This time tomorrow!

First I’d like to start off by thanking everyone who has sent us encouraging emails with their support, love or advice. I may not have responded to you all, but I read them and then read them aloud to Mike and vice versa. It’s an amazing feeling to know so many people care about you even if we haven’t seen each other in ages or live oceans apart. Thanks again everyone! And we can’t wait for you to meet the new additions!

I guess I have one more post in me before the pea pods are here. I had the amnio this morning. Ouch! It hurt! And then I kept bleeding which didn’t help my squeamish side. Afterwards, they monitored me (another NST) to make sure there were no ill effects from the procedure. Fortunately, they only did the amnio on one baby. They chose the one that was most accessible and that was girl. Everything went well and the doctor thinks they’re ready judging from the color and particles of the amniotic fluid (remember, this is their pee they’ve been breathing and drinking). Even though we’re not ready for them gear-wise, I’m ready for them to come out. It’s been sooo hard lately – heavier belly, increased number of contractions and constant pressure down there.

The NST was hard, the nurse couldn’t get a decent reading on their heartbeats. Boy is deeply embedded in my pelvis so the nurse was getting the same heartbeats on the monitor from the girl. It took a lot longer than usual. Then once she got the heartbeats, they decided to go to sleep so she had to wake them up with the buzzard again. Girl did not like that at all, she either punched or kicked my belly hard in protest!

Some of you have asked why we’re delivering so early. A couple reasons - mainly I can’t labor. I had extensive uterine muscle removed a while ago while having fibroids taken out. Since I don’t have very much muscle left, the doctors are concerned my uterus may rupture if I labor and/or push. And secondly, my doctor will be out of the country beginning Wednesday for WHO (World Health Organization). Even though I’m nervous about meeting them, I’m ready for them to come out. I’m starting to swell and losing the small amount of mobility I had left. Oh and one more thing, its bad enough knowing I’m going to have surgery. And I can’t eat or drink anything past midnight. But I just found out today that I probably won’t get to eat anything until the day after, Wednesday! OMG! They want me to go from eating 6 small meals a day to cold turkey! I’m worried how I’m going to handle the no food part. (Kelly – I’ve been having a root beer float every night for the past week!)

As it is, I had a bit of a scare on Saturday. The nurse administering my NST said I was having frequent contractions. I told her I didn’t even feel most of them but she felt the doctor on call would want me to go to L&D. I panicked when she told me that. I kept thinking ‘my hospital bag isn’t packed’, ‘the babies’ bag isn’t packed’, ‘laundry isn’t done’, ‘I need to wash my hair’ and a multitude of other trivial excuses that seemed very important at the time.

So this time tomorrow, I hope to be in my hospital room holding our babies. You know, since we did IVF we know exactly when they were conceived and now we know exactly when they’ll be born. I was talking about technology with an old friend (who’s also expecting a baby via IVF on 2/16) and we are both so thankful we live in a time where these medical advancements help us have the family we wouldn’t otherwise have. Pretty cool, eh?

For fun, and if you’re inclined, I’d like to hear what people’s guestimate will be on the babies weights. The one who is closest will have the baby named after them (not really, but we may use a letter or two from your name). Feel free to note it in the Comments. Ok, now I’m really signing off. Hopefully I’ll be back in a week or so.

xoxoxo
lisa

4 days!

Cute Oliver picture of the day.

My mom’s been curious as to what the babies look like for quite a while. I don’t think I’ve thought about what they look like, more like what life will be like. I tell Mike life is about to change as we know it. Life has already changed since I found out we were pregnant, but it’s more of a temporary change (being on bed rest and not going out). I wrote about what it’s like to be on bed rest awhile ago. How it felt like I’ve always been on it and how I’ve gotten to a point where I’m almost afraid to venture out in the ‘real world’. But lately, I’ve been thinking about introducing the babies to relatives and friends. Pushing them around in their stroller, days at the park or the zoo. Sounds a little too idyllic, don’t you think? I'm daydreaming and romanticizing it, aren't I?

As for what they’ll look like? Who knows? Maybe like Keanu Reeves? Or the gal that plays Lana Lang on Smallville? Actually when I was younger, there was a mixed family at church and the kids looked Mexican (even though they were half Korean and half White). They were pretty dark skinned. When I attended the Le Leche meeting a couple weeks ago, I was dumbfounded by a white woman with light brown hair breastfeeding a 100% Asian baby. I thought she had adopted this little girl and was able to breastfeed her. She had an older daughter (about 4 or 5 years old) who was mixed (half Asian/half White), but the baby is 100%. After hearing her tell her experience, I realized the woman had birthed the Asian baby! It blew my mind. Her husband is Korean and there was no trace of the mother in the baby. I know I’m going to think our babies are gorgeous whatever they look like. But now that I've been talking about it, I wonder if they'll take after Mike or me or both or neither...

I think my husband is pretty cool. He’s also a stand up, very decent person and would do anything for us. He’s been my punching bag through this very hormonal journey and still thanks me for carrying the babies (even when I'm at my absolute worst)! I guess others think he’s awesome as well; his office threw him a baby shower the other day. It was really sweet and generous. I’ve never met any of these people (although I think I’m kind of infamous due to the Christmas party dessert demands) and Mike’s been there for only 3 months.

We got some pretty darn cute onesies and a really cool diaper cake (I’ve never seen one before).

Someone also gave a beautiful personalized keepsake box. The shower sounded very nice, I’m bummed I couldn’t be there.

I think I have another post or two left in me, but there is a possibility this might be the last one for the time being. My amnio is at 9am on Monday, 1/29. I should have the results by the end of the day. If all looks good, then I show up to the hospital at 6am on Tuesday. I’m the first one that day! The hospital has no wi fi, so I probably won’t post anything until I’m home.

