Second trimester is here!

Well I found both babies' heartbeats this morning! One was around 130 and the other around 150. I'm so excited I actually found them both! :)

Second trimester is here and I have been feeling much better. I started taking 50 mg of Vitamin B6 twice a day and it seems to be helping. I still have moments of nausea, but nothing like it was. Now if I could just get some energy...lol.

Well the next appointment is January 19th. We're hoping we can find out the sexes of these little ones then!


13 weeks, 5 days

Growing right along...

Well today's OB appt went great. It was just the basics: urine analysis, blood pressure, weight, OB blood panel, etc. Then they surprised me with an u/s! Of course, I wasn't about to turn that down! Babies were doing great and everything looks well! :) Dr. K is going to see us again in 4 weeks, but he said we'll go back to every 2 weeks when we hit the 22 week mark. He gave me a prescription for Phenergan gel, so I hope it will help some with the nausea and not make me too tired.

I also discussed my labor preferences with him. He's willing to let me attempt a natural delivery, as long as baby A is head down. He was reluctant at first because he didn't think I'd want a manual version if baby B was not head down (where he has to reach up there and manually turn the baby) without sedation. But I quickly reminded him that he had to manually extract the placenta during my last delivery and I was not sedated for that. He said it would be about the same. As much fun as that was NOT, I told him it's a risk I'm willing to take. Anyway, I feel so much better after talking to him about it. :)

Well here are this week's pics of the sweet babies!



Niki is out of surgery and is doing OK, as far as I know. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

Babies playing hide-and-seek

After I got home Wednesday, I pulled out my own personal doppler to see if I could find either of the babies' heartbeats. Well lo and behold, I found one! And I've been able to find it a few times since! However, I haven't been able to find the other just yet. (At least I think it's the same baby I've been finding.)

I'm feeling better now and Friday was the best day yet. I hadn't felt that great since we got pregnant! Yesterday and today have been a bit difficult though. I'm hanging in there and hope Dr. K has something magical he can prescribe to help. I have an appointment with him tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I'll have more to update then!

Also, Niki is having surgery tomorrow (again). Please keep her in all your thoughts and prayers!

Blah and Yay!

I couldn't sleep last night, thanks to this "cold". I woke up and called Dr. K's office. They can't see me until Monday. So I asked them to have the nurse call me. She calls and says I can take Mucinex D, so I did. I start feeling better, so I shower. I got very light headed in the shower though and had to get out. As I'm getting out, I start vomiting violently. It wouldn't stop. Finally, I catch my breath and yell for my mom. (Thank God she was here.) I tell her to get ready to take me to the ER. That was the 3rd time I've thrown up since yesterday. I haven't kept anything I've eaten down. And I've lost 5 pounds since Monday. That can't be good for the twins!

So I go in and find out I have a virus, an upper respiratory infection, and an urinary tract infection. They gave me some fluids and anti-nausea meds via IV. Just before I leave, they decide to check on the babies' heartbeats. They can't find them...neither of them. I'm in a panic at this point, but they had already made me an appointment for an u/s.

I head over to u/s and they call me right back. She put the wand on my tummy and I saw them both move, which caused me to immediately break down in tears. I was so relieved! Anyway, the babies are great. We're 11 weeks, 6 days today and they're both measuring 12 weeks, 3 days with heartrates of 163 and 167. They've grown so much and are actual human babies and not gummy bears anymore! I couldn't believe how much they were moving all around and I think I'm feeling one of them!

I feel a lot better emotionally, but I'm still feeling pretty icky physically. I need to bake goodies tomorrow for the kids' Christmas parties on Friday, but I think that's out. Luckily, David doesn't have to be at work until 3 and he's offered to do it for me. What a great guy!

Rescheduled

Due to bad weather (and other interruptions) LD has rescheduled the OB appointment for Monday, Dec. 22nd.  We will have to see if either of us can attend.  Nathan is scheduled to work that day and I might have doctor appointments or procedures scheduled.  Fingers crossed!

Say a prayer for LD tonight.  She's apparently caught a cold and even threw up tonight. :-(  Feel better!!! (((LD)))

200 days...

Well the babies are due 200 days from today, although I'm sure they'll be here in less than that. They've been teasing me. I had a wonderful day Friday and felt so good. Then yesterday, they were not so nice. But today, they're being good to me again...so far!

I had lost 3 pounds, but apparently I've gained 2 back as of this morning. Guess that's what happens when they're nice to me and I can eat! :)

We have an appointment Tuesday! I can't wait!

Pregnancy brain?

I swear I have pregnancy brain!  I don't care if I don't happen to be the one who is pregnant... that's got to be it.  I couldn't possibly be this absent minded on my own! ;-)

Last week I had problems just about every day with forgetting something or other to do with my IV antibiotics (different thing each time).  This week, I managed to not include my BCP in my daily pill box when I refilled it on Wednesday.  I did not realize this until yesterday, when I was surprised by starting my period!  This means I missed two doses of BCP, right at the start of my lactation induction protocol.  Arg!  I don't know how I could be so stupid.  The BCP pack was sitting right there when I was doling out my meds.  I took it last night, but I'm still bleeding rather heavily.  Way more heavy than I'm used to. :-(  I don't think I've messed things up permanently.  At least I hope not.  I've got 4-5 months of these meds left, so hopefully I will make up for my oversight before I get to the pumping portion of the protocol.

