Here I am just past the third-tri mark. This time has flown by so incredibly fast. I've managed to gain about 32 pounds so far, so I'm doing great. For me, my adjusted weight gain range is 42-52 pounds, so I have some leeway over the next few weeks. I'm measuring right on and our little girl seems to keep growing so I'm happy.
A couple of weeks ago I had my first baby shower. A lot of people weren't able to make it, but a bunch of people sent gifts or cards, so our little girl made off like a bandit. We got a bunch of clothes, and feeding stuff (spoons, bottles, snack holders, etc.). We got quite a few blankets too, which will be great since Aubrey is due in October. Some good friends of ours sent items from our registry and shocked the heck out of me. They bought us probably $100 worth of stuff!!
In a couple of weeks, my preggo friend (due 8 days before me) and I are having a double baby shower. I'm hoping a few more things get purchased from our registries, but we'll see. A note for those who have baby showers to attend...if at all possible, buy from the registries. There's a reason we set them up. Granted, there's always something that we don't think about that may be super vital to raising a baby, or may just be super de duper cute, but honestly, I absolutely love it when we get stuff for our little girl from our registries. Heck, we spent a lot of time researching and deciding what we'd like to have, so technically we made it easy for people to shop, right?? JMO...
Okay..off the soapbox! haha
I'm almost completely done with the diaper cake for my preggo friend. I just have a couple of finishing touches to put on it and it'll be finished! Once I get it done, I'll post pictures. Now if only I could find the energy to get her baby blanket done too, I'll be in great shape!
Update on work: the intern that was helping over the summer is basically done with her internship. What does that mean for me? That's a darned good question. My doc said it's okay if I work 40 hours a week, but I'd prefer to keep it well under that. I haven't had a chance to discuss it with my boss yet, but we'll see what happens. There isn't anyone else yet in the office, so I have a feeling I'll be sucked into 40 hours. Who knows. Maybe they'll figure something out and I can get a few afternoons off. Fingers crossed!!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Shopping Excursion!
Today I went shopping...baby shopping! But not for me and Hubby....I went super early shower shopping for my friend who is due 8 days before me. I've decided to secretly crochet her a baby blanket, but for the shower itself, I'm going to make a diaper cake and put stuff on/in it from her registry. Granted, I love making stuff, and since she's a pretty close friend, I figured I may as well go all out, right? The baby blanket will be a secret gift that I give her when there aren't friends from church there (I don't want there to be a jealousy issue. I made one for another friend, but told the girls if they all expect one from me, they can't all get pregnant at the same time. They all did, so no blankets for them.)
The worst part of this all?? My friend registered for so much super cute stuff, I just want to buy it all!! (I love baby shopping for others...heck shopping for others in general!!) When I made the first diaper cake a couple years ago, I just bought stuff that I knew babies needed. This time, as an expectant mother myself, I've decided to buy off her registry. She does have quite a few less than $5 items, that would fit perfectly in and on the diaper cake, so I've decided to go with that. I'm using diapers she registered for, and will try to top it all off with either ladybug or tulip ribbon (her favorites). I think we're going to have a double shower sometime in August, so I know I'm way ahead of the game, but then again, my hubby reminded me that I may just want to get the stuff now before someone else buys it. Then I know I can get what she wants and make something super cute out of it all! I can't wait to get started!!
As for me...I'm doing well, and my little girl is super active! This morning I was lounging on the couch, and my belly was just going all over the place! She definitely is going to be a high-energy baby/toddler, that's for sure! I love every second of it though. After dealing with IF, even the painful kicks and punches are so loved.
I've also had a huge change at work. When my boss resigned, I told them I wanted only 32 hours a week. Yeah...it's only been 2 weeks, and both weeks I've put in way over my requested 32 (I had a total of 75 hours when it should have been a max of 64). We have a church intern who is supposed to be helping, but she's really not much of a help at all. Tuesday, she came in later than she was supposed to, and Thursday, she called the pastor's wife (who was at the church that day) to see if they needed her to come in because she didn't think we had anything for her to do. I was livid. She is supposed to be in the office Tuesday-Thursday 1:30-5:00. Thursday was the only afternoon I got off last week, and she is normally supposed to be in the office at 1:30. She came in at 2:00 because the pastor's daughter was doing her hair. Say what?!!?! I really get the feeling that she has the same attitude the pastor's daughter has..."I can do whatever the heck I want because my dad's the lead pastor." That is so not going to fly with me. At least now, the new pastor and I set up a schedule for her which requires very little interaction between me and her, so we'll see how that works out. We even figured out what she can be doing each afternoon she is there.
It's going to be a fun interesting summer once again! Oh joy!!
No update on my sister's wedding. We really haven't spoken in a week or so which is odd for us. I sent her an email personally inviting her to my baby shower in July, but I haven't heard anything back from her at all. No email, no text, no call. I'm not worried...if she wants to do that, it's her thing, not mine.
The worst part of this all?? My friend registered for so much super cute stuff, I just want to buy it all!! (I love baby shopping for others...heck shopping for others in general!!) When I made the first diaper cake a couple years ago, I just bought stuff that I knew babies needed. This time, as an expectant mother myself, I've decided to buy off her registry. She does have quite a few less than $5 items, that would fit perfectly in and on the diaper cake, so I've decided to go with that. I'm using diapers she registered for, and will try to top it all off with either ladybug or tulip ribbon (her favorites). I think we're going to have a double shower sometime in August, so I know I'm way ahead of the game, but then again, my hubby reminded me that I may just want to get the stuff now before someone else buys it. Then I know I can get what she wants and make something super cute out of it all! I can't wait to get started!!
As for me...I'm doing well, and my little girl is super active! This morning I was lounging on the couch, and my belly was just going all over the place! She definitely is going to be a high-energy baby/toddler, that's for sure! I love every second of it though. After dealing with IF, even the painful kicks and punches are so loved.
I've also had a huge change at work. When my boss resigned, I told them I wanted only 32 hours a week. Yeah...it's only been 2 weeks, and both weeks I've put in way over my requested 32 (I had a total of 75 hours when it should have been a max of 64). We have a church intern who is supposed to be helping, but she's really not much of a help at all. Tuesday, she came in later than she was supposed to, and Thursday, she called the pastor's wife (who was at the church that day) to see if they needed her to come in because she didn't think we had anything for her to do. I was livid. She is supposed to be in the office Tuesday-Thursday 1:30-5:00. Thursday was the only afternoon I got off last week, and she is normally supposed to be in the office at 1:30. She came in at 2:00 because the pastor's daughter was doing her hair. Say what?!!?! I really get the feeling that she has the same attitude the pastor's daughter has..."I can do whatever the heck I want because my dad's the lead pastor." That is so not going to fly with me. At least now, the new pastor and I set up a schedule for her which requires very little interaction between me and her, so we'll see how that works out. We even figured out what she can be doing each afternoon she is there.
It's going to be a fun interesting summer once again! Oh joy!!
No update on my sister's wedding. We really haven't spoken in a week or so which is odd for us. I sent her an email personally inviting her to my baby shower in July, but I haven't heard anything back from her at all. No email, no text, no call. I'm not worried...if she wants to do that, it's her thing, not mine.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
I need some advice...
This whole wedding thing with my sister has become quite the mess. This past week, they had a little bit of a fight/disagreement, but it all stems from a lot of "me, me, me, I, I, I" from my sister. The pastor who is doing their pre-marital counseling told them to take a week and not talk, text, call, or basically see each other. He wanted them to have no contact for an entire week.
Now enter more drama...
The pastor has been a mentor to my sister's fiance for the past 6 years, so there's quite a relationship built between them. Apparently, he doesn't seem to like my sister (based on the previous 1 counseling session they had had) and basically told the fiance that he doesn't want him to marry my sister. Say what?!?!?!
Well, yesterday they had another counseling session, and the two of them (my sis and her fiance) have decided to postpone their original August wedding date. My sis said they have some things they need to work through and feel it would be better to push the wedding back. They haven't set a date for sure, but they're thinking of pushing it to...
October.
Are you flipping kidding me?? My sister is fully aware that I am due in October, and I even told her that if she wants me and Hubby there, that September through November are out of the question for sure. Granted, I do not want her to plan her life around me or our upcoming family, but it almost seems like she doesn't really even care if her own family (and not just me) is at her wedding. Heck, when we thought we were going to have twins she had a back-up bridesmaid in case I couldn't be there.
And if they do an October wedding, it also puts my parents in a predicament. Do they go to my sister's wedding, or do they make plans to come out to see their first grandbaby? They're going to feel torn between the two of us, and if they chose to come out to see us when Aubrey is born, my sister will be completely jealous and say stuff like "She's the baby...she always gets her way." (Not kidding at all.)
Am I wrong in thinking that it's rude of her not to consider the fact that October and the months surrounding it are not good ones for us? Granted, October is not set in stone, but still. How would you handle this situation? What in the world should I say to her?
I can honestly say that if my parents have to choose, I'll selfishly admit that I'd want them here. But I don't want them even having to face a situation like that either because it's really not fair to them at all.
