Making Miracles

Our Pregnancy: 32 Weeks!

2012-01-31T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today was another milestone week that I am excited to check off!! I think hitting it triggered some anxiety too though - I've been so focused on just reaching 32 weeks that now that we did some of the "other" worries crept in last night and made their way into my dreams. I was worrying about my water breaking last night and woke up at 2:00am in the morning after a bad dream where my water broke. There have been several recent twin deliveries on SMO between 32-34 weeks so I think that has contributed as well - I want to get to 36 weeks and want these two to be healthy and strong and READY to face the world and feel helpless I guess to do anything more than I already am and the unknowns are just a little worrisome at times. After having a relatively "calm" day I think I'm feeling less worried by this afternoon which is good. I am just going to keep my feet up, drink my fluids, eat well and hope that is enough to bake these girls for at least another month! :)

Week Thirty Two: Reproductive development continues

You are 32 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 30 weeks)

The baby is 17 inches (43cm) long and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms).
The diameter of the head is almost 4 inches (10cm).
Under the skin the fat layer is getting thicker.
The toenails and fingernails are completely formed.
In boys, the testicles will be descending from the groin down into his scrotum.

During this time the baby sleeps most of the day. The uterus is getting to be a small space for the baby to move about, so you may have noticed a decrease in your baby's movements. The baby is still trying to move frequently but it just does not have enough room. The baby will turn its head from side to side and move its hands.

As space in your uterus becomes more cramped, your baby's kicks and other movements may seem less forceful. You may want to check on your baby's movements from time to time and do a kick count.

If your baby is a boy, his testicles are moving from their location near the kidneys through the groin on their way into the scrotum. If your baby is a girl, her clitoris is now relatively prominent.

The baby will now weigh about 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Half of your weight gain now will go directly to baby. If you are carrying twins or more, their weight increase will be slower than singletons because of the lack of room in the uterus.

Are you waddling? This is because the ligaments in your pelvis have softened, allowing your hips to spread in preparation for birth. If you find that the increased weight of your breasts is uncomfortable when sleeping try wearing a soft but supportive bra to bed.

I am very much looking forward to Thursday's ultrasound and hearing how the girls look and making sure their fluid levels are still good and that they're continuing to grow and put on weight! They are definitely active enough that I don't worry (most of the time! :D ) but I have noticed movements are slowing down and I feel more distinctive movements like kicks and punches as opposed to just "movement" or rolling type sensations. I hope that means they're growing, growing, growing and just filling up the space they're in! :)

I think baby A must still be RIGHT on my cervix because often when I get a hard braxton hicks I feel cervical pressure as well and its a little uncomfortable sometimes. Hopefully my cervix is still behaving itself! I'm anxious to hear what measurement they get on Thursday!!

It's been feeling like maybe the braxton hicks are lasting a little longer and are a little stronger in the past week or so as they've picked up in quantity as well. Praying they're not causing cervical changes - but we'll just have to wait and see!! (Fingers and toes crossed for all to continue staying calm and as unchanged as possible!!)

Here are 32 week belly pictures!

31w6d - Bedrest Day #33!

2012-01-30T05:33:00.000-08:00

All is going well here on the homefront! Babies seem to be growing well and are active enough to keep me reassured. Yesterday Baby B had hiccups in the morning which were adorable - I sent Jenn a text to let her know and hopefully send her a smile too. :)

My belly is definitely getting bigger. I weigh in at home at least a couple times a week to make sure there haven't been any crazy jumps that might indicate fluid retention or something weird going on, just to keep an eye on it and have noticed the last 2 times I can't look straight down and see the number anymore, I have to bend forward to see over the belly to read the number! I am very curious to hear how many weeks we're measuring at our next OB appointment (which I think is 1 week from now if I remember right). Perinatologist check up on Thursday!! Yay! Can't wait to see the girls and see how my cervix is holding up. Fingers and toes crossed bedrest continues to do the trick and keep things the way they need to be!

I have been massaging Palmer's cocoa butter on my belly every night for the past few weeks and it seems to be helping, at least I haven't seen any new stretch marks and my skin doesn't feel super tight. I have had stretching pains underneath the skin layer recently though - near my belly button and on either side of it, it gets sore and tight like there is a baby rump or back pushing out and the muscle and whatever else is between them and the outside world says "OUCH" a little!! They are definitely stretching my belly out longer than it's ever been with any of my previous pregnancies - I noticed my belly button is an oval shape instead of round shape now!! :D

I was thinking last night about how much of a bath and body product lover I've become over the past few years! I didn't ever even use lotion many years ago, and now I have to have my Bath & BodyWorks or Victoria's Secret body wash for the shower, lotion for after shower and at bedtime, antibacterial foaming handwash for the sink and my other favorite brand and bath product is Lush Bath Bombs which are a fantastic treat for a soak in the tub!!

Right now I am using:

Bath and Bodyworks Cotton Blossom Shower Gel

Bath and BodyWorks Mistletoe Kiss Foaming Antibacterial Hand Soap

Victoria's Secret Sheer Love Body Lotion

I love the body lotion the most of these ones I'm using right now - it has a great scent to it and it always feels very indulgent to rub some onto my arms and legs at night and fall asleep with my skin feeling moisturized and the subtle scent around me! Love it! :)

One other favorite beauty product I keep by my side all day every day (and in my bathroom drawer, and in my purse!) is the Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers! My favorite shade right now is the champagne because it's really light and doesn't add much color, but is a great quality lip balm with just a little bit of, well shimmer to it! :)

What's YOUR favorite bath and/or beauty product - do you have a particular brand/scent that you always use, do you like to try out different ones?

All About Me! Questionnaire

2012-01-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

I found this on Michelle's blog here and thought it would be a fun way to spend a little time today! If you decide to post one on your blog, make sure to link me in the comments so I can read yours!! :)

Name: Rebekah Rose.
Birthday: June 12th.
Zodiac Sign: Gemini.
Where were you born: Washington state.
Where do you live now: Georgia.
How many times have you moved: I lost count a LONG time ago but I remember me and my siblings trying to add it all up once and think we were at 40 something and that was before I married my hubby and we've moved numerous times in the past 13 years together - so I'm going with somewhere around 50-60??
Hair Color: Dirty blonde/brown.
Eye Color: I have eyes that change color - usually grayish or blueish or somewhere in between.
Tattoos: I currently have two - a rose on my ankle and a faerie on my shoulder. After delivery of these two baby girls I'll be getting an angel in memory of my mother on my other shoulder (and the really cool thing is the angel will be a duplicate of one my aunt painted YEARS ago that represented my mother at the time).
Piercings: Had 2 in each each, but top holes closed so just 1 in each ear.

*Favorites*

Color: Blue and pink
Food: Pretty much all "comfort food" items - Italian, BBQ, mashed potatoes, pizza... I kind of like FOOD!!
Candy: I love Red Vines, Starbursts, Skittles, Symphony Bars, Theo Chocolate and pretty much any caramel/chocolate combo like Riesens.
Movie: My favorites tend to be romance/romantic comedies or dramas but I definitely like a lot of movies - 10 Things I Hate About You, Pretty Woman, Book of Eli, Killers, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and I Am Legend to name a few off the top of my head!
TV Show: I've been watching LOTS of TV shows lately on Netflix and Hulu while on bedrest! Some of my current favorites are: Vampire Diaries, Grey's Anatomy, Glee, Private Practice, Kitchen Nightmares, Fringe, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Lie to Me and Ugly Betty.
Actor: Daniel Craig
Actress: Katherine Heigl
Favorite Author: Stephanie Meyer
Band or Singer: Pink
Song: Owl City - Fireflies
Holiday: Christmas
Season: spring
Day of the week: Saturday
Store: Target
Restaurant: Olive Garden
Sport: Figure Skating
Animal: Horses
Flower: Roses

*Have you ever*

Danced in the rain: Yes!
tripped and had an embarrassing fall: More than likely, though I probably have managed to block it out of my memory! I remember VIVIDLY having horrible anxiety throughout highschool that when walking on the black top or the cement paths around campus I was going to trip and fall on my face... don't know why, but there you have it!
smoked: Yes, a long long time ago. Blech.
got drunk: Yes, but I much prefer tipsy!
gone skinny dipping: No.
been in a car accident: Yes, too many times unfortunately! I've been rear-ended something like 5 or 6 times in the past 10 years?
been in love: Very much so!
met the President: No.
met a celebrity: Yes, musicians on a couple different ocassions when I was younger.
cried over a movie: Many times!
laughed so hard you cried: Yes! And the times it happens it's ALWAYS my husband's fault - he thinks it is SO funny when he gets me laughing to the point where tears are streaming and I'm begging for AIR!
cried for no reason at all: But of course!

*the last*

thing you said: Brutus!
thing you ate: Lemon Chicken with Pasta and Steamed Green Beans
song you heard: Flirting with Disaster on this blog!
movie you saw: Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1
cd you bought: Adele 21
book you read: Cooking Light cook book
phone call: Jennifer
im: Amanda
person you yelled at: Does my dog count?

*This or that*

pepsi or coke: Diet Coke but I haven't had soda in a long time and am pretty sure I'm going to stop buying it.
mcdonalds or burger king: McDonalds
chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
tv or movies: TV
colored pencils or markers: Colored Pencils
sun or moon: Sun
day or night: Day
pants or shorts: Pants
long sleeve or short sleeve: Short Sleeve
n'sync or backstreet boys: Well that takes me back! I'll go with N'Sync.
burgers or hot dogs: If we're talking about off the grill, I will go with a hotdog - from a restaurant or other than grill, burger.
rock or rap: Neither.
aim or phone: Aim?? Haven't used that in ages - I'll go with phone!
romantic comedy or thriller: Definitely romantic comedy.
waffles or pancakes: Pancakes
peanut butter or jelly: Peanut butter

*Others*

do you believe in love at first sight: No
have you ever wished upon a star: Yes
what other language (s) do you speak: I used to speak intermediate level French, but now just remember a few words.
if you dyed your hair what color would you dye it: Red or blonde highlights.
if you could change your name what would you change it to: I wouldn't.
what's the weather like right now: Pretty mild at the moment - a little chilly but sunny.
what instruments do you play: I played flute for a long time, but haven't touched one in ages! It was on my "wish list" to get one not that long ago. I'd love to start playing again.
do you talk to yourself a lot: Not a lot.

best place you have visited: Senegal, West Africa
best day of your life: The birth of my son.
worst day of your life: Finding out my mom had died the day before she was supposed to be arriving in Georgia for a visit.
pet peeves: Animal Abuse and Child Abuse.
what are you most proud of: Working hard on our marriage and family to stay together and work through the tough times, my child, rescuing and fostering dogs, and being a surrogate!
what is your goal for this year: Keep these two girls in utero until at least 36 weeks so they arrive strong and healthy, start working out regularly after delivery, send my hubby lots of letters and care packages while he's away so he knows he's loved and missed and start school in the summer!

Tomorrow is National Chocolate Cake Day!

2012-01-26T18:22:00.000-08:00

Like we need any excuse to eat chocolate cake...

Information from Holiday Insights.

Chocolate Cake Day

When : Always January 27th

Chocolate Cake Day is a a chocolate lovers delight, and a day to eat cake. Why this a day to "bake your chocolate cake....and eat it, too!"

On this day, a white or yellow cake will not do. Nor, will part chocolate, part white suffice. It must be chocolate, all chocolate. You can make milk chocolate, dark chocolate, fudge, or any other type of chocolate cake.

The only reference to Chocolate Day on the Internet is from Ecard and calendar websites. This might lead you to conclude that this as a day for(and by) the Ecard companies. But, we know better. This day is for you, and all chocolate lovers.

There are three objectives of Chocolate Cake Day: To bake a chocolate cake. To decorate a chocolate cake. And, to eat a chocolate cake. Of course, if you are to busy to bake or decorate a cake, then just eating a chocolate cake will certainly do!

Origin of Chocolate Cake Day:
Our extensive research did not find the creator, or the origin of this day. Perhaps, it was baker. Perhaps, it was a food company. Most likely, it was a chocolate cake...eater!

Here are some YUMMIES to whet your appetite! :)

Heavenly Chocolate Cake Roll at Smitten Kitchen

German Chocolate Cake at Crumbs and Chaos

Amazing Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling and WhippedButtercream Frosting at Alli 'n Sons

Flourless Chocolate Cake at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake with Espresso Swiss MeringueButtercream at lululuathome.com

Double Nut Drenched Chocolate Cake at FlourTrader

So get yourself some chocolate in cake form and indulge a little tomorrow!! :)

Our Pregnancy: Week 31!

2012-01-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

We get to check another week off on the calendar!! 31 weeks down, 7 more days until week 32 and the end of January as well! I can't believe it.... the days have been passing quickly lately. Yesterday was our OB appointment and it was just a quick in and out - vitals were all good (though I have managed to gain back all the weight I lost when I first went on bedrest!!) No protein in my urine, BP was good too. My contractions had increased the day before to about double what they had been and I was having some cervical pain/twinging so they decided to do another cervical check. Dr. Jo said I'm about 50% effaced and still just a fingertip dilated, so thankfully the additional contractions haven't caused additional dilation.

Dr. Jo sort of irked me a little bit when we started talking c-section again. She is SO pro c-section. She will only be supportive of a trial of labor if both girls are head down, but I can tell we still have the option to try one even if Baby B isn't vertex but she is definitely not supportive of it. She kept saying how risky it was to Baby B and how "Jenn woudn't want that risk to the baby" and how some even opt for a c-section even if both babies are head down... What it comes down to for me is I don't care how we end up delivering - yes I want the chance to try a vaginal delivery but if it's NOT safe for me and/or the babies of COURSE a c-section will be the natural decision but I just want our doctor to be on the same page and not try to force us into a c-section before we even know how things will look the day of delivery - whenever that may be! Jenn and I texted for awhile afterwards (she wasn't able to make it to the appointment) and she and I are very much on the same page, and she will be a great advocate for whatever is right for babies health and my health when the time comes - I have FULL confidence in that. That is what matters most - our "team" is in tact! :) We have another OB appointment in 2 weeks then go to weekly after that!! There are going to be a lot of appointments going on once we hit week 33.

Here is a link on babycenter of a twin delivery via c-section!

Here is what's going on this week!

Week Thirty One: Baby detects light

You are 31 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 29 weeks)

Baby weighs 3.5 pounds and measures 16.5 inches from the head to heel.

The eyes have now completely opened and are responding to light and darkness.

A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump.

Your baby continues to grow. Baby's lungs and digestive tract are very near to being mature. Now that almost all of the major organs are functioning, growth will focus on maturing those organs and growing muscle mass and fat stores. Baby's weight gain will exceed its growth in length from now on. He or she should more than double their weight again between now and birth. It weighs about 3.5 pounds (1.6kg), and crown to rump length is 11 inches (28cm). Its total length is 16.5 inches (42cm).

A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump. Baby may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that they may also prefer some types of music to others at this stage. The eyes can now completely open and the irises are now responsive to light, dilating and contracting as needed.

You will probably find that though you have been feeling pretty energetic throughout your second trimester, you are beginning to slow down now. Pay attention to your body's signals and rest when you need to.

Here are belly pics from today! At 31 weeks measuring 47 inches around the middle...! (Ignore the clashing red/pink - I am in "lounge clothing mode"!!)

My Bedrest Blueprint

2012-01-23T15:47:00.000-08:00

So here's what is on my "Bedrest Survival Guide" list!!

Kenneth ordered a fabulous La-Z-Boy couch for us that arrived about a week and a half ago and has a chaise at the end with a recliner and that's what I spend most of the day on with it reclined back, shifting from side to side as needed. A warm, comfy, fuzzy blanket is a must.

On my right is a side table and I keep all the remotes in a holder there and after about a week realized I needed a little container to hold all my little necessities! In my container, also on the table, there is a bottle of lotion, chapstick, nail polish, a notepad, pen, my wallet, my procardia, scissors and a couple snack items (granola bar, a tangerine and some starburst)! I also keep my big 34 ounce of water cup on the table and another snack item (some Planter's cashews)! To my left I keep two pillows with my laptop on top (which keeps it at the right level for viewing when I'm browsing) - though when I'm actually typing and not just browsing I just move my laptop to my lap! :D I keep a box of tissues behind the pillows. On the arm of the chaise on the right my phone stays at the ready and I have a charger that will reach when needed! I have address labels, stamps and stationary within arms reach too so I can write my far away hubby letters and have sent a couple to family members in Washington as well.

So those are all the little every day things I keep nearby! The next thing is a "project"! Over a couple different days I worked on putting photos in my albums and labeling them, I've typed up lists of things, worked on a budget and today I remembered my recipe project I started a long time ago and hadn't had a chance to finish! I've been going through my old food magazines and cutting out the recipes I want to keep then when I'm done getting all the recipes cut out I'll put them on sheets of paper and insert them into the 3-ring binders I have. That will be a good long term project to work on over the coming days.

Netflix is high on the survival list too! I've been watching a lot of TV shows - Psych, Vampire Diaries, Ugly Betty, Drop Dead Diva, Switched at Birth, Lie to Me, Heartland and I tried out a couple others that I didn't really get into! I'm also trying out Hulu Plus this week to see if it's worth the expense - though I've discovered about 40% of the shows we have in our queue are not eligible to be streamed directly through the PS3 and would still have to be viewed through PlayOn or on the computer.

I obviously blog at least a few times a week and read quite a few other blogs, I read recipes and catch up on others in the midst of their surrogacy journeys as well! I play Words with Friends, pay bills, write letters and check on Facebook every now and then too and of course check on SMO - that seems to be enough to keep me occupied throughout the day thankfully! I have been taking a 1-2 hour nap most days lately too, it's crazy but I've been tired!

I've tried listening to audio books and have a puzzle book I can work on too but my projects, internet and TV seems to be entertaining me enough for now. Kent leaves at about 7:45am gets home just after 4:00pm so the afternoons are busy keeping up with him and making sure he gets chores and homework done! :)

So that has been my bedrest "blueprint"!!

30w5d ~ Bedrest Day #25

2012-01-22T04:55:00.000-08:00

Today is Sunday - the days of the week completely start blurring for me lately! Tomorrow we have an early OB appointment at 8:45 - I'm going to have to play in normal rush hour traffic again! :)

Yesterday I had several more contractions than what I am saying is "normal" lately for me - I started timing in the mid afternoon and was only averaging one an hour but I definitely had more than 12 yesterday. So well below the threshold to be concerned, but I am definitely counting and paying attention!

Yesterday we had our housekeeping services again and it was nice to get some of the needed basics taken care of again, though it's hard for me to sit while someone else cleans my house and it's hard to let someone else do things "their" way and not keep thinking "that's not how I'd do it"! I'm not a perfectionist about my house by ANY means, I am a self-proclaimed "bad" housekeeper - I think things just jump out at me more because I have the time to see it all from my couch vantage point!

Today I need to get Kent to do some more laundry and wash the sheets and then hopefully I can just let him have the rest of the day to play and be a moody teenager. :) It's hard when I see things that need to be done and know I should just ask him to do it but I want to let him have his free time too and not completely burn him out or overwhelm him with all the household needs and "little things" that really add up!

I decided to try a Hulu Plus subscription out this week - we've been using PlayOn and streaming through the PS3 that way, but have had issues this week and I haven't been able to get PlayOn to run and Hulu Plus streams directly through the PS3, so I figured it was worth a shot! I'm catching up on Vampire Diaries but mainly have been watching a lot of Ugly Betty on Netflix this past week. I definitely tend to pick a series and watch it all the way through, then move on to something else. I kind of keep the TV shows on all the time, whether or not I'm paying attention to them. I have been realizing the thing I miss the most being on home bedrest is adult interraction. Since hubby is gone it's just me and Kent except for my once a week doctor appointments. The rest of the time the only person I interract with is my child and that is far from the same as having a conversation with another adult. I am thankful for SMO and Facebook, because at least I get a LITTLE bit of adult interraction through those outlets, even if it's not quite the same as in person - it's better than feeling completely isolated. :)

I think it's time for a shower and a good breakfast for me and the girls! We had Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon and fresh strawberries and bananas yesterday. That was SO good and really filling. I'm thinking maybe waffles and fried eggs today - or maybe eggs and half a bagel with cream cheese and the rest of the strawberries... yumm! :)

The Kindness of Strangers!

2012-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

People are amazing! I had posted a couple days ago on paulding.com to see if anyone else knew of any restaurants that deliver to my city besides Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and Dominoes and I did get a suggestion or two that might work but beyond that people started offering to bring me take out and then I got a couple offers to bring some homemade meals by! Oh my gosh!! It's been over 3 weeks now on bedrest and we've primarily been eating "freezer food" lately for dinner. Kent has fixed a few things from scratch but he's been more comfortable with the heat and eat dinners from Schwan's and frozen pizzas. We still had some lettuce left so we've been able to have salads a couple times for something fresh, but it's kind of felt like the same thing over and over lately. It's been hard for me because I love cooking so much and miss being able to fix good meals! For breakfast I can fix a quick couple eggs and some toast or a bagel and for lunch heat leftovers or fix a sandwich and be happy and only be up for a few minutes in the kitchen, but dinner is "the" meal of the day to enjoy something different, hearty, filling and satisfying and it's just been "fast and easy" lately.

In any event today a lovely woman offered to bring us a spaghetti dinner and brought two big tupperwares with pasta and a delicious spaghetti sauce, cheesy garlic breadsticks and homemade cheese danishes! It was so GOOD!! Kent and I were both so happy to have something homemade and filling and tasty tonight - such a nice change of pace and I am just blown away by how thoughtful a complete stranger was to us today!

So a big thank you out there to all who open their hearts and lend a helping hand to someone who needs it (and probably isn't good at asking for help)!

30w2d ~ Perinatologist Ultrasound Appointment

2012-01-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

Today is bedrest day #22 and our perinatologist appointment recheck! Things are going well still - the babies are absolutely adorable and are growing well. Both measured 30w1d and are estimated at 3lbs 4 oz each. The peri was very happy with how the girls looked. Their fluid levels are good and my cervix is measuring a 3 still which she was happy with. Jenn and I both noticed what looks like more deterioration at the top though, they're still happy with the total length, but it doesn't look like it's as closed as it was at the last ultrasound appointment. Dr. Mann had us get hooked up to the contraction monitor for 20 minutes to make sure the procardia is doing its job. The monitor showed everything is pretty calm and quiet so we're staying on the same care plan and rechek in 2 more weeks. I will need another refill on the procardia soon so I sent a note to the OB's office to ask them to call one in.

Here are a couple ultrasound images they got of the girls' faces! Aren't they cute!! :D It's apparentely getting crowded in there and was hard for the tech to get faces at all. We sort of begged for a 3-D image but the tech said she just couldn't get a shot... we wished she would have tried anyway! :)

So right now the goal the peri mentioned is 5 pound babies and 34 weeks - I think that's our "minimum" as well to get past; though we're all counting dow to 32 weeks first - 2 weeks at a time!! Hoping these girls stay put many more weeks! :) Our next appointment is with the OB on Monday, we'll see our regular OB Dr. Jo who we haven't seen since before all the cervix/PTL drama started so we'll see if she has anything new/different to say than the other OB and the midwife. We're not anticipating the OB will have any changes to the game plan for us, right now it just feels like an "extra" appointment to drive to every other week, but I know it's good to have both care providers looking out for us and these girls!! :)

A Thank You - The Liebster Blog Award!

2012-01-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Darshan at "Journey to Surrogacy" who nominated me for a "Liebster Award"! Darshan just recently delivered a beautiful little girl via Gestational Surrogacy for her IPs and I love her honest and open blog posts!

The Liebster Blog Award is an award for bloggers with less than 200 followers who deserve more recognition.

Liebster is a German word that means ‘dearest’ or ‘beloved’, but can also mean‘favorite’. The idea of the award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.

