Half Way!!!!

Wow these last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind!  And now I am 4.5 months pregnant or 18 weeks along! And in twin pregnancy terms I am half way there, since 36 weeks is considered full term for twins.  Holy crap! Can't believe I have made it this far.  

So let me rewind to week 16.  We left that Thursday the 17th for our baby moon vacation to Hilton Head Island.  We stayed at a beautiful resort right on the beach.  The weather didn't cooperate 100%, but we did get 2 days of sunshine where we were able to soak up some sun by the ocean and pool.  The other days we spent walking on the beach, bike riding, mini golfing, eating, and just relaxing.  We did have one funny experience while out on a bike ride the second day of our trip.  (let me just say, the island is very flat and there are no hills, and the bikes you rent are beach cruisers, so it was very fun and easy for me being pregnant)  We biked about 1.5 miles from our hotel to get some lunch and after lunch we decided to bike another 2.5 miles to this amazing gelato place we had discovered the day before.  After eating the gelato we looked up in the distance and noticed some storm clouds in the direction of our resort.  We both decided we better get a move on since we had a 4 mile ride back to the resort to avoid the storm.  Well 5 minutes into our ride back the rain started and we stopped under a tree, hoping that the rain would stop.  Well...not only did the rain not stop, but it started raining harder and harder as we stood there.  So we looked at each other and made a decision....since we were already getting wet we might as well keep riding.  So I pulled my hoodie sweatshirt on and tied the hood tight around my head, secured our phones and camera and off we went.  Justin said with my hoodie tied and the basket on my bike full of our stuff I looked like the kid from E.T., ha ha!!  And that's when the rain from hell started!!  It was like this tropical storm big rain drop rain falling in buckets!!  Mind you the bike path back to our resort is on the side of the highway, so I can only imagine how much entertainment the people driving by us got seeing us biking the the torrential downpour.  And so we peddled and peddled, drenched, laughing so hard, because there was nothing else we could do.  I mean why stop at this point because we were already soaked.  So we laughed and biked 4 miles back to the resort.  It honestly was one of the most entertaining experiences of the trip.

We got back from our trip on Tuesday evening the 22nd.  We were exhausted from the long day of travel, but excited for our doctors appointment the next morning.  So off to bed we went with anticipation that the news we would find out would change our lives again forever!

Wednesday morning I woke up way too early because I was so excited!  We went in to the doctor at 11am.  The ultrasound with Jessica was first, which is what we had been waiting for....to find out the sex of our munchkins.  We went in to the room and began the ultrasound.  She first measured the length of my cervix, which you want to be long, which means you have no signs of early labor. She said mine was long and normal, yay!  She then focused her attention to Baby A.  She measured the head, stomach, and femur bone, to get an approximate size and weight of Baby A.  She said everything looked normal and great and the baby weighs around 8 ounces or 1/2 a pound.  Then she looked to see the gender........and guess what!!!! She was 100% sure that Baby A is a GIRL!!!!  Yes!!!!!  Ok, so we are half way there.  She then did the same exact things with Baby B and determined it weighs 7 ounces, so Baby B has caught up in size.  So the babies total weight together is about 1 pound.  Wow, how fast they have grown!  Ok, ok so I know I am dragging this out, but that's exactly what we felt she was doing to us.  Justin finally said, are you delaying telling us the gender of Baby B to drive us crazy?? She laughed and went straight to it.  She said it was very easy to see and she was also 100% sure that Baby B is a...........GIRL!!!!  Holy moly we are having 2 girls!!!  I was ecstatic!  I never said it but I did have a gut feeling that it was always 2 girls.  I think Justin was happy, but secretively maybe a little bit wanted one of them to be a boy.  But honestly I think he is excited to have to little girls.  I am over the moon that it is 2 girls!  I think it will be so amazing for 2 reasons.  First, because I can't wait to have the mother/daughter relationships with them like I have with my mom.  And second, I was an only child, so I think it will be amazing for them to have a sister that I never had.  Very cool!!!

So let the shopping begin! He he!

The rest of the doctor appointment was with the nurse practitioner, whom we had not met, but soon after meeting we discovered we really liked.  Basically I had accumulated a list of questions over the last several weeks and she answered all of those which included; can I ride a bike (umm yea I know I had already ridden 10 miles 2 days before, whoops!) thank goodness the answer was yes.  Can I take a bath and sleep on my back also got yes answers. (these were things I had read or been told I couldn't do)  She also put me on Prilosec and a different unisom tablet, to try and fix this night nausea problem. (I forgot to mention my nausea finally boiled over on our trip and I threw up twice one evening).  She also said I had gained 4lbs since my last appointment and since the babies are at a healthy weight she said i should stop forcing myself to eat at night time if I didn't feel well or wasn't hungry.  She said let's try this new Prilosec/unisom combo and the non-forced eating in the evening and see if it helps.  Finally, she said it would be good to see my chiropractor to get an adjustment and some acupuncture to try and help with my hip/leg/foot pain and with the nausea.  Then she measured my belly on the outside with a tape measure.  That measurement is supposed to correspond in inches with the number of weeks you are pregnant.  My measurement was 23 inches, but I was only 17.5 weeks pregnant that day.  Which means I am measuring 5.5 weeks bigger.  She said twins measure 4-6 weeks ahead, so I am completely in the normal range.  Ok, yay!  Doctor appointment done, everything normal, and I have 2 baby girls growing in there!  I could not be happier!

