Tuesday, March 17, 2009
OB Appointment
Not much to report on today's OB appointment. Steph gained a pound. Emma's heart rate (B) was 140 and Ella's heart rate (A) was 130. Steph's cervix is closed. Her doctor will recheck her Iron level next week. She said today's appointment was pretty boring and uneventful.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Four and Curious...
Hannah recently turned four! Her birthdays are always a special time to remember and talk about her surrogate, Lisa. Hannah received a card from Lisa on her birthday and I said "this card is from the nice lady, Lisa, that carried you in her tummy when you were growing and getting ready for us." She just said "oh" and was too enamored with the card to say anything else. When we got home she left the card in the car. Today when we got back in the car she immediately asked to hold her card. Here's how the conversation unfolded in the car today...
Hannah: "Can we go play with her?"
Me: "who?"
Hannah: "I was in her tummy."
Me: "Her name is Lisa. Lisa lives really far away so we can't go play with her today but maybe next time we visit Nana and Papa. She lives in CA just like them."
Hannah: "How did I get out of her tummy?"
Me: (trying to avoid giving all the graphic details) "The same way most babies are born."
Hannah: "I came out of her mouth."
Me: (kind of laughing) "No babies come out of private parts."
Hannah didn't say anything she just gave me a really funny look...like I was totally crazy and wrong. She's going through a know it all phase.
I wonder what kind of things we'll talk about the next time we get in the car!
Hannah: "Can we go play with her?"
Me: "who?"
Hannah: "I was in her tummy."
Me: "Her name is Lisa. Lisa lives really far away so we can't go play with her today but maybe next time we visit Nana and Papa. She lives in CA just like them."
Hannah: "How did I get out of her tummy?"
Me: (trying to avoid giving all the graphic details) "The same way most babies are born."
Hannah: "I came out of her mouth."
Me: (kind of laughing) "No babies come out of private parts."
Hannah didn't say anything she just gave me a really funny look...like I was totally crazy and wrong. She's going through a know it all phase.
I wonder what kind of things we'll talk about the next time we get in the car!
Friday, March 13, 2009
OB Appointment
The babies are doing good! Ella's heart rate was 124 BPM and Emma's was 130 BMP. Steph is doing okay, her iron level is extremely low which could be really bad at delivery. She is doubling up on iron pills and we are hopeful that will do the trick...if not she'll have to get iron injections. She says she doesn't feel that bad so she was shocked at the number. She also gained 1.8 pounds since last week!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
28 Weeks
Yay, we are now 28 weeks pregnant and in the third trimester!!!!!Here's a little info on how our twins our growing...
According to Babycenter by this week our twins should weigh about two and a quarter pounds each (like a Chinese cabbage) and measure 14.8 inches from the top of their heads to their heels. Ella and Emma can blink their eyes, which now have lashes. Their eyesight is developing and they may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb. They are also developing billions of neurons in their brains and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
OB Appointment
Steph had her first of many weekly OB appointments today and everything is looking great! She lost 3lbs but she was weighed on a different scale than last time so that could be wrong. Steph's blood pressure was great and her cervix is still nice and closed. Her stomach is measuring a 1/2cm bigger than last week. She also took the blood glucose test and passed with flying colors.
Ella's heart rate was 136 BPM and Emma's was 145 BPM! I can't believe that we are 28 weeks tomorrow, wow this pregnancy is going so fast!
Steph is truly making this pregnancy so easy on Darin and I, she's a miraculous woman! Thanks again Steph!
Ella's heart rate was 136 BPM and Emma's was 145 BPM! I can't believe that we are 28 weeks tomorrow, wow this pregnancy is going so fast!
Steph is truly making this pregnancy so easy on Darin and I, she's a miraculous woman! Thanks again Steph!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ultrasound - 26 weeks 6 days
We are back from our trip to IA to see Steph, Ella and Emma today! Everyone is doing great! Ella and Emma are getting so big! We got to see both of their faces really well today...so, so cute!
Steph is looking great, I don't know where she is hiding my babies! Here she is at 26 weeks 6 days with my twins! She's measuring 29 weeks! She is having some problems with her feet though...bad swelling. Dr. Richman's not too concerned, he wants her to majorly increase her protein and no more salt at all. I think we should all let her know how beautiful she looks and also how amazing she's doing carrying my twins!
Here's Hannah touching her sisters!
