Sunday, October 23, 2011

August 20, 2011

It is January 23rd today, and I'm still trying to document what I can remember from the babies first months, I've been far too busy until now, so I just hope my memory doesn't fail me! I'll put all the posts in chronological order still, so that they're easier to follow :)


I took Knox and Kullen to the ER because they were quite Jaundiced. This was the start of a 4 day stay in the hospital, under the Billi lights for both of the boys... By the end of our hospital stay they had both lost over 1lb and were the skinniest little peanuts I ever did see!



Cliff Note version:

Kullen was down to 5lbs 9oz, and Knox was down to 5lbs 11oz when we were released from the hospital. We started them both on formula now -to get their weights up, but still breastfed too.

Knox's first night under the lights resulted in mom getting a whopping 15 minutes of sleep, every time the poor little guy moved in there he would freak himself out and flail around ... I ended up having to 'restrain him'

Sunday night after asking the nurses SEVERAL times if we could test Kullens Billi again, because he was more yellow now than Knox... Tyson finally came in and took him down to the ER. His Billi was through the roof, and into the lights he went as well.

I just remember how TINY you guys looked in those big incubators, all naked except for your styling shades...

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

AUGUST 17,2011 One day old

Well. It is January 2012, and I'm still trying to document the early days after babies arrived... so this is going to be the cliff notes version of Knox and Kullen, Day 1

-Knox had a little trouble breathing just after birth and had to have some 'Kangaroo time' with momma, I didn't mind one bit!

-Boys boys got to room in with me that first night!

-Found out they are AB-

-Had their blood sugar monitored several times a day

-Kullen had the first bath...Mommy missed it but was told he did not like it one bit...Knox seemed to enjoy his

-Both of you had to have car seat tests done to make sure they could keep their O2 sats up well enough in their seats so we could leave the hospital

-Knox was a great eater but quite sleepy... Kullen refused to eat... also very sleepy...and the nurses refused to help me... or listen to me that you were NOT eating AT ALL. I discovered you were BOTH tongue tied...asked several medical professionals, and they ALL said it wasn't a problem...despite the fact that you wouldn't eat...The nurses pushed formula rather than help me get you to latch/ stay awake for a feeding.

-At one point both babies were being quite fussy, so I put them naked, side by side, and wrapped them together...they snuggled up to one another and calmed right down

-6:00pm , February 17...approx 26 hours after you were born... We were released from the hospital...You guys were rock stars! I have never been more excited or terrified of anything in my life, than that 3 hour trek home with two 36 week infants. Yikes!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Happy Birthday!

August 16, 2011

5:00am: Woke up to get ready for the day

6:00am: Grandma arrives to follow us to the hospital, we head out

8:45am: Arrive at the hospital and are escorted to the Induction area.

10:00am: Have a cervix check prior to starting the induction. I am already 4 centimeters!!

10:30am: We're all checked into our labor and delivery room, We have met our Doctors, Dr. Tsui and I believe Dr.Campbell. As well as our Nurse Laura, and met a couple people that will be on the babies NICU teams. Laura starts me on a drug to induce labor. Starts with an O. cant remember the name.

12:00pm: I get my epidural BEFORE the pain even gets bad. Can anyone say AWESOME!? They do another cervical check and I am only 5cm. At this point I'm discouraged and think this is going to be one LONG labor as I've only went 1cm and contractions were almost constant. I think this is also the point where they break baby A's water.

From here on out I don't remember times... There was music on the radio... a couple foot rubs... and Laura was kind enough to let me chew gum even though I wasn't supposed to in case we ended up needing a C-section. At one point Baby A was having some decels so almost instantly the room filled with people. they put one of those little monitors onto his scalp... and everything looked perfect once again. Turns out, Baby A just wanted Laura's attention. I kid you not. EVERY SINGLE TIME she left the room he would have a decel and the alarms would start ringing... If she stayed in the room, all was good!

3:30pm: after staying 30 minutes past the end of her shift Laura finally left after determining babies were going to be stubborn and NOT be born during her shift. Literally 5 minutes after Laura left I told our new nurse (sorry, her name escapes me right now) That I was starting to feel some pressure. a few minutes later Dr Tsui was in the room and doing a check. I was 10cm! She asked me to give just a little push and see what happens...at which point she excitedly tells me to stop NOW unless I want baby A born right here right now, without any of the other doctors or the NICU teams!

3:40pm: the people start to flood in, there is a flurry of activity as both NICU teams prepare for the babies and both Doctors get all of their gear on and get the bed ready for me to push.

I'm going to guess here and say 3:45pm... they tell me to push with the next contraction.. I think I pushed twice during that contraction and Kullen Benjamin was born at 3:47pm... All I could say is 'Does he EVER look like Kyler'

I didn't get a chance to hold him right away as the NICU staff whisked him away to assess him (he was the anemic twin)

Dr. Campbell breaks baby B's water and informs us that Baby B has done exactly what he is supposed to and dropped right down... They seem shocked it went so well... and tell me I can already push again with the next contraction... It seems like forever before there is another. Finally I can feel the contraction start and it is time to push- again... and Knox Greyson is born with that contraction at 3:52pm, five minutes after his brother.

