2 months old!

Ahhh. Finally, a short free moment to update you all on the boys. They are doing great! Yesterday we had our 2 month doctor visit. They both continued to be 21 1/2 inches tall. Peanut is 8lbs 12 oz and Butter is 10lbs 3 oz. Peanut has a herniated belly button, but Dr. Werner says it should correct itself by the time he is one.

We have had a lot of fun firsts this last month. Both boy's have started to smile. It is A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E. So far I have only been able to catch Butter with the camera.

He is awfully adorable

Butter is also able to easily roll from this tummy to his back. He has been able to do this for some time now (the first time was 4 days after coming home from the hospital). I have video of it from October, I will have to find time to share...He is doing an amazing job of holding his head up and can already sit in a Bumbo. Big boy.

Peanut is not quite as advanced, but right on schedule. He can lift his head for shorter periods of time and is not ready to roll over yet. I hope to catch one of his little smiles on camera soon. They light up his whole face and make me melt. He has the sweetest little face.

This is his "I will not smile for the camera" face

Doodle continues to amaze me with how wonderful of a big brother he is. He loves his brothers. We are about to begin a journey into the adventures of Potty Training. Before the last couple of weeks Doodle has shown absolutely no interest in it. He would occasionally sit on the potty and even more occasionally go potty, but nothing consistent and we really had not been pushing it with the changes of the new babies. In the last few weeks he has really began to get grossed out when he goes "poopy" wanting to be changed right away and exclaiming "ewwww. gross... I poopy". He has also shown an actual interest in wearing the Spiderman "big boy" underwear that I bought him months ago. Both last night and today he actually asked to sit on the "big boy potty", he hasn't gone, but wanted to sit there. I think this weekend we will spend some time working on this. I know we would love to have 1 less box of diapers to buy!

Finally, it is CHRISTMAS TIME!! My most favorite time of the year. We have all our decorations up as of last night and I have been playing Christmas music for a week now. I also am happy to report that I am nearly done with my Christmas shopping. I cannot wait for Christmas this year. Doodle is enjoying talks of Santa and I just think it is going to be soooooo fun. We bought an "Elf on a Shelf" who he named "Moo-Moo" and I have been enjoying moving him around. Doodle says to me "Mommy, Moo-Moo moves around, don't touch him he will loose his magic." Oh how I love that sweet little boy.

2 months!

Crazy busy!

I will get to you, Blog, I will!

1 month gone

Its hard to believe my little monkey's are already 1 month old. The last month has been a blur of nursing, diapers, and sweet sweet snuggles. Yesterday we went in for their 1 month appointment. Peanut is weighing 7lbs 8 oz and Butter is weighing 8lbs oz. They both are 21 1/2 inches. Dr. Werner says that they are in the 25th percentile, which is great for twins. He also said that they both look great, which was a relief for mommy and daddy.

One of the most amazing parts of having the twins is watching them interact with each other and watching their older brother interact with them.

All snuggled up

So far the boys have been sleeping in our room. We have a twin pack and play that has a special bassinet on top for twins. At first we were putting the boys in their own bassinet, but the last couple of weeks they have been sharing one and sleeping all cuddled up together. It seems to work out really well for them.

 

1 month old

Love

So far the boys have been relatively good babies. They sleep fairly well at night (as well as can be expected for 2 one month olds), they have taken very well to nursing. We have given them a couple of bottles filled with breast milk so that they can start getting used to them for when I am not around and they both took the bottles like champs and both still easily latched on the breast again at their next feeding (http://www.kellymom.com/ -- great breast feeding resource!). We are blessed, they are both healthy, they do not have colic, and they are just the sweetest little guys in the universe.

Monday, of course, marked their first Halloween. We had so much fun dressing our three guys up as little super hero's.

Sweet little Superman

Na na na na Batman

Spiderman protecting his brothers with his spiderwebs

Doodle is such a great big brother and has really adjusted well. He gives them each the sweetest little kisses and hugs each day before he goes to day care. Last Saturday as we all sat together in my room I overheard him saying "We are all together, Mommy and Daddy and Keith and Brother and other Brother!!!". I cannot wait to watch them all grow together.

The babies are here!!

I have been slacking with this blog, but with good reason. Our sweet little boy's have arrived and I am excited to share their birth story. It is truly unique.

We were scheduled for our induction at 7:00 am on September 30th. I was 38 weeks. The anticipation of the day woke me up at 2:30 am that morning, unable to go back to sleep. I was excited.

My mom came to watch Doodle and arrived at 6:30 am. I ate a quick breakfast, we took a few pictures (us with Doodle, my giant belly) and headed off to the hospital.

38 weeks

When we arrived, we checked in and they began the process of getting everything set up. Dr. Johnson stopped in and checked me. I was about 2cm and 60% effaced, but my cervix was very very soft. By 9:00 am I was ready complete with an IV, a comfy spot in bed, and monitors all over. They started my Pitocin very slowly and planned to increase it every 1/2 hour. We started at 2.

From this point on it was a whole lot of hurry up and wait. The nurse (Sue) came in about every half hour to increase the Pitocin and check my vitals. At 12:30 Dr. Johnson came back to break my water and check me. I was between 3 and 4 cm and about 90% effaced. Nathan and I watched movies, played Monopoly on the iPad and tried to nap, which was easier said than done for me due to the anticipation and the blood pressure cuff. Around 2:30 I got my epidural, mostly because I just wanted it over with, I was more nervous about that and getting the IV than the actual birth of the twins. The day slowly ticked by and eventually the nurses changed shifts. I think our new nurses name was Julie (Im horrible with names, I just happened to know Sue from golf league). We continued to increase the Pitocin every 1/2 hour and around 9 pm my contractions started to be more uncomfortable. As the time went by I began to think there was no way I would be having these babies in September and was beginning to wonder if I would be ending up with a C-Section.

