I had my 33 week ultrasound on Monday.
My cervix shortened from 2.6 cm to 1.9 cm in a week. They do not seem to incredibly worried about it, but I am staying in the hospital.
I am 2 cm dilated. I was 1 cm when they admitted me 7 weeks ago. This was the first time I was checked again for dilation.
I am 50% effaced. I know that is a change since being admitted, but was never told the percentage until this point.
The boys fluid levels are starting to show discordance. One baby has 18 units of fluid, and the other baby has 8 units. My specialist is going to check me in 10 days rather than 14 days to see if it has changed. So, I am drinking extra protein shakes with my meals to hopefully help it even out. If it gets unsafe for the babies, they will take them earlier than expected. I will see the specialist Monday, April 18th.
In the ultrasound, we could see that the boys have HAIR :) I was born with a head full of ... BLACK HAIR. Yes, so if my boys come out with black hair, they are really mine ;) My hair turned blonde a couple months later. Brandon was born with strawberry blonde hair, and had WHITE hair as a child. I am excited to see what our boys will look like!
I told my doctor today, the first thing I want to know when those baby boys come out is if they have Brandon's dimple in his chin :) I cannot imagine they would NOT have it, but I have wondered about it the entire pregnancy!
Thank you for all the prayers, we appreciate it more than you know ♥
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
From the mind of a 4 year old ♥
My youngest niece, Grace Audrey, is 4 years old. She has the most amazing view of the world.
Crystal, Libby, and Grace came to visit me in the hospital last weekend. The girls hear us say that there are two babies in my belly all the time, but we do not know how much they grasp the concept.
The girls are rubbing my belly and talking to the boys. They are pushing their bellies out acting like they have babies in their bellies.
This is the conversation that we had:
Libby: how did the boys got into your belly?
Me: when you are married God gives you a baby when you decide you want one.
Grace: how are they going to get the babies out?
Crystal: they are going to cut them out.
Grace: is it going to hurt?
Me: No, it will not hurt me at all.
Grace: OH ... so they are going to use a butter knife.
I CANNOT HOLD IN THE LAUGHTER AT THIS POINT! She knows that a butter knife is safe, it does not hurt. So, in her mind of course that is what they would use if it is not going to hurt me.
Grace: They don't have beds in there do they?
Me: No, they don't have beds but they are comfortable.
Crystal: You know there will be 2 little babies coming out of that belly that are EXACTLY alike.
Libby: Ya, like the same eyes.
Me: That is right Libby.
Grace: Ya and the same socks!!
I don't think she quite gets it ;) Sweet girl!
PRICELESS moments with my nieces ♥
Crystal, Libby, and Grace came to visit me in the hospital last weekend. The girls hear us say that there are two babies in my belly all the time, but we do not know how much they grasp the concept.
The girls are rubbing my belly and talking to the boys. They are pushing their bellies out acting like they have babies in their bellies.
This is the conversation that we had:
Libby: how did the boys got into your belly?
Me: when you are married God gives you a baby when you decide you want one.
Grace: how are they going to get the babies out?
Crystal: they are going to cut them out.
Grace: is it going to hurt?
Me: No, it will not hurt me at all.
Grace: OH ... so they are going to use a butter knife.
I CANNOT HOLD IN THE LAUGHTER AT THIS POINT! She knows that a butter knife is safe, it does not hurt. So, in her mind of course that is what they would use if it is not going to hurt me.
Grace: They don't have beds in there do they?
Me: No, they don't have beds but they are comfortable.
Crystal: You know there will be 2 little babies coming out of that belly that are EXACTLY alike.
Libby: Ya, like the same eyes.
Me: That is right Libby.
Grace: Ya and the same socks!!
I don't think she quite gets it ;) Sweet girl!
PRICELESS moments with my nieces ♥
Thursday, April 7, 2011
32 Weeks & Counting ...
We made it to 32 weeks! YAY! :)
On Monday they checked my cervix, and it was measuring around 2.6 cm. They are very happy with the length.
