This week has been a typical one for our family. Just crazy. That about sums it up!
Last Saturday we took the kids to the Easter Egg Hunt at church. It's really an awesome event! Everyone hunts for eggs and it's done several times so each child can hunt for eggs and actually get some-unlike the county-wide egg hunt that we tried to attend last year where a few kids got dozens of eggs and most of the others had empty baskets.
The boys got to jump in the moon bounce and then I took the girls to hunt for eggs. Jason took the boys. There were tables set up everywhere with various Easter crafts so the kids decorated flower pots and painted. They even decorated Easter cookies so everyone had a sweet snack! Then we went over and saw the Easter Bunny. We decided to be nice to the bunny and split the kids up so he was not sitting in the heat with 4 kids all over him at once.
On Easter Sunday we went to church. It's been a few weeks since we last went because of Jason's schedule. Unfortunately he was working on Easter too so he got home at 7am and then got dressed for church. By the time he got home to go to bed it was after noon and he was exhausted. I am really over this stupid schedule he's working! I haven't been sleeping lately either which makes it that much worse.
For Easter dinner I had bought a big turkey but I stupidly forgot to thaw it in time. I've been craving turkey (protein!) for a few weeks. We ended up having a quick casserole that I threw together. I don't know why, but our crappy Easter dinner just sent me over the edge. I realized that I need family and need support and I can't stand being so far from the people we love. I thought about my family back home gathering around the table and sharing a huge Easter meal while we sat down here eating a crummy casserole.
Needless to say, I have decided that I will go to Virginia. I'm planning to leave in July and come back after Thanksgiving. I'm not sure how it will work, but I'm trusting God that it will. I feel at peace with the decision and know that Jason will miss us but we'll get through it because we've been separated before.
On Tuesday I had my first appointment with the MFM specialist that I don't like. He was pretty nice at the appointment when I refused an exam and he only made one snarky homebirth comment. I ended up spending 3 hours there so he could have an ultrasound done. He wanted to confirm that the babies are in separate amniotic sacs-which they are of course.
The doc told me that I'm a great candidate for another VBAC. I was shocked to hear him say that considering he's the one who scheduled a cesarean for me last time. He says there is a 50/50 chance that I'll be able to have a vaginal birth. Right now my huge anterior placenta is completely covering my cervix. I'm confident it will move (as it did with J) but he says it's only a 50/50 chance because of its position. I don't know if I believe that. 90% of all low-lying placentas diagnosed in early pregnancy will move before birth. Mine is a complete previa right now but I've still got 25 weeks for it to get out of the way! The other concern is that the placenta is over my c-section scar right now too. Hopefully it moves and does not grow into the scar. I swear it's one thing after another with me...
We tried to peek at the sex of the babies but couldn't get a clear shot. The glimpse that we did catch may have shown something between the legs but I'm not convinced they aren't girl parts. We should know for sure at the next ultrasound.
Here is a 3D image of the babies. It's the first time I've ever had a 3D u/s and I think it's a little creepy! Both babies looked great though.
I talked to Dr. De Lia (the TTTS expert) and he thinks I should not worry about TTTS in this pregnancy. He thinks the odds of it happening twice in a row are slim. (Of course so are the odds of having 2 sets of identical twins in a row!) He thinks that monitoring every 2-3 weeks will be sufficient and wants me to measure my fundal height at home in between visits. Sounds like a good plan to me!
Wednesday was M's weekly appointment for OT. J and I walked around outside the hospital while we waited. After M was done we were in the waiting room while his therapist told me how he was doing. All of a sudden J fell backwards. He had been standing next to me and just went down for no apparent reason! He hit his head on the metal trim around the window.
I lifted J up and there was blood spurting out. I used my hand to apply pressure while everyone went running to grab towels. He soaked through one towel before I was able to slow the bleeding. I took a peek at the gash and realized we needed to get to the ER. Luckily we were in the hospital so we just took an elevator downstairs!
J got 3 staples in the back of his head. He had a huge bump but some Arnica took care of that. He's feeling fine now, just a little sore. We have an appointment to follow-up with a pediatrician because they are concerned that there may be a reason for J's poor balance and coordination. Maybe his ears are full of fluid? I always just thought it was because he has Jason's big head. He is so accident-prone and very clumsy.
Yesterday I spent 6 hours building racks for the Moms of Multiples consignment sale this weekend. While I was building my yard was being destroyed by my friend's triplet sons! We lost a flower pot, a screen door, a cushion to our loveseat, a pool, and a swing. And I thought my kids were destructive! I spent the morning cleaning up the aftermath today. I still have to replace the screens in the door.
