10 Weeks Today

Just wanted to give a quick little update!

No doctor's appointment this week, so unfortunately no sonograms...we've kinda gotten use to having weekly pictures of our little babies to share! Things are still going good...I'm so excited with each week that goes by because it feels like such an accomplishment! I am in awe at God's goodness to be able to be at this point...10 weeks along and being blessed by such an amazing gift! God is so good! We are closing in on that 12 week mark and can't be more ready to get to that milestone! I know God is taking care of us each step of the way!

The next two weeks are going to be important! I am coveting your prayers as they begin to take me off of my estrogen patches and progesterone shots. As much as I am looking forward to being OFF the medicine, I am also nervous about how the babies and my body will handle the change. Please pray that these babies continue to grow and develop and that my hormone levels stay steady as they wean me off. I will begin the process on Sunday and switch to one patch (instead of three) and half of the amount of progesterone shot. The needle will still be the same size though...ha! I'm amazed at how little the shots now effect me! God has truly answered our prayers in this area because I can take a shot like a champ now! (Derek has gotten pretty good at giving them too!)

Once we reduce the medicine on Sunday, I will go in Tuesday for bloodwork and a sonogram. They are basically checking my levels to make sure they stay ok with the decrease and that the babies are still doing good. Prayers are needed! I'm sure I am a little over-worried, but with everything we have been through each step is SCARY! We know that God is in control and he will take care of our sweet babies! We are also praying for our doctors and nurses as we continue with this journey. If everything goes good next week, then the next week I will be completely taken off the medicine all together. Fingers crossed! I can't wait for that day!

In case anyone missed it...school has started! This is my 7th year to teach and I can definitely say I have never been more exhausted in my life...Ha! This summer of being on bed rest and taking it easy really did not prepare me to go back to work! Everyone tells me I will start feeling better after the first trimester....I am really hoping that is true! Right now I am trying to survive without getting sick or falling asleep during the day...and it has definitely been a challenge! Here's to hoping my stamina comes back soon!

I will update next week with our blood work results and sonogram pictures! Be praying for our sweet miracles! Love to all!



10 Weeks and finally have a little bump!!!

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." Jeremiah 31:25

9 Weeks and Dancing!

Today we had another ultrasound to check on our little peanuts! Man have they grown!!! It was actually a little sad because they no longer fit on the screen at the same time! And the cutest thing in the whole world was both little twins did a little dance for us...haha! We were checking Twin A's heartbeat and he/she started wiggling away! Then when we went to check Twin B he/she couldn't be upstaged so he/she started wiggling too! SO CUTE!!! They were so excited to show us what they have been doing in there! It is so crazy to see how much they are changing week to week! I know most people don't get to have this many sonograms so early so we are enjoying every minute of it! They are literally growing before our very eyes!




Twin B

Twin A



















Twin A measured at 9 weeks exactly with a heartbeat of 185. Twin B measured at 9 weeks 1 day with a heartbeat of 185. Since I am 9 weeks 1 day, both twins were right on track. I sense a little sibling rivalry already...they already want to be just like each other! Derek already laughs and says that they are having a ball in there together! I'm sure they are getting into all sorts of trouble already!

One thing they are doing very well is making their momma SICK! The past week has been ROUGH...especially being at work all week! I am praying that things get better once this first trimester is through!!! We are getting closer! I'm thankful for all of the other mommies sharing their remedies with us! There are some nice things about being the last one having babies amongst my friends and family! HA!

We won't have a check up next week which is kinda nice with it being the first week of school. Right now we are looking forward to the first week of September because I get to start weaning off my medicine! I will be THRILLED to be rid of these stinkin' patches and shots! Honestly the patches are more of a pain than the shots because they are itchy and in my way all the time. And they are just not cute! When they reduce my medicine, I will have a ultrasound and bloodwork to make sure the twins do ok with less medicine. Then the next week, they will take me completely off the medicine and  check me again with an ultrasound and bloodwork. If my levels stay good and the twins are ok, then we get to say GOOD-BYE to the patches and shots!!! Woo-hoo! We will also be saying good-bye to San Antonio at 12 weeks! As much as we have loved working with them, we are also ready to cross over that 12 week barrier into a healthy pregnancy! Please be praying with us these next three weeks as we anxiously await that marker!