On Wednesday I went to "Tea-Timers." It is an hour of time spent with the other women on bedrest! I LOVE IT! :) This week we learned how to knit a newborn hat! I completed one & plan on doing another.
I have become close with another twin mommy here on bedrest, Laura. She has "MoMo" twin girls. This means her girls are identical, in the same sac and same placenta. It is the most high risk twin pregnancy after conjoined. Mine are "MoDi" the next highest risk after "MoMo." Mine have their own sac, same placenta. We speak a lot throughout the day on the phone and keep each other sane :) We can complain about the same nurses, and share our good news when we have it! It is nice to share the experience with someone! I look forward to playdates with our kiddos!
Today, they measured the boys! Dr. Adam is my specialist that takes the growth measurements. I was telling her about the right baby being so active and the left baby putting me in less pain. She told me I have such a great attitude and perspective on things. :) She said she hears a lot of complaining, and it is nice to have someone with such an awesome attitude. This made my night!
Baby A went from 3 lbs 14 oz to 4 lbs 10 oz, gaining 12 oz. He is in the 49th percentile.
Baby B went from 3 lbs 5 oz to 4 lbs 3 oz, gaining 14 oz. He is in the 39th percentile.
I guess since I teach math it is difficult for me to hear percentiles less than 50. I feel like I am being greedy because I know the boys are doing great.
I felt hiccups for the first time this week! :) I was SO excited!!! Right baby is the one I can feel them with and he is the bigger baby. He gets them throughout the day and EVERY NIGHT around midnight.
We have picked a delivery date! We are shooting for Friday May 6th!!! Four weeks to go! 28 days!! YAY! I will be 36 weeks 5 days! My specialist only lets Identicals go to 36 weeks. Statistically, white boys tend to do the worst, so I am hoping the extra 5 days will make for minimal NICU time.
I will have another growth ultrasound in 10 days!
On Monday they checked my cervix, and it was measuring around 2.6 cm. They are very happy with the length.
On Wednesday I went to "Tea-Timers." It is an hour of time spent with the other women on bedrest! I LOVE IT! :) This week we learned how to knit a newborn hat! I completed one & plan on doing another.
I have become close with another twin mommy here on bedrest, Laura. She has "MoMo" twin girls. This means her girls are identical, in the same sac and same placenta. It is the most high risk twin pregnancy after conjoined. Mine are "MoDi" the next highest risk after "MoMo." Mine have their own sac, same placenta. We speak a lot throughout the day on the phone and keep each other sane :) We can complain about the same nurses, and share our good news when we have it! It is nice to share the experience with someone! I look forward to playdates with our kiddos!
Today, they measured the boys! Dr. Adam is my specialist that takes the growth measurements. I was telling her about the right baby being so active and the left baby putting me in less pain. She told me I have such a great attitude and perspective on things. :) She said she hears a lot of complaining, and it is nice to have someone with such an awesome attitude. This made my night!
Baby A went from 3 lbs 14 oz to 4 lbs 10 oz, gaining 12 oz. He is in the 49th percentile.
Baby B went from 3 lbs 5 oz to 4 lbs 3 oz, gaining 14 oz. He is in the 39th percentile.
I guess since I teach math it is difficult for me to hear percentiles less than 50. I feel like I am being greedy because I know the boys are doing great.
I felt hiccups for the first time this week! :) I was SO excited!!! Right baby is the one I can feel them with and he is the bigger baby. He gets them throughout the day and EVERY NIGHT around midnight.
We have picked a delivery date! We are shooting for Friday May 6th!!! Four weeks to go! 28 days!! YAY! I will be 36 weeks 5 days! My specialist only lets Identicals go to 36 weeks. Statistically, white boys tend to do the worst, so I am hoping the extra 5 days will make for minimal NICU time.
I will have another growth ultrasound in 10 days!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
30 Week Ultrasound ♥
We had our 30 week ultrasound to check the boys for Twin to Twin Transfusion. They are still showing no signs of it, thank goodness. Their fluid levels were perfect, and they are putting on weight.
