started like any other December 26th. Looking for places to spend our Christmas giftcards and enjoying a day off together.
The day ended with a positive pregnancy test, prenatal vitamins, and a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Happy one year of being in our lives Babies! (Although, I should say baby since we didn't know there were two until much later)
Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Questions Answered
1.) Do twins run in your family?
Eric’s favorite smart ass answer: “No, they typically walk.”
Our PC answer: “No, but they do now."
Twin factoid: The twins gene come from the mother’s side. After extensive research (not really), I could not find any on my side. What we have are "coincidental twins" which happen every 1 in 80 pregnancies. Yeah. Think about it.
2.) Do you get any sleep? Usually mixed with are they sleeping at night?
Our PC answer: “Yes, they typically sleep 10-12 hours a night except for when Ethan has other plans.”
Our smart ass answer: "Yes and if you jinx it, I will punch you in the face."
3.) What are you going to do about braces, college, etc?
Our smart ass answer (because...really?):“We’ll pick our favorite and that one will get ______."
4.) Are they identical?
Our PC answer: “No.”
Our smart ass answer: “No because one has a penis and the other has a vagina.”
Twin factoid: Boy/Girl twins are NEVER identical, see our smart ass answer.
5.) Do they sleep in the same crib?
Our PC answer: “They did until they were 8 weeks old.”
Twin factoid: Olivia is a kicker. We would often come into their room to find her in a shifted position with her legs kicking Ethan. Needless to say, the journey into their own cribs was a breeze.
6.) Why do you have a boy and a girl sharing a room?
Our PC answer: “They say twins bond better if they share a room.”
Our smart ass answer: “As much as we want to run between 2 rooms on a nightly basis, we decided one location was the way to go. Well, until they start messing with each other or we have a bigger house.”
7.) Do you (Colleen) still work?
Our PC answer: “Yes”
Our smart ass answer: “Ummm yeah. We have TWO babies and we need to pay for them.”
8.) What are your days like?
Our PC answer: “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (aka the days Colleen works in the office). **If the kids are still asleep.... Colleen wakes up at 4:45 AM, showers and gets ready, Eric wakes up and gets ready. Pack up the kids in the car by 6:30 AM when Eric drops them off at their babysitter’s. Colleen then picks them up after work and is home by 6:30 PM. Chillax with the babies until 7:15 when we start bedtime. The kids are usually asleep by 8:00 PM and we then wash and prepare 14 bottles for the next day. Then, if we’re smart, we go to bed. Most days we are not in the smart column. On Tuesdays and Thursdays (aka the days Colleen works from home), the kids wake up between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM where the get changed and eat. Repeat for the rest of the day with a few tantrums and tummy time exercises mixed in.”
9.) What’s it like having two babies?
Our smart ass answer: “I don’t know. What is like having one baby?”
Our PC (yet slightly smart ass-ish) answer: “You know when you finally get your baby settled down for a nap and they fall asleep and you can then spend some time with your significant other, watch a TV show or go to the bathroom??? Yeah, that’s when our second baby wakes up. I’m not kidding.”
Twin factoid: Luckily though, our kids DO sleep at the same time during the evening. ::knocks on wood::
10.) Do you think you’ll have anymore kids?
Our PC answer: “No.”
Our smart ass answer: “Hell no.”*
Do YOU have any burning questions for us? Leave a comment and we will gladly answer!
* We love our children, but nothing about sleepless nights, bottle washing and diaper changes make us say, “Hey, let’s do THAT again.”
Eric’s favorite smart ass answer: “No, they typically walk.”
Our PC answer: “No, but they do now."
Twin factoid: The twins gene come from the mother’s side. After extensive research (not really), I could not find any on my side. What we have are "coincidental twins" which happen every 1 in 80 pregnancies. Yeah. Think about it.
2.) Do you get any sleep? Usually mixed with are they sleeping at night?
Our PC answer: “Yes, they typically sleep 10-12 hours a night except for when Ethan has other plans.”
Our smart ass answer: "Yes and if you jinx it, I will punch you in the face."
3.) What are you going to do about braces, college, etc?
Our smart ass answer (because...really?):“We’ll pick our favorite and that one will get ______."
