2 weeks! - Here's to 2 more!

Well it was TWO WEEKS ago yesterday that I was admitted to the hospital. So grateful to have only been there for five days and that I've been able to rest at home! My doctor thought I was going to deliver, so glad to have been a rare case where the cervix actually lengthened a little after getting down so low. The twinnies are still right where we want them, keep cooking babies! I will be 27 weeks this weekend, once we hit 28 weeks their survival rate goes from 80% to 90+. I know I've already said that but it's such great news!! Praying I can last at least until then if they HAVE to arrive early. Otherwise we are hoping for 32 weeks or more! So grateful for my mom, she's here to stay until the babies are born and I'm recouped from having them. What an angel! Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers, we can feel them! I'm pretty sure it's the only reason these babies are still in my belly :) Follow up cervical ultrasound on Thursday! 

I love that I can't see my belly anymore when laying down, he he. My belly has grown an inch in the last three days!

26 weeks - Hip hip hooray!

Happy happy day!!! We got GOOD news at the ultrasound today. It's rare but my cervix actually lengthened some! We prayed soo hard that we wouldn't have to return to the hospital and were staying positive, but realistically weren't expecting good news given my recent dilation progress. My strict bedrest is working though, good job Mom!! She is taking SUCH good care of me. My cervix went from a 1.1 to 1.84! It is still funneled some but is contracting less. So that's great! Claire has also stayed head down, so that has helped with the pain. Her tiny bum bouncing off of and getting down into the funneling was painful. It feels like your cervix is on fire. We hope she says puts. Here's to hoping the twinnies can stay put for a couple more weeks at least! Next goal is 28 weeks. So proud and grateful that we reached our first goal, 26 weeks! The babies chance of survival has gone from 50% to 80. Another week or two and it goes up to 90!

So grateful for all of your thoughts and prayers, we literally can feel them! Keep em comin :) The babies fluid and heart rates are still great. I forgot to ask how much they weigh :( Claire's heart was 155bpm and Cameron's was 152. She's still head down and he has flipped breech again. He's our biggest wiggle worm. Just glad she is right by my cervix and not him, lol. She is more calm and likes to curl up. He's allll over the place. I love that they're so different. Had mom take a quick belly picture this morning when we got back. For some reason my belly doesn't look as big in this shirt, but it has definitely grown! My ribs have started aching.

This week the twins are approximately the size of an eggplant. That's over 9 inches long (head to bum, doesn’t count leggies!), and weighin in over two pounds. Their cute little eyelids are starting to open if they haven't already and they're continuing to pack on the weight. My app says their brains have become much more sophisticated this week, so they now react to light and sounds. But I have noticed them reacting to stuff for like two weeks now. So exciting!! 

Thanks for your prayers!! Follow up ultrasound in a week.

Pancakes in bed, a cheesecake & world's fastest hair cut!

Mom made pancakes and bacon for me when I woke up, so yummy! I'm definitely getting spoiled on bedrest. She also made us a gluten-free/dairy-free chocolate chip cheesecake, and gave me the world's fastest haircut, ha ha. The burning sensation in my cervix has unfortunately increased (more funneling), so we are doing everything we can to keep me on my sides and in bed. I've gotta be the best bedrest patient ever! So, she washed my hair in a plastic bin over the side of the bed, and then I stood up for about 20 seconds while she chopped 6-7 inches off the back of my hair for me. My hair was so long that it was making me extra hot while laying here. And it was also making my head sore from having it pulled up so much. My head feels ten pounds lighter now! I also listened to some Clay Walker today and read about bedrest exercises in my multiples book. Its been a good day, praying these littles stay in there til Saturday! Have another ultrasound tomorrow morning, we shall see if it's back to the hospital or not. Babies are still as wild as ever, least the hospital stay got them on a day schedule :)

My belly makes a pretty good table now a days! 

 Goodbye luscious locks..

 Hello deliciousness!

25 weeks - Bedrest, Peeps & Taking it one day at a time!

We had a follow up ultrasound today, unfortunately my cervix has shortened some more. When I'm contracting, my cervical length went from 1.9cm last Monday to 1.1 today (not good), and when I'm not contracting it went from a 2.5 to 2.7cm (tiny improvement but not common, wish it'd stay closed!). The cervix definitely has a mind of its own! Both babies have turned head down now, for the first time ever, so we are hoping it'll help ease some of the contractions and low burning pains without Claire's little buttcheeks being wedged down in the funneling (cervical dilation at top of cervix). Thankfully they didn't send us straight back over to the hospital, I was able to come back home and rest. Soo grateful! Waiting to hear from my doctor, and we have another cervical ultrasound on Thursday morning. Praying so hard that these babies can stay in there another few weeks. 26 weeks is our next goal, then 28. I'm currently 25.5. It's verrry scary to be having contractions and not able to feel them, AT ALL! I keep having nightmares that I'm going into labor and don't know it and then all of the sudden the babies are here. Today was the first time I have felt a cervical contraction and that's only because she was using the ultrasound probe. Apparently only my cervix are contracting and not my uterus? :o

So grateful for my Momma and all her help! Blake and I are trying to not be a big mess, but her help and positive attitude is taking such a burden off. She will never know how much this means to us. She's such a good Grammy, already doing anything she can to help her little grandbabies! And my awesome Granny is watching my sister's sweet little pumpkin so that my mom can be here with me. I am so lucky to have such awesome women in my family!