At about 11:00 pm my nurse checked me and I was between 7 and 8 cm. She called in Dr. Johnson who arrived about 10 to 15 minutes later. By then I was at 9 cm. Things really started to go fast. In the next 15 minutes I was transferred to the operating room for delivery. Since I was having twins it was required that I give birth there in case there was a need for an emergency C-Section. I was informed that if baby B flipped after baby A came out I would be put to sleep and they would do a C-Section. We had a team of around 11 people in the room including to OB's. My regular OB to deliver the babies and another, Dr. Kenna who was running and ultra sound machine on my stomach to see what Butter did once Peanut was out. The next thing I knew it was time to push. At 11:41 pm on September 30th, Kyle Jeffery DeLaet was born. He was 6lbs 9oz and 19 1/2 inches long and has tons of black hair.

As we are rejoicing in the birth of our second son, the realization hits that I am not done. Dr. Kenna has been pushing down on my belly to prevent Butter from flipping to Breach. He slowly moves into the birth canal as we joke about how funny it would be if he were born after 12:00 gaining himself not only a different birth day, but also a different birth month. Sure enough at 12:12 am on October 1st, 2011 Kollin Michael DeLaet joined this world. He was 6lbs 11oz and 19 inches long with barely any hair. Both boys were born vaginally, exactly how I had wanted them.

Miracles.

Kyle was born with the umbilical cord tied around his neck and was pretty stressed from birth. Kollin had some trouble breathing the first night so we spent the next 2 days in the NICU. Fortunately a little TLC was all either of them needed and we were all able to come home on schedule. Over a week later we are a little sleep deprived, but IN LOVE! The twins are fraternal, there is no doubt about that, they look very different and are so precious in their own ways.

 

Doodle is a great big brother. He is so excited about the boys. We have been working with him to slow down and not play rough around them, but he is very gentle with them and gives them the sweetest kisses. He wakes up each morning and asks "Where are my brothers". He has also been a huge help. I look forward to watching them all grow together.



36 week appointment

We had our 2nd to last appointment on Friday! Yay! We are getting so excited.. Not only to meet the boys, but to finally reveal their names to all of our friends and family!

I was able to talk with Dr. Johnson a little more on Friday about how it will work on the 30th, assuming we make it that long (I was 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced). This birth sounds like it will be quite a bit different than Doodles regardless of it being a c-section or a vaginal birth. Instead of being in the same room the whole time, I will give birth in an operating room, just in case something should go wrong and I would have to have an emergency c-section. I will have to get my epidural early (which I am fine with, no pain tolerance here) again, in case something happens. As of now Peanut is still vertex (head down) and Butter is transverse. Dr. Johnson is confident that once Peanut is out Butter is favorable to flip head down as well (YIPPEE!!). If he doesn't, we will have to have a c-section with him, which is really my biggest fear, recovering from a vaginal birth with one twin and a c-section with the other...

I was pretty emotional in the appointment, its just crazy to think that we are so close. The thought of them being here chokes me up.

My appointment did reveal that my blood pressure is slowing going up each visit, with it being borderline high this time. I was given instructions to take it very easy this weekend and Dr. Johnson will be monitoring my stress tests closely this week. We will see how it looks tomorrow as my swelling continues to be really bad regardless of the fact that I have not done much of anything this weekend. I am hopeful it will be back down as I only have 8 days of work left.

I purchased Doodle's big brother gift today. We plan to have a present from each of this brother's waiting for him in the hospital room when he comes in to meet his brothers. We got him some match box airplanes so he will get 2 from each brother. My husband and I are also planning a special "Big Brother Day" for him on September 29th (the day before his little brothers come). We are going to do all sorts of his favorite things and just really focus on making him feel special and loved. It should be fun and hopefully a good memory for him when he gets older.

Only 2 appointments left!?

Holy Cow! It is really hard to believe that we only have 2 appointments left before we meet our boys and I didn't even realize it until leaving my appointment on Friday. We go back this Friday to see Dr. Johnson and on the 23rd to the High Risk doctor, then no more appointments. It seems like this pregnancy has gone considerably faster than my pregnancy with Doodle, although I am getting more and more miserable which is really just because I am HUGE! Yikes.

At our appointment on September 9th we asked Dr. Johnson to tell us how much the boy's weigh. She did a very, very "rough" measurement and both were about 5 lbs. Peanut a little more, Butter a little less. She kept repeating that this was a rough measurement because she did it very quickly. I was very happy to hear the numbers because I have felt like anything more than 5 lbs was very very good. The boy's hadn't been measured since August 5th at the High Risk doctor so we were very curious how they were looking. Dr. Johnson also checked my cervix. I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Peanut had also flipped again (we have no idea how he can still be doing this) and is vertex again... Just when I had accepted that I would have to have a c-section, little wiggle worm! All in all, the boy's continue to look great. Non-stress tests are looking great and they are growing away.

In the mean time we have been busy getting the house ready for them. Car seats are installed, crib is put together, and bags have been packed. Doodle is getting more and more excited and I think is beginning to understand more. I am so proud of him, he does a great job with accepting when something is for "the babies" and he cant have it. He talks more about his brothers and I am so excited for him to meet them.

