hr 150's and 6oz. B hr 140's and 5oz. We did find out we tested high risk for Intrauterine growth restriction. I haven't read to much about it with all the cervix issues. But I do know they will probably be little and they'll be watching their growth closely.

Daddy bites-- I just don't know if all Daddy's are this exited to see their babies. Some say dad's don't make a connection with their babies until they are born but I just don't buy it. Geo is just as connected to them as I am. He had his head on my belly the other night. I asked him what he was saying to his babies and he said he was pretending to hear their heartbeats. He just can't wait to feel them. He'll roll over at night and hold my belly in his sleep. He talks to them like they are already here. When we got the stroller he did laps and just looked so happy. Not to mention he's been taking such good care of me. He's waiting on me hand and foot. He's definitely going to kill me when he reads this but he deserves to be recognized for being a rock star daddy. I cry every time I think about how lucky these kids are to be raised by such an awesome Dad. Enough sappy love stuff :)

We got lots of pictures this week....mostly of the star baby A. Poor baby B just couldn't get any room to show off while getting kicked in the head.


Kung Fu baby in training. Poor B

Baby A acting innocent and sweet

Baby B trying to rest in between head shots. Look at the little ear!

Head meet foot

Can you tell why we're in love!!!!

Squirmy McSquirmingston

Today we went in for our NT (nuchal translucency) scan at 12W3D. We were given a lesson in patience. It took them an hour to get us into the room. Anyone who knows me knows I hate to wait. And by hate I mean loathe, makes my skin crawl, and apparently according to G I sigh alot (which he also informs me is both annoying and embarrassing, I blamed it on the babies taking to much room and making my lung not fully inflate; pretty good off the top of my head!) While we were waiting these two woman who knew each other were talking and they stated they were both around 20 weeks. Apparently my eyes bugged out of my head when I was ease dropping and noticed neither one of them looked pregnant and I was significantly plumper in the abdominal region. G just cracked up. I didn't even know I did it. He said my eyes were going back and forth between the two at a hyper speed. I guess that's what I get for eavesdropping. When we got in there all was forgiven soon as we saw those little hearts beating away. The babies didn't waste any time movin and grovin. Right now Baby A is on below his/her brother/sister. Poor little one is being squished. Baby B is above and they are smelling each others feet. Neither one was cooperating with the poor u/s tech. Soon as she would get close to where she needs to be they'd move. Baby B was obsessed with showing us his hand. He/she was waving away, throwing baby gang signs I guess :) Baby A was all crunched up. Can ya blame him/her! We did get better head pictures of A then B and better arms pics of B. The hold time I was stifling tears and giggles. It is just the coolest things to see our babies, now looking more and more like humans, moving around in my belly. Seeing how much they are moving has me convinced the "weird" feelings I've been having just might be them moving around. They also discovered that I have placenta previa from baby A. Basically the placenta covers the cervix. Which explains the spotting I've been having (sorry if that's tmi) fortunately, it doesn't completely cover the cervix so it may move over back against the uterine wall soon. If it doesn't I will have to get a c-section. After watching you-tube I'm not totally upset about this either! G was so cute watching the screen. He kept making comments about how they were like me when they weren't cooperating and how they were like him when they were just chilling out. Thinks he's funny.
Now my first maternal intuition/guess on what we are having...... Me thinks it's a boy/girl. Now to explain my weird thoughts. I've heard if the heart rates are higher it’s a girl, and lower it's a boy. A's hr was 160 B was 149. The only thing holding me back from saying this is definitely my guess is with my second IVF I had the most amazing and vivid dream that I had twin girls. They were dressed up for Easter and both had a red bow in their hair. When I woke up I had to really think twice about whether I really had babies or not. So I guess when they are born we will see!!!! G thinks 5 months will fly by, me not so much.

Without further adieu!!!!

And my favorite! Baby A getting squished by Baby B throwing baby gang signs. I think I'm in love :) :)

11 weeks

I sit here, eating a pickle, wondering how slow yet fast time has gone. I feel like I've been preggers forever but at the same time it feels like 5 weeks was just yesterday. Weird! This week draws the end of my first trimester (Thank ya Jesus!!) Hopefully the all day sickness senses it's cue to exit as well. This is a big mile stone for us. While we have plenty more, our chances of miscarriage are greatly decreased by the closing of the first tri. Our next goal is 24 weeks, V-day. V-day or viability day is when if our babies are born then they have a fighting chance to survive. I of course will force these children in as long as I can, but V-day is an important day. I think we are starting to settle into the idea of twins. We have been just us for so long it will be weird to have two other breathing humans in our house. G said tonight, while Boston who thinks he can talk was barking away, "I can't wait for the babies to come so we can actually communicate!" I wonder if he knows they don't talk when they come out?

