Baby Smiles

Tiegan gave me her first real smile tonight.  She gave me a quick one.  Then when she saw me smile back she gave me an even bigger, toothless smile.  So cute.  Can't wait to see it more often!

The Great Poop Shoot Out

Chapter 1
I heard Andy frantically and angrily yelling for me today when I was in the back room while he was in the office changing Tiegan's diaper.  I was annoyed, of course.  How hard is it to change a diaper.  Do you really have to rudely call out for back up?  Well, yes.  When I came upon the scene I saw a frantic Andy who was yelling to me to watch where I stepped.  I looked around and noticed poop on the floor outside the office, then on the door and all over the changing table.  Apparently the way he holds her legs while he is wiping her sets her up like a machine gun and timing was impeccable.

Chapter 2
So, now a few days later, I am changing her.  She usually waits to poop for me until I have the new fresh and clean diaper on her.  Today she chose to poop while I was in the middle of putting the new diaper on her.  I asked Andy to get me another wipe.  When he returned he chose to stand at the end of the changing table.  As I lifted her up to clean her she let more go and sent poop flying straight through the air at dad.  I have never seen him move so quickly and I will never forget the expression on his face.  We could barely clean up the mess through our laughter.

Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes

The bet is on.  Will Tiegan's eyes be brown or blue?  I think they will be brown while Andy thinks they will be brown.  So we have placed a wager on it.  Whoever is right will receive a $25 Caribou Coffee gift card.  I'm pretty confident that I will win the gift card.  Even if Andy loses though he will be a winner cause then he will share blue eyes with his littlest girl.

The Assessment

In the Maternal Assessment room waiting for evaluation. Nurse = Sue

The Arrival

As we arrived, I dropped Stacy off a the Emergency Room entrance. I had a great opportunity to wish her "Good Luck" and pretend to drive off (actually went to park the van). It was still fun to see the reaction of all the onlookers.

Once inside, Stacy amazed everyone as she denied any form of assistance. She was offered wheelchairs and help up to the 2nd floor -- all of which she turned down. "Are you sure honey?" My super-human rockstar wife!

Getting all our ducks in a row.

Called the nurse line a second time. Apparently there was a misunderstanding as the nurse claims she told us to go "right away" to the hospital. Instead we were just hanging around at home waiting for her to call us back. So we are packing up the van and heading out. Still no contractions.

Empty house

Dogs and kids are off to Camp Mickelson.

Getting a professional opinion

Still no contractions. We decided to call the nurse line. She advised us to prepare, so we have called Margie and Arnie to come get the kids. They are on their way.

Breaking the news.

Told Tyler and Sydney -- They are both very excited. Of course they expect the baby to just appear out of mommy's tummy at any moment (wouldn't that be nice).

The day begins...

Stacy and I are up and showered. Tyler is up and singing in bed. (a.k.a. "Being quiet")

Whoops! What was that?

Stacy slept on the couch in the back room last night. Got up to go upstairs to sleep a few more hours in bed and her water broke! Very surprised!! No contractions, so we decided to go back to sleep and get a few more hours of sleep.

We're Waiting...

37 1/2 weeks.  I'm ready.  The kids and Andy are ready.  The house is ready (kind of!)  I guess the baby isn't ready yet.

I had an appointment today with my midwife and apparently there really is no progress to speak of, so we will have to be patient.

I still have a few items on my pre arrival to-do list, so I'm going to try to get through them.  For instance, perhaps I should try to fill in Sydney and Tyler's baby scrapbooks before I get their details confused with #3!

I guess the good news of still being pregnant is that I was able to get my H1N1 vaccine today.  Although pregnancy brain almost led me to miss it.  At 5:30 p.m. we were getting ready to get out to dinner when I realized that I had my appointment at 5:20 p.m.  Oops.  I quick called and they told me to just come in.  No one cared, or even seemed to notice for that matter.  Thank goodness!  The twins have theirs scheduled for this Friday, so let's hope that I remember theirs. :)

Doctor Tyler and Doctor Sydney at your service.

Tyler and Sydney came with to Stacy's Week 36 appointment. It was their first time meeting Deb our midwife. While Tyler was more interested in his High-Five Magazine`, true to form Sydney was right up at the examine table on a stool to help Deb with her "examination".

Deb was great at involving Sydney -- she had her hold the monitor and help locate the heartbeat. It was the first time that they were able to hear the baby's heart beat on the hand-held fetal heart rate doppler. Even Tyler broke away from his magazine to listen. It was fun watching them and to give them another experience to prepare them for the coming baby.

