Easter Announcement

Well, the cat's officially out of the bag.

After announcing our pregnancy to the remaining members of Brian's fam over Easter, and making the quintessential Facebook post this morning (because nothing is true until you read it on facebook), I'd say we are now officially, publicly, pregnant.

It's thrilling.

I can't tell you how long I've waited for this moment. The years I spent reading other people's announcements and getting baby shower invitations in the mail, all the while choking back tears because I was convinced that I would never, ever be pregnant. The anger I felt towards these people - my friends - and the guilt that followed because I should be happy for them and I just couldn't be.

So to be at this point - proudly showing off my little belly with a smile (and a slice of pie in my hand) - is like a dream come true.

I can't stop grinning.

And I can't stop being SO THANKFUL for these gifts I've been given (although if you ask me, I've earned these suckers).

I'm not a religious person - too much of a scientist to believe that an omnipresent personality chooses my path through life. But these babies give me a feeling of oneness with the universe. They help me to step outside of my life and see the bigger picture. They make it less about me and more about them, which is a good thing, I think. After 29 years, I'm ready for it to be about someone else.

So hurrah for bellies and hurrah for twins.

It's going to be a WONDEFUL year and an even more WONDERFUL life from here on out!!

10 Weeks...A Graduation!

I'm still in love with the fact that I got to skip the "9 Weeks" post.
That news we got on Monday about being a week ahead of what we though totally put a smile on my face.
What's ALSO putting a smile on my face this week is this belly:

What used to be flat is now suddenly VERY pokey-outey. And while I'm aware it's mostly my stomach, and NOT the twins (who are about 1 1/4 inches long today), that is causing the pop, it's still a welcome change. I'm totally okay turning in my "hard-as-a-rock" stomach for a baby bump.

Bring On The Belly!!!

I also read that the twins graduated from embryos to fetuses today.
HOORAY!
They now have most of their organs, as well as finger nails and peach fuzz on their skin. Their heads are uber buldgy, but they are more or less little people now. And I think that rocks.

So congrats, you guys! You made it past the "gob of cells" phase to become little humans!

Now keep up the good work, and make mamma proud!

Ultrasound And Good News!

Well, we had our 8w5d ultrasound today...or so we thought.

While the ultrasound tech was getting a good look at our littlins, she asked how far along I was.

Turns out, we were a week off!

Instead of being 8w5d, I'm 9w5d!!!!!

BOO-YAH

How awesome is that? I'm almost at 10 weeks, which explains the growing belly (pics coming on Wednesday) AND the sudden decrease in nausea I've been experiencing over the past 3 days (knock on wood).

It ALSO means that in 2 weeks and 2 days, I'll be in my second trimester.

Holy Crap! That's FANTASTIC (uhhh, where did the time go?!?)!

The ultrasound itself was also very cool. The twins are right on track, and now they're bopping around and waving their arms and legs. I can't feel the movement yet, but they sure hamed it up for the ultrasound.

These pics aren't the best of what we saw, but whatever. It'll do:

Here's the first pic of them together. Doesn't look like much, but trust me, it's A LOT.

Here's baby #1 (I know...its a pic only a mother could love):

And here's baby #2...looking very...uh...creepy: It's amazing to think that a few weeks ago, these babies were just little sacks of cells, and now they have arms and legs and organs and muscles. Their hearts are pumping. They're breathing. They're moving. I know I've said it before, but the miracle of life is really just that...a miracle. Unfortunately, these little miracles are making me hungry as hell and exhausted to boot. Time to eat a sandwich and take a nap...again!

8 Weeks (Pics Galore!!)

I hit 8 weeks today.

And if I may say so myself....HOO-FREAKIN-RAY!!!

I've read repeatedly that most miscarriages occur in the first 8 weeks, so once you hit this very important milestone, you can breathe a lot easier (but not too hard - you might vomit)

Seriously, I don't think anybody has earned their 8 weeks more than me.

Okay...that's an exaggeration, but for realz, this pregnancy has been tough tough tough on my poor body. The nausea and vomiting are mostly under control, thanks to a new pill named promethazine that knocks me out for approximately 23923573202348326 hours. I take it around 8:00 at night, am out by 9:00, and sleep for about 11 hours before I drag myself from bed. I'm not fully awake until about 4:00, leaving me 4 slightly nauseus hours of awakefulness before I take my next dose.

It's challenging, yes. But I'll take drowsy over nauseus any day of the week!

And speaking of weeks...it's time for the belly shot.

Now, I've been saying all week how my belly is starting to get bigger (and lord knows I've not gained any weight). Well...now we have proof.

Let's review the 6 week shot first:

There I am, all slim and trim.

Now...the 8 week shot:

Holy Fat-Ass, Batman!

I know the camera is zoomed in more for this shot, but still...the chunkyness is evident, no? It's weird...I have mixed reactions about getting bigger. I'm mostly thrilled and enjoying my new body, but I have occasional bouts of worry: Will Brian still like me when I'm fat? Will I ever get my figure back?

Yanno...the usual X chromosome stuff.

Of course, like it or not...HERE THEY COME. 7 months from now, I'll be the first hippopotamus to ever be spotted in the wilds of NJ.

Moving on...

I'm FINALLY posting my 7w2d ultrasound pic.

