Pictures from our trip to mom and dad's house

30 week update on the twins

I've just returned from my visit to the perinatologist and received wonderful news.

Our little boy (the tiny one) had started to catch up to his sister.

Daniel weighs 3 lbs 1 oz and Melissa weighs 3.9 oz.The doctor reminded me that anything after Halloween is bonus time and that he to believed that I will not make it to my due date or scheduled c-section date.

We are not out of the woods yet, but things are looking better.

We are VERY happy and blessed!

Go Phillies!!!!!!

At least one of us is comfortable

Growing Concern

I was literally stunned at what the ultrasound tech found yesterday at our monthly growth scan. As it turns out, our little twins are more than a pound different in weight. It is called Discordant Twins. Baby A is 1 lb and 15 oz (+ or - 5 oz) and Baby B is 2 lbs and 11 oz (again + or - 5 oz) according to the tech's measurements.

It was bad enough that I had to wait an extra 25 minutes while she finished her lunch, but was then instructed to lay on my back with my legs out in front of me (which is a new form a torture that I had never dreamed of). My chiropractor had told me to avoid doing this at all costs. I explained how bad my lower back was and told her that I would try.

So, the scanning started. Normally I cannot take my eyes off of the monitor but I literally thought that I was going to be sick. I broke into a cold sweat and thought that I would pass out at any minute. And for some reason, the scan hurt. I don't know what was different. I have had dozens of scans and never once (including the internals) ever hurt. The tech finally asked if I was okay and I told her that I didn't think so. She told me to roll over on my left side, not offering any assistance, of course and I nearly rolled off the table. She did her best to finish the scan and then placed a towel over my belly and told me she had to go to speak with one of the doctors. Keep in mind, I have yet to actually meet any of the Perinatologists that are "caring" for me.

Dr. Mushmouth came in and walked over to the ultrasound machine. I guess it was a new machine since neither the tech nor the doctor had any idea how to scroll through the pages. I glanced at the estimated weights and my jaw dropped. Baby B had always been a little bigger than Baby A but to see more than a pound difference shocked me. Dr. Mushmouth pulled out his blackberry and started to do some calculations, humming here and there, adding in a few are "you sure on that", and the occasional "that's odd". He told me that B was big. Really big. I am not exactly a waif myself, and did tip the scaled at 9lbs 1oz when I was born, but having one baby who is measuring normally and one really big baby is scary. The bigger B gets, the less room that A will have to grow. There is something called Intrauterine Growth Restriction that they are concerned about. I don't know if that means that they are going to deliver me early or what. I have a call into my regular OB's office and am awaiting a call back but for the first time in a long time, I am SCARED.

The perinatologists want to see me in three weeks again rather than 4 weeks, which has been my routine. I see the regular OB next week. I am trying not to focus too much of my energy on this and pray that Baby A is a fighter.

Prayers would be appreciated...

3D/ 4D Ultrasound images

Saluting Daddy!

Cute little face on baby A Side of Baby B's face and little hand under the chin... (below)

They weren't as clear as we would have liked, but considering they were kicking the crap out of each other, it is amazing we have any images at all.

Stuff for the kids...

We are planning on getting this swing / bouncer combo with music and vibration.

And these are our New Carseats for the little ones.... Thanks Mom and Dad!

3D/4D today : Family Connections

Today is a day that both hubby and I have been looking forward to almost since we found out that we were pregnant. We are having our 3D/4D ultrasound this afternoon. We will finally be able to see the faces of our children. My parents are driving in today from Pittsburgh to share this amazing experience and then will stay overnight. Hubby has to work tomorrow, so I am sure that Mom and Dad and I will do some more baby shopping. I think they are getting really excited.

Keep in mind that they do have other grandchildren. My sister, who lived in Massachusetts, has a son and a daughter (almost 8 and 3 1/2 years old respectively) and Mom was very used to getting to spend time with them prior to their move to PGH. My parents are only 19 months away from retirement and hopefully, will settle closer to us so that they will have the opportunity to spend some quality time with our children when they are growing up. I t is important to me that the kids know their grandparents. When I was growing up, I had a Grandfather who lived in Florida and Grandmother who lived in Washington, both of whom, I never got to spend too much time with. I have had to deal with that my entire life, not feeling a real close connection with them. I got close to my Grandfather a few months before he passed away, but that was because for the first time, he was living under our roof. Hubby's mother passed away years ago and his dad is in a "old soldier's home" in North Dakota, so that chances of the kids making a really meaningful connection there are pretty slim.

Must go and have my cup of coffee and start some laundry (much overdue) and do some last minute straightening up around the house before the parental arrival.

Oh, and I will post some pictures later this evening of Rumble and Tumble.....

Did I mention that their favorite time of day is between 2 and 5 am. Lots of kicking, punching, general mayhem. And these kids are strong...