Building the factory

I just took my first dose of domperidone...  The drug that will be helping me make milk for my babies.  Today marks exactly 6 months until 37 weeks (considered 'full term' for twins).  I pray this works for me!

Pineapple, Popcicles, and Pudge

So last night, all the babies wanted was pineapple and Popcicles. At least I was eating something...and these days, that's good. Then I had a sudden craving for Taco Bell and an ice cream float from Braum's. My wonderful husband went out and got it for me. I ate half of my Taco Bell and thought it was going to come up. David got to finish the rest of it. I finished the ice cream float though! Today hasn't been much better. I'm trying to make myself eat healthy (I do crave lots of fruit), but I'm just happy to eat anything at all. The Zofran helps subside the nausea until I actually try to eat...and then nothing helps.

But the babies obviously seem to be growing well! I always get bigger faster with each pregnancy, so why would twins be any different? ;) I'm sure most of this is probably bloating from the meds, but here is a belly pic at 10 weeks, 5 days. No laughing! (Sorry my face isn't in it. I can't seem to take a pic with my eyes open.)

Free at last, free at last...

Yesterday marked 10 weeks into the pregnancy and I was told to stop all meds! Today is my birthday, so it's a wonderful "gift"...no pills, no injections! It seems like I'm forgetting something since I've had some sort of injection every day since September. And, of course, I can't help but worry. I'm slowly remembering that I'll probably worry until these babies are safe in their parents' arms though. We have an appointment on December 16. Only 11 more days, but who's counting?

And we're more than 1/4 of the way through the pregnancy!

Holy cow!

Our window babies look like fetuses!

Thanksgiving Visit

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Nathan's family on Wednesday, then on Thursday I went up to OK to visit with LD and her family (Nathan was working).  I got to meet pretty much the WHOLE family (uncles... aunts... cousins... the works!).  It was cool.  I stayed Thursday and Friday nights, then came home on Saturday.

Thursday night was cute.  LD's kids and I had a "slumber party" in the living room.  We were snuggled in to watch Wall-E and I think I fell asleep about 10 minutes in. ;-)  I woke up and saw we were back on the main menu and asked "Why are you starting it over?"  To which K answered "It's over."  And then David comes out and tells the kids "Stop talking in there!  As soon as the movie is over, you need to go to sleep!"  I told him "It's my fault.  I asked a question."  He laughed and said "Well, you go to sleep too!" ;-)

Friday the kids left for their dad's and LD and I had the afternoon to ourselves.  We went maternity clothes shopping! LOL.  I've never done that before.  She looked so cute!  I know she's annoyed that she already has a belly, but I have to say it's absolutely adorable. :-)  We also went to a movie with her best friend, then came home and hung out with David.  It was a good day. :-)

I was sad to go, and apparently so was my car.  It decided to flash a warning light at us as we were heading to lunch (I was planning to leave after lunch).  We read in the owner's manual that it meant I needed antifreeze.  So we headed to Auto Zone (after we went in LD's mom's car to lunch).  Unfortunately, the guy helping us didn't know what kind of antifreeze to recommend and asked for the manual.  So we went back to the house and picked up my car and took it back to Auto Zone (and the light did not turn on this time).  The guy looked through the manual and after much head scratching decided to call someone.  He came back from the phone and said that my car apparently requires a type of antifreeze that is only sold by VW service centers.  Great!  So he looked in the phone book and the only one was on the north side of OKC (about 30 minutes in the opposite direction of where I needed to go).  LD and I went back to the house and looked online to see if there was anything in the other direction.  There wasn't.  So we made the road trip up to the VW dealership in OKC.  No lights came on once again, but I didn't want to risk driving 3 hours and possibly overheating.  We arrived at the dealership at 2:15.  Apparently on Saturdays they close at 2:00!  I was about ready to cry.  One of the sales people said I could put water in "for now" and it would be fine.  I prayed she was right...

We went back to LD's house (still no warning light) and waited for the engine to cool off so we could add water.  Around 3:30 I was able to add water and head home.  I had no problems whatsoever along the way.  I have NO idea what the deal was.  Guess I'll be taking my car by the VW dealership tomorrow after my doctor's appointment.

So tomorrow it's back to the grind.  :-P  I don't wanna go!  Especially since I've got Book Fair this week and I'm going to be exhausted!

Little gummy bears

Well yesterday was wonderful. It was great getting to see Niki, Nathan, and his family...and of course the babies! I haven't quite relaxed yet, so I was a bit nervous before the ultrasound; but seeing the little ones quickly reassured me. It was so cute watching one of them move all around while his/her sibling slept. I'm very excited to see how much they grow between now and our next u/s! Anyway, here are the pics of Niki's and Nathan's babies! Aren't they cute?!?

8 weeks, 5 days

Dr. Appointment 11/25

The whole gang (Nathan, his mom, sister, brother, and I) all headed up to OK yesterday around 10:30ish.  We stopped around 1:00 to grab a quick bite at McDonald's and then we drove the remaining 15 minutes (I was going nuts being so close!).  We arrived just in time.  I hopped out of the car and delivered the goodies (Ben & Jerry's ice cream) before we got back in the car and went to Dr. K's office.  We got to the office right on time (whew!).

We thought this was going to be a general OB work up, with the added bonus of an u/s, but we were apparently mistaken.  All we got was the u/s (there's no way we would have left without one! ;-) ).  But that was enough to put smiles on all our faces.

