Full Term!!

Today officially marks week 36!! This is another huge milestone because I have officially carried the twins full term!!  At this point everything is developed for the outside world.  Anything beyond this point is for the babies to gain weight! Each baby should gain an ounce a day. 

I was looking back and realized that a year ago I had just received my first package with all of the medicine for IVF.  

I remember feeling overwhelmed and excited!! Seems like ages ago when I had all those shots, pills, patches, and doctors appointments.

The first transfer didn't work but we quickly realized it hadn't failed. We still had 3 very good frozen embryos waiting for their turn!! Also, now after carrying twins full term, I realize that I HAD to get healthier first. This has definitely been a harder pregnancy than my first and I am so glad I got healthier and lost nearly 30 lbs before getting pregnant with twins!!  This was all part of God's perfect plan. I didn't understand at first but I do now!  Trust in God and he will take care of you!!

This picture was taken on the morning of our 2nd attempt! At that time I was averaging 18K steps each day and had lost nearly 30 lbs! 

Our two precious babies! 

12 days later we got the call that I was pregnant!!! 

Gender reveal!! 2 boys!!!!

Here are some baby bump pictures!!!

So close yet so far away!

hi everyone!! I realize I have been neglecting my blog so I wanted to catch you all up!!

I am nearly 34 weeks along! God is great and has answered our prayers!! I have had absolutely no complications with the babies! Both boys are doing well and are growing at the same rate!! They appear to be very healthy!!  They are also very active!!  We are very excited about that.  This is what matters!!

"How are you feeling?" Is one of the most common questions I get. I'm feeling tired. I'm physically tired all the time but not always sleepy tired. I have the normal aches and pains in my hips and lower back. I have started seeing a chiropractor and she has been amazing!!! I have developed carpel tunnel in my hands all the way up in my shoulders. It only happens at night. I have been wearing wrist braces at night which helps but I still wake up with sore hands.  For the longest time I was having heartburn to the point that I was unable to eat anything and I was throwing up.  But God continues to answer prayers and I haven't had any heartburn since Christmas!! I am able to eat again!!

But through these aches and pains we are very happy to have 2 very healthy little boys!! On December 23rd I had a growth scan and both babies were 4 and a half pounds! Sonogram measurements aren't 100% accurate but it gives you and idea...  That puts these babies in the 100th percentile for size as compared to other twins at this stage. And when compared to a single baby they are in the 70th percentile!! These babies are big!! Which is great!

Over Christmas break Ryan and I worked to get the nursery done!! Our theme is Noah's Ark and I love how it has turned out!! 




Austin has helped too!!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!! Please continue to pray for a safe and problem free birth!! Our target date is Feb 8th!! I am hoping to work right up to delivery!  Also pray that I will be able to exclusively breastfeed both babies!! This is very important to me!! 

23 Weeks!

23 Weeks and 5 days actually!

Things are looking great!  2 very healthy baby boys!  The doctor said everything is looking symmetrical!  They are currently 1 lb 7 oz and 1 lbs 9 oz.  We want them to grow at the same rate and continue to be the same size!  They are currently 6 days ahead the average baby at this stage.   They are both very active and I can feel them fluttering around and kicking all the time!!  Baby A is exceptionally active!!

Both babies together are measuring like a 28 week Singlton.  My stomach is measuring 30 weeks! The fluid on both babies looks great too!

Thank you for continuing to pray for us!  God has answered prayers!!  I pray everyday for the babies that they are growing and developing in His image!  I am also praying that I will be able to exclusively breastfeed both babies!  If you remember with Austin we struggled in the beginning and I had to work really hard to build up supply.  This time I am praying specifically for my milk supply to be ready to feed 2 babies!    We are also praying specifically that both babies will get into position at the right time for a natural birth!  A C-Section is scheduled but I would love to be able to have the babies naturally!

Almost through the first trimester!

We are on the home stretch of the first trimester!  With Austin I was never nauseous or anything but with this pregnancy I have had quite the case of nausea... I have had a loss of appetite too.  I am so glad that I didn't have to go to work while feeling this way.  There were days when it knocked me out until 3:00pm!  I am starting to feel less nauseous and less tired which is a good thing!

We have already had 4 ultra sounds!  We can see their hands and feet and their nose!  Their heartbeats are great!  At this point they are both 2 inches long!  We want them to grow and develop at the same speed so that is great!  They each have their own placenta which means they have their own blood supply!  This is also good news because they won't be fighting over the nutrients and one won't be stealing from the other!

