Colorado Bound...

After reviving this blog for the main purpose of keeping up with the baby news, I finally have a little bit of non- baby news! After 4 1/2 years in California, Ryan and I will be moving to Denver, Colorado next month! He is being stationed at Buckley AFB.

We went out there a few weeks ago and bought a house in South East Aurora, and I can't wait to move in. 

Our New House!

We found out when we were moving about the same time we were having twins, so our lives have been pretty crazy lately.  I am sad to leave California though- we have absolutely loved living here. The Central Coast is such an interesting area- about 3 hours from LA it's a mix of agriculture, beach towns, and an interesting mix of culture. We have spent the last 4 years finding amazing local restaurants along  the coast, wine tasting at some of the HUNDREDS of wineries nearby, and exploring all the small towns that are within an hour or so from us. I sincerely hope that we will get to move back here some day and show our kids all of the things we loved about living here. 

I also have to take a second to brag on the amazing kids on my Speech and Debate team. I have coached the team at Arroyo Grande HS for the last 2 years and it has been amazing. The kids on this team constantly blow me away with their intelligence, creativity, and wit. These guys are going to do amazing things, and my time with them has been life changing. Leaving them is definitely the hardest part about leaving California. Please, guys. Keep me updated on your lives. I love y'all! 

My mom and I are driving to Colorado this weekend where we will get the house ready for us to move in. Then it's back to California for just a bit before heading to Colorado for good. We would appreciate your prayers as we make this transition and say goodbye to a place we love. Its a difficult balance to get everything done and not overwork myself- My body definitely has started to tell me to slow down sometimes. Again, thanks for the constant prayers and support!

Katie

17 (and a half) Weeks!!!

 Two more weeks have flown by (almost 3!) since my last post. I have to say, right now this pregnancy has been flying by. The first 3 weeks I knew I was pregnant felt like months... but the last 2 months or so have gone by so fast. I think it helps that I have a ton of doctors appointments, and I get ultrasounds at every one. I love that I get to check in on the babies at least every 2 weeks. Everything has looked great at all of my appointments. I will see doctors pretty frequently over the next couple of months to keep an eye out for signs of pre-term labor. Also, since my boys are monochorionic/diamniotic (a kind of identical twin), they have to keep an eye out for something called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. It occurs in about 20% of mo/di twins and can be pretty dangerous. 18-24 weeks is the most critical time that it can develop, so prayers that everything continues to look good are appreciated. I am trying not to stress about it to much (and trying to stay off Dr. Google!) 

We have started making plans for the nursery- I am going with a vintage cowboy theme. (That's no surprise to anyone who has met my mother, I am sure.) We also have cribs ordered and we got fabric for crib skirts. It's very exciting to finally start doing things to get ready for these boys! While my due date is March 22, identical twins are usually born at about 37 weeks, so that puts me sometime in February. With the holidays in the middle of all of that, February doesn't seem very far away at all!

Here is my most recent picture. I am getting bigger every week!!!

How far along: 17 weeks

Babies are the size of a: Large Onions. Or turnips.  (I don't know how big a turnip is though...)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: About 6 lbs. They say I will be gaining about a pound a week at this stage, so I am right on track I guess! My doctors haven't really been concerned with weight too much, which I appreciate.

Maternity clothes: Yup. I have found that even bigger regular clothes tend to look funny. Like my knit dresses are much shorter in the front. I don't know how people wear regular clothes their entire pregnancies... 

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: I am sleeping good but it's also been harder to get comfortable. I am thinking about trying one of those giant pregnancy pillows because right now it takes a choreographed effort involving about 6 pillows to get comfortable each night. 

Best moment last week: We got an awesome picture of Baby A... My doc switched the machine to 3-d mode and it actually looked like a real little person in there! It was crazy!

Movement: A little bit! I felt some flutters and then this week I felt some very distinct pokes. They aren't frequent but every once in awhile I feel something- its crazy and very strange!

Food cravings: Nothing too much, I still have a few aversions left over from First Tri. Like I dont want meat that isn't already cut up. It makes no sense at all... but a chicken breast is really gross to me right now, but already cut up or pulled chicken is fine. 

Gender: Two Baby Boys!!!

Labor signs: Nope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way but I have noticed it's getting very shallow...

What I miss: My back hurts very badly at the end of the day. I miss being able to sit up after 8 p.m. 