All together, things are good! Like I said, going back to work has been a little rough! I think this school year is going to be GREAT but right now I am having a hard time staying awake and not throwing up! I have a lot on my plate this year, but I am trying to make sure to get things done early and PLAN ahead so that I do not get stressed about it all! These babies are WAY too important to stress about other things going on! We covet your prayers daily for our precious babies and would love for you to pray for us as we begin school next week! We feel that we have been SO BLESSED through this entire experience and we are asking that God open our eyes for ways to bless others this year! We thank you all especially for being some of our GREATEST blessings here on earth! Our little twins are SO LOVED by SO many people and we are so thankful! Love to you all!



9 Weeks!

 

"You have turned my mourning into DANCING" Psalm 30:11

8 Weeks!

Several people have been asking me the last couple of days when I was going to blog again...seems like this used to be a daily occurence! Now that our doctor's appointments are a little more spread out, my blogs will be too! Things have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks! I finished up another grad class which leaves me 4 classes left to complete my masters! Hopefully I will be graduating in 2013 with our two precious babies cheering me on! What a neat thought! I started my masters during a down time in our life when we were taking a break from fertility and trying to save up some money to do IVF. With God's help, I have kept on going and now can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Can't wait to be done! We also started back to work yestereday which was QUITE a change from all of the nice bed rest and relaxing we have been doing this summer! The last two days have been pretty tiring...but exciting! I am actually ready to get started and feel like this is going to be a GREAT school year! Can't hurt that I'll be having a little break in the Spring!

Enough about me...I know that you all really want to hear about the BABIES!!!

I have to admit...it is all still a little SURREAL! I still wake up and can't believe that I am actually pregnant...let alone having twins! I don't know when I will actually come to terms with it...maybe when they are here...ha! We have probably had every emotion in the book when you find out you are having twins...joy, fear, excitement, nausea, fear, overwhelmed, disbelief, craziness!!! For the first couple of days we just kept on saying it over and over again..."We're having twins!" Now it's sinking in a little more each day. Derek is already joking about us ganging up on him 3 to 1. Poor baby...life is just not fair! I will say that we feel SO BLESSED beyond belief that God has chosen us for this journey. That He has answered our prayers in such an amazing and awesome way. He knew that we would probably fight over one baby since we've waited so long so He decided to give us each one to hold!

We had another sonogram yesterday to check and see how the babies are doing. It is AMAZING how much they have changed in such a short amount of time! Last week they were just little circles and this week you could actually see their little baby shapes. We got to actually see their hearts beating which was very cool! Both hearts were beating much faster than last time...177 and 174! Our nurse said everything looked PERFECT which we always like to hear! Getting to see our sweet babies and hear their heartbeats is the HIGHLIGHT of our week for sure! We are also really thankful that our nurse is so involved in our pregnancy! She is keeping such a good eye on these babies and I think loves them almost as much as we do...ha! We have been truly blessed with such a good nurse!

Twin A is on the left and is kinda laying up and down. Twin B is on the bottom/right side and is laying more sideways.

The video is of Twin A's (I think) heartbeat! So Sweet!

Overall the sonogram was great! The twins were measuring at 7 weeks 6 days for Twin A and 8 weeks 1 day for Twin B. Since I was 8 weeks 1 day, everything was right on track. My official "due date" is March 27th, but that is unlikely with it being twins. We want them to stay as long as possible, but it is more likely they will come earlier than that date!

Right now we are still praying that everything keeps going good and the babies keep on growing and developing! I will continue to be on my medicine through 12 weeks and will continue to be monitored by San Antonio until that time! Right now our goal is to make it to 12 weeks because our odds at success are much higher at that point. Plus I will finally get to get off all of these medicines and shots...YEA! We know that God has been in control throughout this entire process and we have are confident that He will take care of us and our babies throughout this journey! We are trusting in His unseen hand to hold our babies until we get the chance to! We will have another sonogram next week to make sure things are going good! We love getting to see our babies so much!

