21 Weeks...Our Father's Day Surprise!

We had a great Father's Day weekend! Nice program at church... the family over for a nice delicious dinner...and a delectable dessert made by yours truly. But what made it an extra special day was a surprise from the twins!

During the first hour of church, we were sitting quietly on the pew, when all of the sudden I felt three distinct kicks inside my belly. Now in the past week or so, I've felt similar movements but just dismissed it as "digestion". But this time it was different, I knew that what I was feeling was one of the babies, since it was higher in my belly....most likely our daughter. I put my hand over to see if I could feel anything, but unfortunately couldn't.

Later that night, after a very rich (in calories AND in caffeine) slice of my delectable Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake, we were turning in for the night. All of the sudden, I felt the same kicking as before, only this time it was lower in my belly...most likely our son. I immediately put Ryan's hand there, but he couldn't feel anything at first. A few minutes later, it did it again, and this time I could feel it with my hand on my belly! It was THE most amazing experience I've had so far in this pregnancy. It was like an electric shock went through my body...a sensation like no other! My baby was there and I could feel it! So I immediately placed Ryan's hand over the kicking, and he could feel it too. It was such a wonderful thing to be able to feel them from the "outside", especially on Father's Day! For the next several minutes, he was moving all around, playing soccer or something! So I guess he liked my cake :)

It's little moments like these that make pregnancy such a joy. It's truly a miracle to bond with your baby(ies) at such an early time in their development. It's even better when dad can experience a little glimpse of the miracle....especially on Father's Day!

The babies are now the size of bananas!

19 Weeks...It's a Girl and Boy!

That's right, we're having a girl and a boy! We are so excited about this wonderful news. Tuesday was our ultrasound at UC Davis Hospital in the Radiology dept., and my family and Ryan came to be with me during the full anatomy scan of the babies (which took almost 2 hours!). The doctor measures all the bones in each of the babies, and gives you an idea of their growth rate, etc.

Below are some ultrasound pics we got that day, which are so precious to me. Our little girl had the hickups during the ultrasound, and we could clearly see her little chest moving with each hickup. The doctor said it's very common and normal for babies to have hickups in the womb. I can't feel her having them yet, but I'm sure I will soon enough!

Here is our daughter, which Ryan affectionately calls "Leah"...



Our little son is just as precious and special as our little sweet daughter....if not more so. Ryan affectionately calls him "Luke"...



We were given some unexpected news during our genetic testing appointment at the beginning of the second trimester. They had me come in for the usual ultrasound to take a look at the developing fetuses. The ultrasound tech was very quiet as she viewed each baby. After the ultrasound was over, she said that I would have my results that day. She came back with a Radiologist and Genetic Counselor who explained to me that our son (then referred to as Baby A) had some problems.

They let me call Ryan at work so he could meet me and they could explain it to us together. She explained that the problem was with his head, that it had not formed properly by day 28 of conception. It is a neural tube deficiency known as anencephaly, where the developing fetus has no skull and no forehead. It is a fatal condition, and if the baby survives through the delivery, may only live a day or two. They explained that it was in no way any fault of our own, and that this rare condition occurs in about 1 in 10,000 babies.

Needless to say, I was in shock. It came as such a suprise, nothing could have prepared us for it. The days and weeks that followed were so incredibly hard and unbearable.

We had been through such an emotional roller coaster with our battle with infertility and IVF process already. We had 14 fertilized embryos, but only 2 looked "good". Our outlook was grim because of my age and other factors. After the very long "two week wait" it was confirmed that our IVF cycle was a success! My 6 week ultrasound revealed that we were having twins! That was an added bonus to our recent good news. We felt that we had been given "double the blessings", and were so excited to have twins.

We love our son dearly, and can't wait to one day hold him in our arms, and bond with that special little baby before he soon returns to the home from which he came.

The Lord works in ways that we don't always understand. I have come to learn that the last several years, as we all do in our own ways. I may never know in this life the purpose of my trials and hardships. But the point is to have faith and trust in Him, and rely on the Holy Spirit. I would be very ungreatful if I didn't recognize all the miracles (small and great) that have helped me along the way. It is a true testimony to me that we are loved, and that our families are a special blessing to cherish always.

18 Weeks

Ryan and I have been wanting to take a vacation together (before our bundles of joy come!), so we decided to go to Monterey for Memorial Day weekend. We had a good time in Carmel: going to the beach, shopping, having a wonderful (and entertaining) lunch at Dametra Cafe (http://www.dametracafe.com). Ryan especially enjoyed the 17 mile drive from Carmel to Monterey. It was quite fun going "topless" in his s2000! We also enjoyed the shopping and fine dining in Monterey.

Unfortunately, Ryan came back from his 3-day scout trip to Yosemite sick. He had a fever and body aches, so half the time we were on vacation he was sick. So guess what happened to me when we got home...yep, you guessed it! I ended up getting the stomach flu and had to go to labor & delivery to get some fluids in me. I felt better for a couple of days then got sick again Friday night. Will it ever go away?! So here I sit, on the couch curled up in a warm blanket, watching TV, hoping to get better soon.

Soooooo...., our appointment to find out the sexes of the babies is on Tuesday! We can't wait. The radiologist will do a full "anatomy scan" on the babies. This is when they measure, via ultrasound images, every bone of the babies' bodies. The nurse said to plan on a 2-hour appointment! So I decided to take the day off work and maybe do a little shopping afterwards :) I hope to post some pictures of the babies then!

Even though I've been sick most of my preganancy so far, I really have enjoyed the special privilege of having two little lives grow inside of me. It is something I have wanted all my life, and it seems like a dream that it is finally happening. It is the most amazing feeling to be a mother. I never knew how strong of a bond that can be formed between mother and child, even during pregnancy. I feel so much love for my little ones, and know that I will love them that much more when I can see them for the first time and hold them in my arms. My Heavenly Father has blessed me tremendously, and even though I've had to go through a lot to conceive my babies, there have been many wonderful miracles along the way. This helps me to know that he is there, and wants the best for me and wants me to be happy.

Thanks everyone, and you'll be hearing from me very soon! Stay tuned...