In 2 weeks, Baby A went from 2 lbs 14 oz to 3 lbs 14 oz, gaining a pound. He is in the 59th percentile.
Baby B went from 2 lbs 11 oz to 3 lbs 5 oz, gaining 10 oz. He is in the 41st percentile.
They look great and are getting big! The right baby is the chunker, and is the baby that always hurts my ribs ;)
My cervix looked great, it measured 2.5 cm. The doctors are very happy with it. Bedrest is keeping these boys where they need to be, and I could not be happier!
Thank you for all the prayers, they are working!
In 2 weeks, Baby A went from 2 lbs 14 oz to 3 lbs 14 oz, gaining a pound. He is in the 59th percentile.
Baby B went from 2 lbs 11 oz to 3 lbs 5 oz, gaining 10 oz. He is in the 41st percentile.
They look great and are getting big! The right baby is the chunker, and is the baby that always hurts my ribs ;)
My cervix looked great, it measured 2.5 cm. The doctors are very happy with it. Bedrest is keeping these boys where they need to be, and I could not be happier!
Thank you for all the prayers, they are working!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
High Risk Pregnancy ...
When I found out it was twins I was shocked to say the least. I would have never imagined we would be having identical twins. You never expect that when you go in for an ultrasound. I was immediately having a "high risk pregnancy." So, I had doctors appointments every 2 weeks.
The first trimester I was sick, but other than that perfectly fine. The boys were doing great & all was well. Second trimester I felt AMAZING! :) On christmas break we went in for our ultrasound & the boys were starting to show a difference in their fluid levels. One baby had 18 and the other had 8 units of fluid. This was the first scare we had with the boys, and it was awful. I was put on bedrest for the rest of christmas break. I was told to add protein to every meal and to drink as much water as I could. I went back 10 days later, and their levels were 13 and 6 units. This was good news because their levels were closer to each other. I went back 10 days later, and she did not need to measure their levels. She could tell be looking at them that they were perfect. We were so relieved :)
The rest of January and February went by and there were no issues. I felt great for the most part. My back hurt after teaching all day, but that is to be expected. I loved the 2nd trimester. My appointments were going great. The boys were putting on weight, and I felt amazing.
On Monday February 28th, I went in for a routine OB appointment at 27 weeks pregnant. My doctor measured my cervix, and everything about my pregnancy changed in an instant.
It had gone from measuring 3.7 cm to 2.6 cm in two weeks and was 1 cm dilated. Anything below 2.5 cm is concern before 34 weeks pregnant. Basically, the weight of the 2 babies is tricking my body into thinking it needs to start preparing for birth.
I had an appointment with my high risk specialist the next day in the same building. My doctor told me if the specialist got a measurement of less than 2.5 cm I would be on hospital bedrest. The specialist has a more accurate machine to determine the real length. She was putting me on home bedrest at that moment.
Brandon and I were COMPLETELY freaked out. I had taught that day, and felt great. It was a good day with my kiddos, and everything was going well. We decided to go down to my specialist and see if she would measure it then. I did not want to stress for 24 hours about whether I would be put in the hospital.
My specialist took me straight in, and she measured 2.4 cm. We went straight to the hospital, which is across the parking lot. I was admitted, and put on monitors for the boys. They also monitored contractions. I was contracting, but never felt any of it. So, they put me on Procardia to stop the contractions. I was in the hospital until Thursday. They said since my contractions had basically stopped, they felt home bedrest would work. I had my last baby shower that weekend when I got home.
The following Monday March 8th, I went in and had my cervix checked again at 28 weeks. It was 2 cm. My doctor said she was willing to let me go home and re-check on Wednesday. While she was finishing writing things in my file, she said she could not let me go home. Looking at my length and knowing I was only 28 weeks she just could not let me go home. So, back to the hospital we went.
On Wednesday at 28 weeks 3 days, my specialist checked my cervix and it measured 1.4 cm. I was devastated. I had been on bedrest and it was not helping. The boys were doing great and weighed 2 lbs 14 oz and 2 lbs 11 oz. They looked absolutely aborable in the ultrasound. I cannot wait to love on them.
