Another day another doctor

So we had an ultrasound yesterday and a checkup with the delivering OBGYN today. The ultrasound noted that the fluid around Lorelei is lower than last week, but not enough to panic. We will be seen back next Monday for another ultrasound to continue checking the fluids. The OBGYN went fine, and she saw no amniotic fluid in the swab (which is good). We will also be seen by them each week until they feel confident I'm not leaking from Lorelei's sack.

Lorelei and Maddison are still in separate sacks. The amniotic fluid could possibly be coming from either sack, and the only way to tell is to insert blue die into the fluid with a needle and check a few hours later. Now if we chose to do that we would risk infection and rupturing the membrane even further. Because the leak does not seem to be significant enough for a week to pass by we are choosing to bypass that option and stick with "playing it by ear".

My parents and brother came out to visit for Christmas and my birthday which was very nice! They left last night and got back home to NJ this morning. We were visited by my cousin and her family while they were in the state visiting her husbands family. It's been a very busy week! And still more family fun to come. We're so happy to have so many family and friends to care and help out where they can. We will continue to have updates and hope and pray for an uneventful full term pregnancy!

another night at the hospital

Wednesday night Lorel was in the hospital all night. She was leaking a little amniotic fluid, which fortunately has stopped. But we checked the fluid levels, refilled the washer fluid reservoir, and gave her a wash and wax. She's good for another 3,000 mi. Next regularly scheduled maintenance is Mon. at 3. Results as events warrant. Merry Christmas to all!

Lorel's forcing me to write more, including the information that she's forcing me to write more. My in-laws came out for Christmas and surprised her in the hospital Thurs. morning. We had a great Christmas, interspersed with me staying at my mom's to take care of her post surgery. We are worrying it through and now we're on to the second wave: Lorel's birthday. Happy Birthday sweetie!

Yet another apt.

So today we went to see our delivering OBGYN. We just reviewed progress, go weighed, measured, and heard her heart beat. She's been really calm today! (surprisingly) and her heart rate is 148. I'm measuring properly for 22 weeks and I've gained a total of about... 16lbs! As long as I continue along this track I should gain enough weight for the doctors approval!

We're currently waiting for confirmation from Cincinnati on seeing the HR Dr once a month instead of every week since we're out of the woods. We're also waiting to hear about continuing medication, setting up classes (birthing, breastfeeding, etc.) and bedrest/exercise.

I have had nice visits from people over the last week or so! I know everyone is so busy with the holidays, but I really do appreciate the messages, calls, and visits when people have the time.

We'll be celebrating Christmas with half of Jared's family this weekend and then the other half I believe the week after Christmas. So it seems that Christmas week will be a little quiet for us. Jared will be taking care of his mother since she will be having surgery on Tuesday, so prayers her way are appreciated for a smooth surgery and speedy recovery!

Oh yea, and my birthday is coming up too! Yay for bedrest!!!

Thank God!

We had our echocardiogram and the baby's heart is normal! Although the score for the right ventricle is still a little elevated its not really a concern and there is no sign of the hypertrophy that caused this whole mess in the first place. She's 19 oz which is a little large for 22 weeks gestation but all the better. Thanks to all for your prayers and support keep 'em comin.

Just truckin along!

Hey there all.

Currently not much to report. All reports are positive from the doctor so far. Next week we have the Echo to check the progress on her heart, and then a routine apt with our delivering dr.

Then the next week is CHRISTMAS! I had a thought that each Christmas we are going to begin to encourage our kids to donate some toys before getting more... I assume if we do it from the beginning then it would work, but ya never know! Right now I have a four legged four year old who doesn't like to part with anything and cries a lot when no one plays with him! I guess we should have started from the beginning with him!

We continue to be blessed with such great family, friends, help, and prayers.

From www.TTTSfoundation.org

When you learn you are pregnant with twins, it is such a blessed moment in your life. You feel so fortunate and chosen by God to have such a special gift. You dream of holding two babies, dressing them the same and watching them grow up together. This is what God intended. God did not make a perfect world though. There is evil in this world and one form of it is a disease called twin to twin transfusion syndrome. It does not care who it hurts, and it always happens to the parents who want and love their babies so very much.

When parents learn that one of their babies has passed away, life will never be the same again. There is deep sorrow and shock. There is confusion about whether or not to deliver the babies. There is no reason to deliver the babies, unless the surviving baby is in major distress. There is a risk that the living baby may bleed blood to his or her twin, through the connecting blood vessels in their shared placenta that caused the twin to twin transfusion syndrome in the first place. If this happened, it was instantaneous at the time of the loss and already happened by the time you determined the loss. Delivering the babies, as many doctors think should happen, will not prevent it. It is better to stay pregnant and get to a gestational age to best help your surviving baby.

