19 Week Checkup June 28, 2008

I had a doctor’s appointment this week with my normal OB.  He said that everything looked great and he was very pleased with how everything was going!  He measured my growing belly and then I got to hear their heartbeats.  Both heartbeats were fast and strong. 

I was watching a movie the other day called “Facing the Giants”.  I’m sure many of you have seen it.  Within the movie, one of the struggles that the main actors (husband and wife) face is infertility.  The wife struggles with taking pregnancy tests and the disappointment of always seeing a negative result.  Seeing the movie brought back so much of my own hurt of walking through the trial of trying to have a baby.  It also made me appreciate so much what the Lord has done in our lives.  At the end of the movie (I won’t give away the story ending for those who haven’t seen it), the whole conclusion is that nothing is impossible with God.  I definitely know that I am living that truth right now.  While we may not have struggled with infertility like some couples do.  Our journey was relatively easy compared to some.  We still feel just as grateful and in awe of what He has done.  I just wanted to take a moment to publicly say, “Thank you, Lord.”

18 Weeks June 21, 2008

I am officially 18 weeks and 3 days, but whose counting, right?  I have been feeling great, except for my good old friend indigestion rearing it’s ugly head 24/7.  I think that I’ve learned by now to cope with it though.  It’s a small price to pay for being an “incubator” for two precious little girls.  I have outgrown all of my pre-maternity clothes.  I’ve had lots of fun shopping for maternity clothes.  George doesn’t seem to understand why I need new clothes.  He thinks that since I’ll be staying home all summer I can just walk around in t-shirts and pajama pants.  It is that simple for men, huh?  He’s just beginning his journey in a house filled with 3 human females and a female dog. 

I attended an Accomplished Teaching Academy this week and it was there that I felt my babies move for the first time.  It was very subtle movements.  I felt like I had popcorn popping in my stomach.  George is jealous because he wants to feel them, but I keep telling him that the movements aren’t strong enough to be felt from the outside.  I’m not sure he’s convinced.  I’ve attached some pictures of my protruding stomach.  If anyone had any questions about whether or not I am really pregnant, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.  I have another appointment with my regular OB on Thursday so I will give another update after that. 

Names June 20, 2008

I realized that I have been remiss on posting what we have decided to name our baby girls.  I had some requests to let people know because they wanted to pray for them by name, rather than Baby A and Baby B.  I agree!  Hannah Grace is Baby A.  Kate Elizabeth is Baby B.  Hannah is the one that is at risk for being “malnourished” because her umbilical cord is not attached to the placenta normally. 

We SO appreciate all of you who have been praying for our girls and for us.  I get so excited about sharing news with you all because I almost feel like these babies belong to some of you as much as they belong to me and George.  The reason is because so many of you have been praying for us for so long to get pregnant and then again after we miscarried.  So many of you shared in our grief and loss and it’s just so awesome that you are now sharing in our victory and joy!  Ultimately, we are humbled by the fact that our girls are His.  They are a gift from Him.  I have really been thanking God in my prayers lately that He has shown me what true Christian fellowship is, what (who) the church is.   So…thank you from the depths of our hearts! 

I’ll be posting again in the next couple of days with new pregnancy pictures of my growing belly! 

The News You’ve All Been Waiting For June 13, 2008

So, I told you all that we would be finding out whether or not they are boys or girls and we did yesteday morning.  I know that I probably tortured some of you all by not posting yesterday, but I also wanted to scan some pictures in with the post.  Keep reading and you’ll get your answer:

We went to Brandon Regional Hospital for an ultrasound (about an hour-and-a-half long, might I add) and to meet with a perinatologist, or a high risk doctor.  About a half-an-hour into the process, we were anxiously waiting for the ultrasound tech to clear up the mystery.  Suddenly, George yells out, “It’s a girl!”  Then, the tech says, “Yes, It’s a girl!”  I’m laying there thinking, “What a horrible mother?  I can’t make out a thing!”   George later commented that he thinks he stole the tech’s thunder by saying it first.  He is really good at reading the ultrsounds though.  I’m impressed.  Of course, we knew we are having identical twins, so if one is a girl………..logic would follow that the other one is a girl!  HOW EXCITING!!!!  My eyes teared up with tears of elation!  I’ve posted some pictures and maybe you will have a better eye at seeing that they are girls.  I told George last night though that I feel really bad for exposing our little girls to the world.  I feel like I should be protecting their little girlhood and here I am showing the world.  (I think they’ll understand!)  That is all of the good news!

