20 weeks

Thursday marked 20 weeks! The baby has been moving and I think we're almost to the point of feeling his movements from the outside of my belly! I can still tell the difference though with the anterior placenta (as opposed to with my kids, posterior placentas). My next OB appointment is tomorrow, and K may not make it to this one if she doesn't find a sitter for the kids. But hopefully the next time I see her she will get to feel her little one's kicks!
I woke up early Friday morning sick and it continued throughout the day. I started having sharp cramps that felt like contractions to me during the day so I called my OBs on call line and he got back to me and said to only drink water, Sprite, and Ginger-ale, no food, for at least 24 hours. He said that cramps and even contractions are common when you are sick and dehydrated, but if they got severe or persisted to go in to L&D at the hospital. He said if the cramps had stopped within the 24 hours that I could switch to the BRAT diet. (Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). It was a little scary having the sharp contractions, but they were up higher only, and I knew everything would be okay. I checked the baby's heartbeat and continued to feel him moving, so besides feeling terrible, I was at peace. Thankfully this morning I'm feeling almost 100% better and my appetite is back full force, just a little weak from not eating much the last two days.
Here is a picture from Thursday. The left side of the picture is from babycenter.com.
K & M's baby is about 10 inches long from head to heel now; and is producing meconium which will accumulte in his intestines until he's here and makes that first poopy diaper, which his wonderful parents will be so happy to change!

20 weeks

Sono picture

This is from the last appointment, baby was sucking his thumb in the bottom picture, so cute. K&M have now shared the news with their family and friends, and their kids are so excited of course!
I started feeling some movement two days ago, they're still subtle but I am glad to feel the kicks/stretches!

17.5 weeks

Today K & M drove down for an appointment, which included the anatomy sonogram. We found out baby is a boy! They planned on telling the big siblings tonight about the baby, then later do a gender reveal for them with balloons in a box! Funny thing is, although they still did not know about the pregnancy and soon-to-be sibling, one of the boys recently requested "a baby brother that is a boy". So cute! Although big sister argued she'd prefer another little sister! I'm sure either way all four big siblings will be so excited to welcome their baby brother in five months!
We also found out at the appointment that the placenta is on top (anterior) which is what I was suspecting since I have yet to feel any for-sure fetal movements. It still may be a few more weeks before I can feel anything because of this. Its fairly common and shouldn't cause any issues with the pregnancy or delivery.
When Dr Reeves was adjusting the due date back to April 4th, (it had somehow got changed in the computer to April 2) he said March 28th would be when he would recommend scheduling the repeat c-section for! That will be on Olivia's 4th birthday! I think that would be so special if it works out to have him on that day! One of the happiest days of my life, and now might be the day I deliver a family's bundle of joy to them! Olivia was thrilled to hear this news!
The baby was measuring 18 weeks today (will be 18 weeks on Thursday this week), and my uterus is measuring 23cm, big I know!


