Baby Update

Ok, it has been a busy couple of days for us here! I finally got to see a doctor on Tuesday, although he wasn't my regular doctor. I had protein in my urine again, but this time I had the elevated blood pressure to go with it (140/88). I did the nst again and both babies looked good, but Spencer didn't have quite the reactions that they wanted to see. The doctor decided to send me over to the hospital to labor and delivery for more monitoring. So, off I went! By the time I got all hooked up to the monitors, Spencer was more than willing to give them what they were looking for and had all his accelerations right away, so both babies looked great now...the nurse took my blood pressure and it dropped to 126/82, so I was looking good. They did a blood draw and started me on a 24 hour urine collection. The blood work came back good, so I don't have pre-eclampsia. After three long hours of laying there, they finally let me go home! Today we went for a growth scan to check on their growth. Aubrey looked really good, she was measuring right on target. She is approximately 5 lbs 3 oz. The tech did say she had a big head...not something I really needed to hear, but I will get over my fear one way or another! Spencer measured a little smaller, which is normal for how things have been going. They did say that the side to side measurement was small and that was bringing down his overall measurement. The radiologist that was there said that he thought that it was because of the position that Spencer was in and it was too hard to get a good measurement. He is approximately 4lbs 13oz. So, all together I have 10 lbs of baby in me!! No wonder I find it hard to move sometimes! Long story short, we all look good and so far it is just a wait and see situation! I do have another nst scheduled at the hospital for Friday and then another doctor appointment on Monday. I finally get to see my regular doctor on Monday, who I haven't seen since the gestational diabetes diagnosis, so we have a lot to talk about! I will post as I get information!! Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Christmas Activities

We stayed pretty busy over the holidays enjoying time with our families! It started out with gingerbread houses/trains with our nieces and nephews at Dean's mom's house. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend time with the kids!

This is Dean with our niece Bethany.

This is Brittany before we changed her clothes to really get into the gingerbread!

This is (from l to r) Kelsey, Katy, and Taylor. We don't get to spend too much time with them, but always have fun when we do!!

We spent Christmas with my family at my sister's house and really enjoyed seeing everyone. Eric was able to come from Texas and got to spend a little time with us, not long enough for me, but it was nice to see him even if it was short. It was definitely a great Christmas for us and makes me really look forward to next year when we will have our own little ones to watch opening presents and experiencing all the joys of the holiday season! I finally have an appointment tomorrow after a few weeks of cancellations due to snow. I will post an update after that!! Happy holidays to you all!!

It is STILL snowing!!

I know for those of you in the great mid-west, this isn't really blog worthy news, but for those of us out here in the northwest, we just don't get weather like this! So far I haven't heard from the doctor's office, so I am assuming that we are still on! I am posting pics of Dean and Buster out in the snow. The top layer of snow is now frozen with the rain we got earlier, so poor Buster walks out on what looks like a solid chunk of snow and ends up falling through and getting scared! He is getting smarter about where he walks now, but still isn't too sure about it all.

Snowed in!

I haven't been to the doctors yet for a visit, so there is no update to report! We don't get snow here much, so when it does snow the city shuts down! My appointment last Monday was canceled and rescheduled for this coming Monday, but we are getting dumped on again today and into tomorrow, so who knows what will happen! The last day of our childbirth class was canceled again as well. So, it has been just me and Buster hanging out while Dean braves the elements and goes to work! I will try to take some pictures of Buster in the snow next time we go out! I will post if and when I get more news!

Weekly Doctor Visit

I had another doctor visit yesterday, and again my doctor wasn't in so I got a new one. He was very nice...I guess the good thing about meeting all the other doctors is that this way if for some reason my doctor can't be there to deliver, I may know the one who shows up! I had another non-stress test and things looked good, although it took about an hour to get enough good readings on both babies. They had me sit up this time so I was more comfortable, but still lost feeling in the one leg and was pretty uncomfortable by the end of it all. Every time I moved to get comfortable one of the babies would disappear from the monitor, so I tried not to move too much to make it go faster! The doctor looked at my blood sugars and said that they were beautiful, he couldn't be happier with how I am doing. I did lose 2 more pounds, which isn't good, but I am really trying to add fat and protein to my food just like the nutritionist said! I don't feel hungry, so I know I am getting enough to eat. I have to say that this is the first time in my life that I have felt guilty for losing weight! The doctor does want me to start coming 2 times a week for the non-stress tests, so I go back on Thursday and then again on Monday for a test and a visit with my doctor. He may back me off of twice a week, he tends to be a little more relaxed than the other doctors, but we will see. That is about it from here, just counting down to Christmas and then to the babies! Take care!!