Please say a prayer for us!

35 weeks!

Woe is me; I’m out of Hawaiian Fruit Punch (HFP). I don’t know what my obsession is with this drink. I doubt I’ll crave it once I’m no longer pregnant. But for now, it’s one of the first things I think about when I wake up in the morning. As I’m lying in bed, the air is dry (even with a vaporizer!) and my throat is parched, I think about how quenching a tall glass of HFP with ice would taste. It’s what gets me out of bed in the mornings!

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this already, our house sold! We are officially out of Sacramento. As much as I miss our friends in No Cal, I’m so relieved not to have to worry about paying an additional mortgage. I do miss our house and am sad at the thought of not seeing the trees grow to maturity. I miss our lemon and lime trees and all the herbs (including our massive lemongrass bush). I miss the newness of our home since we were the first owners and I’m sad at the thought of Oliver missing his friends :-(

But the trade-off is being nearer to my family and Mike’s family. My parents, especially my mom, have been a lifesaver. I don’t know how we would’ve managed on our own. It seems like everything fell into place, Tower’s demise, Mike’s new job, my parents’ forced retirement all happened to enable me to really take it easy for the last trimester. And here we are, less than 5 days away now!

Today, I’m 35 weeks. As with previous weeks, I’m surprised to have it made it this far. Here’s what’s happening with the peapods now -

“Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds and is just over 18 inches long. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.”

And this is what’s happening inside me -

“Your uterus — now up under your ribs — has expanded to about 15 times its original volume, and you may feel like you've run out of room! If you could peek inside your uterus, you'd see that there's much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your internal organs too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and have heartburn and other digestive problems.”

OMG, I’m so uncomfortable. Sometimes, it’s just downright painful.

And then next week, the babies are here! Remember my email pal who just delivered her twins a couple weeks ago? She sent me an email, here’s an excerpt - “trying to catch up to emails is practically impossible with two little guys...Lisa it is so hard, I cant even tell you! No sleep, no sleep, no sleep”. I’m a little freaked out after reading that! Btw, I followed up on the car seats. They’re expected to ship on Monday and will hopefully get here by next Thursday. Talk about cutting it close!

Lastly at 4.30am I realized we have no bottles. What if I can’t breastfeed? The babies will starve! And yesterday I mentioned what a relief it was to have ordered the cribs. Mike’s dad is going to help Mike pick them up tomorrow (hopefully!). Well, guess what I realized this morning at 4.45am? We have no mattress or sheets! What am I thinking? I’m not, I’m not thinking straight and now we have less than 5 days to go!

6 days!

As I mentioned, yesterday was a little weird. The day passed by so quickly it was a little freaky. I am pleased to say we ordered their cribs. With all the clothes we’ve got so far, we really needed a dresser to put them in. Plus, I’m not so sure they’re going to like the co-sleeper, so I feel better having the crib on hand just in case. I found a nice retailer in Montana who cut me a multiples deal (he has twins himself!) and charged no tax or shipping. The catch is we have to pick up the items from the manufacturer located in Montebello, which is about 30 minutes from our house. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that this week.
This is the crib we got. Here it's shown in Espresso, but we've ordered it in Antique White and Ebony.
I wanted this dresser in white, but they only had it in black.
And this dresser I wanted in black, but they had in white. Oh well, close enough!

I had my appointment this morning with the Peri. It was mostly a Q&A session. I brought my trusted little green notebook with all the questions. They took my blood pressure and measured my fundal height. I’m 41 weeks! Looks like I’ll have my amnio (they refer to it as a ‘tap’) on Monday at 9am. We’ll have the results at the end of the day. If all goes well, then I have to be at the hospital at 6am the next day, Tuesday.

Afterwards, we did the NST test. Baby boy is always so mellow. His heart rate is always about 20 beats slower than his sister. He’s way down below and wasn’t moving very much, so the nurse wanted to ‘wake’ him up. She showed me a small device that vibrates very slightly and has a buzzard which she assured me is no louder than a human’s voice. Both seemed harmless and she guaranteed it wasn’t harmful to the baby. As safe as it seems, it jolted him awake. His heart rate went from 140-150’s to 180-190’s! It’s never been that high before. His sister is usually in the 160-170’s range and he surpassed her. I felt so sorry for him. I felt like we gave the poor little guy a heart attack! But the nurse got the heartbeat accelerations and decelerations she was looking for.

It’s so hard to believe this time next week; our family will double in size. Oliver will have 2 new roommates. And btw, the hospital does not have wi fi so I won’t be able to log on for several days. If you haven’t already, remember to email me your home address at lisarj@gmail.com if you want a birth announcement!

p.s. In case you’re wondering, Mike was able to find Hawaiian Punch. At the 99 cents store of all places. I’m telling you, it is sooo good. The only complaint I have is Mike seems to be drinking half of it!

Where did the day go?

Here’s my day – woke up, called a retailer regarding the crib we wanted, bought it (yay!), had lunch, fell asleep and it’s now almost 6pm. I feel like I had a one hour day before it turned to night. Now I have to run and take my shower. Because the uterus is active all day with the babies' kicks and movements, it gets tired at night and is prone to more contractions. I’m a shower at night person and so I’ve been showering between 5-6pm to keep the contractions at a minimum.

So, today is short and sweet but I’ll have more to write about tomorrow including my doctor’s appointment in the morning. Just didn’t want anyone thinking that I had gone into labor today.

8 days!

I don't think I look that big, do I?

Yes, the countdown is on! 8 more days now. It’s so surreal. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve miscounted the weeks and I’m actually in my 20’s, instead of 34 ½ weeks. Although my waist measures at almost 47”, can I really be so close to meeting the little ones? That Mike and I are about to become parents? Is anyone really prepared for the birth of their first? Or am I just freaked out at the thought of delivery?

