28-week ultrasound and glucose tolerance test

Let's start with today!  Today we went in for the 28-week ultrasound and the babes are looking good!  Harrison weighs 2 lbs, 15 oz and his heart rate was 145 bmp... and Edyn is 2 lbs, 11 oz and her heart rate was 143 bpm.  They were not in the best positions but Harrison was definitely in a slightly better position than Edyn.  We didn't get any pictures of Edyn and we only got a few of Harrison.  But that's okay as long as they are healthy!!

Last Monday, I did the one hour glucose test.  I had to fast for an hour, then drink this sugary drink that has 50 grams of sugar, then have my blood taken an hour later.  The nurse called on Tuesday and said that my number was 137 and they like it to be below 135, close but not close enough.  SO I decide to do some research, and I find that most doctors like the number to be under 140.  If that was the case I would have passed.  If your number is over 200, then you have gestational diabetes.  

But because I didn't pass, I had to do the 3-hour glucose tolerance test.  Basically, they take your blood 4 times.  You fast for 8 hours beforehand.  Then you get there and they take your blood, then you drink 100 grams of sugar and wait an hour for them to take your blood again, then you wait another hour and there's another blood draw, then you wait one more hour and they do it one more time.  So I hear from the nurse yesterday and she said that I had 1 abnormal number.  If I had 2 or more abnormal results, I would have gestational diabetes... if I have 0 abnormal results, I'd be fine.  But I only have 1 abnormal result... of course!  My first number was 89, which was apparently fine.  My second number was 150 and they like for it to be under 180, so I pass that one.  The third number was 158 and they want your number under 155, so I fail by 3... dammit!  The fourth number was 100 and they want it under 140, so I pass.  But because I failed one test, I have to repeat the test at 32 weeks.  

So I ask what I can or should be doing, and they say, "Well you could cut out some sugar but don't cut out too much sugar cause we want to know if you have gestational diabetes" or something like that... i don't know!!  I guess we'll see what happens at 32 weeks.  The good thing is that I have off for winter break during that time, so the next glucose test and our next big ultrasound are during break which means I don't have to use sick days!!  :)

Gearing up for the baby shower on Sunday!!!  :D

27 weeks - beginning of 3rd trimester! :)

Wow!  We are officially in the 3rd trimester!!!  It's hard to believe that in about 10 weeks (give or take a few), we are going to have 2 babies!  :D

The nursery is looking pretty good and our baby shower is right around the corner.  We are very busy getting ready for Christmas... our last Christmas with just the two of us.  Even though we are obviously shopping for presents for friends and family, it's awfully hard to stay away from the baby section.  We try, but often fail miserably.  Lol!  Let's see... we also had maternity photos taken at 24 weeks, which turned out fantastic!  So all in all, it has been a busy time for us.

This past Friday, we went in to get a 3D/4D ultrasound.  We already had one pretty good 3D shot of each baby.  And even though they kinda look like monsters in there in some of the shots, it's always so nice to see them again.  :)  The ultrasound tech was even able to get both of them in one picture... however, Edyn's foot was in the middle!  She was moving all over the place and at one point, she had her feet in her face.  They were also kicking each other from time to time.  Lol!  It was pretty amusing to watch them in there.  I kept thinking, "so this is what they must be doing when I feel them moving about!"  Harrison was kind of hidden in there, but there are still some cute ones of him too!

Our next step is the 28 week ultrasound on December 4th.  Maybe we'll get even more 3D shots then.  Regardless, it'll be great to see them again... I love them.  <3  Soon enough, they will be here!!!!

Both babies! - Edyn on the left, Harrison on the right
With Edyn's foot in the middle!!  =P

Our little girl!!

Edyn again with her arm and hand in her face.

Our little boy!!

Harrison again, curled up of course.   

First kick for "daddy"

Marisa has this pregnancy app that includes a timeline of milestones during pregnancy. One of the milestones is being able to feel the baby kick on the outside of her belly, but instead of wording it that way it says "first kick for daddy". This has pretty much been an ongoing joke between us as I every so often ask her when the babies will "kick for daddy".