Winter Wonderland

Dean and I went to the Christmas light display at the Portland International Raceway last night and were really impressed. I took some pictures, but because we were moving and most of the displays were moving, some are a little bit blurry. It was a lot of fun to get out and see the pretty lights! I have been wanting to go to that for YEARS, and finally we just said lets go! We took Buster with us too...he enjoyed the car ride more than the lights, but we all had a great time.

30.5 photos

Here is the belly shot with clothes on...I know you all think I am not that big...I beg to differ! :)

Here is a bare belly shot...now tell me I don't look that big! :)

Here I am all wired up for the non-stress test! And yes, it was as much fun as it looks like!

30.5 week update

We had a great visit with the doctor today. Our growth scan went very well, both babies are growing right on target! Aubrey is 3 lbs 5 oz. and Spencer is 3 lbs 4 oz. so both are right in line with each other! She is still head down and he is still breech! We got some good shots of Spencer's profile, but because of the way they are laying we couldn't get a good one of her. Every time the tech got close and would try to get the right angle for a clear shot, Spencer's rear would get in the way! Poor girl...I had a brother that used his rear as a weapon when we were growing up too! I guess he is getting his revenge for all the kicks and hits he has been taking! :) We were able to talk to the doctor about the gestational diabetes and what it all means, so that was good for both of us to hear. The doctor also had us do our first non-stress test and aside from me losing feeling in my leg from laying on one side too long, thing went well! We also got to meet with the nutritionist today and I have to say I feel a LOT better about things. I lost 2 pounds over the last 2 weeks...she wasn't too happy about that, but I have been afraid to eat too much! She went over things I can eat and things I shouldn't eat...and of course she taught me how to check my blood...so we are set to do what needs to be done! My numbers weren't too far off, and so far today they have been good, so we will see what they say next week! We are on a weekly visit schedule now, with the non-stress tests every week for a while, then I will move up to nst two times a week. With the gestational diabetes, they want to keep a close eye I guess. So, that is it for now...I will keep you updated as things change. Happy December everyone!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all!! I know it is a day late, but the wish is still true! Well, I failed my 3 hour test too, so it is finally official, I have gestational diabetes! I am disappointed but again, not surprised. We have our next appointment on Monday, so I will try to update after that. Hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed their time with family and friends!

Update on the update

Well, it looks like the update on the gestational diabetes I gave was not quite right...maybe. I have been waiting to meet with the nutritionist and wanted to know what to eat before I go see her, so I emailed her and got a response that said she is out of the office until the 1st of December, so I just kind of did my own adjustments on my eating based on my past experience with Weight Watchers and what Dean's mom is doing with her diet. So, after talking to a friend today, I decided to call and see if I should be taking my blood sugars. After talking to the nurse and her talking to the doctor, she said she would call in the glucometer and supplies. She called back a bit later and said that without the 3 hour test failure she couldn't code it with gestational diabetes and insurance wouldn't cover it. The same would happen with getting the consult with the nutritionist, so it looks like I will be going tomorrow for the 3 hour test. So, maybe I will pass and we won't have to worry about it after all! I will let you know the latest as I find out...hopefully it won't change between now and when I go into test in the morning! :)

29 week photo

Ok, I finally got a picture taken. I labeled it 29 weeks, but technically it was taken 1 day before I was officially 29 weeks. Sometimes I don't think I look that big, but then I see myself in a photo or catch a side view in a mirror or whatever and all I can say is WOW!!! I feel good and really am happy with my weight gain so far...still just hard to be happy with a big belly!

