16 Weeks & Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. My last Thanksgiving pregnant...ever. I believe it's also our last year hosting Thanksgiving for quite some time as next year it might be a challenge just to leave the house! :)

Here is a picture of me today. 16 weeks, 1 day.

**Tonight, I was laying in my bed cuddling with the boys and watching a movie. Thomas looks at me suddenly and says, "Hey, that not very nice!" I was totally taken aback and asked him what was wrong. He said, "That baby push me, and that not nice!" As soon as I laid down and sat still after running around all day I could feel mass movement. And Dan felt a kick, once, and it was really random timing. This took me totally by surprise, but made me laugh. I didn't explain much to Thomas, except apologized for little baby and gave him some extra cuddles.

The Babies First Concert

Dan is sad to say that the new babies heard their first concert this weekend. He's sad because it was New Kids on the Block. :) The drive to Seattle was totally exhausting (that is definitely the last I will travel until these kiddos are born). The concert was great. I did have to sit a few times but it was because the babies were kicking me so hard it was giving me a side-ache! I'm not sure if they loved or hated the music, but they never stopped moving the entire time. It's the most movement I've ever felt out of them yet. And...that means my last concert, any bigger and it could've really hurt! :) I'm really glad I got one last outing before moving to 4 kids under 4 years of age. I'm thinking it'll be a while before we travel again! :)

We're Having.....

yeah, we don't know. They couldn't see anything today to determine. She wasn't even willing to guess since it's so early. Both babies look great though. They've caught up in gestational size and are even starting to run a little big, which makes me feel better. Baby A's heartbeat was 146 and Baby B's heartbeat was 154. It's definitely hard to get them both in a picture together, but what fun to see them moving and squirming about! We got to see fingers, hearts, stomachs, etc. It was really neat! Baby A is all spread out on bottom and enjoying the luxury of room. Baby B is more curled up on top with less room, but still moving around nonetheless.

I had tons of questions answered today. They will continue to monitor my thyroid and white blood cell count, but he said both look great now. My hair apparently might just continue to fall out at an alarming rate due to the massive hormones regulating my body right now. I will still be "required" to have an epidural. He explained it's not totally required and that they could just use general anesthesia but it runs a higher risk of me going C-Section. Epidural here I come. He said that even if Baby B is breech he will still let me deliver vaginally. A C-Section is one of my biggest fears and he seems to understand this. He said he doesn't mind the second one breech because they come out so much faster (true, since Josh was only 60 seconds behind Thomas). My mom, unfortunately, will not be allowed in the room. I must be in an OR in case of an emergency C-Section, so only Dan is allowed. I'm still going to write a letter and see if I can bypass this in any way, but I know that hospital policy is strictly enforced and there for a reason.

My next ultrasound is December 12th. At that point we'll get an anatomy check and see what we're having! We can't wait!!!!!

Why Do I Still Drive?

If you were around for my last pregnancy, you know that driving was my downfall. At 19 weeks I got rear-ended. I was sent to the hospital, and released with minor contractions. At 29 weeks I hit a buck on my 65 mile commute to work. I managed to finish the drive to work, get a sub, and head to the hospital (65 miles back). I was then hospitalized overnight to stop the contractions and then sent home. I then just quit driving.

Last night, Dan and I were heading to a turkey dinner at a church with his family. It was dark. At a 4-way intersection near our house, we met another car. And by met I mean, came nose to nose. I definitely had the right-of-way, and while I slowed down, he was going really fast. We came only inches from hitting. Dan still can't believe the guy didn't slam into me. He would've hit Thomas' side at at least 40 mph. My heart rate was so high and my adrenaline was really rushing. We continued on our way, but the smell of burnt rubber never really went away. Only a mile further down the road, I was forced to slam on my breaks again as a lady in extremely dark clothing was crossing the street on an unlit section of the road, unattentive to the approaching traffic. Dan started yelling wondering why I was slamming on my breaks again, until I showed him the lady in front of my car.

I'm nearly done driving at this point of my pregnancy already. If this is already happening, I might as well stay home.

**Updates this afternoon about my ultrasound.

More Bloodwork and Results

I'm sure my doctor's office is tired of me calling, but I call nearly every day to check on my bloodwork. Finally, I am all caught up on results. :)

My white blood cell count was still high but it's declining. I'm sure it's the bug we're all fighting. It's not off the charts, so they're not worried about it. I will, however, have them check it again later just to make sure nothing else is going on.

My thyroid count came back off, so they resent the blood back for a full panel of bloodwork. Nothing like freaking a girl out. I spent the night on the computer looking up thyroid issues and pregnancy, never smart, and I surely paid for it with worry. This morning they called to say that everything else is fine, so it was just momentary. I will, however, have them check it again later just to make sure nothing else is going on. Sound familiar?

So far, everything else seems to be going fine. I'm still nauseous right when I wake up and anytime after 7 PM. I'm exhausted, but not always to the point of making a nap necessary, but I think this is just how it will be. Growing two babies with two toddlers is just tiring. I'm fully into my maternity clothes and the pooch just keeps on growing. Today I'm 14 weeks. I have an ultrasound on Friday. I'm kind of nervous just because I haven't seen them since I got released to the OB and they weren't sure they found both heartbeats. I'll be relieved to see and hear them both again.

Bloodwork and More Bloodwork

A couple weeks ago, Joshua came down with a fever for two days. He then got a rash. After a couple days, I called the doctor and took him in to confirm it wasn't Fifths Diseas (which you can't be around if you're pregnant). The doctor confirmed it was just a virus and proclaimed him not contagious. We decided that he and Thomas must have had the same thing (both had fevers at the same time) and that Josh just responded through a fever. Well, a week later, Thomas came down with a fever AGAIN and got the rash. ARG! His was worse, so I called again and we again went in (on Halloween). This time, the nurse said that it WAS Fifths Disease (but recanted when I pressed her for information). I called my OBGYN and they scheduled me for a bloodtest to see if I had the virus or if I was immune. If you've had it once, you are immune after that. Today my bloodwork came back, and I'm immune. We are guessing the boys just had a virus.

As I'm talking with my nurse I explained to her that I am losing an extraordinary amount of hair. Not little bits and pieces, but I can pull it out in chunks. I had my hairdresser (also my SIL Angie) check it and she was also concerned and told me to get it checked. Now I get to go in for another blood draw tomorrow to get my thyroid checked. AND my initial bloodwork done at the office came back with elevated white blood cell count. I'm hoping this is all due to that previously mentioned virus, but now I have to get it all redone...tomorrow. YUCK! I thought it was suppose to be easier the second time around?