tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25543206917893578222024-03-13T07:22:04.667-07:00 My Extreme Babysitting AdventureI volunteered to carry a baby for my friends. I knew how meaningful it would be for them, but I never thought it would be so meaningful to me. I am forever grateful for this experience. It has added a new chapter to my life, and to theirs.
My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-37341374726260993762017-11-14T14:16:00.000-08:002018-04-11T18:57:39.084-07:00(36) Life after birth - Checkered flag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is Noah and Beckoms 3rd birthday. I love these two with all my heart! Even though genetically they are not mine, I feel a connection to them. I am forever thankful that Holly and Darren still let me, and Tom be a part of their life.<br />
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This blog didn’t go as I had originally planned. I wanted to be finished writing this blog by their 2nd birthday. Well, life happens, and I had two family members fighting cancer which completely threw my timetable off. I thank you all who have stuck with me reading all or some of my entries. It has certainly taken me long enough to finish!<br />
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After I was released from the hospital I had a lot of time on my hands. I felt pretty good, even though I was still having some medical weirdness going on. I will sum it up as to what I feel happened to my body. I had the Pessary placed on my cervix for approximately 4 months. So, I think because of this my cervix was kinked shut, I know weird. This is the only explanation I have as to why I didn’t bleed after my C-section. It was about two weeks later that I had this gushing of yuck come out. TMI, sorry! I immediately contacted the doctor’s office because it contained some very large blood clots. It wasn’t pleasant, and I ended up needing antibiotics. So, if you are reading this and you have a pessary and are scheduling a C-section – BEWARE…… This could happen to you.<br />
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I continued to pump to give Holly all the milk I could. I just wasn’t producing much milk, sigh. I would listen to babies crying on YouTube to try and stimulate a letdown. Nothing really worked. I finally gave up after about 4 weeks of pumping every 2-3 hours. I will chalk it up to just not having babies nearby. It’s like my body knew what was going on. Luckily Holly was successfully producing milk herself. She also had several friends and family giving her extra that they were producing. I am disappointed in my body for this failure, but it did grow two CUTE little boys….<br />
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I definitely went through some form of postpartum. Most likely because I didn’t have a baby near me. Maybe this falls under a different definition, idk, I am not a doctor. I would cry for no reason or just be sad. If I received a photo of the boys in a text it would instantly cheer me up. I know at one-point Tom contacted Holly and Darren because he was so worried for me. He didn’t like seeing me so sad. He knew I would be mad when I found out he talked to them, but he didn’t care. oh, I was mad, but I was also thankful. I didn't want to bother them with my issues, they had two new babies to care for. It took a good few months to really get over that separation period, or did it? I started watching the boys when Holly went back to work so my void was filled, hmmm.<br />
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I still to this day feel sad if I haven’t seen a post or picture of them. I can’t help it. In this time of smart phones with Instagram and Facebook, a little peek into their lives is easy. I often wonder if other Gestational carriers/surrogates feel this too. I am extremely fortunate to still be a part of their lives. I don’t think this happens for the others out there helping couples have a family. My advice to someone considering doing this, DO IT! Your heart will be full<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe our future Presidents!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beckom loves the Hulk!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GzNjCo7p-VU/WgtkKvoqkSI/AAAAAAAAInQ/pLGbNKeYn_sd7eu4PHADjm4hYBrfELbewCLcBGAs/s640/20170914_082848.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="360" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah loves Spider man!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BECKOM</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9yimZdm4WyI/WgtkM_fIJCI/AAAAAAAAInc/Q5Tqa4myG9kST2OMqOSdWbXEoNk7FjIkgCLcBGAs/s1600/20171101_142404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9yimZdm4WyI/WgtkM_fIJCI/AAAAAAAAInc/Q5Tqa4myG9kST2OMqOSdWbXEoNk7FjIkgCLcBGAs/s640/20171101_142404.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOAH</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super heroes in the making!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIlz_fKw59w/WhCT5_cfYZI/AAAAAAAAIok/Mq5lGf2nC5cYIJVML1LphquQs2QmzB-EQCLcBGAs/s1600/20171115_174724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIlz_fKw59w/WhCT5_cfYZI/AAAAAAAAIok/Mq5lGf2nC5cYIJVML1LphquQs2QmzB-EQCLcBGAs/s640/20171115_174724.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy 3rd Birthday Beckom and Noah!</td></tr>
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<br />My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-50679513199143269182017-09-27T11:39:00.000-07:002017-09-27T11:39:23.170-07:00(35) November 17, 2014 - Discharge Day<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOwbPV_qpVA/WcvpVRZWMzI/AAAAAAAAIgs/q6MaqKrPhcYm6yzS92yjNfEpD6AAHLnWgCEwYBhgL/s1600/boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOwbPV_qpVA/WcvpVRZWMzI/AAAAAAAAIgs/q6MaqKrPhcYm6yzS92yjNfEpD6AAHLnWgCEwYBhgL/s640/boys.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beckom and Noah</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My time here in the hospital is coming to an end. I think they are discharging me because I am
up and walking around so much, lol. I
can’t help it, I want to heal up. I know
from previous C-sections that walking around and getting that blood circulating
is the best medicine. It also might be
my 24 hour bed-rest with the catheter. That
was the worst. I don’t remember that
rule when I had my son, but that was 24 years ago! But having to lay in bed for
24 hours was really hard to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As usual, I head over to see the Bensons in their room. They are probably sick of me, but I hope
not. I just love seeing those two little
boys. They will forever have a special
place in my heart. When I first offered
to do this, I thought back to how I felt when my children were born. I always remember hearing people talk about
having this instant connection with their babies when they were born. I don’t remember having those exact feelings,
as sad as that sounds. Don’t get me
wrong, I loved them and loved staring at them while they ate or slept. Maybe I did have the connection, but in a
different way. Or maybe I didn’t notice
because I always had my babies with me.
I wasn’t separated from my kids like I am now with these boys. I have a strong yearning to see them, hold
them, just be with them. I’m reluctant
to tell Holly and Darren because I don’t know how they’ll feel about it. I always told them, it will be no big deal. Ha! Was I ever wrong. It’s also possible that I’m feeling this
because of everything we’ve been through for the last 8+ months. I have seen these little guys on a sonogram
every week, sometimes twice a week, for the last 6 months. I guess you could say even though the boys
are not my biological children, I have bonded with them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We all had dinner last night in my room. Tom went home to get our daughter, and on
their way back they stopped at our favorite pizza place down the street from
the hospital. Life of Pie, Mmmmm, so
good! Anyway, they brought back a couple
of pizzas and a Caesar salad (for me).
We all dug in. I think the ratio
worked out were we all got two slices. I
started with my salad, and after a few bites I look up to see Holly sitting
there with an empty plate. The poor girl
was so hungry she was done with her two slices before anyone else was done with
one. We all laughed, and I offered her
one of my slices. She said “Sorry, nutrition
hasn’t been a priority”. Plus they
didn’t realize they could order from the menu like all of the other patients. Certainly a “fail” on the nursing staff’s
part. Obviously, they need to eat, and
they’re in a room with two babies! I
don’t think the nurses really thought about it, but they did apologize for it
later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Exactly one year ago today, Holly and Darren said
goodbye to their first-born son Jude. He was </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">perfect in every way! </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He was born at 21 weeks
gestation, weighing </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">1lb 3oz. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today is bittersweet for Holly and Darren. They will cry for the loss of Jude, but also cry
with happiness for the arrival of Noah and Beckom. Holly reminds me as often as she can that she
is so thankful for the gift I was giving her. My hope is to heal her, if only a
little day by day, from her broken heart. Jude and Brinly, even though you were born before you should have, you will forever be in all our hearts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today is discharge day for me. I’m happy to go home and sleep in my own bed
and OMG use my own shower! But I don’t
want to leave the Benson's. We all gather
in my room as I prepare to be wheeled down to our car. My nurse takes a few group photos of the six
of us. I am holding the boys and they
look so big. How is it possible that
they both fit in my body just three days ago? With all my paperwork finally done, I can head home. But my wonderful nurse informs me that I don’t have to leave until I'm ready. Although, I'm starting to feel like I will never be
ready. Tom and I walk over to the Benson’s
room and hang out with them for about an hour.
I could tell they wanted to take a nap, so I called for my taxi
(wheelchair)….. Tom left so he could pull the car up to the curb. I didn’t have much to take with me, just my
bag of clothes and a couple of cards I received from Holly and Darren’s
families. No flowers, which made me a
little sad. As the nurse and I went down
the elevator, I started to cry - and I don’t know why. Well I kind of do, but I’m guessing the
hormones are playing a big role. By the
time we get to the car I am sobbing. I
feel so bad putting the nurse through my emotional roller coaster. I kept apologizing for it and she kept
telling me it was okay. I just had this
deep desire to hold those babies, and I knew I wasn’t going to anytime soon. I cried more in the car with Tom. I think I was able to get myself under control
about half way home, poor Tom. Although
I suspect he was sad as well. We both
felt an instant bond with those two boys.
It was a difficult ride home. All
the while, I felt this odd combination of sadness, loneliness, accomplishment,
and satisfaction. These feelings don’t
mix well. I miss my little passengers
already (tears falling).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tt4LVyC4qnQ/Wcvp4x6XHyI/AAAAAAAAIgw/OqrFF-l3RrIi1Gm-SmnIJWmH0IxbAePRQCLcBGAs/s1600/Holls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tt4LVyC4qnQ/Wcvp4x6XHyI/AAAAAAAAIgw/OqrFF-l3RrIi1Gm-SmnIJWmH0IxbAePRQCLcBGAs/s640/Holls.jpg" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly and Beckom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-waCUK-i8v38/WcvpVQQt7yI/AAAAAAAAIgk/vbk8-MmZqaoI2lSWxUx26YMpvND-uKlqQCLcBGAs/s1600/Darren%2BBeckom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-waCUK-i8v38/WcvpVQQt7yI/AAAAAAAAIgk/vbk8-MmZqaoI2lSWxUx26YMpvND-uKlqQCLcBGAs/s640/Darren%2BBeckom.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren and Beckom<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YRWOCpFC3YQ/WcGbrFjhRlI/AAAAAAAAIfs/39khdnrnOusD5HmVivtkFeHisMg3KSsTQCLcBGAs/s1600/20141117_145358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YRWOCpFC3YQ/WcGbrFjhRlI/AAAAAAAAIfs/39khdnrnOusD5HmVivtkFeHisMg3KSsTQCLcBGAs/s640/20141117_145358.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOW, WE DID IT! Noah (my Right) Beckom <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(my Left)</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></td></tr>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-30180699216628958902017-08-24T08:18:00.001-07:002018-03-30T18:38:25.483-07:00(34) How to lose 30 pounds in 1 day!<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">My first night alone in my hospital room felt strange. Sure, I no longer have anyone kicking my ribs (Noah!) or punching my cervix anymore (Beckom!), but I already miss my little companions. Mentally, I thought I was prepared for this. Now I'm not so sure. There must be an unavoidable biological attachment that I'm struggling to overcome. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #351c75;">Physically, I’ve experienced a huge change. My formerly large belly is no longer protruding out, and what is there is now jelly-like. Because I had a C-section I have to keep the catheter in for 24 hours, sigh…. It is a weird feeling not being able to get up and walk to the bathroom. Although, I really can’t feel my legs so therefor I don’t miss the walking too much. I do have these wonderful warm air massagers on my lower legs to keep my blood circulating while lying down. My nurse comes in every 2-3 hours during the night to check my vitals. That is probably the absolute worst about hospital stays, the constant monitoring. I realize it’s for my safety and I appreciate all medical staff and their roles. But for the love, please let me sleep! My overnight nurse also has the nerve to complains about my continuous urine output. I scrunch my shoulders and say “I just had two baby’s and I like my water” “sorry, not sorry” Of course I think that last comment to myself! I’ve also had a breast pump with me since I’ve been in my room. I’ve been pumping every 2 hours to get the colostrum for the boys. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I am getting much. My poor girls are not too happy right now, and I think it will only get worse before it gets better. I’m trying to pump every two hours to get things moving. But it seems a little slow! Again, sigh…. The nurses are very encouraging, telling me every little drop is liquid gold to those boys. I have a feeling it’s because I don’t have them in here with me. It’s like my body knows they were not mine to keep, so why produce much.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Morning finally arrives, and although I'm tired, I’m eager to see the new little family. Since I am officially bed-bound until 6:30 pm tonight, I have to rely on Holly and Darren to come over for a visit. Holly and Darren pop over around 7 am with the boys. Oh my word, they are about as precious as they come. I know part of it is because I carried them for the last 8 months. But, damn, I am instantly in love with these little guys. I don't think the new parents got much sleep last night. But you would never know it because they are beyond thrilled to be here with their new little boys. Smiles for days!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Tom went home last night to sleep. They have a little bench here but it looks really uncomfortable. Plus, Tom needs to take our dog to the kennel where we board her. Unfortunately, they live in Estacada and with the Icey roads, Tom has to meet them because his car won’t make it to them unless he chains up. So, yes one more thing to worry about. I’m usually the one who drops her off too. Unfortunately, I have a medical crisis while Tom is lost looking for Lisa and her husband. He’s trying to call me, but I can’t answer the phone in my condition. He would FREAK out!