Week 13 Update

Today is day one of week 13. I am so thankful to still be feeling great (other than a cold or sinus junk or something). I have had a little bit of nausea and being gaggy but nothing severe and it doesn't ever last long when it does come on. What a wonderful time to pregnant! The leaves are changing and the temperatures are getting cooler. I love this time of year!

Week 13: (Remember this is just a single birth update)
Your baby is about three inches long and the size of a peach this week. But don't compare your baby with the baby next door. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size. Though your baby's head is about half the size of its body now, by the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body.

Your baby's intestines are also in for some big changes right now. Up till this point, they've been growing in a cavity inside the umbilical cord; but now they're moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen. And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing. It weighs about an ounce now and will weigh one to two pounds at birth.

Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Because sound can't travel through your uterus (your baby's current habitat), you won't be able to hear any sounds or cries just yet, but oh boy (or girl) - those vocal chords will get a good workout once that baby is born.

Week 12 Belly Picture

Here is the 12 week belly update. They are growing like weeds and so am I. :) We are going to the doctor to see them again on Wednesday so I will be posting pictures of them later this week. They are the ones everyone really wants to see anyway. :)

12 Weeks!

Week 12 Update

Tomorrow is day 1 of week 12. So I can officially say I am 11 weeks pregnant. I cannot believe how time is flying by. There is so much to do and seems like so little time to do it. Tomorrow I am going to start cleaning out closets to make room for the babies. :) Here is the 12 week update on the babies (Keeping in mind this is a single pregnancy update but I have been told by the doctor that it should be the same for both babies. So just imagine everything times 2.)

12 Weeks:
This week marks a turning point for your baby. The herculean task of developing new bodily structures is nearing an end as most of your baby's systems are fully formed. Now comes the maintenance phase, during which your baby's systems continue to mature for the next 28 weeks and the organs get to work.

Your little baby weighs as much as half an ounce now, and the crown-to-rump length is about two and a half inches (the size of a large plum - busily working his or her way through the whole produce department.) It's hard to believe (especially from the outside, since you're probably barely showing at this point), but your baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks. And that's just on the outside - there's plenty going on inside too. The fetal digestive system is beginning to flex its digestive muscle - literally - as it starts practicing contraction movements, a skill your baby will need after birth to push food through the digestive tract. The pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones. And the bone marrow is making white blood cells, which will one day help your baby fight infection (including all those germs passed around the snot-nosed playgroup).

11 Week Belly Picture

Here is my first belly picture. I am not a fan of pictures but according to my Mother and Aunt Beth I need to take one every week. I am sure I will be glad I have them later. :) Today is the last day of week 11.

Ultrasound #2 (10 weeks 2 days)

Here are the babies from today's ultrasound. They both measured great and the heartbeats were good. You could see them moving!!!! It was so awesome. You can't see from the pictures but you could see their little hands and feet moving around. I didn't expect to see them move. The pictures don't show much detail and this was the best one we got. There was one 3D one and you can kind of see where the little eyes and nose are. So amazing! My blood pressure was a little high so I have to monitor that over the next few weeks. I am praying it was just a one time thing and that it is not a problem already. It is really hard for me to just sit down and do nothing but I am going to have to learn to rest I suppose. It is just hard to think that I need to rest when I don't feel bad. I am so thankful that I have not had any sickness. My gag reflex has been in full force but it doesn't bother me for long periods. It literally comes and goes in just a few minutes. I am very fortunate to not have been sick. Grammy, Aunt Amy and Cousin Taryn went with me today to see the babies. Justin was out of town for work and couldn't come. I hate that he had to miss seeing the babies move for the first time. The good news is that I will be going back in two weeks!!!!

It's TWINS!!!!!!!

