Movin' Around

Last night Tim and I were relaxing after a long day, and I felt a kick! Even though I know there are babies growing inside me, sometimes it seems surreal- all I have to show for it is a slightly larger belly and heartburn. I get emails telling me how big the babies are (they are little shrimps this week, by the way!) and describing how they are developing and it's hard to believe all of that is going on inside me. It's amazing now to feel them moving inside! I haven't felt anything since then, but that one kick was reassuring enough- for now! I do hope they continue to let me know they are down there, getting ready to meet us!

In the meantime, we went to Babies R Us yesterday to start shopping. We want to compare different brands and products before we actually buy or register for anything. We found out that since we are having two babies, we are really limited in stroller choices that fit two pumpkin seats- and of course they are more expensive! My head was spinning by the time we left, it was all so overwhelming! At least now we have an idea of where to begin. And we realized we have a lot to learn about babies!

3 months!

We are officially 12 weeks pregnant today. We can't believe how fast the time has flown by since we got the news that we were having twins! On babycenter.com we found out the babies are about the size of limes, and growing every day. They are starting to form reflexes and their neural synapses are increasing every day- that means their little brains are developing fast! Their kidneys are starting to function, too. Our sweet peas are about 2 inches long, each.

My little baby bump is growing, too. Just this past week it has grown enough to start showing, and my students have noticed the difference. I have been feeling great, except for the cold I came down with the other day. One of the little darlings at school was determined to share their germs with me. :( So Tim has been taking care of me this weekend.

10 weeks

According to BabyCenter.com, the babies are the size of a kumquat. What is that, you might ask? Well...

9 1/2 week checkup

Can you believe we're already 9.5 weeks along?!? It's amazing that just 10 weeks ago we were praying so much for just one little baby, and now we're planning for two! I haven't felt many symptoms of being pregnant, thankfully. I get asked every day if I have morning sickness, but thankfully I'm able to say no (knock on wood!). I do get really tired a lot and have to take naps and go to bed a little earlier than usual, but that just means the babies are growing strong. Lately I have experienced a little dizziness and lightheadedness, but the doctor thinks it's due to increased blood flow and not getting enough calories. It's hard to add an extra 600 calories a day!

Our OB/Gyn says everything is looking perfect- Baby A's heartbeat was 175 and it is about 1 1/8th inch and Baby B's heartbeat was 178 and it's a little over an inch as well. The best part was, we got to see them moving around!! Oh, they are little wiggle worms! We think Baby A is more like Tim because it was stretched out and hogging the space (like Tim hogs the covers!) and Baby B is like me, all curled up.

You can see Twin A's head on the left and the little arms and legs sticking out!

Twin B's little rump is up in the "air", it's head on the left pointing downward

Both babies: Twin B at the top left, Twin A bottom right. This is probably the last picture we'll get of the both of them together until after they're born!

We could have watched them moving around forever on the ultrasound screen. Such beautiful little babies! I'm enjoying being pregnant, but I can't wait to meet them and hold them... 6ish months to go. We have another appointment in 4 weeks, but it probably is just a checkup, no ultrasound. Until then, we know they are growing big and strong!

McFarland Wedding

This weekend was Kevin McFarland and Jennifer Pretzkey's wedding. The ceremony was outside at the Lemp mansion, and the weather was fantastic for August. Tim was an usher, and he saved the day when a group of kids started throwing walnuts at a tree about 10 feet from the guests. Luckily, he stopped them before an errant walnut hit someone in the head. : )

The reception was held at the Lemp Grand Hall, just around the block. The party was great, and even Fredbird was there to join in on the fun!

Tim and Heather during dinner

The groom (Kevin) with Heather and Jen.

Hanging outside

Fredbird joins the party

Fredbird leads the congo line.


Cardinals Rule!

Healthy Heartbeats

Tuesday we went to the doctor's office again for another ultrasound. The babies were almost twice the size as last week. And, the most amazing thing I have every experienced: we got to hear their heartbeats and see their tiny hearts pumping on the ultrasound screen!

Baby A

One baby was closer to the ultrasound, so it was a little easier to see. Baby A measured .59 cm (about 1/4 of an inch!) and had a heartbeat of 120 beats per minute. The baby is the bean-looking ball in the center of the black circle. The part to the right of the bean is the yolk sac and the placenta is starting to form. It's hard to see in this picture, but the doctor pointed out the umbilical chord forming too.

Baby B

The other baby is harder to see because it is further away from the ultrasound. We got to hear Baby B's heartbeat as well, the doctor measured it at 115 beats per minute and the baby was .58 cm.

The doctor said all looked well and we graduated to a regular OB/GYN! We feel like we've passed one milestone... with many more to go! It's an exciting experience! I feel tired daily, especially since school started again. That's okay though, because it means the babies are getting stronger every day.

Two of a Kind Makes a Full House

On Wednesday, August 5th Tim and I went in for our first ultrasound post-embryo transfer and the doctor said everything looked great. He showed us our baby that is growing, and then he said "and here's it's neighbor!" It was so amazing to see both our babies so close together and snuggled in. So, we're expecting TWINS on April 3!

the two babies together

Baby A on the right, Baby B on the left. Our "little beans"

I'm calculated at being 6 weeks right now. At 6 weeks, the babies have 3 different layers of cells. A sac is forming that will become the heart, and it's already starting to pump blood! On the ultrasound, they look like two little black beans, but they are working hard to grow strong and healthy. Next week we go in for another ultrasound, with the hopes of hearing heartbeats in our little beans :)

I have been feeling pretty good, a little tired but overall Tim and I couldn't be more happy. The last few weeks were a little uncomfortable because I was retaining so much fluid. The fluid buildup was caused by the excessive hormones from both our little embryos, and my body couldn't handle them all. My fluid retention has gone down a lot, which is a relief since I'm starting school next week! The doctor commented on the amount of fluid build-up on the ultrasound, but wasn't too concerned. I wanted to say "Buddy, this is nothing! You should have seen me last week!" It was good to hear him say that, though.