Little Heartbeats

Today we heard our babies heartbeats for the first time!  AMAZING!!!
We met with our new doctor today and we really, really liked her.  Thank goodness.
We started out first with the ultrasound (see pics below) - Today we are 12 weeks, 6 days and the babies are both measuring 13 weeks, 1 day so they are growing - hooray!  When I weighed in this morning I was only up 1 pound from 4 weeks ago.  So much for the other 2 pounds I gained last week. Ugh. The doc said that was just fine with my weight that most of her multiple patients aren't able to gain much the first 12 weeks because of nausea.  She said  that I do need to stick to eating a 3000 calories a day plan though. She said she doesn't like "fake calories" from Ensure and Boost drinks that i need to eat "real food" with lots of fruits and vegetables and protein.  She also told me that I can return to my "spin class" at the Wellness Center. She said she would prefer I continue my spin class than to walk for 30 minutes because it is less impact. So spin class and swimming it will be then :)  She also corrected our last doctor and our due date - she said that there is no reason I can't make it to 38 weeks and so our goal date is now December 20th!!!!  Santa will be delivering them on his sleigh to us this year.  WOW!  We also told the ultrasound tech we do NOT want to know what we are having and she said that it was very rare that couples with twins usually always want to know.....we told her NO WAY - we want to be surprised!  We go back on July 25th for another full scan and measurements, etc and then we will start seeing the doctor every 2 weeks for the remainder of our pregnancy.   She also said she prefers vaginal deliveries which made me SUPER excited because I really, really want to to try for a natural birth and avoid a C-section. I guess it will determine how the babies are positioned but we are holding out hope for a regular delivery.

Baby A - Heartbeat 148 - waved to us this morning on the ultrasound screen - we were both
in awe!

Baby B - Heartbeat 152 - beat its little fist on the sac and kicked and jumped around on the ultrasound

this morning - Amazing  - I can't wait to feel them moving around inside me soon!



Week 12 Update

Last Tuesday we FINALLY reached WEEK 12! Hooray!

I have been writing in The Belly Book recording each week and the different events so I thought I would share a list of the things that totally repulse me and make my stomach churn at the thought of them:
Buttered Popcorn, Perfume/Cologne, egg salad, body wash from Bath and Body, Avocados, eggs, hot dog chili and my wife's scented Burt's Bees Chapstick.  What a crazy but funny list, huh?!

Tomorrow we have an appointment at 8:30am and will get meet with our new high-risk OB physician.
They have us scheduled for genetic counseling and an ultrasound - can't wait!  It has been 5 weeks since our last scan at 8 weeks - seems like forever.....

Last week I traveled for work from Sun-Wed, I ate as much protein and ice cream as I could and when I got home I had gained 3 pounds - I was so excited since I haven't gained a pound to date.  I am drinking Ensure and eating Clif protein bars and still trying like heck to reach that 3000 calories a day goal. I find it nearly impossible to digest that much food.  When I came back on Wednesday I ended up with a migraine that lasted until Friday. I was so so sick.  Wren did a great job of taking care of me, bringing me cold washcloths, sprite, Tylenol and Zofran.   Thank God after 3 days it went away. It must have been my hormones readjusting from going off the IVF meds at 10 weeks because I have done really well with only having one so far in our pregnancy.

Despite my lack of weight gain, my mid-section is certainly expanding. 

We also felt the babies for the first time on Friday, June 17th while relaxing in bed.
On my lower belly and my mid section you could feel light flutters which felt like butterflies on the palm of our hands - both Wren and I could feel them - it was amazing!!!!  I can't wait until they start kicking and moving around so I know they are ok - only a few more weeks :)

We are off to visit my parents later this week so looking forward to some R&R.  Wren has been so busy working, working, working that it will be nice to spend a couple of days together uninterrupted.  Can't wait!
Have a great week!

Week 10 in review

We have been such bad bloggers lately -- and the twins aren't even here yet! Wren and I have just been in our own little world the past few weeks. We did meet with our OBGYN 2 weeks ago for our first visit. I would say it went well. It is just difficult leaving our fertility Dr and staff whom we have worked with for almost 2 years and built that rapport with. We don't really have a choice in this Dr, she is the only high risk Dr in the area. We haven't actually met with her yet, but Wren does know her and has even been to a dinner party at her house (all work related) so there is SOME chemistry there.