4.) Are they identical?
Our PC answer: “No.”
Our smart ass answer: “No because one has a penis and the other has a vagina.”
Twin factoid: Boy/Girl twins are NEVER identical, see our smart ass answer.
5.) Do they sleep in the same crib?
Our PC answer: “They did until they were 8 weeks old.”
Twin factoid: Olivia is a kicker. We would often come into their room to find her in a shifted position with her legs kicking Ethan. Needless to say, the journey into their own cribs was a breeze.
6.) Why do you have a boy and a girl sharing a room?
Our PC answer: “They say twins bond better if they share a room.”
Our smart ass answer: “As much as we want to run between 2 rooms on a nightly basis, we decided one location was the way to go. Well, until they start messing with each other or we have a bigger house.”
7.) Do you (Colleen) still work?
Our PC answer: “Yes”
Our smart ass answer: “Ummm yeah. We have TWO babies and we need to pay for them.”
8.) What are your days like?
Our PC answer: “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (aka the days Colleen works in the office). **If the kids are still asleep.... Colleen wakes up at 4:45 AM, showers and gets ready, Eric wakes up and gets ready. Pack up the kids in the car by 6:30 AM when Eric drops them off at their babysitter’s. Colleen then picks them up after work and is home by 6:30 PM. Chillax with the babies until 7:15 when we start bedtime. The kids are usually asleep by 8:00 PM and we then wash and prepare 14 bottles for the next day. Then, if we’re smart, we go to bed. Most days we are not in the smart column. On Tuesdays and Thursdays (aka the days Colleen works from home), the kids wake up between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM where the get changed and eat. Repeat for the rest of the day with a few tantrums and tummy time exercises mixed in.”
9.) What’s it like having two babies?
Our smart ass answer: “I don’t know. What is like having one baby?”
Our PC (yet slightly smart ass-ish) answer: “You know when you finally get your baby settled down for a nap and they fall asleep and you can then spend some time with your significant other, watch a TV show or go to the bathroom??? Yeah, that’s when our second baby wakes up. I’m not kidding.”
Twin factoid: Luckily though, our kids DO sleep at the same time during the evening. ::knocks on wood::
10.) Do you think you’ll have anymore kids?
Our PC answer: “No.”
Our smart ass answer: “Hell no.”*
Do YOU have any burning questions for us? Leave a comment and we will gladly answer!
* We love our children, but nothing about sleepless nights, bottle washing and diaper changes make us say, “Hey, let’s do THAT again.”
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Hello World
I keep trying to tell my kids to give me a minute so I can blog. To my surprise, they just do not care. ::sigh:: In fact, I started to work on this little entry about four, five, six, seven days ago.
I would like to give a very special thanks to Tiff, who was in charge of the updating the blog during the delivery for everyone. If we had planned it better, I would not have gone into labor at 5:15 in the morning on a SATURDAY, but, planning is now something I laugh at.
First off, three cheers for no longer being pregnant! Hip, hip, HOORAY! All the old wives tales of getting yourself into labor failed. What did work? California Pizza Kitchen, shopping for ‘spensive baby clothes and a bribe of s’mores from the aforementioned Tiff. Or, it could have been my 2:00 AM viewing of Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion since I couldn’t sleep. Who knows. Babies wanted out and I didn’t fight it.
What seemed like about thirty seconds later, we were a family of four. I absolutely love this picture because you can see that E is smiling even though he has a mask on, Olivia is being her calm self, Ethan thinks the world is ending and I look happily doped up and am rocking a drunken pirate eye. Alas, we are the Reeds.
We've been home for thirteen days. In those thirteen days, we have learned the following:
* Everything is trial and error. Apparently, those user manuals for babies do not come out after the placenta.
* Boys need their little peeps tucked under when diaper changing. We have been through three brands of diapers for Ethan alone. Recently, we are back to brand # 1
* Never turn down free help; we certainly do not. The love and support we have received from family and friends have been amazing. Whether it's a warm meal or the chance for us to take a nap, we have taken everyone's offer.
* We love to watch their little personalities evolve. While pregnant, E and I would often sit and wonder what the babies would be like. Well, take all of our predictions and reverse them.