We told my parents by video chat and phone on Wednesday evening and both sides seemed very excited!  We had to wait till Saturday afternoon when Justin's mom and sisters got back from vacation to tell his family.  It was super fun and I had my friend Erin make 2 little cakes with Baby A and Baby B frosted on them and then she put pink colored cake on the inside of each of them.  We let Justin's mom cut the first one and she was super excited when she saw the pink.  Her excitement was priceless!  We let Justin's dad cut the second cake and I wasn't sure what the reaction would be because I knew they really would like to have a boy and a girl.  But his reaction was super excited and happy which seemed to ease the pressure on me and us of it not being a boy.  So yay, all of our families are super excited that we are having 2 girls and we couldn't be happier about that!

We spent this past Saturday and Sunday telling more of our friends and family the genders, and everyones reactions were so cool to see!  People are just so happy for us, and it makes me feel so good inside!  So thanks everyone!  

One last thing....how am I feeling physically?  Well...week 16 was ruff and the nausea came back in full force nightly and like I said even made me get sick one night on our trip.  Week 17 seemed to calm down with the nausea and I started the Prilosec/Unisom regimin this past Wednesday and it seems to be helping.  I was actually able to eat a normal dinner Thursday-Sunday.  In fact my appetite seems to almost be growing this weekend, which I am hoping means the fun eating stage is here and the nausea stage is gone??  We shall wait and see.  My hip, calf and heel/foot pain continues to be a problem, but I got this incredible huge U-shaped pillow for sleeping and that seems to be helping me not be up as much as night with the pain, so that's good.  The new symptom I have acquired in the last several days is swelling.  I sure didn't expect it to come on this early, but I am thinking because the weather is so hot and humid combined with me being further ahead in size because it is twins made it appear.  So yes, I have KANKLES!!!  I no longer can see my inner ankle bone, which is very strange and kinda gross looking.  My feet swell too at the end of the day which makes shoes hard to get on, beyond flip flops.  And I can no longer wear my wedding ring!!!  This makes me really sad, but it was getting to the point where it was so tight it was freaking me out and making me think that I might have to have someone cut it off.  I think I could still wear it indoors, but the heat outside makes me swell quite quickly, so I would rather be safe than sorry.  So I am headed to the costume jewelry store this week to find a larger cheapy ring to wear.  

So i think that is about it and I have caught up with everything.  I have lots of pictures to share below.  Starting with week 17 belly picture, ultrasound photos, the gender cakes, and week 18 belly picture.  Enjoy!  

17 week belly photo taken on the beach during the tropical storm in Hilton Head

Our artistic sand caption

Trying to look trendy with my baby bump on the beach

Face profile shot of Baby Girl A

Baby Girl A feet

This shows you that Baby A is a Girl!!!

Scary scream face with an open mouth of Baby A

Baby Girl B foot

Face shot of Baby Girl B

Baby B is a GIRL!!

Full body profile of Baby girl B

What color is it inside??

Could be blue, could be pink??

Thanks Erin for the cute pink cakes!

Ok, here is another self-belly portrait.  I tried it this time with my iPhone, sorry I cut my face off. The baby girls are the size of bell peppers this week and growing quickly!

How far along?  18 weeks 1 day as of today, Monday May 28th

Total weight gain/loss:  I gained 4lbs as of my last appointment, but not sure of my total gain/loss

Maternity clothes?  Absolutely!  

Stretch marks?  Nope

Sleep:  Sometimes good, sometimes bad, better with my giant U-Shaped pillow that looks like i am in a boat!  Ha ha! 

Best moment this week:  Finding out we are having girls and seeing the reaction from our families when we told them, priceless! 

Have you told family and friends:  Yes, everyone knows everything we know at this point.  The only thing we won't be revealing until the births is the names (which we have not chosen yet), so don't ask, guess, or question because we aren't telling!  We have to keep something between us!

Miss Anything?  My inner ankle bones that disappeared a couple days ago!

Movement:  I feel baby girl A moving/rolling around here and there, but I have not felt baby girl B yet.

Food cravings?  Nothing crazy yet.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Anything acidic like fruit or fruit juice 

Have you started to show yet:  Yes, and people have started touching my belly. I think it is kinda cool.  No strangers have approached me yet.

Gender prediction:   We don't need a prediction!  We know we have 2 princesses!!

Labor Signs:  Please no!

Belly Button in or out?   In, but I have a purple ring around it that looks like a bruise!  Very strange!

Wedding rings on or off?  Off, and I'm very sad about it.   

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, but I've cried at a couple TV shows this week.

Weekly Wisdom:  Wow, after this long blog, my brain is fried!  I have no wisdom this week.

Looking forward to:  Registering for stuff this week with my girlfriends!  Can't wait!

Jenny & Justin +5 girls!  2 human 3 furry He he he!!!

I am 4 months pregnant.....

can you believe it???   I for one cannot believe I am already this far along!  If this makes sense I feel like the time has gone by really slow and really fast.  The days seem slow when I am not feeling well, but the overall time seems to have flown by.  I feel like yesterday we were getting that first blood test result back and finding out it was multiples.  And by the way, I'm still not sure that the whole twins thing has really and truly settled into my mind yet and become a reality.  Yes, I see them on the screen every 2 weeks, but for some reason I just don't feel like it will seem real until they are here.

Justin and I had an extremely busy week this past week.  We traveled to Kansas City for a work thing for him Tuesday thru Thursday.  We got to make a stop to visit and have dinner with my Dad and step-mom Sheila which was really nice.  I also got to meet up with 2 very old friends for dinner, whom I have known since I was born!  Crazy, huh!?  Christy and Nicole are a couple years older than me and were our next door neighbors growing up in Kansas City.  They knew my mom when she was pregnant with me and saw me come home from the hospital, so I have known them for over 33 years!  I haven't seen them in probably over 10 years and we just started talking like no time had passed at all.  It was AWESOME to see them.