Changing seasons and a growing boy

Its hard to believe that fall is finally here. Everyone I have talked to while being pregnant has been ultra sympathetic to me being pregnant all summer. In reality, it wasn't that bad. With the exception of a few hot spells the Nebraska weather was relatively kind to me. When it wasn't, I just stayed inside. I found myself able to play golf all the way through my league only having to skip once due to heat index's over 110. I played in all of the golf tournaments I play in every year, with our team being in the championship flights for 2 of them. In fact, I played some amazing golf this summer. I'm digressing. The moral of this rant is, it hasn't been so bad. Only in the last few weeks have I really started swelling, waddling, not sleeping well, and just being generally uncomfortable. Now that this has all hit, it has hit hard. I realize that it is time for me to slow down. Time to start saying no. Time to rest up and nest in. I made through 2 hours of the State Fair last weekend (which I love) and nearly passed out. That was my wake up call. In looking ahead we have a couple of hot days left this week and are looking at 70's for next week. That I can handle.

Our boys are growing and doing well. Last week we took Doodle with us to our weekly appointment. He got to see his brothers and told the Doctor that they are "naughty" silly boy. Sadly, Peanut has flipped again, back to breech and Butter is transverse so we are back to looking at a c-section. Disappointing, but it is what it is. The non-stress tests are going ok. Sometimes they take forever (1 1/2 hours) but Thursday they were able to find the boys easily and it only took 25 minutes.

Today is Doodle's last real day in regular "daycare", he officially moves tomorrow into the Early Preschool room. I cannot believe it. When I got the letter last week about his move I cried. Its so hard to believe my baby is growing up. I look at him and see how tall he is getting, how smart he is and I am so proud, yet so sad to see the baby go. It makes you realize how fast time really goes and how much you take for granted because you are so busy in life.

We have a date!

Friday's appointment was very exciting for us. We got to see the babies and they are both doing great. We also got a tentaive "birthdate". The babies will be induced or c-section on September 30th. We are excited to have an end date in sight. We also learned that Peanut is now vertex and Butter is sort of tilted between transverse and vertex. If things stay the same as they are we have a chance for a vaginal birth. Hip hip horray!

Several of my girlfriends threw a very nice shower for the babies on Sunday. Our generous friends and family provided us with many of our needed items for the twins. One of the best parts was the activity my friends planned. Instead of doing any games we painted bibs and onsies. Its so neat because they are so original and are just going to be great memories for us and for the twins. Below are some pictures!

Doodle's Birth Story

One of the parts of having twins that terrifies me most is the birth. I am very scared of having a c-section, scared of the recovery and not being able to do things right away that I feel I should be able to do. Since this has been on my mind so much I thought it might be a good time to share Doodle's birth story with all of you. I wrote this 7 days after he was born. The process was somewhat trying at the time, however, I think it is such a beautiful story and I have very fond memories of the actual birth and labor.

I remember Nichole from work saying.... "you will have a birth story" like it was the neatest thing in the world. Now I realize it is. Keith's birth story is quite the tale, with the most happy ending!



I had been fighting pregnancy induced hypertension for about 2 months when I went to the doctor on January 13th. At this appointment my blood pressure was again high and I had traces of protein in my urine. I had been on bed rest for over a week now. Dr. Yazdi asked, "so when are we going to have this baby?" to which I replied "I don't know you haven't told me yet". After some more conversation back and forth he called the birthing center and set up an appointment for me to be induced the following day, January 14th at 7:00 pm.


Nate and I got the house all ready for the baby to come. Just last minute things like changing our sheets and sweeping the floors. We were all packed and ready to go. At about 6:40pm we knelt at our bedside and said a prayer for the impending labor and delivery and the health of our son. We then left the house thinking that when we returned our lives would be forever changed (in fact we told the kitty's that their lives as they knew them were over!)..


At 7:00 on January 14th we arrived at the hospital. They checked us into room 222 ( a room we became quite familiar with). My nurse's name was Karri. I ended up having a special place in my heart for this particular nurse because she had been through in-vetro 5 times and had just found out she was pregnant with twins! We had both seen the same doctor for the procedure. My vitals were taken and my first misoprostol was given at approximately 8:00pm. Throughout the night my cervix was checked several times with little to no changes. At about 2:30 am I woke up with pretty steady, strong contractions. I was given a misoprostol approximately every 4 hours. After about 39 hours of getting my cervix checked and misoprostol inserted every 4 hours I was sent home. I guess it wasn't really a failed induction because we didn't really even get to the induction point. The misoprostol was supposed to thin my cervix, but it was not working. So I returned home, with no baby... and continued on my bed rest. Sadly we also had my mother, Nate's mother, Nate's sister, and Nate's father who had spend the last 38 hours at the hospital with us waiting, who all returned to their homes as well..Over the next two days I lost my mucus plug, so I knew things were progressing and could not wait until my doctor appointment on Monday!


Monday at about 3:30pm Nate called the doctor's office to be sure that they were on time for my appointment, something that we had been doing the last couple of weeks trying to avoid me having to sit up for to long because being up would make my blood pressure spike. When he called he was informed that we did not have an appointment, but in fact, were being induced at 7:00pm that night, something that we had not been informed of. After much confusion it was determined that this was the new plan. So, Nate and I began to prepare yet again to have the baby. This time was a lot less stressful. We had already been there, done that... Luckily the house was still quite clean so we got everything together again, knelt by the bed for a prayer, and headed back to the birthing center hoping that this time when we returned we would have our son...


