Limes

Here's what happened at the pool yesterday:

L: Adele, how are you feeling?

Me: I feel pregnant! I look like a giant upholstered couch. I've outgrown my regular clothes. It's all very exciting.

L: You don't look pregnant.

Brett (a minute later): You know, L was just being nice. 

So, at eleven weeks, I'm growing limes. I love every minute that I feel pregnant (which is a lot, given that I'm sick so much and Starving the rest of the time). I think it's hilarious that after all we've been through and all the time and energy we've spent in hoping and praying and trying, we're having Two Babies! 

A neighbor down the street has twin girls - they're fraternal, like Thing 1 and Thing 2 - and she came down yesterday to share some wisdom with me. She, like I, grew out of her regular clothes by 9 and a half weeks. She shared a lot of good information with me and helped me remember that all the people out there who say, "Oh, I didn't show until late in my second trimester, so you're not showing either," didn't have twins! I have TWO little lime-sized people in there! It was nice to spend some time with someone who understood, confirmed and nodded when I asked about things that are going on with me. It's nice to have that.

So, the Babes, in case you didn't read the title, are the size of limes. They're in there, I'm assuming, happily steeping away and sweetly just doing their thing! Isn't it exciting? 

GO TEAM BEAKER!

Just about 10 weeks

I've been mildly busy with school. Just finished my first semester. I have two papers that I need to finish this weekend, but I finally feel like I can breathe and more importantly, write! I've included our two newest pictures of Thing 1 and Thing 2. (An aside: I know there are those of you who don't like me calling them "Thing 1" & "Thing 2." That's an allusion to Dr. Seuss's famous book The Cat in the Hat and I think it's funny.)

 Anyway, we went to Dr. Joffe this week to get his assessment of the spotting I experienced on Monday night. He said it was nothing to worry about and that there are so many things that could have caused spotting. He also told us that he is giving up OB, but not surgery. That means that I am going to go to another OB. The new OB's name is Dr. Smith and he will be in Dr. Joffe's practice. If I have to have a c-section (which is a very real possibility), Dr. Smith will likely call Dr. Joffe to scrub and assist. So, Dr. Joffe would be there in that event. 

Furthermore, most OBs consider multiples to be a high risk pregnancy. Therefore, I will also be seen by a Perinatalogist, Dr. Kerotkin. I will be seen by either Dr. Smith or Dr. Kerotkin every two weeks, which makes me very happy. I want to make sure that these Babes are growing well and staying healthy! 

Here are some of the pictures from our visit with Dr. Joffe on Wednesday. You can see the Babes better in these pictures. you can clearly see a little stubby hand and a leg on Thing 1. It kinda looks like it's lying on its back praying. Thing 2 is a little harder for me to discern. That's partly because it's a bit farther back, so it's harder to get pictures of it. 

It never ceases to amaze me that these two little Things came from the mass of cells that Dr. Perloe transfered back in May. It is nothing short of a Miracle that we're going to be able to be parents! Praise God!

Go Team Beaker!

Go Team Beaker!

B and I went to see Dr. Joffe today. He found nothing out of the ordinary. He said that spotting can occur for so many reasons and to try not to get worked up when that happens (hah!).

We have other information, but I'll post it later. I have to go finish some papers for school and get a bit of rest. It's been a full morning already!

Go Team Beaker!

Sometimes Scary

IVF has not made all things become wine and roses. I have had two instances in the past two weeks that have reduced me to tears and both of them involved bleeding. I started spotting again last night. Every time I see blood, naturally, I freak out.

I talked to Dr. Joffe - he's my OB - and he'll do an ultrasound tomorrow morning to make sure the Babes are alright. I talked to Sheila and she told me that everything is alright as long as it's not a lot of blood and it's not clumpy. Neither is true in this situation, so that's good. She told me that it's alright to go to school today. 

I'm just trying to take it easy. I'd rather stay in bed all day and let the Babes just grow and do their thing, but that's not possible right now.

Will you please just keep praying for us? 

Go Team Beaker! (please keep going!)

A Guest Appearance

Hello, there.  This is Brett writing, in a guest appearance.  We got some awesome news on Friday -- there are still two little people growing in there, with heartbeats and everything. We couldn't be more excited (and freaked out) about having TWO new additions to our family.