Then this past weekend my amazing husband Justin graduated from college!  I am so proud of him for sticking with it and getting his degree.  And it couldn't have been better timing to get it completed before the babies arrive.  We have spent the last 6 years taking classes (and I say "we" because there might have been a little help on my part) taking 1-2 classes a year towards his degree, because between the cost and work and life that was all we could manage.  But all this effort has paid off and he now has the diploma in hand, so congrats baby!!  My mom and step-dad Bruce came in town for the ceremony and celebration and stayed with us for the weekend which was fun.  We met up with all of Justin's family for the ceremony on Saturday and had a nice brunch after.  I think Justin and I are just glad this whole school thing is over!!!  It has been an extra added stress on our lives that is now GONE!!  Yay!  No more writing papers on Sunday nights!

And I just have to say this was a very cool Mother's Day on Sunday.  I know the babies aren't here yet, but I got a lot of nice messages from people wishing me a Happy Mommy to be Day!  That made me feel so good, so thanks everyone!

How am I feeling?  Well....  I officially have been in my second trimester for a couple weeks now, and so far it isn't what everyone told me it was going to be.  They said I would just wake up one day and feel awesome and have lots more energy.......Ummmmm hasn't happened!  I am still very tired and I am sleeping less now because for some reason I wake up sometime between 5-7am wide awake and I am up for the day.  What the hell?  And it is still very hard to get to sleep and I toss and turn most of the night because my hips, legs and feet ache most of the night.  The nausea is getting better weekly which I am the most grateful for!  It still hits me a couple times a week at night, so I am hoping it will be gone soon??  I have learned certain foods make my stomach hurt and seem to trigger the evening nausea, but the one that does it the most is cheese or pizza with cheese.  I miss my favorite foods cheese and pizza so much, so every once in a while I try to eat some just to see if it won't make my stomach upset and I have gotten the same result every time, so I guess I'll just quit trying and give up cheese and pizza for now.  But as soon as these babies are born there better be a huge pizza and an awesome cheese platter waiting for me!  Another thing everyone told me was that my appetite would come back and I would be starving all the time.  Ummmm, that hasn't happened either.  Food, all and all, still sounds pretty gross and I don't seem to be any hungrier than normal.  Popsicles still make me happy along with mixed berry sorbet gelato from whole foods!!  If you haven't tried it you are missing out!  It has been my nightly treat a couple nights the last week and puts a huge smile on my face.

I am still trying to follow doctors orders and eat like crap to gain weight, but I realized my idea of eating like crap isn't exactly what other peoples idea of eating like crap is.  So let's just say I am eating healthy crappy food.  Sugary cereal and french fries is about the worst it gets for me, but hey I am trying!!

Well, we are leaving Thursday morning this week for our baby moon trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina and will be back the following Tuesday.  Then Wednesday the 23rd is our next doctor/ultrasound appt which is where we are hoping to find out the sex of the babies.  If we do, we are going to tell immediate family first and then everyone else.  So I might not put it on here till the weekend after the 23rd, sorry!  Many people have emailed/texted/called me and told me what they think the babies are going to be and I have been keeping track.  The majority of people think it is going to be a boy and a girl.  I am not sure if they think that because they think that would be ideal, or if they really think that is what they are.  Well.......we shall see!  I am so freaking excited to find out!!  I want to go shopping so bad it is killing me!

Here is my 16 week/4 month belly photo.  I got told by someone that I didn't look "that big" yet.  Ummmm, not sure how to take that.  So I look big but not that big?  Ummm, thanks?  People say the funniest things to you when you are pregnant!

Babies are the size of avocados

My husband the graduate!  Yay!

How far along?   16 weeks or 4 months as of Sunday May 13th

Total weight gain/loss:  4 pounds lost as of my last appointment

Maternity clothes?  Yes, except for dresses and my long shirts that still fit

Stretch marks?  No!  I now have 4 kinds of belly oils and lotions that I put on twice daily to prevent those nasty things!

Sleep:   Ahh, sleep!  Oh how I miss you!

Best moment this week:   Being included in the Mother's Day holiday, very cool!  Oh and my husband graduating, he he!

Miss Anything?   Read above: pizza and cheese

Movement:   I think I have felt a flutter or something here and there, but I am not sure if it is my organs or gas or the babies

Food cravings?  Nothing demanding or outrageous yet

Anything making you queasy or sick:   Food commercials

Have you started to show yet:  Yes, I think I am now getting to the point where strangers think I am pregnant and not just fat

Gender prediction:  I'm going with the majority and saying boy/girl

Labor Signs:   No

Belly Button in or out?   In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Very happy most of this week, except for late at night 

Weekly Wisdom:   No 2 people are the same, therefore no 2 peoples pregnancies are going to be the same, so I just need to stop trying to compare myself to others and just ride this pregnancy ride and whatever may come will come

Looking forward to:   Laying on the beach

Jenny & Justin +2 (+3 furry)

15 Weeks

This last week was the first week in several weeks that I felt good for several days in a row!  I did have 2 days where I just felt like crap and stayed in bed all day, but I am trying to focus on the positive, so Yay! for the good days with no nausea!  I am hoping this means I am nearing the end of it all on and on to the awesome part of the second trimester that everyone has been telling me about.

