Hello My Loves!

It has been awhile since I've updated. I'm so sorry for that, but life has been hectic and crazy lately. There is so much to update you all on, but most important is that the babies and I have reached 22w4d today and are healthy and happy! Some of the important things to catch you all up on-

-We are being blessed with two little boys <3 <3 Jonathan Carmine and Robert Joseph Jr<3

- For 16 weeks I suffered from hyperemesis (aka vomitting a alot), and only gained 2lbs so far in my pregnancy. Thankfully even with only a 2lb gain our boys are measuring 13oz and 11oz (as of our 20week scan) which is right on target with a singleton pregnancy!

-We are all still healthy with no complications.

-I am still working full time and even pulling some overtime hours here and there

Thank you all for checkin in on us and keeping up today<3 It means a lot that people are always thinking and praying for us! I promise to do a better job of keeping everyone up to date :) xoxo

13w5d -and seeing our Littles

Good Morning my sweet friends! 

I had the most amazing day yesterday. It was our elective ultra sound for week 14 (just a few days shy) at a local place called Bellysimo. We decided that since we had a long time between seeing  the babies at week 11 till week 20 that we would go to Bellysimo and do their "Angle of The Dangle" scan. At around week 14 they will guess the gender of your baby(ies) based on the genital tublular growth. Early on it will either point upwards -indicating a boy, or downwards -indicating a girl. Then we get to return at week 17 or 18 for them to tell us the genders for sure.

We got our guesses yesterday and they were pretty positive they knew what both Baby A and Baby B are. We are keeping it a secret until we return for our week 17 ultrasound. Mainly because our parents are going to come to that ultrasound and we want them to be surprised -so only Rob and I get to know for now. 

When we walked in for our ultra sound  there was a card waiting for us. In the card many of our friends and coworkers had left us an amazing surprise- a gift card to cover our ultra sounds and enough money left over for a spa session or another ultra sound even. 

When I found out who's idea it was to put together the gift card and leave it for us there I text her and thanked her. That's when she told me the most amazing thing. She said that she woke up in the morning and knew it was something she had to do so she didn't think it was a gift from her or even her idea- she felt like God told her to do it. 

How amazing and special is that? It brought tears to my eyes even before I got to see the babies. To know so many people- so many of our friends- are thinking of us and supporting us in our journey.  It was just such a special gift. I couldn't say thank you enough, because truly there really aren't words available to describe how I felt. Speechless. 

Below I will share a couple pictures from our ultra sound and talk about the babies more- so if you aren't in a good place no worries. Take a look at these beautiful flowers. Here in Jersey we got some snow and ice over night in the middle of April, so if you are experiencing weather anything like we are you could use some flowers right now! 

Here they are! My littles. Baby A was reaching out to grab Baby B's hand in this one. The photo is a little grainy, but you can clearly see there little hands reaching for one another. We got to see that they have all of their fingers- and that Baby B is a thumb sucker. 

 Baby A is a little less cooperative. As you can see here- Baby A is butt up while Baby B is sitting pretty. Baby A would roll over, curl their legs up and then unleash massive kicks on their sibling. Baby B would just sit there and keep sucking their thumb like nothing was happened. 

I will say that the 3d/4d ultra sound this early shows images that only a mother can love. Their faces slightly resemble that of the predator. I still thought they were adorable even when Baby B turned and seemingly looked at us and smiled. 

I really can't wait to see them again in 3 weeks and see just how much they have grown. May 7th is our next ultra sound and that is when I will let you all know what they are :) 

We are so excited and blessed to have these two littles as a part of our life. We really couldn't be happier <3

Just Checking In

Long time no talk :) 

All is good here. We are hanging tough and dare I say starting to feel a bit better. I've been in a bit of a fog lately- between constant nausea and fatigue I haven't spent much time online. When I am feeling better I have been trying to be present in everyday life.

We had an OB appointment yesterday- and after a two hour wait- yes a two hour wait!! I got to hear the babies heart beats- Baby A is still much faster than Baby B and I am still convinced its a Girl and a Boy. My BP was perfect at 112/70 -and that was after waiting forever to be seen. I am now down 10lbs instead of 12lbs so I have started to gain some that I have lost back which is good. All my labs came back good as well. So far we are doing just great as we enter into the second trimester. 

My APN told me it won't be long before I may start to feel movement. The babies are currently right on top of one another so she said I should start to feel flutters and sensations soon.

DH and I have scheduled an elective Ultra Sound at a place near us. Its called "The Angle of The Dangle" and we will have two ultra sounds done. Our first is next week as we enter week 14 and they will do a 3d/4d ultra sound and guess the babies genders. The lady I spoke with said that their guesses are normally 90-95% accurate. After that ultra sound they will schedule a return appointment for us to come back and do a second ultra sound and at that appointment they will know the genders for sure. Also at that appointment we plan to bring our parents along since they have a viewing area so we can all find out together. 