Hospital Decision Made Easy

So, after procrastinating for several months, I finally called the Abbott and Southdale hospitals to find out how much our hospital bill is likely to be at either one.  After finding out the amounts, the decision to choose Southdale seems like a no brainer:

Abbott

Estimate Total - $6039

My Responsibility (20%) - $1207

Southdale

Estimate Total - $4675

My Responsibility (10%) - $467.50

It stinks that I won't be able to have my midwife as involved as I wanted, but she can still be at Southdale to support us during labor.  Besides Southdale Fairview is where I was born and it is only about 5 minutes away from our house, plus no worries about construction like the routes to Abbott.

Baby Names - One Step Closer

Andy and I finally sat down and rated the list of baby names that we have compiled.  We also had to do this with Sydney and Tyler since we can't seem to whole heartedly agree with each other.


The following are our top name picks, although we still haven't actually decided on the official name(s) yet.


Boy Names:
Kai
Kyle
Trey
Aidan

Girl Names:
Tiegan (Teagan)
Avery
Keegan
Kaitlyn

Getting Ready for Baby

Tyler and Sydney left us with bins and bins of clothes which have been stacked in our basement -- up until now. With the impending arrival just weeks away, it's time to start going through all the clothes and toys to see what we need for the new baby.

Knowing the sex of the twins upfront was definitely a plus when it came to preparing and now having clothing that is blue, pink an neutral has left us way ahead. Only downside has been needing to wash it all.

Once the baby is born it will be such a joy to pack up what we don't need and remove it from the house!

Predictions

Below are a list of birth date and gender predictions.  A few even have birth weight predictions, pay particular attention to Sydney and Tyler's, of which I suspect neither will come true!

Predictor	Birth Date	Gender	Birth Weight
Sydney	November 6	Girl	5 lbs
Stacy	November 8	Girl	6 lbs 12 oz
Holly	November 13*	Girl
Louise	November 15	Boy	7 lbs 4 oz
Colleen	November 15	Boy
Margie	November 19	Boy	8 lbs
Arnie	November 22	Boy	8 lbs 2 oz
Evan	November 25	Boy	6 lbs
Keith	November 25	Boy	8 lbs 3 oz
Kathy	November 26	Boy	8 lbs 2 oz
Sheri	November 29	Girl
Tyler	November 30	Boy	31 lbs
Tim	November 30**	Girl	8 lbs 9 oz
Emily	December 1	Girl	8 lbs
Liz	December 1	Boy
Andy	December 3	Girl	9 lbs 4 oz

*Audrey Heaser's birthday (history: Fred was born on Andy's bday and the twins were born on Holly's bday, so she may have the edge on this one.)

**Bumper and Copper's birthday.

Week 34 Photo

After 34 weeks we finally decided to snap a picture! There has been much less documenting of the pregnancy this time around. I don't like to think of it in the realm of negligence, but rather it is an illustration of how our lives have changed since the first time we were pregnant.

Tyler and Sydney are such a high priority and require such a level of involvement that we are experiencing this pregnancy not as a couple, but a family. As I come to this realization, I am finding new joy in the experience; and as we come closer to the end, I am looking forward to all the adventures our new family of five will encounter.

Feeling Heee-uge

It feels/looks like I'm carrying twins.  I would probably disagree if I remembered exactly what it felt like to carry twins at 33 1/2 weeks.  I have yet to take any profile shots in order to properly compare.  I have really been meaning to since week 20, but it just never happens.  I am planning on it this week though.  I swear.

Sydney and Tyler were relaying to me today about how they each think the baby is going to look like them.  Tyler was going on about how it was going to have the same nose, knees, hair, etc. as him.  He seemed pretty happy about it too.  I wouldn't mind if it looked like either of them, they are both so dang cute!  I am getting curious to know what he/she looks like.  I really hope though that we luck out with an 'easy' baby.  The twins were individually easy, it was just the complexity of two that was overwhelming, so I fear we are in for it.

On another note, I discovered where Sydney picked up the name Figaro (note mid July post of baby names from Sydney and Tyler).  Tyler and I were sitting watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and who should come into the scene - Figaro, Minnie Mouse's little kitten.  Sydney has not fessed up yet, but where else would she come up with that name!?