I went to my 2 week appointment on Thursday last week.  Justin couldn't go because he was traveling for the day.  It was pretty routine.  The crabby ultrasound lady, Jessica, was actually not really crabby at all today and was very nice and chatty with me!  Not sure if we are breaking her down or if she was being more friendly because Justin wasn't in the room or what, but hey I'll take  it!  She measured heartbeats and said they look normal.  I then asked about seeing the gender at this point.  She said at 14.5 weeks along her accuracy is only about 80%, and that is assuming the babies are in the right position.  She asked if I wanted her to check and I said no, not without Justin here.  I asked what her accuracy would be at our next appointment and she said 95% (because she never says she is 100%, but she has never been wrong)!  So we will wait until our next appointment which will be on May 23rd, which is almost 3 weeks away from this appointment because Justin and I are headed on our baby moon the week that we should be going in.

I also saw the doctor and it was very quick and he just asked me some routine questions measured my belly and listened to the babies heartbeats with the fetal doppler thing.  He also suggested some new medicine for my nausea, which I tried for a couple days and it didn't seem to help, so I am still taking Zofran.  Oh and one last thing....he said I have lost 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks and 2 pounds the 2 weeks before according to transferred records, so I am going in the opposite direction.  I told him food just sucks right now!  I eat during the day, but food just doesn't taste the same and then at night time it is almost impossible to force anything down, but I try really hard to eat something.  So his strict orders were to, "Eat like Crap!"  He said eat what ever sounds good but make it high calorie, high carb because if I am not eating a lot, at least what I am eating will have lots of calories.  He said eat french fries, dessert, what ever I can eat, but make it crappy.  Ummmm, those are the best doctors orders I have EVER gotten!  So fast food, and frozen yogurt, and extra butter, and french fries here I come!  This baby moon vacation next week is going to be even better!

Yep, we are headed on a get away to Hilton Head for about 5 days.  I am so excited to lay on the beach and get a tan!  I know people, sunscreen is key, but I gotta get my belly a little color so I am not so pasty.  Justin is really excited too, to get away from his hectic work for a couple days and just relax.  And then when we return, we find out the next day what the sexes of our babies are!!  What an awesome thing to come home to.

Here are the ultrasound pictures and belly picture for the week. Oh and a picture of how the nursery is coming along so far!  And please excuse the weird angle of the belly photo.  Justin and I had a hectic Sunday yesterday and forgot to take my picture, so I attempted to take it myself this morning with the automatic timer on the camera.  It'll have to do.

This is a view of the bellies of both babies

Frog legs of baby A.  Looks like someone might be tall like Daddy!

Alien face of Baby B, we couldn't get A to look the right way

Another shot of the alien face

Here is my awkward belly photo, but you get the idea.  I feel like it really is starting to pop out.  In case you can't read, according to my books the babies are the size of apples this week.

Here is the nursery so far.  I wish I would have taken a before picture, but the walls were a khaki peach color before.  Also we installed the new ceiling fan, white wood blinds, painted the grey color, had crown moulding installed and bought this new black and white Chevron rug that I LOVE!!!

Ok, I think that is all for now.  Justin and I are headed on a little road trip to Kansas City tomorrow (tuesday) thru Thursday.  And then next week we head to Hilton Head, so I am hoping these trips will keep us distracted until our next appt.

Jenny & Justin +2 (+3 furry)

Officially 2nd trimester- 14 week belly photo

Sorry I didn't update last week after our NT ultrasound screening.  Between nausea, and having my handyman here working on the nursery and then my birthday on Thursday it was quite a busy week.  The screening last Tuesday was fairly painless.  The ultrasound tech, her name is Jessica, not whatever I said it was before, was in a super crabby mood when we arrived, Awesome!  Justin and I immediately looked at each other and decided we would kill her with kindness and laughter to try and soften her up.  And guess what.....I think our plan seems to be working!  We are slowly cracking that egg.  Anyway it was pretty much a normal ultrasound except for she was looking for certain things.  A measurement on the back of the neck, (which is not easy to get when the babies keep flipping), and nasal bones.  Apparently, many babies who have chromosome defects are born without a nasal bone.  And our neck measurements came back at 1.0 and 1.1.  The tech said anything below 3.0 is normal and we were way below that mark and should have nothing to worry about, but the results from this and a blood test they took after the ultrasound will be back in a week to confirm.  Well since it took me so long to update, that means that our results should be back tomorrow.

This past week has been filled with moments where I feel good for a day and then the next day or 36 hours after I feel horrible!  I mean, in bed all day and night, no showering (Ewww!), nausea, headaches and many moments of tears because I don't know what to do and I feel helpless.  I know, I know I asked for all of this, and I know many women go through this, but I will just say it again.......This is much harder than I imagined!  I try and get as much done as possible on days when I feel good, because I never know what the next day will bring.  Eating is a whole other issue!  I can eat most days during the day just fine, but night time is miserable trying to force myself to eat something.  KFC mashed potatoes and gravy have become my new friend, and if I can't get anything else down, my wonderful husband will run to KFC for me and bring me home a large order.  Yes, that's right a large order all for myself.  Hey, at this point whatever works, right!?  I am hoping since I am in my 2nd trimester, this will start to taper off soon???  Please please please!!!

On the nursery front, we got some major things done this week to get the room ready.  Our handyman, Jerry, who is amazing, installed a new silver ceiling fan in the nursery.  He also installed white crown moulding in the room and painted.  Can't remember if I said already but we went with a light-medium grey color for the walls.  He also installed new white levolor blinds in the room, and we had him take out the shower doors in our guest bathroom so it would be easier to bathe the babies.  I will take a picture of the nursery this week to show the progress so far and post it later in the week.  (Too tired to run upstairs and do it now, sorry!)

