Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Wait for it...

Ta-Da!!!! We are in the 2nd trimester!! Care to dance along with me? It does seem almost surreal to have made it this far, especially with all of the "could-have-beens," but let's just have a party (a CARBalicious party!) for the "what is:" I am carrying and growing 2 perfectly healthy babies for C & M...both of our dreams coming true in this journey.

I am 13 weeks, 1 day today. C and I did go my appointment together this morning for the nuchal scan. Other than the scan lasting over an hour, it was a really positive appointment. Baby A has developed significantly and is now only 2 days behind Baby B. They are both right on track for the gestational age and are quite the little wiggle-worms. At first look of the ultrasound, our OB says that everything looks great and normal. I am having my blood sent to a lab to be tested and read alongside the nuchal scan to provide better accuracy. I should receive those results in about a week. After that C will decide whether or not to move forward with the amniocentesis. For now, we wait.

C really enjoyed getting to see her babies on the ultrasound screen - and who wouldn't, right?!- and I think she was really comfortable with the OB and her staff. I'm excited about that. We did have some creepy weather in the area during her visit -- tornado warnings and all that jazz. Being from NY, she was not used to the sirens and the radio reports I don't think. I hope she wasn't too frightened - it can be a bit intimidating if you're not used to it...and even if you are, for sure! What a nice "Welcome to TN," eh?

Our next appointment is in 4 weeks. Our next big ultrasound will be in 7 weeks; this ultrasound will be to determine the health of the anatomical makeup of the babies: kidneys, heart chambers, brain, etc. C may come back for the visit as well. Hopefully, we can spend more time together then as this visit was quite the quick trip.

Now, in case you think this post is boring, I will leave you with a little happy:




Aren't photos are a nice happy?! For those of you are reading from afar and don't get to see me as often as you'd like (and you know you are *cough, cough*), this is what my 13-week-pregnant-with-someone-else's-twins looks like. You're welcome. ;)
Now, comment me so I'll feel loved...







Wednesday, October 20, 2010

No news...

...is good news, right? Well, at least in pregnancy it is. I thought I'd pop into bloggie-land and let you all know that I am still alive and well. Truthfully, recent busy developments in my personal life have pushed blogging to the wayside, but not the pregnancy.

Today completes 12 weeks and 2 days of the 40 week journey. So all of you elementary math whizzes out there have probably already figured out that I am 5 days away from the beginning of the 2nd trimester. And hopefully that will bring about some smooth sailing: less fatigue, no more nausea, increased energy, and that wonderful "glow" that has eluded me in my previous pregnancies. I am indeed looking forward to the next trimester.

I am still having slight bouts of daily nausea and random crankiness, but the fatigue is really surprising to me this time around. Perhaps it reveals my age. As of this morning, I am up 4lbs...and while my mid-section is taking shape, I think most of those pounds are making themselves cozy on my arse. I could need bigger pants soon to accommodate that growth. In similar news, I have graduated to maternity shirts as my current tops make me look like a chickie who's wearing clothes that are getting abit too small. We all know what that looks like and it is NOT flattering!

I am officially off the extra hormones that I have been on for the past 8 weeks, and I cannot tell you all how relieved I am - no more shots, pills, or other icky stuff. I'm hoping to start to feel like I'm off those little boogers too -- soon, and very soon!

C's flight comes in on Monday evening; she will join me for the ultrasound on Tuesday morning, then head back to her family shortly after that. We're hoping for a longer visit in the future. I'm anxious for her to see the hospital, meet the OB, and of course meet my crew o'kiddos!

Praying good news awaits us after next week's ultrasound. See you all then!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Your Highlight of the Week!

Wow, readers -- this is it: 2 posts in one week!!! It's the highlight of my week, and I'm guessing that holds true for at least some of you. And I know I said I would update yesterday, but life happened and computer time became a luxury yesterday. (Truthfully, it's a luxury today as I *should* be cleaning the house right now.)

My appointment yesterday went well, however it took 2 hours! I had almost forgot what it was like to wait in a waiting room. I spent 45 minutes with the ultrasound tech before seeing the doctor. For the ultrasound, we had a look-see on top of the belly as well as an intra-uterine (that sounds better than trans- vaginal, don'tcha think?!) ultrasound. This is becoming a pretty standard part of the ultrasound appointment, but I suppose it will always be a bit awkward to have all that going on.

We were able to see the two beans with two little heartbeats beating away!! In fact, the tech had a hard time isolating a heart-rate because the little ones were moving around and wiggling so much. I've never actually seen a little bean this early in a pregnancy, so it was a really neat experience. Baby A is still 4-5 days smaller than Baby B, but at this point, we assume that's due to implantation timing. Both have continued to develop at their normal pace and both have strong heartbeats. My OB was very positive and not concerned about the growth difference. We are moving along with a twin pregnancy!

My next appointment will be October 26. This ultrasound appointment will be a little different since we are having a nuchal scan. A nuchal scan is a sonogram that helps to identify the risks for Down Syndrome. The results of this scan will determine whether we proceed with an amniocentesis. C will be joining me for that appointment. I am excited to have her here and for her to see her babies. The ultrasound techs at the office have started a DVD with all of the ultrasound scans (we add onto the dvd each visit), so C will have a collection of those scans. How neat!

I have gained 2.5lbs so far, and that's good for now. (I read somewhere that a gain of more than 4lbs in the first trimester can put a woman at risk for gestational diabetes.) I'm starting to get a little bump, but I may be the only one that notices because mostly it just looks like I've "gained a few" pounds, ha!

Thanks for giving me a read. I'm off to clean the house and try to find pants that will fit me today.

Monday, October 4, 2010

To Commemorate 10 weeks

In order to commemorate the 10 week mark (which is officially today!), I decided to be involved in a fender-bender this morning. Ok, I really didn't have much of a choice, but what a way to start the week!

I won't re-tell the incident because that would be boring. But I will say, "I am not fault, I am not fault, I am not a fault." I might even be dancing a little bit, too.

It was a slow ding, but due to the pregnancy, the hubby and I thought it would be best to file a police report, for liability purposes. The gentleman than got me was kind and apologized and admitted fault, but the police report insures that. Now, to find a body shop to replace the bumper on my vehicle.

As far as the pregnancy is concerned, I contacted my 2 nurses (one with my OB's office and one at the fertility clinic) and was just instructed to rest for the day, drink fluids, and come in as scheduled tomorrow for the ultrasound. Neither seemed too concerned; thanksfully, I was wearing a seatbelt - I am not a rebel - and the bump was really minor. I think I get jostled around more going upstairs than I did in the car. Although my mom was quick to remind me that an unexpected (little) jostle is different from a purposeful one. Prayers up for the twins and good news tomorrow.

I did let C know as well. Truthfully, if all is well, I could have let her be none the wiser, but I feel like she needs to know all she can about the health and safety of her babies. We're both looking forward to tomorrow's appointment, anxious and excited at the same time.

On another note, a very sweet friend is bringing over some soup in light of my rest instructions. I couldn't be more thankful for that, and I love soup!

Oh, and perhaps you haven't thought about this yet -- but I will have 2 updates in one week...because of course I will update after tomorrow's appointment. Yes, 2 blog updates will be the highlight of my week; I'm old and boring. :) Until tomorrow...