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!

Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

This has been my focus verse for the week. When I came across this verse the other day it stuck out at me. It was as if God had said, "My child, I am here." The words just wrap up everything I've been trying to hold onto and this verse has given me great comfort.

As well as it fits for this pregnancy and with all of the worries and concerns we have for our two precious baby girls it reminds me how important faith is. He is with our babies no matter what happens. He knows them, He loves them and is guiding us all on a path. It's amazing to me that He already knows them... really knows them. ALREADY! What safer place to be than cradled in your Savior's hands... from the moment He creates you until He calls you home...

It's given me a deeper peace... even though I cannot stop worrying completely and it is always with me...I'm a mother, I will always be concerned for my children.... I just have a feeling that everything will be alright in the end... no matter what happens.

SURVEY!

How far along? 16 weeks 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: -lbs (not sure exactly?) Need to try and eat a little more

Maternity clothes: Right now just lose shirts, a few maternity tops. Jeans are out now but most shorts are ok yet!

Stretch marks? I think the ones from my last pregnancy are showing a little more again

Sleep: Not getting as much as I would like, but it's to be expected when I have one year old! And an active one at that!

Best moment this week: Having another ultrasound and finding out we are having identical girls!

Movement: Yes!!!! As of yesterday

Food cravings: Cucumbers, any fruit ... whatever i see on tv lol

Gender: GIRLS! (sorry Tom)

Labor Signs: None yet!!!! And better not be for awhile

Belly Button in or out? It's still in-- probably will be the closest it ever gets to going out

What I miss: Being able to be up and around for longer than an hour or so without getting exhausted... being able to do whatever I want to do when I want to do it without wondering if the activity is too much

What I am looking forward to: Our next appointment the 7th of July

Kicking and Squirming

Yay! We felt the babies move for the first time last night in the movie theater! (I know... guess they liked the movie) For the first time I actually felt the little tapping of their kicks and could even feel it with my hand on the outside. I tried to get Tom to feel it but as soon as he put his hand down they were already done.... he was dissapointed.

But this morning just after the alarms went off as we were lying there he felt, what i thought was Baby A, tapping against my stomach again! And this time Tom was able to feel her kicking 2-3 times. I am so excited, it is my favorite part of pregnancy and makes it feel so much more real....

Oh and I didn't throw up today... or yesterday!! Maybe the morning sickness is starting to pass?

Yes it's been awhile...

To be perfectly honest I had forgotten about this... Life has taken some unexpected and crazy turns these last few days (or weeks.) This last Tuesday we had an ultrasound (Tuesday June 23rd) and both babies are looking great, (they're going to be girls we discovered!) but we found out one of the twins has been diagnosed with Vasa Previa. What that means essentially is one of the twins' umbilical cord is attached incorrectly on the placenta near the cervix and the blood vessels can be easily torn. If we're not at the hospital and that happens we will lose her. Thankfully they found this out now, and the odds are much better being diagnosed. It can mean Brianna will be hospitalized at 30 weeks, and guarantees a caesarian. As far as I understand it presents no danger to the other twin, but we're still learning all we can. The next ultrasound & appointment is July 7th, and while I've read a as much as I can about it on the internet we still have a lot of questions. We'll pass on more details then, hopefully.