We’ve been scrambling to get things ready. Mike stayed up until 2am (I did my part by keeping him company) on Saturday night washing clothes, blankets, bibs, etc. We got a lot of clothes on loan from friends and family. At least I’m confident our babies won’t be naked. But this morning, I’ve spent following up on our car seats (ordered on January 4th) and doing research on cribs (I’m so burnt out on researching!). Of course, the ones that we like is not in stock or is so darn elusive. I’m also trying to find the best deals since we have to buy 2 of each. Initially, we thought we had a few months to shop for cribs, but after washing all the clothes we realized we had no place to put the clothes. Hence, we need to find dressers (with matching cribs) asap.

Suddenly, the pregnancy has gotten a whole lot harder. Rolling over in bed at night is almost impossible without pain. My belly is rock hard and the weight just knocks the breath out of me (or squishes it out of me). I’m also having a hard time differentiating between contractions or their head and butt. Both are pretty hard and solid to the touch. And even though I’m taking Pepcid, my acid reflux is back with a vengeance. I realize now TUMS are for amateurs. Unfortunately, I can’t take as many Pepcid as I did with TUMS – bummer!

But I did get to go to Target this weekend. I missed Target! I got to ride around in one of those electric scooters. They’re pretty tricky to navigate. I don’t know how the elderly are supposed to maneuver them. Granted I’m not the most coordinated person, but some of the aisles are pretty narrow. Got some more diapers (which is always needed). I’m also trying out different brands. Some people swear by Pamper Swaddlers, others love Huggies and a few loved Luvs. Mike also got White Cloud (at Wal Mart) just because they had John Lennon illustrations on them. Apparently, you won’t know which brand works best on the babies until you try them. What works on girl, may not be so good for boy. So it’s all trial and error. Hopefully we’ll find the right ones sooner than later. I can’t imagine a leaky diaper is very much fun!

1 week, 4 days

Just had to include another sun worshipping picture of good ol' Ollie. Did I mention, he moves with the sun? He's such a good puppy, I really hope he gets along with his new roommates!

Mike left this morning at 6.15am for a flight to Sacramento. His dad is meeting him up there and they’re packing up the rest of our stuff left at our house. All the stuff that didn’t fit in his car the last time he was there. They’re also bringing down our fridge which is great. I know we’ll need an extra fridge in the upcoming months.

Our house was supposed to close today, but frustratingly the buyer’s agent forgot to have them sign one document. So now we’re back at our original close date of 1/23. I’m just anxious for the deed to be done. I won’t completely relax until it’s totally complee. I worry that something could change at the last minute. It would be a relief to have this over and done with. After all, we moved out almost 3 months ago!

Mike probably won’t be home until late tonight. I just hope he doesn’t get stuck at the grapevine. Yesterday, they shut it down for awhile due to icy conditions. There were reports of snow in Malibu! Quite a change considering they had the major fire last week that burned down Suzanne Sommer’s home.

I get nervous when Mike’s away. What if I go into labor? What if the babies decide to come when Mike’s 425 miles away? I’ve got to stop and relax. If I don’t, I might work myself into a frenzy and start labor on my own! Yesterday, I had a pretty active day. So it’s not surprising my belly was contracting frequently last night. Not regular contractions, just more of the Braxton Hicks. That coupled with my increased appetite (I'm back to my hobbit frequent meals i.e. 1st dinner, 2nd dinner) has me feeling huge. Belly looks the same, but it feels much heavier and is tauter. Getting up is much more of a challenge now as is rolling over. Wow, how do women with triplets or quads handle it?

I really hope I can go to Target this weekend. I’m going to borrow their electric scooter (I always wanted to ride one of those!) to get around. And hopefully, we’ll be able to pick up some more essentials - namely diapers. Believe it or not, it’s not easy to find diapers in newborn size. We have a couple packages, but from what I hear it’s not going to last us very long.

Oh, and I checked with the doctor’s office yesterday to see if we could move the amnio and c section back by a few days but no luck. The Peri won’t be there. So it looks like these kids will be January babies. The countdown is on! 1 week and 4 days to go!

34 weeks!

34 weeks today! Here’s what Babycenter.com say about this milestone.

“Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system is still maturing and her lungs are well developed by now.”

All good stuff, so how come I’m not ready for them to come out? Is it fear that wants to keep them inside as long as possible instead of having them in 1 week and 5 days?

I had my second NST appointment today. Babies are doing great. They were very cooperative and I was at the doctor’s office for only an hour. She also checked the amniotic fluid level and everything was right on track. Even though I have no reason to be concerned (no telltale signs of labor), it’s always a relief to hear that everything looks perfect.

Yesterday we had our first pediatrician appointment. One of the suggestions I’ve read is to start interviewing pediatricians before the babies arrive. I asked my Peri for a recommendation, someone who could handle me and my incessant questions. I think we found our doctor on the first try. It’s always good to get a recommendation, especially from someone who knows you. My Peri is very familiar with me and my green notebook that I always bring to each appointment. Some of the questions we asked were to circumcise or not? Immunization? On demand or schedule feeding? She also said she could help answer the basic questions too like how do we get them to sleep? Give a bath? That’s especially helpful because the newborn care class I signed up for isn’t until February 5th, which is a little too late for us now.

I have to go now. Mike's coming home early so we can attend the hospital breastfeeding class. As I've mentioned before, we're really going to give the breastfeeding a good try.

p.s. To Rachel - No, I didn't get the Hawaiian Punch. Mike brought me home Tropicana Fruit Punch. He couldn't understand when I was crying 'It's not the same thing!!!!'