The Award comes with a few rules. You’re supposed to:

· Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them

· Reveal your top 5 picks for the award and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

· Post the award on your blog

· Bask in the love from the most supportive people in the blogosphere – other bloggers

· Hope your recipients pass the award to their 5 favorite blogs to keep the love flowing.

So my 5 picks for the Liebster Award are:

Tonya at Our journey to build our family through IVF and Surrogacy: http://babydreams2011.blogspot.com/ Tonya is a WONDERFUL woman - funny, intelligent, very warm hearted and she has been openly sharing her experience as an Intended Mother in the great big world of gestational surrogacy!
Sara at This Mom Has Tattoos: http://thismomhastattoos.blogspot.com/ Follow along on Sara's Gestational Surrogacy journey!
Christine at Christine's Cuisine Culinary Aventures in my Kitchen: http://christines-cuisine.blogspot.com/ I love the great photos and recipes Christine shares!
Joanna at Drizzle of Sunshine: http://drizzleofsunshine.blogspot.com/ I love the photos Joanna posts and her fantabulous posts all about her adventures in fitness, food, work and LIFE! :)
Kelli at Special Delivery: http://3j2k.blogspot.com/ Kelli is a WONDERFUL woman who has given her all to try to help her IF's become daddies and has had some pretty big set backs and complications in the past month and a half but always seems to maintain her poise and grace as she looks forward to the future. She is an inspiration!

So I hope you might check out these fantastic bloggers if you have a chance and thank you again to Darshan for the nomination! :)

Our Pregnancy: 30 Weeks!

2012-01-17T15:29:00.000-08:00

Finally we can say we're 30 weeks!! :) So happy to pass this milestone!

Here's what's going on this week:

Week Thirty: Baby puts on pounds

You are 30 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 28 weeks)

Baby measurements are 16 inches and weighs about 3 pounds.
The head is almost 3.5 inches (8cm) in diameter.
The feet are nearly 2.5 inches (6cm) long.
The wrinkled skin is becoming smoother now.
In boys, the testicles have moved down to the groin.
The baby controls its own body temperature.

For several months, the umbilical cord has been the baby's lifeline to the mother. Nourishment is transferred from the mothers blood, through the placenta, and into the umbilical cord to the fetus. Their bone marrow is now responsible for red cell production. These red blood cells will continue to service your child's body by transporting oxygen and removing the wastes. Your baby begins storing iron, calcium and phosphorus.

The fetus now weighs about 3 pounds (1.4kg). He or she will gain about half a pound a week until week 38. Baby is getting fatter and beginning to control its own body temperature. Baby continues to put on fat stores and the major weight gains will occur in the coming weeks. Eyebrows and eyelashes are fully developed, and hair on the head is getting thicker. Head and body are now proportioned like a newborn.

Hands are now fully formed and fingernails are growing. Can be seen on ultrasound scans grasping their other hand or feet, this is helping with nerve development. Eyelids are opening and closing, and will often make rapid eye movements - a sign they could be dreaming.

You may be starting to experience some swelling of your ankles and legs. If you have not experienced any swelling yet, it is highly probable that you will, as approximately 40 to 75 percent of women will experience mild swelling related to pregnancy.

Your uterus is now about 4 inches (10cm) above your bellybutton. It may feel like you are running out of room as your uterus grows up under your ribs. However, your fetus, placenta and uterus will continue to get larger, you still have 10 weeks to go. The average weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 35 pounds (11.5 to 16kg). About half of this weight is concentrated in the growth of the uterus, the placenta, the baby and in the volume of amniotic fluid. At this point, you should be gaining about a pound (500 grams) a week.

Here are belly pictures from today!

I've been watching "Heartland" the last couple days on Netflix - I love this show - love all the horses! I can't wait until we get a chance to visit Southern Cross Guest Ranch again. Kent was asking me about it the other night - he can't wait to be able to ride the horses since he couldn't last time (since I was pregnant and couldn't go with him). Right now we're just focusing on each day and each week - but every now and then I think about the fact that within 8 weeks TOPS these girls will be here and a whole new chapter in my life will begin! Getting a few more contractions tonight then normal - guess it's time to empty my bladder, drink a bunch of water and lay on my left side for a little while! (Only about 4 contractions since 4:30, but that's 4 in 2 hours and the midwife said their threshold with twins is 6 in 2 hours, so I need to keep an eye on it!)

29w6d - Bedrest Day #19

2012-01-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big "3-0" and I'm so excited to be at that milestone, and then will start counting down to week 32! It's already Monday, so just 3 days until we'll have our next peri appointment and get an updated game plan after we see how things look on the ultrasound. Hopefully my cervix is still holding stable and the girls are growing well! I sure FEEL like they're growing well - I feel them kicking and moving and stretching out my belly. Today I had a sore spot right near my belly button from somebody pushing against it - I am usually pretty comfortable as long as I'm reclining or laying down, but when I was up for my shower it was bothering me this morning.

I am craving homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! I've found recipes and am going to walk Kent through making them today - it will be a whole new cooking adventure for him! He's pretty good at following recipes and cookies shouldn't be too difficult - I can kind of see what's going on in the kitchen from my couch vantage point so I'll be able to keep an eye on him... warm cookies and milk just sound soooo goooood!

I have been wanting to get together a care package for Kenneth - he's been gone 3 weeks now and I usually send something at least once a month if not every other week or so but haven't been able to get anything together yet - but I did discover a bunch of the items on my "list" that I include in care packages I could order online! So I ordered:

Reeses Big Cups
Face Wash
Cough Drops
Icy Hot Patches
Sugar in the Raw packets
Deodarant
Carmex Click Sticks
Wet Ones Antibacterial Singles

Kenneth is pretty particular about the health products he uses, so I like to make sure we have his preferred brands to send to him. I had already picked up some good snacks to mix and match from at Sam's before - oatmeal cream pies, Clif bars, mixed snack sized bags of chips and mixed snack sized bags of cookies, teddy grahams, etc.

So now Kent and I just need to write up a note to include along with the few other things he requested we throw in the box and then figure out how to get it to the post office! :) I had originally thought about doing a mailing from home, but then realized this has to have the customs form on it and probably has to be received and stamped directly at the post office.

Anyhow - that's been my "project" this week - having Kent help me pull together all the items needed - I still had a bunch of the special military priority shipping boxes in the basement from the last deployment!

Bed rest is still going just fine - it really surprises me when I look at the day count and realize just how long it's actually been! Time is passing quickly and I am feeling fine. Have had a few painful contractions, but they're still usually in that 6-7 per day range at the most on non-appointment days when I'm home with my feet up all day. I'm thinking I might start keeping a log for my own curiosity and to see if my "estimate" is really accurate!

Our new La-Z-Boy couch was delivered on Saturday and I have really been enjoying it - still working on figuring out how to stay in a comfortable position for long periods of time mostly reclined. It has a chaise at the end with a recliner and that's what I've been laying on with the recliner back, rotating from side to side - it's been harder on my back in this position though for some reason so it gets sore after a little while. I think I need to get some pillows until I figure out where the right position is to stay comfy for longer periods of time.

Our foster puppy is gone now too!! I will miss her - but she got picked up yesterday by Irina for her spay today (and I just got the news that all the lab puppies had clean fecals which is FANTASTIC news after everything they went through!!) and Irina is just going to keep her along with the other 2 puppies from the same litter she's been fostering. The puppies are going up on Petfinder now and she thinks they'll be ready for transport within 2 weeks because they'll get snapped up in no time!! They're such cuties and good puppies!! :)

Farewell cutie pie and best of luck to you!!

29w3d - OB Appointment and Bedrest Day #16

2012-01-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

I have had to double check the calendar the last few days, I keep worrying I don't really know what day it is!! But today was indeed Friday, and our OB appointment was scheduled for today - our 2 week post discharge from the hospital follow up.

Kent had to run around like a chicken with his head cut off to get out the door on time today because he left dishes from last night to be done this morning (not sure if he'll ever learn on that one - not a good idea on a school night - well not a good idea in general, but especially not on a school night!!) :D Once he was out the door I showered and got dressed in "real" clothes for the first time in a week and then headed out a little after 9am for our 10:30am appointment. I really do live far away... at least traffic is much better at that time of day then my normal commuting hour! I got there about 15 minutes early and Jenn arrived a few minutes after me. Peed in a cup, got weighed, had my BP checked and answered the normal questions. Vitals all look good still, so that was a good start!

The wait was fairly long in the "2nd waiting area" before they took us back to a room. The nurse who got us settled said the midwife would most likely want to do a cervical check since it had been 2 weeks and I've had some regular contractions even on the procardia so I got to wear the lovely paper gown from the waist down. :) We waited a little while and at least while we were waiting Jenn finally got to feel Baby B moving around being her wiggly self and saw Miss A give a good kick or two. Then the midwife came in and had an ultrasound machine with her! I think we were both excited, because Jenn can actually film the ones they do at the OB's office unlike the ones at the peri's office where they don't allow it... but the dang thing wouldn't boot up!! She tried for probably almost 10 minutes, and it would NOT come on... sigh... so instead she pulled out the trusty doppler and was able to find both girls very easily. Beautiful steady hearts beating away!

She did the cervical check next and the good news is no changes - still 1cm dilated and she said it felt long - she had to really "reach" to feel baby A's head... though I couldn't figure out why she was trying! I was laying there thinking "Quit digging around in there lady! If it's good, it's good - don't mess with it!!!" She reiterated drink, drink, drink lots and lots of water and call them if I get more than 6 contractions in 2 hours.

She measured my belly and at 29 1/2 weeks it is measuring 41 weeks! Holy Moly!! We talked for a little while longer and then got our check out paperwork and headed on out. We have an appointment already scheduled for the 23rd but may move it to later in the week since that's on a Monday and we have a Thursday appointment at the peri's the week before.

So I think things went as well as can be hoped for right now - my cervix seems to be doing just fine on bedrest and meds - I think the question is whether or not it will be ok without bedrest and meds or what the on-going game plan needs to be to keep these two baking many more weeks. :) I'm sure they are going to keep a close eye on us, whatever game plan gets decided on for the long term!

My back is getting sore again so looks like its time to put the laptop away and change positions!

Our Pregnancy: 29 Weeks!

2012-01-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

Happy 29 weeks baby girls!! :)

Here's what's going on this week.

Week Twenty Nine: Movement is more forceful

You are 29 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 27 weeks)

Your baby now weighs about 2 and a half pounds (1150gm)
and is about 15 inches (38.5cm) long from head to heel.
Brain is busy developing billions of neurons.
Baby's muscles and lungs are continuing to mature.
The fetus can taste and respond to pain.
The milk teeth have developed under the gums.

The baby's head is growing bigger to accommodate the brain, which is busy developing billions of neurons. The eyes can move in their sockets. They may be able to follow a blinking light. As well as your baby's increasing sensitivity to changes in light, they may also be able to taste. Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences or dislike for particular tastes at this stage.

Baby is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, they will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if baby is performing somersaults for an olympic gold medal. Baby may be performing fewer movements because living conditions in the womb are becoming more cramped. The baby is still doing a lot of kicking and stretching. Some of your baby's kicks and punches may even take your breath away.

Baby hears things better from the vibrations all around, and can now distinguish real sounds and voices. Do not forget to continue to 'teach' your baby in the womb by exposing them to music, literature, and simply talking to them. At this stage baby eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall.

At week twenty nine, your baby measures about 11 inches (28 cm) from crown to rump, or a total length of about 15 inches (38cm) from head to heel, and weighs about 2.5 pounds (1150gm).

I am thrilled to check off another week and excited to be just 7 days away from that "3" in front of our gestational week!

The girls' movements have definitely been getting stronger. I feel Baby A's hard kicks up by my ribs and every now and then B gets a good kick in down low, but mostly I feel what is probably her head and upper body shifting around towards the top of my belly. I love watching them moving! It's fascinating to feel when one moves and the other seems to respond and move right after - like a kick from B followed by a kick or punch from A right after. I have noticed it especially when I lay on my side - I wonder if I just feel it more or if that position causes baby on bottom to push up on baby on top and makes them both a little wiggly! Whatever it is, it is fascinating to me!!

Been dealing with the insurance company and the short term disability company trying to get all the necessary paperwork in place for claims which is annoying but does occupy some of this couch time! :) Time for a snack and figure out what to make for lunch soon!!

Here is our 29 week belly:

28w6d - Happy Food Day! :)

2012-01-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Since being on bedrest my appetite hasn't been that huge and I've actually lost a couple pounds but today for whatever reason food has sounded good! I haven't felt necessarily hungry, but wanted to eat if that makes any sense at all.

I had 2 eggs and half a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and an orange for breakfast, a Quaker Dips granola bar for a snack and just had the best lunch - a sandwich full of turkey, crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato, a sliced pickle and provolone cheese with some BBQ potato chips and a pudding cup! Mmm... my tummy is full and happy and hopefully baby girls are getting their share of all the goodies. :) Now just working on another big 34 oz cup of water and watching another episode of "One Born Every Minute" - I love baby shows, they always make me cry like a baby but I LOVE watching them!! :) I love reminiscing about my own labor and deliveries and imagining getting to be one of the nurses on a L&D floor one day! I've already seen one episode that was a surrogate delivery and right now this is either the 2nd or 3rd twin delivery. It's actually sort of made me even less worried about a c-section if that's the route we end up taking to deliver these two. I will stay hopeful for a vaginal delivery but whatever happens, happens! Right now though we're just focusing on one day and one week at a time, getting these girls big and healthy and ready to face the world! :)

My back is a little sore today from how I've been lounging I think, time to change position and try to get comfy! I am excited to check "29 weeks" off tomorrow!!! :)

28w5d - Bedrest Day #11

2012-01-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

Today is day 11 of bedrest and everything seems to be going well for us so far. I get about 5-6 contractions in a day that I notice and often feel some discomfort and pressure when I'm up for a bathroom break but other than that I feel fine and feel like all is well with the girls and the pregnancy. I am still dealing with a lot of head congestion that drives me crazy and has me going through what feels like half a box of tissues per day!

Yesterday was the first day of having the housekeeping service Jenn coordinated and although I felt extra lazy laying here on the couch watching my mindless TV I was also very grateful - I feel much less distracted when I look around and don't see a bunch of little things I could or should be doing because it's DONE now!

Kent helped clear up most of the little clutter before Ernestine came and now the only other thing I keep seeing from my couch vantage point is all the Christmas boxes piled up in the dining room - so that is my game plan for today - get Kent to finish packing up the Christmas items now that everything has been washed and grouped together so the rubbermaid bins can get put up and the dining room can be cleared out again!

Kent has been looking through the kid's cookbooks I ordered for him and having fun trying to figure out what to make - he fixed calzones the other night for dinner from a recipe and did a great job! Yesterday morning he made smoothies for breakfast that were great! Then last night he made spaghetti with meat sauce, peas and toast - yumm! He fixed some muffins and scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning. I've been craving muffins for days! I am definitely eating just fine even though I can't cook or bake. I miss it though, a lot...

I haven't been sleeping all that well the last three nights which is an extra big bummer after a few days of GOOD sleep. Not sure what it is again, I hit that 3:00-4:00 mark in the morning and am awake. I'll just lay there for hours most of the time, and sometimes maybe get an extra hour or so at some point but usually I just end up feeling tired the rest of the day. I did get 6 hours straight though, so maybe that's enough right now especially since I'm not expending much energy during the day! :)

So, now to play dictator from the couch again and get Christmas cleared up and put away! :)

28w3d - Peri Ultrasound Update!

2012-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Today is bedrest day #9 and things are holding stable which is good news. I had Kent help me pack a hospital "go bag" and put it in the trunk of the car before heading out for our 2:30pm appointment for the "just in case" (plus now it's packed and I can just have it ready!). I've been anxious about what the updated game plan from the doctor would be and how things would look but I think everything went as well as can be hoped for.

The tech got some great ultrasound images of the girls' faces and printed a couple cute pictures for Jenn this time - they didn't take updated measurements since they'd just done them a week ago. The girls were good and active and she saw Baby A doing some practice breathing which was great! Their fluid levels look perfect and heartbeats are beautiful around 150bpm for both girls.

The cervical measurement went pretty well, the measurement came out to about 3.1 and the tech said she didn't see any active funneling, but you can see some deterioration towards the top where it's not nice and closed like the bottom portion. The peri said this measurement was good and that the one they'd gotten last week had probably been a little distorted because of the position of Baby A's head but he felt confident that this one was accurate and seemed comfortable with how everything looked. The game plan is to not change anything until another recheck in about 1 1/2 weeks. We're still early into the pregnancy so they are wanting to be cautious as we all are too! By the time we have our next check with them we should be into our 30th week which will be a little bit of a relief, but we still have many more weeks to go until we hit a level we'll all feel fairly comfortable with I think!!

It was nice for me to have some in person time with Jenn too, sometimes it's hard to get a sense of the emotions when we text which has been the majority of our communication the past week and it just was nice to be able to talk in person. I am still dealing with some guilt about not being one of those who breezes through a twin pregnancy with no issues or bedrest, but am just going to do my best to be a good patient and follow instructions and pray it's what is needed to keep these girls where they are. I am MORE than happy to do whatever it takes, I'll stand on my head if I need to!!

After sitting in the car, then the waiting room, then the car again for the appointment and the drive to and from I was having some round ligament pain and was ready to get back to my comfy couch and get my feet up and take it easy again.

So, here I am - reporting from my couch and happy things are calm for the moment and hopeful for many more "stable" updates to come... :)

Look at those cutie pies!! :)

Close to Home...

2012-01-05T05:31:00.000-08:00

On SMO we have cycling groups, whatever month you have your transfer in becomes your cycling group and those who are active posters stay with their group and share pregnancy updates from the very beginning through delivery. It's one of my favorite parts of SMO - you get to really know a few others who are going through the same thing at the same time as you and it's a great support!

This morning I logged into SMO to read an update from one of the other twin carrier's in my group - she delivered last night at 29w5d. She went from a post saying she was having a lot of Braxton Hicks that escalated and included back pain at 11:40pm to saying the babies had arrived at just after 1:00am in the morning weighing in at 3 lbs 3 oz and 2 lbs 14 oz. It sounds like she is doing ok and babies are doing as well as can be for their gestational age, but MAN that hit reallllly close to home... I am sending up lots of prayers for her, those two baby girls and for her IPs. I cannot even imagine what her IPs are experiencing right now and how worried they must be! I hope the girls grow big and strong and can be on their way home soon, and I hope my friend from SMO heals soon and is also able to return home to her little ones. At the same time I find myself praying "Please God, don't let us deliver that soon, please let this bedrest do the trick, please keep these girls safe in my womb for many more weeks..." Bridget was only a week and 3 days ahead of us in her pregnancy. I want to get past 32 weeks SOOO bad and this is another reminder of just how unpredictable things can be with a multiples pregnancy and how fast things can change!

I am laying here, warm under my blanket, feeling the girls kicking and moving around and anxious for what the coming weeks will bring.

Time for a quick shower, some good high protein breakfast for the girls and finding another TV show series to watch on Netflix since I finished "Lie to Me" yesterday and got all caught up on "Biggest Loser" on Hulu. :)

28 Week Belly Pictures and Bedrest Update

2012-01-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

The days are blurring! I have to stop and remember what day of the week it is - today is Wednesday, two days until our ultrasound check and an update on what the game plan is. Things are going well (as far as I can tell! :) ) on bedrest at home. Today makes the 7th day of bedrest, but that honestly sort of shocks me when I stop and realize it'll have been a full week tomorrow! I went to the OB last Thursday and was sent to the hospital, was there through Saturday afternoon and have been on home bedrest now 3 1/2 days so far... it doesn't seem like that long already!

I spent the first couple days home watching most of Season 2 and 3 of Lie to Me on Netflix and then yesterday and today I've been catching up on the last season of "Biggest Loser" on Hulu. I have to tell you, I've never been quite so thankful we invested in a "big screen" TV a few years ago as I have been these last couple days! I have a good little set up on our comfy couch, with my laptop propped on a pillow on my knees, a big fuzzy blanket, my chihuahua is pretty much always curled up next to my leg or belly and I keep my water bottle between me and the back of the couch within easy reach. I keep a few odds and ends on the coffee table within reach - a box of granola bars, my hair brush, chapstick, lotion and cocoa butter, remote controls, phone and my meds!

The procardia seems to be doing it's job too - I've only had a few irritable uterus moments or probably Braxton Hicks where I feel some tightening across my abdomen, the rest of the time everything feels pretty calm! The girls have been good and wiggly the past few days and I've enjoyed watching and feeling them moving and wondering what they're doing in there! :) I just hope and pray my cervix is behaving itself as well!

My IV site from the hospital is actually feeling puffy and sore today which is sort of weird, I don't know if I bumped it or something in my sleep, but it feels tender and a little bruised still today.

Kent has been a great helper when he's home from school and I know he's had to do a lot more than "normal" and I'm having to sort of let go of a lot more than normal which has been a challenge for me! Jenn coordinated a housekeeper to come out but she won't be able to get here until this coming Saturday and as I lay here I see dust on the tables and the floor needing vacuuming and it makes me a little crazy!! :D I was feeling a bit grumpy about it yesterday, nothing specific, just the general need to "let go" and realizing how much I'm used to be able to just "do" something when I see it needing to be done - wiping off the counters in the kitchen, tidying up the clutter, putting away the Christmas boxes and I just have to let it be for now. And it's ok! My priority is of COURSE these girls and being the best patient I can be - following the doctor's orders as best as I can and making sure to keep these girls baking for many, many more weeks but these are just some of the things I haven't really had to think about before now!

On Sunday Kent took down the whole Christmas tree and decorations by himself, I helped from the couch - he brought ornaments to me and I pulled hooks off and wrapped the ornaments and then he took apart the whole tree and put all the boxes in the dining room for whenever I'm either able to help put them back in the attic or if we need to have someone else come help depending on how things go we can do that later! :) He moved the furniture back around all by himself too and I am so proud of him! Last night I walked him through cooking rice from the couch and he did that all by himself and did a great job. :) I ordered a couple "kid's cooking books" on half.com this past weekend which will hopefully be here soon. I told him about it last night and he looked excited! I think he likes having that freedom and responsibility and having a cookbook geared for him will provide easy to follow recipes and will give him good step by step instructions and we can read through them together. I hope they get here soon! :)

So here are a couple pics I snapped before going to bed last night - 28 weeks and counting down to 30! :)

Our Pregnancy: 28 Weeks!

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

One more week down, and after all that happened within this past week I am just thankful to be able to check one more off on the calendar and very much looking forward to checking off MANY more in the coming months. I just want to get through the next month at least and see how things are looking then. It is crazy how unpredictable a twin pregnancy can be - I feel in my gut that things are going to be ok and that we have many more weeks of baby baking ahead of us, but I know how unsettling and stressful this has been for everyone too! I hope as the days pass uneventfully we'll all be able to feel a little more reassured that things are going to be ok in time...

	Here is what's going on this week! *Week Twenty Eight: May recognize your voice*
	You are 28 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 26 weeks) The fetus has its own regular intervals for sleeping and being awake. 2.2 pounds weight and is 14.8 inches in length from head to heel. The feet are just over 2 inches (5.5cm) long. The hair on the head is now clearly visible. The milk teeth have developed under the gums. The eyes are starting to move in their sockets. Brain waves show rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which means your baby may be dreaming. Eyelids are opening. Eye color may change within the first six months of life especially if your baby's eyes are blue or gray-blue at birth. Remember to talk to your baby often; reading stories, singing songs has been seen to slow the baby's heart rate. He or she can recognize your voice now and will often calm to it later after birth. Your uterus will be about 3 inches (7cm) above your bellybutton. During this time of your pregnancy, your belly will grow about half an inch (1cm) each week. If you have been following a nutritious, balanced meal plan, your total weight gain is probably between 17 and 24 pounds (7.5 and 10.5 Kg). Branches of lungs are quite developed now, so there is a good chance that baby would survive if born prematurely now. If your baby is born this week, the chances of survival is now at least 90 percent. However, some complications are still possible. I sort of feel like with all this time laying down the girls have moved up a little - my upper belly feels fuller than it did a couple days ago! I've been feeling them moving a lot, kicks, little punches and some wiggling too. :) I am ready to hear how things are looking at our next ultrasound and get an idea of what the RE and my IPs are thinking is the best game plan going forward for the next week! Here's a pic from this evening, laptop on my knees and Brutus cuddled up against my belly keeping me company... :) I was trying to get some video of the babies kicking but got a cute picture instead. :)

Home Again, Home Again!