Wren had a board meeting at the beginning of the month at which she made the announcement that we were expecting and laid our her leave plan. She has also told her staff, 2 of which just had babies of their own and have been very gracious with advice, passing down maternity clothes, etc, etc. I, on the other hand, have not made the announcement at work yet. My work partner knows (she herself just had a baby girl in Feb and is also passing out advice left and right) but I still have to turn in my letter to my supervisor and Chief (I work for our city's police dept).

Last week Wren officially went off the fertility meds!! What a huge relief! No more va-jay jay medicine which no longer makes it a restricted area :)  Her body hasn't quite caught up with the hormone levels though and she got hit with her first pregnancy migraine last Monday. Luckily it was gone by early evening and hasn't been back since. Her morning sickness is not as bad as it has been. I think she has figured out though that by eating every 2 hours during the day and a midnight snack gets her through the day and less nauseated in the morning.

 And that puts us into our next topic: -- Wren's Calorie Intake
One of the things we talked about during our visit with the OBGYN was nutrition and calorie intake. Now, let me bring you up to speed -- a little over a year ago, Wren and I started a weight-loss and overall health journey. This came after watching Super-Size Me and Food, Inc. We decided we wanted to loose some weight and then really began understanding where our food comes from or what all it's "filled" with. We began a mostly raw food diet -- fruits, veggies, nuts and what meat we do eat, we make sure the chickens are not filled with antibiotics and are cage free. Also that beef is grass fed. Cutting out processed food was the best thing we have ever done for ourselves. We both immediately started loosing weight and felt so much better. We have continued that lifestyle and wish to remain doing so. Now grant it, I'm not saying we don't slide through the McDonalds or Chic-Fil-A drive through every now and then, but overall -- this is the food lifestyle we want now. This spring we planted a good sized garden for the two of us and some neighbors including white and yellow potatoes, beets, peas, carrots, lettuce/spinach, tomatoes, and green beans. Also a small herb garden (that I need to finish planting....but that's another story). SO, onto my point -- according to Wren's BMI and age and shoe size and whatever else they use to calculate all these things -- Wren is supposed to eat 3200 calories a day! WHOA!!!! Do you know how hard it is to eat that much food??? She has been keeping a food journal and the closest she has gotten so far is 2700. She is literally eating all the time and hasn't met her calorie intake -- nor has she gained a single pound! She is actually loosing weight! I'm starting to think she has hungry hippos in her tummy, not hungry little birds! Maybe we should re-name the blog! The point is, we are trying to make healthy, nutritional decisions for the babies and not just pump them full of big macs to meet the calorie number. Any of you have advice????

Aside from that, we are just busy nesting. We are both total type A personalities and have our pregnancy check list going to make sure we are well prepared when the babies are born. I think we have EVERY book published on multiples and lesbian parenting. When we say, "We are 10 weeks pregnant" it doesn't sound very far at all, but the way our brains think is --- "realistically, multiples are full term at 36 weeks and that means we only have 26 weeks left!"  I know it goes by fast. Take for instance the Monkeys -- I feel like they just announced that they were pregnant and little monkey was the size of a blueberry. Now, they are almost due and he is up to the size of a melon!!!!

Hope you are all having a good summer so far! Enjoy your week!
~Finch

Ultrasound #3

We went for our last appointment with our Fertility doctor today.  It was certainly bittersweet and sad after working with them for so long.  The morning started off with a little scare though but all is ok.  When I woke this morning I noticed i was spotting light pink/brownish when I wiped. Instantly my heart dropped and I yelled for Finch.  Luckily we already had an ultrasound scheduled at 8:15am.  I haven't spotted at all since becoming pregnant so it was our first big scare.  When I told the doc she didn't seem overly concerned and said that can be perfectly normal in the first trimester.  She performed the ultrasound herself today and said everything looks great!!! She said there were no signs of any bleeding or a tear and the babies had great strong heart beats today - both sacs looked clear and healthy.  The babies have grown SO MUCH in just a week - today we could see the little arm and leg buds and even the spinal cord on each baby!!! Amazing!  Both babies are measuring 8 weeks 2 days.  Baby A had a heartbeat of 163 and Baby B had a heartbeat of 155.   Needless to say I started crying while laying on the table because I was relieved to see their little hearts beating away and really started crying after our doc and nurse hugged us goodbye and told us we had graduated from their program.   We start with our new high risk OB next Wed on June 1st and will be monitored every 2 weeks for the remainder of the pregnancy.  Thank goodness I am now transitioning off of the Endometrium and Estradiol and will be finished both in less than 15 days - hooray!!!!!  I have been home resting all day with my feet up and drinking lots of water.  I haven't spotted since around 10am so praying that all will continue to go well and we won't have another scary morning like today.