This time Daddy is able to cut the cord ( he wasn't allowed with baby A) They sneak me a quick peek and Knox is off with the NICU team as well.

Kullens NICU staff calls over to tell us he is a whopping 6lbs 9ounces (That is HUGE for 36 week twins) They bring him over to me and tell me he is doing GREAT... He is a little pale and that when I see Knox it'll be clear who the donor and recipient twins were. Knox's NICU team calls over telling us he is 6lbs15ounces! Everyone is completely shocked by

a)how smoothly their birth went
b)how HUGE they both are and
c)how well they are doing.

Dr. Tsui informs us that it NEVER goes this well and she is just amazed.

NICU team 2 Brings Knox over, he is doing great as well, and I am able to hold both of my baby boys together for the first time! Holding both boys I knew what the NICU team meant when they said it was obvious who the donor and recipient twins were... Here I have pale Mr. Kullen, and Mr. Knox looks like a tomato! They detected the TAPS soon enough that there were absolutely NO problems aside from the drastic color difference.

Coming soon, The babies first 24 hours, and home coming!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Life.

Life gets very busy when youre expecting twins. It gets even busier when you have infant twins... So no explanation should be needed regarding my LOOOONG overdue posting.

August 2011, a very busy month in our house.

We went for our routine MFM appointment in Edmonton on August 11, 2011... the appointments we had been going to bi weekly since 20 weeks to monitor the babies... On August 11th was the first time we had had a less than stellar 'review' from the doctors.

Up until this point we were always told how EXCELLENT we were doing. On this day we were told that there were some concerns regarding baby A's bloodflow to his brain and they wanted us back in four days to check on them again. I left the appointment wanting to cry, we didnt know if there was a problem or not... but it was a big hit for me to go from being told every appointment how great the babies looked, to suddenly there may be a problem.

August 15th, 2011... we headed back up to the city for our followup... the shock of a possible problem had worn off by now and we were expecting to hear everything looked great and there was indeed no need for concern. After a very long ultrasound in which the tech struggled repeatedly to get any blood flow readings from baby A, and assuring us it was nothing, and then an even longer wait for the doctor... we were told that babies would need to be born the next day due to what they figured was TAPS . Twin Anemia Polycythemia sequence. A form of the TTTS which is what we had been watching for all along...

We drove the 2.5 hours home to pack a few things and make arrangements for the boys as we didnt know how long we would be in the city and how much extra care the babies would need once they were born... We were told to expect them to need blood transfusions and a NICU stay... so we were most definitely worried...and just wanted one more night at home with our other three babies :)

To be continued. I do after all have 5 kids to watch, so I have to keep blogging short! Coming soon, The big birthday!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Ready or not...

Today's post is going to be short and sweet. Ready or not... these babies will be here soon...

My main thought regarding that?

BABIES. as in plural.

I'm not sure that the shock/disbelief will ever wear off.

Sure I'm used to the idea.

However.

Last night as I lay in bed... with the pack n play set up bedside for when they make their arrival. I once again could not believe it is twins. Literally. How did this happen? LOL. I see them every two weeks on the ultrasound...I have two of almost everything... The boys have names. And yet I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that very soon I will have not one. BUT TWO babies sleeping(hopefully) in the pack and play beside me. I've always had a hard time envisioning that there was indeed a tiny human being in my belly... now to know there is two in there. Still shocking. I'm not sure the reality of it will really sink in until they are in my arms... so for now I'm stocking up on baby stuff, and catching up on sleep.

In other news. Keaton and Kolby are at their Grandpas for the week so it has been just Kyler and I since Monday... It's pretty quiet- which I suppose is a good thing considering how noisy I'm sure things will be before I know it!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

It's been a long time coming!!

A new blog post that is! Wow. Where to start? It has indeed been a very long time... and I’ve been a very busy lady.

So first for some updates!
1) I am 33weeks and 6days along. Up 34lbs. And my waist has grown to a gigantic 49 inches!
2) At our last ultrasound (which, if I am counting correctly is ultrasound #11) The boys were both doing great still, and measuring in at a whopping 4lbs 11ounces and 5lbs 3 ounces!
3) We have not had a SINGLE complication this pregnancy... no high blood pressure... no gestational diabetes...Pre-eclampsia...significant growth disparity or signs of the dreaded TTTS... Nothing.
Which I am SO thankful for considering the risk we are at with Baby A’s 2 vessel cord and them sharing a placenta
4) A few ‘interesting’ things we’ve seen at ultrasounds? One baby’s face right on the other ones butt. Baby A cracking baby B in the face repeatedly with his elbow... and Baby B was kicking his brother in the face at the last ultrasound.


