Week 10 and 11

Yeah, so.  Got a little busy and left you all hanging....so you get a combo weekly update.   Is this where I get to say I'm pregnant and shrug my shoulders and you can't get mad at me?

Speaking of combos...our little ones are doomed for a lifetime of combo birthday/Christmas gifts.   We have learned that though my 'official' due date is January 7th...I will likely deliver somewhere between 36 and 37 weeks, which puts me at December 10th-December 17th -ish.   Plus, there's two of them so they'll get combo birthday/Christmas/SHARED gifts.   Nick and I were laughing the other day about wrapping up ONE soccer ball for birthday/Christmas and telling them they could share it.   Hee!  Although this is assuming we actually make it to 36-37 weeks; plenty of twin mamas go before that.

Other than devising plots to irritate and infuriate our children, we are doing very well!  And by we - I mean, me, Sweetie Pie and Honey Bunch (gags at my own preciousness).   I am nearly into the second trimester, which means I can look forward to the end of this horrendous nausea and never-ending fatigue.  OH, WAIT.  I skipped that part.  I still have not gained any weight, but I DEFINITELY have a bump and I'm officially in maternity clothes and/or forgiving regular clothes, which phew - what a relief!  I can't believe you pregnant people have been keeping these clothes to yourself.  They should really be available to everyone as the comfort level is just unparalleled.  Except for these.  Those things are confusing and torturous.   It is either constantly rolling up and revealing my unbuttoned pants or rolling down and revealing my butt crack.  Either way, Not Very Classy.   But good for those of you who figured it out.   Anyway, I asked the doctor how far ahead women who are pregnant with multiples measure ahead (in terms of uterus size) and he said anywhere from 4-8 weeks, which makes sense, because I look at least 4 months pregnant.  Although, admittedly there was just the teensiest tiniest bit of cushion there to start with. ;)

I went maternity clothes shopping with another pregnant friend this weekend and picked up a few things at a great sale.   I don't want to spend a ton of money on stuff, but I also have an abiding need to be cute. :)   We loaded up a couple of rooms with a ridiculous amount of clothes and paraded our outfits to each other.  The sales attendant keep oohing and ahhing and eventually I asked her if she EVER told a pregnant woman that something didn't look good.  To which her reply was "No, I just say 'I think we can do better'."   I guess I should be glad I didn't hear that phrase.  Also, maternity stores are awesome!  Easily accessible bathrooms, free drinks and comfy chairs.   Genius.

As a result of my belly bump, I had to announce to all of my co-workers because I could no longer get away with the "I had Chinese for lunch" excuse and really was getting tired of the side-eye.   I have told many close friends and family members that I was pregnant and never cried once.  So, OF COURSE, I chose to cry in front of 65 co-workers.  Gah! Emotions.    Anyway, everyone was very sweet and super supportive.  And now I can wear maternity clothes to work unabashedly.

We'll be announcing to our extended family and friends in the next couple of weeks, which is super exciting.  It's crazy to me how fast time is flying by!   We wanted to wait until nearly the second trimester, which is what conventional wisdom tells you is the safest plan.  

And now for a weekly update...times two!

How Far Along:  11 weeks, 6 days

What I'm Doing:  Trying to avoid going back for a second helping of meatloaf.  I make excellent meatloaf.

Cravings:  Seriously, I'm going to have to start making these up or something.   Maybe it will start happening as the pregnancy progresses, but for now - all I was is fruits and vegetables and lots of it.  The only remotely unhealthy craving I have is baked potatoes, but I want it with broccoli. :)   Luckily, I have some fabulous friends bringing me a baked potato and salad bar next week.  Thanks, lovelies!  I had a happy hour on Friday with my friends Jill and Jenni at which I ate a lot of bad bar food.  And then suffered afterwards with crazy bloat, so I guess I should be grateful that my cravings are healthy.

Sleep:  No real change here.   It's kind of all over the place.  Some nights I fall asleep at 8pm and others I can't fall asleep until nearly midnight.   I keep trying to take naps but I find I can't take a nap longer than 20 minutes...maybe my body is preparing me for life with twins. :)

Sex of Babies: Still unknown, although in case you were wondering, we will be finding out!  I used to think it would be so much to be surprised and now, I'm kinda done with being surprised.   I've had my fill of surprises.  

Symptoms:  Is having a baby bump a symptom?  That's all I got.

