9 WEEKS

9 JUN: This weekend I got a cold. I was pretty miserable and could not sleep very well. Really congested. I rubbed Vicks under my nose all night!! Well, upon reading, "What to Expect when Expecting", I found out that congestion is normal during pregnancy. Why? The high levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body increase blood flow which causes the mucus membranes to swell. Those membranes produce more mucus than ever trying to keep infections and germs at bay. Also, the stuffiness may get worse as the pregnancy progresses!! Very interesting!!
I have an appt with the Nurse Practitioner at Kaiser this afternoon. It's a simple appt--just to take medical history and do all my lab work!
My sister and her family will be leaving today!!! I am sad!! We have had such a wonderful time!!
Our babies at 9 WKS:
*Baby has begun movement - While still too small for to feel, they are wriggling, shifting, and dancing already! Makes you almost wish for a window to peek in whenever you want!
*Most joints are formed now - our little ones are practicing bending and flexing.
*Fetus will curve its fingers around an object placed in the palm of its hand.
*Fingerprints are already evident in the skin
Average size this week -- length 0.9 inch (2.3cm), weight 0.07 ounce (2gm).

Our First Visit with the Perinatologist

2 JUN: We have a referral to see Dr. Keith Ogasawara at Kaiser, Mounalua. A Perinatologist is an obstetrical subspecialist concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications. As you can imagine, we are there in the High-Risk Category. For several reasons, this is an in-vitro pregnancy with multiples and the other not so obvious one---my age. Our appt was scheduled for 5pm but we were not even seen until closer to 6! We loved our doctor! Funny and very informative!!!
Ultrasound: He has a really high speed ultrasound machine. He could take a snapshot and then magnify it. It was so awesome to see our three little beans growing!!! Their heartbeats were all beating so rapidly!! Just simply amazing!!
To our surprise---without warning---all of a sudden he turned on audio and we were able to hear our 3 little heartbeats one by one!!!
Yes, I cried! It was so touching. You know it's happening but until you hear those little heartbeats....there are no words!!! it's love!!! I am in love with those heartbeats!!! I think we both are!!!
Our doctor took about an hour to talk to us about complications, responsibilities, with having multiples. There are many but we are up for the challenge!!! I still have to say on the progesterone shots, the baby aspirin every day and my pre-natal vitamin.

The Luau

My sister and her family are here! We are having a GREAT time!!! Yesterday we went out to K-bay and rented a pontoon boat! After spending a few hours at the sand bar, we drove all around the island. We were able to stop at the Mac Nut Farm. The funnest for the kids was stopping in North Shore and seeing the turtles on the beach. It was great!!! Saturday night we went to a Luau. We all had a great time! Our friends Christy and Randy joined us! Lots of dancing and Hawaiian music!!! Here are a few pics from the Luau!!

Melanie! She is such a cutie!!!

Meagan and Andrew

Sisters at Luau
















The Family: Rey, Ellie, Meagan, Andrew and Melanie
Rob and Nellie
















Our good friends: Christy and Randy at Luau

8 WEEKS

1 JUN: We are at 8 WKS! Feels so good to say that! I am continuing my daily shots and overall I feel GREAT! I still have not had any morning sickness at all!!! I consider myself very lucky!!!Aside from getting very tired very easily, I feel fantastic!!!
Our babies at 8 wks:
*Cartilage and bones begin to form - At the end of this week our babies will have completed 1/5th of the journey 'til his birthday!
*The basic structure of the eye is well underway - The position is more "newborn" like already!
*The tongue begins to develop.
*Intestines move out of the umbilical cord into the abdomen.
*Body grows and makes room - Two months along and they are growing inside and out by leaps and bounds! *The fingers and toes have appeared but are webbed and short.
Baby's length (crown to rump) is 0.61 inch (1.6cm) and weight is 0.04 ounce (1gm).

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!!!