We were all crammed into the little (and warm!) u/s room waiting for Dr. K to come in.  When he opened the door I think he was a little surprised at the number of people in the room...  Kinda like a clown car!  We introduced ourselves (how cool that we got to say we were Mom, Dad, Grandmother, Aunt, and uncle!!!) and then he got started.

Up popped our little gummy bears!  Two perfect little babies. :-)  One was wiggling its little head while the other was taking a nap.  I told LD "I knew they'd be on different sleep schedules!"  She said she'd try and work on that before she evicts them. ;-)

I haven't scanned the u/s pics into the computer yet (but LD has them on her computer).  If she doesn't do it first, I'll try to get it done later today.  They're starting to be recognizable as little people! :-D

Tomorrow I get to go back up to see LD and her family!  I can't wait.  :-D  I miss them already!

Would you like some whine with that?

I woke up spotting again on Saturday. Luckily, it was gone by that evening. I know it's common and all, but it sure startles me. I'm feeling more pregnant than ever and I whine all the time (David will confirm this...lol); yet I can't help but worry if everything is OK in there. I can't wait until I can pick the babies' heartbeats up with my doppler and feel the babies move, so I have that extra reassurance. Luckily, we have an OB appointment tomorrow and we'll take a peek at these little ones. I can't wait to see them and I'm very excited to see Niki, Nathan, and his family too!

I get to stop injections on December 4th. Eleven more shots, but who's counting? :)

I'm thinking/hoping/praying that the second trimester will be much more enjoyable. Second trimester starts Christmas Day! Merry Christmas to me?! :)

Making Milk

Yesterday I went to my GP to see if he could do something for this stinkin' cold I've got.  Sadly, there's not much he can do, since it appears to be viral.

But while I was there I talked to him about my desire to induce lactation for the twins.  He didn't know anything about it (other than it was possible), which I'd anticipated, so I showed him the book I have on the subject.  Well, the whole book is just about nursing in general, but there's a section on inducing lactation.  He glanced through the pages, then said he would make copies and have his "research assistant" (his wife, who is also a doctor) look into it.  He went ahead and gave me a prescription for the BCP, though, since I need to be on them anyway and he figured there was no point in starting me on one thing and then switching me next month when I start the protocol.

So I'm on my way to making my body ready to nourish those babies!  I'm excited that I may be able to provide for them in this way, even though I couldn't provide the shelter and nourishment they need for this first 9 months.  But this will be the next best thing!

Getting bigger by the day

So I'm standing in the kitchen today, helping Kyrsten with her science fair project. She looks at me and says, "Mom, no offense, but you're tummy has gotten a LOT bigger in the past couple days." She then proceeds to pat my tummy and ask if I can feel the babies move yet. Kids!

However, she's not the only one. At clinicals last week, a patient was saying he wanted a pizza and a beer. Then he said he knew he couldn't have a beer and he'd give it to me, but I apparently can't have it either. He then pats his own belly and said he's as big as me, but there's no baby in his. Humph. Probably all that beer.

Don't get me wrong...I *love* having a baby belly. It would just be nice if I was far enough along to be showing...lol. My jeans no longer fit and my yoga pants are on their way out too.

Only a few more days until I see Niki, Nathan, and their babies again!!!! And I, too, am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with Niki!!!! :)

God's trickery?

I think God knows how anxious I'd get waiting without distractions, so He's supplying them in abundance!  

The day after LD started spotting, I landed myself back in the hospital.  It appeared that my skin was having some kind of reaction to the dermabond used to seal me up after surgery.  But my doc was worried it could turn into an infection and wanted me to be in the hospital and on IV antibiotics.  Which turned out to be a pretty good idea, considering we also found out that the lead they fixed wasn't going to cut it.  So we're now looking at having yet another surgery.  But not until after I finish the 3 weeks of IV antibiotics in my lovely PICC line.

All of this to say, I've been distracted big time from the waiting and believe it or not, we're SO close to our next appointment!  We will be going up to OK to see LD and the babies on Tuesday, Nov. 25th.  We'll come back same day, since we'll be having our Thanksgiving meal with Nathan's family on Wednesday.  But then I get to go back up and spend Thanksgiving with LD and her family!!!! :-D :-D  I'm SOO excited.  Next week is going to be FABULOUS and it's almost snuck up on me because of all the distractions last week.

NOW I get to be distracted by my upcoming visit with LD and family to keep me from thinking about the next surgery!  See, God's lookin' out for me! ;-)

7 weeks and causing trouble already...

Well there was a slight startle Wednesday night. I started spotting. Yesterday, it had faded to brown, but I went to the dr anyway after clinicals and all is well. Both babies were doing great with healthy heartbeats. He reminded me that spotting is very common with IVF pregnancies and even more common with twins. While I knew that, it's still scary to see. The spotting was completely gone by last night *knock on wood*, so I'm a bit more relaxed now. Ugh. I hope it doesn't come back! Anyway, Dr. K said he'll be seeing us every 2 weeks until we're 12 weeks at least. He also said we can have an u/s anytime we ask, so that's very comforting.

Here are the most recent pics of the babies. They don't look much different than last week, but they have gotten bigger!

