9 weeks and 2 days...and a Sonogram!

    The day arrived for our second sonogram and we were so excited because this one would be with OUR actual doctor. We have seen his dad the times before (who we love too) but this would be our first time to see Dr. Hampton-Richards and discuss the twins.
     We were both very quiet on the way to the appointment and I guess I didn't realize how nervous we both were.  For a process as amazing and "like clockwork" as having a baby is, there is still so much that can go wrong and we know those odds are doubled with two babies.  So our hearts were both pounding a little.  We headed over to the OB office which is were they would be seeing us since I am now an obstetric patient. Traffic was horrible and we were already 5 minutes late when we arrived. As I was writing my name down and told them who I was, the nurses informed me that my appointment was at the OTHER building...across the street.  Well, like any normal pregnant person, I started crying and we began hoofing it over to the other office.  They were very sweet and told us they would call over and let them know.
    At 4:13 we arrive at the CORRECT office and I check in...only to find out that our insurance change went into effect September 1 and not October 1 like I thought.  This meant that I had no insurance card and it took another 15 minutes for them to get in touch with Aetna and figure out my benefits.  FINALLY, we were checked in and ready to see the doc.
   Our wonderful nurse, Kelly, came to get us and gave us a hard time about our directionally challenged lateness!!!  They weighed me and I gave a urine sample and we were finally in a room ready to go.  Dr. Hampton-Richards came in and looked at us and started laughing and just kept saying "twins!" over and over.  He and his wife have twins and way back when we began the process of trying to start a family I mentioned "I wouldn't mind having twins" to which he replied back "you watch your tongue, you don't know what you are asking for"!!  He explained that we were his first set of twins from IUI where only one follicle was present on day 12.  When I went in on day 12 way back in July before our IUI procedure and he did the sonogram I only had one follicle measuring at 13cm.  He told me he likes to see them around 20cm to be viable and prime for fertilization and I remember leaving feeling so disappointed and pretty convinced that this cycle would probably be a wash but we decided to take our chances!!  4 days later, I had a positive ovulation test and we went ahead with the procedure the next day.  Fast forward to now, to realize that my little 13cm egg not only developed big enough to make one baby but that ANOTHER egg did the same...he said we are definitely his first!!!
   He went about starting the sonogram and I remember my grip tightening on Mason and just praying to have two heartbeats.  He said "there's one heartbeat...." pause (longest pause of my life) and followed it with "there's the 2nd heartbeat"!  He turned the screen around and not only were there two heartbeats but there were two very wiggly little gummy bears in two separate sacs!  Their heads are huge of course but there they were, little arm and leg buds just moving like crazy!  They measured a few days ahead and all looked wonderful!

There they are together...although one always hides...

Tops of their heads!

Baby A was the wiggliest! Big head and little arms and leg buds!

   After he sat me up he answered any questions we had for the next 15 minutes or so.  He told me to be prepared for bedrest anytime after 24 weeks and I guess my eyes got huge and he laughed.  He explained that bedrest becomes a good option for extending their lives by 24 weeks because they are viable outside the womb then.  Meaning, if I came in at 26 weeks having contractions, a week or so of bedrest and drugs could keep them in there but if they were born they would survive with NICU. But if I came in at 19 weeks with contractions, bedrest isn't going to help anything.  He said he has no intentions of doing bedrest at all because I am young and, so far, (knock on wood) complication-free.  We discussed the high likeliness that I will have a C-section because a normal birth with twins would mean everything had to line up perfectly; both heads down, both heartrates in normal range etc.  Our next step is to have another sonogram at 12 weeks to check the babies for a couple of possible defects and take a blood test to check for any genetic abnormalities.  So October 6th...we get to see them again!!!
   They are about the size of strawberries and they are definitely making their presence known.  Very few of my pants fit and I tried on a dress the other day right after dinner and I looked 4 months along. I am clearly not prepared for the speed with which I am going to be growing. It got me thinking, anyone that knows me knows I am a planner. Its a gift and a curse at times.  I feel so strongly that God sent me these TWO babies to make me finally realize that planning is a waste in a lot of areas of life.  All my wonderful ideas of how life would be when we finally had a baby and the walks we would take and the playdates and the beautiful, serene, natural delivery we would have....all.out.the.window!  We will probably have a C-section and everything I have read on parenting twins says the first year is about survival and that two infants needing your constant attention at the same time, not to mention at the same time in your wallet....well, like I said.  Plans are shot to hell...now it is more like anything goes and I think it will be my greatest test.  But I think I am ready!!!!