Cankles.

They're the new muffin top. I normally have bony chicken ankles, so it's hilarious to look down and see Fred Flintstone's legs on my body. My footsies are numb and tingly, hard to move, and won't fit into shoes very well...but it's all good. I enjoy pressing fingerprint designs into them and wearing my TED hose to work every day. With a little rest and leg elevation, it decreases in intensity...the challenge is just finding the time to lay down! Gotta stop spreading myself so thin. I am almost 8.5 months pregnant with twins and still working full time. Oy.

 Sexay...rawr

Sorry for the lack of updates. I actually had the time and energy to sit down this afternoon and write a post. I was supposed to be at a baby shower that my friends at work were throwing me...but an awesome, supportive, and oh so sensitive authority figure caused it to be canceled and drafted up new company policies because it wasn't fair that another pregnant (with twins) coworker was left out of it. Really unnecessary drama that has nothing to do with work? Was it fair that I wasn't included in said co worker's two work showers that she's already had? Yes it was fair. Why? Because she deserves her own celebrations and it is her own business. Why would I want to steal her glory? She deserves to be honored at her own baby showers. Besides, how unfair is it to invite employees to a shower for two women pregnant with four babies and expect them to be able to afford all of these gifts at one time? It puts me in a very awkward and embarrassing situation. And it stresses me out. Some people have no class.

Baby showers have been the root of most of my panic attacks over the years because of the infertility devil. I will admit that it has been a pretty uncomfortable experience going to my own baby showers. I am so grateful, but it is still very hard. Now, after almost seven years it is finally my turn and someone has to start drama and hurt my feelings. Therefore, my awesome friends have devised other plans for us to celebrate these baby boys. It's not even about the gifts. All we need are our babies, my boobs, and a roof over our heads. They have seen the ups and downs and many failures for Andy and I over the years, and they want to celebrate that fact that we will finally have our miracle babies. And I'm going to eat cake. Take that diabeetus. And take that authority figure. From this point forward, I will be keeping friendship and unsupportive business relationships separated. Click. Click. Facebook deeeeeeeeelete.

I'm alternating visits between my regular OB and high risk OB. I'm being seen on a weekly basis now...thank God. The diabeetus is under control and no signs of preeclampsia thus far. Pow is still head down and Boom Boom is still breech. They will measure them again at my appointment next Monday. I'm guessing they're probably around 5 lbs each now! I do know that Pow's head is laying on my bladder and that hasn't been fun. I have to crawl to the bathroom and only get about a tablespoon of pee out, lol. I have started having more intense Braxton Hicks last Friday and have been trying to take it easy and hydrate well. It's so weird...whenever I have one, my abdomen becomes so tight that I can see the outline of their tiny little bodies and butts sticking out. Little munchkins are getting ready to come out and meet their mama and daddy!

I am 33 weeks as of yesterday. That means only FOUR MORE WEEKS!!! I can't believe it! Hopefully they will bake for as long as possible so that we can avoid the NICU.

I know some of you have been missing Andy's belly pics, so I included him this week. He is flattered to say the least. From what I can tell, I haven't had much growth since my last post. I'm pretty sure there will be another spurt in the near future! Thank you all for your support and sweet comments! I try to get back to all of you, but it is really hard sometimes. Please know that we appreciate them all!

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

Boom Boom and Pow's First Shower

Well, well, well. It's been so busy around here that I haven't had time to update lately!

The diabeetus is under control. For now. As I figured, my OB never did the referral to high risk like he said he would. So....I did it myself. I finally got in to see her yesterday, which was nearly three weeks after finding out that I failed my glucose test. Thankfully, Andy's dietitian has me on a diet plan and I have taken it upon myself to keep track of my blood sugar. She said that my numbers look good for now, and I am to start checking my sugar 4x/day and bring the values back to my next appointment in two weeks!

I was extremely impressed with this doctor and feel so much better now. It helps to know that someone is watching me closely. My OB is still seeing me every four weeks and I'm in the third trimester...my gut tells me that isn't right. Especially with a twin pregnancy. They did a very thorough work-up including genetic counseling, a 1.5 hour ultrasound complete with anatomy scan, a doppler to check blood flow to my uterus and through the umbilical cords, monitored me for contractions, and checked labs to see how well my blood sugar has been controlled over the past three months. The entire appointment took four hours.