Poor LD. :-(

I can sympathize a little with LD.  Yesterday I threw up 3 times and I've been continuously nauseous since surgery.  I finally got some food to stay down for breakfast this morning, but I still don't feel great. :-(

I am feeling better than yesterday, but I think I'm due for a nap.  I've been up since 6:00, when they took me down for an x-ray, and I'm feeling groggy.  Hopefully when I wake up I'll feel better.

Yesterday I got to share the news of our impending parenthood with tons of people here at the hospital.  Nearly everyone in the OR working on me had met me in September, so I felt the need to share.  They were all super excited for us.  And when I told Dr. D that we were having twins he called us overachievers. ;-)  At least I have something positive to think about while I feel like crud.

LD, I hope today is better for you!  Love you, girl!

Blah.

Today's been rough. I woke up really queasy, ate some breakfast, got a little queasy, ate some crackers, got a little queasy, took a nap, woke up really queasy, ate a small lunch, got a little queasy, at a small snack, got a little queasy, ate a good dinner, got a little queasy, and I'm about to eat another small snack. See the pattern? LOL Good thing I didn't work or have class today, as I would've been totally unprepared. I was thinking it's a good thing I'm not vomiting at least, yet I think I'd feel a lot better if I did. Let's hope tomorrow is better! :-P

Seeing double!

Friday was a very wonderful experience. Despite waiting in the waiting room for so long with my stomach growling, the ultrasound ended up being worth it. I was laying on the table, staring at the screen, when the dr began. I heard Niki "gasp" when she saw the first flicker of a heartbeat. Soon, we saw the flicker of the second heartbeat. I could hear Niki and Nathan react, but I was afraid to look at them. I had a feeling I'd be in tears if I did. Once the ultrasound was complete, I sat up and sure enough, they both had happy tears in their eyes. What a great feeling that was! I was able to hide the tears until Nathan called his mom. I could hear the excitement and her happy tears in her voice. It was then I could no longer control mine. I feel so blessed to be carrying the children and grandchildren of such wonderful people. There's not one doubt in my mind that these babies are going to be loved and oh so spoiled!


Here's Thing 2 (top) and Thing 1 (bottom).


And here they are again with their heartrates underneath. Thing 1 is on top and Thing 2 is on bottom. Although Thing 2's heart rate faded, it was just because of the position he/she is in and the dr had a hard time getting it. Heartrates were 110 and 111.

goodbye r2-d2...

As a little boy in the 80s, I grew up with robots. R2-D2, Optimus Prime, Johnny 5, KITT, and a wealth of others helped spark my imagination throughout my formative years. While I may have been less than enthused when I beheld a robot in the first ultrasound photo, the promise of a little robot of my very own has definitely grown on me.

Today, staring at the gigantic flat-screen TV at the OB's office, my newfound dreams of robot baby were thoroughly crushed as what had once held the promise of two robotic eyes had decidedly engorged into two distinctly embryonic sacs. Peering into the first, a small blip within an oblong shape flickered binarilly between bright and dark. Niki and I were not looking at a robot. We were beholding the heartbeat of a flesh-and-blood child. Our child. It was truly one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. A beating heart in a tiny us only 0.52 cm long... With a matching flicker in the sac next door! We've got two healthy hearts beating within LaDonna's belly!

Honestly, I don't think I can ever thank LaDonna enough for giving us this opportunity. I've heard people talk about seeing their children's ultrasounds. While it's always sounded "neat" the concept has never really hit home. I can now vouch that the whole process is awesome. With a very literal emphasis on "awe." My mind is still reeling from it.

It's even more awesome than having my own robot.

Finally!

After the slowest week ever, the day is FINALLY here!  Today Nathan and I will get to see our little ones on an ultrasound for the very first time.  I have so many emotions swirling around inside me right now.  I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  Nervous because I'm hoping we will see two heart beats today.  Not zero, not one, and not three (or more).  Two.  Two heart beats will be a perfect blessing today.  

Twice as much fun!

I haven't personally updated in a while. Guess I'm still trying to let the fact it's twins sink in. Twins? Where? Who? Me? Wow.

Things seem to be progressing well so far though. I'm tired all the time. I have strong cravings, indigestion, and constipation. And don't expect me to remember anything you told me 5 minutes ago. I have a major case of "preggo brain". So things seem to be going well, wouldn't you say?

I'm very anxious for the ultrasound Friday, not only because we get to see the babies, but because I'll get to see Niki and Nathan! Only 3 more days!

OK, time to go...we need a nap now...

Good news, bad news.

First, the good news is that everything is fine. LaDonna started feeling funny downstairs (I believe her medical term was "cervical twinges") and since she was at the hospital anyway for clinicals, she took a trip to her old OB to make sure things were copacetic. Which they are. The doc said everything looks good and that LaDonna and the babies are doing fine.

Yes. You heard me right. Babies. The ultrasound shows two little yolk sacks chillaxin' in her uterus. See for yourself.



And now for the bad news. I'm not convinced it's twins. On closer examination, I'm pretty damn sure we're having a robot...

Are you kidding me?!

Okay, some of you people are just plain mean.  Six people have voted for triplets?!  Seriously?!  You can't honestly think we have a splitter, can you?  You're just trying to freak us out.  Yes, that's all it is.  Because God does not give us more than we can handle, and quite frankly I could not handle triplets.  EEK!  While it might be cool to have a set of identicals, I do not think that it would be a good idea to have a heart patient, who has to have surgery every 2-5 years, to be the mother of triplets!  Can' you imagine?!  Twins is scary enough!  I'm sorry, but I just don't think Nathan and I want to be outnumbered by our kids quite so quickly.  Two is more than enough.