I think I am going to be in a lot of trouble when they finally arrive.

Visit to OB's Office

Well, I almost missed my OB appointment. I got up, made coffee, drank half a cup and fell asleep on the couch, waking 15 minutes before my appointment time. So, I hurried to the shower thanking GOD that the office is around the corner. The visit was pretty uneventful. I am measuring at 33 weeks if this were a singleton pregnancy but of course, it's not. I got to see the little ones and they literally have their heads together. The are both head down but Melissa is being a uterus hog. She is on her had and folded like an upside down "L". She has her legs straight out. She is our little kicker. Daniel is doing fine and growing normally. He is going to be the quiet one, I can tell already.


So, the first week of September, I am do go for my glucose tolerance testing and see the OB again in a month. After that visit, we are on the every two week schedule. Then at 32 weeks, it will be back and forth to the hospital for ultrasound and Fetal Non Stress testing EVERY WEEK until they arrive or our C-section date rolls around. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going.


I am starting to actually outgrow some of my maternity clothing. Oh JOY!


But, according to their records, I have only put on 13lbs since I got pregnant in March, so I am celebrating! After my visit, the girls at the front desk seemed flustered. I thought they needed some inspiration to get them through the rest of the day so I went home and whipped up a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies and took them back over. They were thrilled! It was the least that I could do for the office that I count on more than anyone.

And we are at the six month mark...

and time is flying by. We have had 3+ days of rain and cool weather here in the Philadelphia suburbs and it is not helping my lower back. Any suggestions for stretches to help alleviate the pain?

My parents move today. They are being transferred from CT to a town just north of Pittsburgh. It will be their last move before retirement. I will get to see them next weekend as we are scheduled for our 3D/4D ultrasound at Womb With A View. I am getting more and more excited to see the little one's faces. The kids have been very active the last few days. On Saturday, while taking a bath, I noticed a lump on the right side of my belly which I am guessing was someone's rear end. It was too cute. I pushed on it and in a few seconds it was back. Someone got their mommy's butt....

Off to nap for a few hours.....

Our baby pool!!!!

This will be for our friends who we have not shared to babies' sexes with for the baby shower. I designed it myself and am rather proud of it!

Almost 23 Weeks and needless to say...my back is killing me. I am all babies up front.

I have yet another ultrasound tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be uneventful and I can just lay there and enjoy seeing my babies.

Mom and Dad came down over the weekend to deliver the crib, dresser and dressing table. Grandma wants to buy us a second crib but there is really no rush on that. They are sharing me and can share a crib for a while after they are born.

I am feeling more and more tired. I discovered that I can no longer lay flat on my back without bending my knees up because it hurts my back too much. I am going to call tomorrow to see if htere is anything I can do besides taking tylenol (which does nothing, incidentally!). The pain is really something. Normally I can put up with most anything but this is starting to get to me.

Both babies are very active. I get kicks and punches several times daily, sometimes all night too. I hope they get their sleep cycles sorted out soon.

I was at the store yesterday and a slaes clerk asked me "how much longer?". You should have seen her face when I told her 3 1/2 months....

My feet are starting to swell. I am starting to leak. My back hurts. Other than that...it is a fabulous pregnancy.

15 Years Later

Ellen, Me, Karen and Karen...15 years after high school....... We had a terrific time at dinner last night.

I am so fortunate to have such amazing friends.

Birthday Plans

So, Hubby will be taking Wednesday off (8/1) for my birthday and has told me that we can go anywhere I want. I am torn between Wildwood and Cape May NJ. It is just so much fun to see Hubby pig out on "fair" food. He just can't control himself. If it is deep fired, it will end up in his mouth. He is such a little kid like that. He is also the best "crane game" player I have ever seen. Our kids will not be hurting for stuffed animals.

I won't be able to ride any of the rides but they do have a couple of water parks and great beaches. I also toyed with the idea of taking a whale watching / dolphin watching tour. It would be kind of a let down after our trip to Discovery Cove and actually getting to swim with dolphins.

The weather is supposed to be nice and since it is midweek, I hope not too crowded. I haven't been to a NJ beach since 1992 if you can believe it!!!

And the beat goes on

I've made it to five months. This is officially my longest pregnancy to date. The kids are doing well and growing like crazy. I could, however, do without the 3 am "Rumblefest". It is nuts!!! I end of rolling from my left to right side and neither one of them are happy about it. Yesterday, I was up at 3 am and decided to be nice to the hubby and let him sleep. He really appreciated it. I was totally wiped by the end of the day and nearly missed my favorite TV show "Rescue Me". I was never really a big Denis Leary fan before the show, but now I just love him.

Mom and Dad are off on vacation to Old Orchard Beach in Maine. We were hoping to join them but a 12 hour drive is not recommended or well tolerated. Maybe next year.

