7 WEEKS

26 May: We have made it to 7 weeks! We are still very cautious! No heavy lifting or doing anything that is strenous! I actually have been too tired to do anything. I still go to work at 5am which means getting out of bed at 430am. I get off work at 230pm and by the time I get home, all I want to do is crawl on the couch with my blanket and take a long nap!! I can't seem to get enough rest....sooooo sleepy and tired ALL the time!!
28 May: Will be applying the last of the estrogen patches! YAY! These patches have left marks all over my belly--not sure if it is the adhesive or the estrogen...either way, not pleasant! I will wear these for 2 days and then I am done, done, done with them!!! Another small step!!!
30 May: We have an appt at Kaiser with Dr. Browing. This is for the consultation to get a referral for the perinatalogist. We did get an ultrasound! YAY!! We love to see our little ones!!!
Also, today, I am very happy! My little sister and her family arrive for their Hawaii vacation!!! We are so excited to have family come visit us!! I sure do hope I have enough energy to do fun stuff with them!!!
About our babies at 7 WKS:
*Elbows form - Again, taking a peek inside you could see your baby's fascination with bending and flexing. *Fingers start to develop - These digits often become your baby's first toy!
*Feet start to appear with tiny notches for the toes - It is fascinating that at less than a half inch, our little ones are already leaving "footprints" on my heart!
*Ears eyes and nose start to appear - Although they may resemble an alien life form, these all "shift" soon enough into a more normal appearance.
*Intestines start to form in the umbilical cord - Did you know that initially the intestines are not formed inside your baby's body?
*Teeth begin to develop under the gums.

Sharing the News

22 MAY: So we have been sharing our fantasitic news with everyone! I think people are in just as much shock as we are!! It is quite shocking to believe that I have 3 babies growing inside me!!! OMG! We are having 3 babies---I would like to say that the shock has worn off but I would be lying!!! In the meantime, I am still doing progesterone shots. Extremely painful but very much needed!
About our Babies at 6 WKS:
*The arms and legs continue to develop - These limbs are stretching out more and more.
*Brain is growing well - Did you know that over the course of the remaining months their brains will develop over 100 billion neurons?
*Lenses of the eyes appear.
*Nostrils are formed - The position of the nose seems to shift into its proper place as well. Soon, the nerves running from the nose to the brain appear.
*Intestines grow - Initially these are actually located outside the baby's body within the umbilical cord.
*Pancreas - Babies are now equipped to deal with digestive enzymes and take on processing the insulin and glucagons the body needs to function.

SHOCK and DISBELIEF!!!

21 May: The doctor started saying, "this is Baby A....you see the heartbeat?" the heartbeat was AMAZING. It looks like a flutter.... THEN...he said, "this is Baby B, you see the heartbeat?" and then to our surprise----he continues---- "this is Baby C, you see the heartbeat?" Rob and I looked at each other...I suddenly said the first thing that came to my mind, "are you sure??" the doctor said, "I'm pretty sure BUT I will count them for you again." Which he did...We were in disbelief!!! Shock!!! Speechless!!!!
Not sure what happened next...I guess I got dressed and we left....we carried our little printouts of the babies like little trophies that we wanted everyone to see!
We sat in the truck, not saying anything...I cried a bit...laughed, cried...WE ARE GOING TO HAVE THREE BABIES!!!! THREE!!!

Here are our ultrasound pics. In these photos, the babies appear to be relatively formless. In the middle of each sac, a light round form can be seen. In the live ultrasounds, the heart is visibly beating. Not too much to see but our babies are there!

Our first "Official" Ultrasound

21 May: Our appt was scheduled for 1:45pm in Kailua. This was supposed to be our first ultrasound! I have to admit that I was not nervous. I am quite sure it was because almost a wk ago our Kaiser doctor performed an ultrasound! (hehehe) We did not tell our doctor about it.
When the doctor came in, I was just excited to have them tell me that it was twins and that we would be "graduating" from our in-vitro doctor to an ob-gyn doctor!! The room was dark and cold. Rob sat at my side. The doctor started the ultrasound...we waited...

TWINS!

15 MAY: Our first ultrasound! We are 5 WKS, 5 days. WE see our first signs of life-2 sacs.
I have attached a pic of our first ultrasound. Two babies growing!!! At this point, the babies are smaller the size of a grain of rice: 2-5 mm in length. The doctor sees 2 babies!! We were thrilled when we saw the 2 tiny hearts beating. It really doesn't look like much--just very fast little flutters!!! We were so excited!!! We just had to call everyone we knew!!!!

Our babies at 5 WKS:

*First heartbeats begin.

*Umbilical cord develops - This is the first lifeline in utero. It bears the responsibility of pumping in oxygen, removing waste, and supplying the necessary nutrients for the remainder of your pregnancy.