On Monday March 14th, I went in and they measured around 2.4 cm. I felt so relieved. Laying in bed ALL DAY was helping. Thank goodness!
On Monday March 20th, I went in and they measured around 2.6 cm. YAY!
I have another ultrasound on March 23rd with my specialist. She will give me new weights for the boys and re-check my cervix.
I have been in the hospital since February 28th, except the 4 days I was released. It seems to really be helping and the boys are doing great. I am 30 weeks 3 days, and praying to make it to 36 weeks.
Brandon spends every night in the hospital with me. Seriously. I have been so blessed. He is laid-back and calm about everything in our lives. This is why I married him because I am SO NOT any of those character traits ;) In times like these, he makes me laugh and is supportive. I don't know what I would do without him by my side.
So, no teaching=no fun. When you are a teacher, your students are YOUR kids. I see them everyday, and genuinely care about them. I HATE that I am not there to teach them. They are reviewing for their TAKS test the next 2 weeks, and I feel so guilty not being there. I love my kiddos, and I know they will do great. I just wish I could see them, and remind them of the tricks I taught them in each unit. I called and spoke to each student to tell them their benchmark scores. They did GREAT. I was so proud of them. They made me a sweet card that each student signed. It made me cry :(
I know I am doing what I have to for my boys to be healthy and that is what keeps me going :)
The first trimester I was sick, but other than that perfectly fine. The boys were doing great & all was well. Second trimester I felt AMAZING! :) On christmas break we went in for our ultrasound & the boys were starting to show a difference in their fluid levels. One baby had 18 and the other had 8 units of fluid. This was the first scare we had with the boys, and it was awful. I was put on bedrest for the rest of christmas break. I was told to add protein to every meal and to drink as much water as I could. I went back 10 days later, and their levels were 13 and 6 units. This was good news because their levels were closer to each other. I went back 10 days later, and she did not need to measure their levels. She could tell be looking at them that they were perfect. We were so relieved :)
The rest of January and February went by and there were no issues. I felt great for the most part. My back hurt after teaching all day, but that is to be expected. I loved the 2nd trimester. My appointments were going great. The boys were putting on weight, and I felt amazing.
On Monday February 28th, I went in for a routine OB appointment at 27 weeks pregnant. My doctor measured my cervix, and everything about my pregnancy changed in an instant.
It had gone from measuring 3.7 cm to 2.6 cm in two weeks and was 1 cm dilated. Anything below 2.5 cm is concern before 34 weeks pregnant. Basically, the weight of the 2 babies is tricking my body into thinking it needs to start preparing for birth.
I had an appointment with my high risk specialist the next day in the same building. My doctor told me if the specialist got a measurement of less than 2.5 cm I would be on hospital bedrest. The specialist has a more accurate machine to determine the real length. She was putting me on home bedrest at that moment.
Brandon and I were COMPLETELY freaked out. I had taught that day, and felt great. It was a good day with my kiddos, and everything was going well. We decided to go down to my specialist and see if she would measure it then. I did not want to stress for 24 hours about whether I would be put in the hospital.
My specialist took me straight in, and she measured 2.4 cm. We went straight to the hospital, which is across the parking lot. I was admitted, and put on monitors for the boys. They also monitored contractions. I was contracting, but never felt any of it. So, they put me on Procardia to stop the contractions. I was in the hospital until Thursday. They said since my contractions had basically stopped, they felt home bedrest would work. I had my last baby shower that weekend when I got home.
The following Monday March 8th, I went in and had my cervix checked again at 28 weeks. It was 2 cm. My doctor said she was willing to let me go home and re-check on Wednesday. While she was finishing writing things in my file, she said she could not let me go home. Looking at my length and knowing I was only 28 weeks she just could not let me go home. So, back to the hospital we went.