The reality that the kids will be here in four months is starting to set in. The other reality that I will be turning 33 years old is also setting in. We are trying to work out arrangements to get the crib from Mom and Dad but they are being transferred AGAIN this month and will now be nearly 7 hours away instead of just 5 hours. I am bummed about that. I really want our kids to know their Grandparents. Hubby's family is all out in North Dakota and his Dad is not doing well. We will try to get out there sometime in the spring or summer. No way am I dragging two infants to North Dakota in the dead of winter.....

So, the hum drum continues.

Pictures from Our Trip to Connecticut

Me and Mom and my Birthday Cake

The Family

19 weeks today!

I had my 2nd of 3 scheduled ultrasounds this week. It kind of sucks because I won't have another one until next month. It just seemed to be the way the schedule worked out.

I don't know what it is with ultrasound techs. They are either great or they completely suck. Yesterday, Tom, our tech at WWAV was OUTSTANDING!!! I couldn't ask for a better experience. Today, Penny, was just a bump on a log. I tried numerous times to engage her in even the most polite conversation and she was silent. I am not sure what her deal was but on the way home, I told hubby that when the kids were old enough, I was going back to school to become an ultrasound tech just so that no other woman would have to go through some of the experiences that I have had to. I mean, this is a happy time. At least try to act like you enjoy your job, I am mesmerized by the images on the screen and would love to do that for a living. Not Penny..... Maybe she ran out of coffee, maybe she is PMSing, maybe she is just a miserable person, I don't know.

Anyway, Melissa (Baby B) is weighing in at a whopping 11 oz (estimated, of course) and Daniel is catching up at 9 oz. I figured that since Melissa was kicking the crap out of her brother, she was had a pretty good leg workout this week and as we all know, muscle weighs more than fat. I think I am going to have a little girl very similar to her mom. I was, am and have always been the "athletic one" in my family. Hubby is of course, quieter than me, tall and lanky. This should be an interesting experience.

Hubby was nearly in tears yesterday upon finding out that we were having a boy. He is the oldest in his family and the last chance for the family name to be carried on in a direct blood line. He has several step brothers. He is already planning on building an obstacle course on the back yard. He just had this grin on his face last night like a kid at Christmas. I am just so happy that his dreams are coming true too. Don't get me wrong, he is excited about the babies in general, but since he has three grown daughters, he just never figured that he would ever have the chance to raise a son.

My Aunt is visiting my parents this week and she has already been shopping for lots of pink and blue and I am sure that my mother has. My Grandmother, who will be 93 tomorrow is busy knitting for the kids and is happy about the news and not having to do everything in green and yellow. I happen to like green and yellow but.......

I am feeling a bit tired and think that I will lay down for a few minutes before moving on to my chores for the day.

Ultrasounds from Yesterday

The Ketchup Song

So, yesterday, hubby calls me from work and has decided that the suspense is killing him. He wants to know the sexes of the babies. Keep in mind that he has 3 daughters from his first marriage (all grown and all on their own), and the idea of 5 daughters made him want to set himself on fire and run down the street. At least, that is what he was telling everyone.

We are going to Connecticut this weekend to help celebrate my Grandmother's 94th birthday. he thought that it would be nice if we had some updated Ultrasound images and hopefully found out the sexes. So, yesterday, I call WWAV (Womb With A View) and see if they have anything for this week. I know that 19 weeks is early for a 3D / 4D ultrasound, (the kids just don't have enough fat to make it look really nice) so we opted for the 2D with the gender determination. So, I set up the appointment for today. He called me this morning and wanted to know if I was singing the Ketchup Song. (Anticipation-Carly Simon used a few years ago in a commercial). I just laughed. I was counting the hours......

Hubby came home from work early to pick me up and we drove to WWAV. What a super nice place with really super nice staff. They display all of the images on a big TV so that the Daddies can see without kinking their necks.

Our normally crazy-active Baby B was being pretty quiet upon first glance. And modest. Nothing like Mommy!!! Baby A was locking his legs together and being shy as well. We probed and probed and finally they got used to the idea that we were on a mission and no matter what they did, we were going to find out. By the way.....both of them were chewing on the umbilical cords....I never knew that, but clear as day, they were chewing away.

Their heart rates were both in the 140's and their sacs are huge and "condo-like". They both decided to let their guard down and we were able to see "baby junk".

We are having one of each.

Baby A is a little boy

Baby B is a little girl.

Welcome Daniel Allen and Melissa Elaine!

Mommy and Daddy couldn't be happier!

Trip To Triage

Well, yesterday was a bit of an adventure. Monday afternoon, I started to have some pretty serious cramping and called the Dr. I was advised to push my fluid intake, take Tylenol for my slight fever and get on my left side. I can deal with a low tech approach and called hubby to let him know. He, of course, races home to care for me.