There is a period of about 2 weeks where if there are no signs of distress with the surviving baby then this “bleeding” in laymen’s terms, most likely did not happen. You should feel confident that your baby should be OK. Nothing will take away your fears completely until you deliver and the pregnancy is finally over and you hear your baby crying. But, let this give you a true understanding of hope that he or she will be just fine. You should also be getting blood work done to make sure your blood clotting mechanisms are working correctly within your own blood supply. This is a small risk, but one that should not be ignored.

When one of your babies has passed away, you will often hear hurtful comments such as, “They were not meant to be", "You could not have handled both", "God needed him or her more", "He or she was too sick to survive.....” All of these statements are not true. Your baby is a beautiful, healthy baby. It is just that the disease took its toll. Your baby will always be your baby and they will always be twins. It is not they “were” twins…it is that they always will be. You will always be the parent of twins too. The status will never be taken away from you and you should stay strong not to let anyone try to. The more you can speak up for yourself and your babies when these comments are made, the better you will feel about yourself.

Many will advise that you have to be “strong” for the other baby now…that you cannot fall apart or cry. This too, is not true. You don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to be anything. You will be strong regardless of trying to. It is OK to cry and even be hysterical. It will not hurt your second little baby.

Know that when your baby passed away, his or her twin had his arms around your baby. And, you had your arms around them both. You always will.

Know that we are here to talk with you, especially listen and cry with you. You are not alone. We are here to help you continue on in your pregnancy and plan for your compassionate delivery of your babies. Please know that God did not make this happen. God wants all babies to live. His hand will be in yours. Even if you pull your hand away…He will not let go. And when you can no longer stand, He will carry you.

Your babies love you with all their heart. They know that you have done and are doing everything you can for them. The only emotion that they feel is love for you, and they will always be with you. They will help you get through this and live your life bringing both of them with you. It will never be good-bye…only I love you.

Another day, another ultra sound

So today I was visited by Jared's father and enjoyed lunch and watched Law & Order! This weekend we had Jared's grandma and cousin over to hang out with me all day! I'm so lucky :)

This afternoon we had another ultrasound. Her heart rate is about 153b/m and she's about 13 oz. She's growing and moving around lots... but also she's still head down! She does not want to move and she thinks she's ready to be delivered!!! We are set up for another ultrasound next week Tuesday and then in 2 weeks we will have an Echo to check her heart again. All in all, she's doing well!

So I snuck out today! SHHHH. We went to Babies R Us and played with strollers and found bedding! I also realized that I LOVE bedrest. lol... it was cold outside and I got tired really quickly!... I'll be fine in bed for a while longer!

So basically we have our registry prepared. We're registered at Babies R Us and Kohls listed under Lorel & Jared Smith. We're also experimenting with cloth diapers. I just ordered 2 one-size all in one cloth diapers. I've been researching them for a while and think it's the way we want to go. Now these are not your gma's cloth diapers. The ones I am looking at are very similar to disposable diapers, but you keep using the cover until it's soiled (10 changes/day... 4 covers/day). So you would change the inside prefolds with each change and add as many as needed to keep her dry. So we ordered 2 covers and are going to experiment with a doll and a turkey baster :-P

Thank you all still for your prayers, visiting, meals, cleaning, and just sending messages!

Bye Bye Cincinnati!

So today was our follow up appointment at Cincinnati!

Here is a recap of the progress with Lorelei's heart.

With regards to a heart, both the left and right ventricles are supposed to be performing at a certain rate labeled as "normal". This rate is .45

Before surgery Lorelei's heart (both ventricles) were at about .56... this constituted TTTS stage IIIc (I believe the beginning of that stage). This is where we get the cardiomyopathy. This is part of the reason we decided for the surgery. After surgery they expect to see no change. Apparently, our follow up 6 days after surgery showed that Lorelei's heart (both sides) went up to about .62 This is not good, so they had us return today for another follow up. After the ECHO today we got in early to see the doctor and he told us that things are looking better! Lorelei's heart is not recovered, however, her left ventricle is now at .48!!! Her right ventricle still has not changed, it is still around .62 The doctor is not overly concerned and stated that the right ventricle takes a longer time to recover/heal than the left. Same with the thickening around her heart, it has not changed. This is the last thing to see any changes.

So all in all, she is improving, but we're not out of the woods! They told us we did not have to return to Cincinnati and should be seen by a specialist in Indianapolis once or twice before delivery to ensure her heart is continuing to improve. We are to continue having weekly ultrasounds, unless my HR doctor says otherwise... and we are hoping for a delivery date of March 23rd at the earliest! I am also to stay on bedrest, STRICT bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy. As for any side effects of this for Lorelei, she maybe born with high blood pressure... but a good chance it will not have to be controlled by medication.

Also, last appointment we had her growth checked and she was 7oz and at the 54th percentile. TODAY Ms. Lorelei is 11oz and at the 85th percentile! She's a growing machine!!!

So here are the pictures that my mommy uploaded for me! I hope you can see them well enough. I'll be working on them some more to separate them and make them better to see. I have included pictures of Maddison as well...

Lorelei's surgery pictures. I think she looks like she's in a bubble.