What I am looking forward to: The Anatomy Scan on Nov. 5. Ryan hasn't been able to come with me to the last few appointments, so I am excited for him to get to see lots of good pictures of our boys!

Milestones: Movement! I have already talked about it, but seriously. It's so cool. 

Oh boy...

Big news!!! I had my first appointment with the Parinatal doctor yesterday. Everything looks great, the babies are measuring about 1 day apart, and a couple of days ahead. However, the biggest news is that they were able to tell us that we are having 

Twin Boys!!!!

Ryan couldn't come with me to this appointment, so when the tech ask me if I wanted to know the sex, I ask her to write it down and put it in an envelope. After my appointment, I raced home and we opened it together on his lunch break.  I hadn't had a strong feeling one way or the other during my pregnancy, but yesterday morning  I felt pretty confident they were boys- they even looked like boys on the ultrasound! Turns out I was right! 

It took me some time to process the news-  anyone that I knows me will agree that I never saw myself as the mother of twin boys! But we are very excited and it has definitely made it feel more real. My mom and I have big plans for the nursery, and I started really working on my registry last night. Holy cow there is a lot of stuff! Crib mattresses alone were overwhelming. How nice of a mattress does an infant really need??? 

Those of you who already have children will laugh at this, but yesterday I read that newborns go through 10-12 diapers a day. I knew it was a lot, but I had never really thought about an actual number. And then multiplied it by two. Y'all... Pray for us. Please. 

Lastly, I want to say thanks for all the congrats we have gotten over the past few weeks. I know our boys will be loved and it feels good to know that we have the support of so many people from all over the  county.  We have a lot of life changes ahead of us, but we are looking forward to it all. For my Birmingham friends, we are planning on making a trip to Alabama & Georgia for Thanksgiving. This will probably be my only pre- baby trip, so I want to make sure to see all of you! 

If you have any words of wisdom (or extra diapers), please feel free to send them my way. I'm going to need them!

Katie

15 weeks!

Where have the last 3 weeks gone? We took a 10 day trip to Denver and I have been very busy getting my speech and debate team ready for an upcoming tournament.

The biggest change is my belly has grown exponentially over the past few weeks- it still catches me by surprise when I look in the mirror!

 

 



I have my first appointment with my high risk doctor this week & I started working on my registry yesterday- It's so overwhelming! I will have lots of doctors appointments in the next few weeks, so I am hoping to find out the sex of the babies at one of those. I am very anxious to find out!!!

How far along: 15 weeks

Babies are the size of a: an orange

Total Weight Gain/Loss: not really sure, I'm guessing about 3 lbs. I'll find out tomorrow at the doctor. 

Maternity clothes: yes, with the exception of a few of my regular shirts. I really need more though. 

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: I've started to get less comfortable at night, so that's annoying. I've also been waking up and not being able to go back to sleep.  

Best moment last week: Not in the week, but it was so fun to finally tell everyone our news. Yay for no more secrets!!!

Movement: Not really. I may have felt some weird popping feeling last week, but I may be crazy/imagining it. We will see...

Food cravings: I'm very happy to be eating normal, full-sized meals again! 

Gender: don't know yet, but I have several appointments in the next couple of weeks, so I am hoping someone will be able to tell.  Otherwise, we will find our Oct. 22!

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way but I have noticed it's getting very shallow...

What I miss: my sense of smell has gotten out of control. I can't open the trash can without throwing up. It's very annoying...

What I am looking forward to: Announcing it to everyone tomorrow! Eeeek!

Milestones: 12 weeks is a milestone! And seeing 2 healthy, squirmy babies! Also, I feel like I actually have a little bit of a belly now- it came out of nowhere! 

12 weeks

We are making the big announcement tomorrow!!! We had an ultrasound Monday and everything looked great. For the first time, they actually looked like little people, not just blobs. We saw hands and feet... One flipped completely around during the ultrasound. They were moving so much. I don't know when I will get over the surprise of seeing two of them in there!

How far along: 12 weeks

Babies are the size of a: lime!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I was up 2 lbs from my 8 week appointment. 

Maternity clothes: my pants are all either maternity or elastic waisted.. The maternity ones are a little big but since my regular jeans are out I figure I can make it work for awhile. I have some maternity shirts, but almost anything stretchy works for now. 

