Wow!, I'm a slacker! Where have the last 3 months gone? Seriously. Well, as you can see from my little pregnancy "ticker", I have reached the 29th+ week mark and so far so good! Oh, and IT'S A BOY (Ironic, I know)! The parents have already named him Edoardo- or as the girls like to call him "baby Ed".



Overall I feel pretty okay. I'm of course tired and sore, but really can't complain. So far, this pregnancy is just like my last 3. I have been experiencing a lot of vaginal pressure that was kind of concerning me for a while, so I asked my OB to give me an exam just to make sure he was okay. Just as my last ultrasound showed, my uterus is really low, which is causing the pressure. Everything looked fine though and it's really no cause for concern. It's just REALLY uncomfortable! :( So much for my work-outs. I've been trying to still stay active by doing my morning walks at the gym, but I can usually only go about 25 minutes before it feels like he's going to fall out of me. Frequent breaks on the couch (or at the computer) are becoming the norm. It's not so bad though... :)



The parents are of course becoming more and more excited. They are now planning on coming out the last week of July. They'd like to be here early to get settled and ready for whenever baby Ed decides to arrive. I'm excited that they'll be here early. I think it will be a really special time for all of us. Right now I'm working on finding them temporary housing for their 6 week-2 month stay. Any recommendations or advice would be great!



As far as the rest of the fam, I'm still kind of amazed by how we've all managed to normalize all of this. KC is wonderful and supportive as usual. I don't know what I'd do without my nightly feet and back rubs. I know, I have the best husband ever! :) And the girls are just wonderful little caregivers. They are constantly reminding me of eating healthy and getting plenty of rest because "we have to take care of baby Ed until his parents can come pick him up". Sydney likes to sing Leona Lewis songs to him and Serene likes to rub my belly a lot. I've talked to Antonio and Laura about letting the girls come to the hospital after the baby arrives, so they can hold him and have some closure of all of this. They were of course glad to oblige. We're all getting so anxious!

Next week (the 12th) I have my glucose testing and we've scheduled to have a growth ultrasound done. He's still measuring pretty small, so the doc just wants to make sure he's growing okay in there. The frustrating thing is that I seriously eat like a horse! The problem is that it's all going to my butt and not to Ed! It's kind of aggravating, but as long as he's healthy, I guess I can live with a big butt for a while.

Gosh, other than that, it's pretty much the same ol' around here. Nothing too exciting to write about. KC's working like a crazy man as usual, so I'm just trying to stay sane and keep up with the girls. I'm looking forward to some fun summer outings with the fam and I've even started nesting! I obviously don't have a nursery to decorate, so I've been finding things to organize around the house. It keeps me busy! My next project... the garage! TTFN!

From Lemons, to Lemonade...

Okay, life is good again. Good grief. The kiddos are all back to their normal, healthy selves. As for me, I actually feel pretty darn good. Besides being horribly constipated form these prenatal vitamins, I feel quite normal. The "morning" sickness only lasted about a week and I am now finished with ALL of my medications! Wahoo! I went for an ultrasound again on Monday and the remaining baby measured normal and healthy. What a huge relief. The baby that passed is still in my uterus, but it is supposed to absorb back into my system in a few weeks. They're going to do another ultrasound in 4 weeks to make sure it absorbed and the other baby is still doing okay. We should also find out the sex, which I know the parents are anxiously waiting to know. They, by the way are doing surprisingly well. Of course when they got the news, they were heartbroken, but they're rational people and they know that this is just one of those things that happens. No one knows why, except the baby obviously wasn't quite strong enough to stay put (that, or my body wouldn't allow it to). Either way, we can only stay positive and look toward the future. We still have a healthy baby growing in my belly and they still, of course, couldn't be happier. I'm feeling so blessed right now to be in this position that I'm in. As stressful as it may be at times, it truly is a miracle. Speaking of miracles, I've got 3 of my own that are laughing in the other room as I write this. Man, life is good!

When it Rains, it Pours...

So... yesterday was definitely one of the worst days that I've had in a VERY long time. Sydney was on day 2 of a horrible stomach bug. Wednesday was the vomiting and yesterday was the diarrhea. I had to keep her in pull-ups all day b/c she couldn't make it to the toilet every time. She was miserable and so was I. Well, yesterday just so happened to be the day I had scheduled for my first appt with my new OB/GYN. Despite not having anyone to watch the girls and Sydney being sick, I knew I had to go to this appt. Well, we ended up being at the office for an hour and a half. Of course they had to be running behind when I was there with my diarrhea kid and fussy toddler in tow. AN hour and a half later (and many break-downs and poop accidents), the doctor finally performed the ultrasound. The 2 babies came onto the screen as usual, except one was moving and one wasn't. I can't explain how shocked I was and how surreal it was to see this cute little wriggly baby on one side and his/her lifeless brother/sister on the other side. He was just lying there with no heart beat. At that point, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had a slight breakdown. The poor office staff didn't know what to do with me. After getting dressed and cleaning up all of the goldfish and crayons off the floor, I drove home. I cried the whole time. I of course know these aren't my babies, but I've grown so close to the Intended Parents and if you could just understand the excitement they were feeling over these twins, you would know why I'm so heart broken. When I get home, the diarrhea festival continues and I feel like poop myself. KC is doing the best he can, but he also has a project that he's supposed to be working on with Serene. We somehow made it through the night alive, but then I was greeted by a vomit covered Sienna this morning. The diarrhea was soon to follow. Sooooo, I now have 2 VERY sick children and I'm trying to work up the courage to call Antonio and Laura to tell them one of their babies died. I'll let you know the outcome...

