Hawaii Vacation- 2008

We are home from Hawaii!!! It was a long and fabulous vacation but we are happy to be home and ready to get back to real life. We have so many things to look forward to in the New Year! Here are a few of our photos!

Update

Steph's OB appointment was great yesterday. Both babies are doing well and had great heartbeats!!! Steph was able to schedule our level 2 ultrasound and her next OB appointment together so Darin and I could attend both. We hope to find out the genders of our little ones on Friday, January 9, 2009! Big sisters, Hannah and Olivia will be going with us to celebrate that day. Hannah is hoping for two girls and Olivia doesn't have a preference, they are both excited!

We are still in Hawaii and are hoping our flights on Saturday get delayed a few days. It's so relaxing here. We went to a great beach this morning, the kids played in the water and built a sandcastle. We are going to our first Luau tonight, I think both the girls will be mesmerized by the dancers. Hannah is at the movies right now with her Nana, Papa and cousins...I don't quite understand going to a movie while in Maui but at least I get to enjoy a little quiet time completely by myself!

Back to Steph and my babies...the last craving I heard about was for onion rings. I hope Steph was able to satisfy everyone with a pile of onion rings. Steph has promised a belly picture so hopefully she'll deliver soon...maybe with a little begging from all of you (hint)!!!

I'll update more when we get home from this glorious vacation (I'm still in denile that I have to go back to temperatures below 0...it's 85 here today)!

OB Appointment

Steph had a great OB appointment today...except for the one hour wait (how dare people go into labor during her appointment)!!!

Steph grew 3 cm since her last visit, my babies are getting big fast! Dr. Richman was able to find both babies' heartbeats on the Doppler very easily today! Baby A's heartbeat was 140bpm and Baby B's heartbeat was 145bpm!

I'll be in Hawaii during our next appointment but I'll try to update everyone assuming I can spare 5 minutes off the beach!

16 Weeks

Our twins are 16 weeks today!!! Here's some information on how they are growing. In the next few weeks, the twins will double their weights and add inches to their lengths. Right now, they are about the size of an avocado each. 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. Their legs are much more developed, their heads are more erect than they have been, and their eyes have moved closer to the front of their heads. Their ears are close to their final positions, too. The patterning of their scalps have begun, though their locks aren't recognizable yet. They've even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside their little bodies as well. For example, their hearts are now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as the twins continue to develop.

Steph has an OB appointment tomorrow so I'll update with all that good info soon!

Ultrasound photos - 13 weeks 6 days

Here are the latest ultrasound pictures of our twins. They were taken at 13 weeks and 6 days.

Baby A...it looks like this baby is picking her/his nose.
Baby A's legs and feet!

Baby B's profile!

Reflections...Waiting for Our Fertilization Report and Our Transfer

Reflections...Waiting for Our Fertilization Report and Our Transfer

My primary nurse, Anne, promised us that she would call the day after my retrieval with our fertilization report. I was a nervous wreck but Darin was very confident that everything would work out for us this time. For me it was a very long wait because at the time I was a teacher and school was out for the summer so I really had nothing to occupy my time. It was really easy to let my imagination get the best of me and only think of the worst possibilities. It’s easy to do when you have no control over the situation. When Anne called late that afternoon I was so nervous so I got very quiet. She went on to tell me that everything looks good for transfer and blah, blah, blah. Everything she was saying was great but I really just wanted to hear a number and she finally told us the news we’d been waiting to hear…13 of my 17 eggs fertilized!!!! Hearing the news was such a relief, I think I actually started jumping up and down in celebration. After my mini celebration Anne told me that she would call the following day for our next update. We still had two more days of waiting before our transfer. I called Darin at work to share our happy news and we went out to dinner that night to celebrate the fact that we had successfully jumped through another hoop. It didn’t matter that we still had a million more to go, we were so happy about this victory. The next day was filled with the same excruciating waiting. 5 minutes felt like hours to me. Our little embryos still had so much growing to do before transfer and it was hard not to worry about them. Only another person who has been through IVF knows this kind of pain. Anne finally called that afternoon and told me that all of our embryos were still growing and dividing perfectly! She said our transfer was scheduled for the next day and that she was going to call our Gestational Carrier, Lisa, to give her the information! As soon I got off the phone I got back on to call Darin and share our news. Our transfer was the next day, July 3rd 2004 at 7:45 a.m.

