Best $52.95 I've ever spent. Ever.

This little bit of plastic is the Sonoline-B Fetal Doppler.  Because I'm a bit neurotic about this pregnancy, the wait between doctor's visits and ultrasounds is killing me. This miraculous device arrived in my mailbox the day of my first OB appointment.  It's fate, I swear.  We knew the twins were kicking away in my uterus, all snug and happy, so it was the perfect day to try out the new toy!

After a few minutes of confirming that I was alive with a strong heartbeat of 84, I tilted the probe ever-so-slightly and there it was.  Either a herd of tiny horses was galloping in my belly, or I'd found one of the babies!  The monitor read 174.  Just amazing. 

Over the past week, I've gotten pretty good at finding both twins quickly.  Thank God you can't overdose on this thing-  it's been so reassuring to hear them whenever I want.  I'd like to kiss whoever invented a doppler for home use that actually works, and is affordable.  I don't remember the last time a $52.95 investment made me this happy!

Third Time's The Charm

After 9 solid weeks of daily IM injections of PIO, we've developed a nice little routine.  I'm so comfortable with these shots that we even joke around while I'm being stuck.  Generally, the ritual goes something like this:

1. Lay on heating pad for 10 minutes to pre-heat the area -I know many people use ice instead to "numb" their poor bottoms, but I think it's easier to jab a hot rump roast than a chunk of frozen meat.
2. Assume prone position and disinfect the landing zone.
3. Quickly, insert needle and pull back to check for blood -this ensures that you are injecting into muscle instead of a blood vessel.
4. Slowly inject the ridiculously thick progesterone and remove needle/syringe.
5. Massage area that was injected to disperse oil and avoid pockets/lumps of oil.
6. Lay on heating pad for another 10 minutes to further thin and spread oil.
7. Repeat daily until you reach 12 weeks of pregnancy (10 weeks of shots)!

Until today, this routine has been fabulous.  For some reason, we had trouble getting past Step 3 today.  During the previous 63 injections, Paul has always said, "No blood" before injecting the oil.  So today, when he said there was blood in the syringe hub, it was kind of surprising.  He pulled the needle out and got another shot ready.  Again, we went through the motions and again, he aspirated blood on Step 3.  Seriously?  After 9 weeks, he hit two flipping blood vessels in one day?!  Thankfully, the third stabbing injection went off without a hitch.

I've always wondered if Paul would know if he hit a vein- seeing the little blood droplets floating in the oil answered that question for me loud and clear!

Fail #1 and Fail #2 (what a waste of PIO!)

We've got 6 more days of PIO before I hit the 12 week mark and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for no more blood. 

Just another "normal" OB patient!

Sort of...  I had my first real OB visit on Thursday, January 19.  I really, really love my doctor.  She was exactly what I needed after the rushed ultrasounds and scant bloodwork in Houston.  We got to see the babies again, and they actually looked like babies!  Baby A was pretty laid back, with a HR of 172.  Baby B was kicking and wiggling around with a HR of 176.  It's amazing how much they had grown in two weeks.

Baby B- check out those arms and legs!

Baby A- just chilling out!

After the ultrasound, the doctor came in and went over everything.  This was by far the most thorough doctor's appointment I've ever had.  She agreed that I should stay on the PIO until the end of week 12, which is a relief.  Houston told me to stop at 10 weeks, and I was panicking a bit about that.  I'm weaning my Metformin, which I am nervous about, but I completely trust her judgment and she thinks that it could do more harm than good right now.  She knows how much we've invested in this pregnancy, so she wants to see us every 2 weeks until we are well out of the first trimester to monitor the babies.  She's also referring me to a MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) high risk specialist to watch the twin's growth to ensure that everything stays on track.  Have I mentioned how much I love my doctor?!  Overall, it was a great visit-  other than all of the "high risk" stuff, I felt like any other normal pregnant lady.  I could get used to this!

I feel like a terrible mother already...

So far,  I am a complete failure at documenting this pregnancy.  I've taken exactly one (1!) belly picture in the 7 weeks that I've known I was pregnant.  I haven't written in the pregnancy journal/calendar that a sweet friend gave me, either.  Maybe it's the remnants of miscarriages and struggles to stay pregnant that are holding me back, but it's driving me crazy.  I'm making myself a promise- before the weekend is over, I will take my 11 week belly picture and get that stinking journal up to date!

Damn Hormones...

Why can I not go one day- a measly 24 hours- without bawling over something stupid?  Here's a short rundown of silly things I've cried over recently:

1. The movie Driving Miss Daisy.  When Hoke feeds Miss Daisy pumpkin pie at the end?  Cue tears.
2. Blue Cheese Dressing at Outback Steakhouse: I ordered a salad, then realized that blue cheese is on the no-go list. 
3. The realization that I'd forgotten to add the word "decaf" to my Starbucks order after drinking 3/4 of the coffee.

None of these things are even remotely important in the grand scheme of things.  So why do they incite a hysterical, snotty cry-fest?  And every single time, Paul laughs at me and says, "It's just the hormones- you're pregnant.  This is normal."  It might be normal, but I'm waiting anxiously for my first tear-free day, because these fits are exhausting.

Holy Exhaustion, Batman!

First, please accept my humble apologies for not updating in the past 2 weeks (!!!).  I have been so unbelievably tired during the past few weeks.  Apparently, growing babies is hard work.  I've also been really cranky, so you'd probably not want to read anything I'd have written anyway.  Trust me on this.  I'm going to ply you with a picture of the babies, so you can't be mad at me. 

7weeks, 4 days!

We got to see the twins again on Jan. 5.  They are growing so quickly, and their little heartbeats were fast and so strong.  Such a tiny thing, but hearing that steady whoosh-whoosh-whoosh was amazing.  I don't think that I'll ever get tired of hearing that sound.  It's reassuring and steady.  Just perfect.

I graduated to see my OB a bit early at 8 weeks, but I'm not complaining.  Reproductive Endocrinologists are amazing doctors and excel at getting women pregnant, but OBs they are not.  I need a little hand-holding and baby-centered care right now that the Baby Maker and his wonderful staff are simply not equipped to give me.  They are all really excited that I am pregnant, of course, but you can tell that their bottom line is how many successful cycles they turn out each year.  When we were leaving, my nurse hugged me and said, "Your success is our success!", which really sums up how they feel about their patient's pregnancies.  Don't get me wrong, we'll be back if/when we are ready to attempt another pregnancy, but I'm ready to see my OB on the 19th so I can start feeling somewhat "normal"!    

Here's to 2011

It's been a heck of a year, hasn't it?  I have a feeling that 2012 will be even better.  Happy New Year, y'all!