We're starting our diaper stockpile as well. So far we have 432 newborn diapers, 476 size 1, and 260 size 3. We also have 2400 wipes stockpiled. The grandparents have gotten in on the diaper stockpile fun and every time they go out they also grab diapers and pile them up at their homes as well.

We've started to plan the lay out of the nursery- but are holding off on designing it until we know what the babies are. Which won't be too long now :) 

I hope you are all doing well. I've been reading and thinking of you all, but will probably continue my internet hiatus a bit longer. 

Can't wait to check in next week and tell you what the guess are! What do you guys think?? 

New OB and MFM

Yesterday was our first visit with the new OB and it was 360 degrees different from the last OB. The appointment last just over an hour- compared to the last OB appointment which lasted -oh maybe a half hour. I only waited to be taken back for about 15 minutes. Once they took me to the back a nurse sat down with me and did intake. She did all of my vitals, went over all of my medical history, discussed all of my fertility treatments, discussed the babies, and discussed the OB's office in general. It was probably about 45 minutes of intake alone. 

Then I met with the midwife who did a full body examination- including pelvic exam and breast exam. Everything went perfectly. The midwife added extra calcium and extra iron to my supplements. I won't be starting the iron supplementation until my stomach gets a little better. 

I have another appointment in two weeks and until my stomach gets under control and I start to gain weight instead of lose weight they will follow my every two weeks. I also have a early glucose tolerance test scheduled for four weeks from now- about 15 weeks pregnant. The reason for the early testing is my PCOS and the fact that PCOS can affect the way your body metabolizes glucose. 

It was a wonderful appointment and I am so glad I went with my gut and switched to a different practice. They deliver at the hospital I work for and they are thorough and caring. It makes me feel so much safer for both the babies and I. 

After my OB appointment I went to Maternal Fetal Medicine and met with the high risk doctor and had an amazing ultra sound. MFM was PACKED. We waited almost an hour prior to being seen, but its not like they rushed us when we were in the back for our appointment. They took so much time and pointed out so many things- even that Baby B had a full belly which shows that the baby is swallowing and eating just fine. We got to see the babies arms and legs and even ears. 

First my first baby- Swishy was hanging out with me before my appointments. Swishy is also way over the snow and cold and refused to come out from under the covers :) 

Now for some ultra sound photos. As always if you aren't in the right place right now there is nothing wrong with looking away. Feel better- enjoy a cup of tea, or wine if that's an option, put your feet up, read a good book, and enjoy some sunshine (if you aren't in the Northeast). Sending you love no matter what <3

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Baby A 10w6d-- girl??

Baby A is hanging out on the right side. I personally think Baby A is a girl. She was super cooperative and her heart rate was 184. She's growing just perfectly and was moving her arms and legs around. 
 

Baby B 10w6d --Boy??

Baby B is on my left and a lot less cooperative. Baby B was doing somersaults and stretching out all over the place. Baby B's heart rate was 154 and growing just perfectly as well. I feel like Baby B is a boy. 

It was so amazing to see them look like little humans. To see how much they grew in just a few weeks and to see them moving all over the place. We don't go back to MFM until the end of May. I have opted out of sequential screening. They are both looking perfect and it does not matter to my husband or I what a sequential screening shows. 

Our reasoning for this is worth sharing. One of our very best friends has a 19 year old, 100% healthy son. He sings and acts and runs and when we have barbeque's he eats more than anyone else at the table. There is nothing wrong with him, but at our friends sequential screening she was told that his heart had not developed properly and she should abort him. Our friends is a women of faith and she prayed and prayed and never felt peace about aborting her baby. So she didn't and 9 months later she delivered her son. They whisked him away to a children's specialty hospital after he was born -alive-- because they thought there was something terribly wrong with his heart. Only there was nothing wrong with his heart. He was healthy. A miracle. Our friend still has the doctors reports saying that her baby should have never been born alive- let alone a healthy 19 year old young man. To me it doesn't matter what the screening shows because I believe in miracles.

At our end of May appointment we will be able to find out the genders. My husband and I have decided to do elective ultra sounds at a place near us. One at around 14 weeks where they guess the genders and then another one at 17/18 weeks where they guarantee the genders. There is a small viewing area and we will be inviting our parents to the 17/18 week ultra sound to be there with us when we find out. 

So far we are all doing great and we keep praying that they keep growing perfectly. I am so happy with my medical team right now and I feel like the babies and I are in perfectly capable hands.