Anyway, we're sitting around watching Shark Tank on Friday night (we are the life of the party!) when Marisa says "come feel my belly, I think I just felt them on the outside!" And sure enough, I got to feel our babies kick for the first time! What an incredible feeling! There were a couple more moments like this throughout the weekend, and at one point we actually saw her belly move from them kicking! I have a feeling this is just the beginning and they are only going to become more and more active!

On a slightly related note, we had a doctors appointment yesterday morning to have echocardiograms on their hearts. They would not stay still! In the end the ultrasound tech got all of the images she needed to, but it was definitely a challenge. The doctor saw us after the ultrasound was over and told us that everything was normal and Marisa said "so they look good?" And he said "actually, better than good- they looked great!" He then made a comment to us about what a nice little family we have. There are so may reasons in a day to smile. Life is good.

20 weeks!!

Wow!  20 weeks!  It is hard to believe we are half way there!!  Most likely, we are a little more than half way there, but officially the little ones have made it to the half way point.  With each day that passes, it feels more and more real.  I've got quite the bump now and I have started to feel little movements from the twins.  No big kicks or punches just yet, but after seeing the size of their feet on the ultrasound today, it's only a matter of time!  ha!

Anyway, today was the big 20-week ultrasound at Maternal Fetal Medicine (the high-risk place).  They have much better ultrasound equipment compared to the OB, so we always love the pics that we get from them.  The ultrasound lasted for about an hour and a half.  And again, the ultrasound tech was awesome!  We even got a few 3d shots!!  :)  There's always a doctor that reviews the photos afterwards and comes in to check on how things are going.  Today's doctor was like a football coach!  lol  Andrea said she thinks he missed his calling in life.  =P

So the short version of this 1 1/2 hour ultrasound is that everything is looking good.  Baby A is still a girl... Edyn Carmel.  And Baby B is still a boy... Harrison Lee.  Edyn is 12 ounces and Harrison is 13 ounces.  Thats over a pound and a half of baby!!  Edyn's heart rate was 148 bpm and Harrison's was 132 bpm.  Both heart rates are in the normal range.  Everything else (heads, hands, feet, legs, etc) is looking good and normal!  Edyn was in a odd position, so it was a little harder to get her to cooperate, but after the ultrasound tech jiggled her around a bit, she was good!  Harrison was a little more chill and cooperative.  He also wanted everyone to know that he was a boy!  Over and over again!

We have two more appts coming up in the next two weeks.  One on the 17th at the OB and one of the 22nd at MFM.  The one of the 22nd is the fetal echocardiogram, so they will be looking exclusively at their hearts.  The next appts after that are not until mid-November and early December.

In other news, we recently purchased cribs, mattresses and bedding, so we are making progress in the nursery!  :D

Edyn's 3D picture - Her little arm was in front of her face!

It's a GIRL!

Edyn's profile - so cute!

Harrison's 3D picture - He also likes his hand in front of his face.  =P

It's a BOY!

Harrison's profile - Adorable!

16 week ultrasound!

We went in today for our 16-week ultrasound!  Probably the most exciting ultrasound yet!  Both babies are looking good.  Baby A had a heart rate of 150 bpm and Baby B's was 161 bpm.  They are both about 5 ounces and are very active.  We also had the blood work done for the second part of the sequential screening, so we'll be hearing more about that in 3-5 business days.

They were also able to tell us the sexes!!  Baby A is a GIRL!!!!  Baby B is a BOY!!!! 

We are so excited and grateful!  We would have been excited no matter what, obviously!  But one of each is such a blessing!!  :)  We can finally buy more clothing that is NOT yellow!!  lol

13 weeks! End of Trimester #1!

"Things will happen in your life that you can't stop, but that's no reason to shut out the world.  There's a purpose for the good and for the bad"

"We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in, I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am.  I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough."


