Long time no blog...

Sorry for the long time between posts! Needless to say my life has been a little bit CRAZY!!! Besides being pregnant with twins...I have been swamped with school, being department head, teaching the Princeton Review Course, working volleyball games, huddle starting, and working on grad school! Life is BUSY but I am so blessed with all of the amazing things going on! Despite the busy schedule, I still wake up in awe every morning of the tremendous blessing that we are experiencing! I still have to pinch myself sometimes to really believe that it's true! We have waited so long to be at this point and God is just so good to grant the desires of our heart. My growing belly is finally giving me the visual proof that I have been waiting for! We are really pregnant...with twins....for real!!! Can't believe this is my life!!!


13 Weeks!!!

14 Weeks!!!



In case you can't tell...the baby bump is HERE! I am definitely showing and have actually worn MATERNITY clothes for the first time this week! I don't know why I waited so long to make the switch but I was trying to hold off as long as possible...haha! Now that I've felt how great maternity pants are...I may never go back...HA! It's funny how exciting the little things are!!! I have watched so many friends and family go through this process and it's crazy that I have been waiting so long to get the chance to wear maternity pants! Each little step is SUCH a milestone for us! We are so thankful and so grateful to get to experience every little change! Speaking of which...tomorrow marks day 100 of our pregnancy!!! Day 100!!! God is SO GOOD!!!

We actually got to sneak a peak at the babies last Friday! I have been trying to get to the computer to post the pictures, but have literally had NO TIME to get on! Our AMAZING nurse let us come in last Friday after school for a quick sonogram. After going to the doctor and seeing the babies every week, three weeks just seemed TOO long to wait between appointments! We are so thankful to have a nurse who loves these little twins almost as much as we do!!! We already call her Grandma Katy...ha!

The babies looked great!!! They had both grown and had great heartbeats!!! Our little monkey, Twin B, was not in the mood to have a sonogram at all...haha!!! We were interrupting his/her nap!!! He/she kept putting his/her hands over his/her eyes and trying to hide from us...too funny! Twin A was a little more active this time...trying to make up for his/her sleepy sibling! They look SO much more like babies each time that it is SO NEAT to see! We love getting to see them every step of the way and hearing their sweet heartbeats!!! Twin A measured 13 weeks and had a heartbeat of 164 and Twin B measured 13 weeks two days and had a heartbeat of 161. I was 13 weeks two days at the time, so the babies were right on track. Twin A is a little more difficult to take a picture of because of lighting, but hopefully we can get a better one next time!

Twin B with his/her hands over their eyes! I think he/she was
embarrassed that I was talking about his/her craziness last time...haha!

Things are starting to settle down a little bit more...October should be a much calmer month for us overall...until Derek gets started with basketball! Then life becomes CRAZY again! I am working very hard to complete all of my grad classes before these little babies make their entrance. Hopefully I will be walking the stage at ASU in May! So excited! We ask for your prayers in the coming months as our pregnancy continues and our lives continue with the business! We are so blessed to have such faithful family and friends that we can ask to pray for us at all times! We love you! Our next appointment is October 2nd, so I will try and get a blog up SOONER next week. And for all of you curious ones...we have NOT found out yet what these little ones are but we ARE planning to whenever the time is right. And trust me...we will be posting those genders on here as soon as possible! I know some very anxious aunts, friends, a niece, grandmas, and grandpas (and Derek) that can't wait to know!!! I am actually not that anxious to know...I'm just so thankful to be pregnant that I would be happy with anything...haha! Love you all! Have a blessed weekend!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phillipians 4:4

12 Weeks Baby!!!

I cannot tell you how long we have waited to get to this point!!! 12 WEEKS!!! It seems like such a milestone for us!!! The day we have been waiting for! I know we still have quite a ways to go, but we are so excited to have made it to this point!!! Praise God!!! He has definitely brought us to this point, every step of the way, and we are so thrilled to be able to be a part of His plan!

This has been a pretty exciting week! For starters...I am officially OFF ALL MEDICINE!!! Sunday I took my last shot and took off my last patch! SUCH an exciting day!!! The task seemed so daunting at first to think of having a shot everyday for 3 months but honestly....it was not that bad! It's amazing what you can do when you put FAITH in God and allow Him to be in charge! ANYONE who knew me before this process would have NEVER thought I could have handled as many shots and blood-draws as I have had to do. This is the girl who passed out from a TB test!!! But here I am on the other side, amazed at God's ability. He alone gave me the strength to make it through and I am honestly so thankful for each lesson He has taught us along the way. We have learned so much about trust, faith, and letting go of control...all lessons that I needed to learn. And what an amazing BLESSINGS God has given us in return! We are so unworthy, yet so amazed at His Goodness!

Drawing up the LAST shot!

Shot #67...coming right up!!!

We had our 12 week doctor's appointment yesterday and it was quite a whirlwind!!! We are used to just going in for bloodwork and a sonogram, but this time we got to see the doctor!!! (And go to patient accounts....ha!) The sonogram went great! It is so cool to see how much the babies have grown...even in a week! Our babies were DEFINETELY different this time. Twin A was as sweet as could be just chilling and letting Katy take his/her measurements and heartbeat like an little angel. Twin B on the other hand was OUT OF CONTROL!!! He/she was putting on a show for all of us!!! He/she kept wiggling and dancing the whole time...would stop...and then start waving his/her hand at us!!! As soon as he/she would get still for the heartbeat, he/she would LEAP off the scream and start moving around!!! Even when we were trying to measure Twin A, Twin B kept trying to dance into view! It was too funny! We have a little MONKEY on our hands already! Twin A measured 12 weeks exactly with a heartbeat of 179 and Twin B measured 12 weeks 1 day with a heartbeat of 167. Both babies are growing and doing great!