The Painful Wait

28 APR: I went back to work. Not much more I could do. I had to let my body take care of the rest. I had specific 'rules' that I had to follow. No lifting, no exercise, etc. The waiting is the worst!!!
We continued Progesteron in Oil (PIO) every day. We were scheduled for bloodwork on 2 MAY!!!

Bedrest, pineapple, Brazil Nuts, OH MY!

22 APR to 26 APR: Bedrest was required after the embryo transfer. I took the necessary time off from work. I did very little. I did manage to sleep alot...(the week before we had moved into our new house so I was actually really tired!!)
I went a little crazy reading all kinds of websites on what to do after transfer and what not to do... Many had recommended eating pineapple. The core has "bromelain" which is a complex mixture of substances that can be extracted from the stem and core fruit of the pineapple. Well, since I was on the crazy train already...why not. I ate so much pineapple my tongue hurt. I ate pineapple for 6 days after transfer!
I had also read that it was recommended to eat Brazil Nuts. I really can't remember what they were for but you better believe that poor Rob was at the commissary searching for Brazil nuts. Which we discovered we couldn't buy except in the Planters mixed nuts can. So, he would bring it home and dig out all the Brazil nuts for me. He's my hero!
I stayed in bed this time. No walking. No complaining!! (hard for me to be still for long!!!) I did not go downstairs at all until SAT. The hardest part was to see Rob running around doing so much. At the time he still had a cast on his right arm so if he had to bring me anything, he had to go up and down the stairs several times. I love you, Rob!!
The cramping was not too bad. I took tylenol if I had discomfort but for the most part it was okay. The day before the transfer we also started Progesterone in OIL shots on my butt! Not pleasant at all. Hurts very much!!!!
My friend Terelle came to visit one afternoon and my friend Christy also came to hang out on another afternoon. It was very nice to have their support! I watched FRIENDS on dvd....and just relaxed!!!

Magic Happens in the LAB

20 APR: Our embryologist called us with a report. Overall, we were doing EXCELLENT! We were excited but with all that we have gone through, it is hard to get your hopes up! At this time we found out that 15 of the eggs had fertilized!! We still had another 48 hours before the transfer. So, we had 48 hours to wait and see what would happen. (nail biting time)
The hardest thing at this time besides the waiting is trying to determine how many embryos we will put in my body! Very scary! What if we don't put enough? What if we put too many? We actually put 3 in NOV. We finaly came to the determination that we wanted to do 5! Yes, FIVE!
22 APR: We left early. This time I took the valium at the required time! When we got to the office, the embryologist was ecstatic! He gave us a thumbs up and said things look phenomenal!!! We patiently waited for Dr. Vu to talk to us. Dr. Vu came to speak to us. (By this time I was already in the "transfer" room.) His advise was for us to implant 3 embryos because they were all "good quality". Rob and I looked at each other and said well, we have decided to do 5! He said that he did not recommend 5--maybe 4 and that he would give us a few more minutes alone for us to discuss. When he left the room we looked at each other and said FIVE! No question. We have made a decision and we are sticking to it. Dr. Vu came back in the room and asked how many and we both said FIVE. He smiled and said if I can't talk you out of it, let's start the procedure. For this procedure, Rob was allowed to stay in the room.
Thrilling experience when the embryologist handed the syringe to Dr. VU!!! Dr. Vu then pointed out in the monitor what to look for---we actually saw our little ones as they were placed in me!!!
AMAZING!!! We had to stay in the room for 30 minutes. We listened to music that the nurse put on for us and just tried to talk very positively about our future. We were discharged and my bedrest began!