How am I feeling?
Hmmm. Not sure! I feel great considering I’m carrying at LEAST 10lbs of baby right now! If anything my biggest issue is space... the babies are running out of it and things are starting to get quite painful. But I am not one to complain considering how much harder this pregnancy COULD have been on me. It’s just in the last month that I’ve really felt a need to slow down ( as hard as that may be for me!) Right around the 20 week mark I had some issues with severe pelvic pain that had me on the couch for a week or so... Then in June when the weather started getting really hot my feet started turning blue... Both of those issues thankfully went away. My current issue is the belly! If I lay too reclined on my back it is so heavy now it cuts off blood flow to that main artery that runs down your spine... we discovered this when during a NST my blood pressure plummeted to 70/40 or so If I remember correctly. SO- fun stuff! Not that you all care about these things... I just want to have a record of EVERYTHING so I don’t ever forget 

Are we ready?
We are as ready as we will ever be I suppose. How do you really prepare for Multiples? The nursery is ready... I’m stocked up on everything possible... so I think now it’s whether or not we’re mentally ready... which I am not- I’m still in the ‘I want my sleep and sanity’ phase. The boys all seem ready. Kyler talks to my belly daily telling babies he wants them to come out now... Keaton cant wait to see what they look like, and Kolby just loves to tell the babies he loves them. Tyson keeps saying he is ready and cant wait to see them... but I can already hear him complaining at 3am when I drag him out of bed to help me. LOL.

Have we picked names?
First names, Yes. We had Greyson and Garrett, Liam and Noah, Knox and Kayle, We decided on Knox and Kullen. Middle names still to be determined.

So that is sort of where we are at now. Any questions? Leave a comment and I'll try and answer them! I'm going to try to do a little blogging each day as an attempt to get caught up on the last couple months before babies get here... which could be any time!

Friday, June 3, 2011

We're still here

This is a photo of my 25.5 week baby bump! I'm hoping to get on here next week to do some updating... thing have been hectic here with the Doctors appointments... managing 3 boys... fitting all of my photography clients in before I'm done working at the end of June... and trying to landscape our yard.


Hoping to finally get around to a birthday post soon, and since I missed posting all THREE of the boys birthdays I'm going to share about all of them together :)

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Change of plans

Since I last wrote...

-Got the call that the appointment was set up with the MFM specialist...For this PAST FRIDAY! That was WAY sooner than I was anticipating getting in!

-Had our MFM appointment/ultrasound... Two Ultrasounds in less than 2 weeks!

And we officially have a game plan!

Both babies 'look fine right now'
It looks as though we will be going up to Edmonton every two weeks from now on at a minimum... Our next appointment is Friday the 13th! Yikes! That appointment will be the same as this past one, but she is also having us go somewhere else to have a fetal echo(ultrasound) of both babies hearts that day...If all looks well then, she said that we will try to work out a plan so that I wont have to go there any more frequently than bi-weekly... we'll set it up so I still do all of my regular monitoring here and then am up there every second Friday.

We discussed delivering in Edmonton... and from the sounds of things... It looks like that is where that is going to happen...

There was a whole lot of, if this,
this
or this happens you will deliver in edmonton,
or this... and you'll deliver in Edmonton...
OR, Just because of all the risks associated with what we're dealing with,
we might just want you to deliver in Edmonton irregardless.

So we both got the inclination that she wants to deliver in Edmonton. I think I am still in denial about that...

I'm planning to make it as far as they'll let me (38weeks)... and then I'll deliver here... without a cesarian...

She also discussed possibly finding me an OB in Edmonton and then I'd have to do everything there... so really. Looks like we might be going up there quite a bit- which is a hassle... but if it means me delivering two healthy babies it is all worth it!

So that is where we are at right now.
at the last ultrasound baby B had caught up to A in size... Now this Ultrasound he was AHEAD of his brother by almost a week! I'm a little worried about that...but if they keep telling me all is fine then I'm going to trust them and go with the flow... I'm lucky enough to have them monitoring me very closely so It definitly puts my mind at ease!

Coming later this week. Less Medical mumbo jumbo baby talk... and more BOYS! Kyler got an early birthday gift and I've got some really cute photos of him showing it off!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

20 weeks

Had an Ultrasound yesterday, Appointment with new doctor today... and I FINALLY have someone who EXPLAINED things to me!!

What I know

My due date is officially Sept 8th. It only took me 20 weeks of pregnancy to get someone to tell me an actual date!

Babies ARE indeed monochorionic/diamniotic

Babies are both measuring a little AHEAD!! And within a day of each other. This is a HUGE relief as at my other ultrasound they were measuring 6 days different...and although they told me not to worry, of course I still did!

Babies are... BOYS. wow. Not really any words to say.

FIVE BOYS

Yep. that about sums it up. I'm going to be one busy hockey mom!

Baby B has a 2 vessel cord which can indicate problems and birth defects, but he is looking PERFECT...and I was told not to worry about that... so the only worry with the 2 vessel cord is then Growth restriction or problems with TTTS...

Which is sort of a double whammy since we were already concerned about the growth restriction and TTTS because we believe they share a placenta... But they are going to watch that VERY carefully now.

I'm waiting on a call To see a MFM (Specialist for high risk pregnancies who will do an in depth ultrasound to check for TTTS and cord problems) So I'm not sure when that will be...