Here's a 3D photo of Ella's face! She is our big baby right now weighing in at 2lbs 5oz. Her heart rate was 130 BPM! She is measuring exactly right at 26 weeks 6 days!
Baby Ella's foot!
Baby Ella's profile!
Here is Baby Emma's face! We didn't get very good shots of her today, I have a few others but you really can't see anything. She's measuring a little small but nothing to worry about, 26 weeks even. She weighs 1lb 15oz! Her heart rate was 144 BPM!
Steph is looking great, I don't know where she is hiding my babies! Here she is at 26 weeks 6 days with my twins! She's measuring 29 weeks! She is having some problems with her feet though...bad swelling. Dr. Richman's not too concerned, he wants her to majorly increase her protein and no more salt at all. I think we should all let her know how beautiful she looks and also how amazing she's doing carrying my twins!
Here's Hannah touching her sisters!
Here's a 3D photo of Ella's face! She is our big baby right now weighing in at 2lbs 5oz. Her heart rate was 130 BPM! She is measuring exactly right at 26 weeks 6 days!
Baby Ella's foot!
Baby Ella's profile!
Here is Baby Emma's face! We didn't get very good shots of her today, I have a few others but you really can't see anything. She's measuring a little small but nothing to worry about, 26 weeks even. She weighs 1lb 15oz! Her heart rate was 144 BPM!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Preemie Clothes
I recently purchased some preemie clothes from another IM. Her sweet baby girl out grew them so I gladly snatched them up at a steal of a price. I received them in the mail yesterday and immediately threw them in the washer. I walked in my bedroom last night and found Darin folding all the laundry. I noticed that he had put two of the preemie shirts in a pile by themselves away from all the other preemie clothes that I had purchased. When he saw me he held up one of the shirts and jokingly said "Why did you buy all these doll clothes?" The clothes are seriously that tiny! He then informed me that he was taking these shirts to work with him to hang up on his wall, he said that they are just too cute and he wants to think of our twins to brighten up his days at work. He's such a sweet guy!
These are the shirts that he took to work, I took pictures of them with their matching pants.
These are the shirts that he took to work, I took pictures of them with their matching pants.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Reflections- Transferring Olivia
Reflections...Transferring Olivia!
It was going to be an incredible day, I knew it when I woke up in the morning. It was odd for me leading up to Olivia’s transfer because I really didn’t have anything to do…physically anyway. I didn’t need to take shots or pills, I didn’t need to have an egg retrieval and Darin didn’t need to do anything physical either. We’d had both already done our parts a few years back and the precious outcome of our work was sitting in a freezer at our clinic just waiting for us. Not having my shots to focus on sure did make me feel that much worse for Kristy (our wonderful surrogate that carried and delivered Olivia). She still had to take daily injections to prepare her body to receive our embryos and then continue to take injections so her body wouldn't reject our embryos.
This transfer was also very different because Darin and I had moved across the Country since our last transfer with Hannah. We were now living in Wisconsin so getting to our clinic wasn’t just an hour drive. Kristy was also living far away in Ohio…we wanted our surrogate to live close to us so she had a long way to travel also. Darin and I had decided since it was going to be such a short trip (just a few days) that it would be best to keep Hannah at home with him and for me to travel to CA by myself. So we made all the travel arrangements for Kristy and myself and crossed our fingers that we guessed right and our transfer would happen on one of the days we were scheduled to be in town. We both arrived in San Francisco on November 16, 2006. Thankfully Kristy’s body cooperated and we had our transfer the following day on November 17, 2006. We stayed at my parents house in Pleasanton while we were in CA so we still had about an hour drive to the clinic. We woke up early on the 17th and my mom drove us to the clinic. On the drive we had wishful conversations. I was hopeful but really scared that it wouldn’t work but Kristy never faltered…she knew it would work. Her confidence shined through that morning. We arrived at the clinic with time to spare, our transfer was scheduled for 9:30a.m. We announced ourselves and were ushered back to the pre-op waiting area. Kristy and I were called back to the procedure room and Dr. Ryan came in to discuss my embryo's quality and how they thawed. I shocked to hear that they thawed 3 embryos and all 3 survived. I don’t know why but I was totally expecting to hear that they had to thaw all 8 and that we only had 2 or 3 to transfer. I was immediately filled with mixed emotions about our successful thaw rate. I was happy that we had 3 to transfer and happy that if this transfer didn’t work then we would still have a few embryos to try again later. But I was also sad because I felt no hope in the 5 remaining embryos if these first 3 didn’t work. And if we did get pregnant on the first try than what would we do with the remaining 5 embryos. I hope I’m making since…it makes since to me but I’ve thought about all this stuff endlessly. Boy if I knew then what I know now…it makes me laugh!