Calgon, take me away!
Last Saturday we took the kids to the Easter Egg Hunt at church. It's really an awesome event! Everyone hunts for eggs and it's done several times so each child can hunt for eggs and actually get some-unlike the county-wide egg hunt that we tried to attend last year where a few kids got dozens of eggs and most of the others had empty baskets.The boys got to jump in the moon bounce and then I took the girls to hunt for eggs. Jason took the boys. There were tables set up everywhere with various Easter crafts so the kids decorated flower pots and painted. They even decorated Easter cookies so everyone had a sweet snack! Then we went over and saw the Easter Bunny. We decided to be nice to the bunny and split the kids up so he was not sitting in the heat with 4 kids all over him at once.
On Easter Sunday we went to church. It's been a few weeks since we last went because of Jason's schedule. Unfortunately he was working on Easter too so he got home at 7am and then got dressed for church. By the time he got home to go to bed it was after noon and he was exhausted. I am really over this stupid schedule he's working! I haven't been sleeping lately either which makes it that much worse.
For Easter dinner I had bought a big turkey but I stupidly forgot to thaw it in time. I've been craving turkey (protein!) for a few weeks. We ended up having a quick casserole that I threw together. I don't know why, but our crappy Easter dinner just sent me over the edge. I realized that I need family and need support and I can't stand being so far from the people we love. I thought about my family back home gathering around the table and sharing a huge Easter meal while we sat down here eating a crummy casserole.
Needless to say, I have decided that I will go to Virginia. I'm planning to leave in July and come back after Thanksgiving. I'm not sure how it will work, but I'm trusting God that it will. I feel at peace with the decision and know that Jason will miss us but we'll get through it because we've been separated before.
On Tuesday I had my first appointment with the MFM specialist that I don't like. He was pretty nice at the appointment when I refused an exam and he only made one snarky homebirth comment. I ended up spending 3 hours there so he could have an ultrasound done. He wanted to confirm that the babies are in separate amniotic sacs-which they are of course.
The doc told me that I'm a great candidate for another VBAC. I was shocked to hear him say that considering he's the one who scheduled a cesarean for me last time. He says there is a 50/50 chance that I'll be able to have a vaginal birth. Right now my huge anterior placenta is completely covering my cervix. I'm confident it will move (as it did with J) but he says it's only a 50/50 chance because of its position. I don't know if I believe that. 90% of all low-lying placentas diagnosed in early pregnancy will move before birth. Mine is a complete previa right now but I've still got 25 weeks for it to get out of the way! The other concern is that the placenta is over my c-section scar right now too. Hopefully it moves and does not grow into the scar. I swear it's one thing after another with me...
We tried to peek at the sex of the babies but couldn't get a clear shot. The glimpse that we did catch may have shown something between the legs but I'm not convinced they aren't girl parts. We should know for sure at the next ultrasound.
Here is a 3D image of the babies. It's the first time I've ever had a 3D u/s and I think it's a little creepy! Both babies looked great though.I talked to Dr. De Lia (the TTTS expert) and he thinks I should not worry about TTTS in this pregnancy. He thinks the odds of it happening twice in a row are slim. (Of course so are the odds of having 2 sets of identical twins in a row!) He thinks that monitoring every 2-3 weeks will be sufficient and wants me to measure my fundal height at home in between visits. Sounds like a good plan to me!
Wednesday was M's weekly appointment for OT. J and I walked around outside the hospital while we waited. After M was done we were in the waiting room while his therapist told me how he was doing. All of a sudden J fell backwards. He had been standing next to me and just went down for no apparent reason! He hit his head on the metal trim around the window.
I lifted J up and there was blood spurting out. I used my hand to apply pressure while everyone went running to grab towels. He soaked through one towel before I was able to slow the bleeding. I took a peek at the gash and realized we needed to get to the ER. Luckily we were in the hospital so we just took an elevator downstairs!
J got 3 staples in the back of his head. He had a huge bump but some Arnica took care of that. He's feeling fine now, just a little sore. We have an appointment to follow-up with a pediatrician because they are concerned that there may be a reason for J's poor balance and coordination. Maybe his ears are full of fluid? I always just thought it was because he has Jason's big head. He is so accident-prone and very clumsy.
Yesterday I spent 6 hours building racks for the Moms of Multiples consignment sale this weekend. While I was building my yard was being destroyed by my friend's triplet sons! We lost a flower pot, a screen door, a cushion to our loveseat, a pool, and a swing. And I thought my kids were destructive! I spent the morning cleaning up the aftermath today. I still have to replace the screens in the door.
Calgon, take me away!