And think of poor LD!  There's no way that carrying triplets would be in her favor.  She's in school.  How could she make it to the end of the semester if there are three?  As it is, we're praying that two won't have her end up on bedrest (I doubt it will, but the chances to get higher with multiples).

So all you mean people who said triplets, please go back and change your vote.  :-P  Either that, or be proven wrong on Nov. 7th.

On the lookout...

As I walked towards the shower today, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror... with grey-hair at my temples. Whoa! I did a double-take and found that I, in fact, do not have greying hair at my temples.

Then it hit me! I must've caught a glimpse of my future self after the kids are born. The countdown to grey hairs has begun. Unless the young'n's make me bald first...

Third and final beta

The results are in and they are......... 1334!!! :-)  There is no doubt in my mind that we've got two little beans growing in there. :-)

Now we have to wait until 11/7 (11 days, but who's counting? ;-) ) to find out how many there are and (hopefully) see a heart beat.  It's going to be TORTURE to wait!  I talked to the nurse at our RE's office and she said that if we're doing an u/s at LD's OB office then we don't need to do one down here (unless we want to).  LD and I kind of want to, but I'm going to discuss it with Nathan.  I'm not sure what he'll think.  On the one hand, we'd save money on getting LD a plane ticket to come down.  On the other hand, we'd get to see our baby(ies) again. :-)  I guess we'll see what he says and go from there.

Happy Birthday!

It's Niki's and David's birthdays today!!!! Today is special...it's the day two of my favorite people came into the world! I hope you both have a fantabulous day!

Tired and thirsty!

For the past few days I have been so exhausted. I'll start dozing off watching TV or surfing the internet. Even while having a conversation with someone, I find myself getting heavy eyed. I had to give in to a nap this evening. Guess I need to schedule time for a nap daily for awhile? Also, I'm so thirsty. I don't know if it's the weather or the pregnancy or both, but I think I've been a bit dehydrated. I've had so much water and lemonade today though that I'm surprised I haven't floated away yet.

Beta #2 (the "official" one)

Today was the day we were supposed to get our first beta.  LD went in this morning  and was able to get the results from her friend at the OB's office before they had even sent it to the RE.  So I got a text around 12:40 from LD with just the #: 254!  At the same time I also got a text from Nathan saying "Friggin' overachievers!"  I read the wrong one first. ;-)  

I texted to Nathan "Holy cow!" and he wrote back "Yeah.  We're either having twins, or Andre the Giant."  I told him LD would probably prefer twins. ;-)

Later I got a phone call from the nurse at the RE's office.  She said she had heard we cheated and already knew we were pregnant from the HPT (apparently LD spilled that much, but not that she snuck a beta too ;-) ).  She told me the beta number and then said that the next beta will be on Monday.  She said "If the next beta doubles as it should, LaDonna will need to come down for an ultrasound around Nov. 14th or so."  I didn't bother telling her we already knew they were doubling (and are confident it will continue to do so) and have an u/s set up for Nov. 7th. :-D  LD and I talked about it and I think we're going to try to have the u/s down here on the 21st instead so that there will be two weeks between the first and second.  Of course, I'll be talking to Nathan tonight to get his opinion before I set anything up.

HPTs and Betas

Well, I could be torturous and drag this out... I seriously considered it... But I couldn't figure out the best way... So I guess I'll just tell you.

When I got home from work (I left a little early so I would be home quicker) I told Nathan "I'm going to go change my pants." He said "Really? I figured you'd be calling LD as you walked in the door." After I changed I came in and we got online and texted LD to call us on our home phone, since it has speaker phone. She called, then set the phone down to go pee in a cup. When she got back on the phone we tried to get our video chat working and it kept messing up. We were freaking out. LD put the HPTs (she dipped 3 of them!) face down so that we could all see at the same time. It kept cutting in and out, and it was pretty blurry, but on one of the tests we were very clearly able to see the results.

Once we saw the results we figured we might as well find out the results of the beta she had drawn yesterday... Only she had to leave a message. Then I reminded her that she has a friend who works in the OB office, so she called her friend and got her to look up the beta number.

Are you ready?

Are you sure??

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!! The HPTs all showed clear positives and the beta was 123!!! Nathan and LD are freaking that one split. But I don't think so. It's two. That's all. And that's scary enough. ;-)

My Turn

Six things that make me happy (in no particular order):

1.  When the people I love are happy.

2.  Children's laughter.

3.  Nathan's humor (most of the time ;-) ).

4.  Playing or snuggling with my doggies.

5.  Seeing my mom.

6.  Nathan's hugs.

I got tagged, so I guess I'll respond.

LaDonna tagged me.

6 things that make me happy (in no particular order):

1). When the kids are getting along.
2). When the house is clean.
3). When I can park in the garage.
4). When I get my "Fairlane".
5). When I have time to draw.
6). When my wife is home.

Not much longer...

I interviewed a new doctor today and I love her! Dr. F will be the one to deliver Niki's and Nathan's little one(s) if this worked. She was concerned about the amount of estrace and PIO the RE has me on, so she wanted to check my levels. And yes, she drew a beta too. However, we will not be hearing the results until after Thursday's beta, when they call with those results. Good news is we'll have something to compare Thursday's beta with. Bad news is we're still waiting. Be patient, friends. If all of you are so anxious, just imagine how *I* feel right now! We're testing tomorrow evening...not sure the exact time yet though.