To Lorelei - I read through your Baby Notes at my NST appointment today. What an awesome compilation! I'd love to post it on my blog, but it is kind of lengthy. If anyone's interested, please email me at lisarj@gmail.com and I'll send it to you. It's the nitty gritty wealth of info on how to prepare. Stuff you wouldn't find in books, but definitely need to know! Tons of helpful tips!

Oscar, the Grouch

Did you miss me yesterday? I wasn’t very good company. Just call me Oscar. I was grouchy, cranky, irritable and uncomfortable. It’s probably due to the fact that I didn’t sleep well the night before. I was up every two hours going to the bathroom and then frustrated when I hardly went. Not only that, but when I feel the slightest urge to go, I have contractions/tightening. Since the babies are getting bigger, the tightening covers my entire stomach now.

On top of that, my legs were terribly sore. I’m supposed to sleep on my side to promote better circulation for me and the babies. Plus when I lay on my back, I have trouble breathing. I think lying on my side, though, cuts off some circulation to the bottom leg because I would wake up and it would be sore and asleep at the same time.

I tried rolling over every couple of hours, but that’s not an easy feat either. It helps when Mike holds my belly while I switch sides. But in the middle of the night when he’s asleep, I don’t get the added support.

Then in the morning, I had an insatiable desire for Hawaiian Fruit Punch. Remember, the commercials? “Hey, how about a nice Hawaiian Punch?" (Just what the heck was Punchy supposed to be and what was that red thing on his head?) The craving passed by that afternoon, but I awoke this morning wanting it again. I guess Mike’s going to have to get me some of that. Nothing like having an unfulfilled pregnancy craving!

I think it’s their growth that’s causing my belly to ache. I had a cramp/stitch on my lower left side for a couple days. Fortunately, it’s finally gone today. Btw, my waist measures at 46 ½” today. I don’t think I’ll make it to 50”, but I’m ok with that. Really, I am. I didn’t realize it was going to get sooo uncomfortable these last couple weeks. As much as I want the babies to be over 5 lbs each, I’ll settle for mature lungs and good feeds.

That’s something I’ve read about babies born 36 weeks and under. They have feeding issues because they’re too young. I have to prepare myself they’ll probably need a bottle at first. I really want to breastfeed. Even more so now after reading about how other twin moms are spending $600/month on diapers and formulas! If I want any $ leftover for retail therapy sessions, I’m going to have to have them latch on.

My last comment of the day is regarding my crappy internet connection. I don’t know if it’s Time Warner, the modem or our router, but our internet goes down all the time! I have to reset the modem, router and then the computer every day, sometimes twice a day. Not the end of the world, but a real pain when you’re supposed to be lying down as much as possible.

Wow, complain, complain, complain. Imagine if I had posted yesterday!

Busy Weekend

Our sun-loving Oliver who's also incredibly lazy here. In the mornings, he follows where the sun shines. Here's, he's too lazy to move his be-hind, so it stays on one step and he moves the front half of his body so his face is in the sun.

After I posted my entry on Friday, the nurse from my Peri’s office called with the amnio date. It’s scheduled for Monday, 1/29 and if their lungs are mature, the c section will be Tuesday, 1/30. That’s in 2 weeks! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I don’t know why I’m panicking so much. It’s only a few days earlier than what I’d been expecting, but 2 weeks just seems so soon! It’s really going to happen! They’re coming! Now we really got to get our butts in gear.

Initially the nurse called about me doing a NST (non-stress test). I thought it was a routine test for all pregnant women until I spoke to my sister who’s never had it done. Then I found out it’s only done for high risk pregnancies. Since I qualify, I got to go to L&D (once again) on Sunday to be tested. It has to be done twice a week, at least every 4 days. We spent another 3 hours at the hospital. The babies did great, but at one point the doctor scared us and I thought I was going to remain in the hospital until delivery. Turns out, the cervix was longer than she originally thought and I got to go home. If it was shorter or had started to dilate, I would’ve stayed and delivered soon after. Even though I’m reassured the babies would do well and have no problems if they were born now, it seems way too early for them to arrive. Thankfully, they’ve decided to stay put for the time being.

There was an upside to the visit. I got a cure for my acid reflux (which has gotten so much worse) and the ok to take Robitussum for my cough which has been lingering for a while. The coughing has caused some cramping in my stomach (remember, I haven’t had any sort of exercise or activity so tensing my stomach is quite a work out and makes it sore). The babies’ growth spurt I mentioned previously also contributes to stomach pains. Even though I’m soooo uncomfortable, I really want them to stay in my belly for a while longer. I also try to stay horizontal as much as possible. When the doctor checked me yesterday, she told us boy’s head is very low and she could feel it! No wonder I’m uncomfortable sitting up, I’m squishing him!

I also got other news on Friday, my email pal, Tarra, had her babies. I’ve never met Tarra in person, but have talked to her on the phone and kept in touch via email. We met on the PROM site, we both lost babies last year. She lost Morgan, her son, 6 weeks before we lost our twins. She became pregnant with boy/girl twins this year and just delivered on Friday! At 37 weeks! I’m so happy for her and her husband.

Saturday, my sisters arranged for a small family shower at our house. We had siblings, parents, in-laws, aunt, uncle, niece and nephew. Even though we’ve been in OC for almost 3 months, we haven’t seen many people. I was lying on the couch for most of the time, but it was the first time I wore make up in 4 months! It was really nice to see everyone and receive their well wishes. It was fun having people over, I’m looking forward to when I’m up and about and I can be Martha Stewarty. Although my sisters did a pretty good job, Chris made a hummingbird cake and Grace made daisy cupcakes and earthworm cupcakes.

Cupcakes!

