23 weeks Pregnant

EEK So here is one of those stories where I totally ate my words! It was only last week I was talking to mother on the phone and we were planning Christmas, Thanksgiving, holiday stuff and coming up with all these marvelous plans. Then my mother gets realistic and says "Haley is this going to be too much for you to handle?" I've already been put on bed rest once during my pregnancy so now that I am no longer on complete bed rest I have conjured up this idea that I am invincible and will be baking pies and sewing mounds of quilts all the holiday season. So I said to her "oh I'll be just fine I haven't had a single pre-term labor contraction yet!" So yesterday I woke up at 6a.m. to help Devin prepare for his border patrol interview and get ready. I am not even half way done ironing his shirt before I'm back in bed because I'm having a contraction!! BROTHER! So much for no preterm labor right??!! I sat around all day and had several more contractions (none that really hurt but a contraction is still a contraction and when your pregnant with twins you cant really just pass it off on good ole' Braxton hicks) So I call my Dr. and tell her, trying ever so hard not to make it seem like a big deal I'm having some contractions. She commanded me to check into labor and delivery regardless of how "minimal" they were. I guess with twins you really cant get off the hook. So I do and I'm their less than an hour before they send me home. They feed me the whole sch-peal if your contractions worsen or increase to about 6 times an hour come back. So now I am back on absolute bed-rest at 22 1/2 weeks and my holiday plans are out the window. A small price to pay for two babies, healthy would be good but at this point viable is much much better.

SO its only been two weeks but so much has already happened! Well for starters me and Devin celebrated our first wedding anniversary in San Diego! It was so wonderful! I must say my husband is the best travel partner ever! We always seem to be on the same page, whether it be multiple doughnut stops, ice cream, or just how much we are going to tip our waiter, going on vacation with my little husband is the best because we seem to crave the same things and have the same ideas! We really had a blast in San Diego, we went to the Zoo, Sea World, we went to movies, did a little shopping, we hung out on the beach, and we slept in and just had an awesome four days together that we will remember for ever! I really love Devin more and more every day, he isn't just my husband but my best friend and I am so glad that he is the person that I get to spend forever with!

After we returned home from our little vacation, we moved into our new apartment! Its crazy how much you appreciate the simple things of life when you have to do without them. Such as having a washer and dryer in your home, ice makers, a smoke free smelling apartment, ceiling fans. double sinks. Our last apartment was not horrible but I think everyone needs to experience going without certain luxuries just to you can truly appreciate them later. Needless to say I LOVE our new apartment, I've already hung pictures and done a little decorating and it is so wonderful to have a home with my husband!

We also had another sonogram. We still are not 100% sure if the second baby is a boy or a girl. Its not that we cant see whats going on down their its just hard to tell! like I said before the second twin is quite a bit smaller than the HUMONGOUS boy and his/her little parts are just hard to decipher, however the sonogram tech did say that at this point she would say that it is probably a girl. As much as I would LOVE to run out and buy a bazillion girl clothes and make fifty stupid headband and bows I am going to refrain because I'm still not convinced! Luckily I'll be having sonograms every two weeks so I'll hopefully get some closure with the next few sonograms.

As far as the concern for the difference in size goes this is what I was told and this is what we saw at this sonogram: Both babies are continuing to progress which is good news. The smaller baby is still quite a bit smaller but is continuing to grow. Last sonogram the deviation in size was 32% this time it was 35% so their was a slight increase in the size difference but not a huge difference so that is also good. Twin to Twin transfusion syndrome is only present in identical twins and if one is a boy and one is a girl then obviously they are not identical so that is also really good news (not making any bets on that yet though). the boy is approximately one pound and the "girl" is half a pound reasons for this could be the following: the umbilical cords connect very close together at the placenta, so its possible one is getting a little more nutrients and the other is getting a little less because they are so close in proximity, and lastly the umbilical cord of the "girl" could be attached to the outer portion of the placenta which is not "ideal" placement for the cord also causing the baby to be smaller. Overall this appointment was much more assuring that their is not some MAJOR problem and both babies are looking healthy. This also means I will continue to have sonograms every two weeks which is perfectly fine with me becasue I love to see those babies any chance I Get!

That is pretty much it for now I am getting bigger and bigger I found my first stretch mark on my thigh the other night and since I don't wear booty shorts and never intend to Its really no big deal. I am eating like a hobbit I swear these last two weeks I have been ravenously hungry and am about two pounds short of passing my husband on the scale but he's a little shrimp anyways so that not a huge accomplishment lol. Being pregnant is the coolest thing ever I can feel the babies move constantly and I am so excited to be a mother. Devin is still working like a mad man but received his appointment for his oral interview with the Border Patrol so we are still crossing our fingers and praying that works out. Until next time.

San Diego Temple


At Sea World eating the most disgusting smoothies EVER!

Me and my favorite Beluga Whale

Devin and I on our Anniversary Vacation!! YEAH MAN!

I can't believe it is already October!! this year has gone by so fast I hardly know what to do with myself! This Saturday the 9th is mine and Devin's first wedding anniversary! and to celebrate we are going to go hang out in San Diego from Sunday until Thursday. Before me and Devin were even married we both talked about how much we wanted to travel, but I never thought in a million years that on my first wedding anniversary I would be nearly 5 months pregnant! so Greece, Spain, Italy and Japan, will have to wait! I'm beginning to realize that although I would still love to travel to all those places someday, even going to phoenix is a nice getaway! SO San Diego here we come!

Update on the babies. Last Monday I had my 18 week ultrasound, the Ultimate ultra sound where we get to find out the sex of the babies! WELL the ultrasound went really well and we know with out a doubt that baby A (names are undecided so a letter is better than a number right?) is definitely a boy. and he is BIG quite a bit bigger than baby B. To give you some idea baby A is measuring in the 60th percentile, and baby B is measuring in the 20th percentile. Baby B is developed and has all ten fingers and toes, but we took several ganders and just couldn't quite decide what exactly he or she was. I would be surprised if it was a girl, but at this point it was just a little to soon to tell for baby B. I also was able to figure out why the baby I thought was on my right side never moved! because they are both on the LEFT go figure. I was kinda getting nervous and thought that maybe something was wrong. I would feel movement all day long on my left side, and little to nothing on my right, come to find out I have a nice and healthy placenta that is eating up the space on the right, and the twins are stacked like bunk beds on the left. So the ultra sound went good, they were a little concerned about the difference in size and come to find out they may in fact be identical just with two sacks and a fused placenta. I thought the whole fraternal and identical twin thing was cut and dry but apperantly there are a lot of different ways they turn out. Because of the large difference in size and the thought that the two individual placentas look fused the twins may have what is called twin to twin transfusion syndrome. This basically means that their umblillical cords are connected at the placenta and they share vital blood vessels. If this is the case one twin gives away some of its blood flow and nutrients to the other twin causing the difference in size. I have another sonogram in two weeks to measure and look at all these possibilities. At this point there is no need to worry chances are one twin is just bigger and one is smaller.