Oh...and if Thursday's beta is positive, we'll go in on November 7th for an ultrasound!

LaDonna's been tagged!

Christine tagged me.

6 things that make me happy (in no particular order):

1). My children giggling and playing (nicely) together.
2). Sweet cuddles from my fur babies.
3). My husband, especially when he's in a lovey mood.
4). Ice cream.
5). Knowing God loves me unconditionally.
6). Peeing on hpts and watching them turn positive. (I've been stripped of this happiness until Wednesday.) :(

Niki, David, and Nathan: You all are tagged.

Torturing LD

LD is currently on the phone with Nathan, trying to convince him to let her POAS tonight.  He's being stubborn and won't budge.  While I'd love to know now, I kind of think it's funny to see how crazy Nathan is making her.  It's nice to know he's not selective in his torture! ;-)

Hiding from the world for 4 more days...

ACK! Nathan may fear David, but I'm scared of Nathan. (If you read the comments, you'll see why!)

For everyone asking and begging me to test, bug off. Four more days. If I (of all people) can be patient, so can you! :oP

Just for the record

Jadine, LD is NOT allowed to test without us, so don't you go trying to convince her otherwise. :-P  Our plan is to test when we can all be "present" to find out the results together.  You are not allowed to know the results before I do, so you can just hold your horses. ;-)

With that said, I'm just as obsessed as LD.  I'm ready to know the results, but also don't want to test early because I don't know how I'd handle a BFN, even if there was still a possibility of a pos later.  We're all keeping ourselves busy until Wednesday night.  We will not all be "together" (I say this, because we will be testing over the phone/video chat) until then.  I'm just ready for Wednesday to get here!!!!

My sister and mom came up this weekend with my 16 month old nephew.  At least I have a good distraction for now!  And with LD heading to Branson, she'll have to be good as well.  We WILL conquer the lure of the pee sticks! ;-)

O*B*S*E*S*S*E*D

I had a dream last night that Niki and Nathan wanted me to go ahead and test today (3dp5dt). In my dream, I took the hpt first thing in the morning and the test line came up before the control line. For that to happen this early, there'd most definitely have to be twins in there. Niki told me yesterday that she had a dream the night before that I tested and it was a dark positive. We're both doing it. Yeah, can we say "obsess"?

Great scott! I'm one of them...

While I'll gladly humor you and look at pictures of your little rugrats, I've never quite understood why parents invariably think that everyone else is pining for the opportunity to gaze upon their progeny...

Today I lost count of how many times I yanked out the iPhone to show off Thing 1 and Thing 2. I can almost hear the chanting... "One of us! One of us! One of us!"

P.S. - Without fail, my coworkers all pointed out how much they look like me. The vast majority made cracks about similarity being primarily in the nose. Dear Lord, I hope not.

And a few Egg Retrieval Day pics too!

Here are some pics from Niki's egg retrieval. Obviously, I wasn't there...but the pics need to be posted because this was a big day too!!!!


Nathan waiting for Niki to be called back


Niki's all ready! She looks better in the cap and gown than I do. ;)


She chose the beautiful yellow socks for good luck that day.

TRANSFER DAY PICS!!!!

Well I'm home and I miss Nathan and Niki already. At least I got to take a little bit of them home with me, right? LOL

Well Niki has pretty much updated on how it all went. I've pretty much been a bum since transfer and hopefully the little embies will like me enough to stick around. I've been bribing them with ice cream.

Here are pics from our big day!

Waiting to leave the house


Niki and I are ready to go, but where oh where is Nathan?


Niki being silly just before we left the house


Who wants Krispy Kreme? I do, I do!!!!


Nathan finishing off my french fries from McDonald's (for good luck).


Aw, aren't they cute?!?! (See embies...your mommy and daddy are great and are waiting for you!)


Niki and Nathan with a pic of their maybe babies


Nathan keeping us occupied with his humor.

Green and yellow are the colors of fertility, so Niki and I wore these socks for good luck.



Niki giggling like a little girl...lol. She was so cute and so excited!


Niki's still giggling...lol.


Niki snapped the pic in mid-sentence...lol.


Niki and Nathan in their space suits...ready to go in for transfer.


I'm all ready too!


And torture...I mean bedrest begins. (My bladder was full and I couldn't get up for 30 minutes...lol.)

I'm telling the embies where they belong for about the next 8 months or so. (I hope they listen to me better than my kids do!)


The 3...err...4...ummm...5 of us?

First Picture

Here's little "Thing One" and "Thing Two."  Their very first picture! ;-)  Please pray that at least one of them decides to stick around for the next 8.5 months!

The deed is done

This morning I think we were all a bit anxious and excited.  LD even woke up before nine! ;-)  We all got decked out in our green shirts (N and I wore our green Oklahoma shirts to humor LD and she wore the green "Let's go get knocked up" shirt that I bought for her).  I also had a pair of green and a pair of yellow socks, so LD and I wore one of each just to be silly (I'll post pictures later).  LD also had a glass of pineapple juice for luck (they say it helps the embryos to stick?).  LD gave me a beautiful bracelet that has the words "believe," "dream," "trust," "hope," "love," "laugh," and "live" written on it and dangly hearts between each word.  It couldn't have been any more perfect!  We've had a lot of ALL of those things in this journey so far and I know they will continue.