The ultrasound went well, and they looked very healthy. However, Boom Boom is our horse weighing in at 4lb 5oz and measuring two weeks ahead with a little excess amniotic fluid in his sack. This is all due to the gestational diabetes. He already has fat rolls! She is not really concerned and will just keep a close eye on him. Poor little Pow is our runt measuring on time and weighs about 3.5 lbs. Still, they are healthy weights and we are just grateful that they are okay. Pow is still head down, and Boom Boom is breech again. The doppler showed my blood flow to them, and it looked good as well!

I had one contraction while on the monitor and didn't even feel it. F'awesome. I hadn't consumed much water that morning from being there, so she said it was just some uterine irritability which is normal at this point in my pregnancy. She is also going to monitor me closely for preeclampsia because my blood pressure is still creeping up a bit, and she said that I am at higher risk because we used an egg donor. Something about the foreign genetic material in my body. Who'da thunk it. Overall, we are very pleased with her.

We interviewed and chose our pediatrician today as well! He is very sharp, chill, and we love him!

I had my first shower over the weekend and it was absolutely perfect. I could not believe that it was actually our babies being honored at a shower...this whole pregnancy thing still doesn't feel real and I feel like I'm in some crazy dream. It's finally our turn! My sister and close friends of the family went above and beyond to make sure it was a special day that we would remember forever! The best part was that Andy's sister, mom, niece, and our sister-in-law were able to come from out of town, and my sister who lives in Chicago flew down and surprised us all! Our brother in law and some friends threw a "Diaper Shower" for Andy as well, so he was able to go hang out with all of the guys while the girls were doing their thing. We are so blessed to have such awesome family and friends who love Boom Boom and Pow already. Thank y'all for everything!

We also revealed their first names to our family while they were at our house over the weekend...I'll save that for another post!

Whew. I think that is it for now. I'm going to go drink my fruit smoothie and hit the hay. For now, I'll leave you all with some baby shower and belly pics! I'm going through another growth spurt!

 30 Weeeekkkkks!

31 Weeks!!!

See that bump towards the top? That's Pow's butt!

I Got the Diabeetus.

Gestational Diabetes is all up in here, yo.

Apparently my family history combined with the placentas of two babies has shut down my insulin factory. I probably wouldn't have ever known had I not called my OB's office to ask for results! Yes, you read that right! I failed my one hour glucose screening on 12/28 and wasn't able to take my three hour until after the New Year on 1/3. I didn't hear any results by last Wednesday, so I called and was told that I "failed it", but the technician wouldn't give me any numbers because my doctor hadn't signed off on them yet. She told me they would call when they had orders. Okay.

I still didn't hear anything by the end of Thursday. Again, I called the office and talked to the nurse this time. I was told the same thing again. This time that the results were "still on his desk and he hasn't looked at them yet". Knowing that they were closed every Friday, I asked her if I was going to have to wait through the entire weekend to find out what I needed to do. I was told that they were open until noon and I would hear something once she had orders. Okay.

By Thursday night, the hormones kicked in and I was livid. There I sat over 29 weeks pregnant...with twins...knowing my sugar was God knows how high for God knows how long...and wondering why they were taking their sweet time telling me what I needed to do. I trust them to look after the best interests of myself and our babies and feel that we were being placed on the back burner. After all, it took us almost seven years and another mortgage to get to where we are today. Okay. Hell no.

On Friday, one of my coworkers who used to work there called to find out what in the world was going on. She was told that as soon as they opened they would look at my file and then give me a call. I still didn't hear anything by lunchtime, so I called Andy. He called and told them he wanted to speak with our doctor, and they told him he was seeing patients. Andy told them he didn't care and that he would hold until he was available. Lol. The nurse finally picked up and gave Andy the same excuse and then proceeded to tell him that the doctor wanted to talk to me himself and would be calling after lunch. She assured him that we would have some answers soon. Okay.

As a nurse, I feel really awkward being "that patient", but seriously? It is SO true that you have to be your own advocate. If they would have just told me the numbers, I would have been more at ease. I had no clue what they were...what if I needed medication? Was I supposed to be checking my sugar daily? Special diet? Did I put our babies at risk by giving them diabetes? They know I am pregnant with twins and at a higher risk...why didn't they test for this earlier? Like, BEFORE I ate 5 million pounds of chocolate over the holidays! Shhh.