We are headed to the doctor Thursday this week for our 2 week appointment.  Here is my belly picture:

Please disregard the red marks on the side of my belly. They are indentations from my sweatshirt from laying down, not some weird rash or something, he he!  Ugh, and I have fat arm in this picture, yuck!

How far along?   14 weeks, 2 days today

Total weight gain/loss:  I will find out Thursday

Maternity clothes? Yes!  And thank you Osman for the maternity jeans and bag of clothes!

Stretch marks?  Nope, please please stay away!

Sleep:  Still weird and at weird times

Best moment this week:  My birthday on Thursday.  Can't believe I am 33!!  Holy crap!  My husband took me to an awesome dinner and bought me some beautiful gifts!  Thank babe!

Have you told family and friends:   Feel like I should remove this question

Miss Anything?   Feeling normal with no upset stomach, and my sanity

Movement:   Not yet, should be soon......

Food cravings?  Thank you KFC!  Wouldn't consider it a craving as much as food my stomach will tolerate

Anything making you queasy or sick:   The 2 babies in my belly

Have you started to show yet:   Yep.  It feels much bigger than it looks

Gender prediction:  Still going with one of each

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out?  IN

Wedding rings on or off? ON

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy on non-nausea days, very sad and emotional on nausea filled days

Weekly Wisdom:  If there is a moment where you don't have nausea make sure your list of to-do's is ready to go, because who knows when it may strike! 

Looking forward to:  Not being nauseous??  Will that day ever come??  Please!!  Everyone put your nausea prayers out there. please!!!!

Jenny & Justin +2 (+3 furry)

Confusion and my 13 week belly photo

So I am a little confused about how different books and websites and doctors all have different opinions on when the first trimester ends and the second begins.  Many of them say the end of the first trimester is the end of the 12th week, which really doesn't make sense because if there are 3 trimesters in a pregnancy that means 12 weeks times 3 trimesters is 36 weeks, but a pregnancy is really 40 weeks.  And then I found a few books and websites who say that the end of the 13th week of pregnancy is the end of the 1st trimester and the beginning of the second.  I'm no math genius, but this makes a little more sense.  13 weeks times 3 trimesters is 39 weeks, which gets you closer to that 40 weeks of pregnancy number.  And on that note, why do they say pregnancy is 9 months?  Because I'm pretty sure there is an average of 4 weeks in a month and 40 weeks divided by 4 is 10 people!!!  10 months, NOT 9!!  So please stop saying it is 9 months!  (Well actually in my case I will probably be closer to the 36-37 weeks, but I'm just saying get your math right and stop confusing me!)

So I am 13 weeks, 2 days pregnant today and I am either in the last week of my first trimester, or the beginning of my second, you take your pick.  I am still super nauseous in the evenings and at night which really sucks!  I was nauseous last night from 6pm-2am!  Ugh!  My new doctor said I could try taking Unisom to get some sleep and that it might help calm the nausea.  I have taken it twice so far and it did help a little with the nausea late night and I did sleep soundly, but it was very hard for me to get up in the morning.  So I will only take it if I know I don't have to get up early for something the next day.

The biggest news I have to report is that I am officially done with injections!!!!!!  Yes that's right I have survived 182 needle pokes in my stomach and my hips!  I can't believe I did it!  I don't want to sound conceited, but I am very proud of myself, because I had no idea I was that strong and could face one of my biggest fears head on.  Justin and I celebrated on Sunday after my last shot and threw out the last needle disposal container, I danced around the room a little and then we made a big breakfast to celebrate!  Whew!!  Close the book on that chapter.

Anyway, here is my picture for the week:

I look like crap in this picture, but we didn't take it till later in the evening and I was NOT feeling so good. If you can't read the sign, the babies are the size of peaches this week (about 3 inches long)

How far along?   13 weeks 1 day in the picture

Total weight gain/loss: ????

Maternity clothes?  Maxi dresses, maternity tanks because they are comfortable, still in my own pants

Stretch marks?  Keep lathering up everyday

Sleep:  Ugh, not much lately thanks to the nausea!  Thank goodness for midday naps!

Best moment this week:  Starting to get the babies room ready!

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Miss Anything?  Being able to decide what to eat for dinner, the fertility clinic staff!

Movement:  On screen not in person 

Food cravings?  Still the same, Bomb popsicles, turkey sandwiches, bread, saltines, KFC mashed potatoes and gravy

Anything making you queasy or sick: Everything after 6pm makes me sick!

Have you started to show yet: Yep, but I can't wait for it to be more round and less beer belly-like

Gender prediction: Ok, I'm gonna say it..........1 boy and 1 girl would be ideal

Labor Signs: Heck no

Belly Button in or out? IN

Wedding rings on or off? ON

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Both this week.  Hoping that means I am nearing the end of the first trimester nausea and exhaustion

Weekly Wisdom:  Please re-write all baby books and inform all professionals in the baby field, that a pregnancy is NOT 9 months, so stop leading people on!!  There is a whole nother month in there people!

Looking forward to:  Getting through the genetic screening tomorrow and having positive results come back!

Jenny & Justin +2 (+3 furry)

Injections: 182 (Thats my final number, yay!!)