OB Appointment

Steph had her OB appointment this afternoon. Dr. Richman couldn't find the babies' heartbeats on the Doppler so they took Steph back for an ultrasound. Both babies look great! Baby A had a heart rate of 152 and Baby B had a heart rate of 145. Steph called me during the ultrasound so I could listen to everything. It was awesome, I got to hear both heartbeats. Steph had to finish her OB appointment after her ultrasound so she'll call me with the rest of the info later. Our family is off to visit friends for Thanksgiving so I'll update the rest later. I'll also post the ultrasound pictures as soon as I receive them.

Reflecting back on my Egg Retrieval

Reflecting back on my Egg Retrieval

Darin and I arrived at our clinic at 8:30 a.m on June 30th, my retrieval was scheduled for 9 a.m. My mom accompanied us because Darin needed to head to work after my procedure. The nurse set me up with a paper gown and hat and prepped me for surgery. Just before surgery I had to go to the bathroom to empty my bladder. I said goodbye to my mom and Darin and was wheeled into the operating room. The operating room was small and just had one door and a window that attached to the IVF lab. I was transferred over to the operating table to get started. There were two nurses, the Embryologist, the anesthesiologist and Dr. Ryan (my reproductive embryologist – the one taking my eggs from my body) in the operating room. The nurse had a very difficult time finding a vein for my IV. This always happens to me, I have invisible veins. Most nurses try several needles on me and then end up using a butterfly needle (the ones made for babies) because they can’t find a big vein. A few minutes after the nurse got the IV in my anesthesiologist gave me some sedation drugs and I was out. I only remember how bad the sedation drug stung going all the way up my arm and into my chest.
When I woke up in the recovery area I was very groggy but anxious to hear how many eggs my doctor was able to retrieve. Darin came in and told me the great news…we got 17 eggs!!! My doctor was very optimistic about the maturity of my eggs and thought that most of them would fertilize. The nurse came in to offer me crackers and Gatorade. I was starving because I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything after 8:00 p.m the night before so drank an entire bottle of Gatorade and stuffed the crackers in my mouth as quickly as possible. I still felt very bloated and huge, doctor Ryan said it would take a few days for all the swelling to go down and for my ovaries to return to their normal sizes. It was such a relief to have my part done and to know that my eggs were out and being fertilized with Darin’s sperm! After my retrieval I went home with my mom and Darin went to work. I had to stay with my mom until Darin could come pick me up. When I wasn’t sleeping I was chugging Gatorade and peeing…peeing a lot. I had to flush my system out.
Darin picked me up that night after work and we reflected on my retrieval and the whole experience that day. He told me all about his experience too. He had to give a fresh sample at the same time my eggs were being retrieved. From Darin's description of the room I'd say that the movies have this aspect of IVF correct, the room was fully equipped with movies and magazines. Darin also let me know that PFC (our IVF clinic) really needs to change the layout of their facility because the special man room is placed right next to the waiting room. Apparently my mom was in the waiting room talking very loudly. Poor Darin had to perform under some serious pressure. Thankfully he was able to block my mom out and focus.
Just before we left that day Dr. Ryan said that the clinic would call everyday before our transfer to give us our fertilization report so we anxiously waited for our phone call.
It's amazing to think that Hannah, Olivia and our twins were all created that day...June 30, 2004.

12 Weeks...YAY!!!

Today I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders...we are finally 12 weeks pregnant. This is such a happy milestone!!! I read my "pregnancy weekly" email and book today and here are the details of what is happening with our twins this week. They now have REFLEXES. Our babies' fingers will soon begin to open and close, their toes will curl, their eye muscles will clench, and their mouth will make sucking movements. Their kidneys will begin excreting urine into their bladder. When I read all these things about our babies I just feel in awe, creating life is such an amazing process...it truly is a miracle. I also read that our babies are about the size of a lime now and they weigh half an ounce.

On a side note...The babies in my ticker are so cute now, they are all bunched up in the fetal position and seem to have some hair. I also want to point out that my ticker is now out of the 200's...Yay!!! We are getting closer!

Reflecting Back on Stimming for my Egg Retrieval

I started this blog mainly for my children. At the end of this journey I'm going to print out each post and make a book for my kids. It's extremely important to me that each one know exactly how they came into the world and made our family. So I'm going to take a few posts to reflect back on my stimming process, my egg retrieval, and on each embryo transfer. If it were't for any of those things none of my kids would be here today. So I'll start my "Reflection" posts now!!!