Test Results...kind of!

Well, I was going to take my test tomorrow, but when I called to ask a question about my medication on that day, the nurse said that I won't be taking the test. Because I am still taking medication for insulin resistance (due to the PCOS) and had a high result, I would no doubt fail the 3 hour test, so there was no point in going through the test. So, I guess I officially have gestational diabetes now and will be meeting with the nutritionist to get a diet plan and learn how to use the glucometer to test my sugars daily. So, that is the latest that is going on here...I will keep you all posted on how things are going. Love to all!!

28 1/2 week dr. visit

Well, we had another doctor visit today. Things are still going good...blood pressure still normal, nothing that gives him any concern. Both babies had strong, healthy heartbeats...can't ask for much more than that! I took my 1 hour blood glucose test today and unfortunately I failed it...so I will be going back this week for my 3 hour test. Hopefully I will pass this one and things will all be ok, but we shall see. I am not really surprised by this only because I have had borderline results in the past when I haven't been pregnant, so I knew it was definitely a possibility. So, I am planning on going in on Thursday morning to get it taken care of and hopefully move on. We are getting anxious for the arrival, although if I let myself think about how close it really is, I tend to panic. (Shocking, I know) I know that logically we have time to get things all together, but some days it feels like we are down to the wire! I know I keep saying I will post a pic, but I promise to post pics soon! :) Take care all and when I know my results I will let you all know!!

Hello from Oregon...again!

Hello. Just thought I would give a quick update on how things are going here in Portland. We are finally unpacked and settled in. The babies room is the last room I have to get organized, but that will be fun! :) Dean has been working at Intel, which isn't his first pick for a job, but it is only 10 minutes away from the house and it is work! :) So, he has settled into his routine quite nicely! Buster is still adjusting to apartment life, but getting better at barking at every little noise! Now the only things he barks at are other dogs, cats, and the occasional person going to their car. Now that I have the house in something resembling order, I am going to relax and start getting the babies' things organized. That is about it from our neck of the woods...we have another doctor's appointment on Monday, so I will update again then. Take care everyone...Love you!!!

26 1/2 week doctor visit

Hello all! As promised, I am here to update on our latest doctor visit. Unfortunately we don't have any pictures to share, but it was all good news again. I show no signs of pre-term labor and both babies are growing right on target. They want the difference between the twins to be less than 20% and ours are around 3%, so they are doing great. Aubrey is still just a little bit bigger then her brother, and she is still in line to be first out. They did try to mix things up this time and switched sides, but found their way back to "normal" by the end of the scan. I think they were more or less horizontal instead of vertical, but it was still shocking to see that they move that much! I am still doing good as well, my blood pressure is still very normal and aside from some little things that he is going to keep an eye on, things are fine. Now the goal with us is to get things settled here in Portland and get into a routine. It was really nice being so close to the doctor's office, 20 minutes vs. 1 hour in a car is much better!! That about does it! I emailed out our new address today, but if I missed you let me know and I will update you too! Love you all!!

Belly shot 24 weeks

I know it hasn't been that long since my last one, but I have a picture of me with our new stroller and thought I would use that one for our belly shot for this week! Enjoy!!

24 week Dr. Checkup

Hello all! We just got back from our Dr. visit for this two week period! No pictures this time, but good reports from the doc! So far my blood pressure looks good and there is no signs of pre-term labor starting, so we have been instructed to keep doing what we have been doing! We didn't have a growth scan this visit, but did hear the heartbeats and got a quick peek at them with the little portable ultrasound machine and they, of course, looked perfect. Aubrey is still head down and really close to the cervix, so my guess is she really wants to be first born and is not going to get out of line for that honor! Spencer is breech at this time, but we have time for him to straighten himself out. He was all curled up, basically bent in half with his feet up by his head, so he is either giving his sister more room or getting tired of her kicking him all the time! :) Either way, they both look good with strong, healthy heartbeats! We go back in 2 weeks and will have a growth scan so hopefully we will have ultrasound pictures to share. That is it for now! We are still in Washington, but our time is limited there as Dean is finishing up his job. We are looking forward to moving back to Oregon and will end up in the Portland area for Dean to get a job up there and me to be closer to the hospital! I will keep you all posted on the timing. Take care and enjoy the fall weather! Lots of love!!