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I am lying in my bed because I still have my catheter for several more hours, ugh. Holly and Darren and the boys just left. It was fun visiting with them, seeing the boys and hearing how night number one went. I gave Tom Lisa’s address, so I’m ready for a nap. As I’m lying there trying to relax I start to feel this weird pain in my upper abdomen, right under my lower left rib cage. Now, I had a C-section only about 16 hours ago. I haven’t really needed any pain meds except for Tylenol with Codeine. My discomfort has been minimal, I have a high pain tolerance. But the pain I am feeling now is starting to become unbearable. As I lay there I am thinking “what in the world did I do to deserve this kind of pain?!” I finally meet my breaking point and call my nurse. I am in so much pain I am crying uncontrollably and out of breath. It’s like that hiccup crying/breathing type of sob. Of course, my nurse isn’t at her station so another takes her page and after she finally deciphers my sobbing she says she’ll find her immediately. While I’m in the throes of this pain this little elderly lady comes in to clean my room. The look on her face was pure horror. I am sure she thought I was dying or possible she thought I was grieving. I am after all in the post-partum section of the hospital and clearly, I have no baby in my room. I felt so bad for her having to see me like that. She asked me if she could do anything, so sweet. I told her I had called the nurse. Hannah comes into my room about 5-10 minutes later. I really don’t remember how long it was but it felt like hours. She is really concerned because I am crying so hard I can barely speak. She runs to get me some Morphine, luckily I can have it since I’ve only been taking Tylenol3. She gets back and puts it in my IV as quick as she can. It takes about 5 mins and the pain lessons but by no means is it gone. I can at least coherently tell her what is going on. I had a pain that traveled from my lower ribs all the way up to my shoulder where it meets my neck. It was the most <u>excruciating</u> <u>pain</u> I have ever felt! I seriously thought, “please, just kill me I can’t take it anymore”. I am so happy Holly didn’t come over at that time. She would have been horrified and then felt guilty. My nurse explained it was an air bubble. Anyone is at risk for this happening after having surgery. Most of the time your body absorbs it and releases it in the form of gas, either by burping or well you know…lol. For some reason, I wasn’t so lucky. She told me it happened to her husband, but maybe not as severely. All I know is that I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone, EVER! Tom shows up a few hours later, luckily he missed that freak show.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">At around 5 pm Hannah decides part of my problem earlier with the air bubble was because I can’t get up and walk around. She gets approval from the attending on duty to remove my catheter early. All I can say is Halle-fricken-lujah! I can also now take a shower, yay! But first, I need to be able to sit myself up and walk to the restroom. Remember I just had my lower abdomen sliced open. I think sitting up is the worst part. Luckily I have an adjustable bed that can do half the sitting up for me. I know, I know, lazy! I sit on the edge of my bed for a few minutes while Tom gets my slippers in place. My first trip to the bathroom is a little wobbly. It was more like shuffling. It’s amazing how quickly the leg muscles weaken. Once I have made a couple of trips to the restroom, I’m ready to venture further. I remember after having my son that the quickest way to heal was to get off your butt and start walking. I wanted my first trip on my new found legs to see Holly and Darren. I give Darren a quick text to make sure they are awake. Unfortunately, they didn’t respond so I didn’t get to see them as soon as I’d hoped.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I couldn't be contained once I was able to start taking walks. Tom and I did a few laps and while doing so I came across a scale. I decide, what the heck, let's see how much I weigh now. I turn it on, it’s a fancy digital one. I step on after it zeros out and I weigh in at 162lbs. I lost 30lbs giving birth, DAMMMNN! Darren finally gets back to me and Tom and we were able to go visit with them. Those little boys were so good. It was so comforting to get to hold them. I held Noah and Tom held Beckom. We even got to feed them their little bottles. Holly was able to induce lactation but it isn’t giving her enough just yet. So the hospital is providing donated milk until she gets a better supply. I’m still not getting much either, which is weird because I was a cow with both of my kids. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #351c75;">It was an eventful day after for sure. I'm feeling both physically and emotionally better. Seeing those two little boys helped a lot. I am certainly looking forward to being their "Aunt Becky".</span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIgjWmYUTF4/WZW2QMjOSqI/AAAAAAAAGdc/5G5RlfpsLwkNYO34wsCPVCa74HC0a_hjQCLcBGAs/s1600/20141114_204725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIgjWmYUTF4/WZW2QMjOSqI/AAAAAAAAGdc/5G5RlfpsLwkNYO34wsCPVCa74HC0a_hjQCLcBGAs/s1600/20141114_204725.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Dad with Noah and Beckom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FMX4IQ5SP-E/WZW2QDdutBI/AAAAAAAAGdk/YuH0gy09LaIWLLy3uzW6H2ntXqgH0qjuQCLcBGAs/s1600/20141118_075941_zpsx8ayflse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FMX4IQ5SP-E/WZW2QDdutBI/AAAAAAAAGdk/YuH0gy09LaIWLLy3uzW6H2ntXqgH0qjuQCLcBGAs/s1600/20141118_075941_zpsx8ayflse.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren and Beckom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zC7Ne69s6r8/WZW2j1LZkUI/AAAAAAAAGdo/7ilxRJs5JPs3R1HLzTH5JHI-m0S8pbR-wCLcBGAs/s1600/20141116_190543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zC7Ne69s6r8/WZW2j1LZkUI/AAAAAAAAGdo/7ilxRJs5JPs3R1HLzTH5JHI-m0S8pbR-wCLcBGAs/s640/20141116_190543.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me holding Beckom and Noah</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJKCxpPgtX8/WZW3BHzJ1nI/AAAAAAAAGds/4NQAd1xqiEEn8-M-YrL7BT8E8XVpymWvACLcBGAs/s1600/20141116_190750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJKCxpPgtX8/WZW3BHzJ1nI/AAAAAAAAGds/4NQAd1xqiEEn8-M-YrL7BT8E8XVpymWvACLcBGAs/s640/20141116_190750.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah and his perfection! You wouldn't know this is a newborn only hours old.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOQLLEvLLQI/WZW3ZerR17I/AAAAAAAAGd0/ue7ZKYQImUIYWzlyBrHeA0z82IJBCe6qgCLcBGAs/s1600/20141116_185814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOQLLEvLLQI/WZW3ZerR17I/AAAAAAAAGd0/ue7ZKYQImUIYWzlyBrHeA0z82IJBCe6qgCLcBGAs/s640/20141116_185814.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom holding little Beckom with his worried face 😍</td></tr>
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<br />My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-91273014079350533712017-08-04T13:14:00.000-07:002017-09-20T12:09:33.566-07:00(33) Todays the day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am feeling a little apprehensive lying in the hospital bed
all by myself. This is not how I
envisioned things would be today. I
guess I thought I’d be surrounded by family and ‘extended family’. But I suppose that will be the case soon
enough. Tom left to help Kaela. On her way home from Corvallis, she got
stranded on an ice-covered road behind a driver who partially slid off the
road. Like I need something else to
worry me! After rescuing Kaela, he plans
to head back to work, mainly to wrap up some things and get his laptop. If I have these guys soon, Tom will be taking
a few weeks off to help me. I have a
feeling the boys will be delivered today, but despite all my current pregnancy
discomforts, I really don’t want this yet.
I know the longer they stay inside of me, the better the chance they’ll <u>not</u>
need to go to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). I am 35 weeks, 6 days along -- well beyond
any significant risk -- but if born today, they would still be considered
late-preterm babies. Babies born at this
time can be less physiologically and metabolically mature than full term
babies, but because they are twins, they naturally mature faster than a
singleton. So despite the possibility of
early delivery, I really feel the boys are perfectly fine. Once
again, I am trying to stay positive. My
ongoing motto is B Positive! <o:p></o:p></div>
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The nurses check on me periodically. My blood pressure is elevated, but this time
not from “white coat syndrome. It’s
real. The results from my “pee tank”
confirm that I am in the beginning stages of preeclampsia. It’s starting to look more and more like
today, Friday November 14, 2014 will be the birthday of Noah and Beckom Benson.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I meet Dr. Warnock for the first time. He is working surgical births tonight. He works for the hospital, not for the group
of doctors I have been seeing for the last 8 months. He’s really nice, but I’m a little sad
because I really wanted Dr. Winkler to deliver these boys. Based on the preeclampsia results, he
announces “Today’s the day. These boys
need to come out or you are all at risk”.
I guess I knew this was coming.
The doctor asked me if I wanted to try a vaginal birth. From the beginning, I was prepared for (and
requested) a c-section. I had one before
with my son so I knew I could handle it.
I politely refuse. To me, having
a vaginal birth is really personal and it just didn’t feel right to me as a
Gestational Carrier. Plus doing it with
twins scares me. He says, “Okay, then
you’re on the schedule for 6:30pm”. Holy
Crap, here we go! This is really
happening!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I immediately text Holly with “Todays the day!”, and “I’m next in line for surgery”. She calls right back, crying and giggling with
excitement. She says “Really?! We have been waiting for this day and here we
go”. Next I text Tom, asking him to
please come back since it’s a go. Tom
didn’t expect this, and is maybe little mad at himself for leaving me. I assure him all is well. I’ll be right here when he gets back. <span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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When the Dr. Warnock came back in to check on things, I
asked about Dr. Winkler. I really want
him to do the c-section. I let Dr.
Warnock know that I had nothing against him.
It’s just that Dr. Winkler has been a key part of this very special
journey. He says he understands, but
unless Dr. Winkler (who is not on duty or on call) magically shows up to do it,
he’s the guy. Sigh… I also
take this opportunity to ask him about who can be in the delivery room. He tells me it is all up to the Anesthesiologist. Luckily, we’ll have the same Anesthesiologist
Dr. Merrill had already talked to 4 or 5 months ago. I hope he has a good memory. He said yes to Holly, Darren, and Tom
then. Hopefully it is still a yes today.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Holly, Darren and Tom all show up at the hospital around the
same time. I can’t even describe the expression
on Holly’s face. She simply can’t
suppress her ear to ear smile, and her dimples are fully out on display. She’s nervous, but so so so happy. We take a few pre-birth pictures. When the anesthesiologist comes in, we all ask with
huge smiles “can all of us be in the operating room?”. We didn’t say it out loud, but our faces were
saying “pretty please…pretty please…pretty please!”. To our relief, he had no objections, quickly
answering with “Sure!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Birth<o:p></o:p></div>
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About 6:00 pm they wheel me into the operating room to prep
for surgery. I leave Tom, Holly and
Darren to gown up for our “extreme event”.
It’s a little surreal to think this is all coming to an end, and in less
than an hour we will all get to meet the boys who have been growing inside me
for the last 8 months. I arrive in OR3
to bright lights and a whole lot of fancy equipment. I can see two warmers off to one side that in
just a short while these two will occupy.
When we get in there, I’m told to carefully slide over to the operating
table. Yeah, haha okay, I’ll just shimmy
my 192lb body over (I stepped on the scale at my Dr. appointment) so yeah,
final weight = 192! Eeek! Then they tell me I need to roll into a ball
so the anesthesiologist can do his magic.
Again, I laugh to myself. Roll
into a ball? I am already a ball! I do the best I can. It is the most awkward feeling. I can’t help to feel like I’m squishing the
poor boys to death. Luckily, it was over
pretty quickly. Then my lovely nurses
tell me it’s time for the catheter. Oh boy,
I forgot about that gem. So even though
I’ve had my lower extremities invaded on multiple occasions for the last 8
months, this feels the worse. The room
is so bright, and all I can think right now is thank goodness I recently went
to my sugaring appointment. If you’ve
never been sugared, Google it. If you are in the Portland, OR area I recommend Sugar Bee's All Natural Hair Removal! Lacie is AWESOME! You’ll
thank me later. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After I’m all prepped and covered up, they bring in Holly,
Darren and Tom. They direct Tom to stand
by my head and Holly and Darren to sit in chairs at my feet. As we’re waiting patiently, our nurse informs
us that Dr. Winkler is scrubbing in to help with my C-sec. I am so happy I seriously want to dance, but obviously
I can’t at the moment. Apparently he was
checking on my status, since he sent me for observation. (Afterwards, the nurses whispered to me: “You
must be very special. Doctors NEVER do
this.”). The actual caesarian and
delivery occurred quickly. Dr. Winkler and Dr. Warnock really don’t mess
around. They give a few instructions,
check to make sure I am numb then start cutting me open. They are calm, confident, and even chat about
a conference they are both attending. They also find out that some of my Rn’s
are also attending. They started making
plans. Yeah, no big deal, we’re just
birthing some babies here. We find out
later that when the doctors are chatty during surgery, it’s sign that
everything is looking good! <o:p></o:p></div>
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When Dr. Winkler has my belly open, he says “All right,
we’ll have babies in less than a minute”.
Tom is peaking over my drape to watch.
I thought he’d be too be grossed out to watch, but I find out later that
he couldn’t see the actual incision anyway.
First out is “baby A” (Noah), as he is closest to the cervix. Then Dr. Winkler announces “baby B will be
out in less 39 seconds”. It is such a
random time, that we all remember it. I
can’t see anyone but Tom, so I’m trying to move my drape to see the
warmers. If I could JUST MOVE THE
DRAPE! My sweet anesthesiologist gives
me a hand by moving my drape a little so I can see. I think he really just wanted me to stop
moving. I don’t see much, but I can tell
they have each baby at a warmer. When I
finally hear the cry of a newborn babe, my tears start flowing. I can also hear Holly softly sobbing with
joy. It’s a comforting sound because I
know she is watching her LIVE little boys take their first breaths. I learn later that Noah struggled a little to
take his first breath. So even though
Noah was born first, Beckom was the first to breathe. I faintly hear the nurse with Beckom say to Holly
“Come here momma and carry your son to the scale”. Soon after, as I’m still lying on the
operating table, Holly comes over so Beckom and I can meet. I am instantly in love! He has this squishy little worried look on
his face that just melts my heart. He is
just perfect! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They have Holly and Darren carry the boys to my recovery
room so Holly can nurse them. Tom stays
with me while they staple me up. All the
while, the doctors are still chatting away.
I think to myself, these guys would all be so cool to work with.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When they wheel me back to the recovery room, Holly and
Darren are there admiring their beautiful new little boys. Holly has nursed both of them and Noah is in
her shirt for the skin contact. The
nurses ask Holly if they can put Beckom on my chest, and she says yes. This is something they didn’t do back when my
children were born. Newborns can’t regulate
their temperatures very well, so having skin to skin contact is a good way to
help. The nurse unbundles Beckom and
lays him on my chest. Even though he is
small, I think “How did he and his brother fit in my stomach?” It doesn’t seem possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amazingly, even though they were born 4 weeks early, they
didn’t need any Neonatal assistance.