Now that we made it through the 1st trimester, I've been thinking back on our journey so far.  I've feel like I have learned so much not just about conception and pregnancy, but also about life and personal growth.  When we started this process, I thought I would just get pregnant... easily!  With no family history of fertility problems and all diagnostic tests in normal ranges, I thought it would be a piece of cake!  The first failed IUI attempt was disappointing, but I was hopeful that the next attempt would be successful.  When the second and third attempts failed, my hope started to fade.  I was angry, sad, hopeless, and jealous all at the same time.  I found a renewed hope when we switched to Dr. P and the Sher Institute and moved on to IVF.  It was a big step, but one that I knew we had to make.  Our conversations with Dr. P were enlightening and reassuring.  However, I was still nervous and worried about another failed attempt.  So I did everything in my power to "make" this work.  When the first IVF cycle failed, I was devastated... beyond devastated.  I wanted to give up... I told myself I couldn't do it anymore.  It was too hard to hear over and over again, "I'm sorry, the pregnancy test came back negative".  I don't know if I can accurately describe what it feels like to hear that over and over again after putting your everything into a cycle... hope, energy, time, money, etc.  Some people will know what I'm talking about, but most won't.

Anyways, my point is not to make this a negative post, but instead to set the stage for the change that took place within me throughout this process.  At the start of IVF #2, I started to shift my focus to gratitude.  I thought about everything that I was grateful for...sure we had failed cycles, but we also were able to DO those cycles.  So many couples either don't have the time or can't afford it.  I became more and more grateful for what I already had... a great loving family, a wonderful wife, amazing friends, a roof over my head, a job that I love, adorable cats, etc etc.  I also began to realize that all of my worrying and at home efforts to "make" this work were useless... "I" was not going to "make" anything work.  So after getting over the initial disappointment of the first failed IVF, I had a complete change of attitude.  I didn't focus all my energies on getting pregnant or "making" it work.  I focused on being grateful.  And I prayed.  Everyone has an angel.  So I prayed to my angel and stayed positive and grateful.

Looking back now, I realized that I had a lot to learn.  I had to learn how to let go of things in the past and move on, how to persevere and stay strong, how to get back up after falling down, how to trust in something greater than me, how to be patient, how to be grateful for the present moment, how to stay positive and believe that this was going to work for us, that nothing is guaranteed, how to be okay with not being in control.  I had lessons to learn that were going to repeat themselves until I learned them.  And that is what made IVF #2 different from the other cycles, I had a completely different outlook that had slowly evolved as a result of everything that happened along the way.  Every step that we took along the way prepared us for this wonderful gift!  :)

So, long story short, I am infinitely grateful for these two wonderful little miracles of ours!  Our road wasn't always easy (like I thought it would be in the beginning), it was "bumpy".  But those "bumps" in the road taught me important lessons.

Today I am grateful that we have two healthy little ones growing and that we are officially at the end of our first trimester!!  2 more trimesters until we meet them!!  :)

11w3d

almost done with the first trimester!!  woop woop!  some people say it ends at 12 weeks and others say 13 weeks... either way, we're close.  :)

yesterday, we went into the high-risk pregnancy place for our first consultation and the sequential screening test, which included blood work and an ultrasound.  first, one of the nurses chatted with us for about 45 mins about pregnancy things and answered some of our questions.  then they took us into the ultrasound room, where they checked out everything... obviously seeing the babies was the most exciting part!  =P  they look like humans now!  we could see their little arms and legs and even their little hearts beating away.  One had a heartbeat of 176 bpm and the other was 167 bpm, both looking good!  they also measure the skin on the back of each baby's neck as a part of the sequential screening test, and that all came back normal!  yay!  the blood test won't come back for 3-5 days but they said no news is good news, so as long as i don't hear anything, it all came back as "normal".

the next step is at 16 weeks, i go back in to get another ultrasound and more blood work to give us a more conclusive result of the screening.

in the meantime, we have an appt at the OB next friday.