On Wednesday at 28 weeks 3 days, my specialist checked my cervix and it measured 1.4 cm. I was devastated. I had been on bedrest and it was not helping. The boys were doing great and weighed 2 lbs 14 oz and 2 lbs 11 oz. They looked absolutely aborable in the ultrasound. I cannot wait to love on them.
On Monday March 14th, I went in and they measured around 2.4 cm. I felt so relieved. Laying in bed ALL DAY was helping. Thank goodness!
On Monday March 20th, I went in and they measured around 2.6 cm. YAY!
I have another ultrasound on March 23rd with my specialist. She will give me new weights for the boys and re-check my cervix.
I have been in the hospital since February 28th, except the 4 days I was released. It seems to really be helping and the boys are doing great. I am 30 weeks 3 days, and praying to make it to 36 weeks.
Brandon spends every night in the hospital with me. Seriously. I have been so blessed. He is laid-back and calm about everything in our lives. This is why I married him because I am SO NOT any of those character traits ;) In times like these, he makes me laugh and is supportive. I don't know what I would do without him by my side.
So, no teaching=no fun. When you are a teacher, your students are YOUR kids. I see them everyday, and genuinely care about them. I HATE that I am not there to teach them. They are reviewing for their TAKS test the next 2 weeks, and I feel so guilty not being there. I love my kiddos, and I know they will do great. I just wish I could see them, and remind them of the tricks I taught them in each unit. I called and spoke to each student to tell them their benchmark scores. They did GREAT. I was so proud of them. They made me a sweet card that each student signed. It made me cry :(
I know I am doing what I have to for my boys to be healthy and that is what keeps me going :)
♥ Nursery & Baby Showers
It has been entirely too long since I updated this blog! Hopefully, I will get better about it, and become as good as Jackie is about her blog! ;)
Since I last updated we found out the twins are Identical BOYS on November 29, 2010! We are naming them Drake and Hunter. We are still slightly debating on middle names. Hunter Paul Olive is definitely his name. Drake is the name we have not chosen yet. Drake Brandon Olive & Drake Arthur Olive are the two we are deciding on. If we go with Arthur, both boys will have their grandfather's name as their middle name. If we go with Brandon, both boys will be named after their daddy. So, we will see :)
When I found out it was boys I knew immediately what crib bedding I wanted! It is the only boy bedding that fit our style, and I LOVE it. Finding the perfect furniture took a little longer than expected. I was SHOCKED at the price of nursery furniture! I stumbled across the Graco Stanton set at walmart.com & fell in love! It has the Espresso finish that I like, and it was very reasonable! Brandon's family bought all of the furniture for us for christmas. My parents bought the boys' bedding for us for christmas. We are so blessed to have such supportive families! Pam, Lacey, and Nanny painted the boys nursery for us! We decided to paint the bottom of the room chocolate brown, then have a white chair rail. The room was already cream color, so we left the top that color. It turned out perfect, and cutting that chair rail was quite interesting ;)
My next shower was thrown by Lacey, Theresa, Linda, Kaitlyn, and Kylie. It was beautiful! Our bedding set was being discontinued, and it was no longer carried at Babies~R~Us. So, I could not register for all of the neat stuff that goes with their bedding. Lacey decided to order it all, and use it as decorations for the "Deer" themed baby shower! It turned out adorable! Pam made the cake, and it was absolutely precious! Pop drew the deer from our bedding, and she used that to put it on the cake! The food, decorations, gifts, everything was amazing. We recieved more gifts than we could have ever dreamt of recieving. We are truly blessed!
The last shower was thrown by Crystal, Cirby, Brooke R. and Lindsey. The theme was "Two Peas in a Pod" along with "We Olive Twins" When Brandon and I were in high school we would try to guess if the other said "I Love You" or "Olive You" So, "We All Love Twins" was perfect! It turned out adorable. There were so many creative ideas put into the shower. The cake was made by one of Crystal's friends, and WOW it was perfect. Again, we recieved so many sweet gifts that we were shocked.
Left frame: Boys Initials
Next frame: Collage of pregnancy photos and ultrasounds.
