33!

Today is my handsome husband's THIRTY-THIRD birthday!  It's kind of hard to believe that I've now celebrated his last nine birthdays with him, the first one being his 25th (and oh my, how times have changed).  Time sure flies when you're having fun.  In honor of his birthday, and like I have done a few times in the past, I am going to list 33 reasons that I love Matt and why I'm a lucky girl.

1.   He's rough and gruff on the outside some of the time, but deep down, he's a teddy bear with a soft side.
2.   He's going to be an awesome daddy.
3.   He's smart.
4.   He's a very hard worker.
5.   But, he knows how to let loose and have some fun.
6.   He's got a really good sense of humor.
7.   I think he's pretty damn good looking.  :)
8.   He usually scratches or rubs my back when I ask.
9.   He has the best eyelashes, which I hope our children inherit (along with his cute nose).
10. He can fix just about anything.
11. He let me redecorate the house, and even helped, with very little complaint.  :)
12. He came home with flowers for me after we got our first positive hCG result.
13. He's really sweet with his nieces and nephews.
14. He reallllllllllly wants to be a daddy... I think his paternal drive is as strong as my maternal drive.
15. The boy can cook.  Which reminds me that I think it's about time for braised short ribs and goat cheese polenta again... baby's request, of course.
16. He has good taste in music.
17. He's a loyal friend.
18. He enjoys traveling, good food, good beer, and good wine as much as me.
19. He's thrifty, but he'll splurge when it's worth splurging.
20. He graduated from the University of Florida.  In all kinds of weather...
21. He has really good insurance.  ;)
22. He gets stressed about Fantasy Football, which I think is amusing.
23. He takes good care of our pups and loves them almost as much as I do.  :)  (I'm the sucker, and he's the disciplinarian.)
24. He takes good care of me when I need it.
25. He loves his family and was raised right.
26. He is very thoughtful in unexpected ways.
27. He'll pay half attention to pageants on TV and provide feedback if I beg ask him nicely enough.
28. {this one is reserved for just us... bow chicka bow wow} ;)
29. He doesn't care that I bought him a lame gift of two polos from Brooks Brothers.  In my defense, we are in the market for a new computer, he just went to Jacksonville last weekend for a guys weekend and he's going to Boca Grande this weekend to fish, AND he just got a new set of golf clubs.  So, yeah... polo shirts it is.
30. He is tremedously helpful around the house.  God bless a man who will chip in with domestic duties.
31. His faith is growing, and it's cool to see that side of him.
32. He loves me, despite my faults.
And, last, but certainly not least...
33. He's Justin Bieber's #1 fan!  (this is a total inside joke that has blown up with a few of his friends, so I couldn't resist... he honestly couldn't identify a Bieber song if challenged to)

Happy 33rd, Babe!  Cheers to many, many more!  xoxoxoxo

Okay, sometimes doctors are right

I probably won't be pregnant with twins for much longer, but it was fun while it lasted! Baby B appears to be on his way out (FYI - I assigned them sexes and Baby A is a she and Baby B is a he... who knows!?). No growth since last week (actually measuring a little smaller but this is not 100% accurate), and his heart rate is lower at 81 bpm (101 last week). The yolk sac is bigger than the baby, too. All these signs point to the little guy not being viable. :(

On a very positive note, Baby A looks awesome. Her heart rate is up to 161 bpm, and her CRL measurement is 13.3mm or just over 1/2". Her little fluttering heart was very easy to see... it's truly amazing how much and how quickly they change at this stage, almost doubling in size from last week. They are supposed to grow about 1mm per day. And, if Baby A is a boy, he will have a complex from me calling him a she my whole pregnancy. :)

Besides the obvious sad news of Baby B, everything looks good. They are both "attached" nice and tightly to my uterus, no bleeding or tears or anything like that. When Baby B's heart stops beating, he will just be absorbed into the surrounding tissue and should not present a problem for Baby A. Photos 1 and 2 below are Baby A and and 3 and 4 are Baby B. Huge difference.

They released me from the RE office, which was bittersweet. I've been going there (quite frequently) for a year and have gotten as close as you can get with doctors and nurses (especially the nurses). We all hugged goodbye for now, and they gave me a little parting gift which is a sweet little silver spoon. I think it will deserve it's own shadowbox frame and to be hung in the nursery.