So how am I feeling??? This is the most common question I have gotten so far! The truth is...not great! I am having some nausea and headaches and have been pretty tired for the past couple of weeks! Growing babies is HARD work! I don't know if this is just my reaction to pregnancy...the fact that it is TWO babies...ALL the hormones I'm on...or just a combination of it ALL! But so far I am doing ok! Even if I was throwing up EVERY day I would probably still have a smile on my FACE because we are SO excited...HA! I've been told it gets better after the first trimester so we are crossing our fingers to make it to that point!

We still covet your prayers daily as we continue on this journey! We know that we still have a LONG road ahead of us to the delivery room, but we know that our God is going to WALK before us each step! We love knowing that SO many of you are praying for us and that these babies have been COVERED in prayers before they were even formed! We have been SO BLESSED by your love and outpouring! We thank GOD for each of you daily!

We also feel so BLESSED when we hear that this blog is being shared with others who may be going through similar battles. One of my main goals in writing this blog was for God to be glorified and to be able to minister to others who may be struggling. What an AWESOME tool God is using to share our infertility with others. We have heard from several people that they are sharing our story with their friends and family that are struggling and we hope that this provides a sense of comfort or information for those out there. Infertility has been our GREATEST struggle and challenge but it has also brought us SO MUCH closer to each other and to our God. Our faith has been STRENGTHENED so much during this time that we would never wish to change how our story has unfolded! We have had our LOWEST lows and our HIGHEST highs because of my infertility but throughout it all...GOD HAS REIGNED! He is victorious and we are SO BLESSED and humbled that He chose us for this journey! He has turned our mourning into dancing and He has renewed our spirits and faith. God is Good! Even when I think back to my very worst days, I can see evidence of His presence and His plan. I couldn't see it then, but through this process, my eyes have been opened. If this blog helps even one person who has struggled, then I am so excited because God is being GLORIFIED!  The devil works through shame and secrecy, but God has placed it on my heart to be open about this and I know He is at work here! Praise God!

8 weeks!

Love you all!


"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the JOY we have in the presence of our God because of you?" 1 Thessalonians 3:9

Blessings...times TWO!!!

It seems like it has been FOREVER since I have posted! After the craziness of in-vitro and things changing everyday, the past week has been pretty calm. We spent last week in Dallas for an AP training and have been anxiously counting down the days until our first sonogram...which was this morning. I was a ball of nerves last night and this morning because I was SO READY to see our precious babies and make sure everything was ok! As soon as we got in the room and the sonogram started...we got the MOST EXCITING news ever...

Drumroll please...

WE ARE HAVING TWINS!!!

Two sacs with two precious babies!

Cutest babies ever!!!

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

We are still slightly in shock I think! We have prayed for our "babies" since before they were even formed and have never changed the wording to "baby" at all. Every night we have lifted our babies up in prayer and God is SO FAITHFUL!!! We are thrilled to be having twins after such a long road! There was not a dry eye in the room during the sonogram! We were so excited that both sets of grandparents got to be here when we got the news. It was one of the BEST moments of my entire life!



The crew!

The grandmas are ready!



After the pictures, we switched to a "twin" screen and our nurse was able to measure both babies and listen to their heartbeats! I have NEVER heard a more WONDERFUL sound in all my life! Twin "A" is on the left of the sonogram and had a heartbeat of 126. Twin "B" is on the right side of the sonogram and had a heartbeat of 143. Those heartbeats are the SWEETEST music to ever play, this side of heaven!

After the songrams, I got some bloodwork done to check my Estradiol and Progesterone levels and also a new OB panel. We will have our first OFFICIAL OB appointment next Thursday, when I am about 8 weeks! We are so excited for this amazing journey and thrilled to be surrounded by friends and family who love us and our babies SO MUCH!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! We have been DOUBLY BLESSED and give all the GLORY and PRAISE to our heavenly FATHER! He is SO GOOD! I will be updating again soon! Please keep us in our prayers and pray for these precious two babies that we will be meeting sometime around March!

6 weeks 5 days Pregnant!

 "Now to HIM who is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or IMAGINE, according to his POWER that is at work within us, to HIM be the GLORY in the church and in CHRIST JESUS throughout all generations for EVER and EVER! AMEN."         Ephesians 3:20-21