We were checked into room 222 again and Karri was our nurse. Dr. Yazdi came in at approximately 8:00 pm, checked me, and gave me a pill. After my two hours laying down, Nate and I began walking. I was having pretty good contractions. Dr. Yazdi was still at the hospital at about 11:40 when it was time to be checked and get another pill because he had another patient in labor. Dr. Yazdi checked me and said that I was still only about 1c m but my cervix had thinned to about 80%. He then left. At about 11:58 I felt a weird pop inside my body, it was like nothing I had ever felt before. Then I felt something wet between my legs. It was just a trickle so I didn't think to much of it. When I felt a little more a few seconds later I said to Nate, "I think my water just broke". We then called in the nurse. She and Dr. Yazdi checked and in fact my water had broken. We were on our way to having a baby!! As Dr. Yazdi walked out of the room he said "that is the best news I have heard all night!". Karri told me that at any point from then on I could have my epidural. I stated, "oh,no I don't need that yet" after about 45 minutes I changed my mind. My contractions were coming one on top of the other so I called for Karri. She asked if I would like to try some pain meds in the arm first so I said ok. She then said, well let me check you really quick and make sure your body hasn't made a big change on me". She checked me and found that I was 100% effaced and 3 cm dilated! I had changed a lot in about 1 hour. Karri then said she would just go ahead and call for the epidural. I was also put on a pitocin drip at this time, but not to induce contractions, to regulate them, something that never did happen throughout the labor.


Wow! That was the most agonizing 45 minutes of my life. My contractions were STRONG! and right on top of on another. Finally the epidural came. It took about 20 minutes and 4 pokes to get it in. Turns out I have a little bit of scoliosis and my vertebrae are very close together so it was hard to get it. Thank goodness it was even possible! Once it was it it was almost instant relief! I was able to drift in and out of sleep for the next several hours.


At about 7:00am I was checked and was very close to being 10 cm. I only had "a rim" to go. The shift changed and our new nurse, Silvia, joined us. By this time my epidural had began to wear off and I was feeling my contractions again. They called up the Doctor and I was given a "booster". At this time I lost all feeling in my legs and could not move them! I was able to fall into a pretty good sleep at this time until about 8:30.


At 8:30 Dr. Yazdi came in. He checked me and stated that if I did anymore sleeping he would turn off the epidural. It was time to push!! Pushing was quite the experience for me because I was so numb. I really couldn't feel the contractions coming or going and didn't even know if I was pushing right. Unfortunately my contractions were still coming one on top of another and could not really be charted. Silvia my nurse kept making me flip from side to side and push. It was at about this time we found out that the baby had defecated in the womb. We were informed that there was a chance that he would breathe in his meconium at birth and that if this happened he may have to go to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. I did not like the thought of this!! Over the next 2 hours I continued to push. At about 10:30 the epidural began to wear off again and I could somewhat feel the contractions, something I was thankful for because now I knew when to push! About 15 minutes later Dr. Yazdi came in. This is when we were told that the baby was "sunny side up" or facing, face up in the birth canal. My pelvis was not expanding much and the position he was in was not allowing for him to pass through. He need to flip over into traditional birth position for the extra space to move through. Dr. Yazdi tells me that he will have to get the forceps to flip him. He states that this is a one push try and if it does not work we will be having an emergency c-section. Dr. Yazdi states that there is a chance I could tear during this procedure. I looked at Nate wanting him to tell me what to do and then said "just do it". The next few minutes were a whirlwind! I felt the forceps going in, felt some pressure, and the next thing I knew I was looking at my screaming, green, cone headed baby! I looked over at Nate and tears were streaming down both of our faces.... At 11:02 am, on January 20th, 2009, just as our nations 1st African American President was sworn in, Keith Douglas DeLaet was born. A miracle, a blessing.


Keith did not breathe in any of his meconium so he was cleaned, given his Vitamin K shot, and Nate cut his umbilical cord. During this time I was stitched up. Keith weighed 7 lbs and 4 oz. He is 20 1/2 inches long. He is the most perfect, wonderful thing that has ever happened to us. We will thank God everyday for him. I can't wait to watch this little man grow up... He has already been through so much, from being an egg retrieved from my uterus, to being fertilized in a lab, to being frozen and unthawed, to being flipped in the birth canal with forceps. My baby is a fighter... The beginning....

30 weeks

I am now over 30 weeks. 8 weeks or less to go until we meet our boys. We are getting very excited. I had an appointment last Friday with the High Risk Doctor. Peanut is weighing 3.5 oz and had a heartbeat of 151, Butter is weighing 3.7 oz and had a heartbeat of 144. They both continue to look great and I continue to be quite healthy. The pictures we got were not very good, so I will not share them, I hope to get better ones at my next appointment. I am starting to swell more significantly in my legs and feet, something that plagued me with Doodle's pregnancy. From here on out we see the doctor each week and will have to be monitored for contractions.

We have been busy getting ready for the boy's to come. This weekend I have several girl friends throwing a shower for me. It will be fun to celebrate the impending arrival of our bundles of joy. Doodle's new room is done and we have began working in the nursery to get it ready. We have the crib up and I finished washing and putting away all of Doodle's old baby clothes yesterday. I feel like we are starting to get more organized and prepared.

Doodle has been talking more and more about his brothers. He see's baby clothing or toys around our house and says "this is for my brothers", it is cute. I still think it will be quite a shock for him once they actually come, but I think he will be a fabulous brother.

28 weeks

We went in to see Dr. Johnson today. Peanut's heartbeat was 161 and Butter's was 148. They both are looking good. I had my diabetic screening and PASSED! Yay! However, I am anemic so they are putting me on prescription iron.