I just have no idea how to even approach this whole thing. I want to tell my sister straight out all this stuff, but I know she wouldn't take it well at all.
Why can't life just be easy??
Now enter more drama...
The pastor has been a mentor to my sister's fiance for the past 6 years, so there's quite a relationship built between them. Apparently, he doesn't seem to like my sister (based on the previous 1 counseling session they had had) and basically told the fiance that he doesn't want him to marry my sister. Say what?!?!?!
Well, yesterday they had another counseling session, and the two of them (my sis and her fiance) have decided to postpone their original August wedding date. My sis said they have some things they need to work through and feel it would be better to push the wedding back. They haven't set a date for sure, but they're thinking of pushing it to...
October.
Are you flipping kidding me?? My sister is fully aware that I am due in October, and I even told her that if she wants me and Hubby there, that September through November are out of the question for sure. Granted, I do not want her to plan her life around me or our upcoming family, but it almost seems like she doesn't really even care if her own family (and not just me) is at her wedding. Heck, when we thought we were going to have twins she had a back-up bridesmaid in case I couldn't be there.
And if they do an October wedding, it also puts my parents in a predicament. Do they go to my sister's wedding, or do they make plans to come out to see their first grandbaby? They're going to feel torn between the two of us, and if they chose to come out to see us when Aubrey is born, my sister will be completely jealous and say stuff like "She's the baby...she always gets her way." (Not kidding at all.)
Am I wrong in thinking that it's rude of her not to consider the fact that October and the months surrounding it are not good ones for us? Granted, October is not set in stone, but still. How would you handle this situation? What in the world should I say to her?
I can honestly say that if my parents have to choose, I'll selfishly admit that I'd want them here. But I don't want them even having to face a situation like that either because it's really not fair to them at all.
I just have no idea how to even approach this whole thing. I want to tell my sister straight out all this stuff, but I know she wouldn't take it well at all.
Why can't life just be easy??
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Updates
So I probably should have blogged a lot sooner than now, so I'll do a bullet-version update!
- We had our screening ultrasound on May 23. At that time (I was 19 weeks), we learned that we had lost twin B. She had quit growing at some point after our last ultrasound (at 11 weeks 4 days),but we really don't know why. On a brighter note, we found out that twin A is a baby girl! She has some cysts on her brain which can sometimes be indicative of Trisomy 18. She doesn't have any other signs of having T18 (clenched fists, rocker bottom feet, cleft palate, heart problems, crossed legs, etc.), so that means she has an isolated case of CPCs (choroid plexus cysts). They are going to monitor them to make sure they resolve on their own and that her growth is not affected. The CPCs themselves will not affect her developmentally and typically they will go away on their own by the third trimester. We had an appointment this past week, and her heart sounded great, and she's been super active the past month too! We'll have a follow-up ultrasound at the end of the month and will most likely continue to have scans every month. I won't complain! Who doesn't want to see their baby more and more?
- On Thursday, I found out that my boss (who was just hired at the office in January) put in her 2 weeks notice. We recently had a pastor leave the office to pursue missionary work elsewhere, and a lot of his work fell to her (as it should...he was her boss). From the few minutes I talked to her, it sounds like a lot of stuff happened that she just wasn't happy with, so she felt it was becoming too stressful for her and her family. I really don't know what exactly happened, but Thursday ended up being her last day. Long story short, that means once again, I'm basically in charge of the office for a little while. I have no problems with it, and after meeting with the new pastor and the senior pastor's wife, they are aware of what my wants/desires are as far as what I am able to work hours-wise, and that I will need to have time off for doctor appointments and ultrasound appointments. They are willing to work with me as I work with them during this transition. We have a church intern for a few months, so she'll be helping out some which will help. Unfortunately, it also means that I will most likely be putting in 40-hour weeks for a couple of weeks until she is trained and I can drop down to my preferred 32 hour weeks. The new pastor seems to be pretty laid-back and I guess this will just be a huge time of adjustment for him and for all of us as we figure things out. The really crazy part: it was the new pastor's very first week, so he was hit with quite a bit of stuff as is, and then to have that thrown at him too. I guess on a more positive note, he can hire who he wants, and I think I trust his judgment more than the previous pastor's.
- About a month or so ago, my sister and I had quite a spat over the baby shower that my sister in law is throwing for me in July. Needless to say, she took herself out of the whole thing (her decision, not mine. I think she wasn't taking her meds at the time which means super pissy sister over the smallest of things.). So, I've been working on getting all the addresses for my sister-in-law. Today, I realized I didn't have her address (my sister's), so I texted her to get it. She responded with something like "Can I get it to you next week? I'm working til 2." Umm...hello?!?!? It's going to take you a week to get me your address? How hard is it to text a few numbers and some letters? Well, her excuse is that her and her fiance are on the "out." I'm not quite sure what that has to do with getting me her address, but it sounds like the whole wedding is iffy. She said they'll know by next Friday if the wedding is on or not. Say what!?!?!? Wow...
Saturday, May 21, 2011
She did it again!
This morning, I was at Bible study with some friends when my cell phone started buzzing. I looked down and saw that once again my boss was contacting me on my day off. Her super-important text? The combination to a lock. Granted, someone was renting the space where the lock was (there are other doors to that room by the way), but this was something she should have thought of and taken care of last week, not the Saturday of and most certainly not on a day the office is closed. Needless to say, I didn't respond. UGH!!!! I don't think she'll ever learn. Well, someday she will because I won't be there anymore come September! And I sure as heck won't be responding to calls/texts unless they come directly from a pastor after that time anyways.
I'm excited for dinner tonight! Hubby and I decided to do a smaller version of a Thanksgiving dinner...just turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans. It's a ton of work just for that little bit, but I'm going to be super psyched! Yummy Thanksgiving in May! Woo-hoo!!
I'm excited for dinner tonight! Hubby and I decided to do a smaller version of a Thanksgiving dinner...just turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans. It's a ton of work just for that little bit, but I'm going to be super psyched! Yummy Thanksgiving in May! Woo-hoo!!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Four more months...
I'm so happy that I will have 4 months or less left at my job!! This past weekend, DH and I had a family wedding in Texas. I know that I told my boss I'd be out of town for the weekend because of it. One of the pastors was well aware of it too.
Well, Friday, my boss texted me about something not super urgent or important (it was about a table in the lobby). I ignored her text. She then called me, which I ignored. I was with family and out of town. Well, about 30 minutes later, she texted me again! I sent her a text saying I was out of town for the weekend and that the table was not needed but I didn't have time to take it down Thursday (I got swamped at 4:30 Thursday afternoon). After that, she called me 2 more times and still texted me! I was livid! What part of "I am out of town" did she not get?!?
The pastor contacted me on Sunday because of something that didn't get taken care of. Basically what happened is that someone emailed me something very late Thursday night (like 11 pm) and needed 100+ copies printed for an event Sunday. A) I don't work Fridays, and B) the person said they were going to get me the stuff Thursday. Since I got super busy Thursday, I completely forgot to follow up with her on it. I had other priorities that day. So anyways, he texted me about it, but apologized for contacting me on vacation. I was perfectly fine with that! He apologized, but knew that the project had to get done so it was a pressing matter.
Now if only my boss would learn what "out of town" means. I can honestly say that she has become a little bit of a thorn in my side the past few weeks. She has repeatedly dropped projects on me last-minute, and many times it's stuff she has been asked to take care of at earlier times. Now with me being pregnant, I can't take a lot of stressful stuff and sure as heck can't be lifting some things. It's so incredibly frustrating and if it keeps happening, I'm going to have to have a chat with her. She is fully aware of the pregnancy and the twins, but keeps doing this over and over. Many times, she'll drop stuff on my desk as she's walking out the door. So I don't have a whole lot of instruction at all, but am fully responsible for finishing whatever it is (usually within a day or two max). There's really no communication between her and I (on her part) which makes my job horrendous some days.
I can't wait to see her reaction when I tell her that I am not coming back after the babies are born. She will have royally screwed herself and I won't have any regrets. If I get put on bedrest, that will be my last day there. For the amount I earn in a paycheck, it would literally go straight to day care which makes no sense to me whatsoever. So I have about 4 months-ish left at that office. Four more months to put up with my boss and her after-hours, on my day off/on vacation texts and emails.
Well, Friday, my boss texted me about something not super urgent or important (it was about a table in the lobby). I ignored her text. She then called me, which I ignored. I was with family and out of town. Well, about 30 minutes later, she texted me again! I sent her a text saying I was out of town for the weekend and that the table was not needed but I didn't have time to take it down Thursday (I got swamped at 4:30 Thursday afternoon). After that, she called me 2 more times and still texted me! I was livid! What part of "I am out of town" did she not get?!?
The pastor contacted me on Sunday because of something that didn't get taken care of. Basically what happened is that someone emailed me something very late Thursday night (like 11 pm) and needed 100+ copies printed for an event Sunday. A) I don't work Fridays, and B) the person said they were going to get me the stuff Thursday. Since I got super busy Thursday, I completely forgot to follow up with her on it. I had other priorities that day. So anyways, he texted me about it, but apologized for contacting me on vacation. I was perfectly fine with that! He apologized, but knew that the project had to get done so it was a pressing matter.