I believe this is Maddison. Top left, is her profile; Top right, shows she's a girl; bottom she's waving!

This is Maddison. I think she took the best pictures... as you can see she was sucking her thumb in one picture.

Here you see Maddison. However, the feet that you see are Lorelei's. These pictures show Maddison dancing on Lorelei's head!

Here is Lorelei. You can see her head is covered because it is being crushed by Maddison :-P

All of these pictures, except the top were taken the day we were told the twins had TTTS. They both look health and happy in these pictures. So looking back at exactly 1 week after these pictures we were left with only 1 beating heart... it's almost impossible to "understand".

Routine

Ultrasound today at the hospital. Everything's fine. I'm wondering if the apparently routine results we're getting now in the screenings are lulling me into a false sense of security...realistically I know there is a good chance for preterm labor. I feel like Richard Dreyfus when the water is quiet...too quiet. On the other hand, the eternal optimist in me says that everything could and should be fine now and we'll have a happy healthy baby that we get to bring home if not the next day then in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, the house isn't ready for a baby just yet...we're gonna need a bigger boat.

P.S. just for irony's sake I feel it worth mentioning that I have never actually seen Jaws despite my apparent aptitude for quoting it.

154 beats/min

So we went to the doctors today to catch up with the doctor who will be delivering the baby. Not much to report, but she is moving all around and we just heard her heart beat which is at 154 beats per minute! I will update tomorrow after our ultrasound!

I was kicked

So being 18 weeks and 2 days everyone has been asking if I have felt a kick or movement. I have been questioning if I have felt movement or if it's just been "bodily functions". It's felt like tickling, and this week I have been wondering if my shirt has just been tickling me. This morning after I showered and got back into my horizontal position (laying down!) I felt an actual kick of something! I have no doubt it was her this time because I have never felt that movement before!

So here I lay... day 14 of captivity in my home. Connie got me an advent calendar so starting December I'll know what day it is and can stop putting the marks on the walls!

So this week I have been visited by Jeff (Jared's dad) and to day will be Grandma Nancy! We are so blessed to have family and friends in our lives that care so much. I still have not gotten over the "I need to entertain guests" instead of "these people come to help in the areas I can't do and provide me company". Connie is great to come over every Tuesday and Thursday to spend time and help a little around the house!

Feel free to contact us if you're wishing to come over and just spend time, help, or even take advantage of Jared's great cooking one night :)

Lorelei

16 1/2 weeks

Here is the picture of Lorelei during the surgery...

And the races begin!

So as most of you know, yesterday was our first ultrasound of many many many to come. They set this up to make sure Lorelei is developing well and does not suddenly fall into any complications. The tech looked through everything and kept us upbeat throughout the entire thing. She looked great! She's in the birthing position, and at times I feel like she trying to dig her way out! Her heart, from this ultrasound, looks great (said by the doctor). We aren't out of the woods, nor are we close... but I like to think of that ultrasound as an indicator of good things to come.

So I sit/lay/sleep/watch TV/do this/ surf the web/read/and AHHHHHHHHHH. All day, everyday! I am on strict bed rest, but I'm not entirely sure if it will last the entire pregnancy. I bet towards the end I may have a little more freedom, but then again I've never been through this and that's just wishful thinking!

So far Jessica (Jared's sister) came by and spent the day with me yesterday. We watched tv, the Terminal, and ate pizza. She was able to join Jared grocery shopping so that was nice@! We also ate a pomegranate last night... now when you have to go on youtube to find out how to eat something... that's crazy! I think the seeds are addictive, but it does lack quite a bit of flavor (but healthy stuff isn't tasty, right?) And I will be getting a visit from Great Grandma Nancy :) (don't hurt me!) on Wed. I'm really excited to see ya!!!!

Now, as things have calmed down we will most likely go back to positing random blogs that aren't as detailed. We really appreciate everyone's prayers, thoughts and warm wishes. I've received flowers, candies, and cards and cannot begin to thank you appropriately for all the gifts sent our way, but I'll try!

So just keep reading and we'll keep posting!

Lorelei's update

So I won't write this as well as Jared, but here's the basic update.

No changes for Lorelei. Her heart rate is still appropriate, blood flow is good and the ultrasound is overall positive. The echo on the other hand is what shows her heart and the progress of that. At 6 days after surgery it's not likely to see any changes, and that's where we're at. Her heart hasn't gotten worse, nor better. Her heart is thick and will have to work harder as she grows within the next few weeks and can possibly fail. I continue to take the perconium (sp?) and be on bedrest. We will have weekly ultrasounds at my high risk doctor and then bi weekly visits at Cincinnati for continued echo's until her heart starts to show improvement.

We keep praying and giving the doctors our full devotion and attention to make everything go as well as it can.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, thoughts and warm wishes. We wouldn't be getting through this emotionally without all the support and God's strength.

We're getting there...

So it's been a little while since I've talked to anyone or updated on this page. For obvious reasons I have been avoiding any contact with ANYONE. If you know me I tend to do better with such situations by not talking to anyone for a few days until it sinks in and passes the most painful stage.