Hummingbird Cake with Piglets (representing Year of the Pig)

Mike and I comparing who's bellies bigger.

Beached whale

People seem to love the pics of our furbaby, here's another one. Here he's doing his squirrel/bunny impersonation while licking his chops. Intially it was called a squirrel act, but today he hopped like a bunny while on his hind legs. He's just too cute for words.

Is it possible for the babies to have a major growth spurt overnight? All of a sudden, I’m feeling extremely huge and the acid reflux is back with a vengeance. When I sit up, my belly touches my thighs and I can feel the baby kick on my leg. Their movements now shake my entire body. And I’m so out of breath! Who knew lying on a couch all day could be so taxing. Too bad, the couch in the family room is hurting my back. I think I’ve sunk the cushion and it doesn’t give very good support anymore. Before you think I’m the size of a beached whale, I’ll have you know that I’ve gained ½ pound in 2 weeks. I know I’ve got to eat more, but there’s really no more room. And whatever I do eat, comes back and haunts me as acid reflux.

I’m glad it’s Friday. Mike will be around to help me up. Believe it or not, it’s hard to get up by myself. First I roll over to my side and then push myself up. Unfortunately, I pulled something and now my shoulder hurts so now I’ve got to think of another way to get up.

I bought some diapers online and they arrived today. I’d never thought about order diapers through Amazon, but I came across a BabyCenter posting saying it was a great deal. Sounds pretty good to me and I confirmed it with my sister (who had already placed an order). It’s for Huggies, spend $99 and get $30 off, not to mention the free shipping and no tax. The drawback was they didn’t have newborn sizes but I got a few boxes of size 1-2 and 3. I got about 300-400 diapers. That’ll last me about a week, right?

And before I sign off for the weekend, I wanted to tell you about a really cool looking show airing this weekend. The National Geographic Channel has a series called ‘In the Womb’. The first show was about a single baby, followed by animals (elephant, dog and a dolphin) and now they have multiples. Here’s a synopsis of the upcoming show -

“The process by which multiples develop in the womb is fraught with complications and dangers. But, it is also a fascinating world where humans first interact with their siblings before entering the world outside the uterus. "In the Womb: Multiples" follows the development of double-egg twins, sometimes called fraternals, and identical or single-egg twins. We also follow the development of triplets and a very rare set of identical quads in their quest for survival. Using revolutionary 4D scans, we witness unique footage of multiple fetuses interacting with each other before birth: reaching, touching, fighting and even engaging in game-playing that can continue after they are born. Ultimately, "In the Womb: Multiples" tells us not only about the extremes of human reproduction but the limits of human design.”

Set your Tivo for Sunday, January 14th at 8pm.

33 weeks!

(How I see Oliver with my belly in the way!)

33 weeks down, 3 more to go! And we’re finally having some decent weather. It’s cloudy, cool and slightly breezy, high expected to be 60 degrees. It’s about time, I was getting pretty irritable in the warm weather. Earlier this week, it was 80 degrees in the middle of January! I’ve always been a cool weathered person, but since being pregnant I’m even more so. It’s all that extra blood coursing through the body. I feel sorry for people who’s pregnancy is ending in the middle of a heat wave. As it is, I’m sleeping without any blankets at night.

Another side effect I’ve recently acquired is carpal tunnel. All my finger joints in my left hand hurt. What’s that about? I looked it up and this is what they say, “You may be feeling some aches and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can swell, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this "tunnel" end up pinched, creating numbness, tingling, shooting or burning pain, or a dull ache.” Crazy, isn’t it?

So I’ve mentioned previously, bed rest is no fun but it looks like I’m not alone. Desperate Housewives (Bree) Marcia Cross has been put on bed rest. She’s carrying twins due in April. Also, Dr McDreamy’s (Grey’s Anatomy) real life wife, also carrying twins is on bed rest. She couldn’t make the People’s Choice Awards where Patrick Dempsey won Best Actor for (fill in the blank). She’s due at the end of this month. All these twins! Having 2 doesn’t seem like such a big deal any more. Of course, the big difference between us and them is financial. I’m sure it’s easier to have multiples if money is no concern. All you who have singletons have to only buy one crib at a time and then get to pass it onto the next baby. And although many retailers offer a 10% discount if you buy more than one big ticket item, the double item is most likely more expensive to begin with. Not that I’d trade my position for anything. After losing Matthew & Isabel, we were really hoping for twins again. Having one seemed so easy :-). And it’s really fun to buy/browse for both sexes.

Back to having multiples, I saw a couple of shows on the Discovery channel recently. One was called ‘Super Quads’. A short series about identical quadruplet girls (odds of one embryo splitting 4 times are 1 in 11,000,000). The other was about a family that had twins and then sextuplets (6 babies). And yet another family in Australia that has 2 sets of quads (although one baby didn’t make it). After watching these shows, twins seem like a piece of cake. I feel like I have nothing to complain about.

Before I sign off, I have to mention this blog called Fireflies in the Cloud I came across. Unfortunately, half the stuff I was interested buying is listed here ;-)

Dr appt

I had an appointment this morning. Everything looked great, another good visit. We started with the growth ultrasound. Baby A (boy) is weighing 4 lbs 2 oz and Baby B (girl) came in at 4 lbs 15 oz! She’s one ounce away from 5 lbs! The doctor said there’s no concern for the 13 oz difference between the two. They’re two separate babies and are growing at a different rate. The boy is completely average, right along the 50% percentile on the chart (and that’s for a singleton!). In fact, he's right on target according to this weight chart (remember, I'm 33 weeks tomorrow). The girl takes after her parents. I was almost 11 lbs and Mike was 9 lbs. On the other hand my sister, Christine, was 6 lbs. The doctors weren’t concerned with the discrepancy, said it was fine.