Dr. Ryan told us that the 3 embryos we were about to transfer all looked great! Kristy and I shared some moments of laughter and talked nervously while we waited. Dr. Ryan came in with the embryologist, I had to give them all the appropriate information to confirm that these embryos were in fact mine. We were given a picture of my embryos that we were transferring. It was so overwhelming to look at that photo…3 perfect little embryos. It was time to watch those perfect embryos on the ultrasound machine. Dr. Ryan put the catheter containing my embryos in Kristy’s uterus and released my little babies. It really is a weird feeling to watch your babies going in another woman’s body. I feel so thankful for technology and for Kristy…I wouldn’t be Olivia’s mom if it weren’t for her. Afterwards, we were able to sit and chat and just rest for a while. We stopped off at McDonald's and the grocery store on the way home. McDonald's for some french fries (all you surrogate's and IP's know about this superstition) and went to the grocery store for some pineapple (again...a surrogate/IP's superstition...fries and pineapple help the embryos hang around...they are a must for every surrogate just after transfer). We then headed back to my mom and dad’s house and took it easy for a few days. We headed home on November 19th full of hope. Kristy took several HPT’s but sadly they were all negative so we weren’t very hopeful the day of her Beta test (blood test – pregnancy test). All I remember is Kristy calling me…I remember seeing her name on the caller ID and dread sinking in…I just didn’t want to hear bad news. I answered the phone and Kristy was yelling with excitement…”The number is 18, it worked…I’m pregnant!” I was in disbelief, the number was low but still a positive. I hung up from Kristy and called my clinic, they too said it was positive but wanted to wait for our next Beta test two days later to be sure. They said to be cautiously optimistic. Two days later Kristy’s beta number was 65.7, it had more than doubled…YAY! I was getting more excited by the minute. We had a third beta test on December 2nd and the number was 268, Kristy was definitely pregnant with one of my babies! We had a wonderful journey together and the end result was perfect…One sweet little Olivia! She was born on July 23, 2007! Thank you Kristy for helping Olivia into this world, my world wouldn’t be the same without her! You are truly one of the most kind, thoughtful and honest people I know…I’m proud to call you my friend!
My three little embryos just before they were transferred into Kristy's uterus!
Olivia at 9 weeks gestation! She looks like a cute little teddy bear!
Olivia at 12 weeks gestation!
Olivia at 20 weeks gestation. I think she's actually sucking her thumb in this photo!
Kristy-just before she delivered our sweet Olivia!
A very happy family!
A brand new baby!
Here's a photo of Olivia today, she's 19 months old!
It was going to be an incredible day, I knew it when I woke up in the morning. It was odd for me leading up to Olivia’s transfer because I really didn’t have anything to do…physically anyway. I didn’t need to take shots or pills, I didn’t need to have an egg retrieval and Darin didn’t need to do anything physical either. We’d had both already done our parts a few years back and the precious outcome of our work was sitting in a freezer at our clinic just waiting for us. Not having my shots to focus on sure did make me feel that much worse for Kristy (our wonderful surrogate that carried and delivered Olivia). She still had to take daily injections to prepare her body to receive our embryos and then continue to take injections so her body wouldn't reject our embryos.