Reflecting Back on Stimming for my Egg Retrieval

When I think back to June 2004, I get a little teary eyed…At that time I had no idea what my future mommy status would be. I still can’t believe that Darin and I are going to have 4 children. I started my stimulation drugs on June 19th to start my egg production. It was both a very exciting and frightening day. Darin was a little scared to give me my first dose of Follistim and Repronex (that’s right two different shots) but I was down right panicked. Needles are not my friend so I was sobbing and at one point Darin was chasing me around the house with the first needle. It’s really funny to think about now but at the time it wasn’t funny at all. We had been through this process once before and had failed so this was our second attempt, which made the whole process worse because we both knew exactly what to expect. I felt like a wimp after that first shot was over because it really didn’t hurt at all but I knew it wouldn’t I was really scared of failure again. We had to repeat the shots daily and go in for frequent ultrasounds to measure my follicles (each egg sits inside its own follicle). These are hormone injections so they come with some nasty side effects, I was a weepy mess…even commercials made me sob. At about day 5 of the injections I started to feel bloated, my ovaries were getting really big and uncomfortable. On day 7 I had another ultrasound and found that my follicles were measuring perfect so it was time to slow them down to give my eggs some time to mature. So I started Antigon that night, now I was taking three injections a night. I stayed on Antigon for a few days and on day 10 all my stim drugs stopped. It was time to take my final injection-the biggest, fattest, scariest injection of them all…my HCG trigger. The HCG trigger injection releases the eggs from the wall of the follicle so my doctor could go in and retrieve the eggs. Our retrieval was set for June 30, 2004 at 9:00a.m.

Our Nuchal Translucency Ultrasound

We had our Nuchal Translucency Ultrasound Test today. This test helps Dr. Richman (Steph's OB) assess our babies' risk of having Down syndrome. The ultrasound tech measured the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back of both our babies neck. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger than average.
The NT scan must be done when you're between 11 and 14 weeks pregnant. Our Ju-Ju Bees are 11 weeks 4 days today and both measured FAR BELOW the abnormal range. They both looked very healthy and BIG!!!
This is Baby A! Baby A was flipping like crazy today, doing a happy dance. I think she/he was happy to see mommy! She/he actually waved at me! This is a face on shot, you can she the skeletal structure really well. Baby A measured 12 weeks even today and had a heart rate of 160 BPM.
Baby B was very calm compared to Baby A. He/she woke up from a nap for a few seconds to say hi but not much movement out of Baby B. Baby B measured 11 weeks 6 days and had a heart rate of 156 BPM.
Steph is doing great and showing a little!!! Cyn you'll be happy to hear that she was craving a cheese burger today!

11 Weeks

According to Babycenter.com our babies are over 1.5 inches long and about the size of a fig!!! Steph says her tummy is protruding now, I can't wait to see her on Monday. I can just envision two little figs in there. Babycenter also said that their hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under their gums, and some of their bones are beginning to harden. They are also already busy kicking and stretching, and their tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. We have our next ultrasound on Monday and both the girls are going with me. Hannah can't wait to see "her babies"! I'll have to remember that description on Monday during our ultrasound because Hannah could definitely relate to that one, she loves any kind of ballet. I can just hear Hannah now talking to her friends saying...my babies are doing ballet in Stephanie's tummy.
Here's a photo of me, Steph and Darin (my DH), we were all deliriously happy after our 9 week ultrasound!

Our Family with our Family Pumpkins

Here we are last night just before Trick or Treating! We are with all of our pumpkins including our two baby pumpkins!Hannah and Olivia all decked out ready for trick or treating! Hannah is a Flamingo and Olivia is a Skunk! Our family of Pumpkins! I'm the mean one!
And one last photo of my little stinker!

Let's Celebrate!!!

Steph is finally done taking her shots!!! Last night was her last dose of Delestrogen and Progesterone...YAY!!!! This is huge...Steph has been on the injections since August 25th. She had to take the progesterone injection every night and the Delestrogen injection every Monday and Thursday. These hormone injections sustain the pregnancy until Steph's body realizes that it's pregnant and takes over on it's own...which happens around the 10th week of pregnancy...so it's a lot of injections. Her behind is very swollen, bruised and sore. We are just so happy to be passed this big milestone in our pregnancy!