Peri said I was doing ‘swimmingly well’. She’s so confident about my progress she scheduled our next appointment in two weeks. When I asked her guesstimate on the babies’ birth weight, she said they grow about .5 pound/week. Although with twins, it might be a little slower. So if I’ve got about 3 weeks, then they might gain 1 ½ pounds. Girl might be 6 ½ pounds! Boy might be a little over 5 lbs. A lot of people I know have had big babies, including my little 5’ 2” sister, in the 8-9 lbs range. To them, it may sound like our babies are little but if you add them together you’ll realize I’m already carrying over 9 lbs of babies now. Add a liter of amniotic fluid each and the two placentas, well you get the gist. It’s no wonder, I’m a bit uncomfortable.

When my SIL, Karen, guessed the birth weights to be 6lbs 2oz and 7lbs, I was blown away at the thought. Although it’s unlikely I’ll get that big, I may only be a pound or so off her guess. Oh my gosh!

And even though the doctor is pleased with my progress, she suggested having back up car seats when I told her about the back order. Just goes to show, we don’t know when they’re going to arrive. If everything does go according to plan, I’ll have the amnio at 36 weeks and the c section the next day. She doesn’t want me to go too much further than 36 weeks, so we might be looking at having them first week of February! Right before our 7th wedding anniversary.

S H O P P I N G !!!

I was too busy talking about my Friday adventure; I didn’t even mention my much anticipated shopping excursion this past weekend! On Saturday, we rented a wheelchair and made our way to Bergstrom’s (terrible website), a baby specialty store in Anaheim and Irvine. They had an expansive selection and the prices were in line with the manufacturer’s suggested retail. I didn’t find any great deals, but did get to check out the higher quality items I’d researched online. Sunday was all about Babies R Us, wow it's like Baby Costco. So much stuff!

Initially it was fun to go into the store and see all the stuff. But when it came to the nitty-gritty, it got a little overwhelming. Sometimes, it felt like there were too many choices?!?! For double strollers we have a choice of a Snap N Go, a tandem stroller, a side by side and of course a double jogging stroller. From what I’ve read, we’re going to need more than one. My sister has one baby and she’s got 4 or 5 different strollers!

And don’t get me started on cribs. Oh my gosh, why does there have to be so many different kinds of cribs? And what’s the deal with the convertible cribs? What kid is going to want the same bed they’ve had since birth through their teens? Sounds like a good idea for the parents (less furniture to buy over the years), but it really sounds like a scam. I’ve also read reviews and polls and only a few people have actually converted the cribs. Mike likes the idea of a convertible, so then we have to decide on the color. Sounds trivial, right? Originally, I thought we’d get two white cribs and have boy bedding and girl bedding. But if we do get the convertible crib, a white bed frame might be a little too fem for the boy and I really dislike the color of walnut or pine. Argh, what to do?!?!?! Procrastinate! At first we’re going to start with the Arms Reach Co Sleeper. I’ve read it’s good for people recovering from a c section because you don’t have to get up. It’s also great because the twins can lie side by side next to you. So we can hold off on the cribs for a month or two.

I did buy car seats last week online because that is one thing we must have to bring them home. I found a good deal online through TinyRide. Even though they’re located in Santa Monica, they charge no tax and give free shipping. They are also cheaper by $20 for the car seats than other retailers. Unfortunately, I found out this morning the car seats are on backorder until 1/22. Eek! Hopefully the kids will hold out until then. I’ll be almost 35 weeks at that point.

Since so many things are up in the air, we didn’t purchase very much. I wanted to at least get a ‘coming home’ outfit, but we have no idea when the babies are coming much less know their size. They could come tomorrow and would be considered preemies or if they hold out until 36 weeks, then hopefully they’ll be at least 5 lbs and will be able to wear Newborn size.

A few people have asked, so we started a registry. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to shop so it was also a good way for us to note items we wanted to get at a later date. I’m glad we did because after a couple of hours, I suddenly started having some uterine tightening and we left soon after. We had picked out a few items, but had to dump them quick. So although I got to finally go out, it wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would be. Oh well, it was still nice to get up and about. I also got to check out the new ‘hood. It finally hit me; we’re now living Orange County! After almost 9 years, I’m back in So Cal!

Friday M.I.A.

On Friday you probably noticed I missed my post. Now when that happens it means something has happened. I’d hardly forget to post my daily entry (weekends and holidays excluded). Before anyone starts sending us congratulatory messages, the babies are not here yet. It was just another trip to L&D, my home away from home.

I’d had some leaking. I wasn’t sure what it was, but didn’t think it was amniotic fluid. However, every book and message thread I’ve read and every nurse/doctor I’ve spoken to always say to check out things when something feels amiss. I’ve heard ‘better safe than sorry’ more times during this pregnancy than in my life. So I mentioned it to my home care nurse who administers my weekly progesterone injection. I told her it could be excess discharge (sorry, TMI) from the cerclage (the body’s reaction to a foreign object in the body) or just pregnancy hormones going crazy. I didn’t think it was amniotic fluid because it was consistently a small amount (compared to the gush when your water breaks). There are instances where small leaks do occur, i.e. sometimes after an amnio or CVS testing. I figured the babies were far enough along that if it was a small leak, it would be ok until my next doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. The nurse said otherwise. If it is a small leak, then the sterility of the placenta has been compromised which could be a dangerous thing (infection!) for the baby. She suggested I call my doctor’s office, which I did. I called and spoke to Mary (the nice nurse that gave me the negative results from the GD test) and she consulted with another nurse since no doctors were in the office. They advised me to go to L&D to get it checked out. Once again, it was ‘better safe than sorry’. I dislike going to L&D because I can never get out of there in less than 6 hours. Most of the time, I’m lying on an extremely uncomfortable bed with one pillow (if I’m lucky) and Mike has to wait downstairs. There are other women there that are about to give birth any minute and I hear them grunting, panting or moaning. At least this time, we didn’t go in late evening, rather we went in the afternoon and it was pretty crowded. For the first hour or so, I just lay there reading my book. Finally, they hooked me up and monitored the babies’ heart beat for 30-40 minutes. Finally, they tested for amniotic fluid and did an ultrasound. Everything looked ok, I had not ruptured (yay!) and got to go home after only 3 ½ hours!

