22 weeks

This is "Clark"


This is "Addison"


And this is me at 22 weeks.



I was really excited yesterday to be reaching 22 weeks still symptom free. And then last night I had trouble breathing and my BP spiked. After spending a few hours in the ER, my BP was back down, my labs all came back normal, and I was sent home. I met with the OB today, who compared last night's labs with those from a few months ago. She told me to be prepared, because it looks like PE is inevitable. We just hope it is later rather than sooner.

So I'm on modified bedrest--resting on my side 3x per day for at least an hour each. I go back in next week for more labs. I'll be monitored very closely from here on out.

I'm just hoping to at least make 28 weeks. Which is still way too early but with a brighter outlook than 22 weeks.

It's official! Boy and Girl!

I had my consult with the peri and a high level ultrasound today. It's official, we're having one of each! Both babies look great, around a pound each, normal heart/kidneys/etc. BP is still fine, uterine arteries/placentas/cord flow all looked fine. Now everything needs to stay fine for at least 6 more weeks, preferably much, much longer.

I thought he'd do blood work today to test for underlying conditions, but he wanted my regular doc to do that. So sometime in the next week or two we'll be drawing ten (10!) vials of blood for testing. I already suspect what the results will be, but will be glad once it's offically confirmed.

Won't take yes for an answer

Sweetie is suffering from a severe case of indecision. Getting what she wants is just the most upsetting thing in the world. Yesterday, it was lunch.

--What do you want for lunch?
--Quesadillas!
--OK.
--No! No quesadillas! Hot dogs!
--OK.
--No! Dillas! Hot dogs! Dillas! AAAAAAA!

The day before that it was whether she was still hungry or finished.

The day before that it was Dora or Blue's Clues.

The "experts" say to give toddlers two choices whenever you can. Too many choices and they get overwhelmed, always choose for them and they get angry over having no control. Honestly, I think even two is too much right now.

I know it's just a stage and she'll grow out of it sooner or later, but it is driving me nuts!

20 miles

Papa Runner is doing his longest training run tomorrow morning--20 miles! If you think of it, say a little prayer between 7:00-11:00. And if you happen to be on the east branch of the trail, you may even run into him at some point! The girls and I will be out at one of the water stops to cheer for him.

It's funny, I haven't had too many cravings for food, but I do crave a good run. Every time I drive across the trail I get that urge. Too bad I'm on restricted activity.

We also just crossed the $5000 mark on our LLS fundraiser, and we're just $30 away from $15,000 for our two-race total!

Daredevil

The girls enjoyed playing outside in the nice weather for about 2 hours yesterday. During those two hours, my Daredevil aka Sweetie managed to badly bruise her cheek, scrape the knuckles of one hand, cut the thumb of the other hand, scrape her elbow, AND bite through her lip. Each of these injuries was a full-on tragedy, but once the little drama queen was calmed down she went right back out and did it again. I tried to get some pics of her injuries but she wasn't very cooperative and they didn't turn out.

My Princess, on the other hand, barely even got dirty.

New York Times article on PE

Having PE in pregnancy doubles your risk of having a stroke or heart attack later.

20 week sono (19+6)

I had my ultrasound today. We know one sex for sure. The other is suspected but uncertain. Both babies are healthy and active, estimated to weigh 1-1.5 pounds.

The baby on the left was very cooperative. It was head down and in a good position, and it stayed still all through the measurements. We were done with this one in 20 minutes and were sure (as you can be before birth) that it was a BOY!

Then we moved on to the baby on the right. This one was a booger! To start, it was breech and very, very active. It wouldn’t hold still for very long, so it took almost an hour to get all the measurements done. It finally held still and refused to move when we wanted to check the sex, and of course the angle was unclear. The technician *thinks* it’s a girl but says not to hold her to it.

It appears that Smartie was correct, along with the majority of poll respondents: a boy and a girl. Though it’s still possible they could both be boys. We are working on getting in with the Perinatologist where I will probably have another ultrasound, a higher quality one where we will hopefully find out for sure. So for now, the nicknames “Clark and Addison” still work, although it seems “Perez and Zerah” might be more appropriate.

See, they usually label twins as A and B based on which will be born first. During my first two ultrasounds, the girl twin on the right was identified as A. Today, the boy twin on the left was in the A position. That’s odd, we thought. Then, halfway through the ultrasound, we watched in amazement as the girl reached over, shoved her brother out of the way, and slipped down into the firstborn position! They’re already fighting over who gets to be first!

We also were trying to get a shot of the girl’s head when we saw the boy’s hands wildly waving in the background as if to say, “Look at me!” Looks like we’ll have our hands full with these two!

Praise the Lord, I'm Sick Again

You may think that title is sarcastic, but I'm actually thrilled to report I have a head cold. And another UTI. This is GOOD NEWS! See, usually in pregnancy the immune system is dialed down so that the body doesn't attack the baby/placenta as a foreign invader, making mamas more susceptible to illness. We suspect the reason I've had pre-eclampsia twice (and possibly both of my miscarriages as well) is because my immune system remains too strong, attacks the placenta, and causes damage that eventually leads to PE. (Not all PE comes about this way, in fact it's a pretty rare version of the disease.)