This transfer was also very different because Darin and I had moved across the Country since our last transfer with Hannah. We were now living in Wisconsin so getting to our clinic wasn’t just an hour drive. Kristy was also living far away in Ohio…we wanted our surrogate to live close to us so she had a long way to travel also. Darin and I had decided since it was going to be such a short trip (just a few days) that it would be best to keep Hannah at home with him and for me to travel to CA by myself. So we made all the travel arrangements for Kristy and myself and crossed our fingers that we guessed right and our transfer would happen on one of the days we were scheduled to be in town. We both arrived in San Francisco on November 16, 2006. Thankfully Kristy’s body cooperated and we had our transfer the following day on November 17, 2006. We stayed at my parents house in Pleasanton while we were in CA so we still had about an hour drive to the clinic. We woke up early on the 17th and my mom drove us to the clinic. On the drive we had wishful conversations. I was hopeful but really scared that it wouldn’t work but Kristy never faltered…she knew it would work. Her confidence shined through that morning. We arrived at the clinic with time to spare, our transfer was scheduled for 9:30a.m. We announced ourselves and were ushered back to the pre-op waiting area. Kristy and I were called back to the procedure room and Dr. Ryan came in to discuss my embryo's quality and how they thawed. I shocked to hear that they thawed 3 embryos and all 3 survived. I don’t know why but I was totally expecting to hear that they had to thaw all 8 and that we only had 2 or 3 to transfer. I was immediately filled with mixed emotions about our successful thaw rate. I was happy that we had 3 to transfer and happy that if this transfer didn’t work then we would still have a few embryos to try again later. But I was also sad because I felt no hope in the 5 remaining embryos if these first 3 didn’t work. And if we did get pregnant on the first try than what would we do with the remaining 5 embryos. I hope I’m making since…it makes since to me but I’ve thought about all this stuff endlessly. Boy if I knew then what I know now…it makes me laugh!
Dr. Ryan told us that the 3 embryos we were about to transfer all looked great! Kristy and I shared some moments of laughter and talked nervously while we waited. Dr. Ryan came in with the embryologist, I had to give them all the appropriate information to confirm that these embryos were in fact mine. We were given a picture of my embryos that we were transferring. It was so overwhelming to look at that photo…3 perfect little embryos. It was time to watch those perfect embryos on the ultrasound machine. Dr. Ryan put the catheter containing my embryos in Kristy’s uterus and released my little babies. It really is a weird feeling to watch your babies going in another woman’s body. I feel so thankful for technology and for Kristy…I wouldn’t be Olivia’s mom if it weren’t for her. Afterwards, we were able to sit and chat and just rest for a while. We stopped off at McDonald's and the grocery store on the way home. McDonald's for some french fries (all you surrogate's and IP's know about this superstition) and went to the grocery store for some pineapple (again...a surrogate/IP's superstition...fries and pineapple help the embryos hang around...they are a must for every surrogate just after transfer). We then headed back to my mom and dad’s house and took it easy for a few days. We headed home on November 19th full of hope. Kristy took several HPT’s but sadly they were all negative so we weren’t very hopeful the day of her Beta test (blood test – pregnancy test). All I remember is Kristy calling me…I remember seeing her name on the caller ID and dread sinking in…I just didn’t want to hear bad news. I answered the phone and Kristy was yelling with excitement…”The number is 18, it worked…I’m pregnant!” I was in disbelief, the number was low but still a positive. I hung up from Kristy and called my clinic, they too said it was positive but wanted to wait for our next Beta test two days later to be sure. They said to be cautiously optimistic. Two days later Kristy’s beta number was 65.7, it had more than doubled…YAY! I was getting more excited by the minute. We had a third beta test on December 2nd and the number was 268, Kristy was definitely pregnant with one of my babies! We had a wonderful journey together and the end result was perfect…One sweet little Olivia! She was born on July 23, 2007! Thank you Kristy for helping Olivia into this world, my world wouldn’t be the same without her! You are truly one of the most kind, thoughtful and honest people I know…I’m proud to call you my friend!
My three little embryos just before they were transferred into Kristy's uterus!
Olivia at 9 weeks gestation! She looks like a cute little teddy bear!
Olivia at 12 weeks gestation!
Olivia at 20 weeks gestation. I think she's actually sucking her thumb in this photo!
Kristy-just before she delivered our sweet Olivia!
A very happy family!
Here's a photo of Olivia today, she's 19 months old!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sleep
I have not been getting very much sleep the past few nights, you would think I was the one pregnant tossing around from all the aches and pains but aches and pains are not my problem...it's my overactive mind. I wake up almost every hour to create a new list. Lists of things to buy (for every child...believe it or not Olivia needs the most stuff...a new bed, new bedding, a mattress,..ect), things to paint, things to organize and so on. I'm seriously feeling overwhelmed right now and way behind. Darin keeps telling me to calm down because we have 12 weeks still to get all of this done but that just makes it worse. 12 weeks sounds like nothing to me and having him act all cavalier about it makes me feel like he's not taking it seriously. I need him to be motivated right now. We only have 12 weeks left if our perfect plan of 38 weeks actually happens. We weren't going to start to paint Hannah and Olivia's room until the 27th but we are now starting tonight. I just feel a need to start getting things done. I'm going out today to buy the paint and some hangers too. Time to start organizing all our baby clothes. This just sucks, I really need my sleep now because I'm definitely not going to be getting any in 12 weeks.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
OB Appointment
Steph had her OB appointment today! The babies were very calm and happy during the appointment today! Ella's heart rate was 123 BPM and Emma's heart rate was 138 BPM, they must have been sleeping!