2012-01-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

My goodness the past couple days have been CRAZY! They passed so quickly too - only 2 full days really from when I went to the hospital until I was sent home. It sort of seemed in some ways a lot longer than that because of all the worry and trying to figure out logistics but it did go quickly too. They took good care of me and the girls while we were there and I'm incredibly thankful and grateful that things were stable enough for me to be able to rest at home until the doctor's say otherwise.

I was discharged around 3pm yesterday afternoon and told since I wasn't contracting and my cervical length was good I could drive home and I have permission to drive to and from my peri appointment next week but I am on modified bedrest at home now. I am allowed to get up for bathroom breaks, a quick shower (but I can sit in the shower too which is nice) and to fix something quick to eat. As long as Kent is home during the day he's able to help out with pretty much anything I need so I have been able to stay off my feet almost completely since I got home. I am staying on the procardia every 8 hours and using my home BP cuff to make sure my bottom number isn't too low before taking each dose.

This morning Kent fixed some Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and some scrambled eggs for me and did a great job! I told him he'll be running the whole house hold before much longer. :) I've been watching "Lie to Me" on Netflix while resting on the couch and took a nap a little earlier. I can't believe how much I've slept since last night! I went to bed around 9:30pm last night and didn't get up until around 8:30 and then napped for almost 2 hours this afternoon!! I've felt so tired since I got home, I think I'm finally able to just relax and catch up on my rest now that I'm home.

The girls have been so wiggly too since last night! I am feeling them a lot! Kicking and wiggling around. I wonder what position they'll be in by the time of the next ultrasound!

Speaking of - here are pics of Baby A and Baby B's faces from the ultrasound they did at the OB's office at 27w2d on Thursday before they sent me to the hospital.

They are too adorable for words!! :)

Hospital Bedrest - Day 2!

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

I received a visit from the on-call peri in the morning on Friday who said based on what was in my chart she felt the right thing to do was be aggressive with how early we were in the pregnancy and start me on a low dose of procardia as soon as they got me relocated to my more "long term suite" the next floor up. So they came and packed me up and wheeled me up a floor and introduced me to my new home away from home! The rooms here really are nice and I immediately liked the new section they put me in. Definitely geared for exactly what they had admitted me for (potential long term care), and the nurses were very different compared to the Labor and Delivery floor. There was a snack cart that came by right after I got into bed and they told me to "take, take, take!" I had felt like I had to beg for something to eat the night before I had gotten so hungry but I took cheese cubes, an apple, honey nut cheerios and milk and a bag of pretzels and they asked me if I was sure that was enough. I figured I'd have to see how the day went, but it sounded like plenty especially since I still have the yummy granola bars from Jenn and Chad too! I ended up not really having much of an appetite until the evening anyway, so just now at 2:30 in the morning I'm eating my apple and cheese cubes!

Breakfast was a ham and cheese croissant with hashbrowns, apple juice and some oatmeal. Filling but that one didn't taste so great. I didn't get hungry 'til after lunch though, so it did its job! :) That morning someone from the food service stopped by and gave me a menu and had me pick my meals through Saturday which was nice to have a choice!

I got my first dose of procardia at 10am after they checked my blood pressure, apparently this med can cause low pressure and I tend to run on the low side of normal anyway but I was fine to take my first dose. I felt really flushed within a half hour of taking it, and a little sleepy (but had slept REALLY poorly the night before anyway, so not sure how related that was to the meds) but other than that can't complain about any real side effects which I was thankful for. Jenn said to make sure to stay well hydrated, it can help level out blood pressure too and obviously I'm supposed to be focusing on good hydration anyway, but its an extra reminder to drink, drink, drink!

Lunch came I think a little before 1pm and I enjoyed a turkey sandwich on wheat, some chicken and rice soup with crackers, milk and there was some sort of pear cobbler type dessert. The fruit part tasted good but whatever the breading stuff was kind of seemed like a hunk of doughy rubbery something so I left that! :D The dietician came by and gave me some general diet info and said to make sure to get plenty of protein and to feel free to ask them to add boiled eggs, etc. to my orders. I also got a visit from Happy Tails! They bring dogs around to visit patients just to cheer them up and it was awesome. They were both rescue dogs and I had a great time talking with the ladies and gentleman who were escorting them, and getting to snuggle both the dogs for awhile. There was a brittany and a cute little chi. They spread a sheet next to me on the bed and let them get up next to me to snuggle. They both settled down and laid down next to me while we talked and I got to pet them. Kent and his great grandmother showed up right at the end of their visit and Kent had a good time petting the puppies too and filling them in on our 5 rescues at home. The dogs were sniffing his pants and shoes like crazy! :)

Kent and Honey brought me my laptop, books and some clothes for my stay here which I was very happy about! So nice to be able to actually type out posts and responses and read in full size! :) I was also very excited about getting out of the hospital gown and into some comfy pajama pants after they decided if I could shower later! It was good to see them both and I am very grateful that Honey has been able to jump in and make sure Kent is being cared for and making the drive back and forth from her house to ours to make sure the dogs are getting checked on, fed, and that the indoor dogs are able to stay inside for the most part and get let out for potty breaks.

So things took a turn of events, in a good way I think after the peri did their u/s yesterday afternoon! We'll see what actually happens today, I'm not counting on anything at this point but when the peri's office did their own ultrasound they said everything looked just great! Babies are both measuring well, good fluid, about 2 lbs 7 oz each and he said my cervix was measuring 3.2-3.8??! He said it looked "beautiful"!! Jenn and Chad got to call and talk to him directly after the appointment and when we texted she said she got the impression he didn't believe that reading they'd gotten at the OB's office on Thursday and he didn't put any stock in the FFN result. The thing I noticed that was the major difference between the two when doing the measurements is the OB's office ONLY measured the portion that was still fully closed of my cervix, and the peri's office included the part that was a little bit funneled at the top. The funneling didn't look as open at yesterday's scan as it had on Thursday but maybe it was the difference in machines... that part I wasn't sure what to think about, but I trust the peri's office knows what they're looking for!

They monitored me again for about an hour last night and sounds like no contractions again showed up and the girls heartrates were good. So, based on all that the peri said expect them to maybe let me go home today at some point!! If I do go home I'll stay on bedrest there through next Friday, then go back to the peri's for another u/s and they'll decide then whether or not to send me back to work. I am just ecstatic at the idea of being home with my kiddo and puppies and honestly more than that ecstatic that maybe everything really is ok with the pregnancy and we're not at such risk so early afterall!!

I was SUPER excited that I got the ok to shower last night!! Sometime around dinner a nurse came to take out my capped IV. That sucked. She took a LONG time and kept wiggling on the IV part - it was taped down REALLY good and she couldn't seem to get a good grip on the tape. I was having to hold my breath and wanted to just grab the tape and pull!! FINALLY though she got it out - freedom! :) They gave me my 2nd dose of procardia at about 6:00pm then said rest awhile to see how I felt and then I could shower! I sort of dozed and watched TV for a good hour before I went and enjoyed a wonderful shower. They make it really easy to sit and shower so I was able to stay off my feet and just enjoy the spray of the warm water while I washed my hair, soaped up and washed my face. It felt WONDERFUL. Showers can make you feel human again if it's been awhile. Plus after enjoying all that fabulous warm water I got to come out and put on my OWN favorite clothes. I put on the fuzzy pajama pants Kenneth got me while he was home and a maternity tank top and it felt really great! :)
The nurse came in about an hour ago to give me my next dose of procardia but my BP was too low - the bottom number came up 49 the first time then 42 the next two times, so she propped my bed up a little and brought me some more ice and water and said we'd try again probably soon and see if my BP goes up to an acceptable number. I actually slept solid from about 9:30pm when they came to remove the monitoring straps until just before 2:00am which was awesome! I feel pretty good right now, though it would be nice to get another 4 or 5 hours after she comes to check my BP again and give me my next dose.

I am hopeful and curious to see what the doctor will say in the am when they come by to see me but think maybe I'll be getting out of here a LOT sooner than originally anticipated. Fingers crossed! :)

Hospital Bedrest - Day 1

2011-12-30T01:08:00.000-08:00

today started out normally enough. i was tired when the alarm went off and snoozed awhile but eventually got up, showered and dressed. i was thankful it was Thursday and i would have a long weekend to get Christmas decorations put up and just relax soon. i stopped for a bacon Gouda sandwich and tall decaf peppermint mocha at Starbucks since that had been sounding good and i had gotten a gift card for Christmas. i can not really say exactly when i started getting uneasy that morning. i think it was around ten thirty. i had been at my desk not doing too much since it was pretty quiet and had what felt like about three braxton hicks contractions fairly close together. normally i only get them upon standing or walking to the car from the office. it just did not feel right. i texted Jenn to let her know and asked if she thought it was worth a call to the ob. she said yes and i left my obs nurse a message. she called back shortly and said yes come in as soon as you can. i got to their office at noon after trying to wrap everything up at the office just in case i did not make it back that day. i sort of thought maybe i would be sent home to put my feet up and told to drink more fluids. i had already made a point to chug some water as soon as i started feeling off earlier. they got me back to a Dr pretty quickly once i got to the ob office around noon. i gave her the same info and said i was not sure what to do with everything but there it was. she said well sounds like we need to check you and ordered a fetal fibronectin test, and a vaginal cervical length check by ultrasound. when she took the swabs for the ffn she also manually checked my cervix and told me i had dilated to a one. crap. at that point we had not done the ultrasound yet but she said to expect to head over to the hospital. the ultrasound confirmed my cervix had shortened to one.six from four centimeters at our last check three weeks prior and was funneling. the girls looked good though, good fluid levels and the tech printed a couple cute pics for Jenn and chad. after the dr reviewed the pictures she sent me straight to the hospital, do not pass go, do not collect one hundred dollars. i cried all the way over. i feel so guilty, feel like my body is failing these two sweet babies and their parents and worry about my kiddo and my puppies at home. i know i am where i need to be to give them the best chance at baking many more weeks but it is still hard to wrap my head around going from all is well and looking good and still working full time to full on hospital bedrest. there are lots of details still to iron out and no solid idea of how long i will be here which makes it hard to plan. the ffn test came back positive and though the dr did not seem to feel we are in immediate danger of an early delivery since there were very few contractions picked up while they had me hooked up to the monitors she said she uses the ffn results more to decide whether care will be inpatient or outpatient which is why they are keeping me at the hospital and she said plan on two weeks. so that has been my day. babies are good, i feel ok, but my cervix has shortened and i will be making myself comfortable here until told otherwise. Jenn and chad came by this evening and brought me a phone charger and some granola bars and my father in law stopped by around four in the afternoon. Kent's great grandmother is going to help with him for a couple days while i figure out something more long term and the fabulous Irina from rotts n pups is going to come pick up miss maple and is helping me find somewhere for my chihuahuas to stay. in the mean time i am doing my very best to lay here, stay positive and trust everything really is going to be ok. and sorry for all lowercase i am typing this on my phone but praying Kent and honey will visit and bring me my laptop and a few other items from home soon.

27 Week Belly Pictures!

2011-12-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

Pictures from this evening, me and the girls at 27 weeks!

Our Pregnancy: 27 Weeks!

2011-12-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Week 27 baby girls! :) Here's what's going on this week!

Week Twenty Seven: Eyes can open

You are 27 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 25 weeks)
The fetus weighs almost 2 pounds now and is about 14.5 inches long.
The head is over 2.5 inches (7cm) in diameter.
Your baby's hearing continues to develop.
The eyes can blink, open and close.

Welcome to the third trimester. Congratulations! You have made it 2/3 of the way through. It may be hard to believe, but your baby now appears much like he or she will look like at birth. Baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes and hair is growing everyday. The muscle tone is improving and his or her body is getting plumper.

Your little one's brain continues its rapid growth. Don't forget to share music, conversation, and even books with your baby. Baby may start to recognize your voice as well as your partner, so be sure to say lots of nice things.

The retina at the back of your baby's eyes is beginning to develop. Those beautiful baby eyes can open now, and the baby will notice and may turn his or her head if you shine a flashlight against your belly.

At 27 weeks, your baby's length will have tripled or quadrupled from the 14 week mark. If your baby is born this week, the chances of survival is now at least 80 percent. However, serious complications are still possible.

We are now just ELEVEN weeks away from our final goal of 38 weeks for delivery, or 77 days if you're counting! :) I enjoy all the kicks and punches I feel and definitely notice sitting seems to cause more activity then laying, and laying on my side often initiates movement from whoever is on the "bottom" (or at least I am more aware of it when I'm laying on my side)! We have a midwife check next week and then I am really looking forward to the next ultrasound we have on January 12th! We'll be just over 29 weeks at that point and I cannot wait to hear about how big the girls are and make sure my cervix is still behaving itself.

I had all of last week off and it was wonderful. I didn't sleep great so didn't feel all that rested, but I felt pretty good. Today is my first day back at work and I feel like I'm running on empty again. I'm completely wiped out. I haven't had too many leg cramps this past week, and only a little swelling in my ankles/feet.

My OB called today with the results from our Glucose Tolerance Test last week and I passed the 1-hour! Yippee!! That was great news and I was really happy about that! They told me my iron was only 11 though, the nurse who left the message just said to up my iron rich food intake but I am going to start some OTC supplements as well and make sure to take them with some Orange Juice. I saw Raisin Bran on the list of iron rich foods and am going to make sure to pick up a box of that and some spinach as well. I've been eating a bowl of cereal as a snack a few times a week so Raisin Bran will come in handy.

Here are some of the suggestions:
Beef, buffalo (lean cuts)

Duck
Sardines (with bones, for a calcium component)
Cooked clams, oysters, mussels, and shrimp
Cooked dried beans
Soybeans (edamame) and other soy products
Oat bran
Barley
Pumpkin seeds
Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, prunes, peaches, or currants)
Jerusalem artichokes
Spinach
Seaweed
Blackstrap molasses

I doubt I'll be adding seaweed and duck to my diet anytime soon, but it's helpful for a few good ideas I can try to incorporate more often! :)

One week closer to my next mental goal of 30 weeks - then a month from now we'll be at 32 weeks the next big one! So far so good (knock on something), I just keep hoping and praying for many more weeks of things to continue as they have been, though I'm anticipating the "REALLY big and uncomfortable" stuff to start within the next month or so, we'll see!! :)

Farewells...

2011-12-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

Today was Kenneth's last day home before he heads back to Louisiana and then overseas sometime soon. I am heart heavy to say goodbye, and yesterday was such a highs/lows day for us. Christmas was wonderful at my inlaws cabin in the mountains, lots of great food and pictures and gifts exchanged. But it ended really sadly. One of our foster puppies had been sick since Saturday. They'd been dewormed Wednesday and we were told they'd have some upset stomach as everything worked its way out, so when she started acting sick Saturday am we thought she just needed a day to be sick and that she'd start feeling better soon. She didn't eat or drink that whole day except for just a little water once. She also vomitted three times and that's when I started worrying it wasn't just worms. On Sunday she was really listless and looked worse than the day before and I called the rescue group owner and gave her the update. She said one of the siblings she was fostering had similar symptoms and had been at the vet for two days but parvo test was negative and doctor said it was just stomach upset essentially, she said she'd stop by our house Monday am with iv fluids and antibiotics. By the afternoon though we were not thinking she was going to make it through the night - she was keeping fluids that we were giving via syringe down, but was SO lethargic and looked awful... we stopped at the emergency vet on our way home that evening. Within a couple hours of her being there, they'd run a CBC on her that showed her white cell count was only 500 which is VERY low. Her glucose levels were also very, very low. At that point the Dr. said we need to run a parvo test. They did. It was positive. She died about 2 hours after that... So I bawled a lot last night, and Irina (the rescue group owner) was able to get back to me about an hour after we got the phone call that Penny didn't make it. I'd been sending her texts and leaving voicemails but she was somewhere her phone wasn't working for those hours. It was heartbreaking all around. Penny had been a lively, chunky, happy, bouncy puppy just 2 days before and then she was just gone. Parvo is horrible, horrible, horrible... We're keeping a very close eye on her sister now, but if she's been with Penny this whole time and is still happy and healthy her chances are good... Anyhow, it was lots of ups and downs yesterday to say the least. So I say farewell to sweet baby Penny... we only had one very short week with her here on this earth and it was far from long enough. She had a home pretty much lined up and everything. I am so sad for her, for this loss of innocent life for something so senseless. It infuriates me and saddens me. I know these things happen, I know there's really not much else we could have done, and none of that matters - my heart hurts for her loss and for all she suffered before she left this earth. I pray she felt some love and comfort in her days with us... and I pray her sister stays healthy, happy and bouncy and will be on her way to her home soon where she will live a long and full life...

Maple is the brown puppy, Penny is the black baby girl...

We just got back from dropping Kenneth off at the airport, he should be in the air right now on his way to the Houston airport... it has been such an emotional couple days and I am going to miss him and I will worry about him even though kept telling me he'll be home in no time and his job isn't dangerous. Silly boy, like that'll stop me!! :)

Here are a couple pictures from Christmas that I loved and hopefully I'll be getting updates and pictures from him in his new work location very soon and getting to hear how he's doing and how he likes his job.

Caramel Nougat Bar Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-12-23T18:50:00.000-08:00

Another Holiday Baking cookie for the blog! :) Fixed these this afternoon after we went out and saw Twilight Breaking Dawn Part I - Kenneth suffered through it because he loves me so much! :D I appreciated it very much and enjoyed the heck out of some buttered popcorn! We picked up a couple groceries after inching our way through the CRAZY traffic around here! Everyone apparently remembered it's Christmas in a couple days and decided to shop this afternoon! Geez! We got what we needed at Kroger and headed on home and I've been baking ever since!

I use Stevia in place of white sugar and refrigerate the dough between batches - it's pretty soft and greasy and you have to roll each cookie in your hands to make sure it evenly coats the miniature snicker bars, so it helps to have the dough chilled!

These are great cookies and come out beautifully every time! I always bake for just 13 minutes per batch.

Find the recipe by Sara Smith on allrecipes.com here!

Caramel Nougat Bar Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes: 2-3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
24-36 miniature size Snicker Bars (original or use a mixed bag with dark, almond, etc.)

Directions

Cream together white sugar, brown sugar, butter or margarine, vanilla, peanut butter and the egg.
Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Wrap 1 heaping teaspoon of dough around a bite sized milk chocolate covered caramel and nougat candy bar. Bake 13-16 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Peanut Brittle (Microwave)

2011-12-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

Continuing the Holiday baking! :) This is a recipe I've used for a couple years now that I love and it has always turned out really well for me (except for the time I tried to double it and it didn't get hot enough so wouldn't set up and the first batch I did this morning which burned dang it!!) I've used peanuts and almonds with it and it's easy, just a few ingredients and super fast! It's addicting too!

This recipe comes from www.northpole.com and can be found here!

Peanut Brittle (Microwave)

Makes 1 pound • From the kitchen of Penny Y.

Ingredients

1 cup peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Coat a 13x9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
This recipe is done completely in a microwave on high power.
Stir the sugar and corn syrup in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 4 minutes.
Stir in the peanuts. Cook on high for 3-5 minutes. Add the butter and vanilla and blend well.
Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the baking soda and stir until foamy.
Spread the mixture in pan and let cool for 1/2 hour.

Usually I cook at the longer temperature amounts, or at least in the middle but for whatever reason when I did that with my first batch this AM it burned, so I cooked at the bottom range of the cook times and my 2nd batch seems to have come out just fine! It's still setting up and I can't wait to taste test and "make sure"! :)

Also, even though this is SUPER sticky (and you have to work FAST between each step!) clean up is super easy. Just put all the sticky utensils and bowl in the sink, fill with hot water and let it sit for 15 minutes or so and the water will melt all the hard sticky mess completely away (and I let the hot water run over the part that's stuck on the edge of the bowl and then it comes right off as well)!

Cracked Sugar Cookies!

2011-12-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

'Tis the Season for HOLIDAY BAKING!! I've been wanting to bake some cookies this week and Kenneth was asking for sugar cookies, so last night I pulled out an AllRecipes Recipe we have enjoyed before and whipped up this super fast and easy Sugar Cookie recipe! Kenneth likes SOFT sugar cookies, and this one always comes out beautifully. Depending on how sweet you like your cookies you could add another 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar but I like them the way they are with just a touch of sweet. They come out with lightly browned bottoms, gently cracked tops and are so soft!

Find the recipe on AllRecipes here!

Cracked Sugar Cookies I
Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.
Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Stir.
Form dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Don't flatten. Bake 10 to 11 minutes, until tops are cracked and just turning color.

26 Week Belly Pictures!!

2011-12-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight Kenneth took some pictures for me which was fun for a change!! We are 26 weeks today, and the belly is measuring 36 weeks - I'm sporting my new fuzzy pajama pants Kenneth got me from Target - I love the monkeys! :D

I got to stand in front of the tree and he snapped away - I love the last one!!

Ok, not exactly a flattering face, but loved the round belly! :)

The view from below!! :D

Our Pregnancy: 26 Weeks

2011-12-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

Here's whats going on with the Chadiferinas this week!

Week Twenty Six: Second trimester ends this week

You are 26 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 23 weeks)

The baby measures 14 inches long and weighs over 1.7 pound.
Baby measures 35.5cm long and weighs over 760 grams.
The feet are 2 inches (5cm) long. Hands are very active.
The baby's eyes begin to open around this time.

The fetus makes breathing movements, but there is no air in the lungs yet. Hands are active and muscle coordination is such that they can get a thumb into the mouth. Thumb sucking calms the baby and strengthens the cheek and jaw muscles.

The fetal brain scan will show response to touch. Touching and playing with the baby is possible now, as they may respond to your touch through your belly wall. Brain growth continues with brain wave activity for the visual and auditory systems starting to develop. Baby is probably very active in the womb, as the most active weeks are typically between weeks 24 and 28.

You may begin feeling your belly tighten and relax at odd moments or irregular intervals. These are Braxton Hicks contractions. They are painless and help the uterus prepare for the birth. Many babies have developed a predictable routine for sleep and active periods. Twins may have entirely different routines from each other.

If your back is feeling the strain of your growing belly, try doing some pelvic rocks to relax it. Stand with your back against the wall, knees slightly bent. As you inhale a breath, press the small of your back against the wall. Exhale and relax your back. You may be experiencing shortness of breath as the uterus is very close to the rib cage at this stage. Some moms are not able to fully expand their rib cages; however, this does not negatively affect the baby in any way.

The end of week 26 marks the end of month six, which is the last month of the second trimester.

Last week of the 2nd trimester!! Super exciting to think in just one more full week we're in the 3rd and final trimester! 26 weeks pregnant, and less than 100 days to go!

Today was our OB appointment and glucose tolerance test. I've been dreading that thing since Dr. Jo told us she wanted me to do the GTT and not just do glucose monitoring like I did last time. I had to do the GTT with my first surrogacy and was SO sick afterwards, I felt horrible not to mention that the drink itself tasted nasty and I remember it was thick and syrupy. This time was completely different thank GOODNESS! They sent the drink home with me to take on the way to their office and told me I could have a light high protein/low sugar breakfast. So we woke up at 6:00am and by about 6:45 I had eaten some scrambled eggs with a little bit of cheese and ham in it and we were on our way. At 7:45 I had finished the little bottle of fruit punch flavored glucose drink (which I had refrigerated well beforehand) and it actually didn't taste bad at all - like Hi-C! I felt a little light headed when I first started drinking it and then wanted to conk out and sleep within about 5 minutes of finishing it. I dozed a little on the rest of the drive to the OB's office!