Better late than never, right?

There they are, in all their gummy-bear glory (look at the guy on the right - you know what I'm talking about). The ultrasound tech said mine are way cuter than the ones she looked at earlier in the day, and although I'm sure she was just pandering to my ultra-sensitive ego, I'll take the compliment. They ARE kind of cute...in an Alien vs. Predator kind of way.

But more importantly...they're healthy. They're viable. And it's looking more and more like we''ll be a family of 4 by Thanksgiving.

Holy crap, guys. I'm gonna be a MOM!!!!!!!

Epic Travel FAIL

Well, as if I didn't hate Dallas already, I had a trip there that was one for the record books.

...that is...

if they have a record for "most times vomiting while traveling" category.

Funny story - it would appear that Zofran is no match for pregnancy-associated morning sickness. I threw up on planes. I threw up in cabs (well, OUTSIDE of cabs). I threw up in hotel bathrooms and conference restrooms.

It was epic. It would have been funny, had I not been too busy vomiting to laugh.

I returned from Dallas dehydrated, pale, and just shy of dead. I slept all day Sunday and Monday, and am only now considering leaving the house.

So there will be no more traveling for me. I don't think I could survive another trip, to be honest with you.

Lesson learned, and all that.

In other news, my 7w2d ultrasound was fabulous! They now have arms and legs and eyes and brains and all kinds of cool little human-type parts. They're wonderfully healthy and growing on schedule. The office APN said it looks like the twins are viable, which was probably the best news I heard since becoming pregnant!

So we're on for using the second bedroom as a nursery.

Which means that eventually we'll need to expand because we are 1 bedroom shy of a 2-child household (god, I can't believe we're going to be a 2-child household by Thanksgiving!).

In short...other than the life-sucking nausea, things are all good.

Stay tuned for week 8 belly pics tomorrow (if I can find the *&$%*& camera charger)...I'm almost positive I'm starting to show.

*let's have a moment of silence for my pre-pregnancy figure, shall we?

7 weeks (and 1 day)

Well, I'm at 7 weeks (and 1 day - whoops), but I don't have a pic. My camera died and I can't find the charger (read: I'm too nauseus, tired, and behind in my work to even deal with it).

Which is a shame, because my mother saw me yesterday, put her hand on my belly, and was like "woah, you're all buldging out!!!!"

Can it be? Can someone show at 7 weeks? I know there are women who look 5 months pregnant at 7 weeks, but they've typically had 23924375203122392 children (with a large helping of fat on top). Could I be showing because my stomach is typically flat, so any bump is super obvious? Could I be showing because I'm having twins? Could I be just getting fat? (the latter is unlikely, having lost at least 5 lbs to morning sickness).

So now I'm obsessed with my belly. I don't know if I'm rubbing the twins, or the ravioli I had for dinner, but I'd like to at least pretend I'm sporting a baby bump. Maybe I'll find my camera charger for my 8 week pics, and we'll be able to see the difference.

Have our 7w2d ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow. I'm super excited to see the babies and make sure they're still okay! I had a strange and sudden stoppage of all morning sickness yesterday, which freaked me out. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I threw up last night and feel queasy today (although not queasy enough to take my Zofran, which I am hoarding), so I guess things are back on track.

Hooray :-/

Pics of the ultrasound will be posted next week - I'm flying to Dallas tomorrow afternoon for work and will return Saturday night. Then I'm supposed to help the kids at a horse show on Sunday, but we'll see - I'm certainly not about to overdo it and risk the twins for this shiz.

Stay tuned for pics!

Zofran to the Rescue!

[Editor's note: The formatting of this blog has gone to shit. This is the second post in a row that has presented itself online as a single run-on sentence. Because I'm pregnant and stabby, I'm saying "F this shit" and letting it stand as is. Your welcome (somebody make me a sandwich)] Now, I was warned that twins can cause twice the morning sickness. And I was fully prepared to spend a bit of time worshiping the porcelain god. However, what I was NOT prepared for was unrelenting nausea 24 hours a day, 7 days a week such that working or even sitting up for more than 5 minutes was a near-impossible feat. Dear kids I know we haven't formally met yet, but I wanted to state for the record that as soon as you're born, you are grounded for making mommy so sick she lost 5 lbs in 4 days. Seriously, I was on the verge of tears last night when I realized that I had spent the last few days either in bed or on the couch, and that work was piling up, and that I had committed to a job in Dallas on Friday which I might have to cancel, causing my client to surely FLIP THEIR SHIT and never hire me again. I mean, I now kids can do a lot of damage, but I never thought they'd get me fired before they were even born! So I dragged (literally...dragged) myself in to the doctor's office this morning feeling (and looking) like death warmed over. The nurse took one look at me and had the office APN send over a prescription for Zofran faster than you can say "where is the restroom, I'm gonna be sick". The minute the pharmacist handed over the bag, I had a tablet under my tongue, and by god, if I didn't feel about 80% better by the time I had gotten home. It's like a miracle! I'm sitting here, NOT dying and NOT feeling like I'm about to throw up! I feel like I'm running through a field of poppies or some shit. Amazing. So to the makers of Zofran, I'd like to say that I love you and I'll be sending you a muffin basket. And to my future children, I'd like to say....nothing. Because they're on a serious time out.