Our 9 Week Ultrasound

Darin and I made the trip to IA today for our 9 week ultrasound, it's about a 4.5 hour drive each way so 9 hours total in the car but it's so worth it to get to see our adorable little babies! Both babies look wonderful! It was such a relief to see them immediately on the screen today, I just felt elated knowing that they are both doing so great. It's so difficult not to be able to feel the babies or feel sick because of the pregnancy or any other normal pregnancy symptoms, it makes me worry a lot. It makes these few times that Darin and I get to be an active part of the pregnancy so special. Steph does a wonderful job of keeping us updated on things and making us feel included. We didn't get to spend very much time with her today because she was working and we had to get back on the road but she called me immediately after we left her just because she was excited and wanted to talk to us some more, she's very sweet and sensitive to our needs.
This is a photo of both babies together. The ultrasound tech had a difficult time getting a photo of them together because they are getting so big. You can see Baby A's full body and Baby B's head. This is Baby A! Baby A is measuring 9 weeks even with a heartbeat of 160bpm. This is Baby B! Baby B is measuring 9 weeks 1 day with a heartbeat of 171bpm. We really need to come up with nicknames for them because I'm already getting tired of calling them Baby A and Baby B. Darin and I thought about nicknames today and came up with a few but are not completely sold on any of them...we need help. Any ideas? We like our Ju-Ju Bees for a combined name but they also need individual names.

9 Weeks

I don't have a book about twins but I read my singleton pregnancy book this morning and here are a few things happening with our babies this week. The babies are nearly an inch long — They are about the size of a grape(that is so tiny still)— and they weigh just a fraction of an ounce each now. They are starting to look more and more human(which is evident in my baby ticker, those babies are so darn cute). Their essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. The babies hearts finish dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do their tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Both babies organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. Their external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks...darn I really want to know now!

The most exciting thing happening this week is our ultrasound tomorrow so be on the watch for new photos of our twins!

3 More Days...

Until we see our babies again!

8 Weeks

Here's babycenters version of what's happening with our babies this week! "Your baby is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. His arms have lengthened, too, and his hands are now flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart. His knee joints have formed, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways."
Only 30 more weeks to go! Steph's doctor will induce her at 38 weeks since we are having twins. She made it that far last time with twins. I wonder how far her body would last if she wasn't induced...she's amazing!!
I decided to use this photo this week instead of the one with two babies because this photo is closer up and you see the baby's details better. Just image that there are two babies! I found this 3D ultrasound photo on babycenter also, the baby is 8 weeks along. It's cheeks are so adorable!!!

Feeling Pregnant

Steph is having all kinds of pregnancy symptoms lately. She's feeling nauseous...that's her "girl" symptom and she's getting headaches...that's her "boy" symptom. Since she's having both girl and boy symptoms she believes that we are having one of each...her symptom signs have never failed her before and she's had 5 previous pregnancies. We'll find out in January if her symptoms hold true for this pregnancy too.
She also reports that her pants are feeling snug and she's growing on top too! I love hearing all about her pregnancy symptoms, it makes me happy and feel secure that our babies are doing great!
This photo of Steph and I was taken right before our ultrasound. We were so nervous before our ultrasound and excited after our ultrasound that we forgot to take more photos...hopefully we'll remember next time.

Olivia's Reaction to Our News!

We finally got an opportunity to share our news with Olivia! We wanted to tell her when she was in a good mood. Olivia is going to be a great big sister after all she has a great role model in Hannah!

7 Weeks!

Here's what Babycenter has to say about 7 weeks! "Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry."

The floating babies in my baby ticker changed dramatically today, they are starting to look more and more like cute cuddly teddy bears! Our actual twins were so cute yesterday during the ultrasound, I already want to smother them in kisses!

Hannah's Reaction To Our Special News!

If you have trouble watching the video above you can also click on the link below to view the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imNTNC7Rs_U

It's TWINS!!!

Darin and I drove to IA this morning to go with Steph to our first ultrasound! We were so nervous and were just hoping to see one healthy baby heartbeat but we got the best surprise of our lives when we saw TWO beautiful babies and TWO beautiful heartbeats! Steph had it right all along, she just knew we would be having TWINS!!!
Both the babies are in this ultrasound photo! They both measured right on target at 6 weeks 4 days and they both have very strong heartbeats! This is TWIN A! Twin A's heart rate was 129bpm!
And this is TWIN B! Twin B's heart rate was 133 bpm!