17weeks1day

16 weeks

Tuesday night I started getting worried that I hadn't felt the baby's movements yet. I couldn't remember when I felt Olivia and Conner's first flutters, so I tried looking back through old emails and such, and found I had probably felt Olivia around 18 weeks, and no clue about Conner. Once I got myself worrying it was hard to shake, so I told Mike yesterday morning that I was worried and was going to call my doctor and see if I could go in for a quick heartbeat check. I let K know and she was praying and nervous too. I think we both still felt that everything was okay, but better to check and have peace of mind. I called and got an appointment for 2:30, and me and the kids headed to my moms house to visit my nephew who was visiting. The kids stayed while I went to the appointment. Once there, the nurse did the routine checks and then used the doppler to find the baby's heartbeat. It felt like it took sooo long to find, but once she caught it for a split second we heard why. The baby must have been turning flips because we could hear the commotion. He/she then calmed down and let us listen to the heartbeat for a while at 154 beats per minute. Dr Reeves came in and talked to me and reassured me that I do everything I'm supposed to, my previous pregnancies have had great outcomes and so will this one. He also said its common when you're dealing with someone else's kid (he calls them kids, even when they're itty bitty in utero) to be more cautious. We are keeping our next appointment on October 29, which will include an ultrasound! K will be coming and will likely have the sonographer write down baby's gender and do a "gender reveal" with her family. I'm also having Mike come with me to this next appointment. I want him to be able to see the doctor again too before the day of delivery.
Yesterday evening I went to a friends house to pick up a pocket doppler which she's letting me borrow. Olivia and I tried it out this morning and I love it!
Today is exactly 16 weeks, less than a month away from halfway!
Baby's heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day, his/her toenails have started growing, and baby will double in weight over the next few weeks.
I'm feeling good, and haven't had any crazy cravings lately, just been on this lemon water kick, with a very high lemon to water ratio! So sour but so good. I of course don't do it too often since I need it to be real lemon. I tried the packaged kind and it is not the same! In fact I'm going to squeeze the other half of the lemon I have left and have some now! Yum!
Thanks everyone for all the support, it's really great having such positive people around me during this!
The avocado picture is from babycenter.com; the other is Olivia helping me with the heartbeat "microphone."

Recent picture

It seemed like my belly has started growing quite a bit this week, here's a picture from Wednesday (one day shy of 15 weeks)

change in plans

Last friday (Sep. 28) K and I went for another OB appointment. It was great seeing her again, and I'm really glad that it looks like she'll be able to make it to many/most of the appointments. We had talked about a week before that and decided to see the doctor, Dr. Reeves, who I saw when I was pregnant with Conner (and also delivered him.) I had originally ruled him out as I was wanting the option of a VBAC. Dr Reeves doesn't do VBACs and we talked to him about that. I'm still a little torn but I do trust him as a doctor. Mike was a little upset too because he knew that it was important to me to have the option, although he trusts me and the doctor to do what is best. Its weighed heavily on K's heart too and I feel there's always a reason for things like that. She also loves Dr. Reeves. We did an ultrasound and got to see baby moving around, and heard the heartbeat. I think the heart rate was 136 this time but I've slept since then so I can't be sure! The baby was measuring a couple days big. Conner was the same way, and he was a big baby when he was born! I've also read that for some reason babies that were "frozen" embryos tend to have higher birth weights, so I'm guessing this baby will be pleasantly plump! K&M's other children have been big too.

 

K and M's little one at 13weeks 1day

Our next appointment is in 3 weeks at 17.5 weeks gestation. We forgot to ask if we will be doing the anatomy ultrasound then, but I'll probably call and check. If I remember correctly, we did Conner's right at 20 weeks. Today (Oct 8) we are 14 weeks and 4 days. OH! Good news, I've been off all meds for a couple of weeks now! Yay! I'm starting to show a little but I think I really just look bloated still. Baby is 3 1/2 inches from head to bottom, about the size of a lemon now, according to babycenter.

Here's a picture Olivia took, one day shy of 12 weeks:

 

I'll take an updated one soon, but I don't feel like getting dressed today. And yes, the day is almost over, haha!

rancho grande!