On the bright side, (besides the babies still looking perfect and big!!) we finalllly got a good bum bum picture of Claire today, ha ha. She's been such a little hider. We would catch a quick glimpse here and there, but never could get a good picture. Yay for an awesome ultrasound tech! Teri is my favorite tech at the high risk office. Even though the last couple of ultrasounds have been bad news, she still is funny, kind and takes her time so we can enjoy seeing the babies. Today Claire was beating upon her brother, last time he was getting her. Their little personalities are already so funny. She's super sneaky and he's not shy at all. Their little legs and feetsies are the cutest, and getting so strong! Their heads have grown as well, so their movements are quite crazy. I'm not sure how much they're loving me laying on my sides day and night (because they're more wiggly), but we thank Heavenly Father for everyday that goes by that they're still in there! Their chance of survival goes way up at 26 weeks. It's 80% at 26 weeks vs 30% at 24 weeks. So, keep cooking little pumpkins!!

It's a girl!

It's a boy!

Baby legs everywhere,  ha ha!

At 25 weeks the babies' nostrils that have been sealed off are opening if they haven't already, along with their eyes! They're approximately 1.7 lbs this week according to my app, but Cameron was already that last week if the ultrasound is accurate. They're packing on more fat and developing more blood vessels under the skin. Their little lungs and vocal cords are also getting ready for prime time. I got two shots at the hospital to help their lungs, so hopefully their surfactant levels are super charged now. That's what helps the lungs expand when they're born so they can breathe. I am craving meats big time! So funny cause I hated them the rest of the pregnancy. I all of the sudden love eggs again, and am enjoying some ginger ale and occasional sweets now. Mom brought me some Peeps back from the store tonight!! Highlight of my day! The third trimester has definitely brought on some major changes. My belly gets bigger by the day too and I love it!! At least what little weight gain I have had is all babies. Bed rest is not fun. My back is beyond killing me, my neck is a mess, the progesterone makes me break out in a nasty cold sweat nightly, contraction meds give you heartburn like no other, my shoulders and hips already hurt, and I can definitely feel more pressure down there when I get up since I'm down all the time now. But, bring on the misery!! We are sooo blessed by this pregnancy. Although our situation is stressful, it could be much, much worse. So glad they didn't decide to come last week!! We will do WHATEVER it takes to get these babies here safely. Taking it one day at a time...small victories are awesome too!

A quick Peeps pic after a super quick bathroom run! Yummy!

Thanks for all of your prayers, comments and concern! We appreciate it oodles! 

Home glorious home!

Fantastic news!! My cervix hasn't continued to shorten and the contractions have stayed stopped with the meds! So lucky, we were really terrified. My doctor and specialist are really pleased with how well I'm responding to the medications, so I was able to come home this afternoon to my own bed! It surprised us all. Was already in so much pain from that dang hospital bed, my bed feels like a cloud! Here's to getting more than 9 hours of sleep over the next five days, ha ha! Exhausted doesn't even remotely describe how we feel. I'm seriously delirious. I will have to post all about the hospital stay later, currently don't have the energy. Sooo grateful for my mom and hubby and all of their help! My sweet momma is here to help for two weeks, maybe more. We're soo lucky! It's strict bedrest for several weeks, and a follow up cervical ultrasound on Monday. Please say a prayer for the babies, we really hope my cervix doesn't continue to thin out! Stay in there sweet babies, you're exactly where we want you!

Finally home, hoping it stays that way!

Hospital pics...
 Caught Claire sucking on her thumb!!! Melts our hearts!

Beautiful flowers from our hometeacher and wife!

 Belly monitors GALORE! Sooo sore from all of the monitoring, pushing and prodding.

 Bombed on magnesium sulfate drip, ha ha. Such brutal stuff but a definite lifesaver!! Grateful for modern technology and medicine.

 Profile pic of Cameron!! So cute!