They took me back not long after showing up and I told them when I'd finished the glucose drink then gave a urine sample, was weighed and had my BP checked. I went back to the exam room and the nurse found both girls' heartbeats which sounded beautiful as usual! Then Dr. Jo came in and did a quick check in with how I'm feeling, measured my belly (measuring 36 weeks today!!!) and we talked about the "what's next"! She said as long as I'm feeling good and not having regular or painful braxton hicks, no bleeding, cramping, etc. I can continue to work my normal schedule, but keep them posted on how I'm feeling. I told her I'm hoping I can continue at my current schedule at least one more month, but we shall see! Appointments are now every 2 weeks, and we have them scheduled for January 4th and 23rd. The 4th is a midwife check and the 23rd is with Dr. Jo again. She also wants us to make sure we're on the same page for our delivery plans (really they are "hopes" - like you can really make PLANS especially with twins!!) and she'd like us to go ahead and get a c-section on the schedule for March 12th-14th, since it's easier to cancel it then it would be to try to get one scheduled closer to the date we might need it depending on which direction babies end up around that timeframe!

So that's the summary for today! I'm going to try to get a new belly pic tonight to post! I still can't believe I'm measuring 36 weeks already! Within the next 2 weeks or so I'll be measuring as big as I EVER have with my 3 singletons... that's incredible to think about how much more growing me and the girls have left to go!! :)

25 Week Belly Pictures!

2011-12-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

Pictures from this evening - 25 weeks!

Our pregnancy: 25 weeks!

2011-12-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

I found a site I like besides just BabyCenter for getting an idea of what is going on with each new week of pregnancy here!

Week Twenty Five: Exploration continues

You are 25 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 23 weeks)
The unborn child is 34 cm in length and weighs almost 690 grams.
Baby is around 13.5 inches in length and weighs 1 and half pounds.
Bones are becoming solid, hands are now fully developed.
The brain is growing rapidly, the brain cells are starting to mature.
The sexual organs are fully developed.

Baby is now pretty well built portion wise even though it still has little body fat and its skin is thin. The structures of the spine begin to form -- All 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments. The tiny brain is growing rapidly, and the baby is starting to fill the space in your uterus. The uterus is now about the size of a soccer ball and mom looks pregnant.

Your baby's hands are now fully developed, although some of the nerve connections to the hands have a long way to go. Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and clasp objects placed in palm. Exploring the structures inside your uterus may have become baby's prime entertainment. Fascinated by the amount of tactile stimulation a fetus gives itself; it touches a hand to the face, one hand to the other hand, clasps its feet, touches its foot to its leg, its hand to its umbilical cord. Twins will explore each other and begin their bonding. See: Twins 3D sonagram movie.

Blood vessels of the lungs develop. Your baby's nostrils begin to open. The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. Their swallowing reflexes are developing. Baby can hear sounds outside the womb and the brain cells are starting to mature also. Already it can learn and remember and can recognise its mother and fathers voice. The inner ear bones have hardened so hearing is more acute. Baby may hear your partner's voice more easily than yours, as baby is sensitive to a deeper pitch.

Babies born at 25 weeks of pregnancy have about a 50% chance of survival.

I watched the twin sonogram clip and it is adorable!! So amazing to watch babies interracting in-utero. I am thankful for reaching another week and love watching them tick by! :) Just two more weeks until we're in the 3rd trimester!

Counting down to Friday evening and getting to see my hubby, and all the activity that is coming the following week while we spend a few final days with him before he heads out and of course all the family get togethers and activity for Christmas!

All my packages and letters are mailed off now and I'm just waiting on 2 more gifts for Kenneth to arrive via UPS, once I get those wrapped up I'll be all set although I still need to get him a birthday card to go with his birthday gift (his birthday is Christmas Eve, lucky guy! :D )

I'm tired, having lots of congestion and a few uncomfortable braxton hicks every day, sometimes when I'm sitting and often when I'm up and moving around. Not all the time, but every now and then I get a really heavy and uncomfortable pressure down low too. Swelling hasn't been too bad the last couple days at least that I've noticed. So overall things are pretty "normal" which I think is great news!

We had Chinese last night, it just sounded good and had been a little while since I picked any up. The cashew chicken I ordered was sooo good! We ate it while we watched "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" and we both cried all throughout the ending of the movie!! It was so touching, so sad, but such a great movie too! Kent and I were laughing at each other and calling each other cry babies. :)

I'll take a new belly pic this evening when I get home - it's getting hard for me to tell but I imagine I'm about the same as last week still...

A few of my favorite things...

2011-12-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite way to spend the evenings...

With the lights in the living room off, and just the twinkling tree lights giving the room a soft glow, seeing all the presents under the tree and listening to some quiet Christmas music... add in a comfy couch and a warm blanket and that is my very favorite way to spend the evenings after Kent heads to bed in December!! It is "me" time to be still, reflect, be thankful and to dream...

I keep wondering what the coming year will hold - this past year really packed a LOT in when I stop and look back. I put together a letter for family for the first time in ages and when I actually stopped and thought about it all, it sort of amazed me to think about how many "events" have happened in 2011! Kenneth got out of the Marine Corps, graduated college, had spinal fusion and started a new job which has had him away from home in training since July. Our transfer of these two little girls was just days before he headed out for training. I met Jenn and Chad in late February and have been working on this surrogacy most of this year between matching, testing, contracts, cycling and transfer and then the twin pregnancy. Kent is taking 3 AP classes (for the first time), participated in the SAT, has a new girlfriend, turned 13, and is shooting up like a weed before my eyes (oh and don't forget the fact that his voice has changed DRAMATICALLY within the past few weeks!!) We've also fostered 5 dogs/puppies for Rotts N Pups rescue but managed to maintain our "permanent" dog count at 5! :)

It's been a good year and I am thankful for the chance to reflect back and think about all the opportunities we've been blessed with and take a moment to say "Thank You". I think 2012 is going to be a good year too, but definitely with its challenges with Kenneth being overseas for most of it and Kent fully entering teenage-hood! Praying for guidance, wisdom and strength for the coming year! :)

24w3d - ultrasound update!

2011-12-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to have a picture to link up but haven't gotten a copy yet - but our ultrasound yesterday went just great! The girls are absolutely adorable and we got to see them moving around and showing off for a good while between three different people doing scans! My favorite moment was when we could see what looked like baby B "petting" her sister's head... it was the CUTEST!!

** Edited to add ultrasound picture!!!

Both girls are being perfect little ladies and are practicing heading in the right direction and were head down during the scan. The first thing we saw when she put the wand on my belly was two round heads! So cute!! :D They both behaved very nicely and let the sonographer get good images of brain, heart, measurements of the femur, belly, etc. They were moving but weren't being super active (they save that for the middle of the night).

The RE said they are just perfect and I get a gold star! :D My cervix is holding up still right around 4cm again too which was a relief to see. I get nervous with all the pressure and heavy sensations and knowing there is over 3 lbs of baby in there now (each weighing in about 1 lb 9 oz according to u/s measurements) along with all that fluid, etc. So far so good though, hoping to keep it that way throughout the end of February at least! Counting down to the 30 week milestone between now and then...

After the scan Jenn gave me my Christmas present of a gift certificate for a pedicure at a spa which was SUPER sweet and I'm very excited about!! One of these weekends I am going to have enough downtime to go out and enjoy it and I know my feet will appreciate it! :)

I am counting down this final week until Kenneth is home and am feeling sort of numb about the fact he'll be gone right after his visit home... I know in my head that's what's happening, I keep thinking and talking about it, but it honestly isn't fully sinking in yet... it is VERY different having him a state or two away versus in another country in a war zone and I think I'm still sort of blocking out how I really feel about it all... I feel ok with everything still... which is why I think I'm not quite to the "acceptance" stage, more in denial still! :) I am going to miss him terribly and really miss his phonecalls. He trys to call at least for a few minutes most nights despite their crazy busy schedule and I always look forward to hearing his voice and getting to catch up and share what's going on over here and hear how he's doing... I will miss those exchanges and that connection.

I've had two late nights at work now and am ready for the weekend!! I have my final Christmas shopping lists for family and was able to get a couple of the Washington family items in the mail today, the rest should be able to go out tomorrow as long as I can stop either on the way home tonight or first thing tomorrow for one last item. I am debating on whether or not to brave the Post Office which I KNOW is going to be packed and will require standing in line and maybe just mail the package from work on Monday using USPS.com for postage... I really dislike standing in lines at the Post Office! Ours is pretty tiny and it gets so hectic this time of year. I wrapped a few items and got them under the tree last night and am looking forward to getting a few more done over the weekend - clearing some space on my "wrapping table" (aka the dining room table) and getting the tree loaded up! :D

I guess that's the update for now! Babies are good and I'm doing well - next perinatologist appointment is early January and then we "graduate" to bi-weekly appointments as we'll be in the THIRD TRIMESTER by that point! :)

Survival Rates by Gestational Age

2011-12-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

I saw a chart on another surrogate's blog about survival rates and gestational age and ran a search and found this chart which I found fascinating!! I found it on this website. It shows the median survival percentage by weight and gestaitional age and then the ranges within each gesational age by weight as well!

Figure 1 shows the proportional survival of singleton European infants known to be alive at the onset of labour.

Infants from multiple births had, for the same birth weight, gestation, and ethnic origin as singleton infants, a greater chance of survival (odds ratio 1.4, 1.1 to 1.8).

Here's a handy grams to pounds converter!
This is the graph I'd seen on the other blog:

Anyhow, nothing particularly exciting or specific to our pregnancy today - just some things I was looking up and thought I'd share! :) Feeling pretty wiped out today and have had two people ask me how I'm feeling and saying I haven't been looking like I feel well the past couple days... :( Always nice to be politely told you look like crud! :D I just need more rest I think and daydream about bed most of the day!

Looking forward to tomorrow's ultrasound!! Yay!! :)

24 Week Belly Pics!

2011-12-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here I am - in all my 24 week hugeness... I mean glory... yeah... :D

Our Pregnancy: 24 Weeks!

2011-12-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

We made it to 24 weeks!! Many more weeks to go, but this is a good milestone check off point to enjoy for today. :)

I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night, was up for about 2 1/2 hours in the middle of the night again. Finally got tired of just laying there wishing myself back to sleep and got up for about an hour to have a PB&J sandwich, some milk and watch two episodes of Private Practice then back to bed for a couple hours of sleep before the alarm went off. I am wiped out today! It's been fairly busy though, so the time is passing quickly. I'm just so ready to get in my car for the long drive home and my "date" with the couch this evening!

According to BabyCenter this week:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Counting down 'til we get to see the girls again on Thursday and anxious to hear they are still growing well and make sure my cervix is behaving. I get a decent amount of "kicking action" down low and feel pressure and heaviness sometimes and I worry at least a little and am always happy for reassurance that all is still well! I pray hard my body continues to behave and hold up just fine throughout the coming months until these two are FULLY baked and big and healthy and ready to meet the world!

Last night I got a copy of In the Womb: Multiples via Netflix and was fascinated to watch and imagine just what's happening as these two grow and develop together. I was AMAZED at the triplet mom who delivered her three at just 32 weeks and they all weighed over 6 1/2 pounds EACH! That is incredible!! I need a copy of what that mom fed her babies for those 32 weeks to get them so big and healthy! :)

Ten more days 'til Kenneth comes home for his last pre-deployment visit!! Cannot wait to see him! I know he's going to be SO tired that first day or so - they have them up before the crack of dawn and keep them working until 8-10 at night most days lately! Poor guy - I know they're cramming a LOT in this last week and a half!! I've already started thinking about care packages again and am trying to create my "mental list" of what I've done before. Kenneth is never ANY help and pretty much never has any suggestions. Usually he just wants pictures and Copenhagen... easy to please, I guess! :D

I'll get a new belly pic when I get home and get it posted - belly is growing, growing, growing!!

23w6d - soooo tired....!

2011-12-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

I am excited for another "rollover day" tomorrow and being at 24 weeks, but I am also completely wiped out... it seems to fluctuate back and forth, but my fatigue level is increasing lately for sure. I was afraid it would end up that way since I wasn't able to rest much this weekend.

Backing up a little the PBO is officially DONE!! Jenn and Chad are officially the girls' parents and all the legal documentation is in place for them to go directly on the birth certificate. PBO day is a great milestone and I am thrilled that's done and in place! Next we'll make an appointment with the hospital to meet with a few people there, make sure they have copies of everything (including insurance, PBO, etc.) and have a chance to ask our questions and do a tour. Since I've not delivered there I am looking forward to seeing the layout and getting an idea of where everything is.

I've been having some braxton hicks I think - sometimes I notice it across the top of my abdomen where it just feels very taut all of a sudden and is uncomfortable and othertimes I am getting them low and it aches for about 30 seconds and feels tight before letting up. All signs and acknowledgements of the growing going on! No regular pattern and nothing that's all that painful, just annoying more than anything so that is good but I think I am beginning to wonder how much longer I will physically be able to handle my "normal" routine. I don't feel "bad" or anything yet, I feel ok most of the time, but between the increased fatigue and the braxton hicks starting up lately I know my body is definitely asking for some slowing down, at least a little.

Normally I try to do that as much of the weekend as possible to be able to make it through the work week in decent shape, but this past weekend was pretty hectic and I didn't get as much down time as I probably needed! On Saturday the alarm went off at 6:15am and I was up not long after and getting breakfast ready for Kent, waking him up at about 6:40 so he'd have time to eat a good, hot meal and wake up a little before we headed over to the local high school for his SAT test (as part of the Duke TIP program). I got him checked in (after standing outside in the COLD for about 15 minutes waiting for them to unlock the doors and let the big group of students IN!!) around 8:00am and headed back home. I crawled straight back into bed and slept for about 3 more hours before getting up, showering and running a couple errands and getting some laundry going.

I picked up Kent around 1:30pm and we headed back home. He was pretty wiped out after the long morning so we didn't do more than a few chores around the house and he played some game time while I relaxed and played on the computer for a little while. It was time to get ready for my company Awards Banquet by about 4:00pm and I left for that at about 4:45. It was a great evening and the Fernbank Museum was a wonderful location for it! Affairs to Remember did a beautiful job with the catering and even sent some leftovers home with me! Yumm!!

I was exhausted by 10pm and happy to head home and crawl back into bed. I slept 'til 8:00, had some quiet time in the house in the morning until Kent got up and then fixed us a good breakfast of French Toast, eggs and bacon around 10:00am when he finally was up and moving! Not long after breakfast I headed back to bed for another nap. After I got back up in the afternoon we pulled down a few of the Christmas boxes from the attic! We got the living room rearranged, the tree up and a few decorations out. I put less than a third of my normal decorations up this year because I didn't want to have to move more boxes from the attic and as long as the tree and stockings are up and a few of my favorite snowmen I'm happy! I was getting some strong braxton hicks after all the moving stuff around so I laid on the couch and listened to Christmas music and sipped some water while Kent put most of the decorations on the tree after he put the whole tree together by himself! He's such a great helper!

After we got all the decorations out and put the rubbermaids away in the guest room we got everything vacuumed up and looking decent again and then I took him over to the The Avenues for a Barnes and Nobles visit and a brief stop at GameStop - his two favorite stores. He got to use his birthday gift certificate at B&N and I had a decaf peppermint mocha and read one of the many cooking books that I am always drawn to while he browsed! I do enjoy spending time there and it was relaxing, but I was still feeling pretty wiped out and was ready to go home. We warmed up leftovers for dinner and watched a couple shows together and called it "quits" around 8:00pm! I think we were both tired after a couple busy days and I slept pretty soundly last night. I woke up feeling about as tired as I went to bed feeling though and am thinking a nap is in order at some point today. It is nice to have lots of great leftovers to enjoy for the next couple days, no worrying about what to fix for lunches or dinner - just reheat some leftovers and I'm all set! :) I used a couple pieces of the salmon fillets from the catering leftovers to make a sandwich and put some of the really yummy green beans in a tupperware for lunch today.

This week's projects are to get Christmas cards filled out and addressed and get the digital keychains I bought for most of my far away family as presents loaded with pictures and wrapped so I can do my "mass mailing" on Saturday and be done with that - and now that we have the tree up I can start wrapping everything else and getting things under the tree! I always look forward to some quiet time with the tree lights on when it's dark out in the evenings before bed time... very relaxing and a great way to end the day!

Our Pregnancy: 23 Weeks!

2011-11-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

Another week has arrived!! I can't keep up! :) The days are flying by so fast now. We had a WONDERFUL weekend with Kenneth home, he got in very late on the 23rd (we got home at midnight) and we spent the 24th and 25th enjoying good food, lots of down time and catching up on a few errands and some shopping. On Saturday we met with Kenneth's grandmother for dinner at Ted's Montana Grill and I had a HUGE bison burger topped with lots of yummy things including a fried egg which I realize sounds VERY weird and gross to many, but it brings back very fond memories of the burgers we used to get at Ali Baba's in Dakar, Senegal when we were teenagers in High School. They were the BEST burgers! The rolls were a sweet bread and the tops of the buns were hallowed out and stuffed with tiny french fries, then the burger with lettuce and tomato and a fried egg and of course ketchup... drool...

Overall I'm still feeling pretty good - having a lot of trouble sleeping lately which stinks. I slept GREAT while Kenneth was home for what felt like the first time in forever, but am right back to waking up for an hour plus most nights for no reason now. This morning I woke up at I think 2:30 and laid in bed for almost 3 hours before I gave up, got up and had an early breakfast and played on the computer for a little while before getting ready for work. I am wiped out already! The feet and ankle swelling is about the same on the days I work - the days I was home on Thanksgiving break I didn't have much swelling at all though which was nice.

The babies are being pretty active lately - I've been feeling lots of thumps and bumps down low - like they're tap dancing on my cervix! I am going to have to do some headstands or something so they leave it alone and go play somewhere else!! No bothering the cervix yet baby girls!! That comes much, much later (like in 15 more weeks!!) :D

We have the PBO hearing this Friday! I can't believe it's already time for that and think the attorney's office is pretty awesome for getting it moved through so quickly - I guess with twins you don't want to wait any longer than absolutely necessary!

So, according to BabyCenter this week:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Our foster puppy is going to be heading out on transport this weekend, then Saturday will be busy with Kent's SAT test and my company party in the evening and hopefully Sunday will be taking it easy. Kenneth is considering making the drive on Friday PM/Saturday AM just for the party and would then leave on Sunday. I so want him to be there but know that's a LOT of driving for just an evening event! We'll see how his week goes. We're still waiting to hear a definitive timeline for his deployment and whether or not we'll have him home for Christmas - fingers are staying crossed! :)

22 Week Belly!

2011-11-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness we have internet again at home! Yippee!

Here are the belly pics from yesterday at exactly 22 weeks.

22w1d OB Appt

2011-11-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

Today was our 22 week OB appointment! Jenn and I arrived at the same time and she noticed the belly growth since the last couple weeks too - so it's not entirely just my imagination! :)

We met with one of the midwives. The appointment itself was kind of "ehh" (as in I didn't particularly "like" the person we saw today) but we are now scheduled for the Glucose Tolerance Test in 4 weeks (oh the JOY!!) and I did get my belly measured for the first time and was told I'm measuring 31 weeks today (I had gotten 33 centimeters when I tried to check at home last night - so I was close!) We go to bi-weekly appointments after this next one as we will be into the THIRD TRIMESTER at that point!! Holy moly!!

I did mention I've been having some shortness of breath, some light headed moments with my vision feeling a little fuzzy (not regularly but occasionally), along with the ankle and feet swelling now and some rapid weight gain this past month. None of that seemed to concern her at all since my blood pressure was good and overall everything else is normal - sounds like some of those things that I normally wouldn't feel until the last month or so of pregnancy are just going to be starting a lot sooner this time, which I figured they would I just wanted reassurance those things weren't a signal of anything wrong or things I should be paying super close attention to. She encouraged a high protein diet with very limited sugars/carbs (ie diabetic diet) to make sure babies and I are getting the nutrients we need as we all grow!

Sounds like next appointment will be relatively "boring" - just a quick check in after lab work for the GTT - I have to drink the glucose drink about 30 minutes prior to the appointment. It just so happens Kenneth will be home that day and I'm very thankful - he'll be able to drive me to and from as I know I'm going to be feeling really lousy after drinking the glucose solution. It does a number on my system since I've had gastric bypass. Hopefully I will pass with flying colors and it will all be well worth the discomfort of the day! I will just need to have LOTS of water to drink afterwards to flush my system and will probably need to sleep it off. It's going to be a busy couple days with appointments for me and Kenneth - I'm taking the 19th - 21st off to be home while he's home, but we'll have my OB appointment on Monday then his VA evaluation for his back claim with them at some point that same day and an afternoon appointment for his 6-month post op follow up with his spinal surgeon the next day! I know there will be a get together with his family who's local too either Saturday or Sunday for early birthday and Christmas celebration.

It's now about 2:30 in the afternoon and I will get to head home soon - a couple errands and then go home and get a few things tidied up to get ready for Kenneth getting home late tonight! Yay!! :)

Our Pregnancy: 22 Weeks!

2011-11-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a total BLUR!! I can't believe we're already at our next week of the pregnancy, but I am THRILLED to be here! One more week 'til the first viability milestone which will be great to be past! Many more great milestones to come! :)

This week according to BabyCenter:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

I am tired again. I think several things are changing for me physically as the pregnancy progresses, and I am going to be feeling a little more discomfort as the days go by. I have started noticing foot and ankle swelling several evenings over the past week and am making an effort to up my fluid intake and I usually spend time on the couch in the evenings anyway, but am trying to prop my feet up now when I do to help the fluid drain. I really feel huge! I think I look almost full term already and know we have a long way to go - but with the weight gain and size of my belly I think I am going to start feeling a lot of those "full term" things now - like the fatigue and water retention and probably hip/back pain. I just hope my body holds up well to all the changes and adjustments and keeps these two sweet baby girls happily baking for many more months!!

Kenneth gets home TOMORROW evening!! I cannot wait for the phone call that they're on their way and then to see him again and have him home. I know he will be glad to be home for a couple days too and see Kent and the puppies too. We're trying to keep the "to-do" list at a minimum so hopefully not too many errands to run or tasks to complete while he's home so he can just relax and enjoy the time off. I know he's been working such long days lately and will be glad for a break.

I already got the oil changed this past week and am going to try to get the emissions testing done on my way home (our tag renewals are all due with Kenneth's birthday in late December!) so the only car thing he wants to get done will be a radiator and transmission fluid flush on the Focus and maybe if he feels like it he can spend some time getting grimy in the basement working on his Bronco and I know he wants to get the Ducati's battery replaced. Those are all somewhat "fun" for him, being vehicle related though, so hopefully it won't feel like too much of a chore list! :)

I ordered most of the Christmas/birthday gifts needed for December and am waiting for them to start arriving - hopefully Kenneth's gifts get here by tomorrow so I can hide them before he sees the packaging or he'll know what he's getting from me!! I am excited to get the tree up and start wrapping everything as it comes in. I feel like I'm on a deadline all the time with everything lately. I've noticed I don't want to put ANYTHING off if possible and try to get it done sooner rather than later for the "just in case"! You just never know how long things will continue smoothly with a twin pregnancy and there's no reason to think things won't continue to go like they have, which has been perfect, but I think I have it in the back of my mind to not get complacent and do whatever I can now and be as prepared as possible!

Next weekend is Kent's SAT testing and our company Holiday party - I cannot believe it really is almost December!! I love the Christmas season and can't wait to start playing Christmas music again! :)

Happy 13th Birthday to My Baby!!