Once Noah started to breathe, it was never an issue again. Noah was the “heavyweight”, weighing in at
5lbs 13oz. Beckom was two ounces lighter
at 5lbs 11oz. I had almost 12 POUNDS OF BABY IN ME! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oh my god, we did it! 🎉👐</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PlHfSp_oQ_I/WYIzka0RvpI/AAAAAAAAFs4/lsjk2Hg7tfcyyUz94uNJht3BkbdWDpPhACLcBGAs/s1600/20141114_155050_zpsxzsjqrox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PlHfSp_oQ_I/WYIzka0RvpI/AAAAAAAAFs4/lsjk2Hg7tfcyyUz94uNJht3BkbdWDpPhACLcBGAs/s640/20141114_155050_zpsxzsjqrox.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lPArFbwDbsM/WYIzkfXBGII/AAAAAAAAFtI/FLEcMOAqxkgpIUrGUk7K9ekoMA4eZnfzgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20141114_155024_zpsjntubvnq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lPArFbwDbsM/WYIzkfXBGII/AAAAAAAAFtI/FLEcMOAqxkgpIUrGUk7K9ekoMA4eZnfzgCEwYBhgL/s640/20141114_155024_zpsjntubvnq.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lPArFbwDbsM/WYIzkfXBGII/AAAAAAAAFs0/zc0AWKUOW48JSYW-uxbnFfnlIM8UCxbcwCLcBGAs/s1600/20141114_155024_zpsjntubvnq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BSutOg4wdFo/WYIzkdBcqzI/AAAAAAAAFsw/H13Za6C3GwIF5Lb5iA3jmaOis_aa5vTRACLcBGAs/s640/20141114_155645_zpsqpidoapa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="356" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VS6JC8-uzaI/WYIzlcF9dcI/AAAAAAAAFtI/Bn-9vNvm0cgH1-_pXsf7mW6a0Lixq65ewCEwYBhgL/s1600/20141114_155727_zpsm08ykgxd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VS6JC8-uzaI/WYIzlcF9dcI/AAAAAAAAFtI/Bn-9vNvm0cgH1-_pXsf7mW6a0Lixq65ewCEwYBhgL/s640/20141114_155727_zpsm08ykgxd.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last picture of them inside of me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BSutOg4wdFo/WYIzkdBcqzI/AAAAAAAAFsw/H13Za6C3GwIF5Lb5iA3jmaOis_aa5vTRACLcBGAs/s1600/20141114_155645_zpsqpidoapa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsbpYfe3ti0/WYIzlnCbJCI/AAAAAAAAFtI/ATscFKu6UnMFuLYro5vAHhGQBLuDdmEQQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20141114_181921_zpsfvmdtsce%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsbpYfe3ti0/WYIzlnCbJCI/AAAAAAAAFtI/ATscFKu6UnMFuLYro5vAHhGQBLuDdmEQQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20141114_181921_zpsfvmdtsce%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Dad - You can see the pure JOY of this moment!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rPIlhZIhskA/WZOuLyzE7kI/AAAAAAAAGUw/XHBeOPaEDEQi7un_FEaYeL6gYXHxkNmiACLcBGAs/s1600/Boys%2BBirthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rPIlhZIhskA/WZOuLyzE7kI/AAAAAAAAGUw/XHBeOPaEDEQi7un_FEaYeL6gYXHxkNmiACLcBGAs/s1600/Boys%2BBirthday.jpg" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rPIlhZIhskA/WZOuLyzE7kI/AAAAAAAAGUw/XHBeOPaEDEQi7un_FEaYeL6gYXHxkNmiACLcBGAs/s1600/Boys%2BBirthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dx7WzqtzqP8/WYIzliNN2II/AAAAAAAAFtI/vFZEhgtlWnki4zVe15xj5XB0D_LX2X-qwCEwYBhgL/s1600/hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--OzHDF8wkAs/WYTc4tAgfGI/AAAAAAAAFt4/I3cBHBkW2xM4C3wcuIrUBk8fMnSKnADsgCEwYBhgL/s1600/2014111495195934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--OzHDF8wkAs/WYTc4tAgfGI/AAAAAAAAFt4/I3cBHBkW2xM4C3wcuIrUBk8fMnSKnADsgCEwYBhgL/s640/2014111495195934.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beckom and Noah</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Please welcome Noah and Beckom</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tDvu2kxOdTU/WYTcQfuxt_I/AAAAAAAAFtw/ENEYSsptTjsijF7VZKlTim_Ejo8txPk1wCEwYBhgL/s1600/20141116_190410%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1600" height="354" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tDvu2kxOdTU/WYTcQfuxt_I/AAAAAAAAFtw/ENEYSsptTjsijF7VZKlTim_Ejo8txPk1wCEwYBhgL/s640/20141116_190410%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beckom and Noah</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7SHJdwHJ-4/WYTcP2WPVlI/AAAAAAAAFtk/nK1aUPpa5tUVYNreu4uciLUAZ6C5QdrjQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20141114_182632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7SHJdwHJ-4/WYTcP2WPVlI/AAAAAAAAFtk/nK1aUPpa5tUVYNreu4uciLUAZ6C5QdrjQCEwYBhgL/s640/20141114_182632.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly taking Beckom to scale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e_4rrdY6XXQ/WZOyGSHGfwI/AAAAAAAAGU8/5wGYUeUTMJQHFsWoO65dS3uY1fkhNt3zgCLcBGAs/s1600/20141114_183725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e_4rrdY6XXQ/WZOyGSHGfwI/AAAAAAAAGU8/5wGYUeUTMJQHFsWoO65dS3uY1fkhNt3zgCLcBGAs/s1600/20141114_183725.jpg" /></a></div>
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Me getting to see Beckom 💙</div>
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<br />My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-72315377423418231752017-07-24T20:53:00.001-07:002017-09-25T16:53:10.924-07:00(32) Two weeks to go.....<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">I’m up bright and early as usual, because I have two little
alarm clocks. One kicks my ribs while
the other punches my bladder. Somehow,
this wakes me up every time. They’re
getting ready to be born, since both have been “head down” for a few weeks
now. Their positions don’t matter
though, since my little passengers are scheduled to disembark by cesarean two
weeks from today. Woot woot! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">My usual daily routine is a little different today, since I
have to prepare for the COLD and ICY weather outside! The roads are icy too, which makes me nervous
because we live in a hilly area. Our daughter
Kaela decided to drive home from Corvallis for the weekend, and her driving in
these conditions makes me even more nervous.
Nonetheless, I dutifully prepare for my 11am doctor appointment. My “Pee” tank is ready to go, in a large
paper bag. Poor Tom is going to have to
carry that when we get there. I have
enough extra poundage to carry…. Sorry Tom.
As we make our way to the doctor’s office, I get even more nervous about
Kaela driving home. The roads are definitely
not ideal. Luckily, Tom grew up in
Minnesota, so he handled it like a pro. Fingers crossed for Kaela.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">When I first get to the office, I supply them with a fresh
pee sample as usual. But it sure seems
redundant since I just handed them a gallon of my pee! Then Tom and I head back for an
ultrasound. Tom really likes getting to
be there for these. I haven’t counted
how many ultrasounds I’ve had, but I’ve had a lot! After seeing the little guys again (they’re
pretty crowded in there!), we see Dr. Winkler.
He’s a little concerned with my elevated blood pressure, so he decides
that today they will take out my pessary and do the Beta Strep Culture. This doesn’t sound fun, but what choice do I
have? Everyone leaves the room so I can
undress, oh boy. Dr. Winkler reappears
with his nurse, and like the veteran that he is, the pessary is out within a
second. Then he informs me that he is
sending me to the hospital to be monitored.
He says it’s routine -- nothing to worry about -- but when you are
carrying multiples, you can never be too careful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">So Tom and I head over to <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Legacy
Emanuel. The roads are a little better,
but when we get to the parking garage, it is an ice rink! The only parking available is at the very
top, where the worst ice is. As Tom and
I are walking to the elevator, I almost fall on some slippery ice. Let me tell you, this is really scary even when
not pregnant. I am so rattled that my
first stop in the hospital is the security desk. They take one look at me, listen to my story,
and are immediately on the phone to have the ice situation taken care of. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Dr. Winkler phoned ahead so they already
had a room prepared for me. It’s now
about 1pm so I decide I should let Holly and Darren know what is going on. Instead of calling, I send a text (that is
what we do nowadays!) I tell Holly “I’m
at Emanuel being monitored just to be safe” and “don’t worry I’ll keep you updated”. They get me all hooked up and I can see I am having
contractions. Just by removing the
pessary, my uterus is saying “all righty then, let’s have these babies”. I haven’t felt any contractions up until this
time, and I barely even feel these. The
boy’s heartbeats sound awesome as usual. All the nurses are super nice. They all know my story, and how special the
births will be when it’s time. I have my
copy of the birth contract with me. I
started carrying it full time about two weeks ago. Once these boys take their first breath, they
are legally adopted by Holly and Darren.
But we have two weeks to go, right?
Tom heads back to work, leaving me at the hospital for monitoring. The wait begins…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C7rBeNGuYlg/WXa_JMTeXbI/AAAAAAAAFlA/dyLOvAzfH5YxmNU-bJyI0XuTeFpcYUO-ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20141114_140259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C7rBeNGuYlg/WXa_JMTeXbI/AAAAAAAAFlA/dyLOvAzfH5YxmNU-bJyI0XuTeFpcYUO-ACEwYBhgL/s640/20141114_140259.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hospital selfie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6oMHVdTgi9Y/WXa_JF5U0_I/AAAAAAAAFk8/nwsPxW0GDh8PYRhYIbQ9eFiGJekrjNSrQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20141114_170952_zpskpvfvely.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6oMHVdTgi9Y/WXa_JF5U0_I/AAAAAAAAFk8/nwsPxW0GDh8PYRhYIbQ9eFiGJekrjNSrQCEwYBhgL/s640/20141114_170952_zpskpvfvely.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom taking secret picture before leaving. Look at my belly poking up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-85211509032702558392017-07-07T11:11:00.000-07:002017-07-10T07:25:24.751-07:00(31) Just a Wee little Pee<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am a few days into my 35<sup>th</sup> week of
gestation. I have a doctor appointment
with Dr. Robertson today because again, Dr. Winkler is off saving the world
elsewhere. I am a little worried he
won’t be able to deliver these boys. I
know it isn’t a big deal to most but for some reason I just think this is what
will make the story of their birth that much better. Holly plans on telling them everything, when
they are old enough to understand anyways.
I officially have booked the OR for their permanent Birthday! Bright and early on November 28<sup>th</sup>
2014, 7:30am sharp. 1 day after
Thanksgiving! I have to be there 2 hours
before (sigh) and I can’t eat or drink after midnight. I can go without the food, but no water, that
is impossible!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, I’m off to my Tuesday appointment. Tom is accompanying me because I’m to the
point that driving myself just isn’t safe.
My huge belly just doesn’t fit behind the steering wheel anymore. The office is on the third floor and the
elevators are down around the corner from the office. I finally get to the office, and I am huffing
and puffing. Now, come on! I’m carrying an extra 50 pounds with me so I
think a little huffing and puffing is warranted. But Dr. Robertson is alarmed by this as she
walks by me heading toward the bathroom.
I reassure her it is just a little exhaustion from walking from the car
to the office. She feels a little better
after I give her some pee and it’s normal.
They take my BP and it’s a little elevated as it has been this entire
time (white coat syndrome). She decides
she wants me to do the 24 hour urine time and volume test. Let me tell you, this does NOT sound
fun! I have to catch my urine, every
time I go. And guess what, in a top hat,
which I just recently learned about, imagine that. I tell her my next appointment is Friday and
ask if I can hold off until Thursday to start the test. She reluctantly says okay, which I am
relieved. I definitely understand her
concern but I feel great other than my 2 ton belly in front of me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My Doctor appointment on Friday is at 11am so I start my 24
hour urine catch around 9am Thursday </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
morning.
I didn’t want the pee sitting around for too long, that is just gross. Bad enough it will be sitting around at
all. I get into a rhythm, hahaha. Luckily we have a half bathroom so that is
where I do all the important stuff, wink wink!
Except at night, cuz well I pee a lot at night and I’m certainly not
trudging up and down the stairs every time.
It is bad enough I almost don’t make to the on-suite in the wee (wink,
wink) hours, lol. I couldn’t imagine
running downstairs to the ½ bath. So
Friday morning rolls around and it’s only about 5:30am and guess what? IT’S FULL!!!
I have no more room to add my pee.
So of course I panic a little thinking this might be a bad sign. Of course I start Googling! This is a bad habit, I don’t recommend. I can’t really find anything about my subject
so I relax a little, whew. I have always
made sure my water intake is above average because I read (Google, obviously)
that if a pregnant woman doesn’t drink enough water it might affect the
amniotic fluid levels. Well there was no
way I was going to jeopardize that so I drink, drink, drink, lots of water!! <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0uuyGRJydHE/WV_IwZvZXNI/AAAAAAAAE8g/oeUkDMWBga4JZuLzDgtSnwAyT6qgA-_RQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20131020_143007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1297" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0uuyGRJydHE/WV_IwZvZXNI/AAAAAAAAE8g/oeUkDMWBga4JZuLzDgtSnwAyT6qgA-_RQCEwYBhgL/s320/20131020_143007.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pee tank</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7CI3y6nNAI/WWBl1_aX3LI/AAAAAAAAE98/3ffE8iooQQYzTFu_HcpKfOd-WFX5yn45wCLcBGAs/s1600/Urine%2BPee%2BContainer%2BIMG_3686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7CI3y6nNAI/WWBl1_aX3LI/AAAAAAAAE98/3ffE8iooQQYzTFu_HcpKfOd-WFX5yn45wCLcBGAs/s320/Urine%2BPee%2BContainer%2BIMG_3686.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TOP HAT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-16744436167399359372017-06-13T15:32:00.000-07:002017-06-13T15:32:20.276-07:00(30) Leaky bladder and Top Hats<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew this would be challenging. I told myself I could handle it. I convinced myself everything would work
out. Everything would be fine. But at 34 weeks and some change, I’m not sure
how much longer my body can do this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be positive. Be positive. Be positive.
Repeating this used to help. But
I’m so tired. Everything seems so
difficult now. Sleeping is almost
impossible, and not just because I’m feeling huge, but also because I’m a
little paranoid. The doctors say not to
sleep on my back, not to sleep on my stomach (like that would even be possible
right now!), and not to sleep on one side for too long – or I might block the
blood supply to one or both of the babies.
I wake up constantly, subconsciously knowing I need to “flip over”. If you’ve read my prior blogs, you know I’m a
rule follower. And when it comes to my
precious passengers, I will not risk their safety. For now, it’s miserable, but I know it’s
worth it. This is all temporary. I can catch up on my sleep after my extreme
babysitting is over, which I think is going to be soon. Sleep is not the only problem. With about 40 extra pounds surrounding my
bladder, I have an almost constant urge to pee, day and night. At night, I try to align my potty breaks with
my “flip” times, but the synchronization is never perfect. So I’ve even started to wear a pad. Yes, a menstrual pad. Sometimes I just can’t make it before, yep, a
little leakage (Insert sad face here!). Believe
me, it’s better than changing my undies every time. Even that is a challenge now too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Several weeks ago Holly and Darren arranged for a maid
service come every other week. At first
I didn’t feel it was necessary, but it sure has been nice, especially lately. But I think she has it pretty easy. Her biggest challenge is wrangling a few dust
bunnies which have accumulated in areas we don’t use very often. But I appreciate it. Pregnant or not, dusting is a sucky job! I’ve never had a maid service before, so I’m
not really accustomed to this lifestyle change, and I don’t know the “protocol”. It might sound crazy, but I’m not going to
have her come to clean a dirty house, right?
Anyway, I always tidy up a little
before she comes. If she scrubs the
toilets, vacuums and dusts, I’m happy
camper. I just try to stay out of the
way. Plus, my husband says I’m not
crazy, and I choose to believe him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I still have my 2x a week doctor visits, which now include
blood draws. They monitor for preeclampsia
when you approach the end of the pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a combination of two things: Gestational-induced high blood pressure
(hypertension) and a protein in the urine (proteinuria). If they don’t catch it and treat it properly,
then it can be harmful for the woman and the baby. So far I don’t have the protein in my urine,
because they check that at every visit.
Now don’t get me wrong, I really do love all of the people in the
office, but I had to shake my head in frustration during my latest visit. I commented how difficult it’s been peeing in
the cup lately. Without missing a beat,
the front desk girl said “Oh, we have a top hat you can use”. When I gave her my “what the hell is that?”
expression, she explained “It’s a plastic pan that goes in the toilet to catch
your pee. Then you just transfer it to
the cup”. Inside, I’m fuming a little,
and thinking “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” I
have been peeing on my hand for a month now. Sigh.
I’m sure I’ll laugh about this later.
Be positive…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November 1st - 34 Weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3OskLPghCcA/WTCXzyoW6LI/AAAAAAAADrI/tkzmP9Ng3rUpjpyJHhdG5VCJc4skGdQvQCEw/s1600/20141101_122829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3OskLPghCcA/WTCXzyoW6LI/AAAAAAAADrI/tkzmP9Ng3rUpjpyJHhdG5VCJc4skGdQvQCEw/s640/20141101_122829.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yikes, my tattoos! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-43404791783309476592017-05-03T20:14:00.002-07:002017-05-03T20:14:44.337-07:00(29) The end is near?<div class="MsoNormal">
End of October, Week 33:
It’s hard to believe we have come this far. It seems like just the other day we were
finding out I was carrying twins, and now the “birth” day is almost here. I never thought I would be pregnant with twins
at 46 years old, but now that I’m here, I wouldn’t change anything for the world. Well, I guess I could have done without the
short cervix and gestational diabetes! I
am getting larger and larger (a good thing for the boys!), but more
uncomfortable by the day. Before I
started this “Extreme Babysitting Adventure”, I Googled pregnancy with
multiples. This really isn’t something
you should do before getting implanted with 2 embryos. The pictures I saw scared me. I thought: “Holy crap, am I going to have a
giant belly like that?!” Well, at 33
weeks I have officially gained 47 pounds!