Scary!!! Claire's heart re-check turns into hospital stay - shortening cervix & contractions

On Monday we had Claire's heart re-check at the high risk office. Everything on her, as well as Cameron, came back fantastic! She already weighs in at 1.4 lbs and Cameron is 1.7 lbs. As we were getting ready to leave, I was really impressed upon that I should have the tech measure my cervix, just to be safe. It had shortened from a 4.4 to a 3 over the recent months. So grateful that I had them check, total blessing!! My cervix had shortened again Monday, went from a 3.03 last month to a 1.9 when contracting. And to a 2.23 when not contracting. I had no idea I was even having contractions, but they were 5-6 mins apart! When arriving at the hospital, I was immediately given steroid shots for the babies lungs, put on a magnesium sulfate drip and another med to stop the contractions and relax the uterus. It has done its job thank goodness! It made me extremely ill and dizzy but so very grateful for it. We are now just worried about my funneling /partially dilating cervix at the top. And Claire is sitting right on it with her cute little buttcheeks. Praying it stops shortening, these little babies need to stay put for at least two to three more weeks before we are out of the "very scary zone". We are terrified but staying hopeful! Both babies look and measure great, and aren't under any stress. In fact they're giving the nurses heck, ha ha. They were so wiggly that it took four nurses almost THREE hours to locate their heart beats Monday night. SUCH wiggly babies!!! Cameron is such a stinker. But that's good, active is best.

I will update when we know more, waiting to hear back from my doc and a specialist as to if hospital bedrest is still best route for now, or if strict bedrest at home with same meds will be ok. Thanks for your love and support! We are so grateful for this amazing high risk labor and delivery dept, this hospital, great doctors, and our adorably funny and amazing nursing staff! Makes hard times so much more doable! I've held it together so far, I know a break down is inevitable but we are hanging in there :) Here's some pictures. Just missing some with my doc and my favorite nurses Katie and Christina. I was so goofy and sick on the magnesium that I forgot to remember to take more pictures, ha ha.

 Hanging out in the world's MOST uncomfortable hospital bed, but staying positive! Stay away contractions!

24 weeks (viability week!)- Adorable faces, meat & babies that already keep me up!

I will be 24 weeks tomorrow...the week of viability!! That means if the babies were born this early on that they could possibly have a chance of surviving. It's not a great chance because their little lungs aren't ready for prime time yet, but what a milestone and a relief to make it to this point! We have never gotten this far! But, we definitely want them to stay put. Being born this early would mean they would spend months in the NICU and very possibly have long term health problems :( I will be able to breathe easier once I hit 34 weeks, since 36 is full term. So glad my doctor delivers at and that our insurance covers us at the hospital near us with a Level 3 maternity ward. We should be in good hands should the babies come earlier than expected!

The twinnies are now the size of a corn cob! Babies grow at different rates of course, but that's anywhere from 8.5 to 12 inches long. So cool! They also each weigh at least 1.5 pounds now. Both of these stats definitely explain why I can feel them SO much more now. I am absolutely loving life right now, this is SUCH a fun stage in pregnancy!! I am constantly giggling, saying "woah!", and smiling at their crazy little twists and punches. I may not be able to get out of bed very easily anymore ha ha, but it is so comforting to feel these little piglets move around so much. The first part of pregnancy is scary, you have no idea if they're still ok in there! But when they start moving it's so neat and reassuring. Their precious little faces are now fully formed...complete with eyebrows, eyelashes and head hair! Though their lovely locks (or bald peach fuzz, he he) are most likely white since there's no pigment yet, it's still SO fun to think of them having hair on their tiny heads! Cameron and Claire should be gaining a steady 6 ounces per week now. Their somewhat baggy and red skin will start to plump up more as they pack on those fat deposits and as their little bones and muscles continue to grow. I LOVE my multiples book. Below are pictures of the approx sizes of the babies' heads and little tootsies right now. How adorable!! Head circumference is approx 9 inches (a tangerine), and abdominal circumference is approx 8 inches. The pictures really make it neat and easier to visualize, they have much larger heads than I was expecting for 24 weeks! And our babies haven't been measuring smaller than normal, so I bet these stats are pretty accurate for them.

Remember, click on the pictures if you can't see them well.

I never thought this day would come, but I am loving meat again!! So crazy! The sight, smell, taste and even the mere thought of preparing it over the last few months made me ill. That started to slowly change about 3-4 weeks ago. But now I am realllly craving burgers, tuna more often, steaks, chicken, more lunch meats, etc. I even ate a hot dog with sauerkraut and mustard on it for dinner last night (hot dogs are ok as long as they're cooked very well)! For Valentine's Day weekend we went and ate at our favorite bbq place, Rudy's. I was so full of brisket, sausage, yummy coleslaw and potato salad by the time we left that I could have popped. Soo yummy! I read in my multiples book awhile back that in the 1st trimester it's important to get your folic acid of course, 2nd trimester is calcium, and the 3rd is protein. So it makes sense, the babies need lots of protein to grow strong right now. My intense love for green salad has definitely lessened, though I still eat them :) Still constantly craving juices, bananas, potatoes, and apples though. Last week I went to Fry's and bought 2 big jugs of apple juice, 2 things of orange juice, and some V8 vegetable juice. The cashier said, "Wow, that's a lot of juice! Do you have little kids at home?" I replied, "Nope, pregnant with twins and I go through juice like it's water." She said, "That explains it!" Ha ha. But seriously, I am a juice monster...