Adele has been having a rough time this weekend with the whole morning sickness thing, but I guess that's what she gets for making both of them stick.  While I hope that she feels better soon, and I'm sure she does, too, we are happy that she is feeling very pregnant, even if that isn't so pleasant for her sometimes.

So, now we sit tight and hope that everything continues to go well.  We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.  

GO TEAM BEAKER!!!

Here are some pictures from Friday.  Pretty cool, huh?

Hilarity.

Once upon a time, I ate three balanced meals a day. I would have a morning snack and an afternoon treat (I know, not exactly good for me, but bear with me). I would take a 30 or 45 minute snooze in the afternoons, because I learned from my Daddy that a nap in the afternoons is always a good idea. I would wake up rested and get on with whatever I had to do for the rest of the day. It was a good system and it worked!

Now, though, the Beast has changed! I eat all morning long just trying to find SOMETHING that will make the sickness go away. One morning this week, I ate half (HALF!) a cantaloupe and a bowl of cereal and a little cup of applesauce and three pickle quarters and a thing of crackers and a BLT. Finally, after the BLT, I felt full and not sick. Though I cannot for the life of me figure out why not!

My naps this week have turned into this insane sleeping time in which I wake up expecting to find a beard growing down my face and cars to fly. And I'm never rested when I wake up. In fact, I often feel that if I could go back to sleep, I would be a very happy girl. 

However, I love the fact that these symptoms (particularly morning sickness) are so pronounced. I love that I FEEL pregnant. It's taken such a very long time to feel like this and I'm not going to complain. I think that it would be dishonest of me to say that I feel magnificent because it's simply not true. I feel terrible. But emotionally, I do feel magnificent. I'm loving this! I'm relishing in the need to eat weird stuff constantly. I wallow in the four o'clocks when they get here. I live for my naps and get upset when anything interrupts them. Mostly, I love my Jolly Ranchers that keep my tummy in check! We're so blessed!

We're excited about our ultrasound tomorrow. Hoping that everything is going well and curious as to how many are still in there. Remember, there's a 30% chance that one got absorbed! 

Go Team Beaker!

woof.

Four more weeks of feeling like this? Are you kidding?

Sundays of Grace #6

1. I have been feeling awful! Thank goodness! About 4:00 every afternoon, I hit a proverbial wall. I know that eating something should make me feel better, but sometimes I just can't bring myself to scrounge something up! Thankfully, I remembered (thanks to a friend) the joy of Ramen Noodles. They are yummy and blandish and will fill me up. I'm going through those like they're my new best friend! I haven't yammed in the middle of the night anymore. I do wake up starving through the night. Unfortunately, my retainer makes eating much impossible. One hears that the worse morning sickness is, the more likely the babe is to stick. We're hoping that this amount of morning sickness means that both are sticking! We're grateful for morning sickness!

2. I'm so grateful for Sheila. I've said it a million times before, and I'll say it a million times again. She has been so wonderful! Earlier this week, we had a bit of a fright when I started spotting. Naturally, I see blood and I panic. I called her and left a message and she called me right back. She said that some spotting is alright as long as it isn't bright red or a lot. One of the medicines that I'm on (Endometrin) can cause cervical irritation and that makes blood. That made a lot of sense and made me feel SO much better! I'm so grateful for her! Sadly, after Friday, I'll be released to an OB. That means that my time with Sheila is limited. I'm sure I'll get to go visit her again after the Babes arrive, though! I know she wants to see what we produce! (An aside: since that episode, I've not had any more spotting. Another thing for which to be grateful!)

3. Brett ran the Peachtree Road Race this weekend. He ran it in a little bit more than an hour. I'm so proud of him! I missed being out there running (since I ran it my first time last year) and I'm hoping that I'll be able to train and run next year! I believe I have some grandparents (and a great-grandmother) who are excited to babysit for us while we run! Here are some pictures of our hero running (B is wearing his Team Beaker shirt!) and then after with his new shirt and two of my brothers!

Baby update: we go in on Friday for an ultrasound with Dr. Perloe. Let's keep praying that at least one is in there and happily steeping away! 

Go Team Beaker!