Now if only my boss would learn what "out of town" means. I can honestly say that she has become a little bit of a thorn in my side the past few weeks. She has repeatedly dropped projects on me last-minute, and many times it's stuff she has been asked to take care of at earlier times. Now with me being pregnant, I can't take a lot of stressful stuff and sure as heck can't be lifting some things. It's so incredibly frustrating and if it keeps happening, I'm going to have to have a chat with her. She is fully aware of the pregnancy and the twins, but keeps doing this over and over. Many times, she'll drop stuff on my desk as she's walking out the door. So I don't have a whole lot of instruction at all, but am fully responsible for finishing whatever it is (usually within a day or two max). There's really no communication between her and I (on her part) which makes my job horrendous some days.
I can't wait to see her reaction when I tell her that I am not coming back after the babies are born. She will have royally screwed herself and I won't have any regrets. If I get put on bedrest, that will be my last day there. For the amount I earn in a paycheck, it would literally go straight to day care which makes no sense to me whatsoever. So I have about 4 months-ish left at that office. Four more months to put up with my boss and her after-hours, on my day off/on vacation texts and emails.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Happy Mother's Day!
To all of those who are mothers (whether to human-babies or fur-babies),
To those who will soon be mothers,
To those who hope to someday become a mother,
And to those who wanted to be a mother but unfortunately can't...
I hope you all have a wonderful day! No matter what stage of life you may be in, today is a day where we can honor all women and the mothers they are, will be, hope to be, or dreamed of being!
To those who will soon be mothers,
To those who hope to someday become a mother,
And to those who wanted to be a mother but unfortunately can't...
I hope you all have a wonderful day! No matter what stage of life you may be in, today is a day where we can honor all women and the mothers they are, will be, hope to be, or dreamed of being!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tickling
Yesterday's appointment went so great! I completely love my doctor!! I will honestly say (err type) that I was very skeptical pre-appointment, but both Dr. L and his nurse completely put me at ease and made me realize that the NP I saw last time was just a jerk.
I've managed to put on a whole whopping 14 pounds according to the doctor's scale. Not bad for being 16 weeks along, right? Yeah...not quite so much. My doc reconfirmed that I do need to in fact gain the 40-50 pounds for the twins, plus the weight that I was under pre-pregnancy. So that totals up to 57-65 pounds! Holy crap!! Bring on the healthy calories and protein!! Wow... Dr. L did say that I shouldn't get worried or freak out when I see the numbers go up on the scale. I told him I loved seeing that because I've had weight-gaining problems in the past.
The twins themselves seem to doing great! Their hearts were beating away at 150 bpm (Twin A) and 151 bpm (Twin B). They're located exactly where I thought so too. Based on the location that I have had pains, I guessed that Twin A was hanging out on the lower left side of my belly while Twin B has decided to settle in by my ribs on my right side. When the doc listened to their heartbeats, that exactly where they were!
Last night I felt Twin A move! It didn't last long at all (only a couple of seconds) but it was pretty amazing, I'm not going to lie. It honestly felt like a lot of little bubbles or light tickling on the inside. I'll totally remember that, even when they've grown big enough to be kicking my bladder and my ribs at the same time. I'll remember the joy I had last night when I first felt (and was certain of it) twin A move. Love it!!
At our appointment, Dr. L informed us that the location where we will have our 20-week screening ultrasound typically likes to do them around 18 weeks for twins. (!!!) Holy excited! We could know in 2 weeks if we're having girls or boys!! (insert shocked face!!). I was super excited to hear that. Speaking of the ultrasound though...
Dr. L told us that based on the last ultrasound (at 11 weeks 4 days), the radiologist said that we have di-di twins (dichorionic, diamniotic). Basically that means that he thinks they came from 2 separate eggs and each have their own placenta and amniotic sac (like most fraternal twins). I told Dr. L that wasn't possible because we transferred 1 blastocyst. He said, "Oh..." and wrote a bunch of notes in my chart. Once I got home, I did some research as far as getting identical di-di twins. In order to have identical di-di twins, the egg has to split at 3 days after fertilization. We did a 5dt of a single blast so if in fast we do have di-di twins, then the embryologist knowingly put back a split embryo and failed to tell us. At our next ultrasound, I'm definitely going to ask where the placenta(s) is/are located so I can see for myself. I may just have to make a call to the fertility clinic and have them take a look in my chart to see what the embryologist noted about the blast she chose to transfer back to us. Don't worry...I'm not upset that we're having twins, but if she knowingly put back a split embryo, it would have been great to know before 7 weeks that twins was a real possibility for us!
Oh the joys!!
I've managed to put on a whole whopping 14 pounds according to the doctor's scale. Not bad for being 16 weeks along, right? Yeah...not quite so much. My doc reconfirmed that I do need to in fact gain the 40-50 pounds for the twins, plus the weight that I was under pre-pregnancy. So that totals up to 57-65 pounds! Holy crap!! Bring on the healthy calories and protein!! Wow... Dr. L did say that I shouldn't get worried or freak out when I see the numbers go up on the scale. I told him I loved seeing that because I've had weight-gaining problems in the past.
The twins themselves seem to doing great! Their hearts were beating away at 150 bpm (Twin A) and 151 bpm (Twin B). They're located exactly where I thought so too. Based on the location that I have had pains, I guessed that Twin A was hanging out on the lower left side of my belly while Twin B has decided to settle in by my ribs on my right side. When the doc listened to their heartbeats, that exactly where they were!
Last night I felt Twin A move! It didn't last long at all (only a couple of seconds) but it was pretty amazing, I'm not going to lie. It honestly felt like a lot of little bubbles or light tickling on the inside. I'll totally remember that, even when they've grown big enough to be kicking my bladder and my ribs at the same time. I'll remember the joy I had last night when I first felt (and was certain of it) twin A move. Love it!!
At our appointment, Dr. L informed us that the location where we will have our 20-week screening ultrasound typically likes to do them around 18 weeks for twins. (!!!) Holy excited! We could know in 2 weeks if we're having girls or boys!! (insert shocked face!!). I was super excited to hear that. Speaking of the ultrasound though...
Dr. L told us that based on the last ultrasound (at 11 weeks 4 days), the radiologist said that we have di-di twins (dichorionic, diamniotic). Basically that means that he thinks they came from 2 separate eggs and each have their own placenta and amniotic sac (like most fraternal twins). I told Dr. L that wasn't possible because we transferred 1 blastocyst. He said, "Oh..." and wrote a bunch of notes in my chart. Once I got home, I did some research as far as getting identical di-di twins. In order to have identical di-di twins, the egg has to split at 3 days after fertilization. We did a 5dt of a single blast so if in fast we do have di-di twins, then the embryologist knowingly put back a split embryo and failed to tell us. At our next ultrasound, I'm definitely going to ask where the placenta(s) is/are located so I can see for myself. I may just have to make a call to the fertility clinic and have them take a look in my chart to see what the embryologist noted about the blast she chose to transfer back to us. Don't worry...I'm not upset that we're having twins, but if she knowingly put back a split embryo, it would have been great to know before 7 weeks that twins was a real possibility for us!
Oh the joys!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Shopping and Broken Glass
Next weekend, DH's cousin is getting married. I've been scouring the internet trying to find an XS dress to wear that wasn't all black and didn't cost $100+. Yeah, try finding a maternity dress like that! So today, I decided to check out T.J.Ma.xx and R.o.ss to see if they had something that would work. Surprisingly, I found a dress in the non-maternity section that not only fits, but covers my big chest and doesn't flaunt my belly! Don't get me wrong, I love my belly, but I don't want my bump to become the focus of DH's family over the weekend. I took a picture of the dress and sent it to DH and he texted me back "I LOVE IT." So, of course I bought it. The final price (including tax): $24.69!! Woo-hoo!! Plus, I should be able to wear it next summer after losing the baby weight! I was super psyched!!
Also speaking of clothes, I had to fork out $100 for new maternity clothes the weekend before Easter. I hated having to do that, but considering I can't find anything used that fits, I had to do something. None of my regular jeans even remotely fit anymore, and most of my shirts (dressy and t-shirts) have been retired too. I started going through my drawers and my closet pulling out my pre-pregnancy clothes. I already have a very full box and then some! For being just barely over 16 weeks, I am flying through my clothes!!
As for the glass, yesterday DH sent me a text saying that his rear window on his car was shattered. Once I got off work, I stopped by and checked out the damage. From what I can tell, something hit his window pretty hard in the lower right section causing the rest of the window to shatter. Being the forensics geek that I am, I looked all over the area for something that could have caused the damage. I even checked out the car itself to see if there was any damage anywhere from say a rock sliding across/bouncing, etc. There wasn't anything at all. My guess is that some kid decided to do something stupid which resulted in the window being broken. It was a pretty good impact judging from the damage on the window itself, and the amount of force it would take to have the glass jam into the rubber seal like it is.
