24 Weeks

This week has been a wonderful whirlwind of fun with friends and family.  Here is the week in review.

Sunday - We celebrated Jon on his first Father's Day as a father to human babies, because last year he was celebrated as a father to Koda boy and Star girl.  After having a delicious dinner of hot dogs, mac and cheese, and corn on the cob, we went for a walk to enjoy the finally cooled down temperatures.  At 8, my friend Brynna called to see if I'd go for a walk with her, she was 39 weeks pregnant and hoping that walking might move things along a little.  So, I went for a walk and Jon went to help Dustin with the evening routine at their house.  After 40 minutes of walking and no contractions, we stopped back at their place to just relax for a bit.  Well, relaxing lead to regular contractions for Brynna, which lead to full blown labor!  Jon and I headed home at 10 when the contractions were about 7-10 minutes apart and we got the call at 11 that contractions were closer and they were going to head to the hospital.  Jon and Koda stayed home to snuggle and I went over to their house to sleep so that the other two kids could just stay sleeping in their own beds.  I was totally expecting to be there into the morning, but was pleasantly surprised when the text came at 5 am that their newest bundle had been delivered at 4:26 am and Brynna's mom was coming from the hospital to hang out with the kids for the rest of the day.  What an awesome way to start the week though!

Monday - Work from 9-5, then dinner at Cafe Rio where I had an awesome choking on cheese episode.  Jon's such a trooper for being understanding when I get food stuck.  It doesn't happen very often, but when it does it is a little scary.  After dinner we headed to the hospital to meet the brand new baby!  It was so special to hold her and be able to feel both of our babies squirming around at the same time.  I have a feeling that they will all be great buds.  Jon was brave and not only held a brand new baby, he even ventured to touch her hair.  Soft spots creep him out a little bit.

Tuesday - Work 8-6, not 6 on purpose but it turned out that way.  It was really busy and I was luckily able to get a lot of much needed projects complete.  Then came the fun of carpet shopping.  We were able to look at remnants at RC Willey and although we didn't buy anything, we got a lot better idea of what we want and how much it will probably cost.  Looking at carpet prompted online shopping for cribs as the reality set in that the nursery needs to be set for the twins to arrive in 11 weeks.  They might come later, but that's as earlier as they would let them come.  So now the war between this crib and this crib begins.  Any input on either would be much appreciated.

Wednesday - Work 8-5:30... again, the late hours not on purpose but I was able to get every project wrapped up before leaving work and coming home to prep for family to get to town.  Rushed home from work to do the last minute tidying before the Barries arrived from Nevada to stay with us over night before heading up to Logan for the start of the Wasatch Back Ragnar.  Mike, Maddie, Matthew, and a friend Allyson arrived at 7:30 and hung out til 8:30 when Mike went to get Beth from the airport.  Matthew and I also went to Walmart to get a few last minute supplies for the race.  We all hung out and finally headed to bed around 11:30.