Steph's tummy is measuring 27 weeks, we are currently 24 weeks 6 days! She is doing awesome and has only gained 5 pounds in the last three weeks...way to go Steph!
Dr. Richman was feeling Steph's tummy and Ella gave him a big kick...LOL! That girl has some spunk!!!
Our next ultrasound is in 2 weeks...YAY! I can't wait to see my 2 cutie pies again!
Steph's tummy is measuring 27 weeks, we are currently 24 weeks 6 days! She is doing awesome and has only gained 5 pounds in the last three weeks...way to go Steph!
Dr. Richman was feeling Steph's tummy and Ella gave him a big kick...LOL! That girl has some spunk!!!
Our next ultrasound is in 2 weeks...YAY! I can't wait to see my 2 cutie pies again!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Names
Well I just have to say that my name polls were no help at all, you all pretty much equally voted for all the names. Some how Darin and I have made our final decision and will be naming our twin girls.....Drumroll, Please.....
Ella and Emma
We both really love the names! They sound great together and with Hannah and Olivia. All 4 names just flow so nicely. We are so excited to be able to call our girls by their names instead of "Baby A and B"!
I'm off to go search for wall letters now...decorating two baby rooms is so much fun!
Ella and Emma
We both really love the names! They sound great together and with Hannah and Olivia. All 4 names just flow so nicely. We are so excited to be able to call our girls by their names instead of "Baby A and B"!
I'm off to go search for wall letters now...decorating two baby rooms is so much fun!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
24 Weeks
I was just reading online about the 24th weeks of gestation and how my twins are growing. Here are some of the details. The babies are growing fast, they most likely gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts them at just over a pound each. They are also almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn). Their bodies are filling out proportionally and they'll soon start to plump up. Their brains are also growing quickly now, and their taste buds are continuing to develop. Their skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.I'm really excited to be at this point in the pregnancy! We are far enough along that my babies can survive outside the womb and yet delivery still feels a good distance away (14 weeks)...plenty of time to get all the essential things taken care of around the house!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Double Digits
That's right, we officially have 99 days until my babies break out of their shell!!!! Ignore the baby ticker that says "113" days to go, that takes us all the way to 40 weeks and we are only going to 38 weeks. YAY!!!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Twin Baby Dolls
Steph got Hannah and Olivia twin baby dolls to share. The girls love them and have somehow decided between themselves which doll belongs to each of them. Hannah's doll is the girl in the pink outfit and Olivia loves the doll in the green outfit. Olivia won't play with the doll in the pink outfit and if you try to give it to her she shakes her head "no" and runs to get the doll in the green outfit...weird. Olivia loves wrapping her baby up in a blanket and kissing her, it's so cute! They both love to put their babies in our doll strollers and run around the house like wild children.
Here's Olivia kissing her baby!
And now her baby is all snuggled up!
Thank you Steph!!! The girls are thrilled!
Here's Olivia kissing her baby!
And now her baby is all snuggled up!
Thank you Steph!!! The girls are thrilled!On a side note...Hannah realized something very important at dinner last night. She was eating quietly, obviously thinking about something and said "Mom, When the babies come we won't have enough chairs. How will we all eat together?" She's right we are short 2 chairs so that's something we'll have to fix soon. It makes me happy to hear her talking about the twins so much, I'm proud that she understands this very complicated way to make a family and accepts it so willingly.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
OB Appointment
Steph had her OB appointment today and everything looks great with our twin baby girls! Baby A's (aka-Tinkerbell) heart rate was 140bpm, apparently she was being stubborn so it took a while to find her heartbeat. Baby B's (aka-Rex) heart rate was 150bpm.
Steph's looking good with no weight gain this week and measuring 25 weeks (we are 21.6 weeks)! Thanks Steph for growing our babies so well!!!!