I know I already mentioned how much I love feeling these two verrry wiggly little babies, but it is seriously just plain crazy sometimes, ha ha. I have been woken up several times lately, or not able to go back to sleep for hours because of their little belly parties, ha ha. I don't care at all and think it's so cute, but it still just amazes me that I can feel them SO well. There are parts of my uterus that I have never been consciously aware of until now that's for sure, lol. Cameron is very active late at night still and Claire in the very early mornings. Both wiggle about an hour after meals as well, food time! Anyways, my belly is quite the party zone. I read that you feel your baby move the most between weeks 24 and 28. But, I have a feeling that it's going to last longer than that with twins because it started much sooner, ha ha. Or maybe it'll end sooner? Who knows. Granted they will be more squished than a single baby because there are still 2 heads, 4 legs and 4 arms in there to wiggle around after all, ha ha. We can't wait to kiss those little feet, hands and heads that are banging around in there!! And, after another few weeks, the babies' chances of survival outside the womb go way up. We hope they decide to cook until 36 weeks though, that's full term. Not far away at all! Yay May 15th!! However, we are aware that 60% of women deliver twins before that. The average is 34 weeks.

 We have another appointment with the high risk office on Monday! We are so excited to see them again. So glad Blakey gets to come with me again. The babies both weighed about 12 ounces last time we were there (1/25), so we are curious to see what Monday's scan results will bring :) We are having to go back in because we weren't able to see Claire's heart very well last time. She refused to quit standing on her head, so the tech couldn't get the pictures and measurements she needed. Hoping they both cooperate this time around since they have both switched positions since then. And maybe even have moved again ha ha, been feeling lots of twisting in there! We love you little ninja babies!!

The best LDS infertility article I've ever read! - "Learning to cope with infertility." by Carolynn Spencer

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/06/learning-to-cope-with-infertility?lang=eng

"Each person’s story is unique, but I have a testimony that miracles do happen—even if they don’t happen in the way we hope for or expect. I know that we can find peace in the scriptures, in prayer, in the temple, and in the words of the prophets. We have a loving Heavenly Father who will help us. He will strengthen us to meet our challenges if we put our trust in Him and in His timing."
Carolynn Spencer

"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude."
Joseph B. Wirthlin

SO many great things were mentioned in this article, but the two above quotes were my absolute favorites. Everyones story IS different, and that is a good thing. We can learn a lot from others trials. And, the second quote is so true and really spoke to me. Our first baby Cannon was called back home way too soon, and the miscarriage broke our hearts. But, the Lord did bless us a hundredfold with precious twins afterward, and an even stronger marriage. Twins were more than we ever dared hope for.

So many people suffer with infertility, and unfortunately most avoid seeking support out of fear or embarrassment. I hope that this article may comfort even just one person, because I felt so impressed upon to share it. I cried like a baby while reading it and felt the spirit strongly. So many similar things to our own infertility story. We were told we would never be able to have children after our failed IVF cycle in 2008. It took me many years as well to finally put my faith COMPLETELY in the Lord's hands and his timing. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but we were greatly blessed for it. It's human nature to want to control things, and we feel so helpless when we can't. We were beyond devastated after losing Cannon, our souls literally hurt. But, we remained faithful (by some miracle! - not really a miracle, the Lord was right by our side, as was family!) and are expecting healthy twins in May! If you would have told me nine years ago, or even last March when we lost Cannon, that this is how things were going to turn out for us, you could have knocked me over with a feather. And, I would have probably laughed hysterically at you in disbelief.

I am so grateful for the wonderful examples in my life, that I decided to start a blog (shockingly therapeutic and fun!), for the support system that Blake and I have, for our amazingly selfless donor couple, and especially for our a God, our Heavenly Father. Though I cried many nights, and thought & cursed many things that I am not proud of...I am so grateful that he didn't give up on us and that we didn't give up on him. There aren't words for how thrilled we are to be expecting a sweet baby girl AND baby boy in 3 short months. We have been through SO much. There were times when we thought that we just couldn't go on and didn't know where to turn. Having hope seemed pointless and wasted. Now, we feel unbelievably blessed. 

I know I've said this a million times, but even though things didn't turn out how we had originally planned, it all worked out. I think all this pain will feel worth it when we lay eyes on these precious babies! Every tear and heartache is leading up to this miraculous event, our very own and special plan from God! I now cry tears of gratitude, and often. Goodbye tears of utter heartbreak! Hang in there fellow infertile-ites...cry, pray, yell, go to the temple, start an infertility blog or support group on facebook, find comfort in the scriptures, stay home on Mother's Day Sunday, serve others, get a pet, find fun and new date night ideas, take time to grieve, take a vacation, get a new hair cut or color, or be brave and tell someone about your struggle with infertility (you can do it!)...whatever will ease your pain and help cope with this trial. You never know who else is suffering and also needs a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to JUST listen! 