Starting at 24 weeks (but actually 25 because the lab couldnt get me in any sooner) I will begin bi-weekly ultrasounds... Bi-weekly Dr. appointments... and somewhere around that time I will also have to do weekly non stress tests. So I'm going to be a very busy lady very soon! But it is ALL worth it if these boys are born healrhy.

In other news... My cervix looks great. Nice and thick... I'm sure you're glad you know! The placenta is anterior, which means we can attempt a vaginal birth... IF baby A is head down... Baby B's position doesnt matter so here's crossing my fingers that A will do his thing and flip around since they are both currently breech.

I think that is about it! Hope you enjoyed the medical mumbo jumbo... Coming soon, the newest ultrasound photos!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Twins FAQ

Are they identical? Yes. click here to read what we've been told and why we believe they are identical. Our Next ultrasound on Monday should confirm it, but I'm quite positive a second placenta has not grown since 12 weeks!

Are they boys, girls, or one of each? Well. We believe they are identical, so they are either two girls, or two boys. Identical twins cannot be boy/girl.

But I know a set of identical Boy/Girl twins!? Okay. I have heard this SO many times. Unless everything I've been told or researched online is wrong. That really is not likely. I've taken the following information from About.com... but I've read the exact same thing elsewhere many times.

Can Boy Girl Twins Be Identical?

The short answer is No!

The terms identical and fraternal don't describe what the twins look like, but actually how they form. Identical (monozygotic) twins are always of the same gender because they form from a single zygote that contains either male (XY) or female (XX) sex chromosomes. Therefore, boy/girl twins are always fraternal or (dizygotic); they can only form from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm. Fraternal twins can be either two girls, two boys, or one of each.

Let's break it down further.

Identical=monozygotic. Monozygotic means that the twins formed from a single fertilized egg that splits into two. It starts as one, splits into two. When it splits, it is either male or female. After it splits, there are either two males or two females. Fraternal twins are dizygotic. Dizygotic = two zygotes. They are two separate eggs that are fertilized by separate sperm. The resulting egg/sperm combination can be male or female. The result is either two male twins, two female twins, or one male and one female.

Therefore:
•Two girl twins can be either identical or fraternal (monozygotic or dizygotic).
•Two boy twins can be either identical or fraternal (monozygotic or dizygotic).
•A set of boy/girl twins can only be fraternal (dizygotic).

Boy/girl twins can not be identical (monozygotic).

Except....
However, there have been a few reported cases of a genetic mutation in monozygotic male twins. For some reason, after the zygote splits, one twin loses a Y chromosome and develops as a female. The female twin would be afflicted with Turner Syndrome, characterized by short stature and lack of ovarian development. It's extremely rare; less than ten cases have been confirmed. Given the odds, it's safe to assume that 99.9% of all boy/girl twins are fraternal. Okay,

One More Exception... Of course, another explanation for gender differences in identical twins is an identical twin who undergoes a sex change operation.

WOW. that was sort of long.



One last question.



Do twins run in either of your families? Not that we were aware of. However if they do/did... Only the females family has any influence on whether or not you will concieve twins... So if your husband has twins in his side of the family, you're outta luck... Your daughter might one day have twins though! As for the female side... if there is twins on your side, there is a chance you could concieve Fraternal(non identical) twins. Identical twins are not a trait passed down genetically. They are a random occurence.



Now if I'm wrong on any of this? Let me know :) But from all of my google hours/multiples book reading hours... this is what I have found to be true .

Monday, April 4, 2011

How many is too many?

When it comes to children, How many is too many?

I had always said I would have 2... or 4... I did not want an odd number. However after I had Kyler I said three was enough. I was done.

Enter Newborn Photography. With the amount of newborns that have been in my studio in the past year I was suddenly having that... Hmmm. maybe we're not done feeling again. So when we decided to add a fourth child I was a little nervous, but I was okay with it, because we had always said two or four.

UNTIL God blessed us and we discovered the magic number was 5 instead.

I would be lying if I were to say this wasnt overwhelming. It wasnt so much the idea of having twins that seemed overwhelming to me, It was when I thought of it as FIVE, five children. WOW. I am going to have FIVE CHILDREN... by the age of 29!

I had seen families with that many children,
and I always thought,

wow.

They are crazy...

or possibly that their religious values lead them to having large families...

I never thought that Normal people...
you know,

people like ME

have five children!

Point of my post?

Lady at Kingsway Mall who was telling her friend to look at me because I had three boys in Towe and was pregnant again(as if it were a bad thing)

I am pregnant again.

And its TWINS.

AND ITS WONDERFUL NEWS.

Children make you feel young, children show you the wonder in the things we no longer see... Children make you laugh, smile, giggle, act goofy... and they make you LOVE... There is never enough love. And there is no such thing as too many children as long as they are loved with all their mommy or daddy's hearts.

So I say to my former self.
No the lady at Walmart with 5 kids is not crazy
(although I'm sure SOME days she might agree that she is!)
She is LUCKY.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Now that's real life!


When I found out I was having twins and decided I was also going to cloth diaper,
my thoughts,as well as I'm sure anyone who has seen the usual state of my Laundry room were

'how the heck is she going to handle MORE laundry!?'