Our precious babies! Kinda hard to see...but you can see Twin B pretty good.

We also got word from San Antonio this afternoon that both my progesterone and estradiol levels were in the normal range and looked good. YEA!!! This means that my body is doing good without medication...which I am super pumped about. It was kinda bittersweet today, b/c this was my last day with San Antonio monitoring us! At the end of the call, my nurse said she would be sending all of my paperwork to my doctor here! On one hand, it is awesome to know that we have made it to the point where we no longer need San Antonio's help. On the other hand, we have been SO BLESSED by the staff at FCSA and their role in this process. We could not have asked for a better group of doctors and nurses to work the past three months. As much as we have loved their support, we are thankful to know that everything is going right on track and I am basically now just a "normal" pregnant woman...with twins of course! And we know that this is not our last interaction with San Antonio...we still have two PRECIOUS frozen embryos that we will be using sometime in the future!

As far as the next couple of weeks...I am pretty much just going to keep on doing what we're doing. Our doctor said that everything is looking great and I will go back for my next appointment in three weeks. This is kinda crazy but this will be the LONGEST I have gone without seeing the doctor since June 22nd! Kinda nice...but also a little nerve-wracking! We trust that our God is taking GREAT care of these precious babies and holding them until we can ourselves! We are anxious about what is to come...mostly b/c we have NO CLUE what to expect. Dr. Sutliff asked us if we had any questions yesterday and I immediately said "What are we suppose to be asking you??? What do other people ask??? I've never done this before!!!" Such a fun, exciting adventure that I am SO THANKFUL to be on! We are still coveting your prayers as we continue with this pregnancy and hope that you will join us in covering these sweet babies with prayers as they grow and develop! I will keep you updated...my nurse always teases me that these twins are already famous with as many of you keep up with us! You have BLESSED us so much with your support! We love you all!!!

12 weeks and definitely showing!

"LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name." Psalm 30:2-4



Enjoying date nights while we can...just the two of us!



11 Weeks

Today marks 11 weeks! Each week feels like such a huge accomplishment! I am so proud of these babies for staying strong and growing each week! They are fighting hard to make it just like their mama! Sometimes it feels like each day is a fight! School has been pretty rough...this mama is TIRED by the end of the day! I'm praying and hoping that everyone is right when they tell me the second trimester is better! We are getting close...can't wait!

Sunday was an exciting day for us in this journey! I got to reduce my medicine! For the first time I got to take LESS medicine instead of MORE...YEA! On Sunday I went down to one estrogen patch and only 1/2 the amount of progesterone shot that I have been used to. I can't really tell any type of change in how I've felt...still pretty much tired and nauseous...Ha! But it sure is nice to be on the down-hill slope of medicine! God is good! He has provided SO much during this journey and each time we come to another test, He has always seen us through. We have been BLESSED so much these past 11 weeks! Praise God!

Yesterday, we had blood-work and a sonogram to check and see how things were going since we reduced the medicine. The babies looked PERFECT as usual!!! They are getting SO big! They actually looked like BABIES this time...we could see their heads and arms and feet! Twin B was saluting us the whole time with his little arm up...TOO CUTE! Twin A measured at 10 weeks 6 days with a heartbeat of 172 and Twin B measured 10 weeks 5 days with a heartbeat of 170. Both babies are right on track...and I think already a little competitive...LOL! They have been sticking right there together since the first week! The pictures didn't turn out as good this time, but we could definitely see them better on the screen. So exciting! We love getting to see our precious babies and hear their sweet heartbeats!



Both twins at 11 weeks! LOVE THEM!


San Antonio called this morning with the results of my bloodwork and said that both my Estradiol and progesterone levels were good. Yea! This means that the decrease in medicine has not effected my levels or the babies and we continue with the weaning protocol. As long as the rest of the week goes good, I will be able to COMPLETELY stop my shots and patches on Sunday! I can't even tell you how amazing it will feel to be medicine-free! I have had at least one shot every day since June 23rd. I am SO EXCITED! After stopping the meds, I will go in next Tuesday for another bloodwork and sonogram to check everything one more time. We also are going to finally see the doctor...which will be kinda nice! I am anxious to hear where we go from hear...how frequent of doctor's appointments, procedures, etc. I am definitely a planner and like to know what to expect!

So overall, things are going good! School is pretty much in full swing! I am hoping to start feeling better in the next few weeks! Life is too busy to feel yuck! We are enjoying every minute of this journey and even on the hardest days, we thank God for this incredible blessing! While we never would have planned this to go quite this way, we are SO THANKFUL that our God has SUCH BETTER plans than we could ever imagine! We are truly blessed to be His children and cannot wait to hold our precious babies!

Keep us in your prayers this week! We are hoping to be completely off medicine at this time next week, celebrating the 12 week mark! We love you all and are so blessed to have you on this journey!

11 Weeks...a little bump showing!

"For all Your goodness I will keep on singing; Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find"

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