Tuesday, I get up. no fever, but cramping is still "significant". I call Dr. again. The nurse, who I really like, tells me that I may need to go on a "trip" but that she will talk to him and call me back.


Three and a half hours later, I receive the call. Yes, The Dr wants you to go to triage to be checked out. I was honestly expecting and office visit, not a trip to the hospital. Did I mention the 96 degree heat here yesterday......


So, hubby again, races home and loads me into the Jeep and away we go. We arrived at 1:30pm and were told to go to the 4th floor where they would be expecting me. Mind you, the last trip to this hospital was an 8+ hour ordeal ofter our first embryo retrieval I am asked to give a sample, which I was more than happy to do and then get into bed.


The nurse came in, did a brief history, and put me on a monitor. Hubby finally got to hear the heat beats of his little ones. His face lit up despite the uncertainty of what was going on. We were then seen by a P.A. who was super nice and understanding about the fact that these babies were the result of nearly 2 years of fertility treatments and did her best to calm our fears.


She decided to ultrasound my belly and much to our surprise, baby "B" was kicking the living sh*t out of baby "A". OH MY GOD!!!! Baby "A" is pointed down and "B" is pointed up and "B" was kicking "A" in the head and punching everything in sight. I guess this is normal but "A" did not seem to appreciate it very much. "B" is going to be just like Mommy!!! All of this activity is causing some spasm of the round ligaments and causing my cramping. Thank God it was not early contractions.


I asked the nice P.A. if she could tell the sexes of the babies. We are a pretty good idea what "B" is but "A" was sitting "Indian Style" and we couldn't get a clear view. They are huge, by the way. It never fails to amaze me how fast they are growing. We were out of traige within 2 hours and I am to push my fluids and rest. I can do that.


We came home and I went to bed (or at least laying on the bed). The mayhem continued in my belly until after 11 pm when I think "B" tired out.


Today, I am off to the genetic counselor (finally) and will post again with whatever info they can provide about our elevated risk from the quad screen.


Keeping all of our fingers crossed for the girls "in the dugout" this week....

Frustrating Week (Warning...R A N T)

So, let's just recap this week:

Found out that we are at an elevated risk on our quad screen (1:171). I wasn't expecting that and am still starting to deal with the possibilities of the big what if. Not that it matters...the genetic counseling that I should have had 5 weeks ago (that I am still waiting for), would not make a difference. We would not be able to terminate after 16 weeks (not that we would) even if it was some horrific genetic anomaly. Please see below....

(my rant......please excuse me, but I have to get this out or I am seriously going to lose it)

Had ultrasound yesterday. Appointment was for 1PM.

We arrived early, only to have to tolerate the world's fussiest two year old in the waiting room. Yes, that is adorable, let's let you son flick the lights on and off and laugh about it while the pregnant woman five feet from him contemplates his demise. Let me just say....my children WILL NOT, I repeat, WILL NOT act like that in public. Mashing bananas into the seat cushions is not cute, nor endearing. Despite arriving earlier than the little monster's mommy, she was seen before me. Mind you, I am to have a full bladder for these "monthly growth scans".

Finally, we are taken back and it must have been my lucky day. I got a student. Yes, a student. Maybe 22 years old, at the most. How nice. Last time, I wasn't seen by the Doctor because he was "too busy" and the idiot at the front desk neglected to put genetic counseling on the schedule. This time, I get someone who is not even completed their training.

Example:

"these are the leg bones" she says

duh...can you say femur- I quietly think to myself

"these are the arm bones" she says

again, humerus, radius, ulna...we are going to measure their length-

I wonder what kind of anatomy they teach at her school. Sorry. I was a premed major and took years of anatomy and physiology and would expect that in a professional office, we would call things by their true names.

This place is a total joke. So after 50+ minutes, I finally have to empty my bladder. I come back in the room and there is another tech there. She takes over the ultrasound. I inquire again about determining the sexes..."well, it is too early" (Bullsh*t)...." and I don't like to make guesses". "We should be able to tell you when you come back next month". Oh heck no....we are not coming back. I am going to have the remainder of the scans done at another facility for fear that I will actually go off on these people.

Incidentally, I had to tell them that we had a positive quad screen and the student looked at me as if I had a third arm growing out of the middle of my forehead. "Duh, what's that"?

Ok....I have been through two years in infertility, prior to that I had an unexplained miscarriage in 1999, and I am carrying twins. Ummm hello anyone......

H I G H - R I S K

...please at least act like you have reviewed my chart.

So, needless to say, we are done there. We will take ou chances somewhere else. I am beyond frustrated. I don't wholly understand the whole quad screen thing and have tons of questions that no one seems willing or able to take the time to answer.

I am just trying to stay calm. Pray for my little miracles (each weighing 5-6 oz). I am carrying a can of soda and feel like I am carrying a gallon of milk.

Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh.

But aren't my babies lovely?