The Lord has not forgotten you, I promise. Things WILL happen when and how they're supposed to. Though those words used to absolutely INFURIATE me (because I wanted "our time" to have been like several stinkin' years ago!), they are very true. And unfortunately, it takes awhile to fully accept it. Because we didn't give up, because we finally leaned COMPLETELY on the Lord, and because of the amazing prompting that I received from the Lord (the dream that started this whole adventure), we now have the below picture to happily and gratefully share. Not trying to sound holier than thou, just want to express how blessed we are by not giving up. I NEVER thought this could be ME you guys! I couldn't even picture myself pregnant. Don't lose hope friends. Yay for Embryo Adoption and for great blessings from the Lord when the time is right!!! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

So grateful for my two handsome Valentine's, and for the two little loves on the way! I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Blake, Blake loved his truffles and cologne, and Slinky is obsessed with the little lovebug I got him at Dollar Tree :) He has only chewed off an antenna and four legs so far, can't believe it isn't shredded yet, ha ha! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend filled with those you love. Can't wait to dress the twinnies up in adorable valentine outfits next year!!

23 weeks - Gender recheck, check up & baby kicks!

I had a check up with Dr. O today, the twinnies still look absolutely perfect!! Their hearts sounded great and both are still very active. Especially baby boy Cameron. We were able to see well on the portable room monitor today, yay! The babies are now big enough to see better on it...Cameron is defffinitely a Cameron, ha ha! Dr. O said, "Wow, he's not shy at all is he?! Definitely a boy, as you can see." Lol. And, we were able to tell that Claire is still a Claire! Baby A is the one we weren't really sure on because of the cord between the legs and bad positioning, but she's definitely a baby girl. So, we are for sure getting one of each! :) I have a follow up appointment with the high risk office in 11 days, so they can triple confirm. But Dr. O was quite sure on their genders today!

Still can't believe these cute balloons are OURS!!

They have both switched positions again! They're back to making a T...T is for twins, ha ha! Cameron went from breech (head up) to transverse (sideways), and she went from head down to breech. So she completely flipped around. Would explain the new twisty and weird feelings that I had earlier this week :) He said the reason that I've felt so much movement at the top of my belly this week is because of their new positions. I've got Cameron full body up there, plus Claire's little noggin and arms now. Not sure which way he is turned, so they could be bonking noggins, or he could be kicking her in the head, ha ha. Dr. O said if they don't move much from now on to plan on a c-section. But, we are still rooting for them to both turn head down so I can deliver naturally. He's really wanting me to have a quicker and more pleasant recovery so that I can better care for the babies. But we shall see how things turn out :)

Tiny heartbeats!

I do another glucose test at my visit next month. It's fruit punch flavored this time instead of orange. Hoping my levels come back good again, still eating healthy. I am feeling pretty dang good even though I'm getting bigger quickly. So grateful that the round ligament pain is rare now a days! I tire easy, but that's normal. I've only gained 10 lbs total so far, 20-25 is normal for twins. But I've got some extra "fluff", ha ha, so weight gain isn't as quick usually? Twins definitely suck the food out of you faster than you can eat it, ha ha. But Dr. O said I'm looking great. He said my 5 month twin belly is equivalent to a woman (with one baby) at 7 months. He said I will look full term in about 3 weeks, and then "it's into twin belly territory after that." Ha ha! Made me laugh. He also said to not worry about my cervix shortening a little, for now. We aren't going to worry unless it gets down to a 2. He said fluctuation is normal because of the extra pressure from a twin pregnancy. There is an extra baby, extra placenta and twice the amniotic fluid in there after all. Explains my early back pain also. Love my growing belly and wiggly wiggly babies!! Sorry for all the selfies in bathrooms, Blake works the late shift...

A bigger belly!

Monday night was very exciting!! After our date at Red Robin (yay for gift cards for Christmas!), baby boy was verrry active. He had never kicked that hard before, he must have enjoyed the insanely delicious chicken sandwich and fries as much as I did, he he. Blake and I had redboxed Goosebumps afterwards and were watching it when he started bouncing around, so I paused the movie really quick and put Blake's hand on my belly. Cameron kicked super hard several times, Blake's face was priceless! I wish I could have gotten a picture SOO bad. I think he is finally 100% convinced that there are in fact little babies in there, ha ha. It's still very surreal for me sometimes too, but our men don't get to experience everything like we do, so it's a different experience for them. He said with a huge smile on his face, "Holy crap, there's a little monster in there! It feels like he's doing alligator rolls!" I think it made this pregnancy much more fun for him, was so cute to see him feeling my belly. It's so fun to be able to feel Cameron kick outside my belly now. Felt baby girl outside my belly for the first time yesterday as well! I can feel Claire move mostly at night, but her movements aren't as crazy. Some of what I thought was him was actually her because of their new positions though. It's hard to tell with twins sometimes. He's more active during the day it seems. But both are verrry wiggly from about 7pm to 11pm lately though, probably because of dinnertime. Cameron was so wiggly the other night that it woke me up! I was so surprised. But definitely a pleasant wake up! It's so exciting for me to be able to feel them moving so much everyday, it makes me randomly cry happy tears, ha ha. I still can't believe we are so lucky! YAY FOR HEALTHY BABIES!!!