We left the house around 10:05 so we could stop by Krispy Kream for some breakfast before going down to visit a friend of ours who had a planned c-section (for TRIPLETS) set up for the same time as our transfer, at the same hospital.  We were able to pop in and visit for a little while as the nurses were getting things ready for what was to come.  LD rubbed her belly for luck (I told her not to rub TOO hard, as we don't want to end up with triplets too) and we visited a little with her IPs and the babies' grandparents.  I could see that the IPs were very nervous and excited.  I can only hope we will be in their shoes in 8 or so months!

When we left we still had an hour before we needed to be at the ARTS department, so we decided to go get some McDonald's fries.  We still got to the waiting room about a half hour early, but we really didn't have to wait all that long (or at least, the time seemed to go by pretty quickly).  We were all very excited, but I think I might have been the most giddy.  LD and N were laughing at me and N said he couldn't remember ever seeing me beam quite so much (oh, just you wait! ;-) ).  They each had to get a picture of me bouncing in my seat.

The embryologist came in with a picture of two of our little embryos.  She told us that they were "above average" and showed us the part that will become the placenta.  LD said she's never seen that in any of her previous transfers (the placenta part, not the picture).  The embryologist said we had the option of transferring both of the embryos or just one of them.  She said that we had a "good" chance of having twins if we put both in.  I was scared to make a decision.  I have said for a long time that I only want one at a time, but with the way things have been going lately the idea of twins has slowly started to grow on me.  N too, apparently.  In the end, we decided to transfer two because we would be happy with two, but devastated with none, so we wanted to increase our chances and put back both of them.  Besides, they were just so darn cute. ;-)

Dr. C showed up and we asked if both N and I could go back with them.  He had no problems with that, so we suited up and were taken right back to the procedure room.  We sat above LD's head as Dr. C did the deed.  We watched the monitor, but honestly I have no idea what I was looking at.  I THINK I saw some bubbles traveling on the monitor, but I couldn't tell you where they were going! ;-)  The whole thing was over so fast!  

LD moved over to the gurney and was taken back to our little room to wait the 30 minutes before she could get up.  Her poor bladder was about to explode!  We asked what time she would be allowed to get up and were told 1:35.  So, needless to say, as SOON as the clock ticked over to 1:35 she told N to go find out if she could get up.  I think she would have jumped over the bed rail if the nurse hadn't come in and made her wait until she lowered the bed! ;-)  As soon as LD came back from the restroom we were able to gather our things and leave.  N decided we should keep the "space suits" for Halloween costumes, so we brought them home as well.

LD is now taking a nap in "her" room.  While I've been yawning like crazy, I think my mind is still spinning a little too much to actually sleep right now.  It feels so surreal.  I can't believe we made it to transfer!  Waiting for the beta is going to be VERY nerve wracking!

The only thing that worries me...

The only thing that worries me at this point in the transfer cycle is the wrath of LaDonna's husband. Not because he's an inherently scary and/or violent guy. Not because she cheekily exposed herself to me yesterday evening. And not because I spent a whole day unsupervised with his wife and in a week or two she's gonna turn up pregnant...

No, I fear the wrath of David because yesterday I took LaDonna to see Body of Lies, and in doing so enabled her DiCaprio fetish. Dude's gonna kill me.

'Twas the night before transfer...

Hmmmm...well I should be going to sleep since we have such a big day tomorrow. Then again, I will get 24 hours of rest after the transfer.

I'm just laying here thinking this may be my last night not pregnant for about 9 months. No, I'm not at all sad about it. I hope this *is* the last good night's sleep I get without having to get up to pee every 3-4 hours or without getting a horrible leg cramp. I'm really hoping and praying this transfer works...not just because of the miracle itself, but because Niki and Nathan will have to put up with me for at least another 9 months. And I kinda like them. :)

I'm here!

Well I've made it to Niki's and Nathan's house! I'm full of Mexican food and ice cream and I have internet. Life is good! :)

Oh...and I sent Nathan an invite to post here too. We'll see if he decides to or not...

Holy cow!

We got the embryo report a little while ago.  I'm still in shock!  Here's what they said:

11- excellent

3- good

2- average

Transfer will be on Tuesday at 12:30.  We are to arrive at 12:00.

OMG!  LD is going to be pregnant!!!!!!!! :-D :-D :-D

WOW!

I got a call from the ARTS department to let me know that of the 20 eggs they got yesterday they were able to ICSI 19 of them and as of today 16 have fertilized. :o  We're absolutely amazed.  They will call again with an update on Sunday and the transfer will be on Tuesday (don't have a time yet, but they said typically between 12 and 1:30).

So apparently we're fertile.  Did we really need the ICSI???  And now LD is freaking out that we're going to get a splitter.  This is what I have to say about that:  NO splitting.  There.  My kids, they have to listen. ;)

Egg Retrieval

I'm laying here on the couch with a heating pad on my midsection in mucho pain. I till have another hour before I can take some more tylenol. :-(

At any rate, here's a summary of this morning:

We arrived at the ARTS department at 8:00 and waited in the waiting room for awhile. I think we were taken back pretty close to 8:15, but I didn't look at the time. I changed and the nurse came in to ask the laundry list of questions they always ask. That took a long time, since I have such an extensive medical history. At 9:10 the anesthesiologist came in and talked to me and hooked up my IV. The nurse said Dr. C would be coming downstairs so we could get started shortly... So we waited.... and waited... and waited. At 9:25 the nurse came in again and said that Dr. C had gotten delayed and would be down in a few minutes. Once again we waited... and waited... and waited (it's important to note that at this point, I was getting VERY annoyed and apprehensive). FINALLY at 10:00 Dr. C showed up and we immediately went to the OR and I was put into the stirrups. The anesthesiologist must have given me something in the IV because the next thing I know, I'm waking up in the room with Nathan (He didn't get to come into the OR with me, as much as he wanted to).