I have been trying to figure out what we will do for child care in the spring.  I have a few leads and messages out so hopefully something great will come along!  Although, I would love to figure out how I can stay home with my babies.  It breaks my heart that I didn't get to with Austin and I would do anything to get to stay at home with these babies!  I will be looking at the budget and am willing to make any cut needed!  We have refinanced our house so the payment is lower.  Our car will be paid off shortly after the twins are born.  We have gotten rid of our Dish Network.  As well as some other things here and there.  I need my Jamberry Business to go a little deeper to make that be my full time income!  Please pray that God will lead me in the direction HE wants me to go in and that He will open a door that leads to me to the place my heart longs for.... to stay home and raise my babies! As I type this my eyes are filled with tears because the thought of not getting to be the main caretaker and provider during the day and night breaks my heart.  My heart aches to be a stay at home mommy.  I need strength from God.  I trust God and His plan.  I pray that He will show me a way to make it work.

What a Mighty God we serve!

I am sure you have all heard our exciting news by now!  We are so excited to announce that Austin will be a Big Brother!!!  We are so blessed and thanking God continuously!

I had told everyone that the pregnancy test would be on Wednesday, 6/17 but it was really on Tuesday 6/16.  We decided to do it this way because wanted the 16th all to ourselves!  Austin and I got up Tuesday morning and went to the doctor.  He thought it was so weird that they were going to take my blood.  I cried almost the entire way to the doctor's office and just prayed to God and sang songs of praise!  I knew that no matter what I would still love God and praise his Name.  I know he loves us and I know that his plan is perfect and so is his timing.  

Before getting my labs done I snapped this picture in the waiting room and sent this message to Ryan: 

"No matter what, I get to be this little guy's mommy!"  

I got my labs drawn and then ran a few errands and went home.  Ryan took off work this afternoon and got home just in time for lunch!  As we were finishing up lunch the phone rang.  We really wanted this moment all to ourselves and just let it go to voicemail.  We cleaned up everything from lunch and got Austin settled in with playing bowling on the Wii.  About 30 min later we sat down to listen to the voicemail.

Our eyes filled with tears of joy as the nurse said, "Congratulations!  You are definitely pregnant!"  She went on to tell us more information about my lab numbers but Ryan and I just hugged and cried and thanked the Lord for this blessing!!!

Then we went to tell Austin.  We told him that we had something very exciting to tell him!  We told him that he was going to be a Big Brother and that we were going to have a baby!  He said, "and they are growing in Jinae's tummy!"  LOL!  I told him the baby was growing in my tummy and he smiled, gave me a hug, and wanted to get back to his game.  haha.  

We got our special shirts on and took some pictures!  I have had these shirts in our closet for over 2 years now!  I designed them and had them printed for what seems like ages ago! 

I am so excited that I am healthier now for this pregnancy!!  I am 9lbs lighter than what I was when I got pregnant with Austin!  This picture isn't as great as other ones but... I had just finished working out!  This was the morning of my transfer.  I had gotten up at 4:15am to go to the gym for a 5:00 class!  I had over 10K steps by 6:30am!  I did more running that morning that I had ever done!  It felt great!  

Sooooo  back to my labs....

I won't know if we are having 1 baby or  twins until a couple of months into the pregnancy.  My hCG number was great!  My progesterone number was a little low.  It needs to be a minimum of 10 and mine was an 8.  So my doctor prescribed some more medicine to help with that.  I am going to continue the 3 patches, changing them every other day, as well as the estrace and endometrine suppositories, and now I will be adding in a progesterone shot.  I have to do 1 shot every night.  We called the pharmacy to find out when it would be ready.  We had a little time so I quickly did my nails for the occasion!
I have also had these custom Jams for quite some time and it was the first time for me to try the white tips!  I LOVE how it turned out!  

We drove up to the pharmacy at Overland Park Regional Hospital to get the medicine.  The pharmacist had to counsel me with the injections.  My eyes about popped out when she showed me the needle.  This was not the same needle I used before.  Was she joking?  Did she grab the wrong ones???  I politely said, "do you have a smaller needle?"  She looked at me and said that this was what it was.  I told her I had used a smaller needle before.  She looked at me and I looked at her for a couple seconds... I told her that it was for a different medication and she then explained that this medicine had to use this needle.  This is a 22 gauge that is 1.5 inches long.  This is extremely bigger than my other needles I had used during IVF.  I think my IVF needles would fit inside of this one!  Ha!  The awesome thing about these were that insurance covered a portion of the cost and 1 month supply was only $45 plus the cost of the syringes/needles.  Compared to all of the other kind of medicine I have had to take this is a DEAL!    The shot has to go in the upper buttocks so I am a little worried about being able to do it myself.  Ryan doesn't think he can help me...   For the first one today, since it was a much bigger needle than what I am used to I didn't want to do it myself.  Jinae helped and administered the injection!  I first used ice for about 5 min to numb the area and then Jinae was able to do the injection and I barely felt anything.  They will be fine.... I will need to ice before each one and I may be able to do it myself.  I'm not sure - otherwise Ryan will have to figure out how to get over his fear!  