Protecting our Investments

Wow, this week has been another roller coaster ride of feelings and emotions and symptoms.  Monday I woke up and I felt great and I got a lot of stuff done and I didn't even feel so bad in the evening, Yay!  Tuesday day was more of the same good feelings, but then that damn nausea showed up again right at 6pm to ruin my evening.  Wednesday I was exhausted ALL day and basically laid around in my PJ's all day because I had NO energy.  Wednesday night I had a girls dinner and I had a little nausea come on about 6pm, but once I got to dinner I felt pretty good.  Then as soon as I got home from dinner at 930pm, WOW, I had a horrible stomach ache and I really thought I was going to toss my dinner.  Luckily, I didn't, but I am getting really tired of this nausea stuff.

Thursday Justin and I headed to the 2nd doctor we were considering.  This doctor is called a Perinatologist. This means he only works with high-risk pregnant patients and nothing else.  He is the one that was recommended very highly by our fertility doctor.  We arrived and the first person we meet at the front office is a very nice cute little pregnant girl, who checks me in and I handed her my massive file of paperwork.  The other 2 women working in the front reception area were not friendly at all, but this girl made up for it with her kind smile and warmth.  Isn't it crazy how fast someone can make a first impression on you!  We waited about 20 minutes in a very full waiting room and were finally called back for the first portion, which was the ultrasound.

The lady that came out to get us for the ultrasound was named Julie and she would be the one performing it as well.  She was very straight forward, to the point, and well.... not very friendly.  We got into the room and I assumed the position on the table.  Justin and I were trying to make conversation with her while she was preparing, but she wasn't having it.  Ok, that sucks!  Anyway, this ultrasound room is set up so when I lay down and look forward about 5 feet in front of me up on the wall is a large monitor for Justin and I to view everything.  That way she can have the whole ultrasound screen to herself.  This ultrasound was different than any other we have had.  She was very precise and looking for certain things like 2 sides to each brain, and 2 arms and 2 legs on each baby.  She measured their lengths and found that one baby is about a centimeter longer than the other.  She said this is still within normal range.  I asked her if she could convert that into inches, (god I'm demanding!) so I could get a better idea of their size and she seemed perturbed, but figured it out for me anyway.  She also measured the heartbeats which were 167 and 157, I think.  Or somewhere around there.  She said these are both normal as well.  The babies were not as active today and only of of them was moving around a little.  I think it might have been because I had eaten a little while before and they were in food coma like their momma. He he!!

During the entire ultrasound Justin and I were making comments and asking her questions and this woman was very dry, crabby, and just not friendly at all.  I made a comment at the end that she has a really cool job and she made some negative remark like, "Well yea, MOST of the time it's ok." Ok, great I'm done trying with her for today.  We were then led into the exam room to wait for the doctor.  We waited what seemed like forever (which was only like 20 minutes), and the doctor finally came in.  He was a skinny man with glasses and a short military style haircut.  He immediately smiled and shook our hands and sat down to chat.  And I must say he is exactly like our fertility doctor had described.  He made dry humor jokes kind of under his breath during our entire conversation, which at first was weird and then I caught on to his humor.  He is definitely quirky, nerdy, doctor-ish, but really seems to know his stuff.

This conversation went on for quite sometime, so I will try and summarize. His answers and thoughts:

Yes, I am high risk because I am carrying more than 1 baby, period.  And just because I am healthy and everything is normal now with the pregnancy, there is a way higher chance of something developing that can make me need high-risk care.  High-risk also means that you have a higher chance of going into pre-term labor, which is the case for most multiple pregnancies.  So why not just begin our journey with a doctor who is super experienced in dealing with high-risk pregnancies.  Better safe than sorry right?  He highly suggested a non-invasive test called and NT screening which is where they measure the thickness of the back of the babies necks through ultrasound, and through a blood test with me, which gives them a very good indicator if either of the babies has a chromosome abnormality like Downs, or Trisomy.  He said it is better to be prepared than not.   He also talked about many other risks and abnormalities that can occur.  Honestly, at the end of this portion of the conversation I was starting to get a little depressed because he was talking about all the bad stuff that can happen.  This doctor likes to talk odds and percentages like 1 out of 220 or 60%, and after about 10 different statistics my brain was mush and I can't tell you which stat goes with what.  He also talked about c-section versus labor, and his answer was much the same as the OBGYN I had seen last week.  He said I should read this one certain book about multiples and it just so happens I had already bought it.  He also said I need to be aware that I need to gain about 20-24lbs in the next 11 weeks or by week 24.  He said he is looking for a total weight gain of about 40-50lbs!!!!  Ahhh that is scary!  He talked about symptoms, and vitamins I am taking, and I think some other things, but at that point, my brain was mushy and full and I think I went into la la land.  He then did an exam and talked about how everything looked really good in our ultrasound.  He put this cool doppler machine on my belly and we could hear the heartbeats of both babies through the speaker in the room.  It was very cool!

I asked about the frequency of my visits and he said he would like to see me every 2 weeks and that I would have an ultrasound with those appointments about 90% of the time.  Then once I reach 28 weeks, I would see him once a week.  He asked me if I had done any pregnancy blood work and I said, No, and I knew we had to say something about going to the other OBGYN last week, because I felt conflicted at this point.  I told him we saw her last week and we wanted to feel out both ends of the spectrum as far as an OBGYN vs a High Risk Specialist.  He didn't seem to mind at all.  I told him that the OBGYN had said I wasn't high risk and that I would be treated like a normal 1 baby pregnancy.  He said, that we had to make the decision for ourselves and decide what is best for us.  I looked at Justin and said that I thought we had spent too much time, money, emotion, tears, stress, and anxiety to not go with someone who deals ONLY with our type of case.  Protect our investment right?  And that was that.  We are going with this doctor!