Well. Two weeks ago. Thanks to my mother in law... I got all caught up on the laundry... got everything folded. and put away.

You see, I have a TINY problem where I tend get overwhelmed and just STOP folding clothes or putting them away...

so usually my laundry room is FULL of baskets of clean, unfolded clothes. eek. Enter my personal goal.

Project Laundry.
I am trying to prove to myself that I can keep up on it prior to the babies arrival.

Here is my laundry room today,

Almost two weeks in.





I must say that I am proud.... now to keep it up indefinitely!

Now.

Onto another tale from the laundry room.

This.






This has been hanging on the Laundry room door for months.

Today it actually spoke to me.

Do you know what it said?

You fit me (and looked darn cute) three short months ago!

My reply?

I hate you. HA!

If that isnt real life I dont know what is.

Dear Lasenza Lingirie. We will be reunited one day....you will see!

Monday, March 28, 2011

What really matters.

What really matters to me? giggles. I always want my kids to have a reason to giggle. health. happiness. snuggles. sitting together at the supper table. having someone I love's hand to hold. being asked to scratch one of their tiny little backs. hearing tiny footsteps running through the house after bedtime because they forgot to kiss the babies in my belly goodnight. reading stories, building clubhouses, or playing walmart in their bedroom. knowing that if they are hurt, sad, or scared I can make it better. It is not about having the coolest gadgets, the shiniest jewelry, the most fancy ride, or the biggest house. For a LOOONG time I thought these were the things that really mattered to me, That along with my perception of how other people viewed my 'success' but now...

Watching my family grow.

I realize this is what is important to me.
Being here for them.
Watching them.
Not missing a thing.

That is success. Having a hard working husband who enables me to be here for my kids.

You may notice health is also on that list.
Thank goodness I have a healthy family.

I *think* I have finally gotten to the point...
Where I will be just FINE if God plans on us being a family with 5 boys.

Sure, I may have a moment of disappointment or those odd moments when I'm driving to hockey... wishing I was going to dance... but my boys have brought SO MUCH JOY into my life! How could I NOT want more just like them!?

As long as they are healthy, I am happy. Girls/Boys. Does not matter Sure Pink would be nice... But I get plenty of what I need as a mommy from the little boys in my life.

I would be SO BLESSED if 5 boys is what God's plan is for me. Because its just that. Gods plan. Not mine. I'm sure whatever he has chosen to bless us with, that there is a plan behind it. After all, who would have thought we'd be blessed with TWO babies instead of one. So obviously he has great plans for us in the works!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

16 weeks

From the right angle,
and if I bunch my shirt a bit,
I kind of sort of look like my old self!!

But then I turn,

and...

KA-BAM



There it is! The 16 week baby bump!
So what is going on in my pregnancy this week?

Well. For one. There are TWO BABIES growing inside me! (I know it, I'm excited by it now, but yet I still have those moments when I think...'Really!? REALLY!?'
Yes Elisha, really.

I am SO forgetful. Never before have I been this bad in a pregnancy. This morning I looked for a pen in my spice cupboard. Yes. I'm that good.

I'm SO tired. Thank goodness both big boys are in school every other day, because then Kyler and I can snuggle on the couch while mommy naps... I'm usually awoken a couple times each nap when Ky has to give me a kiss on the nose. SO. CUTE.

Cravings? Slurpee's maybe? I don't have them that often but if I'm craving anything its a good ole Coca Cola Slurpee... and Milk.
No. Not TOGETHER. Gross.

Weight gain. Oh my. I knew it was coming... but I really did not prepare myself for it. In the past 4 weeks, if my scale is not lying to me... I have gained nearly 7 lbs! Shocked the heck out of me since I hadn't weighed myself for a while... but two days ago when I found my paper recording my weight, and the last one was at 12 weeks I thought I better get a new 'reading'. So with my 7 lb weight gain I am now officially back at my pre pregnancy weight... which is good... but it is still always depressing to see that scale number move up, no matter how noble the reason.

Nose bleeds. Wow. I'm getting glamorous here I know. But a nosebleed a day. Really? Not enjoying that.

A lot of this pregnancy update is sounding negative... so here we go... We have movement! I have been feeling flutters for a few weeks now(must be a multiple time mom thing, because with my first I did not feel a THING until after 20 weeks!), but this week they are definitely getting more substantial, grow babies grow! I LOVE feeling them move... and I cannot wait to feel it even more as they grow.

So there we have it, 16 weeks, hopefully 20-22 more to go :)

Monday, March 21, 2011

My little men

We have had so much baby talk around here lately that I thought I would share one random photo of each of the boys from this past month...

Here is Keaton... and Steven. Where he got the idea to name his fish Steven I will never know. This was a photo I took for him because he had to take a photo of him and his pet to school this week. So since the other boys are allergic to cats/dogs... Steven is the family pet!