And I’m happy to report that my belly isn’t as monstrous as I thought it
would be. A nice surprise, but I’m still
very uncomfortable. Sleeping is
hard. Walking is hard. Sitting is hard. Getting up is really hard. Eating is hard (heartburn!). And we still have a few weeks to go! Good news:
both boys have plenty of fluid (I see it 2x a week now). My ultrasound tech Barb estimates the boys
weigh around 3.5 pounds. Normal and
healthy.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. Winkler is out of the office AGAIN, so I get to see Dr.
Buckmaster. He’s nice, but I’ve only
seen him one other time, so I’m not as familiar with his bedside manner. He lacks the witty sarcasm of Dr. Winkler,
which I’ve grown accustom to. Anyway,
Dr. B wants to give me a Tdap shot. Another
shot. Ugh. But it’s important. If you receive a Tdap vaccine in your 3<sup>rd</sup>
trimester of pregnancy, you are protecting your unborn child from Whooping Cough. Babies generally don’t get vaccines until
they are 2 months old. So when I get
this shot, I pass the antibodies to protect them for the first few months of
life. So needless to say, I take it like
a champ! Most vaccines go in your arm,
but I always ask for it in my “posterior”. It is still partially numb from my 3 months of
daily Progesterone shots. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dr. Buckmaster also decides he should do some additional blood
work. Since this is still considered a
high risk pregnancy, they like to do hypertension blood screens regularly. Now that I’m getting closer to my due date, I
think this will occur weekly. My
official due date is 12/13/14 (based on a full 40-week term). This would be a totally cool birthdate to have! Unfortunately it will not happen, since
multiples are usually delivered 1-2 weeks “early”, for their safety (and
mine!). I pass the blood work screening,
which is great news. These boys can keep
on cooking!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5lDk4HgO0IM/WQqat9zFTgI/AAAAAAAACW4/2pZId301n7Uhelcg6mZPjVkicXYAye_UwCEw/s1600/20140820_190147.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5lDk4HgO0IM/WQqat9zFTgI/AAAAAAAACW4/2pZId301n7Uhelcg6mZPjVkicXYAye_UwCEw/s640/20140820_190147.mp4" width="354" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lemon heads and long days</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-19450345318512196302017-04-27T11:21:00.001-07:002017-08-17T10:26:51.890-07:00(28) Lactation for two!<div class="MsoNormal">
Holly set up an appointment with a lactation specialist. We both spoke to her, but the appointment was
mostly for Holly, since her plan was to induce lactation. This is something not commonly done, so Holly
wanted to acquire as much knowledge as possible. Holly had done some research of her own, but
she learned some new things, including information about various herbs that
increase milk production. Wait, why am I
trying to recap when Holly has already done the work for me? Here is a link to Holly’s blog where she goes
over the protocol to induce lactation. -
<a href="http://www.themakingofbabyben.com/2015/02/inducing-lactation-101.html">Oh Baby, Baby</a></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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As for me, I was planning on pumping after the birth, and
giving the boys all I could. I mean, why
not? I’ll be getting milk anyway, and I
want to help give the best possible start to the twins. Thinking back, with both of my own children,
I had so much milk I wasn’t sure what to do. I was so engorged that I felt like a milking
cow! Hopefully that will be the case
here. Wait, did I really just say I want
to be engorged with milk? I must be
crazy! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This Monday I start my first week of the “Fetal non-stress test”. I’ll be 32 weeks 2 days. Remember, when you have a high risk pregnancy,
every day counts - especially when carrying multiples. The first visit is just a really elaborate ultrasound. My technician checked all of their organs. This included the bladder. It was pretty cool to see it full one minute,
and empty a few minutes later. We even
witnessed it emptying during one of the ultrasound passes. My technician observed that both boys had a
little hair on their heads. It’s pretty
incredible that you can see this on an ultrasound! Of course, she does this all of the time, so
she knows what to look for. All I could
see were little glowing things on top of their heads. At first it seemed to me that Beckom had a
little more hair than Noah, but this is just an ultrasound, so who knows. If these boys are born with hair, their dad will be super happy and hopeful for their future… <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three days later, I’m back in the office for a second
test. This time, they hook up belts to
monitor the boys’ heart rates for 30 minutes.
While I lie there calmly, they should have calm heart rates as well –
and they do! It’s a little weird to hear
sounds any time they move, especially when they bump up against the belt. I have a feeling they don’t like having
something pressing down on them. I also
have a belt to check for contractions. I
think I have a few minor ones, but this is normal at this stage, and I don’t
even feel them. Afterwards, I see Dr.
Winkler. He’s finally back from
vacation! He says the twins are
superstars. Ha, I already knew that! They look great from the ultrasound videos
and the heart rate monitors. He praises
me for being a great carrier. I get a
little emotional because well, I’m pregnant!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1-5GGedOuFw/WQIyk8e28AI/AAAAAAAAAw4/fQgMSZfVDxcbGQzzAVAD4yuQctX-bJ0PgCLcB/s1600/32%2Bweeks.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1-5GGedOuFw/WQIyk8e28AI/AAAAAAAAAw4/fQgMSZfVDxcbGQzzAVAD4yuQctX-bJ0PgCLcB/s640/32%2Bweeks.jpeg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October - 32 weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby A - Baby B - Contraction monitor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-52296501670385758822017-03-16T11:15:00.000-07:002017-04-01T14:46:47.320-07:00(27) Two buns in my oven<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good news: My
“original” doctor (Dr. Winkler) has moved into a new office, located closer to my
home, yay! So I am looking forward to
less traffic and shorter drive times, yet I will miss all of the other doctors
and nurses I was getting to know, especially Dr. Merrill. Fortunately, I will still see some familiar
faces when I go to the new office. I’m really
happy that I get to start seeing Dr. Winkler again, I guess since he was the
one who approved me to start this special project. It’s seems only fitting that he sees this
through to the end, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The new office grand opening is perfect timing. Driving is becoming increasingly more
difficult and uncomfortable. Since I
drive a Mini Cooper with a manual transmission let’s just say, when you have a
big belly and have to shift a lot because of traffic it gets old, real fast! Luckily, we also have a Dodge Ram so I’ve started
to drive it more. Although I have to
pull myself up into it, which is no small feat, I at least have more room for
my growing belly. Plus, it’s an
automatic. It’s the small things, or in
my case the bigger things. Bigger vehicle, plus shorter travel distance makes for a happy gestational carrier and cargo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the weekend, Darren and Holly host another gathering
with some of our old LensCrafters co-workers.
Sadly, Olga couldn’t make it, but we got to hang out with Lily and her
husband Serge. Lily is also pregnant, so
it was a little crazy seeing my larger belly compared to hers. She is 5 or 6 weeks further along than I am. But just looking at our bellies you would
never guess that, unless you knew I was carrying twins. At one point in the evening, Darren and I have
fun trying on a ‘pregnancy’ Halloween costume that Holly and Darren bought the
year before. It’s a little awkward doing
this, but Holly is the one who suggested it.
I know deep in her heart she will always ache with the loss of Jude and
Brinly, but seeing my belly grow with her two little boys suppresses that ache.
We pose for a few pictures of me wearing
the oven costume and Darren being the baker.
I guess in a way the costume still works. After all, I am just the oven! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AzZK8bJZlX8/WMrQ0hURYUI/AAAAAAAAAuM/bae6mGXeXhUZC98Tjq4DHgbsb4_2EsgUwCEw/s1600/20141003_201013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AzZK8bJZlX8/WMrQ0hURYUI/AAAAAAAAAuM/bae6mGXeXhUZC98Tjq4DHgbsb4_2EsgUwCEw/s640/20141003_201013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily ~34wks with singleton, Darren, Me ~29wks with twins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7hK-IU_ivc/WMrQz6Q3v1I/AAAAAAAAAuI/4ffTYAQRmFgLstPehNhqT_zWRkE-FDGUQCEw/s1600/20141003_220925_zps5nsku1xc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7hK-IU_ivc/WMrQz6Q3v1I/AAAAAAAAAuI/4ffTYAQRmFgLstPehNhqT_zWRkE-FDGUQCEw/s640/20141003_220925_zps5nsku1xc.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren feeling Noah kick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-my5MMTbtWDo/WMrWAtm4NyI/AAAAAAAAAug/7q56-_Dn0iwdwVMhpj-cq0ZCUQv2PVG5gCLcB/s1600/20141003_201817_zpss3hb3tyx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-my5MMTbtWDo/WMrWAtm4NyI/AAAAAAAAAug/7q56-_Dn0iwdwVMhpj-cq0ZCUQv2PVG5gCLcB/s640/20141003_201817_zpss3hb3tyx.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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At my second appt. at the new location I had to see another
new doctor. Bummer! How dare Dr. Winkler take a vacation!!! Dr. Buckmaster orders a full blood panel to
check for pre-eclampsia. This is a
routine test for high risk pregnancies.
They also inform me that next week (week 31) I’ll be starting a two day
per week appointment schedule, oh yay. I
just got out of <u>not</u> having to check my cervix weekly! But I can’t complain. They are making sure everything is going well
with twins in this crucial pregnancy period.
It’s actually rare these days to allow twins to go full term. Usually, twins enter the world at week 38 (or
before) instead of 40 weeks. Next week, my
first visit will start with an extensive ultrasound to check the babies for
signs of stress. Then two days later,
I’ll go back to have a 30 minute HR test.
They’ll attach leads to me and my belly, and monitor all of our heart
beats. More medical fun!</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0N-cUL6Ah8/WMrQ0rlS2MI/AAAAAAAAAuU/WOz0B1k0MOAqC8KU1U_JYNeo-l4OHDxDACEw/s1600/20141006_185803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0N-cUL6Ah8/WMrQ0rlS2MI/AAAAAAAAAuU/WOz0B1k0MOAqC8KU1U_JYNeo-l4OHDxDACEw/s640/20141006_185803.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The swelling is starting, goodbye feet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /> </o:p></div>
My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-50607417277027152882017-01-01T11:41:00.000-08:002017-01-01T11:41:36.439-08:00(26) Blue Baby Sprinkles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bpGVxSRKhvY/WGlY_grYWlI/AAAAAAAAAtI/NkIBGh-XA0kgKX3XlLFl2djiakRNygYZACLcB/s1600/showerdecor%2Bnames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bpGVxSRKhvY/WGlY_grYWlI/AAAAAAAAAtI/NkIBGh-XA0kgKX3XlLFl2djiakRNygYZACLcB/s640/showerdecor%2Bnames.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
Holly has decided to have her baby shower a little earlier
than usual. This makes sense because in
most cases, the birth of multiples comes earlier than a singleton birth. Holly invited me, so we made plans to drive
together to her mom’s house in Brush Prairie, Washington. It’s about a 30min drive from my house in
Oregon to Holly’s house in Washington.
Her mom lives another 30 minutes from there. It is a beautiful sunny summer day, It was perfect!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I bought a baby shower gift for each of the twins. Somehow it seems weird for me to buy them
things, but I’m actually a little addicted to it. They will never want for anything I’m
afraid. If Mom and Dad won’t buy
something for them, I think they’ll quickly learn to hit up Aunt Becky and
Uncle Tom. We’ll try to follow any rules
and guidelines we get from Holly and Darren, but no promises!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we arrived at the party, it was already overflowing
with people. The gift table was
overflowing too. And it seemed like
everyone was coming up to me and hugging me like they’ve known me for
years. I’ll admit, I was probably a
little like a deer in the headlights at first.
I only knew a few people there, so there were lots of new names to
remember, and I failed on several occasions.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Holly’s mom Jodie is quite the party planner! She had the cutest homemade decorations for
the gift, food and beverage table. After
we all had a bite to eat, Jodie asked everyone to take a seat so Holly could
open gifts. They gave me a chair right
next to her with a little stool so I could put my feet up. Before opening the gifts, Holly had a little
something to say. And of course, I was
crying by the end of it. So many kind
words. She talked about her family
support and her faith helping her get through these tough years. And although I’m not a religious person, she knows
I support her in all her beliefs even if we don’t share them. I love her for not judging me! After Holly was done, Jodie joined in with
some kind words of her own, and then Darren’s mom too! It was a touching and emotional 20
minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amongst the pile of gifts there were a few for me, which I
was not expecting! Both grandmas had
something for me. Holly’s mom gave me
the softest blanket I’d ever touched, and said to think of her hugging me
whenever I used it. Darren’s mom gave me
a cute wind-chime with an owl on it. It
is hanging on my back deck for all to see and hear. Even one of Holly’s friends who I’ve never
met gave me a gift. So touching! There was even one from “the boys”. Hmmm, I wonder how they managed that! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFQIyXPQzEw/WGlXdVW0G4I/AAAAAAAAAtA/viqb-17zN7Q6Ii55QgPuRjwxKh4nQH_GQCEw/s1600/shower1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFQIyXPQzEw/WGlXdVW0G4I/AAAAAAAAAtA/viqb-17zN7Q6Ii55QgPuRjwxKh4nQH_GQCEw/s640/shower1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GG-Holly- Becky -Jodie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pIYUzHQFURg/WGlXeH7-rRI/AAAAAAAAAtA/a2TCCjfK0oMiEUnz6M0rQZ2uHI3ljBkagCEw/s1600/shower2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pIYUzHQFURg/WGlXeH7-rRI/AAAAAAAAAtA/a2TCCjfK0oMiEUnz6M0rQZ2uHI3ljBkagCEw/s640/shower2.png" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becky - Holly - Heidi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G6R5HgaV1HM/WGlXd88wkDI/AAAAAAAAAtA/Wp1VkMZe2lwC7jyVWBsxZk6X5Hul3bP5ACEw/s1600/shower5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G6R5HgaV1HM/WGlXd88wkDI/AAAAAAAAAtA/Wp1VkMZe2lwC7jyVWBsxZk6X5Hul3bP5ACEw/s640/shower5.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren's Mom, Diane speaking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pi91eA3PgKg/WGlXd_HfenI/AAAAAAAAAtA/Utk7-mVhlrkgknIUdzQgmxv9D5mqwAwSgCEw/s1600/shower6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pi91eA3PgKg/WGlXd_HfenI/AAAAAAAAAtA/Utk7-mVhlrkgknIUdzQgmxv9D5mqwAwSgCEw/s640/shower6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lw767ImzAA/WGlXdW_tLrI/AAAAAAAAAtA/wnwZRMXWeHohQcKJLfvnV7K5OqciBtpQgCEw/s1600/shower14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lw767ImzAA/WGlXdW_tLrI/AAAAAAAAAtA/wnwZRMXWeHohQcKJLfvnV7K5OqciBtpQgCEw/s640/shower14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BjdeiT18WTs/WGlXeArb74I/AAAAAAAAAtA/o0OPYtR4JKk5_0wQkE18o38jGlsI9-XPQCEw/s1600/showerbowties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BjdeiT18WTs/WGlXeArb74I/AAAAAAAAAtA/o0OPYtR4JKk5_0wQkE18o38jGlsI9-XPQCEw/s640/showerbowties.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade bow ties for the little LOVES</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-48384643633289310042016-12-20T09:53:00.000-08:002016-12-20T09:53:29.912-08:00(25) What’s in a name?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">At 28 weeks, everything seems to be stable. Even though I’ve got more on my daily “to do
list” than anticipated, all is well in the womb. The doctors are not as concerned with my
short cervix anymore, whew! It’s been
stable for the last 4 weeks, so my pessary must be doing its job. I get to see Dr. Merrill at this week’s visit,
and he tells me it’s very important that I get a Flu shot. Ugh, really?