Thursday night my parents called and asked to come out... all I could do was pretty much cry. They were out Friday morning. Knowing that you have people who care about you is amazing... knowing these people want to do things for you is awesome... letting them do both is crazy difficult. Jared and I are set in our ways, independent, and mainly self-sufficient. Knowing the doctors saying "make a list for people to do for you and LET THEM DO IT" really hasn't hit.

I'm on bed-rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. I have bathroom and microwave privileges at this time. Meaning that I need to be laying down 95% of my day... as most of you know we have a dog who's a baby but really NEEDY! And I can't really sit still! We just signed up for NetFlix so we can stream videos on the XBox and I have one more thing throughout the pregnancy to keep me occupied. Jess and Scott (Jared's sister and brother-in-law) got me an emergency bored box! I'll be tapping into that soon!

As for this time and how it's affecting me and more or less Jared...

We knew it was a possibility, but as Jared said... going in with two strong beating hearts and leaving with one really makes you think. As soon as I saw the ultrasound my heart skipped a beat and my first words were "she's not moving". I had no tears, I had no questions, I had nothing. Jared, nearly the same but almost physically ill. Seeing Lorelei's heartbeat "normal" as it has been and her fluids moving freely eased our pain just minimally. The doctors came in and as personable, caring, professional, and loving explaining their idea of what happened. We asked for time alone multiple times but were intruded on for multiple reasons... but as soon as everyone passed through we got time to speak to each other, or just sit. The hospital is amazing, our team was so loving and caring and personable... we couldn't of asked for anything more. We left later that morning to go home and rest until Monday.

Friday morning I woke up with a muscle ache and it wouldn't go away. So after jumping from the OBGYN to the MFM HR they admitted me to see what was wrong. We got to see Lorelei and hear her strong heartbeat. I think that alone relaxed us even more. The doctors here are great, but not as personable as Cincinnati (go figure). They monitored me and let me go with a pain medicine since Tylenol was not working. Going into the high risk doctors office I let it all out. Everything I was feeling just came out in tears. Jared held on tight and Dr. Carol held my hand. I could not even look at the ultra sound, for the image that is permanently engraved in our heads. Once they said she looks great I looked up to see her moving. At that point I realized that it's extraordinarily difficult to erase a painful memory from your mind... at night and throughout the day I see that last ultrasound at Cincinnati and it scares the hell out of me.

So we go back to Cincinnati on Monday (tomorrow) and have to be there at 8am for an ultrasound, then 10:30 for an echo, and then 3pm for a team meeting to review all their findings and where to go from there. Please keep your prayers going for all of us and our doctors that they can monitor us weekly for a successful remainder of the pregnancy. After tomorrow I will do my best to call everyone throughout the week who have been amazing enough to call me and send their love.

We will always know and love you Maddison and pray that you will be an angel for Lorelei to let her know that she's always going to be loved and special because she has you.

To LIfe

Despite the best efforts of our medical team, Maddison Olivia Smith went to her eternal home during the night. The image of her still body on the ultrasound with no heartbeat I don't think will ever leave me. Although I know intellectually we made the right decision to go ahead with the surgery, and that it gave both of them the best possible chance for survival, its hard to feel good about a decision when you go in with a live kicking baby with a strong heartbeat and come out with a dead one. I still feel happy about the vastly improved chances for Lorelei, but the moment is beyond bittersweet.

To spare any questions on exactly what happened: we decided to go ahead with selective fetalscopic laser surgery to sever the placental connections between the twins. The importance of doing so is that if one twin dies while they are connected the sudden catastrophic loss of blood pressure will kill or cripple the other one. During the surgery they were able to estimate that Maddison had only about a 15% share of the placenta. Generally to have a good chance of survival a fetus needs at least 20%. Now, some babies do make it on less, and we were hopeful, but realistically there was not much chance she could have been nourished to a viable size in time to be born. We're not sure exactly how she died, but mostly she just wasn't connected well enough to make it.

We wholeheartedly appreciate all of the prayers and support, please continue to pour it out on us as we have a long road ahead with Lorelei and making sure she comes healthy into this world. Lorel will be on bedrest the duration of her pregnancy, meaning she's more or less confined to the house. This will provide some interesting challenges, but you do what you gotta do. Peace and Love to all.

Rest In Peace

Maddison Olivia Smith

11/5/09

We never got the chance to meet you but we love you with all our hearts.

The Skinny

Here's the deal. We had an 11 hour day of testing and consulting with doctors. First I want to say the staff in Cincy has been great. Our twins have a disproportionate but still within normal range amount of amniotic fluid around each of them. They only have about a 17% growth discordance. They appear to have normal growth and development including brain development. That's the good news. The bad news is that our recipient twin Lorelei has some hypertensive heart issues. Her heart is thicker than normal from the extra stress. Maddison our donor twin's umbilical cord attaches to the uterine wall rather than the placenta and may not have enough of a share of the placenta to make it. We have decided to go ahead and have laser ablation surgery.