So he sent the nurse in to do my pregnancy blood work and Justin asked how many vials and she said, 7!!!!!  Here we go again!  Waterworks, on.  Justin held my hand and this nurse did a GREAT job not making it too painful and before I knew it we were done.  Whew!

I scheduled my 2 week appointment with them and also my NT screening will be done next Tuesday.  I need to call and cancel my appointment with the OBGYN, but I am scared and luckily they are closed today (Friday), so I get a couple days to round up some courage to call on Monday.  I am thinking I might just find a new OBGYN when this is all done and just have a fresh clean slate, just incase the OBGYN has hurt feelings.

Wow, yesterday was exhausting mentally and physically!  I am just glad we have made a decision.  Today I am feeling nauseous again, so I am going to sign off and go crawl in bed.  Ugh!!  Below are some ultrasound pictures from yesterday.

Baby B is now on the left and Baby A is on the right

Baby B-This one was more active this visit

Baby A just chilling with its hand on its head

Jenny & Justin +2 (+3 furry)

Injections: 181  (One more shot to go!!!!!)

Blood draws: 19 Vials: 49

I'm the Question Master

Justin and I headed to our first appointment with my current Obgyn on Wednesday the 11th.  I came armed with a huge folder of records from the fertility clinic and also a long list of questions.  

My appointment was scheduled at 245pm and I was not called back until 330pm.  For some reason that wait was really stressing me out and putting negative tally marks on my impression of this doctor. I know, I know....... you always wait forever when you go to a doctors appointment, but we are so used to the clinic where things never usually run more than 10 minutes behind.  

So we finally went back and were ushered into the ultrasound room which is where my entire exam would take place.  The nurse, Lindsey (who has been at the office for some time and I really like) asked me lots of questions, took my vitals and had me get into my paper skirt and wait for the doctor.  To my surprise we weren't waiting in the room forever for the doctor.  She came in and said congrats and we immediately started talking about how I had told our fertility doctor that she had called him the, "unconventional cowboy" of the infertility community.  And how our fertility doctor had called her to gloat about me and left a message for her that said, " Yippy kai yay mother f**ker".  It was all in good fun of course and I was glad she saw it as a joke. 

The doctor then asked me more questions about health, how I was feeling, family history, etc.

Let me back up for a second and describe this doctor first.  She is a nice looking, younger doctor who I can't figure out for the life of me.  I would say she is intelligent and informative, but somewhat soft spoken.  I sometimes feel she is judging me with her eyes while I am talking.  But I might be mistaken?  I don't know I just can't quite figure her out.  It's hard coming from the fertility doctor back to her because he is such an open book and warm and friendly and just says what he thinks.

So the doctor prepares to do an exam and ultrasound on my abdomen and asks what the piece of paper is in my hand.  I said it is my huge list of questions for her.  She said to start firing away while she was doing the exam.  So I did.  

I asked if she considered me high-risk and she said no.  I do not have any high risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or any other health ailments that would make me high risk.  She said that twins are considered high risk if you have another health factor added into the mix, but if I am healthy there is no need to consider me high risk.  This can change later in the pregnancy, and someone like myself can become high risk, if you develop something that puts you or the babies at risk.  But for now at this point, she says I am not.  Which is interesting to note, because our fertility doctor said he did consider me high-risk.  Her answer to this first question just made me glad about my decision to see a second high-risk OB next week to get several perspectives.  

I asked her if she had delivered twins before and she said yes, many, and that she had just had 4 sets of them in the last year.  Ok, not a huge number in my book, but some experience.  I also asked about a c-section versus labor delivery.  She said most twins are born around 36-37 weeks.  And about 50% of those are c-sections, but NOT planned ones.  Apparently it all has to do with how the bottom baby is positioned and this can change up until the minute the babies come out.  If the lower baby is breech and you go into labor they will automatically do a c-section.  If the lower baby is head down, they like you to try and go through labor to deliver.  And what about the second baby you ask??  Well, if the first baby is breech, then no worries, because they are both arriving via c-section.  If the first baby is head down and delivered and the second baby is breech, it is a last minute call by the doctor.  Sometimes (WARNING: this scares the crap out of me!) they will just reach in and pull it out no matter if it is head or feet first.  AHHHHHH!!!  And sometimes they have to do a c-section to get the second baby out.  So, you could end up with labor and a c-section, or one or the other.  Ok, so really by her answer I just need to plan on well.....ummmm.....whatever happens happens.

I honestly wasn't crazy about the answers she had for most of my questions.  I guess because I had been told a totally different thing by our fertility doctor (who mind you was an OB for 25 years).  She said my care wouldn't be any more specialized than someone carrying 1 baby and that I would only come in once a month for visits.  I would get an ultrasound every visit, but that is the only more specialized care she would recommend.  I asked her about delivering at a specific hospital that our fertility doctor highly suggested and she didn't seem to like the idea all that much.  (I am assuming because she is affiliated with a different hospital??)  So overall I wasn't too excited or thrilled with her answers.  But again I have to keep this all in perspective because she deals with hundreds of pregnant women, so why should I be treated any different right?  Well I guess I feel like I should feel special, just like the fertility doctor made me feel.

Overall, I think she would be a fine OBGYN and I don't question her abilities, I just question her ability to make me feel secure and confident.  I do realize she has very high expectations to live up to when compared to our fertility doctor.  Sooo, with all that being said, and all my questions asked, she proceeded with the abdominal ultrasound.  They have a computer screen for me and the doctor to look at and then a big flat screen on the wall for Justin to look at.  It was very cool!  She said we are welcome to video the ultrasound on our phone, so we can have the actual movements of the babies captured. We agreed we will do this next time.