*Blood is now pumping - All four heart chambers are now functioning, insuring the baby's body will receive all it needs over not only the remainder of our pregnancy but throughout life.

*Most other organs begin to develop - lungs start to appear, along with her brain.

*Arm and leg buds appear - While they may not appear to be much at this stage it is ok to dream of the future.

Concerns

15 May: We have been soooo excited. Words can not explain!!
This afternoon while I am at work I get a phone call from one of the OB nurses at Kaiser. She called because one of their docs reviewed my blood tests and felt that the numbers were extremely elevated and that there might be reason to be concerned. My heart just started beating so fast.....I tried to remain calm as I explained to the nurse that we had undergone in-vitro and that is why our numbers could be really high. She said she would discuss with the doctor and call me back. I waited on the edge of my seat. In the meantime, I had called Rob who was doing his best to keep me calm. When the nurse called she said that 2 doctors had reviewed the tests and one was concerned and one was not. The one that WAS concerned told her to tell me that he would feel more comfortable if I came in right away to get checked out. So, I said I was on my way. I called Rob and told him to meet me there at the doctor's office. I was trying to remain calm but under the circumstance, it was very difficult.
We arrived there and Rob gave me a hug and tried to reassure me that everything was fine...
Our wait time was very long. The doctor was overbooked. We waited and waited and my anxiety levels rose. We finally got put in room and waited for the doctor. We met the doctor and immediately liked him. He performed an ultrasound....

Dramatic Numbers

12 MAY: FINALLY cramps are gone!!! YAY!!!
The day of our 3rd and final Beta test. Our numbers were shocking!!! In one wk we went from 770 to 6,224!!! We were sooooo very happy!!! The nurse called to give us the results and she said that the numbers were great and we needed to set up an ultrasound for the following week. An ultrasound!! WOW!!! So, our next appt at Dr. Vu's will be 21 MAY, 1:45pm.

Cinco de Mayo

5 MAY: Okay, so we didn't celebrate with coronas and shots of tequila!!!!
Today, we had our second beta test. We are praying that our numbers doubled. Numbers doubling indicate that the embryos are doing very well!!! I went to the lab in the early morning hoping to get the results by noon!!! Dr. Vu's nurse called shortly before 11am to give results! Our numbers had more than doubled!!! I was ecstatic!!! We went from 215 to 770!!! It was hard not to go crazy reading all the websites of which many suggested that such high numbers were an indication of multiple pregnancy!!! The nurse ordered a 3rd Beta test for next Monday. This time I have to go to the Kaiser lab to do the blood test!
During this time, I have had lots of crampling and very painful bloating. I am also on estrogen patches that are actually itchy and uncomfortable. Oh, and don't forget the painful injections I get every day!!!

to EPT or not to EPT

3 MAY: This past weekend was the most hectic we have ever had. We felt completely overwhelmed! We actually started the weekend FRI night. We decided that we would EPT SAT morning. It's a pretty scary thing. We both agreed that 'maybe' tests get mixed up the lab....before we do any more celebrating we wanted to see proof for ourselves!! We went and purchased the test and anxiously waited until morning. Peeing on a stick is so much fun!
I told Rob that we had 3-5 minutes to wait. So, I set the test on the sink and proceeded to wash my hands. No sooner were my hands wet when the EPT showed PREGNANT!!! Seriously, it took about 3 seconds!!! I yelled out at Rob to come and look!!! :)
We were very happy!!! EPT had validated the results and we had seen it with our own eyes!!!

WE DID IT!!!

2 MAY: I went to work. I was nervous all morning and watched the clock very closely. As soon as it was 7am, I left my office to go to the lab to get my blood drawn for the test. I called my doctor's office and spoke to the nurse and told them that I did not want the test results given to me until 2pm when I was home with Rob. They understood, of course, and agreed to call me at home after 2pm.
That morning Rob had an appt at Ford to have the truck looked at. So, around 10am he called me and said they wanted to keep the truck for a few hours and if I could pick him up. I said yes and I left my office to go pick him up in Pearl City. On our way back to my office from Pearl City we decided to call the doctor to see if the results were in. The nurse was busy so we left her a msg. When we finally parked at my office building, I got out of the car and looked at Rob and said "should we try to call her again?"
We called again. We were sitting in my car. She said do you want the results now? We were on speaker phone.....
She said....you did it! YOU'RE PREGNANT!!!! My 1st Beta results were 215. The numbers were good and solid!!!
Rob and I sat in the car in the Lockheed Martin parking lot for a while. I cried. My manly man might have shed a tear as well. This was very emotional! We were so thankful and happy!!! Getting to this point--of finally having a positive was so incredible!! Words can not express how we felt!!!