My first OB appointment actually got rescheduled to next Friday, so I will have yet another ultrasound then. Matt is out of town, but my mom and sister are in town, so they are excited to go with me. Still feeling good except the sleep issues and being tired, but I'm not complaining. 8 weeks down, 32 to go! :) God is good.  I'm definitely grieving the loss of one, but certainly rejoicing in the health of the other... very mixed emotions, but one baby is WAAAAYYYYYYYY better than none.  And, our little tiny angel has plenty of family to watch over him (or her... okay, my sex assignements could be wrong) until we reunite in Heaven.

Praying for all of you who are still waiting... obviously, we've got a ways to go, but I can say that so far, it's definitely worth the wait.


Our miracle.

Best sight ever... nice, strong heartbeat.

 

Our tiny angel

He's a fighter... not giving up yet!

Update

Well, the good news is that we saw two little fluttering heartbeats and Baby A looks perfect, in the words of the doctor. Baby B is a bit of a question mark at this point. He or she is measuring a little small at 6 weeks 2 days (6w2d), while Baby A is measuring at 6w5d. I am 7w1d today, so Baby A is within a normal range. A's crown to rump (CTR) measurement is 8.1mm and B's is 5.4mm. Baby A's heart rate was 119 bpm and Baby B's was 101 bpm, which would be normal for a 6w2d baby. (Pics are attached - Baby A is the one up top... the one we were ironically worried about being small last week unless they somehow shifted positions or the ultrasound inverted the image.) The doctor flat out said that due to Baby B's smaller size and oversized yolk sac, she didn't think it was viable. But, we're not counting him/her out yet. Doctors have been wrong once or twice before, and I don't know why, but I am just not too worried about it. I saw that heartbeat, and it was a beautiful sight. The only one who really knows what will happen is God, and I can only trust in Him.

It was amazing to see their heartbeats and to see how much they've grown since last week (from a lentil bean to a blueberry for size reference, per my weekly Baby Center update - although I guess B is still closer to a lentil bean). In the picture of Baby A, what looks like a head is actually the yolk sac and what you're mostly seeing in B's pic is the yolk sac. However, if you look closely at A, you can kind of make out the head versus the tail, which is pretty neat.  We go back next Thursday to take another look.  I don't mind the weekly appointments... small milestones and a chance to see them again.

Outside of all that, things are good. I am feeling just fine, besides some restless sleep thanks to hormones. But, given I haven't had any nausea, sheer exhaustion, food aversions, etc., I guess it's good to have something telling me that my body is in fact supporting a pregnancy, besides swollen breasts and frequent bathroom visits. :) I also made my first regular OB appointment, which will be September 4 at 1:30. We'll have yet again another ultrasound and meet with the doctor(s). And, I believe both of our babies will be doing just fine!  But, if not, we'll deal with whatever comes... that's all we can do.  Until then, I am thanking God and rejoicing that we got to see two heartbeats today!

Baby A being measured

Baby B being measured

The Twins



Whoa, Baby!

I mean, whoa BABIES!  Holy crap, there's two little nuggets residing in my uterus.

Nugget #1 up top is a runt compared to his/her brother/sister, but everything appears to be there that should be there.  We saw the yolk sacs and a clear fetus in the bigger one and what we think was a fetus in the smaller one.  I was hoping for a heartbeat today, but it's still so early.  The fetuses are roughly the size of a lentil bean, but those little hearts should already be beating.  Just crazy!  We go back next Thursday for another ultrasound, and we should definitely see heartbeats at that time.  I think the doctor was pretty hesitant just because one was smaller, but we'll just see what's going on in there next week.

Obviously, we knew twins were a real possibility, but Matt and I both just really thought there would be only one.  We had six embryos on Day 5, transferred two, and the other four conked out by Day 6 even though they were graded decently.  So, it is pretty amazing that the "right two" went in.  God is so good.  And so funny.  Mr. and Mrs. Adamantly Against Twins, we're only transferring one, blah blah blah... well, I'll show you what a crushing, failed IVF will do to that mentality!  I guess God needed to prepare our hearts!

Feeling so thankful, excited, and a little overwhelmed, but mostly just really, really, really blessed.  Can't wait to see them again next week, and I hope and pray they are BOTH still going strong!

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
-Ephesians 3:20-21

AMEN!

Bam!

My hCG is up to 1,671, which is a doubling rate of 51.5 hours! WOOHOO! And, we get to do an ultrasound next Wednesday at 11:30, at which time I will be 6 weeks pregnant! Matt's text response to me was, "I'm excited!!!" He does not usually use exclamation points. :)


Ahhhhhhhhh!!!! I am seriously giddy right now. I was expecting good news today, but still. Especially since they didn't call until after 4, doubt starts to creep in a little. Thank you, Jesus!!!!!!  Please keep it coming.

Is this real life?