Lorelei's heart condition will most likely come out fine with the medication Lorel is starting, but Maddison's fate is very much up in the air. Please continue to pray for us as we are going in for the surgery at 9 am tomorrow.

CIncinnati

We are relaxing in our hotel room in Cinci trying to get ready for the start of our 5 day process. Lorel seems to be suffering some kind of allergic reaction and is breaking out in hives. Please be praying for her.

Please be praying for patience for us as I am sure this will be a long and sometimes frustrating sequence of events. Continue checking the blog as we will be updating at least daily to keep everyone posted.

Many thanks

First I wanted to say thanks to all who are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. As stated in Lorel's post our twins are suffering TTTS. There are certain blood vessels in their placenta that are allowing them to share blood, and they are not sharing equally. Lorelei has far too much which can lead to problems like congestive heart failure, and Maddison has too little leading to anemia and malnourishment. The condition has a near 100% fatality rate if left untreated. Fortunately the treatment has very high survival rates. It entails going in with a laser and 'coagulating' the blood in the problematic vessels. Afterwards, the twins still get fed from the placenta but can't share blood with each other anymore.

I consider the string of coincidences surround our circumstances to be nothing short of miraculous: we found out we were having twins at 6 weeks instead of 22 (when the first ultrasound is normally performed), we started checking for the TTTS at 15 weeks instead of 16, one of the few fetal centers in the country that can perform the surgery is just 2 hours away in Cincinnati. The next closest one I know of is all the way in Philadelphia. From the early ultrasounds to having that center in our backyard, 'luck' doesn't even begin to cover it.

God has been with us so far through this process, and we give thanks. We are completely out of control, and as frustrating as it is to not be able to effect the process by our actions, it is a wonderful comfort to have the support we have around us from our medical practitioners, our family and friends, the Body of Christ, and of course God.

The good and the bad

So I am not going to write much because I do not feel well enough informed to update on this front.

GOOD NEWS

We're having girls! Lorelei MacKenzie and Maddison Olivia.

BAD NEWS

Maddison is diagnosed at stage III (low end) of TTTS... http://www.tttsfoundation.org/

We'll be going to Cincinnati on Monday evening to begin testing and get a laser surgery treatment to fix the problem. Basically... Maddison does not have as much placenta as Lorelei leading to smaller size and no diastolic blood pressure (I believe it's called). On the other side, Lorelei is/will receive too much blood which can lead to heart failure. Cincinnati is apparently a very specialized facility that cares for these cases many times a year. This TTTSyndrome is found in identical twins.

Over the past couple of days I/we have gone through guilt, failure, heart ache, etc... all it comes down to is that this condition is completely random and does not matter who you are or what you do. It happens to 15% of all identical twin pregnancies.

Our itinerary for Tuesday is

11/03/2009 08:15 AM CCHMC; Location B, Floor 1,Radiology-- MRI

Comment

11/03/2009 10:00 AM CCHMC; Location A, Floor 7, Fetal Care Center-- Ultrasound

Comment Connie Bitters, RN, RDMS

11/03/2009 01:00 PM CCHMC; Location C, Floor 4, Cardiology --ECHO

Comment

11/03/2009 03:00 PM CCHMC; Location A, Floor 7, Karen McGirr, RN, CNM, Fetal Care Center-- History and Physical

Comment:

11/03/2009 04:00 PM CCHMC; Location A, Floor 7, Foong-Yen Lim, Fetal Care Center-- Team Meeting Comment Attendees: University Hospital Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist

We'll keep everyone updated!

Please keep praying!

Newest Belly

So tomorrow (Wed) we'll find out the sex!!!

My growing belly

As I promised... here are the pictures of my growing belly!

About 4-5 weeks along!

October 1st... 11 weeks

October 24... 14 weeks

14 weeks again.

15 Weeks... this is going to be my belly button saga. I feel it getting ready to pop out and it is really uncomfortable!

This will only accept so many pictures, so I'll keep posting!

the once and future parent

First off, an apology that this is my first post. I would love to say I had great reasons for thus far avoiding sharing my imminent paternal wisdom (I assume it will come to me sometime between the birth and teaching them to drive). But the sad truth is that I simply find it difficult to live outside the immediate present. I plan for the future, prepare and pretend to the extent necessary for said planning; but I don't like to live there. This whole experience of pregnancy for the man is an extended exercise in living in some future of diapers, minivans, and never having both babies simultaneously asleep. While I'd be a fool not to expect those things I'd be lying if I said I devoted any real thought to them.

Take, for example, registering for stuff online. I view this task as extremely tedious. Lorel loves it like no other. I feel like we're going to get a bunch of stuff the babies will likely hate. We'll end up exchanging it at Babies R Us for other stuff they will also hate. After the 5th or 6th round we will wind up with stuff they will love for two weeks before they've outgrown it and the cycle begins anew. It's difficult for me to devote any real attention to planning this task, because its all going to wash out in trial and error anyways. Lorel shares my assessment of the likely scenario but her love of shopping for all things baby means she actually embraces the downward spiral of doom. Same page, different playbook.