DH called the insurance and they asked if he had a quote yet for the damage. He hadn't, but come to find out, our deductible is higher than the cost to replace the window, so we're not going to go through insurance. We were not too happy with the fact that we'd have to pay over $300 out of pocket for the window. DH was talking to one of the guys he works with who informed DH that since the incident occurred while he was on duty, and his vehicle was parked on a military installation, the repair costs would be covered. We'll have to pay out of pocket to start, but we'll get reimbursed! What a surprise and a blessing!
Tomorrow we have another appointment. For me, it's a make-it or break-it appointment for this doctor's office. If it goes anything like our last appointment, I will be transferring my care Thursday. If it goes way better, I'll stay put. I am a little leery though. My friend had her 16 week appointment last week and they had her schedule her 20 week ultrasound, then an appointment 4 weeks later with her provider. So, she is going 8 weeks without being seen by a medical provider at all. If they even try to do that with me, I am going to fight it (or I'll just transfer my care!). I'm crossing my fingers for a good appointment though!! Guess we'll find out in about 13 hours!!
Also speaking of clothes, I had to fork out $100 for new maternity clothes the weekend before Easter. I hated having to do that, but considering I can't find anything used that fits, I had to do something. None of my regular jeans even remotely fit anymore, and most of my shirts (dressy and t-shirts) have been retired too. I started going through my drawers and my closet pulling out my pre-pregnancy clothes. I already have a very full box and then some! For being just barely over 16 weeks, I am flying through my clothes!!
As for the glass, yesterday DH sent me a text saying that his rear window on his car was shattered. Once I got off work, I stopped by and checked out the damage. From what I can tell, something hit his window pretty hard in the lower right section causing the rest of the window to shatter. Being the forensics geek that I am, I looked all over the area for something that could have caused the damage. I even checked out the car itself to see if there was any damage anywhere from say a rock sliding across/bouncing, etc. There wasn't anything at all. My guess is that some kid decided to do something stupid which resulted in the window being broken. It was a pretty good impact judging from the damage on the window itself, and the amount of force it would take to have the glass jam into the rubber seal like it is.
DH called the insurance and they asked if he had a quote yet for the damage. He hadn't, but come to find out, our deductible is higher than the cost to replace the window, so we're not going to go through insurance. We were not too happy with the fact that we'd have to pay over $300 out of pocket for the window. DH was talking to one of the guys he works with who informed DH that since the incident occurred while he was on duty, and his vehicle was parked on a military installation, the repair costs would be covered. We'll have to pay out of pocket to start, but we'll get reimbursed! What a surprise and a blessing!
Tomorrow we have another appointment. For me, it's a make-it or break-it appointment for this doctor's office. If it goes anything like our last appointment, I will be transferring my care Thursday. If it goes way better, I'll stay put. I am a little leery though. My friend had her 16 week appointment last week and they had her schedule her 20 week ultrasound, then an appointment 4 weeks later with her provider. So, she is going 8 weeks without being seen by a medical provider at all. If they even try to do that with me, I am going to fight it (or I'll just transfer my care!). I'm crossing my fingers for a good appointment though!! Guess we'll find out in about 13 hours!!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
I'm beginning to hate shopping
I never thought I could start hating going clothes shopping, but I'm to that point already. As usual, I'm having issues trying to find clothes to fit my ever-growing body. It's frustrating beyond belief!!
For example, my chest alone has jumped up a few sizes. Pre-pregnancy: 34A At 14 weeks along: 38B!! Holy crap!! So naturally bigger chest = fewer shirts I can wear. Not to mention, I've already spent nearly $60 just on new bras, and I have a feeling that number will increase again in a month or so.
I can only button 1 pair of jeans, but even those I haven't worn in a few days, so that could even be iffy. I've done safety-pin extensions on my dress pants (for work), and ponytail holder extensions on some of my jeans. But even with that, I have 2 pairs of dress pants and 2 pairs of jeans. Sweat pants are my friends...just too bad I can't wear them in the office!!
So naturally, I'd try to find some maternity stuff right? Yeah... For those who haven't had the "privilege" of looking at maternity clothes, you are lucky! Just a single pair of jeans will run you $40+ brand new. Shirts are usually $20+. Even for non-pregnant me, I wouldn't pay $40+ for a pair of jeans!! I don't plan on spending more on maternity clothes that I will wear for only a few weeks/months than I do for regular clothes I can wear until they wear out!
Now insert my real dilemma - pre-pregnancy I was usually a size 1 or 3 in jeans and usually bought them with a 33" inseam. Shirts were smalls. Translate that to maternity and it puts me in XS. Now, hit the stores and try to find XS without paying an arm and leg and you're screwed!!
I'm so over shopping. I just want summer to be here so I can justify constantly wearing basketball shorts and tank tops (as soon as I can find some that cover the chest and the belly). I thought pregnancy was supposed to be a fun and enjoyable time of our lives, but trying to dress this new body is causing more headaches than anything!!
For example, my chest alone has jumped up a few sizes. Pre-pregnancy: 34A At 14 weeks along: 38B!! Holy crap!! So naturally bigger chest = fewer shirts I can wear. Not to mention, I've already spent nearly $60 just on new bras, and I have a feeling that number will increase again in a month or so.
I can only button 1 pair of jeans, but even those I haven't worn in a few days, so that could even be iffy. I've done safety-pin extensions on my dress pants (for work), and ponytail holder extensions on some of my jeans. But even with that, I have 2 pairs of dress pants and 2 pairs of jeans. Sweat pants are my friends...just too bad I can't wear them in the office!!
So naturally, I'd try to find some maternity stuff right? Yeah... For those who haven't had the "privilege" of looking at maternity clothes, you are lucky! Just a single pair of jeans will run you $40+ brand new. Shirts are usually $20+. Even for non-pregnant me, I wouldn't pay $40+ for a pair of jeans!! I don't plan on spending more on maternity clothes that I will wear for only a few weeks/months than I do for regular clothes I can wear until they wear out!
Now insert my real dilemma - pre-pregnancy I was usually a size 1 or 3 in jeans and usually bought them with a 33" inseam. Shirts were smalls. Translate that to maternity and it puts me in XS. Now, hit the stores and try to find XS without paying an arm and leg and you're screwed!!
I'm so over shopping. I just want summer to be here so I can justify constantly wearing basketball shorts and tank tops (as soon as I can find some that cover the chest and the belly). I thought pregnancy was supposed to be a fun and enjoyable time of our lives, but trying to dress this new body is causing more headaches than anything!!
Monday, April 18, 2011
A little over 3 1/2 months ago...
DH and I started our IVF journey. While we were so excited, it was also a whirlwind time! The cycle went by so fast, and before we knew it, we were back home waiting for our test results. Almost everyone who has been through IVF always posts pictures of all the meds and supplies they receive pre-IVF treatments, but no one ever really shows just how much (or how little) they go through one their cycle is done. Here's what I went through:
That pictures includes everything I used/took from the BCPs at the very beginning to the suppositories and estrace I took up til 10 weeks. Holy cow!!
Aside from that, everyone knows about our twins. Well, if they don't, they're slowly finding out through the grapevine. It's so exciting to be able to share our joy with our friends and family.
We had our first "official" OB appointment about 3 weeks ago and it was horrendous. The lady we saw (she was a nurse practitioner) was very cold and rude. Literally, she did a physical exam and nothing else. She didn't bother even trying to hear the heartbeats because we were "too early" (at 11 weeks mind you). She wouldn't do an ultrasound that day despite the fact that it had been a few days short of a month since our last ultrasound, but instead made us schedule another appointment just for the ultrasound check-up. When I asked her questions regarding the twin pregnancy, she gave me worse answers than what I could have found online. I asked her what my expected weight gain should be, and she replied with "Well, what do you think you should gain?" That's a great answer from a medical professional. Long story short, I won't be seeing her again. We both felt like she really didn't care about us or our babies, and I don't need any extra stress during this pregnancy.
The wedding drama continues with my sister. My mother and I both (and now I recently learned my brother as well) almost feel like she's just inviting us because she feels obligated to. My sis and her fiance (I'll call them J & L for short) asked my brother to be an usher (yeah..family member!!), and my sister already has a back-up bridesmaid in case I can't make it. The funny thing is is that she hasn't filled me in on any wedding details. I have to ask her about things that honestly she should be telling me. I shouldn't have to weasel things out of her like what kind of dresses she wants us to wear or when rehearsal is or what time the wedding is for crying out loud. I'm so over the drama, and personally could care less at this point whether I make it back for it or not. She's bridezilla to the max, but only when it comes to our family. She's completely kosher with J's family!
That pictures includes everything I used/took from the BCPs at the very beginning to the suppositories and estrace I took up til 10 weeks. Holy cow!!
Aside from that, everyone knows about our twins. Well, if they don't, they're slowly finding out through the grapevine. It's so exciting to be able to share our joy with our friends and family.
We had our first "official" OB appointment about 3 weeks ago and it was horrendous. The lady we saw (she was a nurse practitioner) was very cold and rude. Literally, she did a physical exam and nothing else. She didn't bother even trying to hear the heartbeats because we were "too early" (at 11 weeks mind you). She wouldn't do an ultrasound that day despite the fact that it had been a few days short of a month since our last ultrasound, but instead made us schedule another appointment just for the ultrasound check-up. When I asked her questions regarding the twin pregnancy, she gave me worse answers than what I could have found online. I asked her what my expected weight gain should be, and she replied with "Well, what do you think you should gain?" That's a great answer from a medical professional. Long story short, I won't be seeing her again. We both felt like she really didn't care about us or our babies, and I don't need any extra stress during this pregnancy.