* We have proven that we make an excellent team. Since the day I gave birth, E and I have been there not only for our babies, but for each other. You really do need to work together and be each other's biggest cheerleader or else it will all crumble.
* Normalcy? Out the window.
Hope to be back blogging at a better pace, now that we are starting to establish routines. We will have many more photos, as we are getting a lot quicker these days.
I would like to give a very special thanks to Tiff, who was in charge of the updating the blog during the delivery for everyone. If we had planned it better, I would not have gone into labor at 5:15 in the morning on a SATURDAY, but, planning is now something I laugh at.
First off, three cheers for no longer being pregnant! Hip, hip, HOORAY! All the old wives tales of getting yourself into labor failed. What did work? California Pizza Kitchen, shopping for ‘spensive baby clothes and a bribe of s’mores from the aforementioned Tiff. Or, it could have been my 2:00 AM viewing of Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion since I couldn’t sleep. Who knows. Babies wanted out and I didn’t fight it.
What seemed like about thirty seconds later, we were a family of four. I absolutely love this picture because you can see that E is smiling even though he has a mask on, Olivia is being her calm self, Ethan thinks the world is ending and I look happily doped up and am rocking a drunken pirate eye. Alas, we are the Reeds.
We've been home for thirteen days. In those thirteen days, we have learned the following:
* Everything is trial and error. Apparently, those user manuals for babies do not come out after the placenta.
* Boys need their little peeps tucked under when diaper changing. We have been through three brands of diapers for Ethan alone. Recently, we are back to brand # 1
* Never turn down free help; we certainly do not. The love and support we have received from family and friends have been amazing. Whether it's a warm meal or the chance for us to take a nap, we have taken everyone's offer.
* We love to watch their little personalities evolve. While pregnant, E and I would often sit and wonder what the babies would be like. Well, take all of our predictions and reverse them.
* We have proven that we make an excellent team. Since the day I gave birth, E and I have been there not only for our babies, but for each other. You really do need to work together and be each other's biggest cheerleader or else it will all crumble.
* Normalcy? Out the window.
Hope to be back blogging at a better pace, now that we are starting to establish routines. We will have many more photos, as we are getting a lot quicker these days.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Day One of Captivity
I suppose today officially starts my stint as a SAHM. Well, until my time is up according to my short-term disability guidelines anyway. As of Friday, Dr. R has pulled me out of work to rest as much as possible. I must admit, it was rather strange to wake up this morning and not grunt the obligatory, “Ugh. Monday.”
In other exciting Dr. R news, he sent me for a non-stress test on Saturday to check on my kids as 36 weeks is a long time for twins to go. I will admit, there was a little bit of me that kind of hoped the doctors would decide to take them that day. (Flame away, Haters. I dare you.) To no avail, my kids were quite content with their inside home and pretty much informed the world that they would be staying inside forever. However, we did get a run through of getting to Labor & Delivery at our hospital, so….score. This is where I tell you I am so glad they have decided to remain inside babies for the time being. Really.
Also, in Friday’s appointment, I was referred to a sleep specialist as apparently, I stop breathing in my sleep. To tell you the truth, I am really not concerned with it at this point. Sleep apnea is fairly common in pregnancy and should go away after the 12 pounds or so of babies are lifted off my organs. All I can do is hope it goes away after the babies arrive. Along with the carpal tunnel too. Oh and the itchy skin. This, by the way, has definitely put the nail in the coffin about not having any more kids. Nothing worse than scratching your skin so badly until it is raw and bleeding. Really.
Folks, this is why I opted not to blog about pregnancy. Tis not pretty. I am also fairly certain that those women that “love being pregnant” and have no discomfort at all, sniff glue.
I will leave you today with E’s decorating skills for Ethan’s crib. Will tomorrow be a Two for Tuesday Birthday/Anniversary?!?!?
In other exciting Dr. R news, he sent me for a non-stress test on Saturday to check on my kids as 36 weeks is a long time for twins to go. I will admit, there was a little bit of me that kind of hoped the doctors would decide to take them that day. (Flame away, Haters. I dare you.) To no avail, my kids were quite content with their inside home and pretty much informed the world that they would be staying inside forever. However, we did get a run through of getting to Labor & Delivery at our hospital, so….score. This is where I tell you I am so glad they have decided to remain inside babies for the time being. Really.