He finally called Friday afternoon and told me that my fasting was 84, one hour was 208, two hour 158, and three hour normal. He said that it may be able to be controlled by diet now, but that it could get messy towards the end of the pregnancy so he is referring me to the high risk doctor (finally) to be evaluated. They will call me once they've scheduled an appointment. Uh huh.

So, here I sit almost 30 weeks pregnant and I probably won't get an appointment until later this week....and we've known for almost two weeks that something was up with my sugar. Andy works with several dieticians at the hospital, and we have taken matters into our own hands. He gave the Maternal Dietician all of my information and she has developed an ADA diet plan for me. I will call to annoy my OB's office first thing tomorrow morning so they will hurry up and do the referral. Hell, I might even pretend I'm them and do the referral myself.

Am I overreacting??? If I wouldn't have kept calling them, I would have probably never known that I failed it! Scary. Now that I think about it, I'm going through two bags of Sonic ice weekly. Am I iron deficient and they've never bothered to look? Oh, and he still has me coming to see him every 4 weeks...aren't you supposed to switch to every 2 weeks in the third trimester?? Good lawd. Thankfully my pregnancy will be managed more closely once we get to the high risk doctor. So annoyed.

We had a very Happy New Year and had a blast doing my belly cast! I think that it will be something to treasure forever since I may never be able to experience pregnancy again! I can look back and see the exact belly that Boom Boom and Pow were floating around in. And remember how big my boobies got. Please excuse my beastyness...I didn't feel like taking a shower last weekend. Well, until after the sticky mess that the plaster made.

 Andy was jealous.

29 Weeks!

Boom Boom and Pow...3-D Style

Get your 3-D glasses ready...Boom Boom and Pow are coming to a theater near you!

We went in Tuesday for our 3-D scan of the munchkins. My sisters were home for the holidays and able to go with us...never a dull moment when we're all together. It was so incredibly difficult trying to get a clear picture, and our tech warned us before we even got started. They were so smooshed up in there with membranes and cords flopping everywhere...we were lucky to get the pics that we did. Boom Boom and Pow wanted to sleep the entire time, so we decided to wake them up by singing their favorite song, Santa Claus is Coming to Town....all of us. It seemed to work for the most part...and I'm sure the tech and rest of the office think that we're a bunch of freaks!

I also had to go back Wednesday for my one hour glucose test...failed it with a 202. I have to go back next week to do the three hour test. Blech. Hey, did you know that only 2-5% of pregnant women get gestational diabetes? Hmmm. Hey, did you also know that when something only happens 2% of the time, it happens to Jessica 100% of the time? That's how I always roll.

At this time, they weigh almost 3 lbs each! Crazy! My fluid is normal, and cervix is long and closed. On Tuesday, Pow was head down and Boom Boom was breech. She scanned me again on Wednesday while I was waiting on my blood draw and they were both head down! I guess they are doing cartwheels in there. I'm excited to be in the third trimester and pray that I can keep them baking for as long as possible. We need some chunky and healthy babies!

Boom Boom...he has Andy's EXACT nose and family lips...even though poor thing is smooshed. I think that's Pow's foot/knee in his face.

 Pow...looks like my sister. I don't know how, but he does!

 Boom Boom's Penis! Leave it to me to ask for a picture of it!

Pow's Penis! And legs. He was being so difficult as usual!

28 Weeks!!!! Third trimester...ahhhhhhh!

Hope everyone has a Happy New Years! Andy and I will be drinking fake champagne and playing with the Belly Cast. Hope it turns out well. It's hard to believe that this time two years ago, we were having a D&C...that was such a hard time for us. We lost all hope and almost threw in the towel. We are so excited at how far we have come. We never gave up and now we will be holding our babies in a couple months. God is so good!!!

Best Christmas Ever.

Our family has an annual Christmas Eve party every year, and this year trumped them all. It is a tradition to play the game "Dirty Santa" with funny gifts, so Andy and I went out and tried to find the most annoying gifts we could get our hands on. One gift was a McDonalds plastic hamburger play food set, complete with all your local Mickey D's has to offer. The other was one of those annoying, but ever so intriguing, "Sing-a-ma-jigs". Google it. They're hilarious.

When it came time to draw numbers, I was told that since I was pregnant this year I had the privledge of picking the first gift...which also meant that after the game was over I could go back and steal the gift I wanted the most out of all of them. Heck yeah!