Not much to tell you all this week. Same ol' eat, sleep, try not to puke, belly getting rounder. Same as last week. But I tell ya, these little buggers grow fast. My belly seems more baby than pizza and pickles by the day. Sleeping has become interesting to say the least. My dreams get weirder by the night. G and I were Mr. and Mrs. Smith the other day. I mean I know I'm the spitting image of Angelina Jolie and everything but I couldn't be an assassin.

Here's the what's on the mcnoogets this week
"Starting with this week, the baby is now called a fetus. The most critical part of the baby's development is over. This is a period of rapid growth, and the baby is about an inch or so in length at the beginning of the week and will be about 2 inches by the end of the week. The baby's head is about half its length. The eyelids will fuse shut, and the irises will begin to develop. Sometime during this week or the next week, blood will begin to circulate between the baby and uterus and the placenta starts to function."

And they look a little like this.....

And this my friends is a taste of what is to come (now you know why I'm a little freaked!)

There are only 2 words to describe this .....H-O-L-Y H-E-L-L!!! I fully acknowledge every one's body is different but I swear on my life I haven't seen a "small" or "average" sized twin baby belly. I laughed and I cried at the same time when I googled twin baby bellies. You will find me perched on the couch when this happens. HOLY HELL

A Premonition

Before we knew about the fertility issues we were facing, I had made a trip to Maine by myself for I can't even remember what, I made a stop at a walmart in New Hampshire. I love the walmarts in the North East, they always have a huge selection of red sox stuff. I was picking t-shirts out for G and I came across these adorable onesies. I bought 2 thinking this would be a great way to tell G he is going to be a dad when we get pregnant. I obviously didn't get an opportunity to get a surprise, we're pregnant moment.  But these little buggers would show up in the most random ways, as to say don't give up hope just yet. They had a mind of their own. They'd show up in the wash, in a dresser drawer, and today G found them in the trunk of a car we didn't even own when I bought them. I think it's pretty ironic I bought two of them. At the time I figured mine as well have one if we have a girl and one for if we have a boy. I of course didn't think well what if we have twins. If they come out a boy/girl that will be definitely ironic. I can't wait to put the babies in this (I should probably invest in another boy and another girl one just in case.) It was a nice reminder of where we've been and where we are going. It may seem weird for most that we have already bought a crib and I'm so obsessive over getting everything prepared, but when you have waited for 4 and a half years to just get pregnant you are very ready to prepare for their coming. At just 10 weeks this pregnancy already feels like I've been pregnant for a decade. I wish I could say I'm enjoying being pregnant but pregnancy is a means to end. I just want to see their faces and know they are ok. Hopefully once I am not nauseous 97% of the day and we get past some milestones, I'll settle in and enjoy this miracle.

We don't get to see the babies until February 14th. Happy Valentines day to us!! I'll be honest I'm happy for the little break from the doctors. We saw them every week until this week, so of course I worry. But the constant nausea and growing belly keeps me thinking everything is fine. Believe it or not my anxieties are getting a little better.

Since we don't have a picture of our babies I thought I'd share a really cool picture of what a 10 week old baby looks like in utero. It is really amazing how they grow so fast. This week they...."We're Swimming! The baby has begun moving inside the womb although it's too small for mom to notice. Most of the joints are formed now - elbow, wrist, knee, shoulder, and ankle as well as the hands, fingers, feet and toes."

 

Cletus the Fetus

They are no longer embryos, they're Fetus'!!!
We had our first High Risk appointment today which means we got another ultrasound. Baby A was a moving and a shaking. Baby B was just hanging out, making a move here or there to let us know he/she is there. It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues. Already taking after mama and daddy, A is high strung like me and B is just chilling like daddy. Both were measuring right on target at 9 weeks. Their hr were both in the 170s, which they said is right where it is supposed to be for this gestational age. They are definitely fraternal. As the doctor described it, they both have their own rooms (sacs) and own air conditioners (placentas.) Not having to share their only source of nourishment eases my anxieties a bit. The Dr. said I can continue to work 12 hr shifts until I feel I can't, then he will just follow my lead (sweet! we know how I like to have control!)

This is what is going on with them this week
"Cartilage and bones begin to form. The basic structure of the eye is well underway and the tongue begins to develop. The intestines start to move out of the umbilical cord and into the abdomen as the body grows and makes room. The fingers and thumb have appeared but are short and webbed.

Multiples: The babies are developing just like singleton babies. Each baby is about one gram in weight and about the same size as singleton babies." They are both just shy of an inch. They are about the size of a green olive. 

Clearly Baby A wants all the attention because he/she kept pushing brother/sister out of the way. So this week you get to see all A and minimal B.

