Boy or Girl?

On March 18th, I went in for my 20 week ultrasound. I am happy to report that both babies look fantastic and are developing exactly the way they should be. Emilio and Sergio are going to be the proud daddies of a little boy, AND a little girl.

My dear friend Lyndsey, from Melrose Photography took these gorgeous gender reveal pictures for me. I wanted the daddies to have something extra special to have remember this amazing moment in their lives. We are all thrilled that both babies are healthy, active, and growing. We can't wait to meet them in  just a few more months, and finally see their beautiful little faces. Love to you all!

Long Awaited Update

Hi everyone! It's been so long since I have posted an update, that I am sure some of my most dedicated blog readers have given up on me. But here I am!! A lot has happened in the past several weeks that I am very excited to share with all of you.

I had an ultrasound on December 29th. Both babies looked fantastic, each measuring about an inch long, and their heartbeats were both good and strong. It was a bittersweet day that day, because I had officially graduated from the fertility clinic, The staff at the clinic started to really feel like family and I am going to miss them all dearly. This meant that I was clear to start seeing my regular OB doctor for the remainder of my pregnancy. The time also had come to start weaning myself off all the medications I was currently taking. This was a happy moment not only for me, but for my rock star husband who had been faithfully giving me injections for the past 5 months. Over the next few weeks I slowly decreased the amount of medication and eventually I was all done! Woohoo!!

    

Baby bump at 9 weeks! 

My next appointment was on January 13th. I had made it to the 11th week mark!  This was my first appointment with the same doctor who delivered my two boys. It was your typical first prenatal doctor appointment. I was able to ask some questions that Emilio & Sergio had requested that I ask the doctor. Best part of the appointment was we got to see the babies again via ultrasound. This ultrasound was incredible. It was so awesome to see both babies and how much they have grown and how much they were moving. Baby A definitely seems to be the more active of the two babies. The second the ultrasound tech would put the probe on my belly, that baby would start flipping and moving around. Baby B is the more relaxed baby. We definitely saw movement, but not like his or her brother or sister. Their little personalities are already developing, such an incredible thing to witness!

Baby bump at 11 weeks! 

January 24th, was a really exciting day for me! I was getting a massage and as I was lying on my stomach, I felt something that felt like a beating pulse. I knew it wasn't my actual pulse because it wasn't consistent with my pulse. I laid there for a minute then I felt it again! I knew at that moment what I was feeling was these little babies moving around in my belly. It was amazing! I could not wait to share that moment with the daddies. Since that night, I feel the babies move all the time! These days their movements are much more noticeable and I feel them more often.

Baby bump at 13 weeks! 

Received this fun picture of Sergio, shortly after we read the baby's were the size of a lime that week. 

My next appointment was on February 4th. We were at the 14th week mark! This time they weighed me for the first time. I had officially gained 8 pounds, At first that was a little difficult for me to accept, but then I quickly realized I have not one, but two little babies in my belly, who are growing everyday. Weight gain was going to happen and I was going to have to deal with it. The doctor attempted to listen to their heartbeats with the doppler but he was having a difficult time getting the doppler to work correctly. He decided it would be best to go in for another ultrasound. I have to admit I was a little excited the doppler didn't work, I was looking forward to seeing the babies again. Both babies looked great, both growing right on schedule, and their heart beats were both strong. As usual Baby A was flipping around, doing somersaults, And Baby B was just hanging out, occasionally moving and kicking his or her legs when it felt like it. I fall more and more in love with these babies everyday. I cannot wait for them to join this world and finally meet their amazing parents!

Baby bump at 15 weeks! 

Baby bump at 16 weeks! Surrobabies first trip to the Boise Zoo :) 

My most recent trip to the doctors office was last Wednesday, February 25th. I was up another two pounds on the scale, but I was actually pleasantly surprised, considering how crazy intense my appetite has been. We were able to hear each baby's heart beat on the doppler, which was incredible! My husband was able to get the heart beats on video so we could send it to Emilio and Sergio. They were thrilled! My next appointment is scheduled for March 18th! This will be a BIG day for all of us!! We will be having the 20 week ultrasound, which is estimated to last two hours! The ultrasound will look at each baby in great detail, and we will even get to find out if the baby's are boys, girls, or one of each! Stay tuned that will be such an exciting day for the daddies!

As of today, I am definitely starting to feel pregnant! I swear I am getting bigger by the day. I have recently noticed bending over to put my socks on, or tie my shoes is becoming a bit of a challenge. Both babies like to move a lot, which always makes my heart happy! I am enjoying every second of this pregnancy! And I feel truly blessed to be apart of this amazing journey! 