I indecisively fumbled through the pile of gifts and just ended up grabbing one. I opened it up and it was a cute little striped newborn onesie. I giggled and thought to myself, now who would have bought a onesie for Dirty Santa?

My sister had drawn the number "2", so she had to pick next. She decided that she wanted to steal my onesie. Everyone, including myself, laughed and immediately thought that she was pregnant. She then smiled and chugged a sip of beer.  

Hmmmm. What is going on here?

Since she stole my gift, I had to pick another. As I opened it up, it was an infant sleep sack. I stared at it. It was then it hit me and I started beast crying. They were throwing us a surprise baby shower.

I was in shock and couldn't believe it! How selfless of our friends and family to organize this for us. It was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for us and we are truly grateful for everything we received. Boom Boom and Pow are already loved so much!!! A huge thanks to everyone...you all made this the best Christmas ever and are helping us to get started with the things we will need very soon! The only Christmas that will top this one will be next year when we are chasing our crawlers around!

Here is a slideshow I made that includes some pictures from our maternity session and our surprise shower. Hope you likey! Sorry for the picture and audio quality...Blogger must have compressed and upchucked the file. You can click the YouTube link underneath and it will take you to one that is a little better quality.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Click here to go to YouTube link

99 Bottles of Milk on the Wall

Last Wednesday marked 99 days until our due date of March 22, 2012!

Today, we have made it to 27 weeks...I can't believe how fast this is all happening. If you consider the fact that I'm not going past 37 weeks, then we only have about 71 days left...if that. Argh Matey. I'm definitely nesting, and I believe that Andy is to. We just want everything DONE so that we don't have to worry anymore. Plus, I think that my energy is quickly dwindling and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be physically able to get things taken care of (the bump is measuring the equivalent of 36-37 weeks with a singleton). We've been cleaning out closets and drawers and trying to eliminate all of the clutter that seems to pile up over time. I've never seen so much crap in my life!

Andy has been working on the nursery closet and we tried to design it to maximize as much space as possible. We were going to get someone to do it for us, but we ended up saving over 50% by doing it ourselves. We are becoming frugal geniuses! We weren't able to get a big dresser because the two cribs take up so much space, so we basically turned the closet into one big dresser. We are very pleased and I think that he did a wonderful job!

We also got our maternity pics back and they turned out really cute...I will post some of them later this week:)

The pilonidal cyst is dying a slow death, and I'm praying that it will NEVER come back. I still have a second hole in my bungcrack that continues to drain, but it hasn't become inflamed or abscessed again. I'm taking it easier at work and not on my feet as much, so I think that is helping with the healing process.

I have been singing to Boom Boom and Pow...a lot...and I found out that their favorite song is, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". They start squirming and dancing around whenever I sing it! Either that or they are trying to tell me to shut the hell up.

Here are some pictures from the last two weeks. We hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas, or whatever it is that you celebrate! We are excited that this is our last Christmas as a couple...we will finally have a family to celebrate with next year. We aren't even doing Christmas gifts for each other this year because the best gift is these babies and it's all about them now. We are so incredibly blessed and happy for the first Christmas in a long time, and our hearts go out to those of you who continue to fight the hellish infertility battle. I hope that our story gives you HOPE and helps you to keep the FAITH.

26 Weeks

27 Weeks

Bam!

Closet Before...we started collecting diapers and have abouttttt...2 weeks worth. k.

Closet After... Handy Andy added cube fabric drawers, white drawers, and a top shelf unit

 Some cute little munchkin clothes we've received as gifts or picked up:)

 Handy Andy's corner shelf unit

After we raped baby store of diapers & wipes on Black Friday

Merry Christmas!!!

The Bungcrack

First off, sorry for the lack of updates. Our internet service provider decided to go out of business, without notice, so we have been without internet for a couple of weeks. They were even nice enough to debit our bank account for the month of December...then cut it off two days later. Asswipes.

Second, I'm back off my feet (and butt)...for a few days, at least. I thought it couldn't get any worse than the hemorrhoids, but it does. Oh yeah. I started having a little soreness to my tailbone last weekend and didn't think anything about it. Over the last two days a hard, painful, knot/boil decided to rear it's ugly head to my tailbone area...inside....of my bungcrack. Turns out I have what is called a Pilonidal Cyst that has turned into an abscess. They tend to develop from excess pressure, ingrown hair, or sitting for prolonged periods of time. Other than that, I don't think it's related to pregnancy unless the weight of my uterus caused it. My OB referred me to a surgeon this morning and I had to have it lanced, drained, and packed with about five inches of gauze. I took my poor mother with me to the appointment because I wasn't sure what they were going to do. As it turns out, she had great satisfaction and excitement watching him squeeze green mucus out of the abscess. She's always been one of those weirdos that likes to pop other people's pimples. Thanks Mom, but you're a freak!