Thursday - The Ragnar crew was picked up by our family friend Nola at 4:30 am.  Jon went to work as usual and Matthew and I got up at 9 to get ready to head to Huntsville to volunteer at exchange 9, Woody's field.  We were in charge of listening to which teams were coming in and recording the time that they exchanged the wristband.  We got there at 11:15 and the first runner made it into our exchange at 12:44.  The next runner came in a 1:20... so that first team was crazy fast.  We stayed until 3:45 when our volunteer shift was over and then headed to Layton to grab some dinner and hit up the toy store.  After 2 hours of wandering around the mall, Toys'R'Us, and Barnes and Noble, we loaded back into the car Huntsville bound again.
 This time, we went to exchange 12 to volunteer in the merchandise tent.  Our scheduled shift was from 7:15-midnight, but when we got there, we found out that almost all of the teams were all checked in at the exchange, so we'd probably be sent home early.  I don't think I've ever been so excited about a volunteer shift ending early.  The highway we took to get to Huntsville was closing at 9 pm and I didn't know how to get home an alternate way.  So, Matthew and I folded shirts, hung hoodies on hangers, told customers that all of the clothing shrinks, and enjoyed socializing with our fellow volunteers.  It turned out, one of the volunteers grew up in Green Valley, Nevada, where Matthew lives now, and where does he currently live?  Bountiful, Utah.  Crazy right?  After chatting with him for a few minutes he told us a faster/easier way to get home and avoid the closed highway.  I was very grateful for his input and even more grateful when at 9:20 we heard the cheer go up at the last team had checked in at exchange 12 so the merchandise tent would be closing for the evening.
 Exchange 12 is at Snowbasin Ski Resort, so before we left, I went in and got a Dr. Pepper.  Before I get feedback that caffeine is so bad for pregnant people, let me say, this is the first time I've had caffeine in 6 months and my doctor said that it is safe to have one serving of caffeinated soda per day if I wanted.  So, Dr. P in hand, we headed back to the car to drive home, a little more alert.  We made it back at 10:30 pm and Matthew headed straight to bed.  It had definitely been a long day.  Jon and our friend Stratton were hanging out watching Pawn Stars, so after cleaning out my car, I sat down to relax with them.  I think that's when the caffeine hit the babies.  They were bouncing off of the walls, literally.  After feeling someone bumping my hands up near my ribs 8 or 10 times, I called Jon over to very carefully put his fingers where mine had been.  We'd tried to have him feel the babies countless times over the last few weeks and every time, they'd stop as soon as his hand was there.  This time he felt it!!!  He was so excited!  He was pretty worn out from the day though too, so after finishing an episode of Swamp People and teaching Stratton which families on the show are crazy and which ones we really like, Stratton headed home and we went to bed.

Friday - So, it had already been a great week up to this point, but add to the week our 24 week ultrasound appointment and it's just icing on the cake.  Jon went into work early and Matthew and I both got to sleep in.  At 10:20 we headed into Salt Lake for my appointment and Jon met us there at the scheduled time of 11 am.  At the 20 week ultrasound everything had measured well and right on schedule, but we hadn't been able to get really clear shots of Lindsey's arms.  So, that was the number 1 priority today.  As the tech moved the wand around we were not only able to see Lindsey's arms, but also see that she might have hitch hikers thumbs like her dad!  She had her hands fisted up most of the time, but she did unclench the right one just enough to show that her thumb can bend pretty far.  She was in a better position today to be measured.  It was really cool to have Matthew there with us to see the ultrasound.  His birthday is in September, so he'll probably be sharing his birth month with these two and he really was able to see a lot of the things that the tech was pointing out.
I have to say, I always thought ultrasound appointments would be cool, but seeing these two interact with one another in utero is really just awesome.  Lindsey is breech right now, her bum pressing on the bottom of my uterus and her head up on my right side.  Owen is transverse, spread across my abdomen with his feet on my left, his spine against my ribs, and his head right next to Lindsey's.  When one of them startles and wiggles, the other one usually responds.  We watched as the tech took measurements and discovered yet again that they are measuring right on for their gestational age.  Lindsey is actually a little bigger.  She is about 1 lb 8 oz and Owen is about 1 lb 7 oz.  That means they are both 50th percentile for size.  When listening to their heart rates we learned that not only do they like to be active at the same time, they share the same heart rate too.  Last time it was 140 and 142, this time, they were both exactly 155.  We got some cute pictures that I will post as well.  The tech finished up the ultrasound and then the doctor came in to interpret/go over everything we'd seen.  At this point he said everything looks great with the babies, but we did find two anomalies with me that he said not to worry about.  I have two small fibroids on the outside of my uterus.  They don't know what causes them, but 25% of women in their childbearing years have them.  We just have to monitor and make sure that they don't get too big and there is a chance that they will shrink or disappear after the babies are born.  So, even though I initially started to freak out inside when the doctor told us about them, I'm feeling more calm.  Jon said as he headed back to work, "Don't worry about those right now, the babies are fine and you are fine."  I really appreciate his level headedness, even though I'd bet anyone $10 that he went on webMD and looked up uterine fibroids as soon as he got to work.
That's been the week so far.  We heard from the Ragnar crew that they will be done around 5 this evening and we should see them back here in Bountiful at 7 or 7:30.  They are super troopers because they are running with 10 runners instead of 12 after they had someone back out and another runner injured his knee two days before the race.  Right around the time they get home, Jon and I also get to go to a wedding reception for our buddy Curt.  See, amazing week right?  Oh and we have a Stake Chuck Wagon breakfast at 8:30 tomorrow, then a baby shower for Lindsey and Owen at 11:30.  The shower will probably get a post of its own.