We had our last trip to the doctor before we hit another stretch of worry. For those of you who've never had twins, identical twins can suffer from a condition called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome or TTFS. One baby receives the majority of placental blood flow leaving the other starved for nutrients and oxygen and the first overloaded with fluid and at risk for heart issues. The condition is treatable and happens in 10-20% of all identical twin pregnancies. But it needs to be closely monitored from 16 weeks on. On a brighter note that means we should also be finding out the gender next week. Lorel thinks sons, I'm thinking daughters. We shall see.

Face meets Walmart bathroom floor

Round two!

I was out today with a client grocery shopping. (I teach adolescence how to do activities of daily living when they are living in apartments after living in foster care or residential facilities). So I decided that I needed to use the rest room... well once again I got hot and realized I was going to pass out. Thank God I braced myself, putting my hands on the floor (EWWWW) and caught myself, once my head hit my hands I woke up and decided I needed to... get sick. Well... to put it mildly, this took an awfully embarrassing turn. Thank God my client had no idea what was going on, and no one was in the rest room. After a good 10-15 minutes I made it back out and my client was confused where I had been. I decided I was going to cancel the rest of my appointments for the day and go home to rest.

I assume this came from me not agreeing with the lunch of a pre-packaged Thai soup I bought from the store. It tasted good, but was spicy and just... different. I don' think I'll try that again anytime soon!

So this Thursday we're looking forward to hearing the peanuts heartbeats, and possibly see them! They are at a stage where they are developing the genitals so even though it's said that they can tell the sex at this week (14) it is sometimes very difficult. Grandma Connie is going to join us so she can hear her grandchildren's heart beats!

Once again I still have not really taken any pictures... but we will get to it! Make sure you tell Jared how much you want to see me and my belly and maybe he'll take initiative and snap away!

Also, this Sunday Connie took me out to get my first pair of pregnancy pants! Jared and I will be going to the second hand stores soon to continue our shopping!!

--I promise my husband wants to post, and one day he will!

Week 12 photos

They look like aliens to me at this point, but I still love them!

Jared and I just spent a lovely weekend at the Apple Festival in Biglerville, PA. My parents came out and we enjoyed a nice short weekend together! My belly is finally starting to pop and stay there. So when I get around to it I will post some pictures and keep them coming. Currently we're in week 13 and have our next doctors appointment next week. We will be finding out the sex in about 3-5 weeks. I should have a good idea of my "prognosis" at that time (risk, defects, bedrest, etc).

We're still waiting for Jared to get the time/energy to post an entry! I'll be back after the visit or when something else cool happens!
So Baby B is crazy! He/she is just a ball of energy and didn't want to stop moving until it's pictures was being taken! Here are our two little angels!

Oh husband!

So my lovely husband... God bless his soul... wished to write the next blog entery! I gave him time and told him to do it ASAP or I'll write it first. WELL WELL WELL! Who doesn't make time for it??? hehe

So. I want to say it was Friday evening I had a craving for pickles. Jared was kind enough earlier in the week to have bought said pickles, so he didn't have to go very far! Well at first it made my face turn (like when I drink soda whoever watches!) But I proceeded to eat half the jar! The next day we went to the gym and did water aerobics. When we got home we had BLTs and then I finished the jar of pickles. Less than... 24 hours my first jar of pickles was gone (Jared shed a tear or two because he didn't have any). I offered him the juice inside, but he still cried :(.

So since this weekend I believe I have been trying to fight a cold. I have felt like my heart is racing, just really tired and icky. I think it all began on Saturday at water aerobics when I had pretty bad anxiety since it was the first time I did it. I got over it pretty well, but I was still worked up. So Monday I called the doctor and asked if I could come in to get my vitals checked. We're going away on Friday and I thought it best to get it checked ASAP. They told me to come in the next day.

I get there and wait for an hour and go in. I am maintaining weight and my vitals are stable and great for me. So, because I am driving 8 1/2 hours to PA on Friday they wanted to just "make sure" (put me at ease) and give me an ultra sound. (I love having twins and getting ultra sounds every other week!) So this is the first time they used the regular on on my belly with the mounds of gel.

If you know about positioning and labels, cool. If not here we go. So Baby A is the one that is set to come out first, Baby B is furthest away. Baby A was there, chill, stretching, and waving from time to time. (I'm 12 weeks along now... beginning the 4th month). BABY B on the other hand... had a mountain dew that morning. He/she was bouncing off the walls of my uterus, flipping, and enjoying their new freedom. So I decided that child will be Jared's and I will take the calm one! But we did get pictures, and as soon as I can they will get posted. They are starting to look like babies now which is amazing.

This weekend we will be in Pennsylvania for the Apple Festival! I am sooooo excited. It'll just be me, Jared and my parents. YAY!