Fetal Movement:  None, and it's really too early.  Although apparently in the beginning, it feels like gas, so what if I mistake the babies moving for gas or vice versa?  

What I'm Looking Forward To This Week:  Nick and I are doing our annual trek to the Royals-Cardinals baseball game, the only time I'm allowed to root against the Cardinals.   I've also got a cooking class with the family scheduled, some girl time and a visit to my 104 year old grandmother!  Debating telling her about the pregnancy...still undecided, though.

Special Thanks To: So many people!  Here's the thing no one tells you when you are pregnant - you get gifts!   I've been loaned maternity clothes, a fetal Doppler heart monitor (have yet to try it out on my belly, but I do have a heartbeat in case you're wondering), and a maternity store gift card.  Many, many thanks to Debbie, Lezlie and Ashley!  Hugs to you all...

Many thanks also to Nick who with the arrival of my official bump this week has begun patting it and talking to the babies a lot, which is pretty freaking adorable.  

And if you made it this far, you deserve a medal!  Or at least the official 12 week bump pic. :)

Week 9

Hello, my friends! 

Another week has passed and we are inching ever-closer to the second trimester.  So, here's what's been going on...

• My lovely and dear friend Jenni got married!  It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful ceremony.  I don't think it could have been more perfect.  It's hard to believe that the girl I used to "produce" music videos with (I believe the soundtrack to Clueless was a favorite of ours) and perform impromptu stand-up routines at the movie theater we both worked at is now a married woman.  A married, beautiful, funny and smart woman.  We're, like, adults now, I guess. :)   When we ordered the bridesmaid dresses, I knew there was a possibility I could be pregnant at the wedding but of course, at that time, I never dreamed I would be pregnant with more than one!  By sheer chance, the bridal shop ordered a dress one size bigger for me.  I had to have it taken in quite a bit on the top, but it fit perfectly around the waist.  Love those empire waists.  My parents also attended the wedding and it was fun to see them out on the dance floor; they are great dancers and pretty adorable, if I do say so myself.  I can't wait to see the pictures that the amazing Emily Mueller took!  Jenni was a stunning bride...just gorgeous.

• We had our first appointment at the high risk practice at KU Med Center.  This is probably the only time I will ever give KU credit for anything, so Jayhawk readers, enjoy this. :)  The practice is beautiful - the offices must be pretty new.  The ultrasound suites are huge and have big plasma TVs for you to view the ultrasound on...a pretty big shift from squinting and staring at the little screen from the RE's office.   Everything is still looking good for all four babies.  The doctor still cautions us that a lot can happen in the next month before we move to the second trimester, but for now - everyone is measuring where they should.  Our doctor really took his time with us and answered all of our questions.  The MOST interesting piece of information by far is that this practice will do vaginal delivery for multiples, which is almost unheard of.  We need to discuss this further and do some research, but I am at a minimum, intrigued. 

• I am wearing my first maternity top!  Not really because I need to, but because I am ITCHING LIKE CRAZY.  Seriously, I'm sure my co-workers think I have some type of bug infestation or something.  All I want to do is wear the loosest clothing imaginable, so I threw on a maternity top today.  Interestingly, I had forgotten that last summer I picked up a couple of tops during the wait to find out if our first IVF cycle had worked.  I guess I was thinking optimistically?  At any rate,  I was looking through my closet and came across them this weekend.  Score!  I also ordered a maternity swimsuit because by God, I may be house-sized this summer, but I will be tan.

First maternity outfit!  Well, top, anyways.  I can still button my regular pants.  Please excuse the laundry on the guest bed!

This is the maternity swimsuit I ordered.  By and large, maternity swimwear is hideous.  This was the least offensive suit I found.

How Far Along: 9 weeks, 6 days

What I'm Doing: Itching

Cravings: In addition to fruits, vegetables and steaks, I now crave ham.  Ham!  I come by it honestly, though - my 104 year old grandmother is a ham fiend.

Sleep:  I feel a little more tired in the afternoons and extra tired in the mornings, but other than that, no changes.  And no weird sleepwalking this week, either. 

Sex of Babies: Unknown

Symptoms:  If itching is a pregnancy symptom, that's probably the thing I am suffering from most.  Still no nausea or exhaustion.  Maybe I could be a candidate for that "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" show...other than my rapidly expanding waistline.

Fetal Movement: None

What I'm Looking Forward To This Week:  Some pool time this weekend, a trip to Trader Joe's, a baby shower on Sunday and a family get-together!