Steph's looking good with no weight gain this week and measuring 25 weeks (we are 21.6 weeks)! Thanks Steph for growing our babies so well!!!!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Great Debate: Clothes for Twins
I've been thinking a lot about how I will dress my twins, especially more now that I know they are both girls. I have so many choices...identical outfits, coordinating outfits, the same outfit in two different colors, or two totally different outfits. I don't have an exact plan because I think all options are acceptable with pros and cons.
Why dress them the same: For one thing, I think it will be easier to dress the twins alike. I'm going to be exhausted and probably won't have the patience to choose two outfits, much less two outfits in the right size that are temperature, activity and style appropriate for the days events! Don't forget I have to dress two other small children as well! When I see twins dressed the same I think it's cute and fun. And it sure does make for nice pictures! That being said I was just at the mall looking at outfits for my twins and I had a difficult time purchasing the exact same outfit. I kept asking myself Why am I spending money on two of the same outfits when I can buy two different cute outfits. I don't know why I was having such a hard time, it's not like we are having any other children so it really doesn't matter what I buy because no one else is going to wear it.
Why not to do it: I haven't found any specific research that indicates that dressing twins the same could cause any lasting negative affects on them. However many psychologists do recommend against it for parents that wish to emphasize individuality. Of course I want to emphasize individuality.
I guess I feel like there is no right or wrong way to dress my twins. I think I'd prefer coordinating outfits but I'm not opposed to identical outfits at all. I'm positive the occasional identical outfits won't harm them. I'm sure after the age of three they'll be able to express their own opinions on the matter.
I'm very fortunate to have a great friend who has twin daughters. She mostly dresses them the same and they always look adorable! I recently went to their baby boutique (their basement) and found some great clothes at a marvelous price. Here are a few of my favorites!
I'll put a poll up to get all your opinions on this very important debate! Please take a few seconds to vote!
Why dress them the same: For one thing, I think it will be easier to dress the twins alike. I'm going to be exhausted and probably won't have the patience to choose two outfits, much less two outfits in the right size that are temperature, activity and style appropriate for the days events! Don't forget I have to dress two other small children as well! When I see twins dressed the same I think it's cute and fun. And it sure does make for nice pictures! That being said I was just at the mall looking at outfits for my twins and I had a difficult time purchasing the exact same outfit. I kept asking myself Why am I spending money on two of the same outfits when I can buy two different cute outfits. I don't know why I was having such a hard time, it's not like we are having any other children so it really doesn't matter what I buy because no one else is going to wear it.
Why not to do it: I haven't found any specific research that indicates that dressing twins the same could cause any lasting negative affects on them. However many psychologists do recommend against it for parents that wish to emphasize individuality. Of course I want to emphasize individuality.
I guess I feel like there is no right or wrong way to dress my twins. I think I'd prefer coordinating outfits but I'm not opposed to identical outfits at all. I'm positive the occasional identical outfits won't harm them. I'm sure after the age of three they'll be able to express their own opinions on the matter.
I'm very fortunate to have a great friend who has twin daughters. She mostly dresses them the same and they always look adorable! I recently went to their baby boutique (their basement) and found some great clothes at a marvelous price. Here are a few of my favorites!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Reflections - Transferring Hannah
It was hard to sleep the night before our transfer but somehow I managed to fall asleep just after midnight. When I awoke the morning of our transfer I was filled with excitement, disbelief, and anxiety. I knew it would be an incredible day!!! The alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. Darin and I rushed to get ready and headed out the door. We drove an hour to pick up our friend and surrogate, Lisa and then had to drive another hour to get to our clinic in San Francisco. Darin, Lisa and I nervously talked in the car. We mainly had “what if” conversations…positive and negative. We arrived at the clinic around 7:30a.m. and were immediately taken back to the pre-op waiting area. Darin stayed in the waiting area while Lisa and I headed back to the operating room. I waited just outside the door while Lisa undressed from the waist down and covered up with a blanket. The embryologist stopped by our room and gave us our embryo report. They all looked beautiful so we decided to transfer 3 grade A, 3 day fresh embryos. The embryologist also let us know that we’d be freezing 8 for sure and keeping an eye on 2 (the two never made it to freezing). It was nice to know that we had 8 beautiful embryos left…just in case. I was given a picture of our embryos (one is now Hannah) that we were transferring. It was a magical moment! But it’s even more magical for me today. I sometimes sit and stare at that picture of those little embryos and wonder which one is Hannah.
Our three little embryos on July 3, 2004.
