30 weeks...A shower to remember!

This weekend many of my dearest friends threw me the most amazing baby shower I could have ever dreamed of! Absolutely STUNNING!

Every detail was thought of, and it didn't go unnoticed. A beautiful array of delicate, tasty mini sandwiches, a plethora of tempting salads, and mini iced baby themed cookies were placed on the beautifully decorated tables for each guest to take home. We ate on beautiful china while listening to soft music in the background. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful, and Kathleen's backyard was the perfect romantic setting for a summertime shower.

The shower couldn't have been more perfect. Period.

I always knew I had some amazingly talented and awesome friends....but this shower just proved it even more.

Thank you to those who made the evening a special one (you know who you are!), I know a lot of work and effort went into the preparations and I can't express enough how much it means to me.

Thank you to all who attended, having you there made the evening extra special! Thank you for the wonderful and tender gifts, they will be cherished always.

I will let the pictures below speak for themselves. Enjoy!

28 weeks...Hello 3rd Trimester!

Here is a picture of our daughter's profile we got at our 27 week growth scan at the hospital. The babies looked as cute as ever, all snuggled up in my womb.

In the picture below, on the left you can see our daughters head, with our sons feet right there in her face!



The picture below was taken by accident by the doc....any guesses on what it is? I'll give you a hint, there's two of them.



So the doctor said our daughter is about 2 lbs 12 ounces....almost 3 lbs! She said she is growing great, and everything looks good! I even started feeling her little hick-ups last week!

Our little sons heartbeat is as strong as ever, and moves and kicks like normal.

I found out last week that I have gestational diabetes. Bummer! Apparently it is very normal in multiple pregnancies, and will likely leave after delivery. It means I have to watch my blood sugar levels, and get more exercise. If I can control it with diet and exercise alone, then meds won't be necessary. I hope I don't have to use meds, because it can create more problems for the babies down the road. I'm supposed to report my sugar levels to the doctor once a week....so that means I can't cheat on my diet! Well, OK, maybe I can have a piece of cake at my shower :)

So I'm super excited that this Friday is my last day at work! FINALLY! I'll now be able to enjoy maternity leave and take care of some things at home; the nursery, find a pediatrician (anyone have any recommendations?), think of more baby names, etc. etc. I am really looking forward to it!

Thanks for reading everyone!

26 weeks...Surprise shower!

Several weeks ago my awesome family threw me a surprise baby shower! To say the least, I was very surprised! Not only were my aunts, cousins, in laws there, but my dear sister Tami and my nephew Isaiah came down all the way from Boise! It was so so so great to have everyone there! The best part was that they had kept it such a secret, I didn't even know it was going to be in my own house! And I'm a hard person to keep secrets from.

Here are some pics of the party.



A group photo...



My two wonderful sisters...



More family and friends...



Opening gifts...



And spending time with those I love...






Another highlight of the past several weeks is that I feel GREAT! My appetite is back...no more nausia for me, I am sleeping fairly well, and the pregnancy in general is going well. I still feel fatigue most of the time, and still have some swelling, but I have been very lucky that this has been such a cool summer!

The babies are now 26 weeks, and our next trip to the doctor is the first week in August. So until then....here are some precious photos of their 23 week mark! Enjoy!

Our daughters face (on the right)...



And a 3D image of her leg!



Our son's feet!



The babies are now the size of eggplants!

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...

16 Weeks!

OK. I finally got around to it. I created a baby blog. Now there's no turning back....I'm committed! I wanted to start it sooner, but there may have been a couple things that got in the way; nausea, vomiting, mood swings, fatigue, heartburn...to name a few.

But seriously, me and Ryan couldn't be happier that we are finally expecting after all these years of hoping to start a family of our own. The journey has been a long one, but well worth it!

We are 16 weeks along, and the twins are due October 31st! We will find out what we're having in early June, and just can't hardly wait! Ok, I think mom and mom-in-law might be a little more anxious than me :)

Oh, what fun we will have shopping!

Here's a video we took after our 6 week ultrasound. Enjoy!