Hard to Eat

I think morning sickness (actually afternoon/evening sickness better describes it) has set in. It's been really hard for me to find something that doesn't make me gag since about Friday. Meat is the worst, and I'm generally a real meat lover. When my cousin Lesa and I were small I would eat the meat off of my plate and she would eat the vegetables off of hers, then we would switch when Granny wasn't looking so we could eat what we liked and still have a clean plate. I guess pregnancy has changed that! About the only things that sound appetizing are fruits and some vegetables. My books say this is pretty normal and I should start to feel like my old self again in a few weeks. But, in the meantime, going to the grocery store is not a fun experience. Randy and I went on Sunday and I thought I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I'm so excited to be pregnant, and I absolutely know that this nausea is all for a good cause, but I can't wait for this part to pass!

We went to a new doctor yesterday morning. We had another ultrasound and he said everything looked good and the babies appeared to be developing normally. Their heartbeats were much faster, 147 and 126. This past Thursday when we heard the heartbeats for the first time, they were 111 and 110. However, they had just started beating at that time. The heart starts to beat sometime between 6 weeks 2 days and 6 weeks 4 days. We were at 6 weeks 4 days on Thursday, so by Monday We were 7 weeks 1 day. Isn't it amazing how much stronger they grow in such a short period of time?!

First Pictures

I know it doesn't look like much, but at least you can tell that there are two babies!

Heartbeats

I know I should have posted an update by now. I'm sorry! I've been nervous about posting because last week when we went to have our ultrasound, my doctor made me a little skittish about announcing publicly that we were going to have TWINS! But, we had another ultrasound this morning and heard the heartbeats. So even though we are still in a very risky time frame for the pregnancy, I decided to share our very exciting news with everyone. As you can imagine, we are both elated and a little overwhelmed. I know that we were blessed with the unbelievable gift of two little babies because of all the prayers we have received. The chances of just one of our frozen embryos attaching and developing after the transfer was about 30%. The odds that both would attach and develop were less than 5%. So, as the doctor said, we continue to defy his odds! :) I want to ask for all of your continued prayers for a safe and successful journey for our developing babies. Having two is extremely exciting, but it also comes with a higher risk of complications. When we get to 8 weeks, we will feel a lot better, and then at 12 weeks we will be pretty much in the clear. Randy and I know what a great support system we have, and we appreciate you all so much. Thank you for all of your prayers. This miracle is proof that prayers work!

This morning both of the babies looked like they were developing appropriately. It was so sweet to see and hear their little hearts beat. It's just amazing that they develop so quickly from appointment to appointment! We have another ultrasound on Monday and then another on Thursday, October 30. At this point we're still going to our infertility doctor, Dr. Jabara, but we will start with our OB soon. Unfortunately having twins is considered a high risk pregnancy, so we will also be visiting a high risk maternity doctor as well.

My mom was convinced that we were going to have twins because of a dream that she had the night before we found out we were pregnant. Now that she was right about that, she thinks that it's going to be two girls. I am hoping for one boy and one girl, but have a feeling that it's going to be two boys. We won't be able to settle this until December or January, since that will be about the earliest we can tell the sex of the babies. It's going to be hard to wait that long!

My First Smell Aversion

This morning I had my first aversion to smells. My co-workers and I were mixing together peanuts, M&M's and raisins for goody bags. When the can of peanuts was opened my stomach turned and I had to leave the room. It was only a little bit of nausea because of the smell, but since I haven't been sick or had any other signs of pregnancy until today, it was really exciting that I finally felt pregnant! Yeah, I know, that's not going to last. But, for now it was one small bit of excitement for me!

Anxiety

Last night I laid awake for hours. That's strange because lateley by the time I can get in bed I'm so tired that I hit the sheets and I'm out with the lights. I think it was anxiety to blame. After all of the time and effort we have put into making this happen, I guess I never really thought I would be so nervous and scared when it actually did. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited and giddy about it, too. I'm sure this is a normal feeling and it will pass as time does, but the anxiety is just not an emotion I had really expected at this point. This is normal, right?

I don't have to go in on Friday for another blood test. The doctor said that my hormone level is increasing so well that they don't need to monitor it anymore. And, my first ultrasound has been moved up a day to Thursday, 10/9. I'll let you know how that goes!

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

I just want to shout it from the rooftops! I can't believe it really happened. This really is proof that God listens to our prayers! I think I was in shock on Monday. Then, Tuesday I kept thinking that I shouldn't get my hopes up because every time I do something happens. But now that we know for sure, I'm just so excited that I don't know what to do with myself! :)

I went in for a blood test this morning to confirm the pregnancy. We needed the hormone level to double from a 234 on Monday to at least a 400 or more today. My HCG was a 662! So, we really are pregnant!

The nurse told me that she was fairly sure without doing the blood test that we were pregnant because of the high number from Monday. And I know lots of people have been asking if a high number means it could be twins, so I asked her the same question. She said that a person with only one could have a high number like I did, so no, that does not necessarily mean twins. But, someone with twins is unlikely to have a low number. So, if my HCG had been low, then it would have probably ruled out twins. Since it was high though, it really could be anybody's guess as to whether both embryo's made it or just one. We won't be able to find out for sure until our ultrasound on 10/17, but as soon as we do know I promise to tell you!