This was Actually in February, Kolbys hockey team was drawn to go play during intermission for the Edmonton Oilers... He looked forward to this for MONTHS, constantly needing me to reassure him. 'Mom, I'm going to play for the Edmonton Oilers right?' Yes honey. ' But mom... I'm scared I wont be good enough' Don't worry honey, The Oilers don't have the highest expectations. HA! In the end he was the goalie, and let something like 9 goals in, in the 3 minutes they were on the ice... so he was distraught, but it was the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm sure he will never forget it!
And last but not least. Kyler. This was last week, when I was writing that last post... He helped himself to half a box of fruit loops in a huge Tupperware container. When I came upstairs he had the blankets all laid out on the floor for his 'picpic'(picnic). What a waste, but can you blame him? Aside from the lack of nutritional content, Fruit loops ARE delicious. Just ask the twins, they've been having them every couple days as a snack ;)




Thursday, March 17, 2011

So, now that we've had some time to adjust and the initial shock of TWINS has worn off... we've begun to think of the logistics of things.



What do we really need?

What do we need two of?

How will we get things done?

I plan on breastfeeding/pumping, but do we need to stock up on bottles as well? If so how many? I've never done the bottle thing other than the odd bottle if I was going out and someone was babysitting.

Diapers, wow. the diapers!
-How many do we need?
-I want to cloth diaper, but plan on using disposables for the first little bit (until the babies are
at least 8lbs and will fit most one size cloth diapers)
-What size of disposables do I buy if I want to start stocking up now? Newborn? or Preemie,
because I have no idea how big these babies will be!

This is what I've figured out, Month 1, I am estimating we will use SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY DIAPERS! That is about 9 of the big boxes of diapers... Which is $171 IF I can get them on sale, If not we're looking at $225... for DIAPERS... for ONE MONTH! This is estimating with 12 diapers a day per baby... so it may be a little less, but I'd rather over estimate than under estimate and be un-prepared!

I read somewhere online that on average a set of twins will use 13,000-15,000 diapers by the time they are potty trained! So for those of you who question WHY I would ever want to cloth diaper, that my friend is why! I cant even begin to imagine that many diapers in a landfill if I can avoid it, or PAYING for that many diapers in the next 3 years, ouch! My cloth diapering may cost me close to $1000 initially for two babies, but that is significantly less than I would spend on disposables, a huge burden off of our landfills, AND... I can sell them and get at least SOME of my money back when I am done with them!

So that my friends, is another of the many things floating around in my head these days... I'm off to the elementary school now... Gotta love it when you forget to pack your son a sandwich in his lunch! I'm sure he wont mind since that means he gets a sub now :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

It has been a while, But today was one of those days that I woke up and thought...

Was that real?

Am I really having twins?

Unlike the last time I woke up and had that feeling, I did not get the urge to throw up and then have a good cry.... Rather, this time I just smiled!

I'm not sure if my initial reaction is a normal reaction to finding out that you are carrying two babies. But I must admit that my first reaction was nearly dread, How could this be? I was already feeling overwhelmed that we would be adding a fourth child to our family, So how could this happen!? Five, I was going to have FIVE children!?

Now that I have had a couple weeks to get used to the idea, although I'm still overwhelmed at how I will manage 2 newborns and 3 older children, I am now also starting to get excited! We will have double the first smiles, double the baby giggles, and HOPEFULLY a couple little girls for mommy to do girl things with! I know I have probably jinxed myself by saying that I hope it is girls, But I really truly do. I also hope that if these babies are not indeed girls, that God will help me come to terms with the fact that I will not be getting a daughter.

When I thought we were having one baby I was okay with another boy, I actually HOPED for another boy. Because I KNOW boys, I can DO boys.

Since finding out that I am carrying TWO babies however it seems greed has gotten the better part of me. I find myself saying that I better get my girl, because really, all that I've ever wanted is a daughter, and if I give birth to FIVE children and don't get a daughter I will not be impressed.

I don't want to feel like that.

I know that these babies are a blessing and their sex should be the LEAST important thing to me... I just wish my heart could FEEL that. Does that make sense? Maybe one of you moms out there will get it, and hopefully before my next ultrasound I will have a change of heart. I love these babies irregardless, and if they are in fact boys, the LAST thing I want to feel at my next ultrasound is disappointment, because there are FARRRRR worse things out there that I could have to deal with than not getting my daughter.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The belly and other random thoughts

So here it is!! I am, 14 weeks and I believe 2 days today. Please do not look too closely at the photo. I was tempted not to post it as you can see the hideous-ness that is my hair in the mirror.


On another subject? How do you moms find time to do your darn hair!? Mine is in a pony tail so often that when I actually wear it down I am shocked by how much it has grown since the last time it was down!

Flipping subjects again, I bought the double stroller and car seats yesterday! I feel like it is so soon to be doing anything like that, but the way I see it... In the event that I end up on bed rest, I will be glad I got everything organized so early! Not that I'm planning on being on bed rest, but you do see the size of me right? At 14 weeks? These babies are going to start growing FAST now and it should be interesting to see how ginormous I get!

Another random subject? Sure, why not!