(insert whiny voice here). I’ve
never had the Flu (or a Flu shot) before.
And I’m concerned about any possible side-effects on my passengers. But Dr. Merrill tells me that getting the flu
while pregnant can be dangerous to all of us, so being the good little patient
that I am, I listen to the doctor and agree to get the dreaded shot. When the nurse arrives, I ask “Can you give
it to me in my butt? It’s still numb from all my other shots!” She says: “I don’t care. Wherever you want it is okay with me.” So add this to my list of future “payback”chores
for these boys. Oh yes, Holly is keeping
tabs on how many car washes I’ll need, foot rubs, etc…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Later that week, Tom and I met Holly and Darren at Panera for
dinner.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">We all sat down to eat our yummy
food, mine low carb of course.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">At the
end, Holly passes me a little gift bag with a card.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">I open the card to read it, and I at first
was a little confused.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">It mentioned
something about the baby names.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">You see,
after the Multnomah Falls family reveal, we learned Holly and Darren’s name
choices for the boys.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Baby A would be
named Noah Jude.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Baby B would be named
Jace Beckom.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Baby B’s middle name is a
combination of my name (BECKy) and Tom’s name (tOM).</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">But the card I am reading now says that Baby
B’s name will be Beckom Samuel.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">So what
happened?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">It turns out that Holly,
Darren, and their families liked the name Beckom so much that they decided to
make it his first name!</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">We were stunned,
but in a good way.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">It is such an honor to
have one of the babies named after me and Tom.</span><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">Now this “project” seems more special than ever, if that is even
possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLO77A2Ayu8/WFluyy40rsI/AAAAAAAAAsI/Ni9-bFmTRVcQa2gUU0R2Fxbq3HsNYtJzACLcB/s1600/Babby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLO77A2Ayu8/WFluyy40rsI/AAAAAAAAAsI/Ni9-bFmTRVcQa2gUU0R2Fxbq3HsNYtJzACLcB/s640/Babby.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beckom Samuel <B</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiVW6S0DJns/WFlqpN8uSdI/AAAAAAAAArg/TcYdhJAWuQA3bukJTbeemmFqUY-MPfuMQCLcB/s1600/20140923_192454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiVW6S0DJns/WFlqpN8uSdI/AAAAAAAAArg/TcYdhJAWuQA3bukJTbeemmFqUY-MPfuMQCLcB/s640/20140923_192454.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 20th - 28 weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Kaela painted a picture</span><span style="font-size: large;"> for Holly to hang in the boys bedroom. It was of a book Holly holds dear to her heart. </span></div>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-3881744944080452742016-11-20T09:03:00.000-08:002016-11-20T09:03:42.774-08:00(24) I guess we’re not done poking me<br />
It sounds silly now, but my first concern after hearing I
had gestational diabetes was that I’d have to give up my favorite pizza. I’ve been making a special effort to eat
healthy foods throughout this pregnancy, and the pizza was one of the few
exceptions. And it wasn’t really that
unhealthy… Deep down, I know that my
diet had nothing to do with the diabetes diagnosis, but I’m still pretty
shocked by the news. And for the first
time, I’m actually a little concerned about myself. Gestational diabetes is typically temporary
(going away after giving birth), but not always. Permanent diabetes isn’t something I
bargained for. With an inward sigh, I
remind myself again to be positive. Be
positive. Be positive.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The nurse with the diabetes diagnosis also provided the
number to the closest nutritional counselor.
It was close to my house (not in Portland or Washington, or worse), so
maybe my luck is already turning around.
On the following Monday, the very nice nutritionist let me know that I
just barely didn’t pass the gestational diabetes test. But even a mild case is taken very seriously,
especially for any pregnancy considered high risk (like mine!). To my relief, she also tells me that my
favorite pizza and peanut M&Ms are not off-limits after all. I just have to refrain from feasting on
them. Can do! Now I’m really feeling that my luck is
turning around. Then, the nutritionist
provides an organized outline of what I should eat and when. Basically, it’s a good guideline of how you
should eat all the time, gestational diabetes or not. And, it’s really not far off from how I’ve
been eating during this pregnancy already.
Can do. Next, I get the blood
testing kit from her. It’s small and
portable, and appears easy to use. But
yes, it does mean poking my fingers three times every day, on a very specific
schedule. More pokes... But at least these are minor compared to the
progesterone! OK, so now I know the new
rules. Anyone who knows me can confirm
that I’m a “rule follower”, so this situation is no exception. Besides, I’ve got my precious cargo to keep
me motivated. I do exactly as I’m told.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I’m recording my blood pressure AND blood sugar levels,
three times each day! I even created a
special “spreadsheet” to keep everything organized. After all, I have to turn in these readings
during my many doctor visits. After the
first week of this, Holly and Darren came over for dinner. For moral support, Holly suggested we all do
a finger poke. Holly steps up like
champ, even letting me push the “needle release” button on the testing
meter. If you know Holly, you’d know
that she doesn’t give up control of something like this lightly. Tom was next.
No issues. Then it was Darren’s
turn, and it was clear he was not so enthusiastic about participating. This was not his idea. Reluctantly, he stepped up to the table, and
nervously sat down. I demand a
finger. It’s pretty comical how he
starts to comply, then pulls his finger back.
He’s smiling, but is not happy. I
finally grab his ring finger and push the needle release plunger, but Darren’s
finger shows nothing! He thinks he’s
done, but Holly and I are not satisfied without seeing that telltale small
blood droplet. This just means a
slightly deeper setting is needed, and I proceed by making the adjustment on
the meter. This time, he pulls his
finger away so fast that I couldn’t grab it for a re-poke. He cried “deeper, why?!” He knew why.
But I calmly reminded him that we saw no blood on the first try, likely
due to thicker skin or a callous on his finger.
Resigned to his fate, Darren agreed to a 2<sup>nd</sup> try. As the needle penetrates his finger, a look
of panic crosses his face, and an exaggerated expression of pain follows. PRICELESS! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--21qrgNRgm4/WDHWHBYaccI/AAAAAAAAAqo/J31A6sAwmhcBxQVb68pxS-U_bdo8iv9OwCLcB/s1600/20161120_085146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--21qrgNRgm4/WDHWHBYaccI/AAAAAAAAAqo/J31A6sAwmhcBxQVb68pxS-U_bdo8iv9OwCLcB/s400/20161120_085146.jpg" width="222" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT1pASVpZW8/WDHWG0lk_1I/AAAAAAAAAqk/VCjKq47_YggU2t-UA5AzV67u7y3UpgxEQCLcB/s1600/20161120_085313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT1pASVpZW8/WDHWG0lk_1I/AAAAAAAAAqk/VCjKq47_YggU2t-UA5AzV67u7y3UpgxEQCLcB/s400/20161120_085313.jpg" width="220" /></a><br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WZMKaCxzj00/WDHOhuEPDJI/AAAAAAAAAp8/gp_Gpo5G8CE36t-z78pyOg-0vH0O-aRZwCLcB/s1600/20140906_115817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WZMKaCxzj00/WDHOhuEPDJI/AAAAAAAAAp8/gp_Gpo5G8CE36t-z78pyOg-0vH0O-aRZwCLcB/s640/20140906_115817.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sept 6th - 26 weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sPxA6TdZNZM/WDHOhVY2w3I/AAAAAAAAAp4/YtsdCU8Q-2g4aG3XSZt6rnN_OnceN1i0wCLcB/s1600/20140621_080038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sPxA6TdZNZM/WDHOhVY2w3I/AAAAAAAAAp4/YtsdCU8Q-2g4aG3XSZt6rnN_OnceN1i0wCLcB/s640/20140621_080038.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 21st - 15 weeks Bare belly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5NS4ulSiYnE/WDHOhvDxvnI/AAAAAAAAAqA/Uw4ig2ziczEEJ0ucd3isFNNRGi0SpkAZgCLcB/s1600/20140906_120219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5NS4ulSiYnE/WDHOhvDxvnI/AAAAAAAAAqA/Uw4ig2ziczEEJ0ucd3isFNNRGi0SpkAZgCLcB/s640/20140906_120219.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sept 6th - 26 weeks Bare belly<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-56468523299356774732016-11-05T09:19:00.002-07:002016-11-05T09:19:29.812-07:00(23) Feed me!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">I continue see a doctor at least once per week, and so far I
haven’t had any new issues.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Yes, I still
take BP medication.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Yes, my cervix is
still short.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Yes, I still have the
pessary in place.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">But at least things
seem stable.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">I’ve hardly noticed a
difference with/without having that hard plastic pessary inside me.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Maybe a little TMI, but the only time I
notice it is during my nightly Progesterone suppository routine.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">I try to get them as close to the cervix as
possible, so yeah, I feel the hard plastic.</span><span style="color: blue;">
</span><span style="color: blue;">And for those who are wondering about “intimacy”, there is none of that
happening!</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Officially not allowed.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">I’m wondering if my husband will go bonkers
by the time this is all over.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">He and I
are handling it well so far (I think!), but it’s not a restriction we were anticipating.</span><span style="color: blue;"> Another small sacrifice.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">At almost 25 weeks, it’s that time in my pregnancy for me
have the glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I’m pretty confident I’ll be OK. I certainly don’t want to worry Holly with
anything beyond the BP/cervix/pessary situations. The test starts early (7:30am) at the
doctors’ office with a “fasting blood check”.
To prepare, I have been instructed not to eat or drink for at least 8
hours before this test. So I’m waiting
with four other hungry/thirsty pregnant women to get finger pokes. Not exactly a happy bunch. To pass the time, we chat about the babies to
be, so I fill them in on my little adventure.
Usually people react with positive enthusiasm when they hear my story,
but not everyone. Some people believe
you shouldn’t mess with Mother Nature. Luckily,
I don’t encounter any such negativity today.
After we all get the first finger poke, we get to drink a lovely syrupy
drink. Yuck. I chose the lemon/lime because I was told
it’s the best one, but it was still bad.
We had 15 minutes to drink it.
Then we get two blood tests: the first after one hour has elapsed, and
then another after two hours have elapsed.
Needless to say, we are all starving by the time the test is over. Afterwards, I have an appointment with Dr.
Winkler, one of my favorites. I haven’t
seen him in a while. They do the normal checks.
My weight has been pretty steady lately. I’ve gained about 29 pounds, which must be OK
because it’s never brought up as an issue.
They check my cervical length too (again). No surprise, it’s short, but unchanged from
prior checks (measurements are generally between 1.8-2.1cm). After my appointment, I go to my favorite
pizza place (Life of Pie) down the street from the doctor’s office. It’s starting to become a ritual. But I can’t help it because it’s that good! If you’re ever in NE Portland Oregon, you
can’t go wrong eating there. </span><span style="color: blue;">At 5:30pm my phone rings with the glucose test results. Yep, I have gestational diabetes. Crap!</span></div>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-24296235762807890002016-10-31T07:22:00.000-07:002016-11-01T09:35:53.588-07:00(22) Emotional Roller-coaster Ride<div class="MsoNormal">
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Today is a very special day. We’re 1 day past the 24 week milestone. It is one of the most important milestones we’ve been hoping to reach. Now it’s time to execute the Multnomah Falls “reveal” plan. We’ve been talking about this day since before I was even pregnant and IT’S FINALLY HERE! I didn’t sleep well last night because of my giddy excited nerves. This morning, I carefully selected my clothing, because I want to make a good first impression on this new extended family I’ll be meeting today. I also take the time to straighten my hair, because I have this horrible frizzy stuff that I usually just put in a ponytail. My daughter Kaela reluctantly gets out of bed early. She is a teenager after all, and it’s summer. She’s part of the plan, so she has to get up. We head for Multnomah Falls which is about a 30 minute drive from our house.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We arrive early so we can avoid seeing Holly and Darren’s families in the parking lot or by the river where they are holding their memorial. We sit on the built-in bench in front of the Falls, and I have Kaela whip a drawing up of the bridge above. She completes an amazing drawing in just a few minutes. My plan is to act like I’m drawing while they all line up in front of the railing for a memorial photo. Then Holly and Darren will ask “strangers” Tom and Kaela to take a picture, which won’t be a picture but actually a video. We’re so sneaky!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaela's quick draw of Multnomah Falls bridge</td></tr>
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At about 9am, we see the unsuspecting crew trickling in. I’ve never met any of their families but I’ve seen photos on Instagram and Facebook. I can also sense someone standing behind me so I take a peak. It looks like Holly’s father -- EEK! He appears to be checking out “my” drawing (Later, he tells me how impressed he was with the drawing – Thanks Kaela!). There are a few other people around, but it isn’t too busy this morning, thank goodness, because we are about to blow the minds of everyone gathering here to memorialize the loss of Jude and Brinly. After a few minutes, Holly and Darren’s families somberly gather together for the picture. Holly walks up to a handsome stranger (Tom) and asks him to take a picture, while Darren hands Kaela his phone. I just continue to pretend to draw. As Tom starts counting 3-2-1, I get up and casually walk right into the group, trying to squeeze between Holly and Darren. Everyone still smiles for the “photo”, but they are clearly confused and shocked at my rudeness. After they thought the photo taking was done, Holly’s mom even says “can we take another one?” I’m sure she was thinking “who is this rude woman who just photo-bombed us?!”<br />
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Then Holly turns and puts her hand on my belly and announces “this is our surrogate, Becky”. Instantly, Holly’s mom FREAKS OUT! She starts crying “What?!... What?!...” Nobody was ready for this. Nobody even had the slightest suspicion. They just completed a heart-breaking memorial for the lost babies, and now are hearing the heart-warming news of a new baby to be born. I say “baby” because we are saving the “twin” surprise for later today! Holly has a sonogram of one of the twins to show everyone. The emotional roller-coaster ride has only just begun....</div>
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Holly and Darren had previously arranged memorial brunch at their house, which has now transformed into a bubbly gender reveal party. All of their family members are still in shock, but now in a good way. The excitement is electric as we all grab a bite to eat. Then while everyone is finishing up, Holly and Darren pull out the gender reveal box. Just one box at first. But just before the box is opened to reveal either pink or blue balloons, Holly and Darren pause the action to bring out a second box. And then another round of freaking out erupts, as expected and planned. Twins!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Tom before the reveal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23rd - 24 weeks<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly, Becky and Heidi (Holly's sis ~30 weeks)</td></tr>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-61760351781149054232016-10-11T19:31:00.000-07:002016-10-11T19:31:18.030-07:00(21) Positively Planning in advance<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">As my belly grows, so does my love. These two little boys
may poke and prod me causing me pain, but that means they are alive, so bring
it! I have learned while doing this that
it is not to be taken for granted. I
feel for all the women in this world who struggle with infertility. I was blind to all of this, for which I’m
grateful to finally have this eye opening experience. I don’t know of anyone who has ever done
this, so I think I’m one of few. In the
beginning I thought it really was NO BIG DEAL.
But, the farther along I get I’m realizing it is a big deal. I did this for more than just Holly and
Darren. I did it for these two little boys and
they haven’t even been born yet. I know
these two little guys are going to special!
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">I remember meeting with Holly and Darren back in February
for breakfast. We were discussing how
all my preparations were going and then Holly announced that her sister was
pregnant. I could tell she was really
happy for her but at the same time sad.