22 weeks - Eyelashes, a picture frame & new clothes!

This week the twins are the size of a spaghetti squash, and weigh approximately a pound each! Maybe a little more. They now can perceive light even though their eyelids are still sealed. The twins now have a developed sense of touch, and are also growing adorable eyelashes, eyebrows, and possibly even some head hair! Even though I am carrying these sweet babies, they're technically adopted. So, it's very exciting for us to imagine what they're going to look like...hair, eyes, facial features, tootsies, everything...we have no clue! The day they're born is going to be sooo exciting in so many ways! Thinking of them having little eyelashes now just makes my day though, I think that's so cute! Their sense of hearing is definitely in place, they were wiggling away to some Gary Alan and Sammy Kershaw on Pandora while I showered this morning, he he! They're atleast 8 inches long now, and their mostly red skin will start to turn normal colored after they pack on some fat deposits over the next several weeks. I'm excited for our next appointment even though it's just a check up with my regular OB, because I love to hear their little heartbeats. 

I'm starting to have a really hard time getting up off the couch after laying down. I grunt and swing my legs and arms to the side to get momentum. Blake gets a kick out of it, ha ha, and helps me when he's home. I need a rope attached to my ceiling though I think, lol. But I lovvve my growing belly! I didn't realize how big it has gotten lately until I sent the below pics to my sisters, ha ha. The babies are very active, which I love. So, that's reassuring on days when I'm like are you guys still ok in there?! :) I can't help but still worry that something may go wrong. I'm absolutely terrrrified of going into premature labor because they wouldn't survive outside the womb at this age. But, the babies are doing great and my cervix measured 3.03 at my last high risk visit. So nothing to worry about for now, even though it was 4.4 in November. They said fluctuations are normal. If it measured a 1, then we can all freak the heck out, ha ha. Dr. O says a lot of women pregnant with twins end up on bedrest the last two months of pregnancy, so we are hoping I'm not one of them. That's just over a month away, yikes! Going by so fast! Anyways, other than getting over being sick with a nasty cold and extra tired, I'm feeling pretty decent. I'm back to not sleeping great, and eating really small meals though. My growing uterus is squishing my stomach upward, it's weird how you can totally feel it. I eat small amounts and feel extremely full, but I'm still hungry. My multiples book says I will experience things like this about 2 months sooner than women pregnant with one baby. So the horrible back pain is right on time also, lol. Oh how I love my Sunbeam heat pad!! It has become a nightly routine now, sometimes I use it a few times a day if I overdo it with house work or laundry.

Babies belly at 22 weeks! I love how more round it's getting. I look like I'm just about due, lol.

My sweet parents bought me some cute maternity clothes, thanks Mom and Dad!! So, I decided to model some for you since Jcpenney didn't mind me trying them on before I left the store with my online order. Soo nice that I didn't have to waddle back incase something didn't fit :) I haven't documented my growing belly as much as I would have liked, so I guess you get a belly overload this post :) Hooray for Planet Motherhood! They're one of the few brands that make affordable plus sized maternity clothes. 

Lastly, I finally bought a baby sonogram frame! I've been waiting 9 long years to have one of these sitting on my end table! It may seem silly, but it's very special to me to finally have one of these. This is the only shot I have with both babies in it. It's from October so you can't see them well but that's ok :) Baby A (girl) is full body in the front with her foot sticking up, and Baby B (boy) is in the sac behind her. All you can see is his little foot sticking up, he he. It's one of my favorite sonograms. I'm thinking that I'm going to look as big as the mommy in the frame by the time these two get here, ha ha :) Yay for big twin bellies!

21 weeks - Lively babies and meat!

The twinners are each the size of a large banana this week! They are moving A LOT more, it's soo fun! I can most often feel baby boy at the top, he's QUITE lively :) I swear he enjoys headbutting my belly button, he he. I felt him outside my tummy for the first time the other night! Now everytime I have Blake try to feel, Cameron immediately stops, ha ha. Little stinker. He especially wiggles after I eat bananas, have an occasional rootbeer (just barely able to tolerate carbonation), or chug some apple juice. Did you know that the babies have been swallowing amniotic fluid for awhile now, and that their newly developed taste buds can now taste things that I eat via their fluid? So cool! Guess he likes what I'm eating. I can feel baby girl's lighter movements way down low in the center and off to the side but not as often. He's more active during the day and I can feel her better at night. Already on opposite schedules...great. Just kidding! Babies at this stage sleep 12 to 14 hours a day, much like a newborn. They still wiggle and twitch while sleeping, so most people don't know that they sleep that much. 