Also, in Friday’s appointment, I was referred to a sleep specialist as apparently, I stop breathing in my sleep. To tell you the truth, I am really not concerned with it at this point. Sleep apnea is fairly common in pregnancy and should go away after the 12 pounds or so of babies are lifted off my organs. All I can do is hope it goes away after the babies arrive. Along with the carpal tunnel too. Oh and the itchy skin. This, by the way, has definitely put the nail in the coffin about not having any more kids. Nothing worse than scratching your skin so badly until it is raw and bleeding. Really.
Folks, this is why I opted not to blog about pregnancy. Tis not pretty. I am also fairly certain that those women that “love being pregnant” and have no discomfort at all, sniff glue.
I will leave you today with E’s decorating skills for Ethan’s crib. Will tomorrow be a Two for Tuesday Birthday/Anniversary?!?!?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I know, I know...
I announce my comeback and then go dormant for a week. Well, little Bloggy Friends, I am trying to wrap up some projects at work. Plus, I intended for this blog to be used for after-delivery purposes, as you do not want me to blog about my pregnancy. It won’t be pretty, especially when I get flamed.
So, I will be around here and there. Things to look forward to in upcoming posts:
• Leslie’s Bridal Shower
• The Big Name Debate (how we decided what to name our children)
• Some of the best advice I have received while pregnant
• Guest Bloggers such as E and Tiff of The Baby Luc fame
• Do you think I will deliver twins on our second wedding anniversary??
• My aversion to pink.
• Which camera do we take to the hospital? The real concern of two photographers about to become parents.
Sit tight friends.
Oh and P.S…. Could you all give me some good vibes to keep my kids in utero until at least 4:05 PM on Saturday so I can attend Leslie’s aforementioned bridal shower? Kthxbye.
So, I will be around here and there. Things to look forward to in upcoming posts:
• Leslie’s Bridal Shower
• The Big Name Debate (how we decided what to name our children)
• Some of the best advice I have received while pregnant
• Guest Bloggers such as E and Tiff of The Baby Luc fame
• Do you think I will deliver twins on our second wedding anniversary??
• My aversion to pink.
• Which camera do we take to the hospital? The real concern of two photographers about to become parents.
Sit tight friends.
Oh and P.S…. Could you all give me some good vibes to keep my kids in utero until at least 4:05 PM on Saturday so I can attend Leslie’s aforementioned bridal shower? Kthxbye.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Entourage
Last time we “spoke”, I was the Non-Smoker, who was actually losing the battle with smoking.
I digress.
Enjoy the following timeline… I may speak in fragments… You’ll get over it.
December 26, 2008 – 3 weeks 5 days- While E and I were “Day after Christmas Shopping”; I realized that with all the hoopla of Christmas, I hadn’t noticed that I did not get my period. We decide to test and make the stop at Target. Nothing like checking out with a new iPod, triple pack of pregnancy tests and a case of Diet Coke. I tested at home and waited for E to check the results. He checked the test and the look on his face could have gone either way. Ultimately, E turned it around and I saw those two lines and gasped. I remember thinking how funny it was that Jaws 2 was playing in the background. Being the internet goober that I tend to be (because you know, the internet is ALWAYS right) and figured out at that my EDD (estimated due date) would be September 6, 2009. E doubted the prediction… Just putting that out there.
December 29, 2008- 4 weeks 1 day- Took another pregnancy test because I could not believe it. Yup- still pregnant.
The next month is what I call “The Sleep Coma” because that is all I did.
January 27, 2009- 8 weeks 2 days- First OB appointment with Dr. R. After a quick inspection of my undercarriage, he verified that I was, indeed, with child. EDD is September 6, 2009. (So the internet didn’t lie!) We were expecting the obligatory ultrasound, but the nurse talked us out of it because our insurance probably wouldn’t cover it. Besides, Dr R. would have said something if he expected twins. Well, we’re just full of surprises and general overachievers. More on that later.