We have our first OB appointment tomorrow, of which I have to fly solo because G couldn't get off of work. I'm sure they will just be doing boring stuff, so I'd rather him get to see the babies at the High Risk. We will get to see the little buggers every 3 weeks until 34 weeks then every week, unless something comes up. Next appointment to see them is Valentines Day. Is there a better way to spend it? I think not!!

Crib!

Buying a crib was just like buying a wedding dress. I looked and looked and when I finally saw one I liked, I stopped looking. We had been to target a few times and just didn't like anything we saw. I went today to get some new linens for the spare bed (figured there be a lot of guests in the future) and low and behold they got a new line of cribs. It was love at first sight! God bless my amazing and patient husband... after a long day of work he still went to buy AND set it up.  He's so good to me. I guess after 10 years of being together he knows I would have put it together by myself tomorrow and he wanted to safe me the aggravation. Smart man!  The dogs didn't know what the heck was happening. That is Boston's room. He prefers to sleep in there by himself on the bed at night. Now he will have to share it with his brothers/sisters. Hopefully those kids will be used to barking by the time they come out of my belly. After much reading and talking to other multiples families, we've decided to co-sleep them for the first couple months. Well, basically until they start playing with each other instead of sleeping. They even make twin crib dividers. We will see how it goes but hopefully we can make it to 6 months or so. I just love the idea of snuggly best buddies. I'm happy that they will have a best friend and built in playmate for life.  I always thought twins were so interesting. They have their own language, can sense things without having to speak. I'm so excited to see how these guys will grow up! I'm getting ahead of myself already. We go to the High risk doctor tomorrow and the poor guy does not know what and how many questions are coming to him. I pray he has patience with me.

Daddy putting it together of course under the supervision of Bobo!

It makes it so real to have this up. The boys will be such good brothers to the babies! Maybe we'll finally get to sleep without one or both of them in our bed. Go ahead boys, protect those babies, keep a close eye (i beg of you!!)

Our First Presents!

Very early after finding out we were having twins daddy made a quick stop at walmart for no doubt some random request of mine and came home with two adorable Binky's. Of course they were a soccer and baseball Binky. When I pointed out there is a possibility we will have girls, he of course said "No daughter of mine will be foo fooy, they'll play sports." Well alrighty then, tom girls it is. (I secretly hope for this if we have girls too. It is no secret I'm not the girliest of girls. It would be pure torture to have to live through princess/makeup/dressing rooms through teenage years but whatever will make them happy....)

Aunt Misa bought them their first article of clothing and I died when I opened it. Two perfect little ducky socks. For some reason holding those two pairs of socks in my hand made every thing so real. Something tangible instead of just the idea of two babies. Man are these babies going to be spoiled by their Aunt Misa. They, and I am so lucky to have such an amazing best friend. I'm certain she has done, and probably will do more shopping for these kids then anyone.

I'm pretty sure by the end of this I will be committed to psych.  At just 8 weeks I am already stressing about getting their nurseries ready, getting their car seats in the car. For the love!!! My OCD/micro managing is in high gear. I think this all derives from my very real fear of being trapped in a bed for the last part of my pregnancy. Basically all the MoMs (moms of multiples) I've talked to were on some kind of bed rest by 25-27 weeks. I'm just not the type of person to sit back and watch everyone else get my house ready for the babies (unless of course you are offering to come clean, then by all means!) Dear Lord, please give me the peace to enjoy this pregnancy and not drive my husband and family insane! Love always, crazy pregnant lady ohh and thanks for that burst of energy you gave me to clean my disgrace of a house tonight. My husband also says thanks!




I mean really!!! Aren't you dying like I did. Just beyond too cute!!

We Graduated!

We are no longer patients at the Infertility Clinic! For a lot of years, I thought we would never be able to say it. That word, Infertile, has defined a large part of your lives for the last 4 years. Now, I'm just a pregnant lady! I get to go see a regular OB just like everyone else. I also have to go to a High Risk OB, which means more ultrasounds; who'd complain about that?

The babies are looking fantastic! Everyone was still saying how "perfect" they were. Not my words but I sure like the sound of it. Baby A was measuring 8weeks and HR was 167; Baby B was measuring 7weeks5days and HR was 174. The most exciting news was they said there is a possibility they may be identical. This never crossed my mind since we transferred 3 embryos. But we transferred them early enough that one could have split. The reason they say this is a possibility is because their sacs are so close together they can't tell if it is one or two sacs. Either way it's pretty cool!

We also like to look up what is growing and changing each week so here's what they say....
"An ultrasound done at this stage should show a fluttering heartbeat. Elbows begin to form in the arms and fingers start to develop. The leg buds begin to show feet with tiny notches for the toes. The face continues to change as the ears, eyes and the tip of the nose appear. The intestines start to form in the umbilical cord. Teeth develop under the gums."
Less like a tadpole, more like a human! I like it!