Goodbye feet! Nice knowing you.

Baby bump at 17 weeks! 

Thank you all for your continued love and support! I am vowing right now to be more consistent with my updates. Love to you all!! 

Bring on the Babies!!

First off I want to apologize to all you dedicated readers out there, I know you all have been patiently waiting for an update. I've been waiting to make sure all is well before I posted the latest update. But I promise this blog post will be worth the wait.

Five days post transfer, and after much discussion the daddies and I decided that I would go ahead and take a home pregnancy test. The clinic doesn't typically recommend carriers to do this because it can often give false results. But the three of us couldn't wait another a week for the blood tests, so we decided to just give it try. The first test I took, the results seemed to take forever, but then I saw a very faint positive line. I was so excited that I immediately sent a picture of the test to Emilio and Sergio. Unfortunately neither one of them saw the very faint positive line and became disappointed. When I realized they didn't see it, I told them to look a little closer. Their reactions once they realized what they saw were priceless. They were both over the moon excited! This made my heart so happy for them! Over the next two days, I took two more home pregnancy tests, both of which had the same results, and the positive line was darker each time I took a test. We all now had to wait for the upcoming blood tests to confirm the pregnancy.

On November 21st, I went into the clinic for my first blood test. This blood test is to determine the level of the HCG hormone in my body. The HCG hormone is only detected once an embryo has implanted into the uterus. The first test (which is referred to in the IVF world as a Beta) the clinic wants to see the levels at anywhere above a 5, seems doable right? The first test came back and my Beta numbers were 121!!! The clinic was very pleased with these numbers. I was instructed to come back another blood draw in 3 days. By then the clinic wants to see the first numbers at least double. My next blood draw was on a Monday. This test for some reason was a little more nerve wracking for all of us. And I am not exactly sure why. I went into the clinic first thing that morning, and after waiting for what seemed like forever, we finally got the results. I received this text from Emilio and Sergio and then shortly after, I received a text from Linda at the clinic. My numbers had more than doubled! My beta numbers were at a 628!!! This confirmed I was pregnant.

My next blood test was the 20 day beta check which was on December 4th.  This clinic likes to see this number at anything above a 1,000. My results came in at whopping 16,044!!! The numbers were amazing! I was instructed to continue all medications and schedule an ultrasound for December 15th. I have to say the next couple weeks waiting for the ultrasound was agonizing! I could not wait to see the little baby (babies) on the screen, I could not wait to have my pregnancy officially confirmed. I could not wait to witness the excitement from Emilio and Sergio. The weekend before the ultrasound, I remember thinking that I have never wanted a weekend to go by that fast.

Monday, December 15, finally rolled around. I purposely scheduled the ultrasound for early in the morning, so none of us had to wait all day. When my husband and I arrived at the clinic, we were both very nervous. I was grateful that Linda would be conducting the ultrasound, which helped put both of us at ease. When Linda called us back I remember her telling us she was twitterpated and excited! Once in the room, we were ready to go! And what did we did.....not one but TWO perfect little embryos, each with very strong heartbeats! I could not believe it, I had two little babies in my tummy. I could not wait to tell the daddies the news. I sent them a picture of the ultrasound screen and a special video of their babies heartbeats. As you can imagine, they were ecstatic, and in a little shock. Feeling their excitement and happiness is exactly why I chose to do this. This was one of the happiest and most memorable days of my life.

Perfect little embryos 

Look closely, you can see the little heartbeats. 

So far I am feeling pretty good. I am battling the typical first trimester issues, such as fatigue and morning sickness, which thankfully hasn't been too bad. I am considering myself very lucky. What has surprised me though this time around is how fast my body is already changing. My jeans are very snug and are almost too uncomfortable to wear and I am already starting to get a little baby bump.

Baby bump at 8 weeks! 

Our next ultrasound is scheduled for December 29th. If all goes well at that appointment, the clinic will start weaning me from all medications, which means no more shots....YAY!!! I will keep you all posted. I promise I will give you all an update on Monday, with another picture of the adorable babies I am cooking. Thanks again for all your continued love and support!!

Transfer Day!!