Take a Moment- Pray for Kai & Family

I woke up and read the saddest news- sweet Kai - our dear fellow blogger Caroline from In Due Time's-- nephew passed away after his battle with cancer last night. 

Kai's Caring Bridge Page

I just wanted to take a moment and pray for the family. Pray for their comfort and for them to know that Kai is no longer feeling any pain. Pray for Kai's sweet little sister as she is so very young. Pray that they can feel the love from all of their friends and family surrounding them and lifting them up during this most difficult time. 

Pray that in this lifetime there will be a cure for childhood cancer so more children and their families don't have to suffer.

Caroline and family please know that my families heart and love goes out to you and your family.  If there is anything we can do to help honor Kai- we're here <3 

Goodbye Best Winter Ever

I've been somewhat in hiding lately. No news is good news as they like to say. 

Truth is I've been feeling pretty crummy. I've been trying to grab this pregnancy by the horns and celebrate every second of it. I'm afraid to complain about all the issues I've been having for fear of coming off as ungrateful. 

I started to write an entire post about all the crummy that has been going on- but what is the point really? Even if I am feeling crummy- what does writing about crumminess do for my psyche? Or the psyche of others for that matter?  Nada, zilch, nothing. Complaining is surely not going to make it go away.

Instead on this last day of winter I wanted to celebrate. I am truly glad to kiss winter goodbye. I'm not a fan of cold, snow, or ice. I am a fan of my garden, flowers and sunshine. 

Still with this being one of the snowiest, most bipolar, coldest, polar vortexing winters of all time I can still standby and celebrate it. Much like my pregnancy being filled with nausea, vomiting, and constipation- I can still totally celebrate it. 

So three cheers for this winter. Three cheers for the winter that brought us to this pregnancy. Three cheers for these little babies who let me know they are with me always. 

I am truly looking forward to Spring and all that comes with it and all that it promises, but sad to say goodbye to the best winter of my life <3 

My First OB Appt and Finding a New OB

I had my first OB appointment on Wednesday. I have seen my gyn doctor all my life- in fact he even delivered me, but recently he stopped doing deliveries his self since he is getting older. He recommended me to another doctor in his practice and I saw her on Wednesday and it could not have gone more wrong. 

First Impression- the nurse takes me to the OB side of the office takes my BP and weight and then starts asking questions. Now my RE sent all of my paper work and information regarding the babies and our IVF cycle to the office at my request. The nurse asked for the date of my last period and then when I told her it was January she said- "So you never got your period last month?" 

Uh, no. Didn't you read my file? I responded politely with an "I'm pregnant, so no thankfully." As if that wasn't bad enough she took my husband and I back to a room and left me sitting there without any instruction. There was a gown on the table- "Do I put this on?" My husband just looked at me quizzically. He didn't know. I didn't know. Then she came back and told me she needed me to switch rooms.

My first impression at this point was confusion and that I so far was not thrilled with the nursing staff. No warm welcome. No one read my chart. No instructions- just not a good warm fuzzy feeling at all. 

Then the doctor came back and we quickly realized this was not going to be the right fit for us. First and foremost she would not deliver a twin pregnancy and would refer me to an out of network hospital. It was then that the major bombshell was dropped- they are no longer associated nor do they do deliveries at the hospital I work for. The hospital system I have insurance under. 

You would think that when making my appointment and seeing my insurance a red flag would have went up and someone would have made mention that they were no longer in network. 

The doctor herself was very nice, but there is no way I am paying out of pocket for delivery. No way. 

Further more they had my due date wrong- but kept telling me I was further along than I am and basically not listening to what I was saying. I know where I am- its my body and I have followed along every single step of the way so as your patient I would love it if someone would listen to what I was saying. 

It was determined that this doctor was not the right fit for us pretty much right away and we made that known. We weren't rude about it, but I need to stay in network and I need to trust and feel safe with my doctors. I also want my voice heard. 

Thankfully it wasn't all a waste of time- they did provide me with a new medication to help combat the morning sickness. The medication is called Diclegis and I am only on day two of taking it. I can't say its been working honestly. So far I have still vomited both days- the good thing is that I can increase to additional tablets daily to help out, which I will probably do tomorrow if I still have no relief.

The other thing the doctor did was provide me with a blood work slip to help me get things started. I had my blood work done yesterday (the fiasco that was could be an entire other blog entry, but lets just say it was not easy.) 

I also came directly home from my OB appointment and found a new OB. He is a high risk doctor and associated with my hospital system. He is highly recommended by a few friends and is known to play it safe. Sounds like my type of guy. I will see his midwife in two weeks and go from there. 

Hopefully this is a much better fit for me and the babies.