I've finally gained a few pounds, 4 total. Still under my pre-treatment weight though. Thinking it's water weight because my face looks a little more full but that's the only difference. Or maybe I'm just able to get more of my own food nutrients now? Twins really suck it out of you. So happy they're healthy! I'm almost able to eat 3 medium sized meals plus a couple snacks now. Can't overdue it or indigestion strikes and stays for HOURS though. Yuck. One of the many joys of having way slower digestion during pregnancy...and double the hormones from two placentas. All misery is welcomed though, so grateful for these little babies!! Meats are finally starting to sound somewhat appetizing...which is amazing because they've completely disgusted me until now. Smell, sight, taste, etc. Big time gross! Breakfast sausage still makes me feel yucky usually so I avoid it, but I can now stand burger sometimes and was able to eat some delicious brisket, turkey and sausage at our favorite bbq place last week. It was sooooooooooooooo delicious! Still shocked that I was able to eat brisket!

Sadly I've got my first cold since being pregnant. First cold in a long while actually. Not fun. Allergies have gone bonkers. Missing being able to take Nyquil for sure, ha ha! But for now it's saline nose spray, warm showers, lots of sleep (if I can stop coughing), and salt water gargling...gotta keep our little piglets safe! Blake got over it pretty quick, so hopefully I will too. I sound like a chain smoking frog though :'(

We can't wait for our next appointments on the 11th and 22nd! Really hoping baby girl will cooperate this time! Especially on the 22nd, so that we know she's for sure a girl before my baby shower, ha ha. The tech was pretty sure, but it never hurts to be realllly sure...

I feel too cruddy for pictures and have been living in jammies even more since I've been sick, so I will have to post a fun belly picture later and be a bum for now.

20 weeks - Growing babies, belly, twin's names & letting it all sink in!

Well, it's finally starting to sink in guys!! I thought I would have been a blubbery mess all day Monday after finding out our sweet babies' genders, but I only got a little teary during the ultrasound. I was shocked. SOO happy to finally know that I couldn't cry I guess?! So, I was waiting for the water works to start after waking up the day after, but still nothing. It felt more like I was in the twilight zone because it's all still too good to be true, ha ha. But, it finally caught up with me Tuesday night! I was sorting through clothes trying to see what shirts and dresses still fit, and I just started bawling out of nowhere. Blake called upstairs to me to see what I was doing because I had been up there for awhile...and I was like, "oh, I'm just crying and trying on clothes." Ha ha! He came up and was like wait what?! He was relieved to hear it was happy tears though, lol, and gave me a big, long hug :) So grateful and happy that we have these precious little babies to look forward to this summer! Eternally grateful to our anonymous donor couple, my wonderful parents, and everyone at our fertility center (right down to the receptionist) that made this all possible! We so badly needed this. We have waited so long to be expecting and able to make a gender announcement. My heart (and sanity) couldn't have taken infertility for much longer, or another pregnancy loss. Same for Blake. It's just as hard on them, though they don't show it as well because they're trying to be strong for us ladies. We love these littles so much already! Neither of us cared what the genders turned out to be, but we are thrilled there is one of each! It just feels different now, like they're more of a little person or something because we know they're a boy and girl, ha ha. Not sure if that makes any sense, but they aren't just "the babies" any longer...we have a SON and DAUGHTER in MY belly! We never thought this day would arrive, though we still hoped it would.

Speaking of belly...it just keeps a growin! I love it!! I'm getting more uncomfortable and not sleeping as well, but I totally don't even care! My pregnancy app said the babies could weigh up to 10 ounces by the end of the 20th week, but they were actually already 12 on Monday. That is close to a pound each, so exciting! No wonder I'm growing so fast. We are so happy they're healthy and growing equally. Here's a picture of my baby belly in my favorite dress! I think I have decided that I'm going to start living in dresses...soo comfy. This print makes me look bigger than I am, but still so fun!

20 weeks 3 days 

At 20 weeks the babies are experiencing a lot of cool things. Not only are they starting to pack on the weight, possibly hiccupping and sucking their thumbs, but their reproductive systems are really getting into gear. Baby girl's uterus is already in place and her ovaries are holding over 7 million primitive eggs! Crazy! And, baby boy's testes are already headed to his scrotum. Usually there by 23 weeks. The body is an amazing thing!