The wedding drama continues with my sister. My mother and I both (and now I recently learned my brother as well) almost feel like she's just inviting us because she feels obligated to. My sis and her fiance (I'll call them J & L for short) asked my brother to be an usher (yeah..family member!!), and my sister already has a back-up bridesmaid in case I can't make it. The funny thing is is that she hasn't filled me in on any wedding details. I have to ask her about things that honestly she should be telling me. I shouldn't have to weasel things out of her like what kind of dresses she wants us to wear or when rehearsal is or what time the wedding is for crying out loud. I'm so over the drama, and personally could care less at this point whether I make it back for it or not. She's bridezilla to the max, but only when it comes to our family. She's completely kosher with J's family!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wedding Planning and other stuff (long post)
My sister is getting married in August. She asked me to be her maid of honor, and I readily accepted (she didn't know I was pregnant at the time). Her and her fiance have been engaged for a little over a month, and I can honestly say I'm already sick of her. The last wedding details I heard from her involved a tentative date, and that was a week after they got engaged. Well, since then, they have solidified the date, scheduled a tentative rehearsal time, picked wedding colors, and have actually done a few other things. Yesterday, I was texting her fiance and he asked if my DH was going to be able to make it. I replied that he should as long as we have dates and times for rehearsal and whatnot for that weekend. He apparently thought that that information had been communicated to me, and I let him know he was mistaken. My wonderful sister isn't really telling me anything, which as a maid of honor, you think she'd keep me in the loop. How frustrating!
Yesterday morning, I was talking to her on the way to church, and apparently she thinks that all the bridesmaids will have a floor-length black dress in their closet that they can wear for the wedding. So, instead of picking a bridesmaid dress and letting us all match, I have a feeling that these blacks as well as styles will clash horribly. Granted I'll have to buy a new dress (don't have much of a choice when I'll be 7 months pregnant at the time), but I have a feeling that I'll outshine the other bridesmaids. We'll see how this plays out.
Our families finally found out this past weekend. They all received their preg announcement cards on Friday, and DH's family was the first to call! It sounds like his grandma got hers first, then called his parent's to ask if they had gotten the mail yet and if they had received a card from us. His family was shocked we kept this such a secret for so long, and his sister was a little mad that we didn't tell her sooner as she told us right away (FYI...we didn't find out until she was 8 weeks along that they were pregnant. We're only a couple of weeks behind her with regards to telling). They're all excited and can't wait to see these 2 little ones!
My family...wow. My mom called Saturday morning (they were out of town on Friday), and I wasn't in the room with my cell phone. She left me a voicemail. She literally screamed "I'm gonna be a grandma!!" into the phone. My parents and brother are super excited for us! These 2 babies will be the first grandkids for my parents, and actually first nieces/nephews for my sister and brother too. I have a feeling my mom is already planning baby stuff. We made sure to tell and stress to our families that they are not allowed to tell anyone else other than family (aunts, uncles, etc.). We'll see how long that lasts with my mom. She tends to spill the beans a lot.
My sister on the other hand...I think we're going to have jealousy issues all over again. [Back history...I am the youngest and the first to get married in my family. She is the oldest and felt it was her right to get married first and have the first grandkids, and blah blah blah.] She said she's happy and excited for us, and congratulated us, but I know her true feelings. She's thinking I won't be able to go to her wedding and she even went as far as to say that I'd be the fat one at her wedding. Really?!?! I'll be pregnant with your nieces/nephews, not fat. There's a difference. It's probably going to be a huge issue for her for quite some time.
She also asked me the most random off the wall questions yesterday too. She asked me if the twins were natural or if we were on any drugs or medicines. Since technically they are natural (our one blast split), I told her they were natural. I don't think we'll be sharing about our IF or our IVF anytime soon. She then asked me what made me want to take a pregnancy test. I jokingly brushed it off with "I just felt like POAS." to which she replied, "Twice?" I said "Yeah. Once you see that first one, you don't really trust it, so you have to take a second one to confirm the first."
Who asks that kind of stuff? Really??? Thank goodness I'm the normal one in my family!
Yesterday morning, I was talking to her on the way to church, and apparently she thinks that all the bridesmaids will have a floor-length black dress in their closet that they can wear for the wedding. So, instead of picking a bridesmaid dress and letting us all match, I have a feeling that these blacks as well as styles will clash horribly. Granted I'll have to buy a new dress (don't have much of a choice when I'll be 7 months pregnant at the time), but I have a feeling that I'll outshine the other bridesmaids. We'll see how this plays out.
Our families finally found out this past weekend. They all received their preg announcement cards on Friday, and DH's family was the first to call! It sounds like his grandma got hers first, then called his parent's to ask if they had gotten the mail yet and if they had received a card from us. His family was shocked we kept this such a secret for so long, and his sister was a little mad that we didn't tell her sooner as she told us right away (FYI...we didn't find out until she was 8 weeks along that they were pregnant. We're only a couple of weeks behind her with regards to telling). They're all excited and can't wait to see these 2 little ones!
My family...wow. My mom called Saturday morning (they were out of town on Friday), and I wasn't in the room with my cell phone. She left me a voicemail. She literally screamed "I'm gonna be a grandma!!" into the phone. My parents and brother are super excited for us! These 2 babies will be the first grandkids for my parents, and actually first nieces/nephews for my sister and brother too. I have a feeling my mom is already planning baby stuff. We made sure to tell and stress to our families that they are not allowed to tell anyone else other than family (aunts, uncles, etc.). We'll see how long that lasts with my mom. She tends to spill the beans a lot.
My sister on the other hand...I think we're going to have jealousy issues all over again. [Back history...I am the youngest and the first to get married in my family. She is the oldest and felt it was her right to get married first and have the first grandkids, and blah blah blah.] She said she's happy and excited for us, and congratulated us, but I know her true feelings. She's thinking I won't be able to go to her wedding and she even went as far as to say that I'd be the fat one at her wedding. Really?!?! I'll be pregnant with your nieces/nephews, not fat. There's a difference. It's probably going to be a huge issue for her for quite some time.
She also asked me the most random off the wall questions yesterday too. She asked me if the twins were natural or if we were on any drugs or medicines. Since technically they are natural (our one blast split), I told her they were natural. I don't think we'll be sharing about our IF or our IVF anytime soon. She then asked me what made me want to take a pregnancy test. I jokingly brushed it off with "I just felt like POAS." to which she replied, "Twice?" I said "Yeah. Once you see that first one, you don't really trust it, so you have to take a second one to confirm the first."
Who asks that kind of stuff? Really??? Thank goodness I'm the normal one in my family!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
They still don't know!
So I was totally hoping that our families would get their announcement cards today, but apparently, they didn't make it. And on top of it, my parents won't be home tomorrow if they get delivered tomorrow. If my siblings call, I'll have to make sure they keep it quiet until my parents can open their own card and find out for themselves. Maybe our families will surprise us and DH's family will call first! Guess we'll find out eventually!!
I was just so hoping that they'd all find out today, but I guess our excitement will have to wait another day.
As strange as it may sound, I totally love seeing the little computerized picture of my twins floating in the countdown gadget at the top of my blog. DH liked seeing them too! He was so funny last night looking at the babies on the countdown. He didn't realize that they already have arms and legs.
I was just so hoping that they'd all find out today, but I guess our excitement will have to wait another day.
As strange as it may sound, I totally love seeing the little computerized picture of my twins floating in the countdown gadget at the top of my blog. DH liked seeing them too! He was so funny last night looking at the babies on the countdown. He didn't realize that they already have arms and legs.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
News to Share
I'm thinking our families will find out either tomorrow or Thursday about our big news! Through the use of Shu.tter.fl.y, we created pregnancy announcement cards for each of our immediate family members and our grandmothers. We finally got them in the mail on Monday, and mailed them off right away! I can't wait to hear their reactions!!
DH is dying to tell everyone. I told him he could share the news with the guys he works with, but he doesn't want the news to show up on his facebo.ok page, so he's keeping quiet. He wants to tell everyone at church, but I'm not too keen on that idea. With the other young couples at church, it seems to be a huge competition for who can have babies the fastest! It's very frustrating, and I really don't want to get caught up in that whole drama any sooner than I absolutely have to. I'm thinking at the earliest, we'll share with them after we're a couple of weeks into the second tri. A lot depends on how soon these babies really start to pop.
The more I feel my belly and look at it, the more I realize that what I thought of earlier as a baby-bump, was really just pudge. There's starting to be a little more definition between baby "bump" and belly pudge. My pants are getting tighter by the day, and I've already had to retire a couple of pairs of jeans and dress pants. Last night I measured my belly (how doctors do it - from belly button to pelvic bone), and I'm definitely measuring more than 9 cm, which is good (The measurement from belly button to pelvic bone should equal the number of weeks you are.). That means these babies are growing!