Last Ultrasound...I Think

Today I had my 32 week appointment and they did one final ultrasound to check on the location of the placenta.  It has moved up quite a bit, so there is no need to worry about a c-section.  This ultrasound was mildly better than the last one (when we brought Sydney and Tyler).  The tech was much nicer, however she still never showed us a good profile picture of the baby.  She obviously must not have kids.

Considering how late in the pregnancy I was having ultrasounds with the twins and that we always got printouts of head shots, I have a hard time believing that she couldn't give us something.  We did get a couple of pictures of the foot though.

Baby Names

For a long time, choosing a name for this baby seemed too far off in the distance. Stacy and I would talk casually about names but nothing was really sticking.  It wasn't until Stacy posted a spreadsheet to Google Docs that we really began to weed out what we like and don't like. Not surprisingly, my top picks did not match Stacy's but we still have 60 days to go!

"Hi Baby"

Sydney and Tyler have taken to talking to the baby in my tummy. I often hear, "I want to talk to baby". So then I adopt a goofy, baby-ish voice and answer all of their questions. They usually just ask "Whatcha doin' Baby?", but sometimes it goes a little deeper. I'm hoping it is a good way for them to be prepared for the impending arrival. I try to use the conversations to reveal how things will be when the baby arrives.

At any rate it is really cute. And they are enjoying talking to the baby...hopefully they won't be too disappointed when the baby arrives and can't actually play, talk and be silly with them!

Disappointed Sydney

We brought the twins to my doctor's appointment today. I also had an ultrasound scheduled, so we thought it would be a great way for them to get to see the baby. As it turned out the sonographer was crabby that day and didn't even show them a profile shot of the baby, totally rushed through it and only took some measurements of things they couldn't understand, like the femur. Great! Needless to say they were a little disapponted. Sydney was really upset when I said good-bye (Nana Margie was bringing her and Tyler home while I finished my appointment), and seemed very concerned about me.

I guess we are going to have to prepare them better for the fact that I will be away from them for a few days and that being at the hospital doesn't mean that I'm sick or anything. With everything that has been going on with Nana Kathy and then R.B. dying, etc., they (Sydney especially) seem really sensitive to people being sick and seeing the doctor.

Mom also suggested they have a couple of practice runs sleeping over at their house so they would be used to it when they stay with them in November. Sounded good to both Andy and I!!!

On another note, the appointment went fine. I passed my glucose screen and the ultrasound revealed the placenta had moved up, so I shouldn't have any issues delivering naturally. We also talked about flu shots. I am planning on getting a regular flu shot, but not so sure about getting the H1N1 (Swine) flu shot. I don't really want me and the baby to be guinea pigs for a rushed, and not very well tested vaccine. There is a lot of hype about the swine flu and they keep emphasizing how dangerous it can be for pregnant women. I think I will hold off for a while and see if they are seeing negative effects in people.

The Making of Fatso

Mass: n. the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field.

When comparing the mass of Andy to Stacy it is always Andy on the heavy side of the scale. And this is a fact that Stacy has come to appreciate as a fundamental truth in our relationship.

It is no secret that women gain weight when they are pregnant. To maintain my weight dominance Stacy has implemented a new plan to keep my weight in step with hers. I have been showered with Dairy Queen Blizzards of all sorts of delicious flavor combinations (she really has taken advantage of my food weaknesses). I am also encouraged to have seconds and to avoid physical activity at all costs.

So far I have gained close to 8 lbs. And frankly the process is enjoyable, but my overall health seems to be degrading quickly . I want to be supportive, but I'm not sure I can keep up.

Boxer

This kid is strong!  I don't remember Sydney and Tyler causing this much discomfort from kicking and moving.  This baby though makes massive movements that actually stop me in my tracks and cause me to try to shift it's position.

Normally I love the movements cause it is just really cool, and also reassuring.  But this is crazy. I hope things calm down soon cause this baby is only going to get stronger as time goes on!

Big Brother and Sister

Sydney and Tyler both got to feel the baby move today. Tyler has tried a few different times and was very interested in being able to feel a kick. So, I was excited for him. His eyes lit up, then that was it...he was over it.

I also was able to see my stomach move as the baby moved around today. Now Andy and the kids can have some extra entertainment. I already get comments from the kids about my 'big tummy', so I can only imagine the comments will get more frequent now!

Baby Names According to a 3 Year Old

When Sydney and Tyler were asked what we should name the new baby, they came up with some interesting options. Tyler immediately said "Honey Bear" which I assume comes from the Berenstein Bears books. Sydney came up with "Figaro". Not entirely sure where that one came from!