Stretch marks: Nope... I definitely started to get a belly this week though! 

Sleep: so tired. Still.  

Best moment last week: Defintley our ultrasound on Monday. It was awesome.  

Movement: Not that I can feel, but they were moving around so much in there it's hard to believe that much activity is happening inside of me! 

Food cravings: not much this week. I got a little sick last week and kind of lost my appetite. Better than corn dogs, I guess... 

Gender: Don't know, but the anatomy scan is scheduled for Oct. 22- but I am seeing a high risk doctor in 4 weeks and they said they might be able to tell us then.  I can't wait!!!

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way, for awhile anyway!

What I miss: my regular jeans...

What I am looking forward to: Announcing it to everyone tomorrow! Eeeek!

Milestones: 12 weeks is a milestone! And seeing 2 healthy, squirmy babies! Also, I feel like I actually have a little bit of a belly now- it came out of nowhere! 

11 weeks!

The last two weeks have been very busy- my mom came in town last Sunday and my sister and dad joined us for the weekend. It was so fun getting to spend some time with my family. Mom and I planned out two nurseries and she helped me buy my first maternity clothes. We shopped all day on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday... I have never felt so exhausted in my life by the end of it. It's amazing how much energy it takes to grow two babies. 

I missed week 10, but here is my 11 week update. I will start taking belly pictures very soon!!!

How far along: 11 weeks

Babies are the size of a: Brussel sprouts

Total Weight Gain/Loss: haven't checked lately, but I don't know that I am still in the negatives...

Maternity clothes: not exclusively but I bought a couple of pairs of jeans and leggings last week and they are sooooo comfortable. Regular jeans are definitely out though... Stretch everything!

Stretch marks: Nope... fingers crossed!

Sleep: all the time. If I am not sleeping I am wishing I could be. I went to sleep at 9:30 on my birthday...

Best moment last week: getting to see my family! 

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: corn dogs. Seriously.  I cannot explain it. Last week at the mall, the only thing that sounded good was hot dog on a stick. 

Gender: Don't know, but the anatomy scan is scheduled for Oct. 22! 

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way, for awhile anyway!

What I miss: going more than 2 hours without needing a nap. 

What I am looking forward to: Our Facebook announcement- next week! 

Milestones: Buying maternity clothes!

9 weeks!

Tomorrow I am officially 9 weeks! We had an appointment on Thursday where we got to meet the Doctor and do another ultrasound. It was quick, but we saw two little heartbeats!

I don't know when I am ever going to get over the shock of the doctor showing two heartbeats during an ultrasound. While of course I expected to see them both, I was still somehow genuinely surprised when they were both there, just beating away! My next appointment is Sept. 9, and he said we will do a  quick ultrasound at each appointment because twins can be very difficult to hear on a doppler. I am also going to go to a specialist for high-risk pregnancies starting around week 16. So between the two we should get lots of pictures!!!

Kind of hard to see, but the two little blurs are the babies at 8 weeks 4 days. 

I figure I should go ahead and start doing the pregnancy survey that everyone does on their blog... But it will be fun to look back and see how quickly things change. I haven't started belly pics yet, although I guess I should pretty soon. With two of them in there it probably won't be long before there's a bump!

How far along: 9 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Raspberry! or Grape. Depending on who you ask. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have lost 2 lbs in the last couple of weeks. That's what happens with you survive on saltines and peanut butter toast!

Maternity clothes: No, but it won't be long. I am unashamed to admit that this weekend I bought a couple of pairs of jeggings from Kohls and they are amazing. I am hoping to put of real maternity pants as long as I can. 

Stretch marks: Nope... fingers crossed!

Sleep: Eh. Sometimes I sleep well, other nights not great. Naps are my BFF though- I never knew I could be SO. TIRED.

Best moment last week: Seeing two little heartbeats- again!

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Ugh. I have a love/hate relationship with food right now. I get SO HUNGRY, but then nothing sounds good at all. Yesterday I really wanted baked potato casserole (random), and I can go through an entire jar of pickles or a whole cantaloupe in a day.

Gender: Won't know for a couple of months- Ryan says boys, I say girls. We will see!

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way, for awhile anyway!

What I miss: Being able to eat normal meals.

What I am looking forward to: Being able to announce it to everyone! It's such a big secret to have to keep for so long! Ahhhhh!