Since we found out about our twins, I've done some research as far as pregnancy books for those pregnant with twins. There are plenty of books about singleton pregnancies, but I know that twins is a whole new ball game. I found a book When You'r.e Ex.pecti.ng Twins, Triplets, or Quads, and holy cow, it's a godsend! The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that I nearly have to double my pre-pregnancy weight since I started this whole pregnancy about 17 pounds underweight. EEK!!! I know it's all going to be for the babies, but 50-65 pounds sure sounds like a heck of a lot!!
As for other news...I'm really not liking my job at all. I figured it out today, and there's probably 5 1/2 - 6 months left there, and then I'm done. Today my "boss" decided to give me some of her work as she was walking out the door. Mind you, this was something that should have been taken care of yesterday, but I'm guessing she didn't want to take care of it. I never got around to it because I was working on another project (oh darn). And to top it all off, there's no communication from her to me, and she has increasingly taken away more and more of my duties because she thinks I have too much to do. I figured it out last night, and there are five tasks that I have to complete each week, and 3 out of those take less than 20 minutes. So I get paid for 20 hours of work when realistically I only do maybe 5 hours of work. It absolutely sucks.
DH is dying to tell everyone. I told him he could share the news with the guys he works with, but he doesn't want the news to show up on his facebo.ok page, so he's keeping quiet. He wants to tell everyone at church, but I'm not too keen on that idea. With the other young couples at church, it seems to be a huge competition for who can have babies the fastest! It's very frustrating, and I really don't want to get caught up in that whole drama any sooner than I absolutely have to. I'm thinking at the earliest, we'll share with them after we're a couple of weeks into the second tri. A lot depends on how soon these babies really start to pop.
The more I feel my belly and look at it, the more I realize that what I thought of earlier as a baby-bump, was really just pudge. There's starting to be a little more definition between baby "bump" and belly pudge. My pants are getting tighter by the day, and I've already had to retire a couple of pairs of jeans and dress pants. Last night I measured my belly (how doctors do it - from belly button to pelvic bone), and I'm definitely measuring more than 9 cm, which is good (The measurement from belly button to pelvic bone should equal the number of weeks you are.). That means these babies are growing!
Since we found out about our twins, I've done some research as far as pregnancy books for those pregnant with twins. There are plenty of books about singleton pregnancies, but I know that twins is a whole new ball game. I found a book When You'r.e Ex.pecti.ng Twins, Triplets, or Quads, and holy cow, it's a godsend! The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that I nearly have to double my pre-pregnancy weight since I started this whole pregnancy about 17 pounds underweight. EEK!!! I know it's all going to be for the babies, but 50-65 pounds sure sounds like a heck of a lot!!
As for other news...I'm really not liking my job at all. I figured it out today, and there's probably 5 1/2 - 6 months left there, and then I'm done. Today my "boss" decided to give me some of her work as she was walking out the door. Mind you, this was something that should have been taken care of yesterday, but I'm guessing she didn't want to take care of it. I never got around to it because I was working on another project (oh darn). And to top it all off, there's no communication from her to me, and she has increasingly taken away more and more of my duties because she thinks I have too much to do. I figured it out last night, and there are five tasks that I have to complete each week, and 3 out of those take less than 20 minutes. So I get paid for 20 hours of work when realistically I only do maybe 5 hours of work. It absolutely sucks.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
I have the best RE & nurse!
Yesterday, my RE finally called after reviewing my ultrasound report from last Friday. He was just as surprised with our twins as we were!! He said that we were that 1 in 1000 that has this happen. We had a nice chat and he congratulated me and DH on our news. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was smiling from ear to ear! He went on to say that it was a good thing we decided to wait those extra 2 days (we did a 5dt with a single blast instead of a 3dt with 2 embryos) because otherwise I could have ended up with triplets or quads, and I'd be in a heap of trouble. As far as he can tell, he said I shouldn't have any problems, and I should deliver 2 strong healthy babies!
I also emailed the nurse who was a god-send through this all. I hadn't heard from her in a few days (very strange), and figured she was out of the office but I wanted her to know too! I got this email back from her : "Congratulations x 2.....these are your little miracles. Everyone is very excited...[...]I hope they have yours and your husbands personalities because you 2 are delightful people and I was so blessed to be a part of this exciting time with you. [...] I hope your dog babies are ready for this...keep me updated and I will keep checking on you....get ready to grow a belly...I bet you will start to show pretty fast." (which I'm debating if I'm showing yet or if it's just pudge from the few extra pounds I've gained. It's all below my belly button which is typically where babies first emerge when pregnant. I haven't decided though. The jury's still out.
I love to see/hear that kind of thing! It really makes me feel like more of a person than just a statistic or another patient. I'm sure that if we lived closer to there, there would have been hugs and tears all around! I'm hoping we can make a trip down that way once the twins are born so they can see what they helped create. I'm definitely going to be sending pictures once they're born!
Another funny story...on Wednesdays after youth group, we always go out to eat somewhere (fast-food like So.nic, M.c.Dona.lds, Ja.ck in the B.o.x, etc.). Last night DH and I were sitting at a table with the youth pastor waiting for the kids to get their orders, and his son was making a fuss about the fact that they weren't standing in line and he was starving. We got talking about "some people's kids," and then, out of nowhere, the youth pastor said to us, "I wish you guys have twins." I seriously busted a gut internally. We haven't told him yet, but for him to say that is hilarious. I can't wait to see his face when he does find out. I'm sure I'll reference last night's convo when we do break the news to him!
Thank you ladies once again! The news has finally settled in, and we're on the hunt for twin baby everything. It's funny because when we thought it was just one baby, we had so much stuff picked out that we liked/loved, but now that it's twins, it's a whole new ballgame!!
I also emailed the nurse who was a god-send through this all. I hadn't heard from her in a few days (very strange), and figured she was out of the office but I wanted her to know too! I got this email back from her : "Congratulations x 2.....these are your little miracles. Everyone is very excited...[...]I hope they have yours and your husbands personalities because you 2 are delightful people and I was so blessed to be a part of this exciting time with you. [...] I hope your dog babies are ready for this...keep me updated and I will keep checking on you....get ready to grow a belly...I bet you will start to show pretty fast." (which I'm debating if I'm showing yet or if it's just pudge from the few extra pounds I've gained. It's all below my belly button which is typically where babies first emerge when pregnant. I haven't decided though. The jury's still out.
I love to see/hear that kind of thing! It really makes me feel like more of a person than just a statistic or another patient. I'm sure that if we lived closer to there, there would have been hugs and tears all around! I'm hoping we can make a trip down that way once the twins are born so they can see what they helped create. I'm definitely going to be sending pictures once they're born!
Another funny story...on Wednesdays after youth group, we always go out to eat somewhere (fast-food like So.nic, M.c.Dona.lds, Ja.ck in the B.o.x, etc.). Last night DH and I were sitting at a table with the youth pastor waiting for the kids to get their orders, and his son was making a fuss about the fact that they weren't standing in line and he was starving. We got talking about "some people's kids," and then, out of nowhere, the youth pastor said to us, "I wish you guys have twins." I seriously busted a gut internally. We haven't told him yet, but for him to say that is hilarious. I can't wait to see his face when he does find out. I'm sure I'll reference last night's convo when we do break the news to him!
Thank you ladies once again! The news has finally settled in, and we're on the hunt for twin baby everything. It's funny because when we thought it was just one baby, we had so much stuff picked out that we liked/loved, but now that it's twins, it's a whole new ballgame!!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
OMG...
They say a picture is worth 1000 words, right? Well, when I saw this yesterday, I was speechless and teary eyed!
Yeah, that's right. Our one little blast split and now we have identical twins! Twin A (on the left) measure 7wk0d and had a heartbeat of 130. Twin B measured right on at 7wk4d and has a heartbeat of 149!! I was in shock! I guess I now know why nausea hit at 5wk2d and why in the world I've been doubly exhausted and already felt a lot of pressure in my belly! I still can't believe it!
I shared the news with DH's former work supervisor (and a good friend of ours), and he is "one happy uncle!" I also told our friends who are also pregnant, and the husband called me just to let me know that he's jealous (and to congratulate us, but moreso to say that he's jealous). He said he wants twins! I told him when our babies start acting up, we'll trade! haha
DH has been dying to tell his family. I'm not letting him though because we already have decided that we're going to make baby announcement greeting cards to send to the family since they all live hours away from us. We're going to try to hold off telling everyone else here for as long as we can. We'll see how long we can go!
Yeah, that's right. Our one little blast split and now we have identical twins! Twin A (on the left) measure 7wk0d and had a heartbeat of 130. Twin B measured right on at 7wk4d and has a heartbeat of 149!! I was in shock! I guess I now know why nausea hit at 5wk2d and why in the world I've been doubly exhausted and already felt a lot of pressure in my belly! I still can't believe it!
I shared the news with DH's former work supervisor (and a good friend of ours), and he is "one happy uncle!" I also told our friends who are also pregnant, and the husband called me just to let me know that he's jealous (and to congratulate us, but moreso to say that he's jealous). He said he wants twins! I told him when our babies start acting up, we'll trade! haha
DH has been dying to tell his family. I'm not letting him though because we already have decided that we're going to make baby announcement greeting cards to send to the family since they all live hours away from us. We're going to try to hold off telling everyone else here for as long as we can. We'll see how long we can go!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
February rocks!