2011-11-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

Kent turns 13 on November 23rd but his party was today and I just can't quite wrap my head around the fact that my little bitty is a TEENAGER now... I want to cry!! Where have the years gone??! Having spent much of the past couple weeks looking through old photos definitely contributes to my general feeling of "wahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!" Seeing all those pictures of him over the years, the little grin on his face, sharing so many great moments together, making so many memories. My heart is SO full. I love my son with all my heart and though life is crazy and unexpected and I certainly never planned to become a mother at only 17 while still in high school I do thank God, from the bottom of my heart, every day for the family I am blessed with because of those series of events. I know I would not have my husband and of course this child if things hadn't worked out the way they had. Being a teen mom was HARD and I know how lucky we have been to be so supported by our families, they allowed us to find our way together throughout those first couple rough years and I am so thankful for that - but most of all I am so thankful that we made it through and I have the man I love from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and the child that can make me cry and laugh and has taught me to love on a whole new level. Being a mom is everything to me. I love being a mother - I've always wanted to be a mom, ever since I was little and used to play "deliver" my stuffed animals while my brother was the doctor. Being a mom can be the most challenging and frustrating thing in the world, he can disappoint and hurt me like no one else, but most of the time I feel so honored that I was chosen to be him mom. That I get to watch him grow, watch him develop into the person he has become, see his uniqueness, his kindness, his intelligence, his curiosity, his creativity - see him just as he is. What an amazing thing to witness - the development and growth of a person who is a piece of you, a piece of you and the person you love. I still get hugs and "I love you's" and cuddles every now and then and those I treasure the most of all - and I will continue to soak them up as long as they last!

So happy birthday to my boy, welcome to the teenage years - I pray we both make it through in one piece!! :D

21 Week Belly Pictures

2011-11-18T01:16:00.000-08:00

After my internet being out at home for nearly two days it finally came on again last night so here they are! Me and the girls at 21 weeks on Tuesday November 15th!

I'm up in the middle of the night this morning with my brain running a million miles an hour and hungry for a bowl of cereal. I have been sleeping fairly well most nights so this is annoying to say the least, but at least it is Friday. I've had a long "to-do" list all week that I've been chipping away at a little bit each day. Normally I like to save errands for the weekends, but there was way too much to do this week and a lot of it was to get ready for this weekend and Kent's party on Saturday! He has his first sleepover so he gets to clean his bedroom and bathroom really good this evening which I'm sure he'll be thrilled about!

I felt like I had the worst day on Wednesday. I'd dropped my car off on Monday morning for repair work to the bumper after being rear ended a month ago, and got the call it was ready for pick up Wednesday. On the way home it felt like it was dying all the way - like it almost stalled out constantly and the engine light was flickering off and on. I was stressing out the whole way home and trying to figure out what to do. I couldn't even begin to guess how maybe something the body shop did could have caused that and figured I'd have to take it to my repair shop the next morning. I was tired and cranky by the time I got home and just irritable most of the evening (especially after I realized I'd left my garage door opener in the rental car and would have to drive the 30 minutes in the wrong direction away from my house AGAIN the next day to pick it back up) and feeling sorry for myself for having to deal with everything for Kent's party, the house and now car issues by myself. I vented to Kenneth a little when he called - I know he feels bad when things happen and he's not here to help but sometimes you just need someone to lean on. Then yesterday the car worked FINE. Acted completely normal, no weird noises, smells, ran fine and the internet was finally back on when I got home yesterday afternoon and I was able to run a few errands on the way home which made my mental check list more manageable. I am glad to have made it through to the weekend (well almost!) and feel mostly caught up on all the to-do's and ready for Kent's party.

I've been working on catching up my photo albums and printing pictures from the past 5 plus years and that has been a nice project to come home to in the evenings. I finished sorting all the ones I'd had printed on Wednesday evening (from 2006-2007) and got them all put away and labeled last night into the albums I'd bought years ago! I have already ordered photobooks for 2008-2009. Now I'm getting the 2010 pictures uploaded to Snapfish and in no time I'll be caught up! I LOVE my pictures and photo memories so it feels really great to finally have this project almost done after all these years of continually putting it off! Especially after almost loosing 2 years of pictures when our hard drive crashed on one of the laptops (but thankfully I'd already uploaded the pictures I wanted to print to Snapfish so at least most of them were safe) I hopefully have realized it's not a great idea to put it off year after year and will maybe try to keep up with it at least on a yearly basis now! I really do love the photobooks - they are such a great invention! It's so fun to arrange the pictures however you want them and be able to put a bunch on one page together especially for the birthday parties and field days and events like those where I generally take a bazillion photos anyway! :) I'm looking forward to finally seeing the finished product whenever they get here!

Ok, off to eat my bowl of cereal and see whether or not I can catch another hour or two of sleep before the alarm goes off!

Our Pregnancy: 21 Weeks!

2011-11-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

The week has gotten away from me completely! Time is totally flying by and I can't keep up - but I was expecting things to pick up this month so I'm as prepared to be unprepared as I can be! :D

I got to SEE a kick from the outside for the first time last night and that was awesome! It was, of course, from very active Baby "B" on the left hand side who does most of the acrobatics that we get to enjoy during ultrasounds.

I took belly pictures last night, but our internet was out (it was raining and apparently our internet doesn't like storms any more than our Basset hound does!) so I will have to hope it's back online when I get home this evening so I can upload it then! I am feeling HUGE!! Kent told me last night I look almost as big now as I did right before I delivered last time... sigh. I warned him I have a LONG way to go - and then last night I slathered on a ton of lotion and sent up a prayer for my skin to stretch as kindly as possible in the coming months! :)

According to BabyCenter this week:

How Jenn and Chad's babies growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

As of our ultrasound at the perinatologists last Thursday, the babies are weighing in at about 14 ounces and 16 ounces - doubling exactly from the estimates a month ago! They look perfect and the peri was very happy with how things are going so far! My cervix is holding up nicely and my weight gain is on track.

I am not very comfortable in most of the thin elastic banded maternity pants anymore, they cut into my ever expanding stomach funny and the only ones that are really comfortable are the secret belly panels, so I may pick up a couple pairs of slacks for work if I get a chance to go shopping this weekend (I have "comfy pants" for home and a pair of maternity jeans that work well, just no "work pants" with that type of belly panel). Kent's birthday party is Saturday and he has a friend spending the night who'll stay with us through Sunday mid-day so this is going to be another busy weekend for sure! I finally booked his party but still have to call and order the cupcakes today. So many little details floating around my brain that I have been really struggling to stay on top of! Thank goodness for lists...!

Our Pregnancy: 20 Weeks!

2011-11-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

20 weeks is a great milestone week! So excited to be at this point and I can't wait to see how the babies are growing at our peri appointment on Thursday! The days are just FLYING by and I can't keep up! I am feeling pretty great lately - tired off and on, but really over all really good which I am super thankful for and will do my best to enjoy for as long as it lasts!

According to Baby Center this week:
How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

I am really starting to "see" the weight gain. I'm right on track for the goals I've been given and have to keep reminding myself there is a REASON for those goals - and just keep hoping that means babies are getting what they need to grow big and healthy and strong!

I need to pack up tomorrow evening and get together all the cold weather items Kenneth requested I bring to the hotel for him - I cannot WAIT to see him! I have really been missing him lately as it sinks in that he'll be gone overseas before too much more time has passed! Kent is so funny and is convinced he's going to miss me terribly - but I have a feeling the few days I'm gone will fly by for him too since he gets to spend time with his Great Grandmother who always spoils him rotten whenever he visits with her! I know he'll have a great time. :)

I have to mention too - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MISS "S"! My 2nd surrobaby turned ONE years old yesterday!! I cannot BELIEVE that was only a year ago! I remember it so clearly and yet this past year has been so full for our family - it just blows my mind that was really only a year ago! I got to see an absolutely adorable picture of her and that totally made my day - getting to see how adorable she is and how obviously loved and happy she is gives me warm fuzzies! :)p

I also got to talk to my Aunt on the way home from work this afternoon - she's been at the hospital with her daughter who's in labor with her first child! She'd called last night at 9pm to tell me they were heading to the hospital, so sounds like a long (normal) first labor and delivery. I can't wait to hear that baby is hear and everyone is doing well! So exciting and of course always makes me feel nostalgic when I flash back to my first labor and delivery and welcoming our little boy into our lives and feeling so completely clueless and helpless... my baby is now turning THIRTEEN this month!! Where has the time gone!??!

Time to get myself and these sweet little girls to bed! :)

19w4d - Missing!

2011-11-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

My feet have gone into hiding!!!!! :D We were at the Basset Bash today and I was standing up and looked down and realized all I saw was belly! Holy moly! I wonder how much longer until bending over, getting up from the bed and all those other things we normally take for granted are going to get ridiculously difficult as the belly grows!!

19w3d - T.G.I.F.!!

2011-11-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am SO happy it's Friday! I cannot believe how quickly this week flew by! Every day at work has been busy which is a rare occassion for me lately and it just made the whole week pass in the blink of an eye. The only down side is I haven't been able to catch a nap at all this full week, and normally have been laying down for about 45-60 minutes at least 3-4 times a week. It's caught up with me and I'm completely wiped out and so glad I get to sleep in tomorrow! I know I was really grumpy last night at home, poor Kent - he wasn't sure what to do with me... hopefully after a night of a little extra sleep I'll feel more myself by tomorrow!

This evening we are meeting up with Irina from Rotts N Pups to drop of Coy who will be heading out on transport towards his new home tomorrow! Ken's home fell through, so he'll be with us another 2 weeks before he heads out.

Tomorrow around noon we'll be heading out for the 2011 Annual Basset Bash and I can't wait! I love the event and am so glad we get to attend this year again. Though, it is making me very nostalgic everytime I think about it. A year ago I was about to go into labor with Miss "S" and deliver her on November 7th (which was the day after the Basset Bash last year)! Sometimes it just astounds me it's been a year since then but mostly I cannot believe that was ONLY a year ago. Feels like a lifetime since then - so much has happened and changed in the past 12 months.

I have been missing my hubby a lot the past couple weeks and am SO glad I get to spend a couple days with him next week. I am going to try to just enjoy our visit and not worry about Kent, the house and the puppies while I'm away. I know they'll all survive without me! It is sinking in slowly that in less than 2 months he'll be deployed again and I think I'm in the "bummed out" about it phase. I am still really thankful for this job and this amazing opportunity, but am going to miss him a lot and worry about him while he's overseas.

Exciting news for today is that I am feeling a LOT more baby movements today in particular. Not sure why, but it started early this morning and I've felt them consistently from both girls all day! Yay! They're still pretty little thumps and bumps, but getting easier to recognize and I am encouraged to get to feel them moving around more today! Each time it makes me smile! :)

I am going to enjoy our weekend and then countdown to our peri appointment on Thursday and heading out to see Kenneth! YAY! :)

Our Pregnancy: 19 Weeks!

2011-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me how in God's green earth another week has come and gone... it is now NOVEMBER!! Holy MOLY!! We went to our friend's annual Halloween party on Saturday and had a GREAT time (Kent wore a scary "Scream 4" costume and I was an angel :D ) then on Sunday we met up with Kenneth's parent's and grandmother for a birthday lunch at a Mexican restaurant and then I spent most of the afternoon in "clean up" mode around the house - mainly tidying things up and purging Kent's old clothes and little "to-do's" that needed to be done! I felt much better by the end of the day when I'd made some progress!

Yesterday was trick or treating! Maybe our last year... we shall see! Kent had a good time and got a good sized haul of candy - we sort of have a set loop we walk each year and whatever he gets, he gets - I don't want a HUGE bag of candy that is going to end up in the trash after a few months so usually he ends up with about a big ziploc sized bag full which is MORE than enough to last awhile and makes him happy! He loves sorting it all out and prioritizing (Reeses are at the top of the "wanted" list this year)! :)

And now we are at Tuesday once again... the last few days have gone by so quickly but in a good way... I know that trend is going to continue throughout this month and before we know it we'll be at our first viability milestone of 23 weeks on November 29th and then into December! And today, at 19 weeks, we are officially at our half way point for this pregnancy since they won't let us go past 38 weeks. So at the most we have 19 weeks LEFT!! HOLY MOLY!! I definitely just want to get past the "20's" and into the 30's (which will be in mid January) and then hope the babies and I enjoy each other's companies all the way through full term without any problems - things have been going so well lately I am feeling cautiously optimistic and hopeful that we'll be one of the lucky ones with a relatively uneventful twin pregnancy! Fingers and toes are staying crossed! :)

So here's what BabyCenter says for this week!

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

I am starting to feel slightly stronger movements from the girls, but still not all that frequently. A few times a day at the most still. I enjoy the movements I do feel and am still looking forward to when they pick up a little more! :)

I have been craving an Edible Arrangements like crazy lately. It is the weirdest thing! I am going to have to tell Kenneth next time he feels like sending me something to please send me an Edible Arrangement. Luckily for me they happened to have a groupon special a couple days ago so for $10 I will get a box of 12 chocolate dipped fruits (probably strawberries) - I just have to call ahead and pick it up; maybe this coming weekend if I'm not too worn out after the Basset Bash on Saturday! :) I was so excited to see that after probably a week of visiting their website and debating whether or not to order something for myself!!

The only other weird craving of note I've had off and on lately is a fish sandwich from McDonalds. Probably something I've had maybe 5 times in my life, but lately it sounds SO good! I've been drinking a lot more milk than I ever have before too which is a good thing - normally I can only handle milk cooked into things or on cereal, but I have a big glass pretty much every day and it just "sounds good" a lot of the time. Especially with a few graham crackers... mmmm.... :)

I guess that's the update for now! I know this week is going to be over before I know it, Daylight Savings Time will have ended and I'll be getting ready to head to Mississippi to meet Kenneth on the evening of the 10th!

18w2d - OB appt Update!

2011-10-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our OB appointment, everything went great! We met at a different location this time due to scheduling conflicts but it worked out to meet at the Alpharetta location. It was about 11 miles from the office but really not that bad since traffice on 400 going the direction I was headed was pretty light and was moving well. I got to use my new GPS Kenneth bought for me last time he was home! :D

I got there a few minutes early and waited 'til the appointment time to check in, then gave a urine sample and met up with Jen in the lobby. We went back for vitals, blood pressure and weight and then waited briefly in the "2nd" waiting room (which was oddly identical to the one at the Northside location we usually visit!) We were taken back and got to hear both heartbeats on doppler and Jen made a request for a quick ultrasound since they won't let them film at the peri's office. Next thing we knew Dr. Jo was coming on in with a portable machine! Yay!! :D I didn't really see too much because the screen is really small (though resolution is great!) and Jenn was trying to get a good shot to film the images; what I did see was adorable though. The girls are beautiful and getting long arms and legs and moving around a lot. I have to say it was reassuring to see that because with how little movement I'm still feeling I do worry a little sometimes, though I'm always able to reassure myself when I pick up their beautiful strong heartbeats with the doppler! I really hope I can feel more within the next couple weeks - it's my favorite part of being pregnant and with the last two singletons I was definitely feeling more at this point then I am with these two which is so strange. I know it has to do with the baby's position and where the placenta is, etc. I just am ready for it to be more noticeable for sure, hopefully soon! I am still happy with the sweet little bumps and nudges I do get to feel for now!

Neither of us had any real questions, and I don't have any issues to discuss (yet, knock on something) so we moved on to the "what's coming up next". Next OB appointment will be with a different OB (apparently they start rotating us from this point forward so we can meet the other doctor's since there's no guarantee who will actually be delivering us when it's time)! That will be a ultrasound appointment (anatomy scan) on November 23rd (which is also Kent's 13th birthday! ACK!!) and then we'll make another appointment for 1 month later and that will be the glucose tolerance test if I understood correctly. That would put me at 26 weeks so that sounds right. I think not long after that they'll move us to appointments twice a month since we'll be in the 3rd trimester! That just blows my mind... 2 more months and we'll be in that final trimester. I know the next 2 months are going to absolutely fly by too with all the Holiday activity and get togethers coming up. We have a Halloween Party on Saturday, trick or treating either Sunday or Monday - not sure what the general consenus is yet then on the 10th of November we have our next peri appointment and I leave that afternoon to meet up with Kenneth somewhere in Mississippi for a couple days (he has a 3-day weekend we're going to enjoy together), home on the 13th, the next Saturday will be Kent's birthday party, the weekend after that is Thanksgiving then we're into December!!!! We only have 4 days left in this month and it already feels like November is pretty much over... Kent is so excited for his birthday and party and I hope he gets at least a few friends and family members to join us at his party - it'll be a lot smaller of a group this year since both of his aunt's are now out of the state and Kenneth won't be back for a few days after the party. Hopefully his grandparents and great grandmother can make it for the family support! I know it means a lot to him to get to see everyone on his special day and he really loves them all. Thanksgiving will probably just be a few of us too since Ken and Donna are going to Texas to visit Maggie and I'm not sure if April and David will make the trek from Tennessee since they won't be here. I don't mind quiet Holiday's, but it will be different this year, for sure. :) We'll probably just do something on a smaller scale at Honey's house - at least that's what I suggested when she and I talked a couple days ago. We'll get to see her on Sunday to take her to a belated birthday lunch! She had to go out of town for a few days to be with her sister who just lost her husband after a long illness.

In any event, I know this is getting rambly, lots of little updates! It looks like a beautiful fall day out there and I am hoping it lasts through the weekend, though I heard rain is coming in on Friday again. I think the puppies are probably heading out this weekend or maybe next on transport, just waiting for the details to be sure! They are getting so big and are so adorable! I can't wait to hear they have new homes lined up!

Our pregnancy: 18 weeks

2011-10-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

18 weeks! Half-way mark to 36 weeks, first major "term" milestone in my head for these two (yes, I realize 37 is "full term", but if they won't let us go past 38 weeks with twins, it seems full term for twins should be a little sooner!) I cannot wrap my head around the fact that very possibly we are half way through this pregnancy already, and if not today we will be by next week... I am still feeling really good pretty much most of the time - I nap most days for about an hour and take it easy at least one day each weekend, most evenings are pretty low key too but as long as I do plenty of "taking it easy" in my off time I feel great! No real aches or pain, no extreme fatigue, no queasiness. I'm feeling little tiny baby "bumps and nudges" still - it hasn't really picked up much yet and I'm ready for it too! I can't wait to feel real kicks and rolls - not just these super tiny (but still so sweet!) little thumps where I stop and wait to see if it will happen again to make sure I wasn't just imagining it! :)

I did really over-do it on Sunday though - Kent and I met up with our good friend Sherry at Six Flags for our annual "Fright Fest" visit! I was pregnant last year when we went too, so I already knew there was literally NOTHING I am allowed to ride or do, but I enjoy walking the park and seeing Kent have a great time and getting to take lots of good pictures!! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the crowds weren't bad at all. I ate every 3 hours or so and stayed hydrated with lots of fluid and felt pretty much great all day! I got tired once or twice and my feet were getting sore by the end of the day but otherwise I really felt just fine and was kind of amazed at how well I seemed to have held up! My opinion changed dramatically when I woke up Monday morning and felt like I couldn't walk. My bones ached from my hips down through my shins. I've never felt anything like that before. I was stiff and achy and so sore. I stayed on the couch most of the day and soaked in a warm bath hoping that would help loosen things up. Today is definitely better than yesterday, but I'm still really, really stiff. I know in pregnancy hormones cause joints to start loosening up but it seems that shouldn't happen 'til much later in a pregnancy - I think once again I've been reminded that my "playbook" from previous pregnancies has gone out the window and this is a whole new ball game! No contractions or pain that seems directly related to the babies which is good - but man, my legs are a mess and probably will need a few more days to feel back to normal! Definitely not going to start any long walks again any time soon! Maybe short 30 minute walks on the treadmill or some prenatal yoga but I think that's about as much activity as it appears I can handle going forward.

So, what does BabyCenter say is happening this week?

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin, and her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

We have an OB appointment tomorrow AM and some labwork then countdown to the next ultrasound at the peri's in two more weeks! :)

Meal Planning Week of 10/23

2011-10-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

A few being recycled from last week that I didn't get around to making (since we ended up with more leftovers, as usual, but I still forget to plan them in correctly!) and a few "taste bud" changes when something just sounded better than what was on the list! Overall though this past week went pretty well, I tracked my food intake most days as best I could and am getting my 100 grams (or more) of protein in a day and doing well with getting enough fluids and eating fairly balanced overall. A little pre-planning does make a huge difference and the biggest thing I need to work on is making the effort EVERY evening to prepare my work breakfasts and lunches. One morning the puppies woke me up about an hour earlier than I usually get up but it ended up being a good thing, I was able to make myself a real breakfast (scrambled cheesy eggs, bacon and a whole grain english muffin with jam - yumm!) and pack up my lunch before showering and getting ready for work. Other days I was good and prepped at night, other days I just threw whatever in my bag the morning of and a couple times I ate out. Progress, not perfection! :)

So the game plan for this week is:

Sunday, October 23rd
Breakfast: Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit Salad, milk
Lunch: LEFTOVERS
Dinner: Pot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Onion
Snacks: Pudding Cup, Cottage Cheese

Monday, October 24th
Breakfast: 1 med ripe banana, 2 TBS peanut butter; in a whole-wheat tortilla, yogurt
Lunch: BLT sandwich on whole wheat, apple
Dinner: Beef Enchiladas, Corn
Snacks: ½ turkey sandwich, 1 cup milk

Tuesday, October 25th
Breakfast: Orange, Cream of Wheat, 1 cup milk
Lunch: Peanut butter and banana sandwich, Baby carrots w/ ranch, Granola Bar
Dinner: Martha Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Snacks: Cucumber and Celery Slices w/ hummus, 1 cup milk

Wednesday, October 26th
Breakfast: 1 small banana and 1 cup milk, 1 TBS peanut butter, 2 Eggo Waffles
Lunch: Turkey, avocado and bacon sandwich, Apple
Dinner: Shepherd’s Pie, Hawaiian Honey Wheat Rolls, Garden Salad
Snacks: Cheese & Crackers, 1 cup cottage cheese

Thursday, October 27th
Breakfast: 2 cups cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 banana
Lunch: Baked potato w/ bacon, cheese & sour cream, 1 small apple, 1 granola bar
Dinner: LEFTOVERS
Snacks: Yogurt, orange

Friday, October 28th
Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese and 2 scrambled eggs, Yogurt, Banana
Lunch: 1 cup tomato soup & 5 Ritz crackers, Grilled Cheese sandwich, 1 cup milk
Dinner: LEFTOVERS
Snacks: 1 cup baby carrots and 2 TBS hummus, 1 cup cottage cheese

Saturday, October 29th
Breakfast: Brainless Banana Pancakes
Lunch: LEFTOVERS
Dinner: Tuna & Noodles with Peas
Snacks: Cheese & Crackers

Baking this week: Oat-Rageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Meet Ken and Coy - the foster puppies!

2011-10-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't done an introduction of our most recent foster babies! They have COMPLETELY stolen our hearts and we absolutely adore them. I think anyone who adopts these guys is going to be so in love and so lucky too! :)

Find them on PetFinder here! Rotts N Pups Rescue's page is here.

They are brothers and are Border Collie mixes. They have such unique personalities, sizes and coloring! It's fascinating to see the differences between the two! Ken is the black and white and Coy is the gray one. They are both gorgeous and super sweet boys! They are very well behaved, LOVE to play and are pretty much crate trained already. They sleep through the night, only waking me up early maybe once a week or so when someone needs to go potty and can't wait 'til we wake up!!

Coy is SO photogenic - his eyes just sucker you right in. He's the littler of the two and tends to be a little more observant, reserved and quiet than his bigger brother. He loves attention and snuggling too but not as much as Ken! Ken adores people and tells you all about it, he gets so excited when it's time to come in and play or cuddle! He will flop back on you like a baby doll and smother you in kisses, and scratch his tummy and watch that back foot fly! :)

Our pregnancy: 17 weeks

2011-10-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

We already know the babies weigh about 6 and 7 ounces each according to our ultrasound last Friday, but here's what else BabyCenter says is going on this week:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

I am excited to be another week closer to the "20 week" milestone and still enjoying feeling pretty good most of the time. We've had some good weather to enjoy a few out door fall activities and most days I've felt up to cooking and baking too so all is well in my world! :) I'm still just getting occasional little baby "bumps and nudges" and waiting for the kicking to commence! From the u/s I found out Baby A's (the one in the middle) has a anterior placenta (if I read what she was typing on the screen correctly!) so I don't expect to feel as much on that side as fast as I should with Baby B who's placenta is posterior.