I know I already mentioned that the tech was "pretty" sure about baby girl being a girl, and that they're going to reconfirm in a few weeks when they check her heart again (she wasn't positioned great on Monday and had some cord between her legs)...but for now, we are thrilled to welcome 

Cameron Blake 

and 

Claire Autumn

 It's so fun because I've had baby names picked out since I was a little girl, like 8 years old. Not kidding. I loved nothing more than naming my baby dolls, stuffed animals and other toys. Anyway, Cameron Blake was my number one boy name, always! So, it worked out great that I ended up marrying a Blake and that he loves the name Cameron too, ha ha. We both are in love with Claire and have waited SO long to use it. The pits about infertility is that your favorite names get snatched up by family or close friends :( Luckily this one didn't! We love the older, more elegant sounding names. I also really liked Afton, Scarlett, Evelyn and Vivian for girls. But Blake wouldn't go for it, ha ha. We think Claire is a beautiful name though. It's one that's adorable for her when she's itty bitty, and also beautiful for when she's older. So excited for our little Cam and Claire bear's arrival!!! And no, they aren't both C names just because they're twins, ha ha. We just happen to like a lot of C names :)

Thanks for all of your kind words and congratulations! So glad you follow us!

20 weeks - ANATOMY SCAN & GENDER REVEAL!!!

We had our 20 week anatomy scan today!!! First and most importantly, both babies still look absolutely perfect! Both are healthy, adorable, measured great, and all organs appear to be functioning properly. Recheck on Baby A's heart in 4 weeks, wasn't positioned well. The ultrasound was amazing though!! Their hearts and brains were the most fun to see. It took longer than normal because we have two precious babies to check on, ha ha...but that just means twice the fun!! Being together and seeing their precious little faces on that big screen was beyond awesome. They have grown SO much since my last visit to the high risk office a couple of months ago. They're both weighing in at 12 ounces! Here's some quick info from today...

Baby A:

Heart rate - 155

Ultrasound fact - Usually very active and spread eagle, but was sleepy and didn't want to move at all today. Positioned head down still and was very low, so we only got a waving picture and a spine picture, ha ha.

Baby B:

Heart rate - 143

Ultrasound fact - Would not hold still! Usually calm. So happy we got a precious profile picture of one of them atleast. Positioned breech. Got a cool terminator eyeball shot, lol. Lens of the eye was reflecting :) Blake said, "Hey look! Our embryos got some upgrades." Lol!

Secondly, we were FINALLY able to find out the genders of the twins!!! So grateful to my mom and baby sister for surprising us and coming to town to celebrate with us! It meant the world to me, my family rocks!! Our hearts are so full they could just explode. We are SO happy and excited for these littles to get here! Finding out their genders made it SO much more real. What a special moment! We are still in shock that we finally know, ha ha...

Ok, ok, here we go! We have waited SOOOO LONG to make this announcement! So, without further ado...below are the twins genders!!! Congrats to those who guessed right on the poll :) Mommy was wrong, Daddy was right!

BABY A

Tech was pretty sure on baby girl, she had some cord between her legs though and wasn't positioned great today.

BABY B

Sure on baby boy, he was positioned well.

Other fun pictures!
Remember, if you can't see the pictures well, just click on them. Sadly, lighting wasn't great..

What will the babies be?! - Don't forget to vote, here's some fun facts that may help you decide!

 If you haven't already, cast your vote now! Time is running out soon. The poll is located in the top right corner of the blog, above the sandy snowflake picture. You can even change your vote if you would like!

Here are some fun facts about our babies and I that may help you decide. Remember, our cute little twinners are NOT identical! Some are firm believers in old wives tales, some aren't...here ya go.

Baby A

- Had Placenta Previa in 1st trimester, now just a low lying placenta

- Usually measures a little bit smaller

- Closest to the exit

- Almost always has a higher heart rate

- Crazy dancer, very active

- Doesn't like to hide, usually spread eagle

- Looks right at us at almost every ultrasound

Baby B

- Located at the top of the baby basket

- Likes to hide/curl up, seems more shy

- More sleepy during ultrasounds

- Slower heart rate usually

- Usually measures a little bit bigger

- Sometimes will bust crazy moves

- I feel this baby move more often

Mommy
- Very bloated, from the very beginning
- SEVERE morning sickness, started only two days after the embryo transfer
- Heartburn was worst in 1st trimester, not bad for now
- Not carrying really low
- Have had few headaches
- Tummy is growing mostly outward, not so much horizontally (wide)
- TERRIBLE pregnancy brain
- Not extremely emotional (for there being two!)
- Freezing all the time, I know it's weird
- Very dry skin, especially hands, sides, feet and face
- Not breaking out, clear skin
-Smell of meats usually disgusts me, not craving sweets either
- Haven't gained any weight, actually have lost
- Craving apples, green salads, veggies, orange & apple juices, yogurt and potatoes

Are we getting boys, girls, or one of each?!?!

Photocredits: Etsy.com