First off, thanks everyone! This whole month has been super exciting for me and my hubby, and I'm sure it'll be one that we'll always remember.
February started with us finding out we were finally expecting after nearly 4 years of TTC. This year's Super Bowl will definitely be one we remember because of it.
Also that day, I learned my sister's boyfriend was going to pop the question! I helped him scheme and as of this past Sunday, they are officially getting married! They're looking at an August wedding (yeah...like 6 months from now). I'm super happy for her and hope this planning goes by smoothly for them.
I've also been accepted into college once again. I'm probably crazy wanting to go back to school right before our first baby will be born, but I can handle quite a bit, so I'm hoping things will go smoothly during that time. Because I have a previous degree, I've had a ton of extra things to do in order to get accepted and get into the program I want. It's been a lot of extra leg work, but it'll all be worth it in the end, I hope!
And the other exciting news...while we were in Texas, a good friend of mine kept in touch with me during the whole thing. She's one of a couple of people that know we went through IVF, and has been very supportive of us through it all. Once we returned, her and her hubby wanted to meet us for lunch at a restaurant here in town. We set up a time and day and looked forward to catching up with them. We got the surprise of our lives. Long story short, they are also a part of our church's small group, but have recently started to feel a little like outcasts, like we have felt. Her confidence with one person was betrayed, and it hurt her quite a bit. Add to that super-baby fever (there are 3 other women in our group that are expecting) and it's just been a headache for her.
Well, as lunch proceeded, she and her hubby opened up to us that they had been TTC for the past year and were having problems. They were pregnant previously (they got pregnant in the first few months of trying), but lost the baby at 15 weeks. Well, through the tears, she shared that she and her husband were finally expecting, and only a few days ahead of DH and I. I was so happy! I had my suspicions that they were trying, but she's a pretty private person (like me) when it comes to stuff like this. Her and I both agreed that if we were to be pregnant with someone else in our Small Group, we'd want it to be each other. She found out the day before us that they were expecting and couldn't wait to tell us! They're not telling anyone for quite some time, so I think maybe we'll try to keep our news quiet too. As it turns out, they're due 8 days before us, and I'm just as excited for her as I am for us!
So as for me, next week, we have our first appointment (just paperwork stuff really), and then next friday, we have our first ultrasound. So much going on in such a short time! We can't wait!
February started with us finding out we were finally expecting after nearly 4 years of TTC. This year's Super Bowl will definitely be one we remember because of it.
Also that day, I learned my sister's boyfriend was going to pop the question! I helped him scheme and as of this past Sunday, they are officially getting married! They're looking at an August wedding (yeah...like 6 months from now). I'm super happy for her and hope this planning goes by smoothly for them.
I've also been accepted into college once again. I'm probably crazy wanting to go back to school right before our first baby will be born, but I can handle quite a bit, so I'm hoping things will go smoothly during that time. Because I have a previous degree, I've had a ton of extra things to do in order to get accepted and get into the program I want. It's been a lot of extra leg work, but it'll all be worth it in the end, I hope!
And the other exciting news...while we were in Texas, a good friend of mine kept in touch with me during the whole thing. She's one of a couple of people that know we went through IVF, and has been very supportive of us through it all. Once we returned, her and her hubby wanted to meet us for lunch at a restaurant here in town. We set up a time and day and looked forward to catching up with them. We got the surprise of our lives. Long story short, they are also a part of our church's small group, but have recently started to feel a little like outcasts, like we have felt. Her confidence with one person was betrayed, and it hurt her quite a bit. Add to that super-baby fever (there are 3 other women in our group that are expecting) and it's just been a headache for her.
Well, as lunch proceeded, she and her hubby opened up to us that they had been TTC for the past year and were having problems. They were pregnant previously (they got pregnant in the first few months of trying), but lost the baby at 15 weeks. Well, through the tears, she shared that she and her husband were finally expecting, and only a few days ahead of DH and I. I was so happy! I had my suspicions that they were trying, but she's a pretty private person (like me) when it comes to stuff like this. Her and I both agreed that if we were to be pregnant with someone else in our Small Group, we'd want it to be each other. She found out the day before us that they were expecting and couldn't wait to tell us! They're not telling anyone for quite some time, so I think maybe we'll try to keep our news quiet too. As it turns out, they're due 8 days before us, and I'm just as excited for her as I am for us!
So as for me, next week, we have our first appointment (just paperwork stuff really), and then next friday, we have our first ultrasound. So much going on in such a short time! We can't wait!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
And now...
Beta #2 today is 1212! We are officially pregnant and doing very well! If I could ever find the babymed.com hCG chart/graph, I'd compare my betas to that of a singleton, but since I can't, I'll just have to basically say that my betas are above the high point for a singleton. I'm just super thankful that our little blast is nestled in for 9 more months! My doc gave me an official due date of 10/17 based on the retrieval date. We'll have our first ultrasound at 7 weeks, which will be the end of February/first week in March. I can't wait!!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Beta's in...
And it's 455!!
One of my docs called me today with the news, and I think he was just as excited as DH and I are! Even though I already knew I was KU, it was great to hear that my beta is right on target too! I return Thursday for another blood draw, then we'll schedule an ultrasound around 6-7 weeks. It's so surreal!!
One of my docs called me today with the news, and I think he was just as excited as DH and I are! Even though I already knew I was KU, it was great to hear that my beta is right on target too! I return Thursday for another blood draw, then we'll schedule an ultrasound around 6-7 weeks. It's so surreal!!
Monday, February 7, 2011
A SuperBowl Weekend to Remember
First off, I've got to say that it was a really great game last night! Although I'm not a Pac.kers fan, I was cheering for them, and I was super excited they won!! My other thoughts...Nationa.l Anthe.m. Yeah. If you're going to sing on national TV at the SB, you had better at least know the words! Unlike most people, I enjoyed the halftime show! I know there were technical difficulties and some lighting issues, but compared to the past few shows they've had, I really liked it!
Aside from that, I was texting my sister's boyfriend, and found out that he's going to propose in 2 weeks!! He's letting me in on the scheming and helping him work things out with my dad. I couldn't be happier! To be honest, I wasn't sure my sister would ever get married. She came close once (and called it off, thank goodness), but she has quite a few little quirks that takes a special kind of person to deal with. Well, she finally found a good one! Her BF is gonna talk to my dad this weekend when they're back visiting, and then the following week, he's going to ask her! I think I'm just as excited as they are.
And in other news...
After nearly 4 years TTC, 6 different doctors, 6 months of Clomid, 2 HSGs, and way too many lab tests and ultrasounds to count....
*TRIGS*
I'm guessing you can figure it out based on the TRIGS, but yesterday morning, I caved and decided to POAS. It took a little bit, but alas, there it was...a beautiful blue second line. Yesterday I was 8dp5dt (13 dpo). I don't know why, but I just couldn't be super excited. It was the first time in my life I've ever seen a second line on a HPT, so I should have been bouncing off the walls. But I wasn't. Today though, I tested again with a FRER and that second line showed up just as fast as the control line. Today, the excitement is definitely there. It's almost like I needed that second confirmation for me to be truly excited! Here are my tests (the first one is from yesterday):
Woo-hoo!!! Tomorrow is my beta, so I can't wait to hear what my number is. My EDD is somewhere near October 17-19, depending on which date you use. I can't believe that we're finally going to have a baby if all goes well! :)
Yesterday was a wonderful day that I will always remember. My sister's going to get engaged, the packers won the superbowl, and we're having a baby!!
Now to figure out when and how to tell the families... It won't be for at least a few more weeks, but I want to be super creative in telling them!
Aside from that, I was texting my sister's boyfriend, and found out that he's going to propose in 2 weeks!! He's letting me in on the scheming and helping him work things out with my dad. I couldn't be happier! To be honest, I wasn't sure my sister would ever get married. She came close once (and called it off, thank goodness), but she has quite a few little quirks that takes a special kind of person to deal with. Well, she finally found a good one! Her BF is gonna talk to my dad this weekend when they're back visiting, and then the following week, he's going to ask her! I think I'm just as excited as they are.
And in other news...
After nearly 4 years TTC, 6 different doctors, 6 months of Clomid, 2 HSGs, and way too many lab tests and ultrasounds to count....
*TRIGS*
I'm guessing you can figure it out based on the TRIGS, but yesterday morning, I caved and decided to POAS. It took a little bit, but alas, there it was...a beautiful blue second line. Yesterday I was 8dp5dt (13 dpo). I don't know why, but I just couldn't be super excited. It was the first time in my life I've ever seen a second line on a HPT, so I should have been bouncing off the walls. But I wasn't. Today though, I tested again with a FRER and that second line showed up just as fast as the control line. Today, the excitement is definitely there. It's almost like I needed that second confirmation for me to be truly excited! Here are my tests (the first one is from yesterday):
Woo-hoo!!! Tomorrow is my beta, so I can't wait to hear what my number is. My EDD is somewhere near October 17-19, depending on which date you use. I can't believe that we're finally going to have a baby if all goes well! :)
Yesterday was a wonderful day that I will always remember. My sister's going to get engaged, the packers won the superbowl, and we're having a baby!!