And the reward for either scrolling to the bottom to find the pictures or making it through my ramblings, ultrasound pictures that you may have already seen on Facebook!

Owen's head on the left, Lindsey's head on the right.

Lindsey's profile with her arm up by her head.

Owen's profile, his head is tilted so his nose isn't as prominent.

Lindsey's right hand, pointer finger out, thumb tucked in to the fist.  It looked like she had a hitch hikers thumb just before we got the picture.

Sometimes the Internet is No Good

This afternoon I was having a fantastic time on pinterest.  Pinning cute baby picture ideas, pinning cute quilts, just pinning away.  Then I noticed a pin about the number of diapers that it takes on average to diaper twins for one year.  I followed the link and started reading this lady's blog.  It was very informative, so I read a couple of other posts that she wrote.  That's when the internet turned into a no good, dirty rotten scoundrel.  I followed a link to her birth story.  I am so glad that she shared it, but still, reading some people's birth stories are TERRIFYING!!!  Especially twin birth stories of people who never wanted a C-section.  Just reading through it had me crying for her and for the fact that she didn't get to see each of the babies before they were wheeled away to the NICU.  I read the comments that people left and they mostly linked to similar horrendous experiences.  So, rather than feeling betrayed by the internet for now making me feel somewhat paranoid that my body will go into labor at 28 weeks (I'm 22 weeks right now) or that none of the hospital staff will answer any of my questions (we picked the doctor that we go to because of the time that she takes with each patient to answer any and all questions), I am going to make a plan for the worst.  Here it goes.

1.  My babies will probably be delivered via C-section and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  I would love to deliver them vaginally because I have heard that the recovery is much easier, but I will do what is best for the babies and not be afraid.  During our infertility treatments I had no fear about egg retrieval, where I underwent anesthesia and was on bed rest for 2 days after, so if I could have no fear going into that process of wanting to have babies (egg retrieval was always a success, the embryos fertilized as well, they just never implanted), I should have no fear of a process for actually bringing the babies into the world.  Yes, there are horror stories, but I have to trust that the doctors I am seeing are very skilled in what they do and will know how to take care of things.

2.  After a C-section, there is a chance that I won't be able to see the babies before they are taken away to be checked on.  I will probably feel very sad about this, but I know that Jon will be able to go with them and he will have seen them and he loves them every ounce as much as I do.  I know that they won't be taken away just to hurt my feelings, but because there is a need for them to be cared for.

3.  I might have the babies sooner than the end of September or even have to be on bed rest for awhile.  Now, this might be the hardest one for me to accept.  So far, I have been really active this pregnancy.  I am on my feet for most of my 8 hour shifts at work and although I am sore and sleepy by the end, my feet are not uber swollen, and I am able to look forward to a shift the next day.  Since we found out that we are having twins though, our doctor has changed her recommendation on daily activity and starting at 24 weeks she wants to restrict me to walking less than 3 miles a day and limit my actual exercise to zero.  That just seems crazy to me.  It seems counter intuitive to be less active and I think most everyone would agree that it seems that way.  So, I pried further at my last appointment as to why I have to be restricted, and apparently, the body doesn't pay attention to how many babies there are, just the size of the uterus in regards to when to go into labor.  Most women who are having twins reach the measurements of a singleton full term pregnancy at 28 weeks.  At that point, their bodies think it's just time to deliver.  So, really, my body just needs to cooperate, and if it doesn't, I just need to accept that these two are going to make me slow down.

4.  This one is not related to having the babies, but relates to getting ready.  According to most of the twin pins I've followed and what everyone says, I need to have the nursery prepped and ready to go by 28 weeks.  That is 6 short weeks away.  I should probably solidify crib choice and mattress choice and maybe get carpet ordered since we already cut out the carpet that was in that room previously.  We bought paint already, we just need to put it on the walls... so the next few weekends will be fun project weekends for sure.

So, there are all of my reasons to not be afraid, so here I go to try to not be afraid.  Now I'm going to go snuggle the cutest dog on earth to help calm my nerves even more.