This is most likely going to be a relatively "quiet" week, not much coming up that I know about. I have a chiro/massage appointment scheduled for today which I am always excited about and get to pick up my Farmer's Market Basket this evening! I haven't picked one up in awhile and can't wait to see what all will be in this one, then incorporate all the fresh goodies into our daily meals! I think we definitely eat healthier when I make a point to pick up the baskets on a regular basis.

Kent and I are working on planning out his upcoming birthday party, in a little less than a month, and then counting down to Thanksgiving and getting to visit with Kenneth for a few days! I can't believe October is more than half way over, and it's only 2 weeks 'til Halloween... I knew the rest of the year would fly by once we hit this month, but it still never ceases to amaze me!

Editing to add in tonight's belly pic!

16w6d Weekend Recap!

2011-10-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Kent and I had a great weekend! We fit in lots of "fallish" activities and he had fun checking things off on the "Fall Bucket List"! On Saturday I fixed a batch of Cinnabon muffins from a bakery mix I'd picked up at Sam's Club. Kent loved them, but there was a little too much sugar in them for me and it left me kind of sleepy afterwards. I'll have to stick with my whole grain toast or cereal for carbs in the morning to go with my scrambled eggs (which I seem to have about 4 days out of the week lately!)

After breakfast we did a few chores around the house and then packed up a picnic lunch. We took Brutus with us and headed out to the Pumpkin Patch! We found 2 beautiful pumpkins after walking up and down the aisles a couple times. Kent picked a HUGE one. Go figure! :) We loaded those up and got a couple goodies from their fresh fruit and veggies stand as well and then headed back towards home, stopping at our local park for a little meandering and to eat our picnic lunch. It was a beautiful day and we had a good time getting out and enjoying the fresh air. I know Brutus was very excited to get out of the house and backyard and get to do some sniffing in new-to-him places too! :)

We headed home and watched our Netflix movie that had arrived, Marmaduke! It was pretty silly but good for a couple hours of down time on the couch to relax and rest for a little while. That evening we rounded up some goodies and all our fire pit "fixings" and started a little fire! We roasted hot dogs over the flames and when the embers died down to perfect "toasting" coals, we roasted marshmallows and had s'mores. Kent's friend came over and joined us for our little "bon fire" party in the driveway! It got pretty chilly pretty quickly as the sun set so we had sleeping bags to huddle in and stay warm with until we called it "quits" for the night and cleaned up and headed back in.

I think we both slept good that night. We didn't do too much on Sunday, took it easy most of the morning as I definitely needed to rest after all the activity on Saturday. I didn't actually sleep much but I rested a lot on the couch and watched a few of my shows. Around 1:30 we got ready to go again and headed out to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes! I got given a gift certificate to Regal Theaters from my "Secret Sister" from surromomsonline.com (we do a fun gift exchange every so often) and Kent and I decided to go use it that day. It was another gorgeous day and the movie was good and I always enjoy popcorn and some slushie at the theater! :) That was about as much as I could handle for a weekend though and we picked up some take out Chinese on the way home and vegged pretty much the rest of the afternoon. It was really a great weekend though and I am glad Kent had a good time and got to do a few things he was interested in.

We have Caramel Apple making on the list for this coming week/weekend and I'm looking forward to that! :)

Meal Planning Week of 10/16

2011-10-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have re-introduced my daily meal planning print out at home, in an effort to help make sure what I'm taking in has enough protein and calcium and also it really helps curb me getting lazy and ending up doing something out of the freezer or take out or something "easy". I keep it pretty simple, and it just takes a little prep the night before but I know this is going to be a much more balanced diet for me and the babies and Kent and I will get to start spending a little time together in the evenings in the kitchen getting both of our lunches ready for the next day! I did this throughout my last pregnancy and kept it up afterwards for awhile, and now that I have some of my energy back I'm looking forward to utilizing this great tool hopefully throughout the remainder of this pregnancy as well!

I'm sure things will shift as the week comes up and I get a better sense of how much I actually eat each day and if I need to add/delete things or pay more attention to certain nutrients but I think this is a good start! :)

Sunday, October 16th
Breakfast: Muffins, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit Salad
Lunch: Burgers on Buns w/ condiments, baked french fries, Veggies & Dip
Dinner: LEFTOVERS
Snacks: Yogurt, Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers with Cheese
Dessert: Brownie

Monday, October 17th
Breakfast: 2 muffins, 2 scrambled eggs with cheese, 1 cup 1% milk
Lunch: work lunch (ordering out)
Dinner: Lasagna, Steamed Green Beans, French Bread
Snacks: 1 apple with 2 TBS PB, Granola Bar
Dessert: Brownie

Tuesday, October 18th
Breakfast: Breakfast Sandwich, yogurt
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwich on whole wheat, 1 orange
Dinner: Shrimp & Noodles, Potstickers, Egg Rolls
Snacks: 1 serving wheat thins and 3 TBS hummus, Pudding cup
Dessert: Caramel Apple

Wednesday, October 19th
Breakfast: 2 cups cereal, 1 cup 1% milk, banana
Lunch: Turkey Pita Sandwich, yogurt, 1 orange
Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas, Corn
Snacks: Cheese & Crackers, Baby Carrots & Hummus

Thursday, October 20th
Breakfast: 1 pc whole wheat toast w/ 1 TBS PB, 1 orange, 1 cup 1% milk
Lunch: Baked potato w/ sour cream, bacon and cheese, apple, granola bar
Dinner: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and steamed green beans
Snacks: 1 cup baby carrots and 3 TBS hummus
Dessert: Caramel Apple

Friday, October 21st
Breakfast: 1 cup milk, 1 slice whole wheat toast, 1 hardboiled egg
Lunch: Meatloaf Sandwich, veggies & dip
Dinner: LEFTOVERS
Snacks: Large apple w/ PB, 1/2 cup trail mix (seeds, nuts, dried fruit)

Saturday, October 22nd
Breakfast: Pancakes, Sausage Links, Eggs, cantaloupe
Lunch: Fish Sandwiches, Fries, yogurt
Dinner: Martha Chicken, au gratin potatoes, steamed broccoli
Snacks: 1 oz cheddar cheese, Ritz Crackers, 1 cup milk

16w3d - Perinatal Appt Number Two!

2011-10-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Today was our 2nd perinatologist appointment, honestly it's kind of hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that it has been a MONTH since that last visit! Time flies! :) This appointment went much, much better than the last one, I promise I will not be going home and crying tonight! :D

We had a really nice u/s tech for the first portion of the appointment who took lots of measurements on the babies (A and B have flip flopped again, now the one in the middle is back to being A and the one on the left is back to being B!) They were both vertex, and Baby A's head is directly over my cervix (we told her not to be getting any ideas any time soon though - however I am happy to see they both are head down at the moment, and hopefully getting comfortable and practicing for the position I hope they STAY in! :D ) There was lots of measurements of the brain, stomach, checking the heart, arteries, blood flow, measuring femur length, etc. Both are measuring about a day or two ahead and have heart rates (identical, yet again!) of 156! They looked just perfect and we saw lots of adorably cute toes and fingers waving at us and kicking around. Apparently I have some feet right under my belly button. :) We did get confirmation again that both are indeed chaderfina's! Two baby girls for Jenn and Chad! I am still a little confounded at statistically how this has happened with now 4 for 4 surro babies being girls, but it's kind of cool at the same time! :)

We all got "gold stars" from the perinatologist after she came in and did a quick look herself and asked us how things were going and if we had any questions. I didn't realize she was the peri who had worked really closely with my FIM "L" and it came out at the end of the conversation the Jenn and Chad knew "L" and then that I had been her surro and that was another cool small world moment! So much connectivity! It's really neat! I was told "protein, protein, protein" on her way out - so I will continue to track what I'm eating and do my best to take in that minimum of 100 grams per day. So far I'm doing ok, definitely harder some days than others to eat as much as I want to or should. Last night it took me probably an hour to finish my plate of spaghetti and meat sauce but I just rested, watched some TV and when there was space I finished it all eventually! I just have to make an effort to continually keep the flow of good food coming and make each bite count. With how I'm already starting to feel "full" a lot more than I was a week or two ago I'm wondering how long until eating gets to be a serious chore... fingers crossed I have a while before I get to that stage yet! I have noticed that I'm starting to get just the littlest bit of heartburn throughout the day... oh JOY! I am just so excited THAT has already started back up! (insert eye roll here!!) :) I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since my stomach is getting "squished" sooner than normal, but Tums are going to become my friend again I guess. Good thing we buy them at Sam's Club. Ha ha! :)

There were lots of great images captured on the screen, but their computer system wasn't working right so they couldn't print any pics for Jenn and Chad, but said they'll mail them to them when it's running again and then Jenn will text me some - I can't wait to see which ones they send them. A couple of my favorite shots were one with two little feet, one on top of the other and then one with both Baby B's hands up under her face like she was napping. SO SWEET! :)

So yesterday I got "bumped" on the freeway on my way home which was a crappy way to end my day. Thank God it was very low speed, no air bags, no bumping the steering wheel and nothing but a little neck soreness and a scratched bumper that probably needs replacement, but it definitely got my pulse racing and left me feeling queasy most of last night. I was a little crampy but it went away by this morning and since we already had the ultrasound scheduled for today we were all ok not making a point to get checked last night. But because of that lovely incident, I was all the more relieved and happy to see babies looking healthy and happy, no bleeds, nothing weird or out of the ordinary going on. As accidents go it really wasn't a big deal, more of an inconvenience than anything else, and I'll have to deal with the other person's insurance to get the claim settled and get the repairs done, but not too bad in the scheme of things. I am ready for a relaxing and relatively boring weekend though! Kent is really excited about going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow and I'm excited to watch him and enjoy what has certainly got to be one of my last years of watching my nearly 13 year old be excited about pumpkin picking and caramel apples and all the other fun fall things that we get to do this time of year!

I'm going to print that "Fall Bucket List" I posted the other day and put it on the fridge and let him check things off and decide which ones we're going to do and which ones aren't so important (I'm thinking he's not going to be a big fan of the "leaf art"! :) ) Only 2 more weeks (pretty much) until Halloween!! Craziness!! This month is half over already...!

Fall "Bucket List"

2011-10-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this!! I saw it at Memoirs of a Marine Corps Wife here and thought this was so cute!

I can check off a few of those already, we've done the apple picking and hay ride, baked a pie and are going to a pumpkin patch this weekend. We'll definitely be making cookies and trick or treating at some point and a picnic and nature walk at the Silver Comet Trail sounds really nice! I was actually already thinking about that for our Saturday "day out". I know I want to take Kent to a local roadside farmer's stand that has a pumpkin patch out and thought we could stop at the Silver Comet Trail on the way home for a walk, adding a picnic would be perfect. I love the "drink fancy coffee drinks" too! :D I usually pass on the pumpkin flavors at Starbucks this time of year, they just don't do much for me, but I am ready to jump back into the world of peppermint mochas... mmm... (decaf of course!!) I have a coffee treat maybe a couple times a month and that does sound very nice, and very "fall-ish".

Just had to share this very cute bucket list idea and hope you're having a beautiful fall so far and that you can check lots of these great items off your "list" too! :)

Our Pregnancy: 16 Weeks!

2011-10-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

Another week has arrived! It's been a pretty good week so far, feeling pretty good most of the time - energy levels are pretty steady and I'm sleeping ok most of the time. I usually wake up once or twice but don't have too much of an issue going right back to sleep most of the time. My belly is still rounding out slowly and getting firmer. I am up about half a pound from last week, so about 10 1/2 total since conception. I don't feel as hungry as I'm used to the past few days, and haven't been snacking as much. Meals seem to tide me over until the next meal most of the time, with an ocassional granola bar or fruit in between.

We had the BEST dinner last night! I had found a "double decker kit" at the grocery store for tacos and we fixed some ground beef with diced onion and mushrooms along with the seasoning packet, made some cheesy refried beans and then took the soft taco shell, smeared some nacho cheese sauce on it, wrapped it around a crunchy shell and filled it up with beans, meat, shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes and I was one happy camper! I can't wait for leftovers tomorrow but promised Kent breakfast for dinner tonight - so waffles, scrambled eggs and maple sausage links it is!

This week, according to babycenter:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

I love having my doppler at home, to be able to "peek" in on the babies every so often - I heard both of their heartbeats quickly, easily and very strong on Sunday night and that put a big smile on my face to head to bed with! Counting down to Friday for our ultrasound! Can't wait to see Jenn and the babies!

As for me, this is how I look this week (I think about the same as last week):

This is 16 weeks last (singleton) pregnancy!!

15w6d - the weather is a changin...

2011-10-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

And with the cooler, damper weather, along comes sinus pressure. Sinus pressure I am used to. I usually feel it around this time and in the spring too - it usually is just a little annoying but nothing too bothersome. This time, not so much. It's beyond bothersome. It has brought with it several VERY painful sinus headaches this time around. I think it has to be the combination of my normal sinus reaction and "pregnancy sinuses" to boot. The combination is not working out so well for me and I've woken up with some pretty nasty headaches a couple days over the past couple weeks. This morning was one of them. I am one of those who absolutely hates taking ANY form of medication pretty much all the time and especially when pregnant. But this morning I woke up, wanted to die, took two Tylenol and went back to sleep for 45 minutes until the headaches was just a dull pain and no longer sharp and tear inducing. I can still feel it right behind my eyebrow. Sigh. I'm going to have to look up and start trying some home remedies, steam, warm wash cloths, something, because these headaches are killer when they do hit.

Other than the occasional headache I am feeling pretty good! I have enough energy to run errands on the weekend and still cook and I even baked an apple pie on Saturday morning which we have been enjoying all weekend. Yumm! I have missed having my oven and missed having the energy and desire to actually bake - so good timing for it to come back, fall is perfect baking weather! :)

Our internet has been out at the house since Saturday mid-day so a tech is coming this afternoon to see if they can fix the issue. Fingers crossed it's not too big of an issue!

We also found an adorably cute black kitten in our bushes on Thursday, it wouldn't let us get anywhere near it so we kept putting food and water out for it hoping it would change it's mind. It didn't, but it did stick around. So on Saturday we went to the animal shelter and checked out a "cat trap" - I hate the idea of animals just being left outside to fend for themselves not to mention animal overpopulation issues and knew I wanted to get him/her to the shelter one way or another. So we were able to trap the very cute but very scared kitty and they are coming to pick him/her up today. I feel a little guilty since the kitty is obviously very scared of people, but good too, knowing they will have food and shelter and a chance at having a home.

It's been kind of a random and busy weekend I guess! Pie, kitty, shopping for fall jeans and clothes for Kent and internet issues! That's enough for me! :)

16 weeks tomorrow! Yippee!! Cannot wait for Friday's ultrasound appointment too! :)

15w2d... Food...

2011-10-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

That about sums it up... how can a person spend so much time thinking about FOOD?! Food and sleeping... my two favorite past times lately! :)

The Chinese cravings continue - last night I had an eggroll, potstickers with lots of that fabulous tangy dipping sauce and we tried out one of those P.F. Chang's frozen dinners - Garlic Chicken and Noodles. It wasn't fantastic and I don't think I'd buy it again but it still hit the spot... mmm...

So, what are we going to have for dinner tonight? I have been craving my favorite Better Homes & Garden Sweet & Sour recipe. It comes out of probably my oldest cookbook I have - probably a wedding gift! I adapted it to remove the frying step and I think the original recipe calls for pork but I use chicken, I also add way more fresh veggies than it calls for but it is one of my favorite recipes. The thing that stinks is neither Kenneth or Kent really like it! They have NO taste I tell you! So, I am going to make myself a big batch of it tonight and make Kent suffer through one dinner then I'll eat the rest for leftovers. I'm a mean mom. What can I say? I haven't cooked pretty much since Kenneth left last week so I'm excited about cooking tonight and can't wait to eat some of one of my favorite dinners! I haven't made it in forever, since the boys informed me they didn't really like it much - but I am going to enjoy bringing it back tonight! I just need to pick up some celery on the way home and I'll be all set.

I am also having a nostalgic craving for my mom's "irresistable double chocolate oatmeal cookies" that we all used to love and enjoy making growing up. We ALWAYS took big baggies of them anytime we went on a road trip or camping. I remember making a batch with my brother when we were going on a vacation with friends and the entire bag of cookies crumbled - so we had choclatey granola to enjoy instead of cookies! :) I am pretty sure I have the recipe somewhere - I just have to dig it out and see if I can get my kitchen helper to assist in whipping up a batch this evening... we're about 6 weeks out from the 2-year anniversary of mom's passing and I definitely have been thinking about her a lot lately and missing her like crazy.

No-Fry Sweet & Sour Chicken

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite sized pieces

1 16-oz can pineapple chunks in juice

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

4 TBS cornstarch

4 TBS soy sauce

2 tsp chicken bouillon

2 TBS cooking oil

1 cup bias sliced carrot (2 medium)

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 green bell pepper, in 1/2" pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, in 1/2" pieces

1 large celery stalk, bias sliced

1/2 medium white onion, in 1/2" pieces

3 cups hot cooked rice

Create sauce by draining pineapple, reserving juice (set pineapple aside). Add enough water to the juice to equal 3 cups. Add sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, soy sauce and bouillon. Set aside.

Pour 1 TBS oil in wok or large skillet (add more if necessary during cooking), heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5-10 minutes or until no longer pink and cooked through, remove from skillet and set aside. Add more oil to skillet (enough to equal about 1 TBS total). Stir-fry carrots and garlic in hot oil for 1 minute, add remaining vegetables and stir fry for 3-5 minutes or until desired crisp-tenderness. Add chicken back to wok and push mixture out from the center.

Stir sauce and make sure ingredients are evenly combined. Pour sauce into center of mixture and cook and stir until thickened and bubbly (you will see the color start to darken as it thickens). Continue cooking and stirring for one more minute after it begins to bubble. Add in at least half of the reserved pineapple, or all of it if desired, depending on your taste preference (I usually add half).

Our Pregnancy: 15 Weeks!

2011-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

Today we are officially 15 weeks! Yippee! Half way to the 30-week mark which I will be very relieved to pass and then on to the "full term count down" after that! :)

Since breakfast today I have eaten a ham & cheese lunchable, a mushroom tortellini lean cuisine and just now I finished off a club wrap on a spinach tortilla with a pickle spear and a small bag of cheetos... feeding two babies is a full time job! :) I've gained just under 10 lbs so far. Almost all of that gain happened in the previous two weeks, I haven't gained anything since a week ago as of today which I was somewhat relieved about because I was beginning to wonder how long I could possibly gain nearly 3 lbs a week before my scale would break! Ok, not really, and I'm still aiming for that 20 by 20 goal I was given, which I realized I'm having a hard time with mentally. I'm used to being very weight conscientious during pregnancy and I would worry every appointment about getting the "speech" about weight gain and limiting carbs and sugar, etc. but this time although of course what I eat is very important, I am kind of supposed to be eating pretty much as much as I can handle to maintain a steady weight gain early on to hopfully sustain the babies when space starts running out and I'm not able to eat as much - at least that's the theory I'm told! :) In any event, it's hard for me to not 2nd guess what I'm putting in my mouth, to not mentally start adding up the calories, to choose a couple eggs and a piece of whole wheat toast for a before bed snack (or 2nd dinner as I call it!) instead of a tangerine like I might normally eat... it's just a shift and hopefully I'm close to reaching the recommended goals and hopefully these two are getting all the nutrients they need to grow, grow, grow! I can't wait to see them next Friday and see how big they are now!

According to BabyCenter, this week:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

Of course we've already been told Jenn and Chad have twincesses on the way, but I'm still holding out for an updated verdict as we get further along! I hope they will check again next Friday! :)

I can't wait to get home and take an updated belly pic this evening! I feel like I am definitely showing a little more - the same sweater I wore a couple weeks ago that did a great job of covering everything up is now showing a rounded bump today and I can't wait to compare the pics and see if there's a noticeable difference from the last couple weeks! It's exciting to be growing and changing and think of how much the babies are growing and changing too!

14w6d - OB Appointment!

2011-10-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today was our OB appointment - it went well, everything is "fine" and normal for the moment which is FANTASTIC news! :) I like normal and boring appointments, they're my favorite! I've gained some in the past 5 weeks which is great, BP was fine, no protein in my urine - all vitals were fine. They took us back to the room and we got to hear both heartbeats on the doppler - the one on the low left hand side is really tricky to find though and we only got to hear her for a couple seconds before she disappeared again!

It was really great meeting Dr. Jo. I really liked her a lot. She was very attentive and responsive and friendly. She had great answers for all of our questions and really took her time with us and not only talked to us about our prenatal care but took the time to learn more about Jenn and her history as well which I thought was awesome! We talked some about delivery again and how she prefers to handle multiples and she seems to be pretty much on the same page as us which was great. Keeping my fingers crossed for head down babies, but we shall see when it's closer how things shake out! As long as the end result is happy healthy babies, really I am ok with whatever delivery experience we end up with. Yes it will not be my "ideal" delivery, but it will be unique, special and one of a kind resulting in two beautiful babies for Jenn and Chad and that is MORE than enough for me!

We had a great week with Kenneth home, it went by way too quickly! He fixed everything on the saved up "honey-do" list for me while he was here and we got errands run and packing done. I still have to put away his suitcases of things he didn't need anymore since this is a whole new training session and they'll be doing completely different things than the previous training portion. He took a bunch of his gear with him, I'm sure way more than he will actually need! He also took my baby... my Corvette... sigh. I will miss her. However, I'm already starting to have a hard time getting out of that car because it's so low to the ground and my belly is growing more and more each week! So, I know it was definitely the right car to send with him, but I will still miss my baby! :D (Kenneth kept showing me pictures of Corvettes when he was home... I'm beginning to wonder if he's considering having one delivered to me for a Christmas present or something - I tried to convince him the LAST thing we need is another VEHICLE around our house! We already have 2 trucks, 2 motorcycles and 2 cars!)

We are hoping to maybe pick a weekend that we can meet half way just the two of us between now and November, otherwise we won't see him again 'til Thanksgiving when he gets a few days off for break.

There are only three months left in the year! It's hard for me to believe how fast time seems to be passing by!

Our Pregnancy: 14 Weeks!

2011-09-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Another week has come and gone and we are now 14 weeks along! I heard both babies on the fetal doppler last night and that made me grin of course. It's getting easier and easier to find them now that I have a good idea of where they're situated and obviously as they get bigger and my uterus moves up some it will be easier and easier! The weirdest thing I've noticed with them is how muffled the heartbeat sounds are compared to what I remember from last time! I'm not sure if it's my machine - maybe I need to change the batteries, but I can hear the heartbeats perfectly, they just sound muffled not clear! As long as I can hear them, I'm happy though. I probably check about once a week or so just to hear they're both still in there growing away!

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Another busy week for these two little chadifers! We have our next OB appointment this coming Monday and I'm looking forward to meeting our OB in person and seeing how the appointment goes. Maybe we'll get another sneak peek?! If not, our next peri appointment is on the 14th so we'll see them again soon - but from our previous u/s experience at the peri's office they didn't give Jenn and Chad really any good pictures so I think we're hoping for some good printouts from maybe the OB's office if they are going to check in on the babies via u/s. They may or may not though - I'm not sure what their standard protocol is, and if they'll treat a twin pregnancy differently than a singleton pregnancy. If they don't then I'm sure we won't be getting ultrasounds everytime which is fine too, just not sure yet how they will treat each appointment yet. :)

Kenneth found a good protein drink for me at Sam's when we were out running some errands yesterday - 17 grams of protein and only 110 calories so a pretty good protein boost if I have one of those on the way in to work each day! I seem to all off a sudden be doing JUST fine at gaining weight the past couple weeks but I still need to make sure what I'm eating are good calories and that I'm hitting that protein goal the peri gave me.