She couldn’t believe her sister just ran a 5k then tells the family
about the pregnancy. Woman who struggle
with infertility usually wouldn’t be running marathons while in the first
stages of pregnancy. After this crazy
news I told Holly that I was confident this would work. I assured her “I get pregnant really easy” so
don’t worry. I had to apologize to her
later on because I thought it was really insensitive of me to say. She said normally that would be a hard thing
to hear but because it was me, she loves my special ability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">We start to discuss the future of something that is still
just a hope and a dream, how to tell their families about me and my passengers. That’s right I’m not even pregnant yet and we’re
discussing this! Holly had already
decided she wanted to have a memorial for Jude at Multnomah Falls. We started developing a plan as to how far
along and 24 weeks gestation was decided.
This is when the medical world will take extreme measures to keep a baby
alive when born this early. The percentage
is low, but there is a chance. This is
Holly’s milestone to reach before they inform their families. They didn’t want them to have to go through
the possibility of another loss. It
takes great courage to shield these feelings from them and Holly is overflowing
with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Luckily I’ve never met any of their families so they won’t
recognize us at the falls. We decide on
Sunday August 24<sup>th</sup> at 9am.
How appropriate, I’ll be 24 weeks and 1 day on the 24<sup>th</sup> of
August! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">What to wear, what to wear! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 9th - 22 weeks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and fruit comparison photo! </td></tr>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-38637283645648734642016-09-29T10:21:00.003-07:002016-09-29T10:21:55.419-07:00(20) Wait, you’d like to put WHAT inside me?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span style="color: blue;">It’s week 21, and I’ve got another doctor appointment
today. Not a surprise since I go weekly
now. But because of these frequent
appointments, it seems like I am seeing a different doctor every time. Don’t get me wrong, they all seem very
knowledgeable and I respect them, BUT I was hoping to stick with one doctor or maybe
two at the most. I think I’m up to five
now! I really shouldn’t care, but maybe
I do because of my past experiences. With
my son, I had just one doctor, who I loved.
With my daughter, I had several, and I didn’t exactly love the one who
delivered her. Anyhow, all these
different doctors tend to form their own opinions from looking at my chart. Not always a good thing in my opinion. Today I get to see the only woman doctor at
this location. Dr. Robertson is a dead
ringer for a girl I used to work with at LensCrafters. Even her mannerisms are the same. It’s quite remarkable. So we talk yet again about my short cervix
measurements. I’m starting to believe
that I just naturally have a shorter cervix than most women, and all of these
weekly scans are just confirming this.
But now the doctors are suggesting something new. I’m not thrilled about it, but maybe it will
ease everybody’s minds. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Apparently, I’m
about to be a part of something that won’t mean much to the average person, but
is very interesting to doctors who specialize in maternal fetal medicine (MFM).</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Have you ever heard of a Pessary? Me neither.
It’s a small plastic ring, designed to be placed on the cervix. It
essentially holds the cervix closed (not allowing it to dilate) the more
pressure put upon it. The UK has been
doing case studies of using a pessary to prevent preterm labor. This is just one of its many uses, and I hope
no one ever has to have one outside of pregnancy! They have had good results over in the UK,
and Dr. Robertson thinks I’m a great candidate to try it out. They typically don’t choose woman pregnant
with multiples, but at this point with my cervix being “dangerously” short, it
can’t hurt (I guess!). Holly is with me
today, and she is so worried about me enduring another obstacle. Seriously?!
I assure her that I have absolutely no objections. Practically anything is OK with me now,
provided it helps keep these two little guys in there longer. I ask the doctor about possible side effects,
and she says I might not be able to pee.
Gee, that doesn’t sound good to me at all. So that’s the first thing we need to check
after the doctor finishes the pessary “installation”. Holly still is hesitant about this, but I
say “let’s get it over with”. Holly
leaves the room, because yeah she’s not seeing this. Were close, but not that close! I undress, and Dr. Robertson comes back with
two white plastic rings, one somewhat larger than the other. Luckily, she chose the small one for me. Whew!
A minute later she says “Okay, go to the bathroom, fingers
crossed!” Luckily I have to go to the
bathroom, yeah pregnant, that’s all the time!
Yes! Success! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">For you visual people. Here is what it looks like in place!</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">So let’s make a check list.
BP medication – check. Heartburn
medication – check. Two daily Progesterone
suppository’s – check. One pessary –
check! I’m hoping the pessary will be
the last of the “special” treatments…..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue;">My week 22 appointment shows no significant cervix changes,
which I’m taking as good news, especially since we now have the pessary
“insurance”. Basically, everything looks
just like is has for the past month. That’s why I’m now convinced I just have
an abnormally short cervix. The only way
to find out for sure would be to have it measured when I’m not pregnant. Yeah, that isn’t high on my to-do list when
this is over! I think I’ve had enough
“invasion” down there for a lifetime…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue;">We are getting close to our 24 week milestone. Even before the boys were growing inside me,
Holly and Darren have been planning a special “reveal” for their families at Multnomah
Falls, a popular scenic location just east of the Portland area. Remember:
their families still have no idea this is happening! It will be a very emotional and exciting
milestone to reach for all of us, especially Holly. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qk0ijxnUPWU/V-ihCRy8_GI/AAAAAAAAAmc/g4uGfd7mt4Miyi4_HYS4LF3x2ROOsf00wCLcB/s1600/22%2Bweeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qk0ijxnUPWU/V-ihCRy8_GI/AAAAAAAAAmc/g4uGfd7mt4Miyi4_HYS4LF3x2ROOsf00wCLcB/s640/22%2Bweeks.jpg" width="364" /></a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aug 9th - 22 weeks<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-57168378751639322292016-09-21T21:33:00.000-07:002016-09-21T21:33:54.856-07:00(19) Snickers out - M&M’s in! As the days turn into weeks and my belly grows bigger and
bigger, I can’t help but to reflect back to when I was pregnant with my own children. It was a very long time ago, when I was young
and invincible. I didn’t care that much
about what I was eating. As a matter of
fact, I’m pretty sure I got really drunk on Margaritas before I even knew I was
pregnant with my son. I feel horrible
about that now, really horrible, but I was 21!
I didn’t have a care in the world until I took that pregnancy test. So there I was, 21 years old, not married,
and pregnant. Sometimes I wish I would
have made different choices with my life growing up. But fate is interesting. Had I made different choices, I wouldn’t be
here today carrying these two precious little boys for Holly and Darren.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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While pregnant with my son, I remember eating a Snickers bar
for breakfast almost every day! I worked
at a manufacturing company, and I had to be there by 5am. That Snickers bar seemed like a great early
morning pick-me-up. In my 21 year old
head, it was a great breakfast – of course with a nice hot cup of coffee too. I think I at least switched to Decaf (maybe!). I also remember craving mac-n-cheese all the
time, and giving in to this temptation almost every time. Again, what was I thinking?! I guess I thought that if my pregnant body
craved it, my pregnant body needed it. Despite
these questionable eating habits, my pregnancy went smoothly. But at my final doctor appointment, I learned
that I had a narrow pelvic bone opening, which made the Doctor concerned about a
vaginal delivery (I know: TMI. But I’m
beyond modesty now…) As it turned out,
the Doctor’s hunch was right, and I never progressed past 4cm dilation after 10
hours of labor, and I ended up getting an emergency C-section. Fast forward almost 5 years later, and I’m now
married to Tom, and we are about to have our daughter. This pregnancy was just as easy, with the
typical unimportant “ugh, I can’t see my feet” and “do I care if my legs are
shaved?” topics. My current doctor wants
me to have a V-bac (vaginal birth after cesarean) which I <u>do not</u>
want. Anyway, he wins (I’m not happy
about this) and I have my daughter after about 8 hours of labor. His plan worked. He induced me 2 weeks early so she wouldn’t
be too big. Zach at 39 weeks was 9lbs
1oz and Kaela at 38 weeks was 7lbs 11oz. Two healthy babies, ~5 years apart. I can’t help but wonder how much these guys
will weigh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back to the present: Over
the last few weeks we’ve been wondering if the boys are identical or fraternal
twins. Since we placed two frozen embryos
in, we have assumed they are fraternal, but the doctors say there is a 10
percent chance they could be identical. It’s
possible one embryo didn’t “take” and the other one split. We’ll have to wait a while longer to find out
for sure.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When you are carrying twins, there are certain questions/concerns
that don’t apply to a singleton. One
question: What type of twins are they? It turns out I am carrying Dichorionic
twins. This means they each have their
own placenta to supply nutrients to them.
Monochorionic twins share a placenta, which can lead to a dangerous
possibility of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. I’m so thankful they are Di-Di twins (Di-Di
meaning separate sac and placenta). It’s
really fascinating watching the ultrasounds, because you can see the thin
lining separating them -- and it looks so delicate. As I watch these two Kung Foo fighters, it
seems like the lining could rip so easily.
But it is apparently much stronger than it looks. And yes, sometimes their movements hurt me a
little, but it is also a unique and beautiful feeling all rolled into one. If it isn’t Baby B pushing on my right rib
cage, then it’s Baby A jabbing at my cervix.
The cervix jabs are by far the most painful and disconcerting. With the rib cage pokes and pressure, I can
sometimes bend to the other side to alleviate the feeling. But with the cervix pokes, there is nothing I
can do except breathe through it. Ugh. But I don’t hold it against the little guy. He is just trying to move around with what
little room he has. I can only imagine
if these two aren’t jabbing me, then they’re probably jabbing each other –
acting like young Kung Foo fighters! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m trying to eat as healthy as I can for these two. No mac-n-cheese or snickers this time! Although I do allow a little nightly treat of
peanut M&M’s, I stick to the small Halloween-size bags. I’m also drinking so much water that it seems
almost crazy. Trips to the bathroom
hourly, yes! But I hear horror stories
of women who don’t drink enough water, and their amniotic fluid is compromised
because of it. I DO NOT WANT THAT! So at 21 weeks, I’ve gained around 23
pounds. I’m happy with that. I want to give these two the best possible
start. After all, they were frozen for 9
months before we “met”. Isn’t science
great!</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8vUGq8D8cDo/V-NHBM3ryhI/AAAAAAAAAmI/zQUVPL-3bdImEIkJZh2OgMxclcKBybXJwCLcB/s1600/20140715_153247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8vUGq8D8cDo/V-NHBM3ryhI/AAAAAAAAAmI/zQUVPL-3bdImEIkJZh2OgMxclcKBybXJwCLcB/s320/20140715_153247.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a flattering picture. Me at LA fitness pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QtvLa165FrY/V-NHBIBUKXI/AAAAAAAAAmM/k4w__GX6zFsvoelX6yhcwVLiSASmFrYAQCLcB/s1600/20140802_192407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QtvLa165FrY/V-NHBIBUKXI/AAAAAAAAAmM/k4w__GX6zFsvoelX6yhcwVLiSASmFrYAQCLcB/s320/20140802_192407.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 weeks, they are the size of carrots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-79996003940673543222016-09-15T20:53:00.000-07:002016-09-15T20:53:19.042-07:00(18) The Bikini Still Fits!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">It seems like Holly and Darren are constantly thinking about
how to make my life a little better during this pregnancy.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">At 20 weeks along, they have invited Tom and
me to Lincoln City for an Oregon coast beach getaway weekend.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">This was a little tricky for them, since it’s
a popular thing to do together with their own families.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Another secret to keep from them (for
now!).</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Holly and Darren drive us to our
accommodations for the weekend: a luxurious multi-floor condo, located on a
high bluff right next to the ocean.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">The
view is amazing.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">The sound of the surf
is mesmerizing.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">The cool ocean breezes
are relaxing.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">If this was meant to lower
our stress levels, it’s working so far.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Since I’ve been advised against vigorous exercise, we’ve
planned for non-strenuous activities this weekend. One such activity was “movie night”, where we
watched the 1980’s classic “Twins”, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny
DeVito. It was super-cheesy, complete
with brutally bad acting and over-the-top 80’s fashion, but I doubt we could
have picked a more appropriate movie for the occasion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The next morning, Darren whipped up his famous French toast. Delicious!
I’m pretty sure the twins enjoyed them too. At least that’s what I’m telling myself after
my third piece…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Shopping was also on the agenda, and the outlet mall served
us well. I never thought I’d be shopping
for little boy clothes again, but it’s so much fun! Everything is so so cute, and I can just
imagine these two little ones getting dressed in matching outfits, even if they
don’t turn out to be identical twins. I
want to buy everything, and we couldn’t resist picking up a few items. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time
we give in to the temptation of buying some cute things for the boys. At least I hope not!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJPd6G4EhDA/V9tj41NPdOI/AAAAAAAAAlg/9q8pEzhLA88zFOT4GM_OIq0xI_mvY-aBACEw/s1600/2014072695120601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJPd6G4EhDA/V9tj41NPdOI/AAAAAAAAAlg/9q8pEzhLA88zFOT4GM_OIq0xI_mvY-aBACEw/s640/2014072695120601.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutest Monster hats!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: blue;">Also on the agenda: Beach relaxation. Holly convinced me to wear a bikini, hoping
to live vicariously through me in all my pregnant glory. We have no photographic evidence of my 46
year old pregnant model-like physique (which I regret today). So let’s just say I rocked that bikini!! I was mildly annoyed to be the only one of us
wearing true beach attire, but I’m sure it just made me stand out even more! Since it was very windy, we tucked ourselves
into a small sheltered area near the base of the bluff. With the bikini, I guarantee I got the most
Vitamin D. Good for the boys too, right?</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Nighttime S’mores were made more challenging by the
relentless wind. After the men finally
had the fire going we all sat around and roasted our marshmallows. I had 3 wonderful servants at my beck and call for each delicious S’more. With the combination of good eating and
minimal physical exertion, a state of lethargy has caught up with us. Anyone want a second S’more? Nope. Luckily,
Darren’s SUV handled the sand well so packing up was easy and I didn’t have to
walk up those dreadful stairs again. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ty9O38NGoVM/V9tj42svcbI/AAAAAAAAAlc/B5stp3tK2xseHQXBZ035GL0ThtUlhG6RACEw/s1600/2014072695111036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ty9O38NGoVM/V9tj42svcbI/AAAAAAAAAlc/B5stp3tK2xseHQXBZ035GL0ThtUlhG6RACEw/s640/2014072695111036.jpg" width="355" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYv8CrUmJNc/V9tj5T0_V3I/AAAAAAAAAlk/5LGbVFxPFjE9U0vxYLoiMImAa6yB2jYYACEw/s1600/20140726_110840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYv8CrUmJNc/V9tj5T0_V3I/AAAAAAAAAlk/5LGbVFxPFjE9U0vxYLoiMImAa6yB2jYYACEw/s640/20140726_110840.jpg" width="480" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Thank you Holly and Darren!