Last week was our first OB appointment! K was able to drive down and Denise and Wendy from the agency also met us there. K arrived into town a little earlier than expected so she met me at my house (I was waiting for my hibernating bear to wake up) and then we went to eat. My mom met us at my favorite Mexican restaurant Rancho Grande and we all ate and mom took the kids with her afterwards. We also got to see some wonderful friends while we were there too! K loved the food and has been craving it, and after talking to her again today so am I!
We got to the doctor's office and I started filling out all the wonderful paperwork, then we were called back. The nurse had a ton of medical questions for myself and K. Once the doc came in, he had some more questions for us and we got to discuss some things with him. Then was the fun part- the sonogram! We weren't expecting to do one but since there had been some fluid noted in the last ultrasound he went ahead and did another. The baby had clearly done some growing and developing in the week and half or so since the first ultrasound! He/she was wiggling around and dancing for us. Over all the appointment went well although there were some overwhelming moments. He discussed different invasive tests that we are already certain we aren't going to do. Also talking about the risks involved with a VBAC was a bit scary. He does do them in the right circumstance, and says the risk of uterine rupture is .8%, but when it does happen it can be a very bad situation. I'm not sure where I stand on that now but I think I am more comfortable with a repeat C section than I was before! I just want to do whats best for the baby and myself.
In other news, I've been going to the lab once a week to have my hormone levels checked in order to start weaning me off the meds. Last week I switched from three pills daily of estrogen, down to two. And today I got to go down to one pill daily of estrogen, AND from 1.5mL to 1mL of progesterone injections! yay!! my hips will be so happy with my smaller injection tomorrow! Although strangely I was a little nervous this time when I was told to go down on the meds. I think I've considered them my safety to keeping things going right, but obviously the doctor is reviewing my labs and my body must be taking over the hormones so the artificial ones aren't going to be necessary. So now that I've thought about that, I'm less nervous and super excited to be moving past the meds part of this soon!
Our next appointment will be September 28th, at 13 weeks (yay, second trimester time!)


Things I've been craving the last couple weeks:
Iraqi bread, and now Rancho Grande salsa!!

How I've been feeling:
TIRED! very tired! Much like the first trimester of my pregnancy with Conner. Could also have something to do with my rambunctious duo!

Sneak peek!

Today Mike and I drove to Frisco to meet K and M for the first ultrasound. We found out there is one healthy little baby growing, and we got to watch baby's heart fluttering on the screen at 170 beats per minute! We were all a little upset about the baby that didn't stick, but we know that God is in control. K and M brought their youngest child to the appointment, and she is so adorable! I can't wait for all our kids to meet, but we'll have to be careful since Olivia knows about the pregnancy while K and M are waiting a while to tell their children. (The one they brought with them today is too young to grasp the situation) It was wonderful seeing K and M and they were so happy to see the healthy growing baby.
I will be weaning off the medications over the next few weeks, and should be done in about a month. I can't wait to be done with those injections! They actually haven't been bad overall but the last few days have been a little rough. Our first regular OB appointment will be next Friday, and K will be able to drive down for this one.
Here is a picture from today's sonogram. Isn't it amazing that this little one has been frozen since 2006, and today is growing, with a heartbeat?!

second beta

Sunday after church I started feeling REALLY nauseated, hooray! As much as I hate that feeling, its just a good ole symptom of pregnancy! Mike and I grabbed a bite to eat and went to a local resort here on Lake Conroe to spend the night, so I started feeling much better when we got there! The kids stayed with my parents but we definitely want to go back with them sometime too!

I woke up early Monday morning and drove to the lab to do my second beta test. Generally you'd do the second one two days after the first, but I did three days since it was over a weekend. The nurse called from the clinic Monday afternoon with the results: 754!! I was certainly thinking it was going to be higher after all that nausea, but its a great number! The number should double every 24-48 hours and mine double in a little less than 40 hours. I looked up numbers on a chart that women submit to a website. The median for singleton pregnancies at 18 days past ovulation (I was 13 days past a 5 day transfer, so 13+5=18) is 416, while the median for twins at 18dpo is 809. So my number is a little closer to the twin median! K & I texted throughout the day and she's very excited that we have good numbers, and we are all ready to see that sonogram on August 20th!!

It's official!