I have been a little under the weather the last week or so. My sinuses have been acting up and I had pink eye. I will be on antibiotics for the next 10 days to hopefully clear this up as the first round of them they gave me didn't help much. I have also been going to the Chiropractor for my lower back pain which has been helping a lot.

Next Friday we go in to see the high risk Doctor again and then we begin seeing Dr. Johnson weekly. It is hard to believe that it is already time for that.

So funny I had to share

Bringing in the 3rd Trimester

Monday I ended up at the birthing center for lower back pain and menstrual like cramping. I was hooked up to everything and luckily nothing was wrong. They summed it up to possible dehydration or just the twinies stretching me. I ended up going to the Chiropractor yesterday and got adjusted, that has really helped and although I am not feeling 100% I am feeling better than I was.

We also had a doctor appointment on Monday before the cramping and back pain started up. I am measuring at about 31 weeks right now (I am just over 26). The boy's looked great, strong heartbeats, but they have not changed their positions. A c-section is very likely and Dr. Johnson told me to pretty much plan on it. I'm scared of having a c-section, so that is not the news I wanted to hear!

We have been working on Doodle's new room and getting prepared to move him to the basement. We are planning to do a "Buzz Lightyear" room. So far the room is drywalled and we have put up the first coat of primer. I plan to get the next coat or two up in the next few days and then start the painting of it. I will post pictures as we come along because I think it is going to be really neat!

Becoming a mother of twins

Honestly, the idea of becoming a mother of twins is somewhat terrifying. Especially knowing that I have a very loved (that's a good word for spoiled, right?) 2 1/2 year old. I worry about the adjustment for him and what it will do to the sweet little boy that he is.


We tried for over 2 years for Doodle before we were blessed with him and he has been the biggest blessing we have ever received. He is loved so much by not only us, but by our families. These two blessings will definitely rain on his parade. He is so used to having both of us and while I know that 1 sibling would have been an adjustment, I know 2 will be especially hard.


Not only am I worried about Doodle's reaction and having enough time to still make him feel special and loved, I also worry about  many other things, such as breastfeeding. Nursing is a commitment. It really is, there is no sugar coating it. I remember it making me nearly crazy with Doodle. I was constantly stressed about my milk supply. Is he getting enough, is day care over feeding him, they better not have thrown out any of my golden milk= translation, am I a good enough mother?


I can only imagine what this will be like when I am trying to provide for 2. I have read horror stories online about mothers who are nursing 24/7. Constantly pumping and having a baby at the breast. How does this work when you have a toddler who also needs your attention? Where is the balance?


Now I realize all of this will come together, we will adjust, Doodle will adjust and if nursing doesn't work out this time, it doesn't work out. However, even with these realizations in mind, the build up to it is a bit overwhelming.


Breastfeeding and having enough love to go around are only a few of the worries. Scheduling/routines, childcare bills, recovering from a likely c-section, sleep, and keeping a happy marriage are all worries that come to mind. People with negative attitudes/comments are not helpful. My husband and I are both sick of hearing from others how hard it is going to be: "TWINS, oh my gosh you will have your hands full", "better you than me", "your going to be so busy". Seriously, shove it! Didn't your mother teach you "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all". We realize it is going to be tough, we realize it is going to be a change; we didn't expect twins, but really we are both quite capable, and will be fine. Rather than giving us more discouragement, spend sometime giving us encouragement and support, that is what we need.


I know these frustrations are felt by many more mothers of multiples and I know everything will be just fine. I just want to encourage those of you reading out there to think before you speak. Pregnant mommies are sensitive.

24+ weeks

Friday the 1st was my second appointment with the High Risk Doctor. The appointment was extremely long, but I felt better after it than I did the last one. Peanut had a heartbeat of 150 and weighs 1 lb 10 oz, Butter had a heartbeat of 139 and weighs 1 lb 12 oz. They checked out both of their hearts thoroughly and she said she cant give me a 100%, but she is 95% certain there are no heart problems and that they look very good. Praise God!  My cervix remains perfect and Peanut's placenta has moved away from it, which is a very good thing. The only bad news was that Peanut is Breech and Butter is transverse so unless they move (Doc says there is a 3% chance) I will have to have a c-section which terrifies me. I was able to have a vaginal birth with Doodle and was really hoping for the same with the twins. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that they will move for me. I go back to see my regular OB on Monday so I plan to talk with her more about it then.

We got some amazing pictures while we were at the doctor this time:

Peanut's profile

Butter's Profile

Their profiles next to each other

Butter's foot. 

Doodle kissing his brothers 

Well on our way

Sorry, I have been slacking big time with this blog.  So here is an update from my last 2 appointments!

On June 3rd we had our appointment with the high risk doctor. While I didn't enjoy the experience much, it was still fun to see Peanut and Butter. The appointment was different as we had an ultrasound tech doing our ultrasound. She wouldn't let me ask questions while it was going on, which I didn't care for much as this was the large anatomy scan where they check out all the babies parts. The actual doctor was very hard to understand. What I did find out from the appointment: The boys are 100% most definitely boys! They are di/ di twins and apparently that is the "good kind". ( DCDA or di/di (diamniotic / dichorionic) - These twins are usually fraternal (absolutely fraternal if different genders), but some will actually prove to be identical twins where the embryo has split very early in development (about 1/3 of identicals may be DCDA). First trimester scans will show two embryos in two separate sacs. The dividing membrane between the twins is thick, being made up of two layers of chorion and two layers of amnion (one from each twin). This thick separation gives rise to the so-called ‘lambda’ sign, where there is a wedge shaped piece of tissue between the edges of sacs of the twins on ultrasound. The circulations and placentas of the babies are separate, even though the placentas may push up next to each other later in pregnancy. DCDA twins generally carry the lowest risks of all the subtypes of twin pregnancy. *stolen from http://www.twin-pregnancy-and-beyond.com/twin-pregnancy-complications.html). Peanut was 14 oz and Butter was 13 oz and both had strong heartbeats (Peanut 140 and Butter 146). I also was told that Peanut's placenta is a little lower and closer to my cervix than they would like, but there is a chance that it is just early and will move before the next appointment. In the mean time, no heavy lifting, no bending, and I am supposed to lay down for an hour each day and rest in the afternoon (which I am finding is easier said than done). I will be visiting them again on July 1.

