14 Weeks

This week has definitely been better than the several previous weeks.  I spent most of it with my parents.  They had me come up to Redding on Thursday of last week and was able to hang out with them and take it easy.  It was really nice to have Mom's cooking, which resulted in my eating A LOT!  I had lost quite a bit of weight because I got sick, so we were hoping that I would gain some of it back.

While in Redding, the majority of my nausea went away.  Thankfully, I am only experiencing that about one day out of 3 or 4.  I am getting headaches more frequently, but they are manageable.

On Tuesday, my parents brought me back to Sacramento.  Wednesday, we all (mom, dad, grandma, and I) drove down to Walnut Creek to visit my other grandma.  It was really great. About halfway down, it occurred to me that there were 4 generations riding down in that car.  I am so looking forward to these babies arriving so I can get some 4 generation photos with both of my grandmas.  :)

So, here are the latest photos. I am actually kind of on time with these.  :)

 

DATA:

How far along? 14 weeks (Second Trimester!)

Babies are the size of a: lemon

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah!

Have you told family and friends? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Nausea is almost gone. I am still having lots of headaches and I’m really tired.

Sleep: Still not sleeping well.

Best moment this week:  I thought it was really cool when my family and I went down to visit my dad’s mom. It was both grandmas, both of my parents, and me and the twins. Very cool.

Miss Anything?  Feeling normal.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: At least 3 every night.

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Still no appetite, so no cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells still bother me, but not as much.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: Don’t know yet

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? In

Mood: Blah

Looking forward to: We get another ultrasound next week!

13 Weeks

Now for the current (almost) week.  The week started out kind of rough.  I was still recuperating from being sick and lacking in energy.  I honestly can't remember much about the week.  It mostly consisted of me hanging out on the couch and trying to get myself back to eating food.  I still had no appetite.  Jeff was running around trying to find things that I would eat and/or drink.  I am definitely SICK of Gatorade.  I can't handle anything that is too sweet either.  Hopefully, this is the worst we have to deal with.  Thank goodness Jeff is a patient man.  I really lucked out there.

Thursday evening, we met my parents for dinner, and I came to Redding with them.  We decided that poor Jeff needed a break from playing nurse, and I needed to pack on a few more pounds.  I had lost several being sick.  I ended up 3 lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight after the whole hospital thing.  So far, I have been feeling pretty good since about Saturday.  :)

DATA:

How far along? 13 weeks

Babies are the size of a: peach

Maternity clothes? Brought my maternity jeans to Redding with me this week. Technically, I didn’t wear them this week.

Have you told family and friends? We are now Facebook public.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Recovering from the nasty bug that I got last week.  Extremely nauseous and a few headaches this week.

Sleep: Still not sleeping well.

Best moment this week:  I got to go to my parents’ house in Redding.  It’s always nice to go back home and be taken care of by my parents.

Miss Anything?  Not feeling nauseous.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: I think I topped out this weekend at 5 times.  My fault for drinking too much lemonade.

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Still no appetite, so no cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: everything

Have you started to show yet: I think so.

Gender: Don’t know yet

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? In

Mood: Blah

Looking forward to: Feeling better.

12 Weeks

I am doing this entry more than a week late. My apologies. Basically, on Thursday of this week I began vomiting and was not able to stop.  At about 5:30a.m., Jeff finally took me in to Labor and Delivery to get checked out.  They hooked me up to an I.V., pumped me full of fluids and anti-nausea medication and then determined that I most likely had a virus, although they doubted it was the flu.  My mom was in town, so she was able to spend most of the morning with me while Jeff went to work.  There's just something comforting about having Mom with me.  We went home a little after noon.  I found that I had I fever of 101 degrees when I got home, so we then moved into "operation: decrease fever".  

Long story short, it was a long recovery.  I am just now starting to feel more like myself...over a week later.  I had already filled out my data sheet, so I am including that.  This picture, however, was taken today.  I know, I am cheating.  We got another ultrasound the day after I was in the hospital, and I really wanted to do a photo with the two babies.  I finally got around to it this morning.

DATA:

How far along? 12 weeks

Babies are the size of a: plum

Maternity clothes? Almost

Have you told family and friends? By the time I post this, the news should be public.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: This week I was back to feeling the nausea and headaches a little more than last.  Thursday morning I woke up at 1 a.m. sick-as-a-dog!  We made another trip to Labor and Delivery.  Verdict = virus

Sleep: Not sleeping well this week.

Best moment this week:  My mom was here this week.  That was really nice, even though I wasn’t feeling well.

Miss Anything?  Feeling normal.  I can’t even remember WHAT that feels like.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: When I have trouble sleeping, I get up more often. 