Can't believe we'll be in October by the weekend! It's going to be time for Halloween before we know it! :)

A Great Weekend!

2011-09-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

It was a busy but fun Saturday! I got up around 7am to get ready to leave around 8am to head to Ellijay to meet Ken, Donna and Kent at an apple orchard for some apple picking.

We all arrived around 10am and checked out the store and all the goodies available! They had lots of fresh produce along with all the baked goodies.

Stopped to take a picture of Kent with his Nana and the beautiful scenery behind!

We went to the apple cannon first and Kent and Ken got to take a few turns attempting to hurl apples out of an air cannon at targets!

Then Kent spent a bunch of time at the petting zoo, visiting with little pigs, turkeys, puppies, ducks, chickens, bunnies and a sweet little calf!

We walked through the orchards exploring and finding our way around.

We went on a "hay ride" around the property and saw pumpkin patches, corn fields and of course rows and rows of apple trees!

After the hay ride we went to find the different types of apples we each wanted (Kent wanted mostly Fujis while Ken and Donna wanted the Red Delicious!) We found our apples and eventually made our way back out. I think we spent about 2 hours at the Orchard.

It was a beautiful day and I'm so glad Donna suggested going early, it got crowded and really hot by the time we were heading out! It was absolutely beautiful though, and I loved all those green trees with that big blue sky above. Just gorgeous! We stopped in town and had lunch at a fantastic little cafe and I absolutely stuffed myself with yummy tomato basil bisque and a club sandwich before Kent and I said our goodbyes and got in the car for the drive home. Kent was pretty worn out but he really had a good time visiting with his Nana and Papa and I'm so glad he had the chance to do that over his break! Back to school and the real world this week! :)

I am so excited that Kenneth comes home this evening! His graduation and swearing in ceremony are today and then he gets on a plane to come HOME for ALMOST a week! :) I am taking a couple days off to be home with him and there are a few things I've "saved" for him to hopefully fix while he's home, but hopefully other than a few to-do's and getting to see some of his family while he's home it will be a good restful week for him. :)

Our Pregnancy: 13 Weeks!

2011-09-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

I am going with today as the first week of the 2nd trimester - some don't roll over 'til 14 weeks but I've always gone by 13 weeks... that's my story and I'm sticking to it!! (Like the babies really care! :D )

In any event, I am feeling pretty good this past week and a half or so and am VERY thankful for that. Still ocassional stomach queasiness and uneasiness and definitely tired still but NOTHING like it has been and each day that's an improvement makes me happy!! I can't believe how fast this month is flying by - it'll be October before we blink!

"How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce."

I stayed home with Kent today - he has this full week off from school, so we ran some errands and got our dental cleanings out of the way. I am cavity free, my child not so much. Sigh. We'll have to make another appointment for him to get those taken care of. :(

Dinner is simmering away on the stove and smelling great! It's a new pregnancy record - cooking multiple nights in less than a week! Yay! :D It feels great to have the energy and desire to make a home cooked meal again and I am going to enjoy it while it lasts. We've been eating a lot of beef at dinner since Kent likes it and in addition to the high protein content, it's an excellent source of zinc, iron, and vitamin B12. It's not usually my choice of protein, but seems to be a good one to use right now, so I'm incorporating it a little more than our "usual".

Here's the belly from today! I actually do feel a little bigger and rounder than I have in the previous couple weeks. Maybe some change is slowly happening?! We'll see! :)

A little R&R...

2011-09-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was really, really good. I am SO glad I made the decision to pick up and go for a night. It was really perfect! The weather was absolutely gorgeous - a little cool but clear and sunny most of the time. When we got there and checked in our room was ready so we took our bags up and I loved the room we got. It had more space than the room Kenneth and I have stayed in before and had a King on one side and a twin on the other so we could have our own space. Plus we were up on the 3rd floor and had our own little balcony that we had a fantastic view of the pasture from!

I gave Kent a little tour and showed him where most everything was and the office manager's son (who was about 6 I think) was looking for someone to play with so he and Kent hopped on bikes and rode around the property and up to the barn and he got a "tour" while they were up there. He discovered one of the newer babies, Pickles and absolutely fell in love with him! Pickles was pretty dang cute! :)

I met back up with Kent at the kitchen/cafeteria/chow hall... not really sure what the right name is for it! :D I showed him where they keep all the snacks and pastries out 24/7 and the drinks too. I showed him where the game room was (they have a foos ball table, some board games and a pool table, etc.) We played a couple games of tic tac toe and then he went out to play some more. I discovered a perfectly peaceful activity of working on a puzzle in the sun room and soaked up the quiet and just "being" for a little while!

We enjoyed a delicious and filling lunch of chicken cacciatore and a super yummy roll and Kent played some more and I grabbed a little nap - I propped the door open to the deck and a couple times the sound of a horse galloping by or whinying brought a huge smile to my face. The gentle breeze was just lovely! I took Kent down to the pool and he swam and splashed a little and got in and out of the jacuzzi when he got too cold! We went down to the barn and walked along the paddocks where they keep the horses for trail riding and gave lots of pets and I got lots of great pictures. It was fun to see how much Kent enjoyed the horses too and there were so many to look at! Every size and color! There was even a mule named Daisy that Kent really liked. :)

We headed back to the main house and Kent found another little boy about his age and the three boys played all together for a little while and I got to work on the puzzle some more. Before we knew it, it was dinner time! We had another delicious meal - there was a little bit of everything to pick from, ribs, wings, sandwiches, enchiladas... we were all very full afterwards! We sat with the boy that was about Kent's age and his mom for dinner and enjoyed chatting with them. They were repeat visitors as well and live about an hour on the other side of Atlanta from us. The boys decided to meet up at the swimming pool after dinner. So we went back up to our room and relaxed for a little while and let dinner settle before I took Kent back down. The sun was setting and it was getting fairly chilly but they boys still had a great time splashing around and going back and forth from the hot tub to the pool. The adults just lounged and chatted while they played! Around 8:30 we finally headed back up to our room and Kent got showered up and we put Planet of the Apes on (they have a huge DVD library you can borrow from, and that's the movie he'd picked). So we got some cocoa from the kitchen and watched our movie. After the movie I was feeling hungry (again) so we had a late night kitchen raid and grabbed an apple and a cinnamon roll and headed back to our room! :)

I didn't sleep all that well, lots of tossing and turning and at one point the door to the deck swung open, pushed by the wind! That scared me! Eventually we both got some sleep though, and before I know it, dawn was breaking and it was time to get up and moving. I took a shower and when I got out Kent had gone to the kitchen and brought us both back mugs of cocoa so we could sit on our little porch and watch the horses and sip our warm drinks in the cool morning air. It was so beautiful... it was still a little dark, but you could see the horses without difficulty. It was a special moment we got to share together.

We walked out in the pasture together that morning and petted some of the horses and I got to take lots of great pictures and we played some games in the game room while waiting for breakfast time to roll around. Just after 8:00am they let Kent ring the triangle signaling it was time to eat! He thought that was pretty cool! We enjoyed a delicious breakfast, 2 types of eggs, hashbrowns, cornmeal pancakes, sausage patties, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, milk and juice not to mention homemade douhgnuts... mmmm... That was a great way to start the day and also to end our trip! Kent rode bikes a little while longer while I packed everything up in the room after catching a quick nap. At 10:30 we checked out and it was time to go!

We said our goodbyes and waved to the horses and promised to be back soon. I told Kent if I'm still feeling pretty good next month maybe we can squeeze in one more visit in a few weeks - we'll just have to see how it goes!

We made it home a little after noon and got settled back in pretty easily. Kent got his things put away and went out to play with his friends and I just took it easy on the couch and watched a couple Netflix movies. I was so inspired by the yummy food at the Ranch that I actually COOKED last night for what feels like the first time in forever. We had fried round steak, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and buttered cooked carrots. Yumm!! It was so good and I am looking forward to the leftovers tonight! :)

The Sockeroo!

2011-09-17T05:04:00.000-07:00

If you visit Kym at "The Smartness" you will learn all you ever wanted to know about "The Sockeroo" - it is a fun exchange amongst bloggers of (you'll never guess) SOCKS!! Warm fuzzy, wrap your toes up in something cute, cool or funky, socks! Along with exchanging socks, you post a pic on your blog, link back to the blogger who sent them to you and also post about a topic - this year the topic is:

It has been roughly a year and a half since the last SITM Exchange. Reflect on the past 18 or so months – how has support from others, either in the blogosphere or otherwise, helped you?

Actually my post from yesterday sort of fits right into this one. The support I have found in SMO (surromomsonline.com), friends I have made through SMO, connections through the blog, and my family and my IPs are amazing. You don't realize how much support you actually have until you need it and though I feel like having a few emotional days and needing to vent and cry about it a little isn't THAT huge in the scheme of things, it was a call for support and I really felt supported and cared about and was reminded of just how many are there for me if and when I need them. In general I much prefer to be the one GIVING support, but sometimes you need to let your walls down and let others in and it is such a huge relief and blessing to know I can and there will be a gentle place to land if I need to fall, even for just a little while.

As for the past 18 months... my gosh how much has happened in that amount of time?! In March 2010 I was very newly pregnant with my last surrobaby, "S" and honestly going through a fairly rough time in my life in addition to the pregnancy and surrogacy. My mother had passed away in November and I sort of had a mid-life crisis moment and was questioning my relationship, my family, my life, my choices - everything. I didn't lean on the people I should have probably, though I thought I was at the time, and things were difficult for a long time. Thanks to a lot of patience and love from my husband and family and some good counseling over the many following months eventually the world that seemed completely upside down for awhile righted itself and I found a "new" normal. I still miss my mom like crazy... we're coming up on the 2nd anniversary of her death and I miss her so much - so many moments I wish I could call or e-mail her about and share what's going on in my life and just hear her voice, her laughter and her love... I hold her very closely in my heart every day and am glad I can "share" her still with my brother and sister... and though this may seem weird, I actually have some of her ashes here at the house because we have been talking (for almost 2 years now!) about taking a trip of some sort - my brother, sister and I - to scatter her ashes somewhere special and meaningful. We haven't gotten around to actually taking the trip, and I am the keeper of the ashes until then. As weird as it may seem, it has become sort of reassuring to have such a physical reminder of her here with me. I think I am probably the only one of the three of us kids that would and does feel that way about it though! :) It's such a reminder of how differently we all handle and process grief and loss.

Ok, this post has sort of run down all sorts of rabbit trails! :) I guess in summary it has been a very eventful 18 months of my life, filled with some pretty dark lows and many great high moments as well. I am grateful for all of it, and most of all grateful for those who have walked the many miles with me - been by my side offering friendship and love and just being there whenever I needed a hug or a shoulder or an ear and hopefully I have been there for them as well!

So, without further ado - the AWESOME pair of warm fuzzy socks I received from Andy at Today's the Day with a very cool note that I really enjoyed reading. It was so cool to get something from where Andy lives and I wish I had thought to look for something local to send to my sockeroo-ee! :)

Our First Trimester Screening!

2011-09-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first trimester screening ultrasound! Everything was great - babies are growing beautifully at 12w2d measuring 13w0d (heartrate 160) and 12w6d (heartrate 151). The u/s tech and the peri did separate scans and both think we have 2 girls baking! Chad seemed momentarily overwhelmed at the thought of all that estrogen (and there was mention of hair removal from drains)! :D I cannot wait to get a verification on the genders at subsequent ultrasounds since this one still seems so early to me for them to know for sure - if they really are both girls I will be 4 surrobabies for 4, all girls!! I had thought I'd read something somewhere about more girls being born via IVF then boys, but I just did a quick search and had it backwards - apparently more BOYS are born than girls... so apparently I have a picky uterus??!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1316079/IVF-skews-ratio-boys-girls.html

Certain types of IVF treatment may increase the odds of having a boy, research revealed yesterday.

Some methods tip the gender balance to as many as 128 boys being born for every 100 girls. The balance for natural births is 105 boys to 100 girls.

The discovery was made by Australian researchers, who believe that the IVF process may be affecting the sex ratio.

Although the reasons remain unclear, the researchers suggested it could be because male embryos may in some way be better equipped to survive the process.

They warned more research is needed to ensure a serious imbalance of male to female children does not develop as IVF becomes increasingly common....

Compared with natural conception, ICSI produced a lower ratio of male babies (50 per cent) and standard IVF a higher ratio (53 percent).

The stage at which the embryo was transferred had even more effect, with 49.9 percent male births from embryos transferred after two days, compared with 54.1 percent at five days.

I liked the peri, she was very friendly and to the point but gave lots of opportunities for Q&A too. She highly recommended I speak with a nutritionist and follow the diet given by her to help with good birth weights and reducing risk of other potential multiple pregnancy complications. I am considering it and do think it's a good idea especially considering my gastric bypass and might look into it more if it appears I'm having issues gaining weight or eating a balanced diet for the babies (I was informed the peri recommends 100 grams of protein a day and their weight gain goal is 24 pounds by 24 weeks for a twin pregnancy). Jenn said it's up to me if I want to pursue meeting with her or not, but they know I'm fairly knowledgeable about diet and nutrition and have been doing my research since day one, but I'm certainly not against help if it looks like I need it either! :)

I've had a couple rough days, I think sort of feeling almost like I am grieving the "loss" of a normal pregnancy - I keep getting reminded of all the worst case scenario and scary things that can happen and that we're at higher risk for and I know we aren't guaranteed to have issues, but we do have to prepare for them too... I think I miss being a boring singleton pregnancy lady! At the same time I know how excited Jenn and Chad are for these two precious babies and and how very blessed I am to be able to carry these two for them and of course whatever happens it will be WELL worth it! I think I'm just trying to balance preparing for the worst and hoping for the best and have to find a happy place in there. I know in my head and have been reminded that there are plenty of women who have totally normal uneventful twin pregnancies, and there's no reason we can't or won't be one of those. There are some things I can do to help give this pregnancy the best chance at staying healthy and full-term and I just need to focus on what I can do and not what is out of my hands or far off in the future! :) So here's hoping and praying for at least 24 more weeks of growing for Jenn and Chad's twincesses!

I have to say too, I was reminded yet again after our appointment and going home and feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed out how thankful I am for the support I do have - between SMO and the other surro's there, my wonderful hubby even if he is so far away, and of course Jenn and Chad - I was fully able to have a little mini meltdown, be worried but express myself and be supported and then able to shake it off and feel better and get back to feeling "myself"! Communication is so, so important and I am so thankful that Jenn and Chad allow me to feel what I'm feeling and that we can talk through things and figure it out as we go together. That means a lot to me! :) Overall I tend to think of myself as a pretty positive person and I feel guilty when I have sad or negative feelings, but I have learned it's just so much healthier to get them out in the open and work through them so I can get back to feeling positive and I think that's what yesterday was for me and I'm just thankful for all the pretty amazing people I am connected to through this journey who are there for those (hopefully few and far between!) down moments as well as for all the ups!! :)

Here are the two chadifer(ina?)s!!

Kent and I are going to have a mini get away this weekend and head to Southern Cross Guest Ranch for a night and I cannot TELL you how EXCITED I am!! The food they serve there is amazing, not to mention the 24/7 desserts and lemonade, the pool, the rolling pastures to meander with the beautiful horses to pet and watch, the game room, huge video library... I can't wait to take my amazing new camera and get tons of fantastic pictures, stuff myself with yummy food, and spend some good, quality relaxing one on one time with my kiddo. I think it will be really good for us both and can't wait to surprise him this evening with the news!!! :)

Potstickers, Lo Mein and Eggrolls - Oh My!

2011-09-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have figured out today my cravings are becoming more and more asian-centric! It is the weirdest thing! I have never had chinese cravings during pregnancy before. Maybe once or twice when sesame chicken sounded good or something like that, but for about the past week I've wanted potstickers every day, I wanted to make stir fry last night but Kent wasn't interested (so I just had potstickers by themselves)! And today for lunch the only thing that sounds even REMOTELY good is egg drop soup and some house lo-mein from the nearby Chinese restaurant... This is definitely becoming a theme! I wonder how much longer it will last?! At least there are lots of options with chinese and good veggies and protein in there! :) I am definitely having a sensitive stomach day. Breakfast tasted good, but each bite brought a wave of nausea and when I attempted the seafood salad I had bought the other day I thought I was going to have to run straight to the bathroom after one bite. So those ideas went out the window and I decided to go ahead and call Chin Chin's and order something. I cannot believe how much eating out I am doing this time around but I am so PICKY and there are very specific things that sound good at certain times and that's the only thing I am interested in even trying to eat... I don't know if that will change much or not over time, but at least with my energy levels starting to come back up I can make a point to try to cook more at home, even if it is cooking to my very specific tastes at that particular moment in time!

Our Pregnancy: 12 Weeks!

2011-09-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

The final week of the first trimester begins today! Yippee! So excited to be so close to entering the "honeymoon trimester"... though not sure how much of a "honeymoon" to expect with TWO?! We shall see! :)

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Just two more days until our NT scan and getting a peek at these two cutie pies! Can't wait to see them and see how active they are and learn more about where they're positioned and where their placentas are, etc.! Lots of good details to learn!

Still feeling pretty good - tired, but not exhausted and able to stay up a little later and not nap as often which is nice to feel like I'm somewhat back to "normal" pregnant lady status! Still working on keeping a steady stream of food going into my body and trying to work on gaining some weight. With only about 3 1/2 pounds gained so far and just 8 weeks to go to get to 20 weeks I am pretty sure gaining "20 by 20" is completely out of the question at this point, but hopefully I can at least manage 1 per week. We shall see! It really seems weird to me to for once to TRYING to gain weight and to be eating so many more calories than normal and still be gaining at a slower rate than I have typically even with my singleton pregnancies when I had to watch what I ate and make a point to try to be active to not gain a ton... my body is just somehow burning through the calories still. It's amazing to me to think about how much more must be going on for it to need that much more calorie energy!

I still have my glucose meter from doing blood sugar testing during my last pregnancy in place of the GTT and have checked my levels a couple times and they seem to be holding pretty steady/normal so far which is good. I know with a twin pregnancy I am more susceptible to GD and want to keep an eye on my sugar levels and hope they are staying steady and normal and make sure my body is handling what I'm eating well.

I guess that's the update for today! :) I'm sure I'll be back on Thursday evening after our ultrasound with a check in on how the babies looked. :)

Belly pic from this evening (still looking pretty much the same the past couple weeks!!)

11w6d - 3 days 'til NT Scan!

2011-09-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

I am totally counting down for Thursday afternoon and our nuchal translucency screening; I cannot wait to see these two and see how they're growing and how big they're getting! :)

Kent and I had a pretty good weekend, got some errands run on Saturday and even went to a movie on Saturday afternoon. We saw Captain America and I thoroughly enjoyed too much popcorn and some yummy slushie! :) I say this tentatively but hopefully, but I really am starting to feel "better". Less tired and less nausea as of the past few days... fingers crossed it stays this way! I still took it pretty easy over the weekend and sat and laid on the couch quite a bit, but I didn't actually nap either day which I think is a first! And I didn't feel completely wiped out like I have been. Tired still, yes, but definitely better! The queasiness comes and goes - generally it's "fixed" as soon as I eat something and only acts up when I need to eat.

We shopped at Sam's on Saturday and one of the things we brought home was a box of frozen potstickers that only take 12 minutes stove top and they are SOO good! I was so excited to find them! I'd been having a huge potsticker craving from Nothing But Noodles a couple weeks back only to find out the Nothing But Noodles closed down! The sauce packet that comes with the ones I just got is very similar to the dipping sauce from the Nothing But Noodles ones, so I had some happy food moments this weekend! :) I also ended up eating cereal THREE times yesterday! I end up eating each meal twice, plus snacks it seems. So my first breakfast (when my grumbling stomach woke me up around 7am) was honey nut cheerios, went back to sleep for about 3 hours and woke up and make 2nd breakfast of scrambled eggs with ham, cheese and mushrooms and some toast. First lunch was Special K with a banana and some potstickers, 2nd lunch was an egg salad sandwich and 2 pickles. First dinner I am now blanking on, and 2nd dinner, right before bed time was another bowl of Special K with a banana!

I am ready for 2nd breakfast now and am thinking some oatmeal and a peach sounds good so I'm off to fix more food! :) Counting down the next couple days to see Jenn and her babies again! Yippee!! :)

Our Pregnancy: 11 Weeks!

2011-09-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

One week closer to reaching the end of the first trimester! Yippee! :) I am completely exhausted and had a fair amount of queasiness over the long weekend, but other than that I can't complain. I really just want to rest and sleep all the time lately. It is so hard getting up and out of bed with the alarm on work mornings. I crave sleep! A nap is a definite must today, I'm hoping to catch one soon and then just try to make it through the day. I really, really hope my energy levels recover at some point - it's making the work week very difficult for me to say the least.

It's only been a week since we got to peek in on the babies last but I'm already so ready for our next appointment on the 15th just to make sure they're growing well and looking happy and healthy! I think seeing the babies looking good gives me a little "boost" and helps make the hard days a little easier to get through - as long as the babies are happy and healthy all is well! :)

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

I know I'm not supposed to be feeling any movement yet and I'm still not 100% convinced I am - but every now and then I've had a very tiny fluttery/bumping sensation and it makes me wonder... we'll see as the weeks progress if that develops into more noticeable sensations! I can't wait 'til they're big enough for their mommy and daddy to be able to feel and see! :)

I'm still having some of the old brown blood discharge. I thought maybe it was going to stop after very little since Saturday, but it seems to be back to about what it was on Friday today. Sigh. I wish I knew why it was there and why it was taking so long to work its way out! Never having bleeding in a pregnancy to this much is disconcerting to say the least - knowing it's common in IVF and especially in a multiples pregnancy, and knowing many before me have experienced similar to much worse and been fine is somewhat reassuring, but only to a certain extent. I am fairly certain nothing I've done or not done has contributed or caused it, but I can't help the "what if" wonderings - should I be doing something differently? Drinking more water? Should I ignore it completely? I don't know if there is an answer and I know the OB's office wasn't at all concerned about it so I guess I should try not to be too...

I'm looking forward to taking a new belly pic tonight and seeing if there's any noticeable difference yet. I don't feel like that much has changed in the past couple weeks, but we'll see what the picture says! :)

Belly picture from this evening - looks mostly the same as the past couple weeks though I've noticed the upper part of my stomach is actually starting to stick out a little more from everything below pushing up and moving things around!! (Ignore giant puffy eyes please! :D )

10w3d - feeding the endless pit!

2011-09-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

I stayed home today to try to keep my feet up as much as possible. I've been having some old blood discharge the past three days and just felt like taking it easy today was the right thing to do. I am able to stay in touch with the office during the day so was able to get some work done from here.

I have been hungry it feels like every waking moment of today! The biggest problem is nothing sounds good and I can't think of anything to fix myself to eat... so today so far I've eaten:

2 tangerines
several powdered mini donuts
1 large red apple
1 banana
BLT on whole wheat hoagie roll
Lunchables with turkey, cheddar cheese and crackers
Lean Cuisine Swedish Meatballs

That's through lunch...! I put in beef stew ingredients into the crock pot so at least I know I'll have a good hearty filling dinner to enjoy this evening. I am still hungry at the moment and am thinking about fixing an egg and toast - that, cereal or soup are my "go to" items when I'm hungry and need something to eat pretty quickly. Keeping from getting hungry with twins is quite a challenge in itself. I hope it means these two are getting what they need to grow, big, strong and happy! :)

Our Pregnancy: 10 weeks!