I also had an appointment with Dr. Johnson on June 13th. Being my typical every two week appointment with Dr. Molly, it was short and sweet, yet more fulfilling than the other. She updated me on the last appointment I had with the High Risk Doctor. Because I was not able to ask the Ultra Sound tech questions (or rather she was not able to answer them) I had been nervous because of the time they spent looking at Butter's heart. Dr. Molly says that everything is fine and we got a good report. Both the boys looked good, although they were in strange positions and we didn't get a good look at Peanut's face (Heartbeat was 141).

Butter on the other hand must have felt like showing off:

He's got his Daddy's nose and a sweet little face (Heartbeat 160)

I go back again on July 1st to see the High Risk doctors. In the mean time we are starting the remodel of Doodle's bedroom. Dry wall is going up today, its time to start getting ready for these babies!

Movin' and a groovin'

I hit the "twin half way mark" on Sunday. Only 5 more weeks until the first major milestone for twins: viability. Meaning the earliest that the twines can be born and still have a viable chance of making it.

The babies have been moving more and more, thankfully, I was beginning to get worried. Last night their Daddy felt them for the first time. It was so exciting! I cannot wait until Doodle can feel them, I think he will love it.

I go back next Friday for my first meeting with the high risk doctors. They will be doing my big anatomy scan. I am excited for that, but nervous to meet with them....

Sweet Emotion

Holy emotional. I have been crazy emotional the last couple of weeks. Honestly I can cry at the drop of a hat. Sheesh. Normally I am a pretty emotional person anyway, but I can usually hold it in a bit. I don't remember being this emotional when I was pregnant with Doodle.

Today was our 16 week ultra sound. I went in *hoping* that we would find out the genders of the babies. My birthday is tomorrow and it would be a great birthday present. I was not disappointed.

The ultra sound showed very clearly that we are having 2 little boys! I wont lie, I was a bit disappointed, I wanted to have at least 1 girl, but the important thing is that they are healthy. Honestly, I was a little disappointed when we found out Doodle was a boy as well, and I wouldn't change him for the world.

Besides the gender identification we learned that they are both as healthy as they have been the whole time. Butter was up and dancing for us again, and when she showed them to us side by side, they were kicking each other. A look into the future, most likely.

Butter's little leggies

Butter = Boy, heartbeat 154

Peanut = Boy, heartbeat 161

Now its time to start getting serious about names.. I go back again in about 1 1/2 weeks (a little early this time due to a vacation) and then on June 3rd to meet with the high risk doctors and get my BIG ultra sound. Looking forward to it! 

14 1/2 weeks

Can I give a shout out to the total wonderfulness of having Ultra Sounds every 2 weeks?! It is so amazing to get to see the babies grow before our eyes in my stomach. Of all the awful pieces of infertility and/or high risk pregnancies this is truly one of the benefits! I couldn't believe how much they had both changed already since our last Ultra Sound just 2 weeks ago.

Peanut had a heartbeat of 154.

Butter had a heartbeat of 150

I absolutely love the picture of Butter, once again he/she was moving all around and this one captures he/she stretching his/her arms over her head as if just waking up. Both babies and their mommy continue to be incredibly healthy. In 4 weeks I will have to meet with the high risk doctors for the first time. At my clinic this is standard procedure for any mother pregnant with twins. They are just an extra set of eyes on the pregnancy.

What I am really looking forward to is *hopefully* finding out their sexes! I am ready to start planning a nursery if I need to paint and buying things!



12 weeks gone hello 2nd trimester!

Ahh. The 2nd trimester. I have such fond memories of you from my 1st pregnancy. You were complete with the ability to brush my teeth without then gagging, the renewal of energy, and that pregnancy "glow" that everyone talks about.

I have to say I am happy the 1st trimester is over. For those of us who have dealt with infertility this means a "graduation" of sorts from our Reproductive Specialist to our regular OBGYN. It also means the completion of many, many weeks of shots (particularly exciting!) and a sense of confidence that you have passed a milestone that you may have never thought you would see.

My 12 week appointment was fun, uneventful really, but anytime I get to see the sweet little babies it is fun. I have been a little under the weather, sick with a cold or allergies, I'm not sure which. The babies are looking great, measuring just right, and wiggling around (Butter did some pretty incredible rolls while we were watching).

Here is a picture of both of them together.

Peanut had a heartbeat of 167.

Butter had a heartbeat of 161

It is so fun getting to see them every 2 weeks. I really hope it keeps up throughout the entire pregnancy. I am very excited to find out what we are having in a month or so! For now everyone participate in the poll guessing what we are having!

10 1/2 weeks

Today we went in for our 10 1/2 week appointment. The babies look great. Measuring right on schedule. We found out that we will be going in every 2 weeks and will have ultrasounds at least monthly. I am pretty excited about that! We also found out that at 32 weeks we will have to go to the hospital 2 times weekly for stress tests. All of this is normal protocol for those expecting twins at our doctor's office.