Best Moment Of The Week: Nick's impersonation of our babies in utero.  Maybe I'll get sneaky and try to catch it on video. :)

Special Thanks To: Omaha Steak Company for continuing to provide me a steady stream of iron fortification in the form of tasty, tasty beef.

Week 8

Hello, people!  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.  This is going to be kind of a long update since it has been a week since I posted. 

Our weekend was delightful - we had no plans and I couldn't have been happier. Between traveling and the pregnancy craziness of late, we really needed down time.  There were multiple pool trips (for me), bike rides (for Nick), a couple of movies, lots of grilling out and some shopping.  Oh, and naps.  Glorious, glorious naps. 

I ended up trying to hit up some Memorial Day sales for maternity clothes.  I hadn't really intended to pick up anything yet, however this weekend I was reading through a couple of different blogs of moms of multiples and happened to see some pictures of these women at around 12 or 13 weeks.  I was not prepared for what I saw - they looked significantly more pregnant than what I was expecting.  I still am just a little bloated and haven't gained any weight (which I really don't need to until in the second trimester anyway - I've actually lost some since the start of the IVF cycle), but I am living in fear of waking up some day with no pants to wear.  A no-pants emergency!  So, I decided to ease my fears by picking up a few things.  Between what I purchased and a few items that were loaned to me, I think I could survive a week safely. 

The most interesting thing about trying on maternity clothes is the little pillow they give you to strap around your belly to mimic the bump.  Nick came with me and when I came out of the dressing room, we both just sort of started into the mirror, like - whoa.  This is happening.  Nick assured me that I looked beautiful, but still - weird.  Anyways, I grabbed two dresses, a skirt, a top and of course, because Nick was with me - a Cardinals tee shirt.

All black and white so everything matches.

Ernie not included.

In other news, we had a third ultrasound last week and got a bit of a surprise.  At our previous ultrasound, Dr. G was nearly convinced that we were moving forward with twins.  However, last week we ended up seeing and hearing four heartbeats.  It was definitely a surprise!  As a result, we're being referred to a high-risk OB and we will see him in the next couple of weeks.   We were cautioned, though, that at this stage in the pregnancy, a lot can change - so we're just taking it a week at a time. 

The unexpected byproduct of seeing four heartbeats was that I ended up graduating from my fertility clinic's office.  I have to admit - it was emotional!  I cried, the nurse cried, even Dr. G got a little misty-eyed.  They gave me a going-away gift of a tote bag with a bunch of swag with the clinic's logo (as I joked to Nick, so when you want to say to the world - Hey!  I'm infertile!) and some onesies.  It was very sweet and made me sob all the more.  The staff there was so good to us and I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.  However, I am looking forward to meeting with the new doctor.

How Far Along: 8 weeks, 4 days

Size of Baby: Olive

What I'm Doing: I just woke up from a nap.  At 9:00 at night.  Maybe the pregnancy fatigue is hitting me harder than I thought.

Cravings: RED MEAT!  This is all I can think about - I've even started dreaming about steaks.  Last night, I woke myself up with a watering mouth.  Bear in mind, that in a normal year, I have steak - maybe once?  But steaks and burgers are all I want right now.  Luckily, I have a pretty handy grillmaster on speed dial.  This weekend, we made monterey jack cheese stuffed burgers with a knock-off version of In and Out Burger's special sauce and it was amazing.  I couldn't stop talking about how good it was to Nick.  He assures me this means we must be having all boys.  I think I am just low in iron.

I continue to be averse to chicken and now turkey, as well.  But, as long as I am eating every two hours, I can pretty much eat anything.  I am still doing my green monster shakes in the morning, although sans the protein powder.  Tons of big salads, seafood, pretty much anything I want except poultry.

Sleep:  In general, my sleep is pretty consistent with what it is typically.  However, the one change is that my dreams are incredibly vivid and my sleeptalking/sleepwalking seems to have increased.  Last night, I woke up standing in our bedroom holding a framed wedding photo that I had just removed from our wall because I thought Nick was hiding something underneath it. The night before that, I caught myself trying to put one of the cats outside because I thought it was a stray dog.  I've heard that stress can exacerbate sleepwalking/talking, so I'm assuming that is what's going on, but nevertheless - strange!