I was told they will be calling later with an updated count, but for now we know there are 20 eggs. We had told the nurse we only wanted to ICSI 10 of the eggs (after 10 the price goes up), but Dr. C called me and said he didn't think that was a good idea, so I gave in and said to go ahead and ICSI all of them. Hopefully it's worth it! I can't wait to find out tomorrow how many fertilize!

At first I was only slightly uncomfortable, but not in much pain. It has only been the last hour or so that I've started to feel actual pain. Hopefully that will subside soon. 

Thanks for the prayers everyone!

I survived!

The first PIO shot is done! I had to clear my mind of nursing school. It wasn't so bad, I guess. ;) First one down...

Hint taken

Okay, I guess I'm supposed to write about my trigger shot last night. ;-)

First of all, Nathan was very excited that he made it home in time to be here for the injection.  He set the alarm on his iPhone to make sure we did it exactly on time.  He said he wanted to give the shot to me because "I figure if we're going to have a baby I should poke you at least once."  I asked him where he wanted me to stand and he said "Maybe you should get on the bed."  I just rolled my eyes at him and told him to give me the darn shot.  Once it was done (wasn't too bad) he poured us each a glass of wine and we toasted "to baby making." LOL.  He's silly, but I love him!

1.5 inches into my dorsal gluteus?

I have to say my IPs (intended parents) are quite amusing. Niki needs to post about the shot Nathan gave her last night because the story made me giggle. :) I just love them.

Well I start the PIO injections tonight. For some reason, I'm a bit anxious about it. I guess it's because I'm in nursing school and I've seen lots of needles lately. I now realize how long those boogers really are. With previous transfers, I'd draw up the injection; but I never paid much attention to the needle since David took the cap off just before giving it to me. So, anyway, after seeing so many classmates break and bend needles (as I'm pretty darn good at it if I say so myself), I guess I'm a bit nervous. The nursing instructors also emphasize that giving injections in the dorsal gluteus (upper outer area of the booty) is not the best place for injections because of the risk of hitting the sciatic nerve. Now this will be my 8th transfer and David has always given me the shots and he has yet to hit the sciatic nerve *knock on wood*, so I'm just being silly. Right? Hrm. Although I'm a bit nervous, I'm VERY excited and hopeful (that my loving, wonderful husband won't hit my sciatic nerve or break the needle).

Niki's retrieval is tomorrow! This is finally happening... :)

Tonight's the night!

I went in for my sono and blood work today and I was told my follicles are ready! :-)  They measured 18 and said 10 of those measured at least 15 or more (15 what I'm not sure... ;-) ).  From the sonographer's reaction, I'm assuming this is good news. ;-)  I'm to take my last lupron shot and the "trigger" shot (ovadril) at 9:15 tonight so I'll be ready for a 9:15 AM egg retrieval on Thursday.  We're right on schedule! :-)

I have to laugh at my DH, though.  He seems to be VERY excited about this last shot.  So much so that he's been texting me all day to find out what time I'll need to take it (didn't find out until after 2:30) so he would know if he'd be able to be home from work in time.  I get the impression he wants to give the shot to me and I'm not sure how I feel about that. ;-)  I've given myself all but one of the shots so far.  The one that he gave to me ended up bruising the worst of any (I don't think it was his fault, as I had trouble with the needle too and that is why he took over).  When I finally texted him the time his response was "Sweet!  I should be able to be there.  We could toast!"  It took some restraint not to laugh out loud (I was in a workshop). LOL

Getting closer!

I just got the call from the RE's office.  My estrogen is 4543, but I'm "not quite ready" so I'm to continue taking the same does of Gonal F.  They measured 14 follicles ranging in size from 13.5 to 17.  She told me all of the measurements, but she was talking so fast I didn't catch them all.  Tomorrow I go in for another sonogram and hopefully I'll be "ready" and can do my trigger shot tomorrow night.  That will put the retrieval on Thursday as planned.  I can't believe we're getting so close!!! :D

Nice and fluffy!

Well my lining looks perfect! They like it to be at least 10 mm with a tri linear stripe and mine measured 15.7 mm with a tri linear stripe! We're still waiting to hear back from the nurse on Niki's appointment, but I'm sure all is perfect! YAY! :)

I'm here too!

And super excited about this week.  It's going to be a doozie! ;)  I can't wait for LD to come down so we can be silly and obsessive together (well, in person anyway)! :)

New Beginnings!

Well we're not far from our surrogacy transfer and my previous journals are being shut down. So...here we are! We might as well start off fresh, right?

Niki goes in tomorrow for another sono and some bloodwork. I'm going in to see Dr. K tomorrow to check my uterine lining. Niki's egg retrieval is scheduled for Thursday, with the transfer being 3-5 days later! We're very hopeful and very excited!

Here's to new beginnings!