The next month could only be described as Hazing for some cruel initiation. Morning sickness, afternoon sickness, food aversions, constipation, crying. I won’t even apologize for the TMI. It sucked.
February 24, 2009- 12 weeks 2 days- Heard the heart beat for the first time. Good, strong 160 bpm. I asked Dr. R., “just one heartbeat?” He replied with, “Yes, just one heart beat. I think it’s a girl.” Blood test indicated that I was slightly anemic and needed to start iron supplements on top of the prenatal vitamins. Blood pressure was a bit high, so the doctor sent me to a nephrologist who put me on a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring system. Turns out, I just get nervous around doctors, otherwise known as “White Coat Syndrome”.
The next month could be called, “I am OK. Where is the Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup?” because that is all I ate.
March 15, 2009- 15 weeks- I turned 30.
March 24, 2009- 16 weeks 2 days- Third OB appointment, where we heard the single heartbeat again, still at 160 bpm. I was offered the Quad Screening Test since I was (gasp) over 30 and this was my first pregnancy. Since we hadn’t had any ultrasounds up until then and E and I are huge worriers- we decided to go ahead and have it done anyway. We went in fully aware that there was high false positive rate.
March 26, 2009- 16 weeks 4 days- Results from Quad Screen was in and I had an abnormal result and a 1 in 216 chance that the baby had Down Syndrome. Had emergency ultrasound scheduled for the next morning. This was probably the worst day of my life that included 18 hours of not knowing what was wrong with our child. Spent some time at our friends’ house and tried to stay off the internet, especially WebMD. I managed to get a few hours of sleep after reading that only 1 in 50 women with abnormal Quad results actually have something wrong with the baby.
March 27, 2009- 16 weeks 5 days- Entered ultrasound room with E barely able to breathe. The technician started her spiel, lubed up my tummers and put the Doppler/Probe jobber over my uterus. The next few minutes will forever live on in my head.
Technician: Looks at her screen. “Oop, that’s why it’s abnormal.”
Me: Looks at the screen and sees 2 round objects. Places hand over mouth and says, “Oh my God, there are two!”
Technician: “Yup. Twins. Congratulations.” (she had the personality of a wet dish rag.)
E: “Are you serious?”
Technician: “Yup”
E: “I have to sit down.”
Me: “Are they ok?”
Technician: “Looks like it, I will be right back.”
Yada, yada. Babies looked like they were in good shape. Still pretty early to know the genders for sure, but Twin A looked like a girl and they were fairly positive that Twin B was a boy. They will be more certain at anatomy ultrasound at 19 weeks. The babies are fraternal despite the genders as they had two separate sacs and placentas. Within 15 minutes, we thought we were about to prepare for a special needs baby to finding out we were actually expecting two healthy babies. Went from the worst day ever to the best. For the first time in my life, I actually felt blessed. Dr. Awesome (specialty doctor) came in and gave us a run down of what to do while expecting twins. Stopped in to harass/see Dr. R and was told to expect early bed rest (around 26 weeks) and a caesarean section.
The next month is what I like to call “The Shock and Awe” month. Obviously.
April 7, 2009- 18 weeks 2 days- I now see my OB every 2 weeks, as I am now considered a high risk pregnancy. Also, since I was now carrying twins and my father is a diabetic, I was at a higher risk for gestational diabetes (GD). Dr. R sent me for the 1 hour glucose test.
April 17, 2009- 19 weeks 5 days- Felt them move for the first time on our way to the hospital. The song playing was Thriller by Michael Jackson. Second ultrasound. Definitely a boy. Definitely a girl. Everything looked “perfect” according to Dr. Awesome. We were finally able to refer to them as Ethan and Olivia.
April 22, 2009- 20 weeks 3 days- OB Appointment. Failed 1 Hour Glucose test, badly. Need to take 3 Hour Glucose Test.
April 28, 2009- 20 weeks 5 days- Took 3 Hour Glucose Test. Then ate like a chubby king over the weekend, as I thought the days of eating whatever I wanted were over.
April 28, 2009- 21 weeks 2 days- Glucose fail according to Dr. R. Made appointment to see another specialist.