Thank you so much for praying for us!  We are so very excited and feeling very blessed!  We will continue to pray and we will also pray for other couples who are dealing with infertility.  It is a very emotional time and infertility is very personal and difficult to cope with.  I am so glad that God has carried us through this journey and that I didn't have to do it alone!  I have discovered that many couples go through this kind of thing and no one around them has any idea!  For us, it has been good to talk about it and find others who have experienced what we are going through.

  

Waiting

I realize I have been much quieter on here this go around. There isn't as much to update because I don't have to grow any extra eggs and therefore I only had 1 appointment to check the lining of my uterus. 

Ryan and I had the opportunity to talk to Ty, our pastor at church! He prayed for us and with us. We talked to him about how we have placed all our trust and all our struggles and everything we are going through with this in God's hands!! We talked about the first time and how it didn't work but that we did not fall in our faith.  Pastor Ty asked us if we still believed God loves us even if it didn't work and if this was not his plan... And our answer is YES absolutely! We know God loves us all no matter what. We feel his presence everyday and I know he is with us! I have also talked to one of the elders of the church and he has prayed for us with the rest of the elders!  

I had the FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) on Thursday 6/4.  The thawing went great and there were no issues at all!! Everything went great!! 

Now we are playing the waiting game.  Austin got to go to Montezuma for a week to hang out with Nana and Papa! I was here at home laying down and doing absolutely nothing. It has been hard to just sit and do nothing. I miss going to the gym and I miss all my excercise classes and being active. If you are my friend on Fitbit you can see the decline in my steps. I am still wearing it so I can make sure I'm not doing too much.  Haha. So I went from getting an average of 18k steps to now getting 1 or 2k. But resting and staying off my feet is something I can do to help give these little guys their best chance! I have been on walks... Very slow and short walks... But that is ok!! 

I am so happy that Austin is back home!!! 

I have my pregnancy test on the 17th... Thank you for your comtinued prayers!!

Getting Ready!

Since May 15 I have been taking medicine to prepare my body for FET, Frozen Embryo Transfer!  I have been taking Estrace and also using patches to help thicken and prepare my uterine lining.  I wear 3 patches and change them every other day.  I had an appointment on the 28th and my lining is at a 6 which is where it needs to be right now.  They will want it to get thicker before Transfer day though.  My estrogen level is over 1000 and it needs to be at least 500!  Everything is on track!  I start the endometrin on Saturday.

Since starting this medicine I am no longer able to take the AdvoCare pills that I was taking before.  My doctor wasn't sure how it would react with the medicine so to be safe I am not taking them anymore.  These pills helped me feel full, control cravings, give me energy, and keep me full for longer!  Since I have not been taking them I feel hungry all of the time, have cravings, and not as much energy.  HOWEVER, I have taught myself some good and healthy habits that I am able to continue and maintain!  I am still working out and striving to be healthy!  I can still drink AdvoCare Spark (just 1 though) and use the Meal Replacement shakes, bars, and snacks!

I am now about 8 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Austin.  I have reached my first goal for what I wanted to lose before FET.  I have lost nearly 3 pant/dress sizes!  I am getting stronger and feeling great!  I can feel the muscles in my legs and even in my abs!

It is because of the Grace of God I have been able to set and achieve these goals!  Thank you to everyone who has continued to pray for me and my family!

My Transfer day will be Thursday 6/4.  My mom will be coming up to get Austin and will take him home with her for a few days.  This is so I can truly be on "bed rest" and "couch rest" for the days following the transfer.  This is a much more ideal situation since last time I went right back to work after 2 days and had a stressful month with conferences, evaluations, etc..  This time I will truly be doing nothing!  I will be laying down... and I'm sure after the first day I will be going crazy.  I have been planning my activities for that time though!  I have lots of Jamberry Sample sticks that need assembled as well as a 4 seasons of LOST to watch again!  LOL.  It will be hard for me to sit and do nothing since I have been so active and working out every day since I started my weight loss journey.  I will be ready to get back into a workout routine!  (dr approved of course!)