Movement: I haven’t felt them move, but I saw them move on the ultrasound.

Food cravings: I am loving mangos this week.

Anything making you queasy or sick: everything

Have you started to show yet: I think so.

Gender: Don’t know yet

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? In

Mood: Blah

Looking forward to: Starting to show more.

Hmmm

I was just reading an article about twins.  I am trying to read as much as possible on the subject lately.  Anyway, this one that I just read is about 'the chances of having twins.'  These are the factors that increase your chances of twins:

1.  You have twins in your family.  Ummm, no.

2.  You are African-American.  Again, no.

3.  You're an older mom-to-be (35+).  Not for 2 more years.

4.  You've been pregnant before.  Nope

5.  You've had twins before.  See above.

6.  You're undergoing fertility treatment.  Nada.  Au naturale.

7.  You're overweight.  Not in my opinion.

8.  You're tall.  Maybe to a munchkin!

So, none of these criteria apply to me.  It just makes this whole situation so much more meaningful.

11 Weeks

This has been my best week yet!  I am starting to feel better (nausea-wise) and I went back to work.  I am working as a substitute teacher, and was able to pick up the entire week, teaching 5th grade for a friend of mine.  It has been great to get out of the house and be around people during the day.  It also made it harder to keep our little secret.

On Wednesday, we went for our first ultrasound.  It's so funny, when I think back on the events of the past 6 weeks, I can't help but feel that God has been up there, listening, guiding, and LAUGHING at this whole process.  I have had so many ups and downs through this experience.  We found out we are expecting twins.  What a blessing!  I think Jeff is slightly more excited than I am (I am thinking of the the whole pregnancy, labor, and delivery thing).  Within an hour of getting home, I think Jeff had called everyone in his family AND several friends.  I planned to keep it quiet for a few days, but I did have a hard time keeping it a secret at work.  I just couldn't help myself.  I was SOO excited!  Once one person found out, I just had to spread the news.  I had taken the photos with me, so I just enjoyed watching them all figure it out themselves.  The reactions were PRICELESS!!!

I think my Grandma Jo's was the best.  She said "You have GOT to be kidding me!!"  HAHA!  I can't wait to go down there    after they are born.  I don't think she will believe it until she sees them

The one on the left is Baby A, the right is Baby B.

DATA:

How far along? 11 weeks

Babies are the size of a: lime

Maternity clothes? I think maternity clothes are in my VERY near future!!

Have you told family and friends? Most of our close friends and family know.  We are waiting until next week to reveal the pregnancy on Facebook.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Nausea is getting better and headaches are becoming manageable. Sense of smell is still ULTRA sensitive!

Sleep: Like a rock most nights (if I wear earplugs).

Best moment this week:  OH MY GOSH! We had our first ultrasound and WE’RE HAVING TWINS!!!

Miss Anything?  My brain has left me.  I am so absent-minded lately.  Mostly because it is occupied by the thought of having TWO new babies this summer.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: Depends on the night, but at least once and as many as 3 times.

Movement: No, but I swear one of them was playing soccer with my appendix on Thursday.

Food cravings: No real cravings this week.  I am just glad my appetite is almost back to normal.

Anything making you queasy or sick: ANY smells

Have you started to show yet: Down really low, I can feel a little bulge.  I still have the bloat, so I look pregnant as well.

Gender: Don’t know yet

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? In

Mood: Excited!!

Looking forward to: Starting to show.

SURPRISE!

In keeping with tradition, I am posting this a little late.  In my defense, I was waiting until we told our Bible study last night and got to see their reactions. Hehe!

Wednesday morning, I had my first ultrasound.  Jeff had taken the morning off so he could come with me.  We were really excited.  We couldn't wait to see our little peanut!

The appointment when as usual with a simple physical exam and discussing how I have been feeling.  We talked a bit about my trip to the hospital because of my headaches and then covered all of our questions about the pregnancy, etc.  Finally, we got to the main event!  When the doctor eventually got around to doing the ultrasound, we discovered something completely unexpected.  There were TWO very distinct, separate fetuses on the screen!!!  OH MY GOSH!  I fell in love right there.

I knew that this experience would change me, but I had no idea just how much.  Seeing those two little babies on the screen moving around, was just AMAZING.  They were both quite active and wiggly.  I was in shock.  I just kept saying "oh my gosh", I couldn't believe it.  Then I cried.  Then I started shaking and getting all nervous.  I just never thought this would actually happen.  Praise the Lord!  We had the doctor take our first family photo right there.  I will always cherish that day, and this experience.