April 30, 2009- 21 weeks 4 days- Met with GD specialist, Dr. LackofPersonality. After they lost my final number, was told I did not have GD and be on my merry way. However, I would need to test again when I was closer to my third trimester. I’ll take that.
May 5, 2009- 22 weeks 2 days- OB appointment # 731… Doing OK.
May 9, 2009- 22 weeks 6 days- Shot my first wedding as a photographer. Finally understood the whole swollen feet thing. Not something I recommend doing when five and a half months pregnant with twins.
Somewhere in between here, I felt them move from the outside. Only slightly disturbing. Also, pregnancy induced carpal tunnel showed up. Not great for a person that spends a majority of her day on the computer and spends the weekend with a camera pointed at people.
May 15, 2009- 23 weeks 5 days- Ultrasound # 3. Olivia was breech, Ethan was head down.
May 19, 2009- 24 weeks 2 days- OB appoint #1005. Waited for 2 hours for a 5 minute appointment. Yup. Still in there.
May 28, 2009- 25 weeks 4 days- 3 Hour Glucose Test # 2.
June 2, 2009- 26 weeks 2 days- OB appointment # 7529. Glucose PASS. Suck it GD believers. No bed rest needed. Found out what “internal check” meant.
June 12, 2009- 27 Weeks 5 days- Ultrasound # 4. Olivia still breech, Ethan, still ready to go. Dr. Awesome was slightly concerned that Ethan was a bit larger than Olivia. We’ll check up on them in 3 weeks.
June 16, 2009- 28 weeks 2 days- OB appointment # 80,107. RhoGam shot injected. No bed rest needed.
Somewhere in between here, E took away my driving privileges as I no longer could reach the pedals. I am now Miss Daisy. E is my Hoke.
July 2, 2009- 30 weeks 4 days- Ultrasound # 5. Olivia caught up somewhat to her brother. She is now head down as well. Ethan goes all ninja with his legs over his head. Dr. Awesome on vacay, Dr. LackofPersonality barely came into the room to chat.
July 2, 2009- 30 weeks 4 Days- OB appointment # 90, 444. If my OB wasn’t such a huggable guy, I would have punched him by now. He insists on letting them stay in there for as long as they want. He doesn’t like the idea of an eviction notice. ::Sigh:: Whatever is best for them I suppose…. No flames, you know I am only semi-serious. Speaking of flames, found out I am totally allowed to have a c-section if I want one. Sign me up. Still no bed rest, I am awesome.
July 17, 2009- 32 weeks, 5 days- OB appointment # zillionty. Reminded that my body thinks it is at 40 weeks because of the size of the babies. Dr. R’s game plan: “36 weeks is good, everything else is a bonus. If they are not here by 39 weeks, I will go in and get them.” Goody. The thought of a possible 6 more weeks of feeling like this reminds me of stupid rainbows and puppy dogs. No bed rest because Dr. R can sometimes be Satan.
July 22, 2009- 33 weeks 3 days- Ultrasound # 6. My kids weigh a collective 9 pounds 2 ounces with putting on a grand total of 2 lbs 5 ounces in the last three weeks. Apparently, E and I make some totally kick ass kids. Dr. Awesome predicts they will be here within the next 2 weeks. I like him. Best thing yet, Olivia has a confirmed full head of hair, which pleases her dad.
July 22, 2009- 33 weeks 3 days- Started new blog…. Crazy to think we will have our own Insta-Entourage in a few weeks. Wonder if Jeremy Piven will be included.
I digress.
Enjoy the following timeline… I may speak in fragments… You’ll get over it.
December 26, 2008 – 3 weeks 5 days- While E and I were “Day after Christmas Shopping”; I realized that with all the hoopla of Christmas, I hadn’t noticed that I did not get my period. We decide to test and make the stop at Target. Nothing like checking out with a new iPod, triple pack of pregnancy tests and a case of Diet Coke. I tested at home and waited for E to check the results. He checked the test and the look on his face could have gone either way. Ultimately, E turned it around and I saw those two lines and gasped. I remember thinking how funny it was that Jaws 2 was playing in the background. Being the internet goober that I tend to be (because you know, the internet is ALWAYS right) and figured out at that my EDD (estimated due date) would be September 6, 2009. E doubted the prediction… Just putting that out there.