Hopefully Jared will post something soon, so I'm not monopolizing the screen! :-P

Thanks Kathy! Babies are up!

So here are the pictures of our peanuts!

The first three are at 6 (4) weeks and the bottom two are at 8 (6) weeks. At 8 weeks we found out they are going to be identical!

As my belly continues to grow I will take pictures to prove to everyone that "it can be done!"

hehe

Thanks everyone for the prayers and help through the first trimester!

We've made it to the second trimester!!!

Thud Thud Thud

So my papa bear came out here on Monday to help with our rental property. After the first day we determined to hire out the work, so Papa spent time with us! It's so nice to have family out here, so comfortable to know when I come home I'll see him :).

So, an update since my face met the bathroom floor. I have not been eating as much as I should... big surprise! hehe I just cannot get into the habit of eating ALL the time! As long as I eat I feel okay... but if I go a long time (2-3 hours) I will feel horrible... unexplainably horrible. But I need to eat between those 2-3 hours to avoid feeling bad at all. It's so hard!

We went to the doctors this morning and my dad came along. That was nice... now if you know us, keeping it quiet, appropriate, and focused is not our strong suite. So we decided that I had both these men with me to do a paternity test... and the rest of the guys are on the way! We got a few laughs. All my sats are good and we got to hear the heart beats. Both are at least 150 b/m. So anything between 120-160 is great! I will meet at this office one more time and then go to the fetal medicine place at the hospital for the rest of the time. They have better technology, but I will keep my regular doctor and visit her in-between visits as needed.

So Papa Bear got to hear his grandchildren's heart beats! They are positioned kind of one on top of the other. Once I get around to it, and figure out how I will put the pictures of ultra sounds up.

I have lost weight... just about a pound or half a pound, but still at 10 weeks I should be gaining some weight! I hope I get this appetite and eat like it's going out of style!

We'll keep updating as I keep growing. So we're at the end of 10 weeks, my doctor feels I should stop driving (I drive around 100 miles/day for work) around 28 weeks (last week of January), and will probably deliver around 36 weeks (March 22nd). So I'm willing to accept bets on when these two will make their appearance! Wish us luck!

Bumps and Bruises

So Saturday morning I woke up like usual for my millionth bathroom break from sleep. Apparently my body had other ideas and my face met the bathroom tile floor. I passed out and got a nice lump on my forehead and banged up my nose pretty badly. I called the doctor and she told me to up my fluids and as long as I felt hot before I passed out I should be okay. She told me when to call back, if this and this happen... but I never had to! So I will begin to take pictures of my growing belly soon because today is the first day I feel my skin actually stretching... it's so weird and awkward feeling!

Who's who?

So I've been thinking... maybe I'm suffering from "not hearing the heartbeats and thinking they're gone" syndrome. But thankfully I am not there yet! I have been blessed with having two ultrasounds by my 8th week. The babies are 6 weeks old and growing at a healthy rate! My pregnancy is 8 weeks along and we have 8 more weeks until we get another ultrasound! AHAHAHA what will we do?!?!?!

So today was our second more detailed ultrasound. It was amazing. Thank God Jared was there to experience it with me. This was internal, just like the first, but the picture is more detailed than the last. We were able to see the babies and the sacks they are living in. And so it began. Very easily we saw two babies, a dark line in between them and two separate sacks. So that means that they share a placenta, and are thus IDENTICAL!

Now I find this to be ironic... seeing how I grew up with nearly 10 sets of twins around me... some more similar than others but none that I know of were actually "Identical". I STILL COULDN'T TELL THE SAME SEX APART! (Yea, I added the same sex in there... since some were boy/girl lol). So now God is giving me the chance to not be dumb anymore. lol...

Continuing... we had two healthy heartbeats, Baby A rang in at 179 beats/min and Baby B rang in at 181 beats/min. (I think this is how it's stated). As we were looking at everything and going through the boring, "ovaries and other stuff is healthy routine" I noticed something moving. Now the babies we're moving at all... that I could tell at least. But their hearts were (duh, there was a heart beat!). But it was amazing to see. I remember one time when I was in high school I had a friend who was born with a "hole in his chest" and you could see his heart beating... it was freaky/creepy/ and amazing at the same time. We just stared mesmerized at the images watching their little hearts beating away! I wish we could have gotten video of it.

So here we are. 8 weeks pregnant and have 8 weeks to go until we see a doctor again (fingers crossed). We are so blessed to have everyone's prayers and good wishes throughout this process. Jared and I never thought we would have twins... a funny thing to think about, but an amazing this to plan for!

Stay tuned as we update this with pictures, sound clips (if allowed), and other stuff relevant to our process of the process!

-Love Momma x 2

Double the fun

So on August 10th I took a pregnancy test and it came up... PREGNANT!

And so began... we only told a couple people. But during the week when it began hard to talk to my parents about anything without spilling the beans I decided it was time. I bought Smokey and Ninners (dog & cat) shirts and painted on the "Big Brother" "Big Sister". We took a picture and emailed it to my parents, Jared's parents, and my brother. We got immediate responses and everyone was thrilled (It's now Friday 14th).