It was a memorable weekend!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-rhfaIb-ZM/V9tj4v3ereI/AAAAAAAAAlY/HgfVHtKK0ZwY9-K-2b1xmTh8ZStihGbmgCEw/s1600/2014072595204335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-rhfaIb-ZM/V9tj4v3ereI/AAAAAAAAAlY/HgfVHtKK0ZwY9-K-2b1xmTh8ZStihGbmgCEw/s640/2014072595204335.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOVE!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0XTesFGKRps/V9tkLTsJ5xI/AAAAAAAAAlo/FBwmaUHRz6UemLCTxYoNhe4xN72hjuF8ACEw/s1600/20%2Bweeks1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0XTesFGKRps/V9tkLTsJ5xI/AAAAAAAAAlo/FBwmaUHRz6UemLCTxYoNhe4xN72hjuF8ACEw/s640/20%2Bweeks1.png" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 27th - 20 weeks, 1 day<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-17665144327609627852016-09-11T20:08:00.003-07:002016-09-11T20:08:51.203-07:00(17) Stay in there!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">It’s Thursday, July 17</span><sup style="color: blue;">th</sup><span style="color: blue;">, and the day has finally
come to confirm what I already know to be true.</span><span style="color: blue;">
</span><span style="color: blue;">Two little boys are growing inside of me!</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">And I fall in love with them even more as the
days go by.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">I know I shouldn’t, but for
some reason I can’t help it.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">I know they
are not mine.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">I know I’ll be willingly
handing them over to their real parents when the time comes.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">But I still love them.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Silently, I promise that I’ll take the best
possible care of them while they’re inside of me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">They are getting pretty big, so I often get a kick to my rib
from one baby, and a kick to my “lower region” from the other. It is such a strange feeling to describe, and
it isn’t pleasant. It’s like he’s trying
to claw his way out. But we need both of
them to stay put for a while. We’re
almost 19 weeks along, but that’s still too early for these two to survive on
the outside. So, stay in there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">We meet Holly and Darren at the MFM office for the lengthy
anatomy scan. It will be around 2.5
hours with the scan and doctor visit afterwards. Since I was there three days ago for the scary
contractions, they start with a cervix measurement. Of course that means removing my bottoms
during the scan because they have to measure this internally. The guys decide to stay in the waiting area
until we tell them I’m dressed. Holly
asks if she can be in there. I tell her “absolutely”,
and I’m a little surprised she still asks.
Of course she can be there! It
really isn’t a big deal to me. It’s not
like I’m lying there naked. I have a
sheet covering me! Sure, it’s a little awkward
the first few times, but we’ve already shared some intimate details with each
another. What’s one more modesty-busting
detail at this point?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">We call the guys in after the cervix measurement, so they
can witness the rest of the anatomy scan.
The ultrasound tech starts by just looking the twins over in
general. She also confirms: two boys! Then they start measuring the circumference of
their heads and the length of their arms and legs. She shows us their full bladders and then
empty bladders just a few minutes later.
They check things that I didn’t even know they could. She takes a short video of their heart function
too. We learn that the boys are about 1
pound each. It’s very high tech. I feel fortunate to be able to witness this
first hand. The ultrasound tech doesn’t
quite get all of the measurements and explains that they’ll finish up next
time. I’ve been lying on my back too
long, so she gets the important stuff for the doctors. This often
happens with multiples: too much to do
in the allotted time frame. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">We are then taken to another room for the doctor visit. As always, Dr. Merrill is happy to see
us. But, he says my cervix has shortened
again and decides to prescribe some drastic measures to stop whatever might be
happening. He explains that I might just
have a short cervix to begin with, but since they don’t know for sure, he asks
me start using a progesterone suppository every night. I can tell this is worrying Holly. She tries to hide it, but this new unknown
scares her. He also ups my BP
medication. I’m not having any side
effects so I’m okay with it. I’m a
little weirded out having to put two suppositories in my nether regions daily
for the next 18 weeks, but I suck it up.
Anything to help keep these kids cooking in here longer. I know once we hit 24 weeks, Holly will be
able to relax a little. Plus, that’s
when we plan to finally reveal our very well kept secret to Holly and Darren’s
families. That night I attempt my first suppository deposit, it doesn't go very well:-( It says to stand while inserting (obviously a man wrote these instructions!) My second attempt the next night goes way better. I lie down on my bed this time, yeah, way easier!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Monday I was told “no more gym”. I didn’t like to hear this, but I completely
understand the reasoning. The more
pressure I put on the uterus, the more likely it is for me to go into premature
labor. Why risk it? I ask Dr. Merrill if I can still use the swimming
pool. He is reluctant to say yes. He doesn’t want the drive to the gym or any other
potential (avoidable) stress to be added to my day. I assure him it’s only a few miles from my
house. I also tell him Dr. Winkler sees
the benefits, so Dr. Merrill agrees (for now). After all, I’m now coming in weekly to have my
cervix length checked. I hope the cervix
situation improves. If not, even more
drastic measures might be needed…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hcO-odCkCkI/V9YZRqUYvyI/AAAAAAAAAk0/Zih9CA9X3LUUmIUWV_E7P4awNgA-aJZ2gCLcB/s1600/20160911_192430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hcO-odCkCkI/V9YZRqUYvyI/AAAAAAAAAk0/Zih9CA9X3LUUmIUWV_E7P4awNgA-aJZ2gCLcB/s320/20160911_192430.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a BOY!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ytQT-VGKPg/V9YZRmOPL2I/AAAAAAAAAkw/fpFaPMAavq8TC-ZfE67PV41Tf6mIub2CwCLcB/s1600/20160911_192357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ytQT-VGKPg/V9YZRmOPL2I/AAAAAAAAAkw/fpFaPMAavq8TC-ZfE67PV41Tf6mIub2CwCLcB/s320/20160911_192357.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's another BOY!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wDpkAMVEAiY/V9YZRXRaO0I/AAAAAAAAAk4/wFmjtdrsVLEGZCT7DDqXOjnoue6ORM6PgCLcB/s1600/20160911_192510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wDpkAMVEAiY/V9YZRXRaO0I/AAAAAAAAAk4/wFmjtdrsVLEGZCT7DDqXOjnoue6ORM6PgCLcB/s320/20160911_192510.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good 3D of baby A</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VQr8QhSPSOg/V9YZSMnb2MI/AAAAAAAAAlE/ht_JgLZZGPAv-JgN2MhJGqyq6s0EqsD2QCLcB/s1600/20160911_192617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VQr8QhSPSOg/V9YZSMnb2MI/AAAAAAAAAlE/ht_JgLZZGPAv-JgN2MhJGqyq6s0EqsD2QCLcB/s320/20160911_192617.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby B sucking his thumb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsfrEppadCc/V9YZSCo0edI/AAAAAAAAAlA/2zc6zni1hS8auNlr9rnXXadgi7WJ1UX0ACLcB/s1600/20160911_192556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsfrEppadCc/V9YZSCo0edI/AAAAAAAAAlA/2zc6zni1hS8auNlr9rnXXadgi7WJ1UX0ACLcB/s320/20160911_192556.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby A yawning profile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LagyYn9mDfQ/V9YZSAJDLQI/AAAAAAAAAk8/B4OmVi4GuioiyLJ8CdRQlzXohHtk-7I6wCLcB/s1600/20160911_192546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LagyYn9mDfQ/V9YZSAJDLQI/AAAAAAAAAk8/B4OmVi4GuioiyLJ8CdRQlzXohHtk-7I6wCLcB/s320/20160911_192546.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby B profile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-21603407872206478612016-09-06T15:57:00.001-07:002016-09-06T15:57:25.003-07:00(16) Wedding Bells and Hot Saints!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">I’ll be 18 weeks Saturday July 12</span><sup style="color: blue;">th</sup><span style="color: blue;"> so the babies
are estimated to be the size of Bell Peppers. I’m not sure who comes up with
these lists because the fruit and vegetables they pair them with are
ridiculous!</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Most fruits and veggies are
capable of coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Anyway, I take my usual 18
week belly bump picture in the morning. We have special place to be tonight….</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">One of Tom’s co-workers is getting married today. I don’t
dress up often so I take advantage of my hair and makeup being done. I take a
picture with the bell peppers before we leave for the wedding. It was a long drive to McMinnville, Oregon
for the wedding, mostly due to traffic. It is also unseasonably hot this
weekend! Now, I’m from Arizona so I can handle hot, but being pregnant with
twins just adds to the discomfort. I don’t want to overheat but these little
buns in my oven are making it very uncomfortable for me, sheesh! The whole
drive I’ve got the sun beating down on my stomach through the windshield. The A/C is blowing but it is still too hot, I
even take a sweater to block the beat down happening from the unruly sun! I
should have sat in the back and let Kaela ride shotgun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The three of us finally arrive. As we walk to the table with
our seating assignments, we have a special surprise waiting for us. Our table
marker says “Saint Becky, Tom, and Kaela Meixner table 10.” Now, I’m extra
hormonal so it brings tears to my eyes that someone would think of me as a
saint! I still in my heart feel that
this is just a small sacrifice for a lifetime of joy. Since I’m completely overwhelmed with emotion
I try to laugh it off. The wedding is held outside on a beautiful bluff
overlooking the valley below. There is a huge awning where the tables are set
up for the reception, but the ceremony takes place just outside of it. We chose to sit in the third row towards the middle, big mistake! I wish I would have sat at the end of
the row because I would have got up and went under the awning. That hot sun
was beating down on me and the poor twins. I tried to stay hydrated while at
the wedding, as usual water was my friend. People were very curious as to my
condition and situation, so by the end of the night I was tired of talking. We
stayed for about 2-3 hours enjoying the festivities and good company. When we
got home I was feeling a little off. It
was a long hot day so I took a cool shower and went to bed early.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QkZE16TOq2Y/V89Hz1f2F8I/AAAAAAAAAkY/Fse39nkMYF0mjyN_h9Snn8JfWVLX5rs7gCLcB/s1600/Saint_Becky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QkZE16TOq2Y/V89Hz1f2F8I/AAAAAAAAAkY/Fse39nkMYF0mjyN_h9Snn8JfWVLX5rs7gCLcB/s640/Saint_Becky.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The next day (Sunday July 13<sup>th</sup>) I am feeling
sluggish, super thirsty and overheated. By
the afternoon I’m starting to feel light contractions. I don’t want to freak
out so I drink extra water and lie down for the day. I could feel the boys moving around so I
didn’t panic. We turned Sunday into a movie fun-day, or at least I did! Monday morning rolls around and I am still
feeling contractions so I call the MFM office.
I go in and see the triage nurse, <i>again</i>.
I am here so often now that everyone knows me. I just walk in and they’re like “Okay,
Becky you’re all checked in.” When they call me back they start with measuring
my cervix. Here we go again with my
modesty being thrown out the window. I
never thought before doing this I would be undressing so much. I’ve decided skirts are my best friend while
I’m pregnant. When you are potentially in labor your cervix
starts to shorten and then open for the baby to be born. They start off with an internal ultrasound
for this measurement. That is the best way to get a measurement of the cervix
length. Once again, modesty has left the
building! My cervix measures around 2.1mm which is on the short side. After
measuring the cervix and looking at the twins they hook me up to a machine to
monitor me for contractions for about a half an hour. It isn’t too concerning
so they let me go and tell me to rest. My next appointment is in 3 days so they
will reevaluate the situation then. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">I inform Holly that I went in for an evaluation, I really do
hate giving her this kind of news. She
is so guarded and worries about all of the things that can go wrong. I try to
assure her everything will be okay “B positive” I say over and over! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">Holly and Darren also recently bought me a gym
membership. The gym I belong to is just machines and free weights. I was told
by Dr. Winkler that swimming is great while pregnant, so Holly paid for a gym
that had a swimming pool. I just got the membership and now I might not even be
able to use it! Fingers crossed! Being weightless in a swimming pool sounds heavenly. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_lGxFLW8N3w/V89F_A_YSUI/AAAAAAAAAkE/C-ndVba3pBAlYqCzkrFGh5qcTTaHtmnqwCEw/s1600/18%2Bweeks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_lGxFLW8N3w/V89F_A_YSUI/AAAAAAAAAkE/C-ndVba3pBAlYqCzkrFGh5qcTTaHtmnqwCEw/s640/18%2Bweeks.png" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 12th - 18 weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--aT0650UvUA/V89F_e_zDsI/AAAAAAAAAkI/hlYgZZEJZGsJFgjUGNcbu4Jie4wL-YdaQCEw/s1600/Carolines%2Bwedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--aT0650UvUA/V89F_e_zDsI/AAAAAAAAAkI/hlYgZZEJZGsJFgjUGNcbu4Jie4wL-YdaQCEw/s640/Carolines%2Bwedding.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 weeks - Twins are the size of Bell Peppers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bKgX7G3bqmI/V89F_OObZHI/AAAAAAAAAkM/g2E_QmNyTX4guOl3s5dhoRbXJlA3S45wgCEw/s1600/Emergency%2BDr.%2Bcheck.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bKgX7G3bqmI/V89F_OObZHI/AAAAAAAAAkM/g2E_QmNyTX4guOl3s5dhoRbXJlA3S45wgCEw/s640/Emergency%2BDr.%2Bcheck.png" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby A looking lovingly at his placenta above him!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-32789377950186261392016-08-30T21:22:00.001-07:002016-09-01T09:05:14.958-07:00(15) Wendy’s and Walgreens here I come!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">In the last 7 days, I’ve had three MFM visits, all with
ultrasound checks. So I got to see the
little Kung Foo fighters more than usual, which is OK with me. I’ve even convinced all the ultrasound techs
to give me their gender guesses. They’re
pretty good at it (since it is part of their job, after all), but my own eyes
can see what’s happening down there too. Circles, lots and lots of circles! With these latest checks, and the earlier ultrasound tech guess, I’m
very sure one of the babies is a boy.
I’m a little less confident in my guess for the other baby, partly
because the guesses weren’t unanimous among the medical staff. We’ll officially find out in a few weeks, but
I’m planning an early surprise for Holly and Darren with my guesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">For the surprise, I decided to take some muffins I bought at
Costco, put some gender neutral frosting on the outside, and fill the inside
with the gender colors. Why Costco
muffins? (1) I already had them (minimum
preparation!), and (2) they taste like chocolate chip cupcakes (yum!). I just had to whip up some frosting. So just one day after Holly and Darren
returned from their “Babymoon” in the Bahamas, we met them for dinner at
Wendy’s near the Portland airport. It’s
a nice mid-way meeting point for us (from Oregon) and them (from
Washington). It was a fun “reveal”. Watch the video below (taken by Kaela) to see
their reactions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw31lzaukiQMnsQhWsuL6UIbRITuGVGyfkNRBbvGgXD39e1I3Oi6Cec7n_n_Yxh3os0a0CIDVkThc_zAyzOcw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Two boys!</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Darren was
a little worried about this possibility, thinking two boys might conspire
against him with some extra-clever mischief.</span><span style="color: blue;">
</span><span style="color: blue;">We’ll see!</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Anyway, I’ll get my scheduled
anatomy scan in a few weeks, where we’ll officially learn the genders.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Even though I say I’m not completely
confident about the genders, I’m pretty confident.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">I’ve been looking at them for a while now, so
I think I know.</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Kaela came with me to my
recent doctor visits, so she has seen too.</span><span style="color: blue;">
</span><span style="color: blue;">Tom has not, so he was in the dark as much as Holly and Darren.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">The next week Holly accompanied me to one of my
appointments. Almost always, I have
company during my visits, but who comes varies depending on people’s
schedules. Usually, it’s all of us only when
there is a big sonogram scheduled. Today,
it’s just me and Holly, and we both get to see the “boys”. Early on, they were saying “Baby A” was on my
right side, and “Baby B” on my left.
They determine this by who is closest to the cervix. Baby A would be born first if I went into
labor. Well now they’ve changed, and are
saying the baby on my left is Baby A and the right is Baby B. So confusing!
Geeze, one more thing to keep track of!
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">The regular check shows my blood pressure is high yet
again! They asked me to bring in my home
tester to verify it is calibrated, since my BP is fine at home. But even before this check, Dr. Merrill
decides it’s time to start BP medication.