Baby Shower Cake

Dean's sister, Julie, made the cake for the shower and did a FABULOUS job! The theme for the shower was the rubber ducky, and the blocks with the babies initials was her personal touch! The fish was on the back of Spencer's block and the butterfly on Aubrey's. It tasted just as good as it looked too! :)

Belly shot at 23 1/2 weeks

I also had Julie, Dean's sister, take a picture of my belly after the shower when I got into comfortable clothes and we went through all the gifts. Hard for me to see myself that big...but I am getting used to it!

Baby Shower

Hello there everyone! I had my baby shower today and had such a good time! It was great to have my friends and family gathered! We got a lot of really cute stuff...makes it hard to wait to dress the babies and use all the stuff! I will post the pictures and will blog again in after my next doctor's appointment.

The top picture is of my sister Theresa, my great-niece Amaya, Mom, Me, and my great niece Italy. The middle picture is of my former manager from Wal-Mart, Lanny, who I haven't seen in quite a while and was pleasantly surprised that he showed up! Then a shot of Mom and me.

22 1/2 week update

Hello there all! We had another doctor appointment today and once again all looked great. The fancy machine that usually makes us a CD of the scan was unfortunately broken today and for some reason didn't print anything out for us, so there are no picture of the babies this time around. We did get a print out of the stats of the babies and from that info they both look good on paper too! He was able to get another shot of Aubrey and is still certain that she is a girl, so we are going to go with that and if we get surprised than we will be thrilled with that too! :) I am feeling good too, nothing really to complain about. I won't be posting a belly shot until later, Dean left before I could have him take a photo! I am going to Portland for the Women of Faith conference this weekend, and my baby shower is on Sunday, so I am sure that I will have plenty of photos to post from that! Well, that is about it, so stay tuned for more info! Love to all!!

Hello!

Hello all! Just thought it was time for a quick note before another month passes by! I know I don't post all that often, but those of you who know my track record for keeping in touch shouldn't be too surprised! :) Things are good out here in Washington, although we just got the official news today that Dean's job will be ending in 3 weeks...we knew it was coming, just not when. So, now we have time to plan our next step and figure out the best place for us to be for now. I think we are leaning toward the Portland area since that is where our Dr. is...and everything is all about the babies now! I will be sure to keep you all posted! For now though, we will keep on keeping on here in Moses Lake! I feel the babies move daily now, seems like mostly the girl, but sometimes it is more on the boy's side...and of course sometimes it is more in the middle so it could go either way! :) We have our next scan on Monday, so stay tuned for yet another belly shot (if I can figure out how to get my entire belly in the shot) and more pics of the babies. We have named our little ones: the baby formally known as "Baby A" is now going to be Aubrey Marie (the Marie is in honor of my mother) and "Baby B" is now going to be Spencer Russell. Spence is a Crosson family name and Dean's Dad's middle name, so we opted for Spencer and it sounded good with my Dad's name...so there you have it! :) I will keep you posted as best as I can and will get customary after the doctor appointment photos up on Monday! Love to all!!

19 1/2 Weeks

Hello! Well...we are having a boy and a girl!! Baby B is most definately a boy and he was fairly certain that Baby A was a girl, but wants to verify that in three weeks! But, we are moving forward thinking that we are having one of each! Everything went great at the scan, they weren't able to see everything, but what they could see looked good, so we have 2 healthy babies coming! :) They weren't able to get any good shots of the faces, one kind of with our daughter, but I will post some shots that prove his thoughts about the sex! :) Also, by popular demand, another belly shot! They are both growing right on target, so I have a full belly of baby! (Not to mention lunch at Red Robin!) Well, we love and miss you all so very much! I will post again soon!

