From peanuts to aliens...

Yesterday was our 12 week, 4 day ultra sound and appointment!

It was so nerve wracking!  I have to make myself breath the few seconds before the ultra sound machine is turned on...

At first glimpse they just looked like they were laying there, as still as could be.

Fear filled me.

But then the ultra sound tech pointed out Baby A's heartbeat and I smiled!  Then I saw Baby B raise his/her hand to us and I laughed!

The last ultra sound we had they both pretty much looked like little peanuts.

This time I thought they were adorable!  Joel thought they looked like aliens, adorable aliens of course!

Baby B had his/her feet straight up in the air, sort of like he/she was kicking!

I think we have a future NFL kicker on our hands!  And an Olympic gold medalist in Women's Gymnastics!

Ha!

Kidding!  These kids are already looking amazing (doesn't every new parent say that?!)...and whatever talents they have or don't have...well, they are a true blessing and we love them just the way they are!

They are overachievers though...both measured at 13 weeks, 3 days ahead of schedule.  Well, actually I think Baby B was 13 weeks and 4 days.  This "ahead of schedule" thing is just fine.  They are measuring within the range they should.

To top it off, Mommy had a perfect blood pressure reading, heart rate and lungs sounded great...medical history questions all answered positive where should be positive and negative where should be negative!

It was overall a great appointment!  Next up is another ultra sound and check on July 2nd.  I can't wait!

Sick day

Yesterday was a sick day for me. Thankfully I didn't have to work.

I went from being slightly sick for 2 days in a row, a day of being fine to having to call my doctor...

It was awful.  I couldn't hold anything down, not even water.  I was in tears and scared and slightly stressed.  It's not always the easiest having such problems an hour away from your doctor.

But the nurse, the same one who adores Phillip Phillips, helped me out.

She called in an anti-nausea prescription.  First she wanted to send it to Big Sandy Pharmacy so I could get it right away, but they closed at 5pm and it was 4:45pm.  Then she wanted to send it to Fort Benton but I didn't want to go there... (she called both pharmacies for me to find out closing times, she was awesome)...

Thankfully Joel was in Havre so she sent it there and he was able to pick it up!

She also gave me a list:

Salt and vinegar chips
Old fashion popcicles
Powerade mixed with sprint
Real ginger ale

I was sure we wouldn't be able to find the real ginger ale because we had looked at Walmart in Havre a couple of days before and they didn't have it.

But IGA did!  And Joel was willing to go on the hunt.

He had council so he didn't arrive with the meds until 9pm, but I just laid on the couch, entertained by Idol, of course, and sipped, every half an hour, some pretty awful tasting homemade ginger tea!

It got me through til he arrived.

Then the meds kicked in and I ate 1 popcicle and 2 potato chips.  I held it all down through the night.

I can now, 24 hours later, eat mashed potatoes and can slowly add new starches to my diet til I am full force again.

What a wild ride!  

The end of months of shots...

Last Thursday, almost a week ago, at 9pm we did the last progesterone shot.

What a relief.

But how weird!

We've been doing shots since early March.

It feels like we're forgetting something, still, every night.

We still hear ourselves saying, "we gotta do the shot...oh wait...".

The alarm on my cell phone still goes off every night at 9pm.  Why?  I'm not sure...I haven't stopped it.  I think it's because it's part of the IVF memories, it's part of the IVF miracles.

The day of the last shot was the 10 week mark in this pregnancy.  The doctor explained that we do progesterone until then because the ovaries are what's producing the hormone for the first 10 weeks and my body needed that amount supplemented.  At 10 weeks, the placenta, or some part, starts producing it's own progesterone so we no longer need to supplement.

That explanation made me breathe a sigh of relief.

I was worried about stopping the shots.  But after hearing that I knew it was just fine.

Tomorrow I'm 11 weeks!  Countdown to 2nd trimester is in full force!

Sunday the getting sick started...blah...it's only happened twice and even though I was bummed my 10 week not being sick streak ended...

I daily remind myself how much I've longed for this, throw-up and all!  It's so worth it.  Our miracles are growing!

David Cook & Phillip Phillips

I love American Idol.

Today I had to call my new nurse.  I've actually never met her before, but she is one of two of Dr. Key's nurses.

We connected over Idol!

It's as if I needed something to reassure me about this new place and she gave it to me!

Her name is Ronnie.  Last week, she told me, I met Gretchen.  Ronnie has seen my picture and my ultra sound.

She said congratulations!

Then she helped me. 

Let me explain.  I've been having pain the past couple of days in my lower uterus.  Just off and on, but it worried me.  I had no idea if it was my ovaries still recovering or something else.

I was scared.  Scared enough to call the new place.  And that's pretty scared.  It takes a lot of courage for me to pick up the phone and use it.  I usually have to really talk myself into it first.  Today I almost put it off til tomorrow.