So this entire week I felt kinda icky... kinda depressed... and just off. Well the next week we went away to upstate Michigan (Glen Lake) for Jared's cousins wedding. The weather stunk for most of the time, but thankfully we "got away". Unfortunately, the entire time I was experiencing morning/day sickness. I would wake up in the morning... feel like poo... want to puke... eat... then go to sleep. Wake up around 4pm and feel OK. This lasted nearly the entire time we were away 19-26. After that I had on and off ickness feeling.

On the 27th we had our first doctors appointment. At this point I was only 6 1/2 weeks along. Since it took forever Jared had to get back to work (I told him to go). Well the doctor took me in and began the ultrasound/sonogram type thing (apparently this is early). Well it wasn't hard to find the peanut. This peanut had a strong heart beat and was appropriately sized for his/her age... Well... the doctor decided to look around inside there to make sure everything looked okay. LOW-N-BEHOLD what did she find??? Another peanut!!!!

So here I am, alone in the office with the doctor and seeing the biggest surprise of my life, another baby. Now if any of you grew up with me you would know that I have always said I was going to have twins first... well apparently I was right! AHAHAHA. So I took sound and the doctor printed off pictures of the babies... People have told me that they waited 3 months to tell anyone they were pregnant, and others didn't get an ultrasound until 22 weeks.

So next week Tuesday we will be getting another ultrasound to determine the risk level of this pregnancy. We feel blessed and loved from everyone's support that this may just be the best surprise I will ever experience! Stay tuned for more updates as they arise. Jared and I are obviously not good at sharing, so God is blessing us with two!

Recently recent

I've been coaxed to begin reading vampire novels... The Sookie Stackhouse "true blood" novels. I find them both to be very amusing and catchy. So I bought the box set and will still have to buy the others when I get to that point. Jared still reads his many books all the time due to working at a book store.
As the weather has been getting warmer Somkey has met some new friends "fireflys". Now picture our 115 lb dog looking at this bug as it coasts in front of his face... Then it lights up and Smokes jumps back like he got bitten by a tiger! We are still in need of getting him a doggie park pass.
A few weeks ago I took a week off of work to regain some sanity... Well that was fun. Jared and I spent some much need time with friends. We explored Indianapolis and went paddle boating and to Mortys comedy club.
Within this time jared and I have gotten hooked into the "crackberry" scene! We love the blackberry storms, but at times wed still like the I Phone!
Well seeing it is the fourth of July weekend we had a few things planned. Jared, Connie, Connies friend Ellen, and myself went to the Casting Crowns concert at Garfield Park in Indy. We had a great picnic dinner and enjoyed the show. One thing I least expected was the "pro-life" campaigns... Now I am personally pro-life, but I'm not an activist or world ever care to be. But when attending these venues I assume that's what you get. Today jared and I decided to check out some deals at some of the gyms in town. Well we joined LAfitness and it seems to have a lot of advantages. Now recently I have been told I have mild Osteopenia (joining the club!). I am also seeing a chiropractor a few times a week to help manage my pain. Well see how long I last! Jared is very excited!
At this point that's all she wrote!

Biography

So here we are. This will be our biography... where we are, where we want to be, and how we plan to get there!

It really all began in August of 2004 when Lorel moved to Muncie to attend Ball State. Lorel joined the fencing team and met up with Jared. Sooner rather than later they began dating, then engaged, then married. On September 2, 2007 Jared and Lorel tied the knot in NJ. They traveled long and far and had the best time of our lives! Jared and Lorel decided to buy a house in Indianapolis just on a lark. They fell in love with the deal and found a place they could renovate themselves! At this point they still had no jobs in Indy, but spent their weekends fixing up their home. Lorel graduated from Ball State in May 2008 with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences: Family and Child / minor: social work.

On September 22, 2008 Lorel took a position in downtown Indy as a Case Manager for adolescence aging out of the welfare system. In late November early December, Jared took a position at a book store in Indy (thank goodness no more commuting!) He really enjoys his job mainly because it gives him a lot of time to read things he may never of found otherwise! Since they have been in Indy they have been attending a non-denominational Christian Church. ( www.east91st.org ).

As many people know, Jared and Lorel enjoy investing in real estate, being land lords, and flipping properties. As stated above they bought a house in Indianapolis on a lark and

thankfully both got jobs near by! They did drywall, flooring, tiling, painting, fixtures, and basic homey changes.

Jared and Lorel have invested with Lorel's parents on a rental in Muncie. They all plan to create an LLC and expand their business with the help from Jared's mom!

So this is us for now. We will update with our new adventures as time goes on!

We're giving this a try!

Stealing this idea from Claire-epoo Jared and I decided to make  blog to keep all of our family and friends informed of what we are doing in our lives.

Please share this with others who want to read and see some photos of our adventures traveling through life!