We got some AMAZING pictures like this one:

It shows both of the little sweeties in there together. I think my doctor was pretty proud of the shot, she had shown several of the office staff before I even made it out of the Ultra Sound room. 

This is sweet little Peanut. His or Her heartbeat was 170 today. 

This is sweet little Butter. His or her heartbeat was 154 today. He or she was very active and was waving and kicking all over the place.

Doodle is still learning about his siblings. We ask him where mommies babies are and he will rub my belly or, as pictured below, he will pull up his own shirt, rub his belly, and exclaim "Keith's babies". Its all too adorable. In the picture below we were trying to get him to give the babies a kiss, instead we got this. ADORABLE.

I am currently still waiting to hear from my doctor in Omaha. I am hoping to be released from their care today and taken of the dreaded Progesterone in Oil shots. Fingers Crossed!

8 weeks and going strong

Today was my 8 week appointment. It went well. The babies are doing great. Peanut (Baby A) has a heartbeat of 160 and Butter (Baby B) has a heartbeat of 169. They are both measuring up to date and looking good. Its somewhat hard to see Butter. He/She is always hiding.

My morning sickness has not been bad. I have good days and bad days, but if my memory serves me right, I am not near as sick as I was with Doodle. This has worried me a bit so I am very happy that I have ultra sounds every 2 weeks to fill me in on how the babies are doing.

Sounds like I will have to stay on my shots for at least another 2 weeks. Ugh. I was hoping to be off them today. They did finally give me an official due date of October 17th, however Dr. Johnson said they do induce or perform a c-section if you make it to 38 weeks so I am expecting them at least 2 weeks earlier than the October due date.

Heartbeats and throwing up

That's right I said HEARTBEATS! Plural. As in two, dos.

Craziness! We are floored! Thrilled and terrified at the same time.

The ultra sound went great. As soon as she got in there I could see the 2 sac's. Both had yolks, fetal poles, and heartbeats. Baby A's heartbeat was 112 and Baby B's heartbeat was 109.

This picture shows both sac's. You can see Baby A in the right sac, Baby B is hiding in the second.

We are a bit stressed about the whole idea, but thrilled.

I have been feeling very tired and having waves of sickness. Its nothing to terrible and actually makes me feel better about the babies. I am praying for a healthy pregnancy and life for both of them.

Waiting

Well all of the hype is basically over regarding the positive test. Not that we aren't still excited, we are, its just that we are really in another wait. A wait for our 1st Ultra Sound which is scheduled for Monday the 21st. Basically this is another 2 week wait filled with second guesses, long days, and super sleepy nights.

Our families were shocked, excited, thrilled. We had SO much fun telling them. I wish we could do it all over again!

I have been tired, very tired, which I was last time as well. I could seriously take a nap each day and could go to bed each day at 8:00 if I were able. Which I am not able to do either. Yesterday I had my first bout with morning sickness, in the afternoon. I have always been told that morning sickness proves a healthy baby so I was happy.

We are looking forward to the 21st. I am looking forward to the reassurance it will provide me with. I am continually feeling like this is to good to be true. That there is no way this could have worked the 1st time. I feel like the Ultra Sound on Monday will help me stop checking for my period each time I go to the bathroom (although honestly, I doubt it will, I will be nervous about the pregnancy for some time).

Not only will the Ultra Sound offer some reassurance as to what is going on inside me, it will also let us know if we have 1 or 2 babies in there. Our 1st time around I really wanted twins, this time it terrifies me, but the idea is growing on me all the time. It would be a lot, but it would be fun. I guess we shall see what Monday brings.

BFP BFP BFP!

The 2 week wait is over! Whew, and ended in good news!

My first beta was Saturday and resulted in a positive with a 156. That is a great number and Suzie (my doctor's nurse) said that it is borderline multiples (oh my word!). We were thrilled. Of course I knew it would be a positive because I had been taking home pregnancy tests since Wednesday, well Monday, if you count the one I took at my husband's insistence and told me that the Trigger shot of the HCG hormone were out of me. I got a very (when I say very I mean barely there) light positive on Wednesday morning. Thursday it was darker and Friday even darker. It was fun watching the lines change each day.

My second beta was today. The number jumped to 514. I feel good about this. I looked back and Doodle's first number was an 85. I don't remember the second, but not 514 (I will have to look again). My 1st Ultra Sound is on the 21st. We cant wait!

As for telling our family, we are going to do so tonight. We had all these great plans of telling them via t-shirt, ect. but honestly we are entirely to excited and don't want to wait the 2 or 3 weeks it will take to get to everyone in person. Maybe I will just send them here. All the information has been right here under their noses the whole time.

The dreaded 2 week wait

Want to make a grown woman go crazy?

Transfer a fertilized embryo into her uterus and then make her wait and wonder if it implanted.

I am in the midst of the 2 week wait or 2ww as it is called to TTCer's around the globe. Oy, it is driving me bonkers. Not only me, but my husband as well. We transferred a mere 4 days ago and he is already asking if we can take a home pregnancy test. I'm refusing. For several reasons. First and foremost part of the IVF protocol is a "trigger shot" which is the pregnancy hormone detected in home pregnancy tests. This shot takes, oh, 10 or 14 days to get out of your system and could give false hope should I test now. I triggered last Friday at 11 pm so there is no way it is out of my system.