So now I have a hole in the top of my bungcrack. Awesomeballs. Andy has to pull 1/2" of the gauze out each day until it is completely out. I didn't think I could take any pain medicine because of the pregnancy, but they were able to call in Tylenol #3 which is supposedly safe. I'm still scared to take it though. I'm going to save it and only take it if the pain becomes intolerable. It's common for them to recur, but hopefully this will heal normally and I won't have to deal with it for the rest of the pregnancy.

Happy Thoughts. We had our maternity pictures taken last weekend and it was so much fun! Lord knows I've waited for that day for a long time, and it was perfect. I'll post our sneak peek below, but I won't have the full CD until sometime next week. I even let her experiment and we did a maternity boudoir session. I was at my sister's house and I don't think we've laughed so hard in our entire lives. They turned out really cute...however, I will save those pictures for Andy's eyes only;)

The nursery is coming along well, only because we were able to rape a baby store on Black Friday...we got all of our furniture for about 50% off! We also got a glider for 60% off! Score! Next we are going to work on decorating the walls and installing organizers, baskets, and drawers in the closet. We weren't able to buy a large dresser because two cribs took up a lot of space, and we don't want it all cluttered in there. My mom's friend is going to make the bedding and curtains, and I'm painting an old bookshelf to match the bedding! Whew!

Now, if I could just get rid of all my bunghole/bungcrack problems, I might be able to get more accomplished! The surgeon even decided to comment on the cluster of grapes while he was packing me full of guaze. Lol. Only me!

Here are some photos from the last couple of weeks...and a sneak peek from our maternity session!

In the process of painting this bookshelf to match the bedding!

 Nursery so far

 The PINK tree that Andy wanted to put in our BOY'S nursery. I guess I'm pretty flexible.

23 Weeks

 23 Weeks

 25 Weeks! Excuse the beastiness...my bungcrack hurts! For all of those asking, here is a name hint...one name starts with an "A", and the other with a "B"! Just like Baby A & Baby B:)

 25 Weeks...I look like I'm about to throw up. Damn bunghole.

 Andy at 25 weeks...lookin' good honey!

24 Week Maternity Session...Love! More to come!

The Crud, A Bunghole, The 'Roids, and a Tornado.

Sinus infection and chest cold. Ahhhhhh. Andy and I have both been battling the crud since last weekend, and I don't think there is anything safe for me to take...is there? I've searched online, but I don't want to take any chances.

I'm afraid to bother my OB again since I made a rather uncomfortable call to him last week. By uncomfortable, I mean that I had to go...there.

The bunghole. I think it is literally falling out of me.

I have always had issues with hemorrhoids (thank you genetics), but I guess all of the extra pressure is wreaking havoc on the winker. I'm doing better today, but it got to the point where it was a thrombosed cluster of grapes making it hurt to walk, stand, sit, and sleep...and bright red blood that scared the living daylights out of me!  He prescribed a hydrocortisone cream which has helped. I'll take the 'roids all day every day since I know that I'm going to get two babies out of it, but dang man! Pray for the bunghole!

An....y....way, sorry for the TMI. I just find it humorous that something like this would happen to me. And it doesn't help that my work involves standing on my feet most of the day.

Annnn.....yyyyyy....wayyyyy...on to a happier place. The babiessss! I am definitely going through a growth spurt. My belly is measuring about 28 weeks (for a singleton). They are the size of papayas or spaghetti squash, and are on pretty consistent sleep/wake cycles, sleeping about 12-14 hours per day. The nerve endings in their fingers have developed a sense of touch, and they are busy feeling their faces and pulling on the umbilical cords. They even got to punch one of my coworkers today! We didn't name them Boom Boom and Pow for nothing.

Also, please pray for Andy's parents. They are unharmed, but pretty much lost a majority of their house in a tornado that hit Auburn yesterday. As of now, they are staying in a hotel until the damage can be assessed. We were supposed to go visit for Thanksgiving, but are now stuck in South Carolina because Andy has to work Thanksgiving Day. Please pray that the damage can be fixed, or that they get into a new home quickly! I swear that the only good thing that has come out of this year has been my pregnancy.