I left a message and Ronnie called right back.  She explained that my uterus it growing and stretching a lot right now, and heading right for my stomach so that's why I am having pain.

She put me on pelvic rest.  "Be a couch potato and watch American Idol," she said!

"I love Phil Phillips so I'll be watching", I said!  She went ecstatic on me!  I told her I voted last night.  So did she, for the first time this season!  Then she told me about her love for David Cook, which I share. 

We bonded.  She said she couldn't wait to meet me and that we are going to get along great!

Get your phones ready people, if Phil Phillps makes it to the finale, we gotta vote!

T.V.

T.V. has changed at our house since this pregnancy began.

Tears fall a lot more often.

Just last week we were watching the season finale to Parks and Recreation.  At the end...this is a spoiler alert...when Ann went in to tell Ben and Leslie that Leslie had won the city council race, and both her and Leslie were crying...I was crying to.

Then when Leslie said to Ben that she wanted to someday read the concession speech he had written just in case it was needed, his response was "I didn't write it"...I cried then to, Joel even had a tear in his eye.

Last night at the end of part one of the How I Met Your Mother season finale Joel and I were both crying.  A baby was born.  A baby named Marvin Wait For It Erickson!

We cry at reality shows, sitcoms, dramas! We laugh too!  So intense.  

We joke about Joel having pregnancy symptoms also...T.V. tears, cravings!  It's pretty fun.

Meeting the new place

We arrived 30 minutes early, circled back around to use the restrooms at Starbucks, and entered the new Dr.'s office at 2:15pm.

My first impression was...eh.

There were people everywhere and it was a rather large waiting room.

I was overwhelmed.

But then the receptionist called me Hun...

Deep breath...I started to relax.

We checked in and found a seat.  Then we moved seats.  We were sort of hidden in the first seats and I didn't like that.

There were doors everywhere that people were getting called by nurses from.  I wondered what door would be ours.

People young and old filled the seats.  The place was a buzz.

It was not Bozeman OB/GYN. 

I couldn't even concentrate on a magazine (well, like I ever can at these appts)... there was lots of people watching and wondering going on.  I wondered what their stories were...I wondered what our appointment would bring.

Then from the door behind us my name was called, by a lady I cannot remember the name of, followed by a "how are you hun?"  More relaxing.  We were ushered into this giant posh room! 

I was told to lay down on the table.  Joel and I looked at each other with confusion on our faces.  I thought I would need to partially undress...I thought the lady had lost her mind! 

She told me to lay down again.  I was hesitant.  And did I mention confused?!  Then she clarified, I was having a stomach ultra sound...I'd never had one of those before. 

Sorry that might be TMI!

She was shocked to see twins!  I asked her before she even said anything if she knew there were 2 and she said, "well, I do now"! 

Both babies looked great!  First up...look for both heart beats...passed!  Second measure sizes...baby A was 9 weeks, baby B 8 weeks 6 days...a size difference that was quite normal and nothing to be worried about.  Then we heard both heart beats again.

She took lots of pictures.  Then went to get our new doctor. 

The day before we had seen a picture of him online and our reaction was...uhhh, uhhh...

Well, don't judge a book by it's cover!

He was so kind to us.  He explained every detail about the ultra sound.  Asked us questions about our journey then gave us a lot of time to ask all of our questions.  And I had a lot of them.

It might not have been Dr. Shomento and Julia...but it was a very nice team of people who we know are going to take great care of us and our babies. 

Next ultra sound...June 4th! 

Dr. Key said we'd celebrate the end of the first trimester then!  Yahoo! 

Church flowers

Yesterday at church there were flowers for Mother's Day. 

Joel was told to announce that the Mother's could all pick up a flower on their way out, or 2.

The person who told him this looked at me and wished me a Happy Mother's Day to be.

Then the person said that they thought being pregnant warranted me celebrating Mother's Day so it would be alright if I went ahead and got a flower at the end.

I said a simple ok.

But then I was distracted during parts of the service.  My eyes were tear filled.  My heart was sad. 

What about the women who want to be moms but haven't been able to yet?  Can't they have a flower?  What about the moms who have lost a child, can't they have a flower?  What about ladies who long for marriage and motherhood, but it hasn't happened yet, can't they have a flower?

I found  myself sort of getting mad.  I know the person meant no harm with their words.  I know they meant only joy.

But I formed this strong opinion in the midst of it all...as women, we all nurture and care...it's in our genes.  And I think regardless of whether or not we have children, are carrying children with our eyes on due dates, or dream of one day having children...we all deserve flowers!

Pastor Joel said Happy Mother's Day to all moms, grandmas, aunts, friends, all those who care for any and all children...

I liked that.