Labs confirmed today with a beta of 219, we are officially pregnant! I spoke with K today and she is of course excited that it is confirmed now. We were both trying to analyze the number and figure out if both babies implanted or one. It's a good strong number but it really doesn't tell us much except that I am indeed pregnant with at least one baby. The number should double every 24-48 hours, and I'm going back to the lab Monday. We have a date set for the first sonogram- August 20th, at which we will be able to see if both babies implanted. And we will likely see the heartbeat(s) at that time! It's amazing how much growth happens in such a short amount of time!
So far I've had only very mild symptoms of pregnancy, much like my pregnancies with my kids.
Funny story: Olivia caught me slouching the other day and told me that I shouldn't sit like that because the babies don't like it when I do. That's my little bossy-pants! And tonight while playing restaurant she asked if I wanted Dr Pepper, Sprite, or Sweet tea. I acted all sad and said I can't have two of those! She asked "do you have a baby in your belly?" I said yes. She asked "right now?" "yes". "well then you'd better have Sprite!" This girl knows I'm missing my Dr Pepper and sweet tea!
Conner is really too young to know what's going on but I'm curious how he will be as he nears age two closer to the due date. I'm thinking he'll be more interested in hot wheels than anything else haha!

Big fat positive!

So excited to announce I've been testing positive with home pregnancy tests! I got the first very faint line on Saturday at about 4 days past transfer! The lines have continued to get darker and this picture was yesterday's test. Of the seven tests I've taken, all have been positive except the one I took the morning of three days past transfer. (I know, why was I even testing that early?!) K wanted me to tell her when I tested positive so I sent her pictures Sunday morning. Mike thought Saturday's was too faint to tell her. I'm so excited for K and M and now the next step is beta (official hcg test) this Friday! We won't find out til next month if it's one baby or if both stuck around. I'll be going back up to Frisco for that appointment.

"two week wait"

Well we aren't waiting quite that long, official labs will be 10 days after transfer, which was Tuesday morning! Denise came and got me early EARLY Tuesday morning and drove me (along with her sweet daughter) to Frisco for the transfer! I started to get nervous right when it was time to drink my 32 oz of water prior to arriving at the clinic, I was hoping the nerves wouldn't make it all come back up! Once we got there, Denise gave me a wonderful gift in the car, a scented candle, shower gel and lotion, and of course a pack of home pregnancy tests! We went inside and K&M were already checked in and sitting in the waiting area. We hugged and I could tell K was feeling a little nervous. M went out to their car and came back with a large picnic basket filled with all kinds of snacks, and things that I could use while on bedrest, magazines, face wipes, etc. So sweet and greatly appreciated, I kept it right next to me the whole time I was on bedrest.

Denise and I ran off to do my morning injection of progesterone (Mike normally does them for me, I don't prefer to do them myself). Not long after that, the nurse called us back! Just K and I went back, everyone else waited out front for us. We donned our wonderful gowns and hats and I was given something to help me relax during the procedure, so I got on the bed and chatted with K while we waited. Soon enough the embryologist came in with pictures of the embies, and filled K in on how well they were doing. She said they looked much like K&M's youngest child (as far as embryo quality goes) so that was great news!

K with the picture of her babies taken just before transfer:

And here they are up close. They were 5 day old (blastocyst) embies. Aren't they cute?! ;-)

It was time to go to the procedure room. They wheeled my bed just across the hallway, and got me situated. The ultrasound was shown on a screen hanging above me where K and I could both see. We got to watch the catheter go in and the embryos enter there new temporary home! It was great being able to see the ultrasound! Makes me think of how absolutely amazing God's ways are, especially when it comes to the miracle of life and modern medicine. We have seen His hand over and over again in this situation.

After transfer, it was off to the hotel for bedrest! It went well, I did get a headache and got sick at night, but other than that, I slept, relaxed, watched TV, read magazines. K came back and checked on me before they headed back out of town. Denise and her daughter kept checking in and bringing me food. After 24 hours of bedrest at the hotel, it was time to head home. Denise drove me back into town, and my sister Lacey came over with my kids and her son. Lacey and Mike were both great about taking over with the kids, I'm so grateful! Today Lacey and I did a couple things with the kids, then tried to go shopping (total fail with 3 kids around naptime!) Mike had me go home and told me he'd stop by the store for me after work. So I've been doing lots of "taking it easy" to help those embies get a head start hopefully! I plan on doing a home pregnancy test sometime over the weekend and/or Monday. K doesn't want to know until its positive, so I don't see the point in testing TOO early even though I'm dying to go test NOW!!