Milestones: Putting away my skinny jeans... I may still wear some of the stretchier ones a bit longer, but they have gotten sooo uncomfortable. Jeggings it is! #Style

I am going to try to blog throughout this pregnancy, as much as I can. School starts back next week and my family is also coming in town, so I will get busier. Please keep praying for Ryan and I and our two little Raspberries- We have quite the adventure ahead!

The shock of our lives

There are a lot of things that have happened in my life that I never saw coming. I never thought I would go to Auburn, marry a man in the military, or move to California. However, I can honestly say that God threw me the biggest curveball of my life his week.

My first doctor visit was scheduled for August 15 (about 9 weeks.) However, this week I was having a couple of issues so they told me to go ahead and come in on Wednesday to check it out. My doctor was out of town, so I saw a Nurse Practitioner. After getting some blood drawn she did an ultrasound. Right of the bat, she was confused by what she saw. She couldn't locate my uterus at first (???) and then she saw a gestational sac but thought it might be outside the uterus (very bad). Also, she could see no fetal pole or embryo inside the gestational sac. According to her wheel of dates I was 7-8 weeks (even though I told her that wasn't right). She consulted with a doctor that I never saw and said I needed to go get an ultrasound done at a digital imaging center with better technology, but that it was likely that I had miscarried and could have a possible ectopic as well. 

Of course this was very upsetting. I hardly slept that night and was prepared for the worst when we went to the imaging center the next morning.

When she started the ultrasound she told me immediately that they sac was in the uterus- very good news. Within a minute or so she was able to see that there was an embryo- and that it had a heartbeat! This was the best news, I immediately started crying I was so relieved. She continued the ultrasound, taking measurements of everything. She started to smile and looked over at Ryan and said "Do you see what I see there?" He started smiling and she said "I do have a bit of news for you... You have two heartbeats" 

IDENTICAL TWINS. 

Babies A & B at about 6 weeks 4 days!

I cannot explain to you the shock of the moment when someone tells you that you are having identical twins. She showed me each embryo and their little heartbeats (126 & 119). Baby A was measuring 6w5d and baby B was measuring 6w3d. 

I kept waiting for the April Fools- I am not the kind of person that has twins. People like Becca Piedra Kelley have twins- not me! 

The rest of the appointment was kind of a blur as I tried to process this information. TWO BABIES AT ONCE? 

That afternoon we FaceTime'd  both of our families and told them the news- I think they thought it was a joke at first. We also decided since we had seen heartbeats we would tell a couple of close friends, so I called my BFFs in Texas and spent the rest of the afternoon googling how to have twins.

While I am still in shock about this, I am also starting to get excited about the journey ahead of us. The best things in my life haven't been in my plans, and I know these sweet babies will be a miracle and a blessing. I will try to keep this updated during my pregnancy- especially once we announce it officially. 

Big news!

 It's been almost 2 years since I have updated this blog- I am here now because I want to use it as a forum to record all of the exciting things that have been happening in our lives recently. A quick timeline of the last month or so:

Week of July 7

JThis is going to sound cryptic, but I could tell something just wasn't right. I was a little emotional I started getting random nausea in the afternoon- I even canceled an all you can eat Korean BBQ Dinner. (Like I said, something wasn't right.) On Tuesday, I bought some pregnancy tests and took one- Negative. By my calculations it should have definitely been positive if I was preg, so I tried to put it out of my mind. 

Thursay morning, I was feeling even more weird, so I took another test- Negative. OK. I decided I was done testing for awhile and would wait until Monday. But, I impatience got the the best of me and Thursday night I gave it one more shot. Within about a minute there was a faint but definitely there line--  I AM PREGNANT! 

After taking a few minutes to collect myself I went into the closet and pulled out this Auburn onesie I bought on clearance years ago. I put it in a gift bag with the test and gave it to Ryan. It was exciting and emotional- but mostly just really hard to believe!

Aunt Alyce after she heard the news!

In the next few days we FaceTime'd both of our families and told them the news. By my calculations I was about 4 weeks with a due date around March 21. I also got to meet up with my sister and tell her in person. I gave her a wine glass that said "Aunt Alyce." She mayyyy have caused a small scene in an Applebees in Camarillo...

During the last 3 weeks i have been pendulating between excitement and panic as we prepare for this exciting addition!!!