22 weeks!

Yay so we are starting the party preparations for the Diaper Party that will be here tomorrow. I can hardly stop thinking about it I'm so excited. When I was pregnant with Abby there was so much talk about having a baby shower but one never really got organized and in the end I never had anything. Aren't babies one of the most exciting/fun things to celebrate? It's not about the presents (although the extra diapers will be SO helpful) but rather about getting together with friends and family to celebrate the miracle(s) of life we are so eagerly anticipating.

The weather is looking to be extremely hot and humid so it looks like I will be running the AC quite a bit to try and keep the humidity out of the house. Last night the dew point was 77 at 10:30pm! It literaly felt like a rainforest.... and I've discovered that FEELING like you are 30ish weeks pregnant with that kind of heat and humidity is amazingly hard on the lungs. I kept having to take breaks and head back inside because I couldn't handle it... kept getting dizzy. Guess we've been lucky the weather has been as cool/dry feeling as it has been. Welcome to summer in August.

Makes you wonder what July will be like? Abs and I are sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons. She keeps getting excited and wants to throw herself onto me... which means basicly onto my stomach considering I feel like I am just one large ball with arms, a head and legs. Grandma & Grandpa Dose are coming today and we are very excited about that. We will put the finishing touches on the shopping for the baby shower and then meet Tom for supper in Sioux Falls. I have some cleaning I still need to get done, and I'll feel like doing it soon I'm sure. Having a few Braxton Hicks this morning so trying to make sure they settle before I get too wild with housework. Abby will be wanting breakfast soon though so I will wrap this up. I'll post more about the party tomorrow and try and get some pictures up. Till then!

Good News!

Well I just got back from my appointments and thankfully they were just shy of three hours total. Babies are doing amazing and for that I am so thankful. Baby B is already measuring 1lb and 1 oz while Baby A is just a little behind her at 15 ounces. Doctors are happy because they are both measuring right on with my due date and there are no signs of Twin Twin Tranfusion Syndrome once again. We are almost out of the woods with this one! Baby A is laying head down on my right side and Baby B is laying transverse across the top with her feet near Baby A's. If she stays like this I'll probably have to do a c-section but there is still time for her to flip around!

On the outside (lol) I am measuring at 30 weeks (8 weeks ahead) so she told me that if I'm getting more and more uncomfortable that is why. For twins that's normal though. My OB told me that my weight gain is fantastic but that I will be gaining more and more, so far pretty much all belly... no swelling and my blood pressure was uber low at 90/60 so we are dodging those bullets so far! Just need to get to 24 & 28 weeks like this and I'll be a happy camper.

I visited with her about the fact that I will returning to school soon. We decided that we would play it by ear as far as clinicals go and see what my body can handle. She told me that under no circumstances however am I allowed to care for any patients with suspected flu or respiratory illnesses as I will be very vulnerable to catching them because my immune system is supressed and my lungs will be squished because of the babies so it could be very dangerous if I caught anything respiratory since I won't be able to fight it off. I am excited so far that there is no sign of bedrest, babies are doing wonderful and my cervix is holding up and looking amazing.

Here's hoping for at least 6 more weeks of wonderful news!!!

A long night

Ugh perhaps anyone who has been sick while pregnant can identify with what the last 12 hours of my life have been like. OMG I cannot remember the last time I was that sick! There was a feeling in my gut the other day when I went to the fair and found out while there that Tiffany had thrown up the night before... but it was only once and frankly she looked pretty good outside of being worn out (which about everyone has that look painted on their face at the fair) And after all she threw up once, we should all be that lucky... we thought it was something she ate...

Then two days later I'm still feeling a touch of that achy, sick feeling in my chest but otherwise not nauseated at all. Too bad I ended up spending the ENTIRE night vomiting, I couldn't keep even the tiniest sip of water in my stomach for more than 5 minuets. It was absolutely horrible. And as glad as I am that the babies were moving so that I knew they were ok... having the worst stomach cramps/nausea ever AND having two wiggling babies kicking and pushing on you made it 10x worse.

So now it's almost 10am and I'm under the impression that I've been dropped off the side of a ten story building and hit by a truck. I'm trying to sip a little water every 30 minuets but it still aggravates my stomach. Tom thankfully took Abby down to my parents so that she wouldnt be trying to climb all over me while I feel so sick.

Gosh I hope she or Tom don't catch what I've had to deal with.... no one else around Tiffany has gotten this bug. Looks like I'm just lucky...

Endurance

What can I say about what has been going on lately? I cannot believe it is already the end of July and that August is right around the corner. Hard to believe!

Three more weeks and 2 days before we hit the 24 week milestone. So far things are going well, the spotting is starting to slow down *crosses fingers* and I haven't had as many contractions as I was in earlier weeks. (it wasn't preterm labor, possibly an irritable uterus) It's been a blessing to have some of the 'pressure' off of me. I didnt even realize how much I was holding onto the stress of worries and 'what if's'... guess that is a matter I should try and work on that.

The babies are moving all of the time now, occasionally I even catch a glimpse of one of them moving as my stomach jumps. I haven't gained too much weight yet, people tell me I've gained nothing but belly. It makes sense I suppose when I consider that I am still wearing pre-pregnancy shorts. I figure I'll probably start gaining in other places in a few more months lol and should just enjoy it now.