OUR BABIES  MEASURING 8 WEEKS, 2 DAYS

BABY A

                                                                             BABY B

Wedding and camping recap

*****Warning!!! Warning!!!! Long post filled with lots of pics*****
 
Wren and I just got back today from a GREAT camping trip to one of our all time fav places -- Seneca Rocks, WV. Saturday marked the celebration of our 2nd year wedding anniversary. So, before I share our weekend adventure photos, I thought it only appropriate to share some of my fav wedding pics.

This pic is just before our ceremony

One of our favs -- the grass is so green and the lighthouse in the background makes it just beautiful. There is also a trick in this pic...how many hearts can you find???

Sealed with a kiss, or two....or three :)

Yay! We are "official!"

Our bling

Infront of Edgartown Lighthouse, Ma

And one last kiss!

It's def hard to believe we have been married for two years all ready. I really didn't think being married would feel that different and it was really Wren who wanted the wedding. I have to say though, looking back -- she's right, it does make a difference. All for the better, of course, but def a difference. I like having our vows to look back on and remember and I think that those same vows hold us very much accountable for our actions. I can honestly say that we still recite our vows to each other every now and then or put them into a card, just as a reminder. And I love Wren even more now then the day we were married!! :)

Ok, enough of the mushy stuff! We had a wonderful weekend and great weather. For those of you not on the east coast, it's been a bit wet lately with rain almost everyday for the past two weeks. West Virginia has especially been hit hard. But luckily, we had a two day window with no rain -- and no rapture might I add, and enough beautiful weather to enjoy some camping and hiking.

So why Seneca Rocks? It's actually been one of Wren's fav spots for a very long time -- loooong before I came around. There is indeed something very relaxing and calming about it. It is also one the spot of Wren and I's first camping trip together when we first started dating, so it holds special memories (wink, wink!).

We left our house early Friday morning, drove to Seneca and had camp set up by 1pm. Then we rested for a while and took a drive to Green Bank, Wv site of the largest moving satellite in the world. Scientists from around the globe study there and can tap into the satellite which transmits radio signals into space. Why is that important??? Somehow sending these signals into space allows scientists to study black holes, distant galaxies, orphan planets, other solar systems, etc. And yes, Wren and I are total dorks and love learning new things!!! After leaving Green Bank we returned to camp, grilled dinner, sat by the fire and relaxed by catching up on some reading.

It's hard to see from the pic but trust me, this thing is huge! You can actually fit 2 football fields inside the basin part.

Wren enjoying the fire and her new book "Juggling Twins"

Home sweet home for the weekend

Me and my new book, also about TWINS!!!

Ah, now this is almost heaven WV! Our view from our tent/campsite. I can't even begin to tell you how many trout were caught from this spot over the weekend. Just gorgeous!

Saturday morning we got up and had breakfast complete with coffee, toast and pancakes. Yes, all possible when you go camping -- or "glamping" (glamorous camping) as our Dr likes to say. After breakfast, we stopped by the local post office to mail out our announcements to our family and closest friends. I'm sure the calls and txts will start Monday or Tuesday when everyone receives their cards! Then we went to a hiking/ National Forrest area called Dolly Sods. I have never hiked the area, but let me tell you -- if you need to get away, this is the spot! One spot we hiked to was so high, but peaceful and you didn't hear anything. N.O.T.H.I.NG. It was almost euphoric. We had a picnic on one set of rocks up there and then tried to take another trail but found it to be like the wetlands and decided to abort. Back to camp we went to prepare dinner for Wren's father and step-mom. They live about 40 mins away from where we camped and invited them over so we could tell them the news. We think they were both very happy. Wren's dad doesn't really talk about his feelings but he smiled when he saw the announcement and was in a good mood the rest of their visit.