We went to the doctor for our first ultrasound on September 26th (at 8 weeks and 1 day). I was so excited and really needed to see it. I hadn't been sick at all so I was beginning to wonder if I really was pregnant (even though two pregnancy test showed very clearly that I was). I was having some symptoms but nothing major and I assumed as sick as I had been over the last 7 months on the medicines that I would be sick while pregnant too. WRONG!!! So here Justin and I were at the doctor and just so excited to see our little one. He held my hand as the nurse says, "hmmm wanna know a secret?" and I thought, "Is she really about to say what I think she is about to say?". So a few seconds go by and she says, " I know something you don't know" and at this time we couldn't see anything on the screen. I could see that she was moving around but it was all black. I said, "I need you to tell me what is going on because you are starting to worry me." She then pointed to the screen and said, "Do you see that little flicker?" And even though you really couldn't see anything we both said yes. She said, "That is a heart beat." We were all excited!!! She said, " you see that little flicker over here?" as she pointed to the other side of the screen....and I lost it. I was sobbing. Justin was just ecstatic and smiling from ear to ear. I couldn't stop crying with a flood of emotions. Then I started laughing hysterically and then crying some more. Finally I calmed down and we just looked at our two babies. I was so overjoyed but also overwhelmed with so many questions and mostly...Can I really do this? We met with Dr. Evitt who was beside herself as well with excitment. We talked a little bit about what a twin pregnancy would mean. When I left and was in the car I thanked the Lord for giving me double what I asked for and that since He gave them to me He would equip me to do what needed to be done to care for them. Since then I have had such a peace and joy in the blessing that he has given us. I feel so humbled that He chose Justin and I to be parents of twins. All the tears I cried and the prayers I prayed He answered with more than I asked for and more than I thought possible. People want to say "double trouble" and "you have no idea what is coming" and just shake their heads but I refuse to hear those things. I know there will be rough days ahead and it won't be easy and I may cry some more tears but it was all in God's plan. I just correct people by saying "double blessing". One of my favorite lines in a song...God doesn't always call the equipped but He will equip the called. Medicine or no medicine this was God's plan for mine and Justin's life and we will embrace it with joy and humility. Thank to everyone for your love and support for Justin and I. What a journey we have ahead!!!!

We're Pregnant!

September 2 - Justin, Trey (my nephew) and I were heading to St. Louis for the Labor Day weekend. I had received a call that week that the Clomid had done it's job for the first time since I had been taking it over the last 7 months and was told to take a pregnancy test on Saturday, September 3. I had already been experiencing some symptoms but didn't want to get my hopes up. By the end of the week on our way to St. Louis my symptoms were getting greater and greater. So I decided that I was going to take a test as soon as I got to Aunt Beth's house. I couldn't wait any longer. So we got to Aunt Beth's, said our hellos and I snuck off to the bathroom. When I first looked (immediately) at stick the first line was up immediately (there had to be two to be pregnant) and so I again thought, "Well I am not pregnant this time. We will just keep trying." But I knew I needed to wait the three minutes and then look again. Well I ended up waiting like a minute and a half and looked again and there were two VERY clear and DARK lines. I stuck my head out the door and called for Justin. I had a huge smile on my face when he walked into the bathroom and I showed him the stick. We laughed and cried and had a beautiful moment together. Then I stuck my head out again and called for Aunt Beth. She came to the door and I just showed her the stick. She started screaming and jumping up and down and we cried and laughed and cried some more and laughed some more. Uncle Roger, Emily, Luke and Leslie were all there too. It was so exciting! Aunt Beth, Leslie and Emily ran outside and ran around the cul-de-sac just screaming and laughing. It was so awesome!!! We all joined together and had a word of prayer. It was such an amazing time. I immediately started making phone calls and posted on Facebook. My phone didn't stop buzzing for hours. I was absolutely beside myself with excitement. Just a week or so before I was sitting in my office crying my eyes out and seeking direction from God because of a bad report that could have hindered us in this process. Little did I know that I was actually pregnant at the time. I just asked God for direction and within an hour I got a call from a friend with the God speaking through her and she didn't even know it, an email from a friend that were the exact words I needed and the direction I had asked God for and a call from the doctor saying there had been a mistake. God heard my cry and answered speedily. Now here I was pregnant. I couldn't even believe it!!!!

How this whole process started...

Mother's Day 2010 Justin and I were driving down the road. He turned the radio off (I knew something was up because he never turns the radio off just to talk) and proceeded to ask me about starting to try to have a baby. I was so excited. It was something we have talked about since before we were married but talked about it as a ways down the road. Every now and then we would talk about babies but nothing serious and I never really pushed the issue. As a young girl I thought I would get married and automatically be ready to have children. Then when we were actually married it hit me that I could actually get pregnant now and freaked me out slightly. Never the less I knew it was something I wanted in God's timing. I always prayed that when the time was right that Justin and I would just be on the same page and both ready. So at that point Justin and I decided that we would earnestly seek for God's direction and His perfect timing for us to enlarge our family. Over the next few months we decided that we would start trying in January of 2011. October came and I went off the pill in preparation for starting to try. I was having some complications with being off the pill. In February my doctor (Dr. Evitt) decided to put me on Clomid. With Clomid we knew that there was increase probability of having multiples. We put everything into God's hands and moved forward. I was also put on some other medicine because of some other issues I was having. I was very sick on this medicine and the Clomid. Very long story short....after 7 months of trying, some negative doctor's reports on mine and Justin's health we found out on September 2 we were expecting!!!!!

Welcome!

I have wanted to start a blog for some time now but didn't have much to share. So I decided when we got pregnant that I would start one. So here we are! A brand new stage in life and we are so excited! God has showered us with so many blessings and just keeps them coming. I hope you enjoy following along with us on this beautiful journey.