Next Frame: "We Olive Twins" spelled out in toys. Crystal and a family friend, Sandy, came up with this idea, and it is precious!
Last Frame: My silhouette at 23 weeks pregnant.
I was overwhelmed by the amount of gifts we recieved that were personalized, and took so much time. We got blankets, burp cloths, and towels that had the boys names, initials, or last name. It was incredible! I absolutely love personalized items, so it made me cry!
Brandon had a diaper shower with family and friends. The guys grilled and played poker. He recieved so many diapers and wipes. We certainly will not be buying diapers for a couple of months! Thank goodness :)
Between the three showers, Brandon and I will not need to get much for our boys. It was such a blessing, and we want to thank everyone for coming and being so supportive.
Drake & Hunter are blessed little boys! We cannot wait for everyone to meet them!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
♥ Identical Twins ♥
Since my last post, life has been a bit crazy! We went in for our first ultrasound on October 6th, 2010. We sat in the waiting room, completely ecstatic to finally see our baby! A woman walked in with a double stroller, Brandon said to me "That is going to be you in a couple months." I replied, "Shut up! If it is I am driving off the Baytown bridge, and leaving a note so you don't get the insurance money!" We laughed, and continued to wait to see our doctor.
We get in the room, and she asks the normal questions. Date of your last missed period, etc. Then, she pulls out the ultrasound machine! I am SO EXCITED! :) She started the ultrasound, and we can see the baby! It surely does not look like a baby, but none the less that little circle was OUR BABY! We could see the beating heart, and hear it which was amazing. She begins to measure, and says baby Olive is .55cm! I reply "We are making progress!" She moved the slightest bit, and then states in a tone I can't put into words, "You have REALLY been making progress!" Just by the way she said it I knew to look at the screen. Sure enough, a SECOND baby popped up on the screen! We had been measuring the top left baby, when bottom right baby decided to pop in the screen! Brandon has the HUGEST smile I have ever seen! I burst into tears! No wonder I was showing so fast, I have TWO babies inside me! I cried the entire appointment. I was so totally shocked.
So, here are answers to all the questions I have been getting!
Are they natural?
Yes, we just decided to have a baby, and got TWO :)
Do twins run in our families?
Yes, we both have twins in our families, but it only matters if it is in the female's side of the family. Only Fraternal twins can be hereditary, not identical twins. Out twins are IDENTICAL, so I spontaneously split and created two babies for no known reason.
Are they identical or fraternal?
Identical
Are they boys, girls, or both?
Identical twins means they came from the same egg. Fraternal twins are two seperate eggs. So, since mine came from the SAME egg, they are DEFINITELY the same sex. We are having two little boys, or two little girls. As of now, doctors are leaning towards boys. We find out next Tuesday, November 30th.
So, they say with multiples that morning sickness is worse. WOW! I was sick from week 7 through week 12. Morning had nothing to do with it, I was sick all day. Nothing helped. So, I lost 10 pounds in the first trimester. I will be 14 weeks on Sunday, and I have been nauseau free for almost 2 weeks! My energy still has not come back, but it is getting much better.
Here are some of our Ultrasound pictures
October 6th, 2010
6 weeks pregnant
6 weeks pregnant
October 18, 2010
8 weeks pregnant
November 2, 2010
10 weeks pregnant
Left Baby Kicking
10 weeks
Right Baby Waving
10 weeks
This does cause me to be high risk, so I go to a specialist every two weeks. I see my regular doctor once a month for now. So, I am going to the doctor 3 times a month! The great thing, is I get to see the babies a lot, and know that they are ok! I joined a twin forum, and have other twin pregnant moms to talk to about what is happening. A couple of them lost one of their twins during the first trimester. This has made me much more grateful for what I have been blessed to raise!
My doctor plans to take the babies at 36 weeks which is the last week in April. It will most likely be a C-section because it is safest for the babies, and they have to meet a million requirements to be delivered vaginally.
So, everything is going great and the babies are healthy!
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