As far as we go; I'd like to smack whoever named it morning sickness. Lies!!! It's all day, all night sickness. Apparently, when you have two in there symptoms are magnified. Club crackers and ginerale are my main source of nutrition. I was looking forward to the ms being over by 12 weeks, but from what I hear from other twin moms, it's likely to last until 15. So I've already asked for some Zofran to help that situation out. It's hard to hide the belly already. I still have nightmares from the day I googled how big twin pregnancy bellies get. Geo I think is suffering from some sympathy pain. His stomach has been bothering him all week too. But he is so good to me. At 8 last night we made an emergency run to McDonalds for a cheeseburger and carmel sundae. (did I mention I ate double portions of meat at dinner just an hour before...hey when you  can tolerate food you eat!)

Without further adieu here are the munchkins. The picture isn't so great because they are getting to big to put in the same picture. But Baby B is on the left and his/her head in facing down. Baby A is on the right and head is facing to the right.

What a day

We are sad to say last night my mom called and told us grandpop cini did not make it through his surgery. I loved him so much and some of my best childhood memories were with him. We went crabbing, he taught me how to make gnocchi from scratch, and my first driving lesson (at age 11) was from him. We knew there was a chance he might not make it through surgery because his heart was so weak, but I was really hoping he would make it. My mom said he was ready and in good spirits going in. I'm so glad we got to say goodbye this weekend and tell him I love him and also tell him about the babies.

When my mom called, I got up off the couch really quickly. I doubled over in pain in my abdomen. It hurt so bad.  I was worried at the time but was able to go back to sleep. I decided to go into work this morning, but walking in I still had a lot of abdominal pain. I started thinking about horror stories I had heard about miscarriages. Of course the first time someone asked me how I was doing, I broke down into tears. Fortunately I work with an amazing and supportive group of women and they immediately picked up the slack and I went home.  Soon as I got in the car I called the doctor and they told me to come right in and get an ultrasound. I have never been more afraid. Geo was in D.C. and couldn't come, I'm pretty sure I gave him a heart attack though. Fortunately he was able to be on the phone when the doctor came in. Immediately the tech said there were 2 heartbeasts. Phew! Talk about relief! I don't remember how they were measuring but Baby A's heart rate was 138 and Baby caught up and heart rate is 132. The doctor, tech and nurse kept saying how perfect they looked. Boy have they done some growing! You can see their heads and body shape. Right now they are back to back and look like best buds :) Needless to say mama and daddy can breathe....for a little bit.  The doctor assigned me to the couch for the rest of the day and thinks I either pulled a muscle or my left ovary is giving me some trouble (which isn't that new).  We also talked about my 12 hour shifts. She wants to see how I feel next week but I could tell she wasn't happy about the idea of me being on my feet for 12 hours. Like I said I work with a great group of people, but I still feel bad for having to rely on them so much. It's surprising to me how infertility has changed my view on pregnancy. I've wanted to be pregnant for so long, but now I want it to just be over. Not because the actual pregnancy sucks but I'm just so worried. I just want to see their faces and know they are ok. Please forgive me for being a nervous wreck for the next 30 or so weeks.

Here are our little one's! They have grown so much in just a week! I still couldn't hear their heartbeats but  I could see the flicker. So cool!!

Our Story

Hi All! We are so excited to be starting this blog and this journey. We decided it would be best to do this so everyone can keep track of what's going on with us and the babies. Some of you know how we got here but for the rest of you, let us bring you up to date.

So if you don't know, now you know. Twins are joining our family this summer. It has been a long journey to get here. But we'll spare you and give you the cliff notes. If you are asking, do twins run in their family.... no they don't. These blessings are coming to us via modern medicine. We struggled for almost 4 years and 2 failed IVF cycles to get here. We won't bore you with the gory details, but let's just say we truly didn't think we would ever have our own biological children. That makes this pregnancy that much more amazing! In case you are wondering, YES they are biologically ours. It just took us and our doctor to make them.

Now that you are up to speed on how we got this 2 piece mcnugget, let me update you on how they are doing. We had our first ultrasound last week at 6 weeks 3 days. Both babies were measuring 5w6d at that time. Twins generally measure behind because they have less space to share. Baby A's HR was 115 and Baby B HR was 105.  I(K) am of course freaking out about Baby B HR being so close to the bench mark of 100, but our doctors assure us they look perfect.  We have many milestones to cross before I'll stop worrying (probably not until they graduate college.) Our next ultrasound is this coming Friday. Hopefully we can actually hear the heartbeats.

We plan on (trying) to keep this blog updated each week so you, our friends and family, can keep updated with this exciting times in our lives. That is of course if I can keep my eyes open for more than 2 hours at a times :) We hate that we live so far from most of you, but hopefully this blog will help you feel more connected to us and vice verse. Welcome to the chaos!

Introducing our B's in a pod