Here is the rest of the ultrasound report.  Since our girls share the same placenta, they are at a higher risk.  Baby B (we haven’t decided who is who yet) has an umbilical cord that connects to the placenta normally.  She is about 8 oz. now.  Baby A has an umbilical cord that connects on the side.  The medical terms for it are marginal or velamentous.  This means that the cord is inserted into the membranes and not directly to the placenta.  The effects of this are that Baby A is not receiving all of the nutrients that Baby B is receiving.  Therefore, she is only 6 oz., but nothing to be concerned about right now.  If their growth ratio difference gets about 30%, then it is considered abnormal.  Right now they are at a difference of 21%, which is “normal” for twins.  Ultimately, if the growth difference remains drastic, they would have to take the babies out early.   There is also a small possibility that some of the blood vessels in Baby A’s umbilical cord are on the membrane over the cervix.  The effect of this would be that as I near labor, the cervix opens and it would possibly cause the cord to rupture.  The doctor does not think that I have this though.  I know that is some heavy stuff and, as a mother, it’s scary.  However, I will leave you with what the doctor said to us.  The takeaway from the visit is this: Our babies are doing great!  I do have to go back every 4 weeks for an ultrasound and to meet with the high risk doctor so we’ll keep you updated! 

With all of that said, here is what you can pray for: HEALTHY BABIES!  Baby A needs to eat, eat, and eat some more.  Remember to thank HIM also, because he has continued to bless us with more than we could ask or imagine.  The Lord is on His throne and I know that He is watching over our baby girls.  We have walked a path of faith through this journey to have children and He has only proven faithful.  May this verse encourage your heart as it has mine:

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”  ~Psalm 33:20-22 

 In the meantime, enjoy the pictures!

Freedom June 9, 2008

YES….I officially have been school-free since last Friday!  I don’t think I have to tell you how good that feels (as I’m sure many of you who work year-round wish they did truly know).  However, I have many big projects looming over my head to tend to this summer.  The first one is cleaning my house.  For a neat freak, it’s killing me to see all the dust, but pregnancy tends to place your priorities elsewhere.    I also have to find a spot for all of my teaching supplies.  I have committed to only putting baby stuff in our nursery so I am going to have to get creative with storage. 

Speaking of nursery, that will be one of my next projects.  Many have been asking if we know what we are having yet.  The answer is no, but we should find out on Thursday.  We have an ultrasound appointment with a high risk doctor at Brandon Hospital so we are very much hoping to know whether or not they are boys or girls.  I have to tell you that our families are divided.  The Lantz family is convinced I will be having boys and the Schaefer family is leaning towards girls.  I tihnk George and I are too.  All of our dreams about our babies are that they have been girls.  BUT we could be very wrong. 

George had the last week off because of a 4-wheeling accident.  Yes, he’s okay.  He just has a nasty gash on his knee, but it’s healing quite well.  On Friday, we went over to his parents house to go swimming and we took Bella.  I wasn’t sure how she would react to swimming, but she did much better than Tootsie and Rosie (my childhood dogs) ever did.  She was very cautious at first and would only approach the side of the pool when George and I were not close enough to drag her in.  George was actually very patient and didn’t rush her into the pool (surprising)!  She eventually climbed onto our rafts and hung out with us.  She only had one instance of going underwater, but her mommy was there to yank her up by her collar. 

I think that’s a decent update for now…………..until Thursday!