So what was it? Well it wasn’t completely determined, but it could’ve been discharge or incontinence. I’ve never been so happy to pee in my pants or at least hope that was it. I worry discharge may be an indication of something bad, but incontinence is completely normal. Before you stat grossing out or start sending me packages of Depends, walk in my shoes for 10 feet. Not a mile, but a couple feet because you would then know what it feels like to carry so much weight in front of you. We’re talking about achy back, major pressure down there, basically feeling like the babies are going to fall out at any moment. I’d like to see how you guys would react if you had a (not so) little pea pod rolling over your bladder or kicking it. How long could you hold out before running to the bathroom? There’s a reason God made women have babies, men can’t handle it :-).

OMG - 32 weeks!

It’s hard to believe this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. 32 weeks! I’ve been pregnant for 225 days and I’m in my 8th month of pregnancy. Now that it’s here, it seems too early for them to arrive. Just 4 more weeks, guys! Hang in there! According to I-am-pregnant.com, here’s what’s going on with the pea pods -

“A baby born now has an excellent chance of survival, but will still need intensive help with breathing and feeding. Your baby is 42 centimetres long and weighs about 2.2 kilos (four and a half pounds). The body growth slows down from now on. Because of the lack of space in the uterus, the legs are drawn up in what is known as the fetal position. The baby sleeps 90-95% of the day, and sometimes experiences REM sleep, an indication of dreaming (what the heck can they be dreaming about considering they’ve only known the womb and its darkness?). As a preparation for breastfeeding, your baby has learned to root for the breast. The baby will turn its head if touched on the cheek and open its mouth if the bottom lip is tickled. By this time the baby can also suck and swallow in a coordinated way.”

Also, Mike has redeemed himself for not reading this blog. Last night he stayed up creating the birth announcement for the babies. Many of you know Mike’s pretty talented as a graphic artist. He’s mostly self taught, which impresses me. As I’ve mentioned, he’s got great taste and appreciates quality over fads. Had we not met, I might still have shabby chic or Santa Fe furniture (I’m exaggerating to make a point, I’m not that bad!). To get back to my original point, we spent last night creating the announcements and they’re really cool. I’m glad we did this, we created our own wedding invitations (which I think is still one of the most beautiful invites) and so it seems appropriate we create the birth announcements. If you’d like to receive one of the announcement cards, email me (lisarj@gmail.com) your home address (as well as email addy). Even if you’re sure we still have it, send it anyway. As my friend Marky-mark liked to remind me I have a major case of ‘B.I.B.O.’ (Babies In, Brain Out).

Fur Baby II

Bummer, the holidays are over. Mike has to get back to work and I’m on my own again. Of course, I’m not totally alone, I have my mom and sometimes my dad helping out. Unfortunately, it’s not the same as having someone your own age hang out. I get along with my folks, but there have been times when we’ve grated each other’s nerves. I supposed that would happen with anyone, but I feel so bad when I don’t get along with my own parents. There is a notable difference, though, with my parents vs Mike. I gain weight with my folks around, I tend to lose a little when it’s just me and Mike. Not that I’m blaming him, if anything I’m the one to blame. When the weekend rolls around, I’ve got a list longer than Santa’s with things to do. Most of the weekend, he’s doing errands or taking Oliver to the dog park. So usually, I eat 2 meals/day on the weekends compared to my 5 meals/day during the week.

Oh and no more mister nice guy, or super-hero Mike or saintly Mike. I’ve recently found out I can bag on Mike all I want because he doesn’t read the blog! Of course he can spend hours perusing Ebay looking at either Mustang parts or Stickley furniture rather than read the family blog!

As for the other important male in my life – our beloved puppy Oliver. My heart has been breaking for Oliver. Poor thing doesn’t realize his life is about to change drastically (again). First we moved him from Sacramento where he had a really good life. Every evening, Mike would take him to the park at the end of our block. Even though it wasn’t an actual designated dog park, all the neighbors brought their dogs around in the evening. There, Oliver had many friends whom he loved to chase and would chase him back or wrestle and play.

In OC, he doesn’t have his friends nor does he get to go out every night. Instead, Mike tries to take him to the dog park once a week. He’s our fur-baby and Mike plays him when he gets home. I can’t play with him much since it’s hard for me to bend over or squat. He’s also 20 lbs now so I can’t lift him up either. Here are some recent pics of Oliver with his favorite Christmas present.
I’m also concerned how he’s going to react to the new additions. He’s a male puppy so I don’t think he knows about babies. Our nieces have come over and he gets so excited because they’re closer to his size than adults. We’re trying to get him used to little people. Thanks to Maggie and Audrey for helping Oliver adjust. Right now, both nieces are initially a little afraid of the pup. Oliver overwhelms them because he’s a licker and a jumper. He loves to shower you with kisses which don’t bode well with Maggie and Audrey. After a little while, they gain a little more confidence and realize how cute Oliver is. And once they realize how harmless he is, both girls love to play with him (sort of). Maggie loves to throw toys and have Oliver chase after them, Audrey loves to pet him. She even loved to feel his fur against her cheek.