Has throwing up become a contest in your house? If not then you are not in a house full of boys! Keaton was up sick most of last night... so tonight at bedtime I told Kolby to go straight to sleep so he can get lots of rest and hopefully not get sick as well. His reply.

'But mom!! I'm already sick! I just puked in my mouth and swallowed it'

Great dude. I'm glad you felt the need to share. Yet another reason I hope that I may get a daughter out of this twins deal... enough of the puke/fart talk for me... I need makeup and shopping! STAT!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Prenatal appointments

So today was my first prenatal appointment since the Ultrasound that told us we were having twins...

To say it was underwhelming would be an exaggeration.

I was expecting him to sit down, tell me about what to expect differently with twins, tell me a little about how my prenatal care will differ as opposed to a singleton pregnancy, measure the fundal height, take my blood pressure...listen for heartbeats...send me for blood work...You know... all of the regular pregnancy stuff, plus prepare me a bit for how this pregnancy could be different.

INSTEAD.
-The nurse weighed me ( and as I predicted, I Have gained a pound, putting me at -6 but I'll take it since I was -8!), The doctor told me he got my Ultrasound report and it is indeed twins... That he'd like me to see another Dr. in town(but that's as far as that went), asked how I was feeling, said things were looking good and he'd like to see me back a week after my April 18th Ultrasound. So if you're looking at a calendar... That would make my next prenatal appointment in 7 weeks.

So lets look at the stats here

I am 14 weeks along with Twins. I have not had blood work done since the initial blood work at 4/5 weeks. He has not once listened for a heartbeat/heartbeats, not once checked my blood pressure or measured fundal height, and now we're going 7 weeks between appointments in my second trimester.

This cant be normal can it? I was really excited for today because I thought I'd leave the appointment with a better understanding of what to expect in the months to come. Instead I'm just as confused as ever... and frankly now quite frustrated by the situation.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Introducing...

In their first blog appearance, Baby A and Baby B!
They even look identical via ultrasound! HA!

I'm really confused by this identical vs. fraternal idea. The tech told us that it is highly likely that they are identical since they share a placenta. HOWEVER based on what he told us and again, Google... Everything I have read says that in our scenario(one placenta) the twins are identical...I did read however that occasionally two placentas will fuse together giving the appearance of one, thus being misleading... So that must be why they wont say that they are 100%. Or at least that's the conclusion I have come to.

A... For Alex or Ainsley?


B- For Brad or Bertha?

For those of you who may be worried about the name choice of Bertha, have no fear! That name is actually not on the list ;)

Random thoughts today:

-Im feeling pretty darn good. I'm very tired... and having crazy dizzy spells/headaches... but I'll take it over all day sickness!

-I *think* I gained a pound!

-Current snack of choice would be strawberries and cream loaded with sugar. I tell myself that the strawberries balance out the cream and sugar.

-I bought my first two boxes of diapers, and a Medela dual electric breast pump.

-May be getting ANOTHER crib this week as well as the double stroller and two carseats.

-I think I might be buying too much too soon, but I'm a planner so it feels SO GOOD to be buying. LOL

Friday, March 4, 2011

Crazy Coincidences

Now that we know we are having twins, when I look back there are SEVERAL strange, almost 'warnings' if you would.... Further proving to me that this is meant to be...

Are you ready to have your mind blown? I thought so. HA!

1)Since I was 5 years old I told my mom when I grew up and got married I was going to have identical twin girls(strange considering there were no twins in the family, and I'm not sure we even KNEW anyone with twins). WELL, when I grew up, got married, and had THREE boys I pretty much threw that idea out the window. Now, now it seems it may be a possibility- who EVER would have thought!?

2) Kyler, Oh my dear Kyler. I am sorry that Mom and Dad have been lying to you for months. Since the day we found out we were expecting and told the boys, Kyler has continually told us that there were TWO babies in my belly. I have continually told him that he was crazy and mommy was only growing one baby. oops!

3) I bought two cribs. HOW CRAZY IS THAT!? I was determined to buy as much as I can used this time since baby #4 was definitely going to be the last baby. I had made a rush decision to purchase an ikea crib on kijiji, without really looking at it first. Well when I got home I discovered(and remembered) that ikea cribs are shorter than regular cribs-almost like a playpen, and that was not what I wanted. WELL, two days later to my surprise the identical crib to the one that I had sold months earlier was for sale on kijiji, so I bought it as well, with plans to re-sell the ikea crib. So here we are. TWO CRIBS.

4) a couple weeks ago Motherhood maternity had an AWESOME sale online.I bought a ton of stuff, I bought half of it in Medium, and half in large since I know that I usually end up quite big. A week or so later I was disappointed to find that some of my items were out of stock and I would not be receiving them... HOWEVER imagine my dismay when I received the items that were in stock, and they were all size Large, and all absolutely HUGE, there was no way, no matter how big I got... that these would fit me. That doesn't seem to be the case now, since I'm bound to get bigger than I ever have before!

5)I receive daily emails from a pregnancy site with different things to expect during your pregnancy, diet and excersise ideas, that sort of thing.

I had my ultrasound this past Monday, I bet you will NEVER guess the subject of the email they sent me on Sunday ?