The day before our beta (blood pregnancy test) I called Lisa. I was crying and so upset because I was feeling bad, I was scared that our transfer didn’t work. She just started laughing and said “Oh I’m pretty sure it worked, I feel nauseous and gross.” She offered to go get a pregnancy test and to call me with the results. She called about 30 minutes later with our good news! The rest is history! Lisa and I shared some really great moments, she’s a very laid back woman with an amazing heart. I will always be eternally grateful to her!
Our three little embryos on July 3, 2004.
The day before our beta (blood pregnancy test) I called Lisa. I was crying and so upset because I was feeling bad, I was scared that our transfer didn’t work. She just started laughing and said “Oh I’m pretty sure it worked, I feel nauseous and gross.” She offered to go get a pregnancy test and to call me with the results. She called about 30 minutes later with our good news! The rest is history! Lisa and I shared some really great moments, she’s a very laid back woman with an amazing heart. I will always be eternally grateful to her!
Hannah at 7 weeks!
Hannah at 9 weeks!
Me, Lisa and Darin. Lisa was 6 months pregnant with Hannah!
Happy Birthday Hannah! March 14, 2005
This is Hannah today! She's a beautiful 3 year old!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Positioning of the Babies
Some friends of mine were laughing and making fun of my drawing of the babies in the previous post, they thought Hannah drew it. So I decided to spend a little more time today drawing a new picture. Please remember that I'm not a professional artist so this is the best that I can do. Sorry Steph...I didn't mean to give you such a big butt or belly button!!!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Baby Girl A
Baby Girl A was being a bit stubborn yesterday! She was face up for the first few seconds of our ultrasound but quickly turned face down so we couldn't really see her and she never turned back up. She was being cute though! She had the hiccups, it was so fun to watch! At one time she was touching her head, it looked like she was twirling her hair just like big sister Hannah does. 
Baby Girl A's foot! You can also see Baby Girl B's head to the left of the photo!
Baby Girl A's arm!
Here she is sticking her butt out at us! She's a stinker!
This photo is hilarious! You can see Baby Girl B's head on the left side of the photo and Baby Girl A's legs and feet on the right side of the photo. Baby Girl A was kicking Baby Girl B's head constantly. At one point she (A) even punched her (B) in the face. It was amazing to see how close they are inside Steph's tummy.
Baby Girl A is measuring 2 days behind at 19 weeks 6 days! She weighs 11 ounces (317 grams), she is just slightly smaller than her sister right now! She had a heart rate of 137 beats per minute! She's doing awesome too!
Baby Girl A is head down! We are hoping she stays like that for delivery! Baby B is currently transverse, sideways in Steph's tummy. So they look like this....
Baby Girl A's foot! You can also see Baby Girl B's head to the left of the photo!
Baby Girl A's arm!
Here she is sticking her butt out at us! She's a stinker!
This photo is hilarious! You can see Baby Girl B's head on the left side of the photo and Baby Girl A's legs and feet on the right side of the photo. Baby Girl A was kicking Baby Girl B's head constantly. At one point she (A) even punched her (B) in the face. It was amazing to see how close they are inside Steph's tummy.
Baby Girl A is measuring 2 days behind at 19 weeks 6 days! She weighs 11 ounces (317 grams), she is just slightly smaller than her sister right now! She had a heart rate of 137 beats per minute! She's doing awesome too!Baby Girl A is head down! We are hoping she stays like that for delivery! Baby B is currently transverse, sideways in Steph's tummy. So they look like this....
Baby Girl B
Baby Girl B was being so adorable yesterday, here she is sucking her thumb! She was moving and turning a lot, showing off for her two older sisters! She was being a perfect model for pictures too!
Baby Girl B's profile, she has such a cute nose!
Baby Girl B's legs and tummy!
Baby Girl B's foot! Footprint ultrasound photos are my favorite!
Baby Girl B's face! Her hand is touching the left side of her face!
Baby Girl B is measuring ahead at 20weeks 2 days! She weighs 11 ounces (323 grams)! Her Heart rate was 144 beats per minute! She's doing awesome!
Baby Girl B's profile, she has such a cute nose!
Baby Girl B's legs and tummy!
Baby Girl B's foot! Footprint ultrasound photos are my favorite!
Baby Girl B's face! Her hand is touching the left side of her face!