6 Weeks

We are 6 weeks pregnant today...YAY!!! I receive weekly email updates about our baby's development from babycenter.com, here's what is happening with our baby this week!
"The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see your baby, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean." I will never look at a lentil bean the same again!

Steph has been having major cravings for Stoffers stove top stuffing and for peanut butter...yummy! She's keeping our little one happy!

Waiting is so hard

I'm dying to see our little one on the 8th, I can't wait to see the baby's little heartbeat. I really want to find out if we are expecting more than one this time. I'm so excited to show the ultrasound pictures to Hannah, she knows that we put our baby in Steph's tummy but she's already getting a little impatient...she wants the baby to come home now and she only wants the baby to be a girl. We've talked a lot about how the baby needs a long time to grow and get strong before he/she can live outside of Steph's tummy. We've also talked a lot about how we can't choose if the baby will be a boy or a girl and she will love the baby no matter what. She says she will love the baby but she only wants a boy if it comes with a girl. It will be so nice when we know the sex of this baby so we can help Hannah adjust.

I just noticed that the floating baby in one of my tickers has a heartbeat now...that is so cool!

2nd Beta-HCG Test

Steph had her second beta pregnancy test this morning and our number doubled perfectly...todays number was 221. We are so excited and definitely expecting another baby!!!! I think I'm still in shock and a little numb...it's just so hard to believe that Darin and I are going to parents of 3 kids. We struggled so hard to have one and now we are going to have 3, life is amazing!
Our first ultrasound will be on October 8th, we can't wait to see our baby!!!

Beta-HCG The Pregnancy Hormone

We officially got a positive pregnancy test today!!! Steph's HCG level was a 95, which is very strong with this early in the pregnancy. We are so excited and relieved...I think we can safely eliminate the triplet worries!!! Steph has to go get a second Beta-HCG test done on Saturday to make sure the number doubles...it should double every two days. So Saturdays number should be around 200. I'm keeping my guess the same...I think we are adding one baby girl to our family!

Our 3 embryos

Here's a first look at our embryos. These photos were taken just minutes before our transfer...Aren't they beautiful?!!!

BETA (otherwise known as a pregnancy test)

Steph goes in on Thursday, September 18 for our official pregnancy test (blood draw). The number has to be above 2 for it to be a positive test. Before Steph and I left CA we bought a few home pregnancy tests to take a few days before our official test. Steph has gotten several positive tests already so we know our beta number will be good.

Here are a few pictures of our positive home tests!

Transferring our Frozen Babes

Steph and I made our way to CA on September 7th for our transfer (technical term for putting our babies in her uterus). Our transfer was on September 8th at 11:30 pacific standard time...1:30p.m. central time. Steph had an unbelievably good uterine lining (19) so we all had a great feeling from the beginning! Our little embryos made it through the thaw, we only had to thaw 3 embryos to transfer 3 so we still have 2 waiting in the freezer. In order to survive the thawing process the embryos have to retain at least 50 percent of their original cells. Our embryos started with 7, 8 and 9 cells and retained 7, 5 and 6 of their original cells. They looked beautiful!!! We transferred our 3 little darlings to Steph and the wait was on.

Here are a few pictures of Steph and I during our trip!
This is Steph just minutes before our little babes were transferred into her care for the next 9 months!
The day after transfer we headed to Carmel for a relaxing walk on the beach. We also did the 17 mile drive...it is spectacular!

The beginning

Darin and I decided that we wanted to have another baby. We have 5 embryos left waiting for us in the deep freeze in CA and we just felt like our family wasn't complete without giving them a chance to join us. So we set out on our 3rd surrogacy journey looking for the perfect woman to help bring our baby into this world. It took a while to find her, but it was worth the wait...she's perfect for us! Her name is Stephanie and she lives in Iowa about 4 hours from us. She's been a surrogate before and delivered boy/girl twins for another Wisconsin family in 2007. She's very easy going and loves being pregnant...and she's really good at being pregnant too...she carried the twins until 38 weeks. She has 4 kids of her own, 3 boys and a girl. Elliott is 14, Isaiah is 12, Tannis is 9 and Soleil is 6. We are so excited to have Steph and her family join us in making another miracle for our family.