 22 weeks 1 day

Our sweet boys are in there!

Halfway There!

How far along?  
20 Weeks 1 Day...over halfway there...full term is 37 weeks! 
Baby's Sizes: 
Cantaloupes! They weigh a little over 12 oz (according to last week's sonogram). They are about 6.5 inches from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel.    
Developmental milestones? 
They are chugging my amniotic fluid, which happens to taste like whatever I eat. Yum. They are also producing the tarry meconium that will take a container of wipes to get off their bottoms after they are born! 
Weight Gain: 
About 21ish lbs. My ankles are swelling a little worse this week, and my blood pressure was slightly elevated (117/80 instead of my normal 110/60ish), so I'm trying to take it easy on the salt to see if that will even things out.     
Kicks and Punches? 
Saw and felt the first kicks from the outside last weekend!!!!! Andy got to see them too! So cool!! I just play with them now...I press down on my belly, and they kick me back. So excited!!! I'm also feeling what I think are Braxton Hicks every so often. Either that or I'm feeling round ligament stretching. 
Best Moment this week: 
Seeing my belly move around, of course. Coolest sight and feeling ever!

Griswold and I sitting in Ellie May's corner where she used to cuddle with the teddy every day. Miss her so!

7 weeks vs. 20 weeks...what a fun ride that I never thought I'd be on!

 

Happy Halloweenie!

We boycotted last Halloween. It gets kind of old handing out candy to cute little kids year after year...especially when you wish you were out there with your own kids trick-or-treating. As a matter of fact, we were burned out by most holidays because most of them revolve around having kids.

This year is different. We had a great time handing out candy this year. Unfortunately, I ate most of it...but it's all good. I even got creative and made a cute little Halloween shirt to wear!

We have a reason to celebrate because we have two little miracles baking in the oven! This time next year, we will have two precious boys to dress up and enjoy as a family.

Finally.

Happy Halloweenie!

19 Weeks!

How far along?

19 Weeks 1 Day...eeek!

Baby's Sizes:
Mangoes! They are about 6 inches long (crown to rump, not including legs) and weigh about 12 oz each (according to our sonogram today).
Developmental milestones?
Their brains are designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Kidneys are making urine, hair on the scalp is sprouting, and the vernix caseosa (waxy coating) is forming on the skin for protection.
Weight Gain:
About 20 lbs. Made a little progress the past month. k. Noticed a little cankle activity occurring last night, so the TED hose are on board. Love it:)
Stretch Marks:
Underneath boobs.
Innie or Outie?
Starting to flatten out, but not quite there yet!
Cravings?
Popcorn...every day. Caffeine free Diet Coke with cherry syrup...yummmmmm. Peanuts. Werther's Originals. California rolls. Andy's Tofu Fruit Smoothies blended fresh every evening:) 
Throw it in the trash?
Meat. At times.
Kicks and Punches?
The kicks are getting a little stronger. I still cannot see them from the outside, but I can feel them!
Best Moment this week:
Seeing our baby boys...they have grown so much in 5 weeks.

What do I miss?

Besides Ellie May, nothing. Infertility stole enough of my life and I'm actually looking forward to our future for the first time in years.
What I'm looking forward to: 
Continuing to work on the nursery, and finishing up our childbirth classes. We have about 2 months to get our affairs in order before I have to sit my butt down in the 3rd trimester. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night, we started the first of four weekly childbirth classes at our hospital! I have imagined taking this class for years and I can't believe that we are actually a part of it now. There were 10 couples in our class, so we're looking forward to making some friends as well. 

I had my 19 week appointment today and all went very well! They performed the Level II ultrasound where they measure every single thing from head to toe. They are measuring 19w5d and 19w6d, so well ahead of schedule. Heartrates were both 145. According to our sonographer and doctor, everything is measuring perfectly!!! They are both breech and facing each other. It looked like they were beating each other up the entire time. She made a video of the sonogram, so it was neat to come home and watch it again...I can't believe how blessed we are. My mother was able to come to our appointment today and was able to see them in action. So glad we could share it with her. Without she and my dad, we wouldn't even be there. They may not be able to retire, but they gave us the best gift ever dang it!