The babies were even bigger this week and moving even more!  It is so COOL to see.  They were wiggling around kicking arms and legs, bobbing heads and even flipping over.  I am not able to feel any of these things yet, but she said hopefully in a couple more weeks I would be able to start to feel them move.  She did say she noticed that Baby A's placenta is attached in the front like closest to my belly button, so I might not feel them kick until a little later than normal because it is blocking them.  She said we could start to look for the sexes of the babies at our 16 week appointment, but sometimes you have to wait until the 20 week appointment to get a clear view.  So that means we have between 4 and 8 weeks to find out the sexes.  I am sure hoping it is 4 weeks!  

We finished the ultrasound, and she said she wasn't sure what blood tests I still needed to do, but that she would review my huge file and I could just do the blood work at my next appointment.  So my next appointment at that office is scheduled for April 25th, or 2 weeks from this appointment.  I will see the ultrasound tech for an ultrasound to do measurements, and then the nurse practioner (the doctor will be out of town) and then get blood work done.  And yes, all this is not set in stone, if in fact I decide to go with the high-risk specialist, which I will see April 19th.  

So that was Wednesday.  Now cut to Friday morning, I get a phone call from this doctor who leaves me a voicemail that goes something like this.  "Hi Jenny, I wanted to let you know I reviewed your file and there is some bloodwork missing, but I will verify with the clinic and if you do in fact need it you can just do it on the 25th.  Also, if you would like to come in this week and have an ultrasound done for your piece of mind just call us and we will fit you in.  And really we can do that for you any time in between your scheduled appointments."   Ummm, ok  she just earned some points in my book.

Friday afternoon we head to the baseball game and to a place beforehand to hang out and get out of the rain.  Well... I am walking around trying to find something to eat, because if you can't drink beer at a baseball game you might as well eat, right!?  And who do I run into...... THE DOCTOR!!  She says "Jenny" and I looked up and there she was standing in front of me, and I was kind of taken back, because I don't really know what you say to your OBGYN when you see them out in public.  And I can't even tell you a word I said to her because I felt akward and nervous.  But she was making a huge effort to have a conversation, so again I give her points for that.  And I also think, because you know how I am about things happening for a reason, that maybe I am supposed to give her a chance???

Ok, shut up Jenny and get to the good news!!!  I have finally made it to 12 WEEKS!!!!!!!  Hurray!!!!!!  Technically, I am still in the first trimester until the end of the 12th week, which would be next Sunday the 22nd.  But hey I can say I am in my 12th week, and that makes me SOOOOO happy!!  And the other good news is I have 2 MORE INJECTIONS!!!!  That's right, 2 more needles!  Myself and my hips are grateful that it is coming to an end.

And one last thing.  I believe honesty is the best policy and I hate complainers, BUT this first 12 weeks has been well......hard (mentally and physically)!  My nausea goes in waves and just when I have a couple good days and I think it is ending it comes back full throttle and kicks my butt and like last night I couldn't get to bed till 2am.  And I have begun having headaches, which are just annoying and painful.  And I am crabby and mean to my poor husband.  I admit it, I have been down right hard to deal with the last 2 weeks.  And the exhaustion from the headaches and the nausea, and the exhaustion from the exhaustion makes me want to sleep all day every day.  And food sucks!  Nothing sounds good, my taste buds are totally off, and I have this weird taste flem thing in the back of my throat that never goes away, WTF???  

I mean I guess it could be worse and I am sure there are women who have it way worse in the first trimester, and maybe I am just being wimpy about it, but whatever the case may be, I just had to get it out there, that this is NOT easy, and I can imagine it is only going to get harder.  And I thought...... because we had a hard time getting pregnant, and all the painful years of periods I suffered though was enough to get me out of the side effects of pregnancy.  HA!!  Was I wrong!

Ok, enough complaining.  Here are my ultrasound and belly photos for this week.

The one on the bottom right in all the pictures is harder to see she said because it is further away from the ultrasound waves.

How far along? 12 weeks today!!  Yay!

Total weight gain/loss: Well according to the OBGYN scale I have lost 2 pounds coming from the fertility clinic, but she said that could just be because scales are different.

Maternity clothes?  Loving maxi dresses and maternity t-shirts are comfy

Stretch marks?  NOPE

Sleep: I sleep at weird times, and can't get to bed till late because of the nausea.

Best moment this week: It would have to be seeing the babies wiggle around on the screen.  I am hoping I will be able to post the video on here next week. So cool!

Have you told family and friends: Yes, I believe everyone now knows our great news!

Miss Anything? My appetite and food sounding and tasting good.

Movement: We have visual movement, but not feeling it yet.

Food cravings?  Turkey sandwiches, popsicles

Anything making you queasy or sick: What doesn't?

Have you started to show yet: I believe that is a yes!

Gender prediction: UGH, I want to know so bad, but I don't want to guess!

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? IN

Wedding rings on or off? ON

Happy or Moody most of the time:  CRABBY!  Sorry honey!  Thanks for being so understanding!  Love you! 

Weekly Wisdom: There is a reason other pregnant people don't tell you all the horrible things that can happen to you until you are pregnant, because at that point there is no turning back.  I am not sure how women have multiple pregnancies.  More power to you women!

Looking forward to: Meeting with the new doctor Thursday, having another ultrasound with him, and my belly popping out.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Jenny & Justin +2