God Answers Prayers

After this amazing experience, I did a lot of thinking.  I am still doing a lot of thinking.  I recalled many different moments in this short pregnancy so far.  You could call them coincidences, or something else. Anyway, very early on Jeff and I had discussed whether we hoped for a boy or a girl.  Jeff has always said that he wanted a boy, and I...a girl.  We had joked briefly that 'maybe we will have twins and get one of each.'  While we were joking at the time, we both (in our own time) prayed secretly that this would be the case.  I think I prayed for it for about a week, and then kinda let it go.

When the whole thing with Kate Middleton came up, it stirred something again.  The rumors were flying that because she was so sick, she was carrying twins.  I was feeling AWFUL, so I googled it.  I discovered that I wasn't feeling THAT bad, so I was disappointed but let the idea go.  I just thought it would have been so cool!

Finally, two weeks ago, when we went to Labor and Delivery because of my headache, I had another strange experience.  I was able to listen to the fetal heartbeat with a Doppler.  When the nurse first put the wand on my tummy, the number 171 flashed on the monitor.  It was there for a few seconds and then it turned to 168 when the wand was moved.  My first thought was 'oh my gosh, maybe there are two!'  I held onto this thought until after Jeff came back with some food.  I told him about it and we sort of joked a bit.

The morning we had the ultrasound, I wasn't feeling great.  I had been going through some ups and downs as far as my nausea and headaches for a few weeks, and had recently had an extremely emotional episode and was just wiped out with the whole situation.  I told Jeff that I was thinking that we would be a 'one kid family'.  I was thinking that I just couldn't go through this again.  I also hoped it would get better very soon.

I think God must have been up there just chuckling to Himself "be careful what you wish for!"  He certainly did answer our prayers.  Not only are we getting a child (early-on in trying), but we are getting TWINS!  I only hope that He is as generous with giving us one of each!  I am feeling so blessed and excited.
.......
Uh oh. I'm going to have to come up with a new name for the blog.  Ideas?

10 Weeks

I apologize for the delay in posting this week.  I hope this doesn't become a habit.  ;) We had a great New Year's Eve.  Jeff took me to Mikuni (my favorite sushi restaurant) for dinner.  I have learned what I can and cannot eat during my pregnancy, so I don't have to give up sushi completely.  As long as it's cooked, and I don't have too much tuna, I am golden!!  We had a really nice dinner and reminisced about our first New Year's Eve spent together 2 years ago.  That's when we met 'officially.'  What a road it's been!!  After dinner, we went to Old Sacramento with 3 other couples to watch the fireworks.

As for the pregnancy...

After still struggling with nausea and headaches through the weekend and into the beginning of the week, I decided to head up to Redding on Wednesday to hang with my parents.  Jeff went back to work on Wednesday, and I really needed some company.  I thought for sure I would gain some weight while up there, but no.  My mom is a great cook and she can definitely get me to eat when I just don't feel like it.  I started to feel better while there, as far as the nausea.  My headaches have continued.

The weekend was rough for me.  I drove back to Sacramento Saturday, and was exhausted by the time I arrived.  Sunday was a HORMONE day.  I think I cried most of the day.  Poor Jeff.  He tried so hard to figure out what to do with me.  I think I am just really done with these headaches.  I am hoping to do a post about those one of these days, if I can find the time.  Soooo, here are this week's photos...a few days late.  I should have called this 10 1/2 weeks...

I know I look a lot wider in these photos.  I bought a new bra last week and it doesn't quite fit into the top of this dress.  I didn't realize how funny it looked until after I looked at the photos on my computer.  I'll have to figure something else out.  HA!

DATA:

How far along? 10 weeks

Baby is the size of a: prune

Maternity clothes? Just a pair of maternity sweats.  I can fit into my jeans with a rubber band to hold them closed.  Also trying to wear my pants that stretch.  J

Have you told family and friends? If you're on here, you know. We've told all of the family and just a few friends (our Bible study group, and a few more) I told my good friend Karen this week.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Nausea and headaches. Sense of smell is still ULTRA sensitive!

Sleep: Like a rock most nights (if I wear earplugs).

Best moment this week:  Spending time with my parents and grandma…and getting to eat some crab!

Miss Anything?  SUSHI

Number of times I get up to pee each night: Depends on the night, but at least once and as many as 3 times.

Movement: Nope

Food cravings: I craved crab, and my mom got me some.

Anything making you queasy or sick: ANY smells

Have you started to show yet: It may just be bloat, but yes.

Gender: Don’t know yet

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? In

Mood: Emotional!

Looking forward to: Seeing the ultrasound TOMORROW!!!