Greetings from Washington

Hello all! We finally made it to Washington! What a weekend of packing and storing! Who would have guessed that after only 8 years of marriage we could accumulate so much stuff!! But, we are here and will settle into life in Moses Lake. I don't know how long we will be here, so we aren't changing our phone numbers yet...I will let everyone know when that happens. We had another checkup on Tuesday and things are going great. Babies looked active and both had good heartbeats, no photos this time though. We go again a week from Monday, on the 15th, for our anatomy scan so I will have baby pictures to post after that. We will also get to find out who will be joining our family, or what combo of boy/girl we will have! :) I can't wait!! I also can't really believe that it is here already! Where did the time go! I was always so sure that once we finally got pregnant the time would drag on, but I couldn't be more wrong! I will post another belly shot when Dean is home from work and can take the photo, unless I can find a spot to put the camera that will capture all of me...not an easy feat anymore! They tell me that I am doing good with my weight, although I am not thrilled with the rapidness of the rise in numbers! Anything for the babies I guess! :) That about sums up what is going on here with us! I will for sure post after the ultrasound on the 15th to show off our sons/daughters whoever is in there! :) Love to all!!

15 1/2 Week Belly Shot

Here is the latest belly shot...don't really like it, but I will get over it! :)




Here is Dean's 15 1/2 week belly! He is feeling a bit left out of all the blogging, so he thought I should take a shot of his belly too! :)

15 1/2 Weeks

Hello all! Today was our latest trip to the Dr. and once again all went well. I have had some issues with cramping and light spotting, but things all look normal at this time. I think the cramping was from being dehydrated and just not really used to being pregnant and over-reacted a little bit. My normal Dr. was on vacation so I saw a different Dr. than normal, but he was very nice and answered all my questions! (There were many!) I don't have pics this time of the babies because they scanned me in the office and that machine just doesn't print clear pics, so the next pics I post will be after the anatomy scan on the 15th of September. (I will also know the sex of the babies then too!) The Dr. we saw today bumped our visits up to every 2 weeks now so they can start keeping a close eye on my cervix length. The next visit we have is going to be with yet another Dr. in the clinic because he only sees patients on Monday's and with it being a holiday, we are seeing someone on Tuesday. Luckily I am used to multiple Dr's from the fertility clinic, so at this point I have no hang ups about new doctors seeing me! :) That is about it from us! Just moving right along...still kind of hard to believe that I am 15 1/2 weeks along already! That about does it from me! Love you all!!

It has been a while since I have updated, but that is just because not much is going on right now! I am feeling great, a bit uncomfortable already, but I am happy to finally be uncomfortable! :) We have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so I may have more to report then, but for now, things are just moving right along! Hard to believe that I am already 14 1/2 weeks along!! Time flies! I am still in Oregon, but will be joining Dean soon in Washington, probably after this doctor appointment, the house is just about packed up. I move slower than normal, so it is taking me a bit longer than I would like, but that is ok! It is getting done little by little! Dean will be home this weekend to finish all the big jobs and move all the boxes I have filled out to the garage. I can pack the boxes, but they stay where they are filled until Dean moves them! That is about it from here for now...I will update after we see the doctor! Love you all!!

First Belly Picture

As much as I don't want to take pictures of my growing belly...it has been requested of me to do so. Dean took this one today after our doctor's appointment.

Pictures from Ultrasound

Baby A with the crown rump length measuring at 12 weeks 1 day. It is a little fuzzy, but you can tell that it is a baby! :)

Baby B with crown rump length. This one isn't as good, but you can kind of see the baby...still looks perfect to me! :)