2011-08-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

10 weeks! Yippee! We're "double digits" today! :) Another busy week for the adorable baby chadifers. They're busy putting on some weight and size now that all the major development has occurred! It won't be much longer before we won't be able to see them both at the same time on the ultrasound screen. :)

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Jenn mentioned reading all the update e-mails from baby center and other websites and they usually comment about the physical changes the pregnant woman is going through and what you might be experiencing at various stages of pregnancy and so I decided to send her an update this morning on what the hormones from these two cutie pies equates to for me = not wanting to get out of bed in the morning because I'm completely exhausted, bursting into tears (briefly) for absolutely no reason at all in the car on the way to work, being extra annoyed at traffic and as usual very, very hungry pretty much every couple hours. :) That's about my "normal" lately! :D I am fully switched over to maternity clothes at this point. I can still squeeze into some of my pants and skirts, but it's not comfortable and I look more pregnant in regular clothes than I do in maternity which tends to be loose and flowy over the midsection so it doesn't draw extra attention. I'm planning to just tell a select few at work within the next couple weeks but then will leave it at that until the belly gives me away (which I don't think will take much more than another month from now, but we shall see)! :) Hopefully I won't be in this awkward "she looks like she's getting fat" stage for too long! I'm going to take a new belly pic tonight to compare to last week. I don't feel like much has changed, but it's always easier to see in pictures! :)

Only ONE more day in August!! Then we are down to the final 4 months of the year... the fall season is almost here! I am already debating getting my belly painted like a pumpkin around Halloween. I would think I should have a good enough round belly by then to do it, and I've never had it done before and think it would be fun! I'm debating on my Halloween costume for our good friend's annual party as well. I was very pregnant last year with my last surrobabe and went as the unholy Pregnant Nun (and delivered about a week after!) and am thinking I'm going to have to come up with something else for this year!

Here's my 10 week belly picture from this evening, not too much different than about 2 weeks ago I don't think - maybe a little more filled out - we'll see when I really start to "pop out"! :)

9w6d - First OB Visit!

2011-08-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today was our first appointment with the new OB's office. First impression is that it will be fine, and they will be fine with the surrogacy and be great with Jenn and Chad attending when they can and definitely treat them as the parent's which is HUGELY important. It is a big office, part of a bigger women's health group and will be quite an adjustment on my part to what I'm used to. I love my OB's office where everyone knows everyone and am not expecting that at this office at all. I am pretty laid back and not really a high maintenance patient so I'll roll with it, as long as we're getting good care I am happy! Everyone we did interract with today was very nice - though they were calling Jenn my "sister" at first which was funny. I didn't stop and explain it to everyone though, I figured as long as the person actually seeing us in a room understood the dynamic that works for today! :)

My blood pressure, urine and iron levels were all fine which is a good start. They did a papsmear as well and we made a follow up appointment for October 3rd which is in 5 weeks. We have the peri appointment on September 15th, so we tried to space it a little evenly so we don't have back to back appointments between the two offices. The very fun part was our bedside ultrasound! They brought in a little bity portable ultrasound but the images were fantastic! Super clear and here's one of the shots of Baby A and B:

We are 9w6d today and babies are measuring 10w2d (heartrate 158) and 10w0d (heartrate 150). So they are both growing just beautifully! We got quite a show from one of the babies with some waving and what looked like a hiccup. SOOO CUTE! :) They're getting so big and it is just amazing how much detail you can already see on them. Baby A was hanging out all cool and groovy, lounging side ways and Baby B was hanging out upside down (s/he looks like a little frog in this picture!) :)

So all is well with this check up and we don't have anything else until September 15th at the peri's office! I'll be thrilled to reach that 12 week mark and have one big milestone under our belt! :)

Our Pregnancy: 9 Weeks!

2011-08-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

Week 9 has arrived! The chadifers are now grape sized, awww. :) I am actually feeling a little better the past couple days in terms of the queasiness. I've been more hungry than queasy which is a fun and interesting challenge in itself! When I actually let myself get to the point of being hungry, it is painful and very distracting and all I can think about is eating but then I have to figure out what sounds good because my stomach is still fairly sensitive/picky at this point and that alone takes me forever to figure out!

Last night I had to have a baked potato. I thought about it all afternoon and knew that's what I wanted to make to go with the leftover steak I had in the fridge. As soon as I got home I turned the oven on and put a couple in there to bake. About 30 minutes into baking I thought I was going to die of starvation. I ended up eating a bite of something to hold me over, but it is crazy how quickly I can go from fine to ravenous! Happened on the way to work this morning too! I need to just keep some nuts or granola bars in the car or else I'll be stopping for breakfast every single day of the work week. I was about half way into my commute when the stomach pains started, and they were painful and incredibly distracting and I wanted to start chewing on my arm! I made it to work, but the first thing I did was open a small can of mandarin oranges I had in my mini fridge and scarf those down with a cup of cottage cheese. That really just took the edge off though, I'm still hungry and need to figure out what else I'm having for breakfast...

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

It amazes me just how much is already formed and present in these two tiny people, now they just need to grow, grow, grow!

I'm counting down to Thursday, my last day of progesterone and estrogen and then looking forward to our first OB appointment next Monday! Then August will be about over, this month has really flown by!

Surrogacy Together - Inspiring Surrogacy Stories, yours are NEEDED! :)

2011-08-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is the message I received (and was encouraged to pass along)!

This is Jon from ivflandonsurrogacyworld.blogspot.com.

I am working on a book of "Inspiring Surrogacy Stories." You can visit the website for more details at http://www.surrogacytogether.com./

This is your chance for everyone to share your exciting, sad, funny, or inspiring story about Surrogacy.

We have all had personal experiences where someone in the Surrogacy Community supported and helped us navigate the often rough road called the "Surrogacy Journey."

We will be publishing short stories that are no longer than 1,200 words in length.

1. Brief Introduction/Explanation of who you are and your place in the community.
2. Tell us about your most inspiring Surrogacy moment or moments.

Here is an example of how your chapter will look in the ebook.

Title: Here Comes the Calvary
By: Jon Anderson
Blog: http://www.ivflandonsurrogacyworld.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.surrogacytogether.com/
Email: Jon@SurrogacyTogether.com

Your Story will go here

Let me know if you will help and share a story. Plus, can you forward the information to anyone that you think would be interested in sharing their story.

Thanks,
Jon

If you can take a few moments to write down a short story about your inspirational surrogacy moments, and pass this along to other Intended Parents, Former Intended Parents, Surrogates, Former Surrogates, etc. I think this is a great opportunity to come together as a community to help make this project successful and enjoyable for many (the deadline for the inspirational stories is coming up QUICKLY - it's next Monday the 22nd, so get your stories in soon!)

Thank you! :)

8w3d - warning: adorable baby Chadifers!

2011-08-19T05:49:00.000-07:00

We had our final ultrasound at ACRM yesterday! I can't believe we've graduated now from the clinic and are being sent off into the big wide world on our own! :D This experience all around is going to be brand new to me in just about every way, since we have two babies this time and I will be going to a new OB, a new Perinatologist and delivering at a new hospital. Jenn had already received a recommendation for the peri, so that appointment is set for September 15th (we'll be just over 12 weeks, so most likely it will be our nuchal screening appointment) and Dr. Hasty at ACRM gave us an OB recommendation so we have our first OB appointment set up now too! I am looking forward to meeting these doctor's and getting comfortable and familiar with them in the coming months. I have no anxiety at all about having new doctor's, especially since both came so well recommended, I am sure they will be very good doctor's - I just hope I feel comfortable with them. I have had a very good and laid back feeling about most everything through now, and don't see why this would be any different so I'm feeling very positively that I will really like them both and that we will all get great care throughout this pregnancy! :)

So back to the adorable baby Chadifers! I am one proud surro, I must say. These little peanuts are completely adorable and growing beautifully! At 8w2d they measured 8w2d and 8w3d with heart rates of 171 and 179. They are filling out their gestational sacs and you can really start to see their perfect little shapes! It was a wonderful ultrasound and I was so excited and relieved when we could see both of those beautiful little hearts fluttering away.

Jenn texted me copies of the pictures, here are a couple:

Two ever so cute peas in a pod.

Close up of one of the babies, crown to rump measurement.

After our awesome appointment at the clinic we grabbed a quick lunch at Einstein's and I had my very favorite Tasty Turkey on Asiago - my favorite thing to get there! I really like their chicken noodle soup too, yumm! After lunch we said our goodbyes until the next appointment and went back to work.

So all is going well! We are 2/3 of the way through the first trimester, I have an "end date" for meds next Thursday and I'm feeling pretty good most of the time. Tired and queasy, but I think I'm getting used to it! :) I have started going to bed earlier the past couple nights and it really, really helps with how I feel in the morning. I cannot wait for that very last progesterone injection - that will add almost 30 minutes extra that I can sleep before the alarm goes off in the mornings!! Yippee!!

I will be taking a couple hour nap when I get home this afternoon and then heading out to pick Kenneth up at the airport around 11pm! It's going to be a late night, but I cannot wait to see him! Yay!!

8 weeks!

2011-08-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Today we are 8 weeks along! Yay!! 2 months down, 7 more to go! :D

Baby Center info for this week:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

See what's going on in your uterus this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.) Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

Kidney bean sized babies this week! Grow little ones, grow! I am so excited for our Thursday morning ultrasound - just 2 more days 'til the next sneak peek! I know they will look so different since the last time we saw them, they grow so much these first couple months! It will be exciting to get cleared to start our regular prenatal care as well, and essentially "graduate" from the clinic. That's a big milestone too! :)

I have been reading the book I ordered and getting a lot of good information on multiple pregnancies and what to focus on, what to pay attention to, what to watch out for, and how a really good diet can really help eliminate a lot of potential issues and the more healthy weight you gain and the earlier you gain it you are statistically setting yourself up for a longer pregnancy with healthy weights for both babies. It has been good information, though the guidelines they provide are daunting to say the least. Their pre-pregnancy calorie amount is 2,200 (and I don't usually eat anywhere near that much) and then they jump to 3,500 calories suggested for a twin pregnancy! Holy moly! Based on how I normally eat I don't think I need to jump that high to gain the weight they suggest, but when you just look at the numbers they are daunting. I am supposed to gain at least 20 lbs by 20 weeks according to the book, including making up any weight lost at the beginning (I am down not quite 2 lbs from my starting weight right now). I am making a very concerted and focused effort to eat not only regularly throughout the day as suggested (every 2 hours is what the book suggests) but to really focus on what I'm eating and have been doing really well the past couple days. It's much harder some days with the fluctuating nausea and queasiness but so far I've kept everything down and haven't thrown up which is a huge plus! I'm really learning to not push myself to far, to just eat a little bit at a time, and when I start getting that queasy response to eating I just stop and drink some water or do something else for 10 or 15 minutes then come back to what I was eating. It is hard when I'm not hungry very often to eat so regularly, but as long as I'm mindful of the time I do pretty good at getting in a good amount of protein and calories each day. I plug everything into BabyFit during the day and if I'm lacking in the evening I try to make a good bedtime snack to balance out the day (last night I fixed 2 scrambled eggs with an ounce of cheese, a piece of diced lunch meat and a slice of whole wheat toast for my "bedtime snack" or really "2nd dinner!)

I am completely exhausted, and the alarm going off at 5:30 each weekday morning is so annoying. I am sleeping like a total log each night, but that alarm just goes off way too early! I am trying to nap for about 45 minutes to an hour at work during the day most days, that helps a lot with making it through the afternoon in a mostly functioning state! :) The weekends I just use to lounge and catch up from the week. I watched I think 5 or 6 movies on Netflix this past weekend, because I literally spent 90% of my awake time laying down on the couch just resting, and that was after sleeping in 'til I think 10am on Saturday morning and then 8am on Sunday... my body just wants lots of taking it easy and sleeping!

Kenneth gets to come home for this weekend and I can't wait to see him! I'm worried about how little energy I will have, but I'm sure he won't want to really "do" anything and we can just relax at home and enjoy each other's company for a weekend before he heads back to Kansas City. I've already asked him to help me pull my maternity clothes down from the attic and maybe go to Best Buy and help me find a replacement for my old laptop that is SO slow and drives me crazy - I think that will be enough "planned" activity for his brief visit! It will have been 40 days since he left when he comes home!

I will have to add a belly picture this evening when I can get home and take one. My tummy feels like it's seriously popped out a little overnight. I noticed it last night when I was laying down how it was still rounded and this morning my clothes still fit ok but I can really see that bump starting to fill out... we'll see how much longer I can make use of my "normal" wardrobe! :)

Ok, here's my edited add-in of the belly from today!

7w3d ~ Cruising Right Along!

2011-08-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we had a little more bleeding. It wasn't as much or as scary as the first time, and knowing it is hopefully most of the SCH draining is somewhat reassuring - I would much rather the blood come out than stay in there and possibly bother the babies! It didn't last long at all and had already turned to old blood before I left the office that day. Bleeding still stinks though, it is scary to see and makes me all the more ready for our ultrasound next Thursday to peek in and see how the Chadifers are doing!

My cold is finally easing up some, though I am still coughing gunk up throughout the day. It's old and I'm over it! This has been hanging on for a week now and needs to GO AWAY. I have no plans this weekend and am really going to try to take it easy and hope resting and lots of fluids are what I need to kick this thing to the curb! Depending on how I feel on Sunday I might take Kent to a movie, I know we haven't done anything very "exciting" lately and he's been a good sport and a good helper to me and I am very thankful for that!

I had fixed spaghetti on Wednesday and we had leftover sauce to warm up for dinner last night. I made some pasta and green beans and heated the sauce and had eaten about 5 bites of dinner before I just couldn't stand it anymore... It just made my whole stomach turn over and amped up the queasiness multiple notches. I set it aside and waited and hoped it would stop. The queasiness didn't really let up but eventually I decided some crackers sounded good and had a few handfuls of goldfish crackers instead... not exactly a dinner of champions, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

I have started tracking my food intake through BabyFit most days, to get a feel for how much protein I'm eating and tracking other nutrients like calcium as well. It helps me get a sense for where I'm at each day and what foods are packing the most "bang" for their "buck" so I can try to make sure to get in everything these two will need to grow healthy and strong in the coming months. I'm reading labels a lot more carefully now too - the first thing I look at is protein content! I've been doing tons of internet research for menu ideas, good protein sources, etc. I actually haven't found a great website or resource online yet that has menu suggestions for a twin pregnancy, but did find the Brewer's Diet which I'd heard of before. It gives you guidelines but not really a meal plan or actual meal suggestions. It's still a good resource though. I have already ordered "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy" by Tamara Eberlein and Barbara Luke and am looking forward to that arriving so I can look through and get some guidance from a resource many have recommended.

I did find this sample menu:

Eating for Three: Sample Daily Menu for Twin Pregnancy

Breakfast
4 oz. orange or grapfruit juice
2 eggs
2 slices whole grain bread or muffins
butter
8 oz. "super milk" (whole milk with 1 cup powdered nonfat milk--not protein powder--mixed in to give extra protein)

Morning Snack--you may feel like eating every couple of hours
2 oz. Swiss cheese
whole grain crackers
medium apple, peach, or other fresh fruit
4 oz. tomato juice or real lemonade

Lunch
4 oz. hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and mayonaise
whole grain roll or 2 slices whole grain bread
8 oz. "super milk"
1/2 cup potato salad or beans
1 cup vegetable soup

Mid-afternoon Snack
1/2 cup cottage cheese in a raw pepper or tomato
1 cup chicken or beef broth
whole grain croutons or bread sticks

Dinner
8 oz. "super milk"
1/2 cup fruit cocktail (variety of fresh, frozen, or canned fruits)
6 oz. chicken (two breasts, three legs)
1 cup brown rice (cooked in chicken broth rather than water to absorb extra protein)
1 cup green salad with dressing
butter
1/2 cup broccoli or spinach
1/2 cup carrots or squash

Evening Snack
1 cup pudding (made with "super milk") or egg custard
1/4 cup salted nuts

Middle-of-the-night Snack (when you have to get up to go to the bathroom)
choice of: milk, cheese, hard-boiled egg, yogurt, 2 oz. meat, nuts, peanut butter on whole wheat toast (focus: extra protein)

Salt to Taste, Drink to Thirst: your requirements are even greater because of the extra baby you're growing!

Goal: a minimum of 30g additional protein (130 g total) and 500 extra calories above the basic pregnancy diet, plus all other vitamins and minerals; these needs could be met simply by adding a quart of milk a day to the basic Brewer Diet.

This isn't really all that different than the suggestions I see on BabyFit which I used a lot last pregnancy for meal planning and snack planning which is good. In general these are the types of things I try to eat and snack on anyway. I made a "trail mix" the other day with sunflower seeds, dried cherries and cashews and brought that to work for a quick snack, and keep Luna bars around for the days I'm having a hard time eating and need some yummy protein and nutrients. I love cottage cheese with mandarin oranges and picked up some more cottage cheese up at the grocery store yesterday. Peanut butter and apples has been a go to snack the past week or so and I'm stocked up on milk, yogurt and cheese sticks too. I was surprised that 1 80-calorie mozzarella cheese stick has I think it was 8 grams of protein in it! So, mainly I have to listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry and just make sure that what I'm eating is valuable and try to keep good food options around me all the time. I think I need to keep some almonds or something in my room - I woke up at like 2 in the morning and my stomach was growling last night! I have already learned I HAVE to eat something right before I go to bed (which is usually around 9:30); if I don't I will have a hard time falling asleep because I'll be thinking about eating while my stomach starts to growl. I have been opting for an apple or peanut butter toast the past couple nights. I don't usually eat that many apples, I usually prefer bananas or oranges or strawberries, but crunchy red apples have been on my "eat every day list" the past week or so!

In any event, as you can see lots of thought going into food this week! :) I am very glad it's Friday and ready for a quiet weekend home with my boy and the puppies. Kenneth said he might try to come home next weekend and I'm so excited! I hope he does! It's hard to believe it's already been over a month since he left for Kansas City. So much has happened since then!

Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese

2011-08-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

It's a triumphant return to the kitchen!! :D Well, kind of - I actually made this probably a month ago and had it pending to post but hadn't gotten around to it. Thanks to the two baby beans I'm now working on "baking" 24/7 my energy level for kitchen cooking has not been as high. I have missed it though and Kent and I made a quick and easy dish together last night that was so yummy and it felt good to have something comforting and homemade - hopefully I will get back in the swing of things and enjoy being in the kitchen on a regular basis again now! :)

This mac and cheese dish was great! It was very creamy, and easy to throw together and Kent gobbled it up and essentially requested this be the "end all be all" mac and cheese recipe from here on out. In other words, he gave it the thumbs up. :)

Started with parmesan cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, macaroni noodles, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, butter and shredded white cheddar cheese.

Into the boiling water went the macaroni noodles!

Next all forms of "cheese" got mixed together in the casserole dish.

Followed by some salt and pepper to taste.

The cooked noodles were added into the other ingredients.

That was mixed together and the breadcrumb topping was prepared next.

Added in breadcrumbs to melted butter and combined.

Those were sprinkled evenly over the noodle mixture.

Ready to hit the oven!

Baked up, golden brown and delicious!

Doesn't that look TASTY?! Perfect addition to ribs and corn for a classic and comforting dinner.

NOTE: I left the original recipe untouched below, as that is how I made the recipe above (although I did halve the original recipe); however I would make a note of the fact that this makes a HUGE amount of breadcrumb topping and next time I will cut that part in half, but otherwise I'll follow the ingredients! :)

Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese By: MRSO on AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.
In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

7 weeks!

2011-08-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

The chadifer's are growing, growing, growing! This week:

How Jenn and Chad's babies are growing:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

The actual belly - still pretty much bloat, but actually does look a little rounder to me than the first pic I took 2 weeks ago... will be fun to watch it GROW along with the babies! :)

I am still sick, I took today off again to rest and slept most of the morning through mid-afternoon. I do feel a little better than I did this morning, but still have the cough and am so very, very tired. My body just doesn't seem to be coping all that well with being sick and pregnant at the same time. I am taking it as easy as I can and pushing fluids and taking my vitamins so not really sure what else I can do... guess it's just going to take time to work its way out of my system...

Our next ultrasound is scheduled for the 18th, babies will be about 8 1/2 weeks along by then and I'm so excited for our next peek in at them! I can't wait to see how much they've grown - it never ceases to absolutely amaze me at the growth and changes that take place in these first couple months! One more month and we'll be on our way out of the first trimester! That is awesome!! It's always such a great milestone moment to get into the 2nd trimester. I just can't wait to see what all will come and the changes that will take place - I am looking forward to being amazed yet again by the human body - mine and those little ones growing inside! I am so blessed and feel excited for this pregnancy! :)

6w6d - check in and update!

2011-08-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

It was an eventful weekend, though I would love to say it was just boring! I came down with a cold of some sort that really started hitting me on Friday and knew I'd be resting over the weekend. I woke up feeling the worst I'd felt so far on Saturday with barely any voice, my throat was really raw and scratchy and I kept coughing. I got settled on the couch in my pajamas and was watching some movies and napping, sucking on cough drops and drinking water when I felt something and thought it might be bleeding. I checked quickly and there was a little bit. I went to the bathroom and not a lot, but a light steady stream was coming out. I was really, really freaking out - I've never had bleeding with any of my pregnancies except for maybe an episode or two of very minor spotting, but never actual bleeding like this. There were no clots and it wasn't gushing, and I figured those were good signs. I put on a pad and went back to the couch and got my feet up and started drinking more water, I was having some fairly painful cramping too and so I sent my IM a note to give her the update. We were all pretty worried and after talking to the clinic Jenn got us an ultrasound appointment for the next morning at 8:45.

All afternoon I just drank water, and pretty much got up to use the bathroom and then laid back down keeping my feel slightly elevated. I prayed for the babies and hoped the fact that the bleeding had pretty much stopped after a couple hours and the cramps were gone were good signs and that we would see heartbeats in the morning. I was so worried for Jenn and Chad's little ones...

Finally the next morning came and I showered and we got ready to go, I felt bad getting Kent up early on a weekend, but he was a pretty good sport when I bribed him with breakfast from McDonald's. I drank more water all the way to the clinic. That morning all I'd seen was some old blood, and not much so again I kept hoping that was a good sign and things would be ok...

We got to the clinic about the same time as Jenn and Chad, I was using the bathroom when I got a text letting me know they were getting us signed in. I met them in the lobby and they took us back pretty much right away. Dr. Denis who did our transfer was there to do the ultrasound. When I gave him the overview of what had happened he didn't appear too worried and once the ultrasound was started (I think I actually held my breath for a moment) he did indeed find two beautiful healthy heartbeats without any issue... What a HUGE relief... I think you could feel it in the room! He took more measurements and listened to heartbeats - both babies had grown in the 3 days since we'd first seen them when they measured 6w1d to 6w6d and 7w0d with heartrates from 126 and 127 to 134 and 139 - very good growth for them both! There is indeed a bleed, at the bottom of the sacs where it should have "easy access" to drain without disturbing the babies if it doesn't reabsorb first. From other surro's I've talked to, one near the cervix might bleed more than one higher up, but hopefully won't last more than a couple weeks or so - our next ultrasound is scheduled for the 18th pending no more bleeding most likely, so hopefully we will have an uneventful week plus and see healthy 8 1/2 week babies on the 18th!

Here are the "chadifers" as of Sunday the 7th at 6w5d, measuring 1 and 2 days ahead - grow little ones, grow! :)

I am feeling pretty cruddy this past week, the all day queasiness comes and goes as it pleases - I've had maybe one day in the past week I felt pretty good nausea wise and ate fairly normally, the rest of the time I have to remind myself to try to eat on some sort of schedule because the queasiness is just always there, threatening to make me upchuck whatever I try to ingest if I take that one last bite... still haven't had any vomitting yet (knock on wood!!) and hoping it might just stay away awhile longer - we shall see! I haven't felt like cooking at all, I pretty much am exhausted and want to be a bum when I'm home in the evenings on work nights, but I miss cooking too so I'm hoping to maybe venture back into the kitchen and try something more challenging than my "go-to" Peanut Butter & Honey sandwich or fried egg and toast which seems to be about all I "fix" anymore! Tuna noodle casserole was sounding really good yesterday - we'll see if my stomach still thinks so this evening! :)