Sex of Babies: Unknown, other than Nick's very unscientific predictions

Symptoms:  I hate to say this (for fear of tempting the fates), but I am having a really easy go of it.  I had one week early on where the nausea seemed more pronounced and a lot of food didn't sound very good to me, but as I said, if my belly's full - I'm a happy camper!  I am not experiencing the tremendous fatigue that a lot of my friends have told me about.  In general, I don't feel that much different at all.  I can only take this to mean one of two things - 1) it's still coming or 2) I am getting a pass because of all the babies in my belly and what will surely be a more difficult later pregnancy.

Fetal Movement: None

What I'm Looking Forward To This Week: My dear friend Jenni's wedding!  And the fact that my bridesmaid dress fits. :)

Best Moment Of The Week:  The long weekend - every glorious moment of it.  In particular, I was able to work out for the first time in...awhile.  As I recall, Dr. G put an exercise restriction on me in late March - at the time that I started the stims.  Then, I wasn't allowed to exercise until the pregnancy was confirmed.  And then when I had all of the issues with bleeding, I was again told not to exercise until a full week went by without incident.  That milestone finally passed, so I was sort of excited to get back into a routine.  I have to say - it was not pretty.  But it felt good.  I had ordered a pregnancy workout DVD off of Amazon - chosen because reviewers said that it was a pretty decent workout.  I guess I could have kept to my regular routine, but what I like about the DVD is that it incorporates stretching and strength training that are supposed to help with some of the strain of pregnancy. 

Special Thanks To: Nick - he's always been a very supportive husband, but his nurturing, protective side is really coming out lately.  I am getting a lot of offers for foot rubs, random kisses to my forehead, inquiries about how I'm feeling, admonishments to not get near the cat's litter boxes (now that I'm pregnant, he has inherited that job!), and a ton of attempts to make me laugh, which isn't that difficult because Nick is pretty damn funny.  I think I'll keep him around. :)

Week 7

We are back from Memphis and had an amazing time!  I was a little worried that nausea/fatigue would get the best of me, but I thought I did pretty well all things considered.  Must have been the magical healing properties of award winning BBQ.  I don't know why I even thought that eating BBQ would be an issue - it was amazing!  I don't think I felt sick once as long as I had a steady stream of something tasty from the smoker in my belly. 

And the weather, though warm (upper 80s or 90 each day), wasn't too bad either.  There was typically a nice breeze from the river and the team's facility had a couple of heavy duty fans strategically placed for optimal cooling.  It was great to spend time with Nick's family and mine.  Regretfully, I think the nausea has returned.  I tried to have a grilled chicken salad for lunch and got through about three bites before calling it quits.  Or perhaps my body is so accustomed to tasty BBQ that it is now rejecting all other food groups. 

It was strange to not be drinking while there and I sort of felt like I was conducting some sort of sociology experiment, but all in all - an excellent time.  The team did quite well with a 7th place win in sauce, a 10th place win in exotic (the most delicious empanadas ever made by sister-in-law Lus and her husband (Nick's brother) Dan), and some other really good results.  But more importantly, I think everyone had a good time.  Our hosts, Tim and Becky, did an amazing job of making everyone feel welcome.

How Far Along: 7 weeks, 3 days

Size of Baby: Blueberry

What I'm Doing: Taking a break from cleaning out my purse and work bag; it's gotten a tad bit out of control.

Cravings:  Still loving cranberry juice, nothing else new!  Apparently, though - strong aversion to chicken. :(

Sleep:  I am not feeling the crushing ongoing fatigue that most of my friends have described.  It's more like - when I'm tired - I'm TIRED.  And I need to sleep immediately.  But it hasn't been too bad.

Sex of babies: unknown

Symptoms: nausea (off and on)...some fatigue...that's pretty much it (thanking my lucky stars!)

Fetal Movement: none

What I'm Looking Forward To This Week: Another ultrasound and a chance to see our little ones!  Having absolutely not a single thing scheduled this coming weekend.  I am looking forward to hanging out at the pool and doing a lot of relaxing.

Best Moment of the Week: Hearing the heartbeats!

Special Thanks To: Nick's family for keeping an eye out for me (although as it turns out - needlessly so) while in Memphis and my mom/dad and Uncle Mike and his wife, Maggie for making the trek to Memphis.   Also - special thanks to Nick for just being generally adorable and sweet. :)  (I know - gag, right?!)