Ultrasound #2

Today was a long day, but filled with good news and great views of the babies! The doctor's office is at OHSU, which is up on a hill in Portland. The parking situation up there is bleak to say the least, so they have you park down at the building by the riverfront and you take a tram that goes up over the freeway to the hospital on the hill. It was really fun to finally take our turn on the ride that we have been watching from the window of the fertility clinic for all these years! We had our first official OB appointment first and the doctor answered my every growing list of questions and did a quick scan to see heartbeats and listen to them. Things looked great there, except that "Baby B" wouldn't lay still long enough for the Dr. to get a good reading! But, it was finally found and recorded and both babies looked good. We went back down the hill and had our official scan...and again things looked good here too. They both measured around 12 weeks and had strong heartbeats. They both looked more like babies this time, both had 2 legs and 2 arms and moved them around quite a bit! They did a test called the nuchal translucency test to determine risk of chromosomal abnormalities. Basically they measure the fold on the back of the neck and determine if it measures where it should. "Baby B" did great with this one and moved just right so they were able to get it fairly quickly. "Baby A", on the other hand, refused to move to show the back of the neck and we had to endure over an hour of them pushing and trying to jiggle the baby into a different position! Stubborn already!! They were finally able to get what they needed and both babies look perfectly normal. The pictures are still a little fuzzy, but they do show the shape of a baby more than the ones from before. I am officially off work now, last night was my last night. My doctor filled out my leave papers, so I can take my time in deciding what my next step will be either part time work or none at all. For now, I am looking forward to sleeping at night again! That is about it from us...still not sure when I will be joining Dean in Washington, but it will be soon! Oh, one thing that did change was my due date. The fertility clinic had me at Feb. 6th, but my OB had me at Feb. 9th. I asked about it today and he agreed with them and it is now Feb. 6th, which makes me 12 weeks 3 days pregnant now...every day counts! :)

Getting ready to move!

Just to keep everyone in the loop, we are getting ready to move to Washington. Dean has been working there since January and will be there for close to 2 more years, and fell in love with the area up there, so we are relocating! It is time for us to live under the same roof again! :) Plus, I don't think it is fair that he has missed out on all the fun pregnancy hormone swings that I get to go through, so I am taking them to him! The process will go slow on my end, I move a bit slower these days due to being tired all the time, but we will get it done! I will let you know new addresses and such when the info becomes available. I will be keeping the OB doc. I have in Portland though. I really liked him and he said that it isn't uncommon for him to have patients that live far away, and as long as things look good, I can just come for my visits and have my scans done in Moses Lake, so that is our plan. When it gets closer and I get bigger and he wants me closer, I will just move in with my sister until the babies are born. As far as work goes, I will be taking a leave for a while to get settled in Washington and take my time to decide if I feel like working part time for a while longer. There is a Wal-Mart there in Moses Lake, so the option is there. Other than that, things are just moving right along! Hard to believe I am already 10 weeks pregnant and so far haven't had too much to complain about! I haven't gained too much weight yet, but my pants no longer fit comfortably, so I will be shopping for work attire to get me through my last few weeks here. Our next doctor's appointment is going to be Monday July 28th, so I will update for sure then with all the news about how everyone is doing!

Ultrasound Photos

This is a picture of Baby A with "his" crown rump length and gestational age in the lower right hand corner...not very clear yet what you are looking at, but I have to say it makes me smile every time I see it! (That is Baby B up above...must be a camera hog in the making!)

This is a shot of Baby A's heartbeat...amazing to think that they are so small but we can hear their heartbeat!

Not to be outdone by "his" womb-mate, here is Baby B and the crown rump length. Right now "he" is the bigger baby but we shall see if that changes at all.

And of course Baby B's heartbeat. Just to add a disclaimer here, I say he, but we don't know that to be true yet, for some reason it just comes out as he...I really don't have any preference other than 2 healthy babies!!

Hello all!

Hello there everyone! I am not really sure where to start or what to say but I will give this a try. I guess I will start by officially saying that WE ARE FINALLY PREGNANT!!! We have just had our second ultra sound on this past Monday and saw our 2 little ones safely tucked away growing like they should be! For those of you who don't know our history and what it took to get us here, I will recap! We have been trying to conceive for the last 7 years, 6 of those years, off and on, with the help of doctors. The past year, with some much needed mental health breaks, we have been going through IVF treatments. We have endured much to get here, so to say that we are thrilled to finally be pregnant is not even close to what we are feeling! And then to find out it was twins...too good to be true! I am now just over 9 weeks along now and am finally starting to relax a little and enjoy being on this part of the journey! I will do my best to keep everyone posted on the progress and just what is going on with us in general, but be patient...I tend to drop the ball when it comes to keeping in touch...just ask any of my Aunties! :) Anyway, enjoy what I have so far and keep checking in for future news!