The subject was 'Expecting Twins?' I opened it up and it was an article about signs that could mean you are expecting twins! I thought that had to be a terrible omen and deleted it immediately. HA!


So there we have it, little coincidences that I thought nothing of at the time, but now I cant help but think WOW!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Identical, or not identical? That is the question!

Okay, so at the ultrasound we were told it was 'highly likely' that the babies are identical as they are sharing one placenta, and just a thin membrane seperates the babies in the amiotic sac. Below I will share what I have learned about that since:

A) I was addicted to google BEFORE this happened.

and

B) I am double addicted to google now.

So first, a photo. They believe We are the second photo down in the following series and considered 'Monochorionic diamniotic twins'

Monochorionic means they developed from a single egg and a single sperm
Diamniotic means they are in two amiotic sacs. Sort of. As you can see in the photo.




I found this explanation online that explains it clearly. I think. HA! I have made the font red for the sentance that describes us :)


Here goes...twins can be identical (30%) or non identical (70%). Dichorionic means two placentas, and diamniotic means two amniotic fluid filled sacs. A non identical twin pregnancy is always dichorionic diamniotic, which means that your babies, despite both being in your womb at the same time, have their own placenta and amniotic sac. It becomes more complicated with identical twins. They are originally from one embryo that split into two. If the embryo splits very early on, then the twins are identical but have separate placentas and amniotic sacs (dichorionin, diamniotic). If the embryo splits a little later, the result is identical twins that share a placenta (monochorionic) but are in separate sacs (diamniotic). Very late splitting of the embryo is rare but can result in conjoined (siamese) twins, or two babies that have the same placenta and are in the same sac (monochorionic, monoamniotic). This type of twins is at highest risk of various complications of pregnancy.

Now, any of you who know me know I'm slightly OCD, and slightly a paranoid freak when it comes to being pregnant. I read the following and now am totally freaked out, yet determined to deliver two healthy babies that do not require nicu stays. That is my goal!!


'Twins in general are at increased risk for certain complications including premature birth, death, and anomalies. When monozygotic twins split later than 3-4 days after fertilization, they are called 'monochorionic' twins(which is what we are) and they have complications which are many-fold higher that those of dichorionic twins. Monochorionic twins are at especially high risk of complications and death because they often share the placenta and have one outer membrane (chorion) as compared with dichorionic twins which have a separate membrane (dichorionic). Monochotionic twins have a significantly higher risk of complications such as twin-to-twin-transfusion-syndrome (TTTS) and require more intensive surveillance during pregnancy. Many doctors deliver monochorionic twins around 36 weeks to decrease the risk of complications.

So yes, I am now officially a REALLY paranoid freak. Thank you google...for freaking me the heck out.


Part II

BEFORE YOU READ THIS, MAKE SURE YOU CLICK HERE TO READ PART I FIRST.

So there we are, Tyson, Kyler and I... all hanging out in the Ultrasound room.

The tech put the thingy to my belly(so technical, I know!) and I thougtht I saw something funny, TWO 'blobs' but the tech moved around quick so I took a deep breath and told myself to stop freaking myself out, how could there possibly be something else in there!

Maybe a minute went by when the tech finally asked if this was our first ultrasound with this pregnancy.

Yes...

WELL. You're having twins.

WHAT!?

Okay. at this point I zoned out, rambling and babbling to the tech. But all I could think was. Okay, I know I'm looking at two heads side by side on the screen. But this CANT be right.

There was not a lot of logic in those moments! lol

So there we are. We left if up to god, tried once, were shocked to find out we're expecting, and then KA-BAM. Its TWINS!

They appear to be identical (I've got another post in the works to describe all about that)

So long story short. When you are prepared to trust God and let him make decisions in your life. Also be prepared for the fact that he may trust you with more than you thought you could ever handle. But rest assured there is a reason behind it!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

PART I

Its been a long time since I've updated. And a LOT has happened. A LOT. I have discovered that god must really have some plans for us since I put the future of our family in his hands and he has never failed to amaze me... Here is the story.

Tyson and I were unsure about whether our family was complete and in December decided to leave it up to God. We tried ONCE, and decided that if it was meant to be it would happen that once, and if it werent meant to be then our family was complete and we would be okay with that too.

I really wasnt expecting to find out that we were pregnant, but that is exactly what we discovered on December 29, 2010. We were shocked but figured it was meant to be. I was nervous about our family becoming 6 but that soon wore off and we began to get excited.

NOW. this is where things get a little hairy. I was extremely sick. It got to the point where I was sick 24 hours a day for just over a 2 week period. I could not look at, smell, or eat most foods. I lost 8 lbs in those 2 weeks! Never before had I been this sick, or this tired during a pregnancy... but I thought nothing of it, I was hoping that perhaps that meant we were having a girl this time, despite the fact that it really doesnt matter to me either way. The all day sickness eventually faded to just the occassional bout with nausea, which sounds great to me! So here I was... 12 weeks 5 days along, still down about 7 lbs, and headed to our first ultrasound.

TO BE CONTINUED...
YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO READ PART II.