Week 6

First off, if you are ever looking for an effective line to keep creepy guys in bars away from you, I highly suggest "I'm pregnant with quads".  I know this because I, along with many other friends, went to Chicago this weekend for our dear friend Jenni's bachelorette party.  Luckily, I had another pregnant buddy there.  I think both of us thought we'd be 'lame' and head back to the hotel early each night, however we managed to make it to 1:00am on Friday and Saturday.  Mostly because the rest of the gang were pretty entertaining.   I was a little nervous that I would be tired/queasy the entire weekend, but I managed my symptoms pretty well and enjoyed myself.  Didn't hurt that most of the group were suffering on Saturday so there was a lot of napping going on. 

Tomorrow, we head to Memphis in May for the BBQ competition; I am super excited!  This is my first time going, although I think it's the third year that Nick's family has competed.  My parents and aunt and uncle will also be joining us so it should make for a fun weekend.  I am determined not to let my upset pregnant stomach keep me from eating delicious, delicious BBQ.  I will persevere.  :)

How Far Along: 6 weeks, 4 days - I think.

Size of Baby: a pea (gives new meaning to the phrase peas in a pod)

What I'm Doing: Taking a quick break from work.  This morning has involved more discussions about fleas in the building than my poor self can take.  Including someone showing me their flea bites.  Ew.

Cravings: Cranberry juice, Cran-Apple juice, Cran-Raspberry juice, Cran-Apple-Raspberry juice.  Anything Cranberry related.  Other than that, my food choices have dwindled considerably to mostly bland foods.  Oatmeal.  Toast. Crackers. Bananas.  Sigh...

Sleep: It seems like the pregnancy exhaustion comes in waves - I'll be fine for most of the day and then all of the sudden it hits and I can barely make it to the bed before passing out.

Sex of Babies: Unknown

Symptoms: morning/all day sickness (no puking yet, though! as long as I eat a small amount every 1-2 hours), fatigue, cramping, I've had a couple more instances of bleeding, too.

Fetal Movement: none

What I'm Looking Forward To This Week:  BBQ!  Slabs-a-Smoking placing high again at Memphis in May.  Spending time with both sides of the family and Nick.  Our second ultrasound.

Best Moment of The Week: Well, despite the fact that I was bowled over to see four babies instead of two - seeing them on the ultrasound was pretty amazing.  Although it's hard to look at my stomach and not feel sort of like a science experiment gone wrong. 

Special Thanks To: Way too many to list individually this week so let's just say everyone!  Seriously, you all have been super supportive and Nick and I appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.

Week 5

Hello!  Yes, we're still alive.  Just napping...a lot.  Now that we are cautiously optimistic about this pregnancy, I decided I wanted to start documenting what's happening each week.  Mostly so that, again, I can whip this out during opportune times (i.e. whiny teenager moments in the future) to prove all that I have SUFFERED YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD.   So, I've shamelessly stolen from other blogs a weekly update format that starts now!

How Far Along: Uh, 5 weeks, I think?  Pregnancy math is weird, yo.

Size of Baby: An orange seed.


What I'm Doing: Waiting for the home security system installers to arrive.  Apparently to Nick, the introduction of young humans into our abode has triggered a strong caveman like NEED TO PROTECT. 

Cravings:  I don't think I'm really having any full blown cravings (as I am, after all, barely pregnant), but I rarely eat red meat and I've had it 3-4 times this week which is sort of unusual for me.  Maybe I'm low in iron?

Sleep:  Lots of it.  So far today I woke up at 6:30am, read a book for a few hours, coerced Nick into taking me out to breakfast, took a nap, got a pedicure (Thanks, Jill!), took a nap, and now I'm up briefly but already dreaming of bedtime.

Sex of Baby: Unknown

Symptoms: mild nausea, cramping, fatigue, insane sniffing abilities (I sussed out some veggies going bad in the fridge without even opening the fridge!)

Fetal Movement: none

What I'm looking forward to next week: Buying a pregnancy book for dads so that I can quit making up answers to all of Nick's rapid-fire baby/pregnancy related questions. :)

Best moment of the week:  A three-way tie - both of the calls from the nurse with our beta numbers along with a dinner last night to celebrate my friend Elizabeth's graduation from UMKC.  E - starting working on your KC bucket list before you (sniff, sniff) leave us for Boulder!

Special thanks to:  All of you for your calls, texts, emails, hugs and general well wishes.  We are feeling the love, guys.  Also, extra special thanks to Ashley for lending me some maternity pants and indulging my fear of waking up some day unable to button my regular pants.  You're the best.