Gotta have my coffee in the morning, roughing it or not! Also some pancakes on the griddle.

Wren and I

One view of Dolly Sods, the pic just doesn't do it justice

another view

Ahhh! Now this is a vacation!

Wren on a fun looking rock

This was the sign on one of the trails -- Yikes!

Our "toaster!"

All in all, it was a great weekend! One that we will remember as one of our last camping trips where it will be ''just us.''  However, we are happy to add two additional hikers to our family. We have our last appointment with our fertility clinic Dr this Wednesday. Will post another update then. Until then, I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

~Finch

7 weeks 1 day - Ultrasound #2

Gosh it is amazing how quickly babies grow!!!!  Today was our 2nd ultrasound and both babies have  doubled in size from last week.  The tech was able to measure both heartbeats this time  Baby A was 113 and Baby B was 119.  According to http://www.americanpregnancy.com/ says that they are right on track!!!! yay!

Week 7 - Gestational Age (Fetal Age 5 weeks)

Generally from 6 ½ -7 weeks is the time when a heartbeat can be detected and viability can be assessed. A normal heartbeat at 6-7 weeks would be 90-110 beats per minute. The presence of an embryonic heartbeat is an assuring sign of the health of the pregnancy. Once a heartbeat is detected, the chance of the pregnancy continuing ranges from 70-90% dependent on what type of ultrasound is used.

We go back next Wednesday for our final ultrasound with our Fertility doc so looking forward to seeing how much they grow and change - it is truly amazing to watch!




So I called my Insurance today to find out if they would cover a Nutritionist Consult and for a $20 co-pay - they cover 100%! FINALLY!!!!! They didn't cover ANY of our meds or treatment so it's about time they start paying for our pregnancy!!!! I go tomorrow at 12:30 to meet with a Nutritionist to review my diet and give me suggestions on how much and what I need to be eating to make healthy twins....I know it is different from a singleton and I need 600 extra calories a day - but that is a lot of calories! I feel like I am eating constantly and although I have been eating I have actually dropped 2 pounds in the past couple of weeks. I have been doing a food journal the past week so she can review what i am eating and give me tips on how to avoid gestational diabetes and hopefully carry them to term.  That is the goal. 

Finch and I are off on Friday morning to go celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary - we have been together 4 years total and are very excited to run away for the weekend!!!! We are off to our favorite camping spot - Seneca Rocks, WV!  If you haven't been there - it is a must - absolutely beautiful!  No cell phone service....no computer access...... Almost Heaven WV!! Love it!!!  Happy Anniversary on May 21st to my amazing wife - so happy to be on this journey with you!

Sharing the *NEWS*

Tomorrow is my MIL birthday so Finch and I took her mom and dad out for breakfast this morning... After we returned from breakfast she opened her gifts. Her 2nd gift was a framed picture of our 1st Ultrasound. We put it in a "Grandkids are the sunshine of life" frame - and put a pink and a blue pacifier and baby tissue paper and included an announcement card that said   (outside)Guess "Whooooo" is expecting... with a big Owl and a Tree and flowers (inside)  TWINS!!! with little baby foot prints and listed  "mommies to be" and our "due date."   Her mom and dad were shocked and excited!!!  If you remember a few posts back I wrote about we were a little nervous for her dad's reaction because he is a preacher and grew up in a very conservative Mennonite family.  He congratulated us and gave us each a hug - he said he hadn't planned on being a grandpa again as the other grandkids are 12, 16 and 17 now but was happy!  Finch's mom said well I guess I can work til December and then retire and we told her yes, we would hire her as our nanny!!!  She love loves children and used to run a daycare in her home....we are very blessed to have her support and know that she will be able to help us out along the way!  Finch and I breathed a HUGE HUGE sigh of relief as we drove away this afternoon.  Her parents are my parents and I would have been very disappointed and sad if our exciting news wasn't received with excitement and joy for us.   We will be telling my dad/stepmom this Friday/Saturday as Finch and I are taking off for the weekend to celebrate our 2 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY on May 21st!  Once we tell my dad, we have about 40 personalized cards to mail out to our closest family members and friends. so they can join in on the celebration!  Our 2nd Ultrasound is this Wednesday.... can't wait to see if they can measure the heartbeats this week - fingers crossed!!