In the last month I've had influenza, bronchitis, and now a head cold, which quite possibly means my immune system is dialed down at least somewhat. So I'm taking any illness as a good sign that my PE chances are lower than I feared, and if I do get it, it'll be later and milder than I feared. *cough cough* Hurray!

Bunch of trouble makers!

Another interesting night in the bunk bed drama. We put the girls down at 7:30 like usual (the time change is definitely a factor.) I quickly came to the conclusion that I needed to sit in the hallway in sight if they were going to calm down. Smartie went to sleep at a "reasonable" 9:00. Sweetie? 11:00. She just couldn't get settled down.

At 5:30, I heard crying from the kitchen. Sweetie had let herself out of the room and buckled herself into her booster seat at the table. She was SOOOOO HUUUUNGY! So I gave her a dink and a fuh-buh bar (drink and breakfast bar) and put her back to bed. Then she started yelling that she wanted a PUUUUUZZLE! It's 5 o'clock in the morning! No puzzles! I don't think she slept again. She's been "down" for a nap for 2 hours already and I can still hear her singing in there. This kid usually sleeps 12 hours at night and 3 in the afternoon!

I'd like a nap myself, but the other trouble makers, aka Clark and Addison, are throwing a party this afternoon. I'm being kicked from all directions! That is one encouraging thing in the midst of all my complication fears: I have two VERY active little ones in there. On Monday we find out what they are. The near-concensus seems to be at least one girl, judging by the poll on the left. Only 2 more days to vote!

Three Posts in One Day

First, I'd like to thank everyone for the prayers. I think a big part of why I'm so worried this week is because Thursday would have been Ian's due date. I have requested my medical records in preparation for my consult with the peri. It's been interesting going through them.

Second, I have entered a research study for endometriosis. Since I know I'm not the only woman out there with it, I thought I'd pass on the info. To qualify, you must have been surgically diagnosed. All they need are a saliva sample (they mail you a kit) and a copy of your surgical records. They are looking for a genetic link that could lead to an early-detection test and eventually a cure. The website is
End to Endo.

And third, scroll down to see my other posts of the day, "History Repeats Itself" and "Bunk Beds."

History repeats itself!

Last July, I made a post called "Uh-oh, it's too quiet." I included a picture of then-3-year-old Smartie playing with Vaseline. She had gotten it in her hair and went to church with greasy pigtails.

Guess what we found when we got Sweetie up from her nap the other day?

Bunk Beds

We set up the bunk beds a couple weeks ago. Sweetie had them to herself (no ladder) for a while to get used to them, then Smartie moved in last weekend. It's been interesting, to say the least.

The first night, Smartie had to go up and down the ladder to "use the bathroom" at least 4 times. She came to get me at 9:00 because Sweetie had climbed up to the top bunk and needed help to get down. Then Smartie decided it was too scary to sleep up there and wanted her sleeping bag. When I got her up the next morning, she had pulled the sleeping bag up to the top and slept in it up there.

The second night, I heard them giggling and singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs until well after 10:00.

The third night, I had to leave their door open and sit just outside for a while, telling them to be quiet every time I heard a peep.

To make matters more interesting, Sweetie has figured out how to open the door. She isn't quite tall enough to get a good grip on the handle, but if she pushes the diaper genie over and sits on top of it, she can reach. So keeping her in the room has been a challenge, too.

I'm sure they'll get used to the new set-up soon. But I've found one other flaw in the bunk bed plan--making the bed. I had forgotten what a challenge it is, and it will only get harder as I get bigger. I wouldn't be opposed to being a "bad mommy" and just leave the sheets unwashed for a few months, but Smartie still wets the bed once or twice a week. So once or twice a week I'll have to crawl up there. Fun fun!

ETA: Smartie agreed to wear a Pull-Up tonight. I'm not excited about the step backward, but at least I don't have to change sheets!

Prayer request

Well, I've been freaking myself out a little this week. As most of you know, I've had Pre-Eclampsia twice as well as two miscarriages. I knew my risk of PE in this pregnancy was above average just based on history alone. Adding twins to the mix raises it higher. So I've been doing a lot of research, and the more I learn about my specific set of cirumstances the more it looks like NOT getting PE will be nothing short of a miracle. And my risk of getting it early and severely is pretty high as well. I've decided to request a referral to a perinatologist for a consult.

My biggest prayer, of course, is that I'll make it far enough along that both twins have a good chance of survival. I'm probably the only woman in the world who WANTS to go overdue with twins, because that would mean I didn't have PE. 42 weeks with twins sounds just fine to me!

Important dates:
3/31--22 weeks, the threshold of possible survival
5/12--28 weeks, the threshold of probable survival
6/9--32 weeks, the risk of long-term problems drops
6/30--35 weeks, the point when I was diagnosed with Ethne
7/14--37 weeks, the point when I was diagnosed with Catie
8/4--40 weeks, due date
8/18--42 weeks, goal date :) Actually, anything after June 1 would be great.

18 weeks

Four months done! Almost to the half way point!

I've had some dizzy spells the last week or so, but all of my labs come back normal. I've also had two BH contractions, one on Monday and one today. Fun, fun! Other than that, and the tiredness, things are going well. Both babies are active, although I can usually only feel one at a time. "Clark" seems to be more active in the evening and "Addison" in the afternoon. I'm sure that will change as they get bigger.