So, it's been a few weeks since my last blog so I should probably update everyone. The "morning" sickness has officially kicked in and I feel like poop all day. The rare glimpses of energy that I get in a day are spent on trying to keep my house in order. I'm beginning to realize that this is a lost cause. Those of you who know me, know that I really pride myself on being a multi-tasker and keeping my house and family in order. So, let's just say, that this has been a little rough on me. I'm already feeling like a failure and it's kind of depressing me a little. Okay, okay, I'll stop whining now. On a happy note, I got to see the babies again on Friday! They still look like little aliens, but oh are they cute little aliens! They were both bunched up against the left wall of their sacs. Just so content and so happy. They're both growing appropriately for their ages and their heartbeats were again, very healthy and very strong. Do you know that they already have fingers and toes and even eyelids!? Their hearts have already formed 4 chambers and their sex organs are even beginning to form. Amazing what can grow in just 9 weeks! Speaking of 9 weeks, I'm due to be off of my injections in 3 weeks and boy am I counting the days! It will be such a relief to be finished with the 1st trimester. I'm hoping the Intended Parents and I can start to relax a little bit more. On that note, I think I'll head back to my new favorite place...the couch. Nighty, night!

Double the pleasure, double the fun...

Yep, it's twins and my official due date is August 22nd! Michelle drove up today and accompanied me to my appointment with video camera in hand. We think it's funny now, b/c we can imagine that people probably think we're lesbian partners who are trying to have a baby. Every time we walk into a fertility clinic we can't help but giggle and call each other "honey"... hee, hee...
When the technician walked in and turned on the machine, we could instantly see the 2 sacs. She said it so non-chalant too, like, "there's 2 babies in there". I'm sure she sees a lot of multiples, working in a fertility clinic, but this was the first time I've ever seen them- in MY body! Each baby looked wonderfully healthy in size and we even got a glimpse of the tiny heartbeat. Michelle and I both started tearing up at that point. Like I've said before, in as many ultrasounds and heartbeats I've heard in my times of being pregnant, it never gets less fascinating. I'm only 6 1/2 weeks along and their little hearts were beating so strongly, so warrior like...
The nerves are definitely starting to kick in a little now. I'm worried how my body will handle the extra weight and how I'll handle my household once I get further along. I know that I can only take it one day at a time though and I also know that it is in God's hands now. I know he wouldn't give me more than I can handle. If I didn't have a purpose before, well, I definitely have one now! I'm going to do everything I can to make sure these babies receive the best care and ultimately arrive safely at home with their parents come summer time...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Gosh, we had such a fun holiday. KC and I decided to host both families at our house this year (back -to-back). I know, we must be crazy! :S Between this ridiculous tiredness I've been feeling and a horrible cold that I caught on Christmas Eve, I wasn't exactly feeling cheery, but I tried my best to truck through and make it memorable for the kiddos. I think I did an okay job, because when you ask them, they'll tell you that "this was the best Christmas ever!". On the pregnancy side, I'm feeling okay. The morning sickness hasn't kicked in yet (I'm hoping it won't for at least a couple more weeks). I'm just extremely tired and my behind is still killing me. The shots just don't get any easier. Their literally isn't a "clear" spot left, so KC's been forced to shoot directly into the knots and bruises (which usually bleed quite a bit). I don't think I'll be healed for a while! On a positive note, I am scheduled for my ultrasound this Wednesday, the 31st. We'll finally get to see how many little ones have to decided to make a home in my uterus. I'm so excited and a little nervous). The "twins" thing still scares me a little, but I guess there's no going back now! :) Sooo, we'll meet again on Wednesday with the news! Take care!

Oh baby!

Just got "the call" from the clinic a couple of hours ago. My levels more than doubled like we were hoping. Wahoo! Now I'm just anxious for the ultrasound, so we can find out how many little ones are in there! You'd think I'd be used to this pregnant stuff by now. I mean I've already done it 3 times. It's a different feeling this go 'round though, because I know how much this means to Antonio and Laura. I think I might have took my other pregnancies a little for granted. Don't get me wrong...They were each so unique and special, but all in all, they were pretty darn easy. With all 3, KC and I got pregnant right away. We never had that fear or disappointment like so many other couples go through. In fact, with Sienna, it literally was like, "hey, let's have another baby... okay...", and 1 month later we're prego. We never had to deal with pregnancy complications or health problems. I've never known the feeling of loss or the emptiness of never being able to carry a child in my womb. I am inspired by all of the moms out there who have overcome so many obstacles, yet stay so strong. Cheers to you moms (okay, dads too)!!!