Western Medicine

After about 6 weeks of vitamins, acupuncture, cupping, etc, we were ready to start our fertility meds! Oh, I forgot to mention that I quit drinking coffee in FEB!! Not sure how I forgot as this was quite traumatic for me and for weeks walked around like a zombie at work!!
1 APR: Rob had wrist surgery.
2 APR: Consulted with our fertility doctor. He performed an ultrasound and blood work to check if we were ready for fertility meds. Everything checked out and we were given our meds!
3 APR: Our fertility treatment started. The first 2 days I only had 2 shots a day but on the 3rd day, it increased to 4 shots a day--3 different medications. We were really happy that the meds were different than the ones that we had used for our procedure in NOV 2007. I had to do two shots in my belly, one in the am and one in the pm and also 2 shots in my upper thigh, one in the am and one in the pm. This was also rough because the last two treatments Rob administered all the shots. Well, with Rob's arm in a cast--I had to do all my own shots. OUCH!!! NOT FUN!!!
11 APR: We had our first ultrasound and bloodwork that showed that the treatment was going well. The "follicles" were developing very slowly but the doctor said that it was normal. I left the office with misgivings but tried to think positively!!!
14 APR: We had our 2nd ultrasound and bloodwork that again showed that the treatment was going well but slow.
16 APR: We had our 3rd ultrasound and bloodwork that also showed that everything was going well. The doctor said we were ready for egg retrieval!
17 APR: Had our HCG shot in the evening. This induces the eggs for prepartion for retrieval.
19 APR: Egg retrieval day!!! I was a mess this morning. In fact, I took a valium that was intended for our "transfer". When they were putting my IV in (the anesthesiologist was terrible--she stuck me 4 times!!) I was really scared. Rob was with me up until I went to the operating room. This is the actual day of conception!!!
When I woke up from anasthesia, the doctor said everything had gone very well and that they had retrieved 22 eggs. WE were very happy to hear the report!!! BTW, while I was under Rob was doing his business in preparation for my eggs. Poor thing had to do everything left handed because his arm was still in a cast.
20 APR: Weekly acupuncture appt. I really felt that I needed it as the "embryo transfer" would be on 22 APR!!!

Walter Ranch

20 MAR: We finally took the plunge and bought a small piece of property in Rockdale, Texas! I say small but it is actually 17.38 acres to be exact. It's beautiful! Rob is very excited to finally have a piece of property to call our own!! Our realtor was excellent!! Overall we had an amazing experience shopping for property before settling on what we are temporarily calling Walter Ranch!!! The property has 2 miniature donkeys! Yes, we now own donkeys too! Never in my wildest imagination did I think we would own donkeys!!! Also, it has a 1/2 acre pond which we are affectionately naming "LONGORIA LAKE". (Longoria is my maiden name for those who do not know.)

Proud Land Owner!!

Our Favorite Tree!

Andrew Swinging

Meagan Swinging

Me with Mom and Ellie

the girls

pasture

view of Lake Longoria

Rob's personal Golf Tee

Rob with Meagan and Andrew by the lake

Rob fishing at Lake Longoria

fishing with the kids!


Day view of Lake Longoria



Sunset at Lake Longoria

The Baby Making Scheme

1 APR: Our Baby making "scheme" started the first week of April. Actually, the "western medicine" started in April but I was already doing other creative fertility methods...I was excited and scared to do this all over again. I did feel that I had a bit more control.
While I was on vacation my mother insisted that I visit with an homeopathic "doctor". (not sure if she was a real doctor as all she prescribed was vitamins). I started a fertility homeopathic regiment. All natural products. I was even drinking aloe vera juice!!! (helps cleanse the uterus and actually not bad tasting at all!) This was a 30 day ritual that I intended on finishing before we started our in-vitro procedure. ( I was taking about a dozen or more pills a day---before breakfast, after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, before dinner, before bedtime!!!)
Secondly, I started Chinese acupuncture and cupping. We started doing this every Sunday in China Town! Very interesting and very relaxing! (highly recommend both!!) Rob was so incredibly supportive through all my crazy ideas that he even did acupuncture once to show his support!! Plus, my acupuncturist put Rob on crazy chinese herb pills for fertility.
(Rob was also taking a whole slew of vitamins. Zinc, vitamin C, sellenium, omega 3, etc. )
When I say, we did it all, I really do mean it!!