Now to figure out when and how to tell the families... It won't be for at least a few more weeks, but I want to be super creative in telling them!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
New Addiction
Before we left for Texas to do our IVF cycle, I decided to DVR "Twi.ligh.t" since it was on Showtime, and we have ST for a few more weeks. I really just wanted to see what the hype was all about.
Well, I watched it and totally got hooked. That weekend, they were having the premiere of the second movie, so I just had to DVR that one too. Unfortunately the third movie was On Demand, and I wasn't about to pay for it, so I figured I'd just wait to see if it comes on ST any time soon. Yeah, I couldn't wait. Luckily for us, there's a place here in town where you can buy used movies for super cheap. Needless to say, I think I've watched those movies like 4 times!! I must say though I'm more partial to the first two rather than the third, but nevertheless, I've gotten hooked.
Anyone else a Tw.ili.ght fan?
Aside from that...this wait really hasn't been too bad/stressful so far. As tempted as I am about wanting to POAS this weekend, I won't. I won't do that until either the day of my labs or the day after. Good thing I only have one in my drawer which lessens my opportunities to POAS. I had some cramping yesterday and a little today, so I'm hoping it's going to be good news on Tuesday! It had better be as much as my tushy is bruised from the PIO shots!! :)
Well, I watched it and totally got hooked. That weekend, they were having the premiere of the second movie, so I just had to DVR that one too. Unfortunately the third movie was On Demand, and I wasn't about to pay for it, so I figured I'd just wait to see if it comes on ST any time soon. Yeah, I couldn't wait. Luckily for us, there's a place here in town where you can buy used movies for super cheap. Needless to say, I think I've watched those movies like 4 times!! I must say though I'm more partial to the first two rather than the third, but nevertheless, I've gotten hooked.
Anyone else a Tw.ili.ght fan?
Aside from that...this wait really hasn't been too bad/stressful so far. As tempted as I am about wanting to POAS this weekend, I won't. I won't do that until either the day of my labs or the day after. Good thing I only have one in my drawer which lessens my opportunities to POAS. I had some cramping yesterday and a little today, so I'm hoping it's going to be good news on Tuesday! It had better be as much as my tushy is bruised from the PIO shots!! :)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
CO cold??
No offense to anyone in CO, but as I sit here this morning and see all the school and business cancellations scroll across the bottom of the screen, I can't help but think that people here don't know how to handle cold weather. Temps yesterday were below zero (our highs for the day), and the windchills dropped it to -20 to -30 degrees. Basically all schools and half the businesses were either closed or had a late start yesterday. (Most, if not all, schools were closed.) Today, it's going to be above zero (I think we have a high of +3 degrees), with windchills pushing it below zero once again. Once again, a majority of the schools in the area are closed for the day, and many business are either closed or have delayed starts.
Temps like this remind me of our time in NoDak. Granted, -5 degrees was a heat wave for us in Jan/Feb, but honestly, this weather we've had is nothing. Yeah, it's cold, but cold enough to cancel schools? I definitely don't think so. In NoDak, it was nothing for us to hit temps -20+ degrees, and schools and businesses wouldn't have delayed starts. We'd just throw another layer on, start our cars a little before we had to leave, and off we'd go!
So to my fellow CO, quit being wusses, throw another layer on (or put on your ski/snowboarding gear), and deal with it!
Just my 2 cents...
:)
Temps like this remind me of our time in NoDak. Granted, -5 degrees was a heat wave for us in Jan/Feb, but honestly, this weather we've had is nothing. Yeah, it's cold, but cold enough to cancel schools? I definitely don't think so. In NoDak, it was nothing for us to hit temps -20+ degrees, and schools and businesses wouldn't have delayed starts. We'd just throw another layer on, start our cars a little before we had to leave, and off we'd go!
So to my fellow CO, quit being wusses, throw another layer on (or put on your ski/snowboarding gear), and deal with it!
Just my 2 cents...
:)
Monday, January 31, 2011
I'm not lost...I promise!
Sorry for the absence lately. This past year was pretty crazy, so I'll do the super short version:
I allowed our church intern to stay at my house over the summer. Long story short, I won't do it again. It was probably the worst 3 months ever, and she wasn't the most respectful person to share a place with either.
The missions trip was fun. We had issues with one of the junior high kids, but I think it was mainly because it was his first time away from the parents and he thought he could get away with murder. Yeah, not so much.
DH's deployment went be super fast and he came home late September. He had almost the entire month of October off which was really nice. We had a ton of fun just spending time together.
Because DH got back later than we had hoped, our IVF got pushed to January. We spent a lot of time getting all of our IF testing redone and all the records sent to the IVF office. Thank goodness I have an amazing GYN and a nurse to work with! They were such a huge help!
So now, January. We started our IVF cycle January 11 with a baseline ultrasound, labs, and stops at the pharmacy and medical supply offices. Over the following few days, we had a med class/orientation, and then we got started! Five days later, we had another ultrasound and I was stimming super-fast, so they added a different med to help block my pituitary gland so I wouldn't O on my own. Five days of appointments, ultrasounds, and lab work later, I was ready to trigger. Retrieval was 2 days later and went really well. They got 16 eggs and 13 of them fertilized. Transfer was scheduled for 3 days later, and we were so excited! Transfer day came and the doc met with us pre-transfer. All of our embies were 7-10 cells and grades A/B (mostly A's). We were pretty happy. However, the doc said unless we were super okay with the possibility of twins, he said we could wait and do a 5dt.
After much debating, we decided to up our chances a little and wait a couple more days and transfer 1 blastocyst. Saturday was T-day and everything went super smoothly. They gave us an ultrasound pic of the embryo in my uterus too (our baby's first picture!). The next day, we found out we had 11 embryos make it to cryo! So now it's officially a waiting game. We go in for Beta #1 on Feb 8, so I'm really hoping these next few days go by super fast.
Aside from that, I'm really not liking my job and seriously thinking about quitting shortly. There's a lot of non-communication that is happening and super high unrealistic expectations for a single person and it's way too much stress for the amount of the paychecks that I receive. Come to find out, it's an on-going problem for the church office. One of the previous employees had the same problems that I'm facing now. I've been looking elsewhere but haven't found much that's catching my eye.
I've also decided I want to go back to school for something that would be a little more useful while we're in the military. I'm waiting to hear back on my application, but in the meantime, I've been researching and applying for scholarships and grants. I'm hoping that I can do the college thing and have very little to no out-of-pocket expense on our part.
I allowed our church intern to stay at my house over the summer. Long story short, I won't do it again. It was probably the worst 3 months ever, and she wasn't the most respectful person to share a place with either.
The missions trip was fun. We had issues with one of the junior high kids, but I think it was mainly because it was his first time away from the parents and he thought he could get away with murder. Yeah, not so much.
DH's deployment went be super fast and he came home late September. He had almost the entire month of October off which was really nice. We had a ton of fun just spending time together.
Because DH got back later than we had hoped, our IVF got pushed to January. We spent a lot of time getting all of our IF testing redone and all the records sent to the IVF office. Thank goodness I have an amazing GYN and a nurse to work with! They were such a huge help!
So now, January. We started our IVF cycle January 11 with a baseline ultrasound, labs, and stops at the pharmacy and medical supply offices. Over the following few days, we had a med class/orientation, and then we got started! Five days later, we had another ultrasound and I was stimming super-fast, so they added a different med to help block my pituitary gland so I wouldn't O on my own. Five days of appointments, ultrasounds, and lab work later, I was ready to trigger. Retrieval was 2 days later and went really well. They got 16 eggs and 13 of them fertilized. Transfer was scheduled for 3 days later, and we were so excited! Transfer day came and the doc met with us pre-transfer. All of our embies were 7-10 cells and grades A/B (mostly A's). We were pretty happy. However, the doc said unless we were super okay with the possibility of twins, he said we could wait and do a 5dt.
After much debating, we decided to up our chances a little and wait a couple more days and transfer 1 blastocyst. Saturday was T-day and everything went super smoothly. They gave us an ultrasound pic of the embryo in my uterus too (our baby's first picture!). The next day, we found out we had 11 embryos make it to cryo! So now it's officially a waiting game. We go in for Beta #1 on Feb 8, so I'm really hoping these next few days go by super fast.
Aside from that, I'm really not liking my job and seriously thinking about quitting shortly. There's a lot of non-communication that is happening and super high unrealistic expectations for a single person and it's way too much stress for the amount of the paychecks that I receive. Come to find out, it's an on-going problem for the church office. One of the previous employees had the same problems that I'm facing now. I've been looking elsewhere but haven't found much that's catching my eye.
I've also decided I want to go back to school for something that would be a little more useful while we're in the military. I'm waiting to hear back on my application, but in the meantime, I've been researching and applying for scholarships and grants. I'm hoping that I can do the college thing and have very little to no out-of-pocket expense on our part.
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