We have decided we are going to move Abby into the downstairs guest room, move the guest bed into the family room, and the twins will have Abby's old room. I'm trying to decide what color I would like to paint her room. I'm thinking a purple but will need to look at her bedding. My mom found another crib just like what Abby has now (only lighter wood) so that will go into her room. We are going to try and work with her now to see if we can get her to start putting herself to sleep. She fights me too much, kicks, twists, pinches... and I'm worried one of these times she will kick me directly in the stomach too hard... and once the twins are here it's just going to be too much to have to put all three of them to sleep. It won't be easy so we would like to start it before I head back to school. We'll probably try and avoid moving things before the diaper party so that our guests can have some privacy for now.... :)

Thanking God

Today I read a post of one of the mothers expecting twins in December like we are and I had to stop reading her blog because I was starting to cry. This mother had lost 4 babies after delivering them and had three miscarriages. Now she is in the hospital with her twins at 21 weeks and they are just praying she can get them to 24 weeks.

It just makes me appreciate the blessings God has given me. To have a body that despite all the worries is handling the pregnancy very well, to have a beautiful daughter Abigail and two more babies on the way. How can you possibly not feel that this unexpected blessing is one of the most amazing gifts ever? I love my girls already with every fiber of my being. It upsets me that people can throw away a baby because they are inconvenient or 'not perfect' or whatever reason they make up to try and justify it. Especially when there are families whom have had to endure so much loss.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)

Ultrasound number.... ????

Back after three looooong hours of appointments this morning but thankfully today the news is all good! There are NO signs... ZIPPO of the Vasa Previa (yay!) We will continue to watch for it along with Twin Twin Transfusion Syndrome but for today and now both little girls are growing well.

The next 4 weeks are the most critical so we just need to get through those and things will get less and less scary (we hope) I am still bleeding and they think this was from a previous subchorionic (sp?) hemmorage near my placenta. Thankfully it was a small one, it just means I might have 3 more weeks of light bleeding and limited activity.

The ultrasound was kinda fun. Baby A moved back to head down and Baby B is Transverse (laying sidewise) During the ultrasound Baby A was kicking her feet against Baby B's head who was obviously not as thrilled with the idea. I cannot believe how big they are getting and can't wait to hold them in my arms!

Oh and another quick note. Abby was looking at the new pictures of the babies and kept pointing saying "See babies? See babies?" It was so cute!!

Diaper Party!

Alright people! We are having an official Diaper Party at the Dose's in August. We are in the process of sending out invites but if you don't get one know that you are invited and that we ran out of stamps lol. Consider this your official invite!!!

Late night ramble

Well Abby has been sick the last two days or so and it's been hard. I love my little peanut but having a sick child at home isn't easy and it is especially hard when I have to watch how much I do so much. Part of it is that I suppose I just never thought the day would come that I would have to tell myself to rest after loading the dishwasher and picking a few things off of the floor.

How I figured out that the relaxing was actually benefiting me? Tuesday Abby was much more lethargic and sick and spent most of the day chilling with me. This means I didnt do chores around the house, I didn't chase her around the house and guess what... hardly any spotting! I thought it was over!

Then today I take her into the doctor, go out to eat with Tom, chase a slightly more active Abby around the house and the bleeding is back again.... it is sooo frustrating!!! I wish it would just stop and I could stop worrying about it... Though I am getting more used to it I suppose if you can get used to it.

Just can't wait till my next appointment. Five more days!!! Then I see my precious babies again!

A Slight Scare

Well today I went to work at the Children's Specialty Clinic. I worked up until around 11:30 when I noticed that my spotting was getting darker and had a red tint to it. (For those of you who didnt know I've had light spotting for about a week now.) It scared me a little and so I called my doctor, spoke to the nurse and they decided I should come in for another ultrasound and come to see her.

At 1 o'clock I went in and had another ultrasound done. This time the tech was much nicer and reassuring so I felt much better. The girls were moving a lot and decided they didnt want their picture taken. The good news is that the Vasa Previa might be gone... which would be amazing for me!!!! The thing I have to be careful with now is they think I might have a slight bleed off of my placenta. Not nearly as dangerous as the Vasa Previa so I am thankful for that but I just need to be careful. I am sad that I can't continue to go for walks like I love to... Abby and Feebee get so wild when they are cooped up inside!

Our biggest concern right now is making sure that my cervix isn't softening... we dont want those babies to come yet! Guess I should just slow down a little... as if thats possible with a one year old.

Ok well I'm going to lay down for a nap, more later!

So.. an update

Yesterday we went to the doctor again. Had another ultrasound and thankfully got in much sooner this time. It always seems like we wait... and wait... and wait... to be seen. The ultrasound tech was not my favorite. She seemed like she was in a HUGE hurry and that I was a slight inconvenience to her otherwise perfect day.

They said the placenta had moved up (yay!) Something I was expecting really. They couldnt really tell about the vasa previa this time. I am not ready to rule out that it is 'gone'. I asked Dr Boyle whether these things just 'go away' and he said that they don't. Therefore I have just decided that I will not be overly concerned and neither will I get really excited. We have a few more weeks before the diagnosis really matters. For now we are going to continue to treat it as if we do have this issue.

I am hoping that next time the ultrasound tech will really be looking at what is going on instead of pushing through the ultrasound like I am a customer at Mcdonalds. Our next appointment is in 2 weeks so I will find out more then. I did ask Dr Boyle how they handled Vasa Previas and he told me that if we ended up having it I would definatly be hospitalized with an amniocentisis after 30 weeks and c-section in the mid 30's.

The girls are moving a lot right now! It is so wonderful feeling their little taps! Hope you enjoy the new pictures!