I think we will keep working on the perfect baby name, but I appreciate the input from the future big brother and sister!

Week 20 Appointment/Ultrasound

The week 20 appointment was today. Andy went with as well, so he was able to meet our midwife for the first time and ask questions. We have a lot fewer questions this time around than the first. Mainly since we have been through it before, but also since it will be so much more 'normal' this time around.

They did a fairly thorough ultrasound and measured head circumference, limb lengths, etc. Everything looked good, except for one (hopefully) minor concern. The placenta is fairly low and close to the cervix. Apparently this is fairly common at this point and most often it will move higher as the pregnancy progresses and the uterus grows. If it doesn't though, it could mean a planned c-section. I will have another ultrasound in 8 weeks to determine if this has changed at all.

I think I have had more ultrasounds so far this time around than last time, which is ironic since this time is supposed to be 'uncomplicated'.

Baby High-five

Well, I can't say if it was a hand or a foot, but I was finally able to feel the baby move today for the first time. It has been something I have been waiting to feel for weeks (since Stacy first told me she could feel it "fluttering").

It was a short little tap, but it was enough to let me know "Hey I'm in here." I have tried since, but so far no luck. Looking forward to the week 20 ultrasound!

Week 16 Appointment

Today I had my week 16 appointment. To be honest it was pretty uneventful. She listened to the heartbeat, which of course was the highlight. But that was about it and I was out of there in about 20 minutes.

The one piece of news I received is that our midwife may not be 'approved' to deliver at Southdale Hospital. Our insurance covers Southdale at a higher rate than Abbott, so I am torn. Even if we go to Abbott we aren't guaranteed that she will deliver the baby. She is off on Tuesdays, so I am guessing that is when the baby will arrive.

The next appointment will include the 20 week ultrasound where we will have the opportunity to find out if it is a boy or girl. We've already decided to keep it a surprise, but it will be hard to resist the knowledge. I'm going to have to warn the sonographer about Andy - he really tries to interpret the ultrasounds, so I'm sure he will think he knows by the end of the appointment!

Movement

I finally felt the first movements. It has been so reassuring each time I go to the doctors office and hear the heartbeat or see the baby in an ultrasound. Now I get to feel that reassurance every day. Very exciting!

1st Trimester Screenings

Today we completed our first trimester (optional) screenings. It involved a blood test and an ultrasound. We won't find out the details of the blood test for several weeks, but the ultrasound revealed that everything appears okay. The blood test is called the Quad Screen which screens for fetal neural tube defects and trisomies.

The added bonus of doing these screenings are that we get an extra glimpse at the baby. It's exciting to see that he/she is looking so much more 'baby-like'.

Graduation Day

Andy graduated today from St. Thomas with a Masters in Software Engineering. I am excited for him, but also so relieved that he is finally done...for now. It's been a long few years, especially since the twins were born and I can't imagine juggling 3 kids while he goes off to class, and studies and completes projects. Thankfully I don't even have to worry about it...for now. :) Knowing Andy it will only be a short reprieve.

Back to My OB

Today ushered in a return to normalcy with pregnancy - the return to my regular OB, really midwife. No longer do I need to be under the watchful eye of the Center for Reproductive Medicine. For now I will only need to go in once every 4 weeks until week 28 or so when it will be increased to every 2 weeks.

Second Ultrasound

First Ultrasound

It is difficult to see anything in this ultrasound but after three weeks the small embryo is beginning to show itself. (It is the white circle in the second picture).

Pregnancy Scare

Well, I had my first scare. I had some bleeding last night and was confident that we had lost the pregnancy. I went in for a blood test today and they said that everything looked good. My hcg numbers have increased as expected.

So, that is a relief, but I won't be confident until we have the ultrasound in another couple of weeks.

Pregnancy Confirmed

Today was the blood test which confirmed my suspicions that this IVF cycle worked. I am officially pregnant. It's very exciting, but scary at the same time. What have we gotten ourselves into. :)

So, the awful progesterone shots will continue for a while now. We will go in for an ultrasound on April 14th to verify that everything is going well.

Transfer Day

Today was the long awaited transfer day! (and the long awaited bed rest...or 2 day break from running after the twins!!!)

The best news of the day was that one embryo had survived the thawing process. I was determined that I would only transfer one this time, so I was nervous that 2 would survive. We were not planning on going through this process (or expense) again, so there was great relief that it worked out this way.

So, now we wait. Two more weeks to determine if all of this effort will result in a pregnancy.