December 29, 2008- 4 weeks 1 day- Took another pregnancy test because I could not believe it. Yup- still pregnant.
The next month is what I call “The Sleep Coma” because that is all I did.
January 27, 2009- 8 weeks 2 days- First OB appointment with Dr. R. After a quick inspection of my undercarriage, he verified that I was, indeed, with child. EDD is September 6, 2009. (So the internet didn’t lie!) We were expecting the obligatory ultrasound, but the nurse talked us out of it because our insurance probably wouldn’t cover it. Besides, Dr R. would have said something if he expected twins. Well, we’re just full of surprises and general overachievers. More on that later.
The next month could only be described as Hazing for some cruel initiation. Morning sickness, afternoon sickness, food aversions, constipation, crying. I won’t even apologize for the TMI. It sucked.
February 24, 2009- 12 weeks 2 days- Heard the heart beat for the first time. Good, strong 160 bpm. I asked Dr. R., “just one heartbeat?” He replied with, “Yes, just one heart beat. I think it’s a girl.” Blood test indicated that I was slightly anemic and needed to start iron supplements on top of the prenatal vitamins. Blood pressure was a bit high, so the doctor sent me to a nephrologist who put me on a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring system. Turns out, I just get nervous around doctors, otherwise known as “White Coat Syndrome”.
The next month could be called, “I am OK. Where is the Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup?” because that is all I ate.
March 15, 2009- 15 weeks- I turned 30.
March 24, 2009- 16 weeks 2 days- Third OB appointment, where we heard the single heartbeat again, still at 160 bpm. I was offered the Quad Screening Test since I was (gasp) over 30 and this was my first pregnancy. Since we hadn’t had any ultrasounds up until then and E and I are huge worriers- we decided to go ahead and have it done anyway. We went in fully aware that there was high false positive rate.
March 26, 2009- 16 weeks 4 days- Results from Quad Screen was in and I had an abnormal result and a 1 in 216 chance that the baby had Down Syndrome. Had emergency ultrasound scheduled for the next morning. This was probably the worst day of my life that included 18 hours of not knowing what was wrong with our child. Spent some time at our friends’ house and tried to stay off the internet, especially WebMD. I managed to get a few hours of sleep after reading that only 1 in 50 women with abnormal Quad results actually have something wrong with the baby.
March 27, 2009- 16 weeks 5 days- Entered ultrasound room with E barely able to breathe. The technician started her spiel, lubed up my tummers and put the Doppler/Probe jobber over my uterus. The next few minutes will forever live on in my head.
Technician: Looks at her screen. “Oop, that’s why it’s abnormal.”
Me: Looks at the screen and sees 2 round objects. Places hand over mouth and says, “Oh my God, there are two!”
Technician: “Yup. Twins. Congratulations.” (she had the personality of a wet dish rag.)
E: “Are you serious?”
Technician: “Yup”
E: “I have to sit down.”
Me: “Are they ok?”
Technician: “Looks like it, I will be right back.”
Yada, yada. Babies looked like they were in good shape. Still pretty early to know the genders for sure, but Twin A looked like a girl and they were fairly positive that Twin B was a boy. They will be more certain at anatomy ultrasound at 19 weeks. The babies are fraternal despite the genders as they had two separate sacs and placentas. Within 15 minutes, we thought we were about to prepare for a special needs baby to finding out we were actually expecting two healthy babies. Went from the worst day ever to the best. For the first time in my life, I actually felt blessed. Dr. Awesome (specialty doctor) came in and gave us a run down of what to do while expecting twins. Stopped in to harass/see Dr. R and was told to expect early bed rest (around 26 weeks) and a caesarean section.
The next month is what I like to call “The Shock and Awe” month. Obviously.
April 7, 2009- 18 weeks 2 days- I now see my OB every 2 weeks, as I am now considered a high risk pregnancy. Also, since I was now carrying twins and my father is a diabetic, I was at a higher risk for gestational diabetes (GD). Dr. R sent me for the 1 hour glucose test.