I’m worried about <u>any</u> medications, and their possible effect on
my passengers. Dr. Merrill assured me
that the benefits far outweigh the risks, especially since he is prescribing a
low dose (30mg Nifedipine). These
doctors are fetal specialists, so I have to trust that they know best. While we’re at it, I also ask for some better
Pepcid because my heartburn is out of this world uncomfortable. I have had acid reflux for about 10 years
now, and now that I’m pregnant (with twins), it’s not exactly improving. Luckily I live in a time where these drugs
have been proven safe with pregnancy.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;">Side note: I referenced "circles" earlier and I'm sure everyone was confused. That was a message to Holly. I'm sure she had a good laugh and I'll fill you in now. Holly told me when she was younger she referred to the male anatomy "testicles" as "circles". I could see "circles" on both boys clear as day when I hit 12 weeks and even better as time passed. If only the nurse hadn't planted the seed of doubt in my head, baby B could watch this video with confidence!</span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXaEqjgD1FE/V8ZOcdSIOfI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/t1ZUcRDTNoQ7CrpgGeTdpTT7QKD5zFc4gCLcB/s1600/16%2Bweeks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXaEqjgD1FE/V8ZOcdSIOfI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/t1ZUcRDTNoQ7CrpgGeTdpTT7QKD5zFc4gCLcB/s640/16%2Bweeks.png" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 28th - 16 weeks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-avQ-4l5K9ag/V8ZOcIYhYRI/AAAAAAAAAjI/sfNMxSiDh44z0JKuTf-FE1rVNkmLu0r8QCLcB/s1600/blood_zpsf8028e35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-avQ-4l5K9ag/V8ZOcIYhYRI/AAAAAAAAAjI/sfNMxSiDh44z0JKuTf-FE1rVNkmLu0r8QCLcB/s640/blood_zpsf8028e35.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my double BP check - My home tester says 156 /103 Yikes!<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6h-CcoFq6n8/V8hOrLOMNFI/AAAAAAAAAjg/er5OzgmJ6Fs1QKw4mUS46Xep6k2-GUt8ACEw/s1600/daddyandA_zps0378dff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6h-CcoFq6n8/V8hOrLOMNFI/AAAAAAAAAjg/er5OzgmJ6Fs1QKw4mUS46Xep6k2-GUt8ACEw/s400/daddyandA_zps0378dff7.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren scared for two boys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTiWUhFTCn8/V8hOrFybEZI/AAAAAAAAAjk/Ns6r92uyP3AbNs1GII7rqGvGiiZe_kyswCEw/s1600/mommyandsurrog_zpse21b2176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTiWUhFTCn8/V8hOrFybEZI/AAAAAAAAAjk/Ns6r92uyP3AbNs1GII7rqGvGiiZe_kyswCEw/s400/mommyandsurrog_zpse21b2176.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOW, two boys!</td></tr>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-33033306704943782542016-08-24T17:47:00.001-07:002016-09-16T10:00:48.451-07:00(14) Kung Foo, anyone?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0000cc;">At 14 weeks along, Darren and Holly
decide to host a get-together with a couple of old co-workers (Lily and Olga)
and their families.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">We decided to inform
them of our little “adventure”, using a similar prank as we used with Tom’s siblings
Sheila and Andy a few weeks ago.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Keep in
mind that no one from Holly or Darren’s family knows about this, and won’t for
another 10 weeks (when we reach 24 weeks – at least that’s the plan!).</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">In fact, I’ve never met any of Holly or
Darren’s family members, so there’s little chance of any accidental
encounters/recognition. </span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Anyway, I wear a
snug outfit to show my curves. </span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">I’m not
huge (yet!), but I’ve got a little pot belly to show for my efforts.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">I am carrying twins after all, which are now
about the size of lemons.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Lily and her
family arrive first, and we just play it cool.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">
</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">But in the course of our casual conversation, I nonchalantly mention
that I’m pregnant.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Lily didn’t say
anything right away, but she didn’t have to.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">
</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Her look said it all.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Let’s just
say her expression screamed “WHAT! How old are you?” </span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Calmly, and with some fabricated sadness, I
say “Tom isn’t the father either”.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Now
Lily is really confused.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Tom isn’t here,
which really adds to the mystery of what I just said.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Then she looks over to Holly and Darren for
some help with this suddenly uncomfortable social situation.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">But Holly just couldn’t play the game.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">She had this huge smile on her face, and
started crying (happy tears of course).</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">
</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Lily was shocked, and didn’t seem entirely pleased with our trick.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">But she’s excited for us.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">She is also pregnant and about 3-4 weeks
ahead of me.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Then we all calm down and
discuss the details of what has happened so far.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Olga arrived fashionably late as usual, and
we pull the same trick on her.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Like Lily,
Olga was really confused.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">But, we don’t
string her along too long, since we already had enough fun with Lily.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000cc;">At this time, I also decide to
tell my family back in Arizona.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Even
though 38 weeks seems a long way off (it’s now mid-June, and my projected
delivery timeframe is late November / early December), I feel confident that we
are going to see this through to the end.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">
</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Be positive, right?!</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">I called
when most of my family was together for dinner.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">
</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">I told them all individually as they passed the phone around.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">In hindsight, I should have just had it on
speaker…</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Everyone sounded excited and
supportive over the phone, but I wish I could have seen their reactions in
person.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">My son Zach wasn’t there, so I
had to tell him at a different time.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">When
I explained it to him, he didn’t quite understand what was really happening,
and was initially pretty upset.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">Boys!</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">A few days later after talking with a
co-worker, he called me to tell me how cool he thought it was.</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span><span style="color: #0000cc;">His co-worker helped him understand (thank
you co-worker!)</span><span style="color: #0000cc;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000cc;">Holly and Darren decide to take a
babymoon. Huh?! I don’t think such a thing existed when I had
my kids. They chose a cruise to the
Bahamas that leaves June 21st. They
invited us too, but I didn’t want to travel all that way while pregnant. I’m being positive, but also cautious. I’ll save vacationing for after
delivery. We discuss the appointments
I’ll have while Holly is gone, and I have strict instructions to keep her
informed by email. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0000cc;">It’s now June 23<sup>rd</sup>,
and it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the doctor (and a few weeks from
the scary bleeding incident) so I’m excited to see Dr. Merrill. He always seems excited to see me too (I
wonder if he’s like this with everyone), but I think I’m just special</span><span style="color: #0000cc;">. A quick check
shows my blood pressure is up, again!
I’ve been logging my BP for the past 12 days and everything is fine when
I’m at home. White coat syndrome people! He is still worried, so he takes my blood for
a Pregnancy Induced Hypertension Panel.
It’s a little annoying, but if it puts everyone at ease to take my blood
and check my BP 24/7 then I’ll do it.
Dr. Merrill is legitimately concerned, so he has me come back on Friday
the 27<sup>th</sup> and Monday the 30<sup>th</sup> to have the nurse do some
monitoring. It is pretty crazy because
my BP is fine when I’m at home. Now I’m
starting to worry because they’re worried.
It’s a viscous cycle. On a
positive note, I got to see more ultrasounds of the active twins. They were so wiggly that the sonogram tech
commented that they must be Kung foo fighting in there. Pretty cute!
When they calmed down a little, one baby was sucking his/her thumb. The other was face down and the tech (being
funny) said “it appears this baby is sucking the placenta”. We both laughed at that because it did look
that way! I decide not to update Holly
with all of my BP appointments. No use
worrying her and Darren while they are vacationing. I just give her the highlights of what the
babies are up to. When they get back, I
plan to reveal the genders of the twins to them, with a special surprise…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 14th - 14 weeks</td></tr>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-45094726160171191972016-08-20T14:23:00.001-07:002016-08-20T14:23:30.226-07:00(13) A Scare and a Secret<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s June 2<sup>nd </sup>and I’m now 12 weeks pregnant.
It’s time for another doctor appointment. Only this time, I don’t get to see my usual
fun-loving Dr. Winkler. Instead, I see
Dr. Merrill. He turns out to be awesome
too, but I guess I was looking forward to having Dr. Winkler the whole
time. Dr. Merrill is one of about 6
regular doctors at this facility.
Anyway, a quick check shows my blood pressure is elevated again, so he
was somewhat concerned (even though it went down again when he checked
later). Something to keep an eye
on. The scale says I’ve gained about 10
pounds in my first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
They say that with twins, if you are of normal weight to start (which I
was) then you should gain only about 4-6 pounds the first trimester. Ooops!
And I still have two weeks of the first trimester to go… But then it
also says “weight gain is especially important between weeks 20-24 of
pregnancy. If a mother of twins gains
24lbs by week 24 of pregnancy, she reduces her chance of preterm labor.” If I gained a pound a week for the first 24
weeks, I would be right on track, right?
So I’m not really worried. I am
eating super healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and exercising
regularly. I think the only “bad” thing
I eat too much of is peanut butter, and it’s not that bad!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Fast-forward to June 10<sup>th</sup>, four days after my
final Progesterone shot. I’m very
worried. In fact, I’m pretty close to
freaking out. Despite being assured that
stopping Progesterone “cold turkey” (and not tapering off) would be OK, I’ve
started to bleed. Please please please
don’t let this be a sign of an impending miscarriage. Please!
Close to panic, I send Tom a text at work, and then call the MFM
office. They advise me to come in
immediately to get checked out. I decide
not to tell Holly or Darren yet, because I don’t want to stress them out for no
reason if everything is OK. Tom offers
to go with me, but I told him I could handle it. Be positive.
Be positive. When I get to the
office, it’s just like a regular appointment, starting with a pee sample and a
weigh-in. Soon, the triage nurse comes
in with the portable sonogram machine.
She asks about my symptoms, and takes my blood pressure (which is really
high now, because I’m stressed!). I tell her that I stopped the PIO injections
last Friday, and I woke up to blood this morning. Calmly, she tells me to lay back so we can
check out the twins. I lay back and she
hits me with the cold gel. Brrrrr. She starts panning around and says everything
looks fine. They are both wiggling
around and their water levels are great!
She checks their heart rates, which are perfect (unlike mine). Excellent!
Now I’m starting to calm down. I
knew this could happen but when it’s reality, it’s hard not to freak out.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then she asks me if I want to know the sex of each one. I say “of course!” She informs me that at 13 weeks, it’s a
little early to tell, but reveals that one baby definitely looks like a
boy. The other baby was a little shy and
didn’t want to show “the goods” to the camera.
She checked my BP again, and it
has dropped (compared to before), but is still elevated. She’s concerned, so she puts in an order to
the pharmacy for a home blood pressure monitoring machine, and asks me to start
recording my BP three times per day – and bring the results to my next
appointment in two weeks. Oh joy! I thought this was an overreaction to my stressful
situation today, but I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we deal with
elevated blood pressure.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGbQ8J6jp5g/V7i96s7PmJI/AAAAAAAAAhw/-g9fxuJrXhAykpkJFWIenU7-zKDLLpGtgCLcB/s1600/20160818_103834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="383" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGbQ8J6jp5g/V7i96s7PmJI/AAAAAAAAAhw/-g9fxuJrXhAykpkJFWIenU7-zKDLLpGtgCLcB/s400/20160818_103834.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby A on top (facing back) Baby B on bottom (facing forward)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-suDDWgquku0/V7i96qV8xEI/AAAAAAAAAh0/zFaS8Pot4wIfxsylopJ1o4lDBdU3PTk2wCLcB/s1600/20160818_103916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-suDDWgquku0/V7i96qV8xEI/AAAAAAAAAh0/zFaS8Pot4wIfxsylopJ1o4lDBdU3PTk2wCLcB/s400/20160818_103916.jpg" width="350" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Baby B profile</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I waited until the afternoon to call Holly and Darren. They were happy everything looked good, and
appreciated the fact that I waited to tell them. Holly loved the fact that she only had to worry for about a minute. I know Holly is particularly sensitive about any and all things that can go wrong. We both shed a few tears because "life" is fragile especially at this stage. I want to protect her from the bad as much as I can. I even thought not telling her would be best but these little babies are hers and she has a right to know. However, I didn’t mention that I found out one baby is
a boy. That will be my little secret for
now. BTW, Holly thinks I’m carrying 2
girls, hehehe. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2554320691789357822.post-8316700854687615772016-08-17T08:29:00.000-07:002016-08-17T08:33:00.592-07:00(12) OUCH!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
OMG, I am so done with these daily Progesterone shots! My butt just hurts. It no longer matters that I’ve been
alternating from one cheek to the other.
There are simply no un-poked locations left within the medical “ideal
specified” area. There have been nights
where neither my husband nor I could remember if the prior night was “left” or
“right, so we just guessed. I’ve even
considered going to my thigh that is how much my butt hurts. So far, I’ve taken 68 needles in my backside,
which leaves just 10 more lovelies to go.
78 total shots. Ouch. But despite the unpleasantness, I’m worried
about stopping. I’m hoping my body is
producing what my two precious passengers need.
I’ve done some reading on maternity message boards about what to expect
after you stop taking Estrogen pills and stop the Progesterone shots. Most say you will spot (bleed) a little, but
others say you may have no signs. The RN
at OHSU says I shouldn’t spot, but if I do I should go to the MFM for a
check-up. I want to stay positive, but
it’s hard. I’ll be stopping cold
turkey! It seems to me it would be
better to taper off, but OHSU says that is not necessary. They are the experts…<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I’m in the home stretch with the PIO shots. Halleluiah!
For the final ten shots, Holly has given me ten gifts: one to open each night after finishing each
oh-so-painful poke. She
understands. She’s done it many times
herself, so yeah she <u>knows</u> that it’s a pain in the butt, literally!</div>
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<ul>
<li>May 28<sup>th</sup> – I get a poke and a pair of comfy yoga
pants.</li>
<li>May 29<sup>th</sup> – I get a poke and a cute pink maternity
tank top.</li>
<li>May 30<sup>th</sup> – I get a poke and a cute black
maternity tank top.</li>
<li>May 31<sup>st</sup> – I get a poke and cute workout pants (I
am officially 12 weeks!)</li>
<li>June 1<sup>st</sup> – I get another painful poke and some
hand soap, chocolate, and lemon heads! YUM!</li>
<li>June 2<sup>nd</sup> – I get a poke (oucH) and a pregnancy
sleeping pillow.</li>
<li>June 3<sup>rd</sup> – I get a poke (ouCH) and a Safeway gift
card for some yummy Gelato (to eat, not for my butt).</li>
<li>June 4<sup>th</sup> – I get a poke (and on my birthday too, oUCH)
and a gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings. YUM!</li>
<li>June 5<sup>th</sup> – I get a poke (OUCH!) and a gift card
to Target to buy some maternity clothes (for obvious reasons). Just one shot to go!</li>
<li>June 6<sup>th</sup> –
My final poke (this one actually didn’t hurt! I think because it’s the last one)
and a gift card to our favorite Mexican restaurant: Chuy’s Taco Shop (or as we call it, “Muchas
Gracias”) and their stick-on tattoo!</li>
</ul>
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I never expected gifts like this from Holly and Darren, but it
helped keep things positive. They have
been very generous throughout this experience.
I realize I’m carrying their babies, but I don’t expect anything in
return except for the satisfaction of helping them start their family. But I appreciate their generosity! Not only did they have all of these post-PIO
presents for me, but they also gave me a massage certificate for my
birthday. So sweet!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I hope there are no “symptoms” after stopping
the Progesterone. I hope my passengers
remain safe. I’ll know shortly…<o:p></o:p></div>
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My Extreme Babysitting Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527379451513984609noreply@blogger.com0