On November 14th, 2014 the long awaited day had finally arrived. It was day we had all been anxiously waiting for many months, it was transfer day! I woke up that morning incredibly nervous. I got up, got ready, and got my kids ready to go spend the weekend with their grandparents. It seemed like the morning was just dragging by. Throughout the morning Emilio, Sergio, and myself exchanged several text messages. They were both so encouraging and such a great support, although I knew they were just as nervous as I was, if not more. I could tell that they both wished they could be here for the transfer. I decided to I was going to do my best to make them as involved as I possibly could. My best friend volunteered to join us, so that she could Skype Emilio and Sergio during the entire transfer process. Next best thing to being there in person.

The transfer was scheduled for 10:30 AM. I was instructed to arrive at the clinic 30 minutes prior to the procedure. My husband and I had to leave our house an hour early because we got seven inches of snow overnight and knew the roads were going to be awful. This is unusual for Idaho, especially for so early in the year. The daddies and I agreed, that the snow was a good sign!

When we arrived at the clinic I was given a Valium, which is used to relax my uterus and to prevent any cramping during the procedure. I was instructed to lay down and wait for the medication to kick in. Linda, the beloved nurse from the clinic who has been one of my greatest supports during this process came in to give me a hug and say hi. Then Dr. Slater came in to talk about the procedure. Dr. Slater stated that they will placing two Grade A embryos into my uterus. She explained that Grade A. is the best level an embryo can be. She stated I had a 65% chance of becoming pregnant with one baby, 40% chance of twins, and then a 1% chance of the eggs splitting in half, and either having triplets or quadruplets.

Perfect little embryos 

When it was time to begin the actual transfer, we were able to connect with Emilio and Sergio on Facetime. It was so awesome to have the daddies involved, epecially from all the way in Brazil. The procedure only last about 10 minutes. Dr. Slater stated that everything went perfectly.

Once the procedure was complete, I was instructed to go home and rest for the next two days which the clinic referred to as the "Princess Days." This was only the beginning of the dreaded two week wait to see if the transfer was a success.

Let's just  say the next week went by very slowly for all of us.

Prayers & Positive Vibes

I am excited to announce that the transfer has been scheduled for this Friday the 14th, at 10:30 AM. I received a text from Linda, the nurse at the clinic confirming the time and instructions for the transfer. Linda also informed me that the embryos are doing terrific!

I was instructed to arrive at the clinic thirty minutes before the scheduled transfer time. I will be given a Valium which will help relax my uterus and prevent cramping during the procedure. The actual procedure doesn't typically last longer than 15 minutes, once it's over I will need to lay flat for one hour at the clinic.

Once I get home I get to lay in bed for the next two days and RELAX!! Sounds like a dream come true! My in-laws have graciously offered to take my boys for the weekend so I can rest.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. After our last transfer experience I think we are all a little scared and nervous. The daddies want their baby, and I want to be able to give them that baby. Aside from feeling nervous each of us (Emilio & Sergio, my husband, and myself) all have good feelings about this one.

Please send all your prayers, thoughts, and positive vibes our direction for Friday and for the next couple of weeks. We all prepared for our our nerves to be a little on edge.

Again, thank you for all your continued love & support to us throughout this journey. We love you all! I will keep you all posted. Check back for updates in the next couple of days. I'll do my best to keep everyone updated on what is going on.

Spanish Blog Posts!!

I have some fantastic news for all our Spanish readers out there!! HUGE thank you to Emilio's sister who graciously translated all the blog posts into Spanish. The translated entries will be under each post. Thank you to all of you for reading and following along with all of us on this journey. Also I cannot say thank you enough to all of you for all your love, support, and prayers! We are grateful for each of you!

Hopeful Dreams

Last week I had a dream. It was one of those dreams that when you wake up the next morning, you're happy. For me this dream not only made me happy but so very hopeful for the future. 

In my dream, I was in the hospital. I had just given birth to two perfect little boys. They were both so tiny and each had a head full of dark hair. Emilio and Sergio were there and the looks on each of their faces was priceless. I sat in my hospital bed and watched these two little boys with their very proud daddies. My heart was happy and full of joy! 

When I woke up, I was so so happy! I told my husband and then couldn't wait to share this with Emilio & Sergio! I sent them this text. 

 

Turns out they had a baby dream that night as well. Maybe these dreams are a sign, maybe a reassurance that everything is going to work out just the way it's supposed to. No matter what these dreams are, it gave each of sense of hope and excitement for the future. 

Please keep all of us in your prayers over the next few weeks. The transfer is scheduled for November 10th! We will need all your prayers, thoughts, and positive vibes heading our way on that day. 

People always say, dreams really can come true. I have a good feeling about this one.