Baby Girl B is measuring ahead at 20weeks 2 days! She weighs 11 ounces (323 grams)! Her Heart rate was 144 beats per minute! She's doing awesome!Friday, January 9, 2009
Level 2 Ultrasound
Darin and I are happy and excited to share with you the results of our ultrasound today!!! First off the twins are both doing wonderfully! They are healthy and right on target with growth!
Only 12% of those who voted in our guess the genders poll guessed correctly, 88% of you were wrong! That's right we are going to be a house full of sugar and spice and everything nice...It's Twin Girls!!! Darin's master plan to create an all-Berg women's swimming relay team for the 2020 Summer Olympics is well under way! We are so excited!
The girls were very good today considering that they were in the car for over 13 hours! Hannah had some very cute things to say about the babies and today's ultrasound. Before the ultrasound today Darin and I asked her what she wanted to name our babies. At the time we were in the car and she was watching movies. She decided that she wanted to name the babies Tinkerbell (I don't think I need to explain this one) and Rex (the dog from the Little Mermaid). After the ultrasound today we were looking at our wonderful pictures and she said "It's pretty dark in Stephanie's tummy." The ultrasound pictures have black surrounding the babies. She keeps us laughing!
Here are a few photos from today! I'll post the ultrasound photos tomorrow with a bigger update on each baby girl!
Here's a photo of Steph and a small update on her too! She's measuring 23.5 weeks pregnant, we are currently 20 weeks. She's had some swelling lately so Dr. Richman suggested she decrease her intake of salt and increase her intake of protein. She looks beautiful as you all can see!
This is us after our ultrasound today!
The big girls and I at the Waterloo mall picking out some cute clothes for our two little girls!
Only 12% of those who voted in our guess the genders poll guessed correctly, 88% of you were wrong! That's right we are going to be a house full of sugar and spice and everything nice...It's Twin Girls!!! Darin's master plan to create an all-Berg women's swimming relay team for the 2020 Summer Olympics is well under way! We are so excited!
The girls were very good today considering that they were in the car for over 13 hours! Hannah had some very cute things to say about the babies and today's ultrasound. Before the ultrasound today Darin and I asked her what she wanted to name our babies. At the time we were in the car and she was watching movies. She decided that she wanted to name the babies Tinkerbell (I don't think I need to explain this one) and Rex (the dog from the Little Mermaid). After the ultrasound today we were looking at our wonderful pictures and she said "It's pretty dark in Stephanie's tummy." The ultrasound pictures have black surrounding the babies. She keeps us laughing!
Here are a few photos from today! I'll post the ultrasound photos tomorrow with a bigger update on each baby girl!
Here's a photo of Steph and a small update on her too! She's measuring 23.5 weeks pregnant, we are currently 20 weeks. She's had some swelling lately so Dr. Richman suggested she decrease her intake of salt and increase her intake of protein. She looks beautiful as you all can see!
This is us after our ultrasound today!
The big girls and I at the Waterloo mall picking out some cute clothes for our two little girls!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Genders
We have our level 2 ultrasound tomorrow and will be finding out the genders of our twins...YAY!! We are so excited to see them both again and to finally be able to start seriously discussing...FIGHTING about names. We'll be back late tomorrow evening with lots of new pictures of Steph, us, our girls and our two little babies to share.
The "guess our babies' genders" poll is closed. The results are below!
Two Girls...7 votes
Two Boys...17 votes
One Girl/One Boy...30 votes
We've decided the winners should get a really good prize...How does changing a few diapers sound???!
The "guess our babies' genders" poll is closed. The results are below!
Two Girls...7 votes
Two Boys...17 votes
One Girl/One Boy...30 votes
We've decided the winners should get a really good prize...How does changing a few diapers sound???!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Halfway!!!
We've hit our halfway mark in this pregnancy!!! We are 19 weeks today!! We'll have a scheduled induction at 38 weeks so we are officially halfway to our grand finale. The babies weigh about 8.5 ounces now and measure 6 inches each from head to bottom. Each baby is about the size of a large heirloom tomato now. They are starting to sprout hair. Some research suggests that our babies may be able to hear voices now. Due to this research Darin and I are debating making a CD with us reading and the girls singing. Steph would play our CD and let the babies listen to our voices through headphones on her tummy. We did not do this for Hannah or Olivia and we didn't have any bonding issues with them but we may give it a try this time just for kicks. I think it would be fun for Hannah and Olivia to do something special for their new baby siblings.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
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!
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