We have the nursery painted and the chair rail up. We will eventually piece it together over the next few months as we save up. We decided on a turquoise/chocolate brown theme, with splashes of apple green and white. My mom's friend is a seamstress and has offered to make the bedding for us...this will definitely save a ton of money and we are so grateful. It will be original and beautiful!

Here are my 19 week pics (in the nursery!) and some shots of the babes from today's appointment.

 Boom Boom was a bit more active today!

 I don't know if that is Pow's arm or leg. This is our wild child.

 Our miracle babies. Boom Boom must be sucking in some bubbly fluid here.

 I spy a freak in a Crystal Gayle tshirt.

Ellie May

We lost our poor little Ellie May last Friday night:( I'm not sure what is going on, but it has been a crazy, crazy year around here. Three friends of mine have lost their young parents unexpectedly in the last three months. My sister's dog was attacked by a neighbor's dog and almost died. Andy's parent's dog passed away in September. My parents dog passed away three weeks ago. My grandmother last week. Now Ellie May.

Thank God I have been blessed immeasurably this year, but the stress of everything going on around me is out of control. When it rains, it pours.

Please be forewarned...I don't want to offend anybody. The following contains a graphic description of what happened.

The day after my grandmother died, she started acting really weird and reverted to using the bathroom in the house. I took her to the vet and she received IV fluids and ended up being diagnosed with a UTI/cystitis. The doctor did feel a pea-sized soft tissue mass in her bottom, but didn't think anything of it.

Last Wednesday night, we noticed that she hadn't been eating much and was straining to urinate. By Thursday night, she couldn't pee, poop, and her breathing was really labored. To the point of her abdomen sucking in at the sides as she was gasping for air. We were worried sick and up with her all Thursday night trying to comfort her and take her to the water bowl.

I went to work Friday morning and Andy took her back to the vet. He called me around lunchtime upset because the mass had increased to the size of a grape, her heart was enlarged, and she had fluid all around her lungs. Our vet said that we should probably take her to the emergency vet to get a closer look with an ultrasound. I had to leave work because I was hysterical, and met up with Andy to take her for the ultrasound.

The ultrasound showed a pelvic mass, masses on her liver, enlarged liver vessels, a possible mass on the bottom of her heart, fluid around her lungs, and a paralytic bowel. It was likely cancer, but it couldn't be confirmed without a biopsy. Our only options were to wait until this week to get an appointment with a specialist in Columbia, or put our poor baby to sleep. All financial issues aside, even if she would have seen a specialist/surgery, there is a chance that it was so bad that she wouldn't survive anyway. The way she was acting, we don't feel she would have made it through the weekend.

By this time we were both crying like babies and watching her struggle to breathe. She was suffering. We both agreed that we couldn't go another night watching her like this. It was the hardest decision we've ever had to make. We sat there with her saying our goodbyes and just holding her. So horrible. I think that I would much rather come home and find her gone from old age, then us having to make this decision and watch a doctor put her to sleep. Kudos to those who have had the strength to put your dog to sleep.

I had to leave the room and go sit in the car. Andy held her. They brought her out to us, and we buried her in my parent's backyard. Griswold is so confused...even though she did her best to avoid him, he really did love her. He has been searching for her around the house every day, and it breaks my heart.

 

We rescued Ellie at the same time we started trying to conceive in 2005. We took her home later to find out that she had glaucoma and was completely blind. She basically had a migraine 24/7 from the eye pressure. She had surgery to remove her eyes and was a completely different dog...no longer in pain. From what we gather, her previous owner didn't want to deal with her health issues, so they dumped her at the pound. We are not exactly sure how old she was, but gave her a life that she wouldn't have had otherwise. Yes, she was our problem child and very territorial, but this was because of the fact that she was blind and was never socialized as a puppy. She loved us unconditionally and knew that Andy and I came into her life to protect her. She trusted us. Now, I am finally pregnant and we had to say goodbye.

People who have never owned pets just don't get it. You are around them constantly and they become a part of your family. Since we couldn't have children, our dogs are our children. She has been a companion to us through all of these years of infertility. When we didn't have anyone to come home to, there was Ellie May...always growling and waiting for a treat and a belly rub. Girl could eat. That's probably why she was overweight. But, she was happy and that's all that matters.

I put together a slideshow of our time together. Rest in peace Ellie May...we know that you are in puppy heaven prancing around with a skinny body, a good knee, all of your teeth, and 20/20 vision! I know you still have that gremlin growl and are trying to bite strangers though. That's my girl:)