2WW is filled with dreams of twins, checking your breasts in the mirror daily to see if they have more blue veins or squeezing them to see if they are more tender, being incredibly mindful of any "twinges" that could possibly be implantation, checking the toilet paper each time you go to the bathroom for implantation spotting, and, in my case, progesterone in oil shots. BLEG.

These shots are exactly what they say, progesterone in sesame oil. They are thick, they are nasty, and last time by the end of them I had several lumps on my bottom marking their injection sights. They are given by my sweet husband nightly at 9:00 pm. Then we massage the area, hoping that they will not lump. Again, means to an end, correct?

This is a posting I found on a infertility discussion board a few years ago. It hangs on my fridge. I find it so empowering for woman who are dealing with infertility.

"There are women that become mothers without effort without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better.


I will be better not because of genetics, or money, or that I have read more books but because I have struggled and toiled for this child. I have longed and waited. I have cried and prayed. I have endured and planned over and over again.


Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams. I will notice everything about my child. I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover. I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life.


I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold, and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream. My dream will be crying for me.


I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see.


Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love.


I will be a better mother for all that I have endured. I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain.


I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body. I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.


I have prevailed, I have succeeded. I have won.


So now, when other hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself from discomfort. I see it, morn it, and join them in theirs.


I listen.


And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely. I have learned the immense power of another hand holding tight to mine and when life is beyond hard, I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.


I have learned to appreciate life. Yes, I will be a wonderful mother. "

~Author Unknown

Bed resting

Transfer went well yesterday. We were able to transfer 2 "absolutely beautiful" embryo's according to Dr. Maude. I am now on bed rest. Oy. I ended up coming home from work early on Tuesday because I was sore from the Egg Retrieval. Not near as sore as last time, but still sore. I think that the novelty of sitting at home is gone, I am a busy body and going crazy at this point. We should hear tomorrow how many of the remaining Embryo's will be able to be frozen.

An advantage to doing IVF is that you get pictures of your little embryo's, something that most parents to do have the luck of having. Here are the sweet little guys I am hoping will stick in my belly:

Sweet Little Embie 1

 

Sweet Little Embie 2

Another fun little item. My girl Ci-Ci has been creatively coming up with ideas for us to help tell our friends and family that tie in to the Casino theme suggested by my http://www.babycenter.com/ girls. Yesterday I got an email stating "I'm not excited" with the following inside:

The front will say I've hit the Jackpot rather than the Lottery.. I think she did a pretty awesome job! Love ya Ci!

Lucky number 12

Yesterday our Doctor's office called and said that out of the 21 eggs they got 11 were mature enough to fertilize and 10 completed the process. Today they called and said that 2 more matured and fertilized which is great. I feel pretty confident. They ran us through the process and said Dr. Maude would call in the morning to give a full report and discuss how many to transfer. Everything is real. I have been sharing with a board on http://www.babycenter.com/ about the process and they have suggested we use a casino theme when we tell our family. I think its a great idea. Now to just figure out how..

A basket full of eggs

Wow! Stims have gone fast! We did ganerelix on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Friday we triggered. The ball is really rolling now. Egg Retrieval was on Sunday, today. Its so weird going under. One minute you are BSing with Dr. Maude and the next.. Your awake with a bad taste in your mouth. So far I am feeling pretty good. It was a crazy week getting here.

Our son's 2nd birthday was Thursday, the same day I had an Ultra Sound and Blood work at  our local clinic. Shortly after this our RE's office in Omaha saying that the local clinic had called them and told them their Estrodol machine was broken and they were concerned about the measurements from my Ultra Sound of my lining. So they wanted us to drive up to Omaha and be at their office between 7 and 9 to have the RE redo the Ultra Sound and do the Blood work. So off to Omaha for the night we went, with a short stop at Applebee's to celebrate our son's birthday.

Turns out the trip was worth it, my lining was quite a bit thicker. I was told I have to take a baby aspirin each day and Retrieval would be Sunday. Now that in and of its self was a journey.

We have only told 3 people that we are in this process, my boss, my husbands boss, and a close friend for babysitting purposes. Well we had our son's 2nd birthday party on Saturday and had previously asked my mother to babysit so that we could take our friend out for her birthday. Turns out we are needing to head to Omaha on Saturday so I have to think fast of a good excuse as to why we need to be gone overnight. We ended up telling my mother that we were going to go to Council Bluffs to the Casino for this friends birthday and would be staying the night. She agreed to watch our son, but was worried about the weather for our driving. Later during the party the whole family found out we were going "gambling", needless to say several family members were quite shocked and probably less than impressed. It turned into an awkward conversation and my white lie was getting bigger.

We ended up driving to Omaha in a winter storm warning (I swear my family is going to have an intervention) and a drive that usually takes just about 2 hours ended up taking over 3. Ugh. At least we had a nice meal in the end of it :)

Retrieval was easy. As I said before, awake one minute, out the next.. They were able to retrieve 21 eggs, which made me a little happier. Obviously I do not need that many, but I want to make sure we have several frozen in case we have to go to a Frozen Embryo Transfer as we did with Doodle. We wait a few days and Wednesday we transfer. Tomorrow I will know how many were fertilized.

Stick, Shoot, OUCH!

We started stims this week. I am on 3 powders of HMG in 1 cc of diluent each morning and night. Ugh! Last time I think I only had to do shots of stims 1 time per day. My bottom is already bruising, but Oh well, means to an end, right?

My 1st ultrasound showed 7 follicles on each ovary, which I was a little disappointed with because last time I had SO many. Oh well. It was only a few days into stims. I have been having headaches in the mornings sometimes when I wake up, but otherwise so far, the side effects haven't been to terrible.