April 17, 2009- 19 weeks 5 days- Felt them move for the first time on our way to the hospital. The song playing was Thriller by Michael Jackson. Second ultrasound. Definitely a boy. Definitely a girl. Everything looked “perfect” according to Dr. Awesome. We were finally able to refer to them as Ethan and Olivia.
April 22, 2009- 20 weeks 3 days- OB Appointment. Failed 1 Hour Glucose test, badly. Need to take 3 Hour Glucose Test.
April 28, 2009- 20 weeks 5 days- Took 3 Hour Glucose Test. Then ate like a chubby king over the weekend, as I thought the days of eating whatever I wanted were over.
April 28, 2009- 21 weeks 2 days- Glucose fail according to Dr. R. Made appointment to see another specialist.
April 30, 2009- 21 weeks 4 days- Met with GD specialist, Dr. LackofPersonality. After they lost my final number, was told I did not have GD and be on my merry way. However, I would need to test again when I was closer to my third trimester. I’ll take that.
May 5, 2009- 22 weeks 2 days- OB appointment # 731… Doing OK.
May 9, 2009- 22 weeks 6 days- Shot my first wedding as a photographer. Finally understood the whole swollen feet thing. Not something I recommend doing when five and a half months pregnant with twins.
Somewhere in between here, I felt them move from the outside. Only slightly disturbing. Also, pregnancy induced carpal tunnel showed up. Not great for a person that spends a majority of her day on the computer and spends the weekend with a camera pointed at people.
May 15, 2009- 23 weeks 5 days- Ultrasound # 3. Olivia was breech, Ethan was head down.
May 19, 2009- 24 weeks 2 days- OB appoint #1005. Waited for 2 hours for a 5 minute appointment. Yup. Still in there.
May 28, 2009- 25 weeks 4 days- 3 Hour Glucose Test # 2.
June 2, 2009- 26 weeks 2 days- OB appointment # 7529. Glucose PASS. Suck it GD believers. No bed rest needed. Found out what “internal check” meant.
June 12, 2009- 27 Weeks 5 days- Ultrasound # 4. Olivia still breech, Ethan, still ready to go. Dr. Awesome was slightly concerned that Ethan was a bit larger than Olivia. We’ll check up on them in 3 weeks.
June 16, 2009- 28 weeks 2 days- OB appointment # 80,107. RhoGam shot injected. No bed rest needed.
Somewhere in between here, E took away my driving privileges as I no longer could reach the pedals. I am now Miss Daisy. E is my Hoke.
July 2, 2009- 30 weeks 4 days- Ultrasound # 5. Olivia caught up somewhat to her brother. She is now head down as well. Ethan goes all ninja with his legs over his head. Dr. Awesome on vacay, Dr. LackofPersonality barely came into the room to chat.
July 2, 2009- 30 weeks 4 Days- OB appointment # 90, 444. If my OB wasn’t such a huggable guy, I would have punched him by now. He insists on letting them stay in there for as long as they want. He doesn’t like the idea of an eviction notice. ::Sigh:: Whatever is best for them I suppose…. No flames, you know I am only semi-serious. Speaking of flames, found out I am totally allowed to have a c-section if I want one. Sign me up. Still no bed rest, I am awesome.
July 17, 2009- 32 weeks, 5 days- OB appointment # zillionty. Reminded that my body thinks it is at 40 weeks because of the size of the babies. Dr. R’s game plan: “36 weeks is good, everything else is a bonus. If they are not here by 39 weeks, I will go in and get them.” Goody. The thought of a possible 6 more weeks of feeling like this reminds me of stupid rainbows and puppy dogs. No bed rest because Dr. R can sometimes be Satan.
July 22, 2009- 33 weeks 3 days- Ultrasound # 6. My kids weigh a collective 9 pounds 2 ounces with putting on a grand total of 2 lbs 5 ounces in the last three weeks. Apparently, E and I make some totally kick ass kids. Dr. Awesome predicts they will be here within the next 2 weeks. I like him. Best thing yet, Olivia has a confirmed full head of hair, which pleases her dad.
July 22, 2009- 33 weeks 3 days- Started new blog…. Crazy to think we will have our own Insta-Entourage in a few weeks. Wonder if Jeremy Piven will be included.
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