So I’ve been reading up on how to best prepare Oliver. Since I have friends (that means you – Dana, Leslie and Monica) that are TTC (trying to conceive) and who have fur-babies of their own, I thought I would share what I’ve found out.

This is from Babycenter.com -
“It’s all right to allow your pet near your new baby, as long as the pet is well behaved. It's common for a pet, who has until recently been the focus of the family's attention, to act jealous toward a new baby. You should allow your pet to become accustomed to the new baby while in your presence. Also, continue to give your pet plenty of attention, both when the baby is present and when you have time alone with your pet. This will keep the jealous behavior at a minimum. If your pet shows any aggressive or hostile behavior toward the new infant, you should quickly reprimand him. He will learn fast what behavior is allowed near the baby. When the baby is very young, I would recommend not allowing the family dog or cat to lick the baby's face. This could possibly transmit infectious material (such as feces) into the baby's mouth or eyes. As your baby grows older, her immune system will get much stronger and she can play with and even be licked by your pet without any consequences.”

And here are suggestions from a Babycenter thread I came across recently -
“play a CD of baby sounds-crying, etc. Also to bring something home from the hospital that smells like baby (blanket, diaper, etc). We have also been using a stuffed animal and putting it into the Baby Bjorn and moses basket and carrying it around and cooing at it.”

“After the baby is born, have your husband or someone else bring home a blanket that the baby was in while you’re still in the hospital and put it in the middle of the floor while you are still there (in the middle of the floor at home) and that way the dog/cat can get adjusted to the "smell" of the baby. Then, when you come home, just put the infant carrier on the floor and let the dog/cat do their dance/walk around it and smell it - just supervise while they investigate. It won't be a big deal at all.”

“There is a CD out there called "Preparing Fido" that has all types of baby noises on it so you can get the dog used to some new sounds. We got one of the baby dolls who makes cooing and crying sounds, we would hold it and put it in the bouncy seat to get the dog aware of the new arrival coming. I think most of all just strengthening some of your basic commands (sit, leave it, lay down, stay) was also helpful because you will use them with the baby.

Now we say "baby's toy" and "leave it" so she knows not to touch the toys. My dog is super gentle with the baby and actually knows when to let a toy go if the baby goes to take it from her etc. She totally takes so much abuse from our daughter and just sits there. We do not allow the baby to hit her or torture her in any way--we stop it as much as possible. And we never let the baby go in the dog's bed, that's her safe place that she can go when she doesn't want to be bothered.”

“The most common thing is to have someone take a baby blanket home for the dog to get used to the scent before the baby comes home and I went in the house first and played with her for a few minutes before my husband brought the baby in, because I hadn't seen her for a few days. Overall as much as you are nervous about it try and give the dog some attention too, have a new toy to give her from the baby and allow her to sniff around, dogs can become jealous just like siblings if you don't include them. Don't be surprised if the dog is overprotective of the baby as well, my dog didn't like it when my daughter cried in someone else's arms other than husband’s or mine. She would sit at their feet at attention like "what are you doing to my sister."

Hopefully, we won't have any problems finding a solution for us all. I'm sure Oliver will be fine and once the kids get big enough, he'll have playmates. It won't be like the episode of Brady Bunch where the family had to get rid of Tiger because of Jan. Oliver is a member of the family and here to stay.

New Year!

New entry for the New Year! To be honest, I had doubts of still being pregnant. Apparently so did Mike but, smart man he is, he never voiced them to me until after the clock struck midnight. The possibility of making it to 36 weeks seems much more likely now. I’m not losing site of the fact that labor could hit at any moment, but my count down has rolled back again and now I’m thinking 4 weeks and 2 days to go.

There’s so much to do still, will we get it all done? Will we ever be ready? It’s a similar question to those that are contemplating having kids. I’ve often heard people say they just aren’t ready yet to start a family, but is anyone ever really ready? There will always be some sort of excuse. It can be professionally or financially or even mentally. Most of you that are able to get pregnant naturally will be surprised when they get pregnant. But for those of us that aren’t as lucky, we plan, save, count down the days to when we hope we get pregnant. And then when it happens, we’re still not ready! Of course, the unknown is part of the fun (I think). The answer is no one is ever really ready.

Mike and I have been trying for quite a while and now that the birth is somewhat imminent, I feel like we’re not ready. Actually I should rephrase that, we’re not as ready as I’d like to be. My parents were married on July 22nd and I was born on May 22nd. I was born exactly 10 months after they got married, think they were ready? No car seats necessary then, mom just carried me in the front seat with no seat belt on. I slept on the coffee table surrounded by cushions on the floor. And look how great I turned out. A few bumps to the head never hurt anyone, right?

So I’m in full research mode now. I signed up for a couple of classes today, ‘How to Breastfeed’ and ‘How to care for a Newborn’. If I didn’t sign up for these classes, would we be totally screwed? In all seriousness, does the hospital give you a manual? How else are we going to know how to give a bath? I’ve heard (from friends with personal experience) not to take showers with them - something about being very slippery. What about their belly button stump? How often are they supposed to be fed?

I’m also getting feedback on equipment and gear. Should we get a tandem, side by side or jogging stroller? Which is more practical? What features should I look for? I’ve also called medical supply companies to inquire about renting a wheelchair for my big day out next weekend. S H O P P I N G!!!

Past couple of weeks, my sister and SIL (sister-in-law) have been bringing over baby clothes their kids have outgrown. I’ve also finally opened the box from our friend, Devi. Good news is that we’ve got a lot of cute clothes, bad news is that everyone’s babies were huge (8lbs and over!) and ours will most likely be 4-5lbs or thereabouts. So I’ll still need to pick up some clothes so our little ones won’t be bare naked. And blankets, diapers (which kind?), bedding (do they have sheets for coffee tables now?).