Can You Believe It?
Tomorrow marks 37 weeks! And I am still hanging in here. We had a scan of the babies done on Tueday afternoon and Baby B surprised all of us. From the very beginning she has been a little smaller than her brother and at a scan done on September 9th Baby A (the boy) weighed 5lbs 6 oz and she weighed 4lbs 15oz.
I fully expected A to be 6lbs 7oz and B to be 6lbs at this latest appointment. WRONG!! A is 6lbs 5oz, so I was only 2 ounces off, but B weighed in at a hefty 6lbs 7oz!
So, we are almost at the end of the road here. I will be most surprised if I make it to 38 weeks, but 37 weeks is considered pretty much full term for twins and these two are definitely very healthy.
Stay posted!
Labels: Surrogate, twins
Just Hanging Around
Well, I am officially 36 weeks pregnant with these twins and I quite honestly have surprised myself as well as the OB that I have made it this far. We will have an ultrasound on Tuesday, but she and I both think that Baby A is well over 6lbs right now, and B is close to 6lbs. She measured me yesterday and I measured 45 weeks pregnant - can you say LARGE??
Hurricane Rita is making waves (no pun intended) even here in San Antonio. Rita is not expected to have any large impact on us at all, we might get some rain on Saturday, and there is a wind advisory out that says we can expect 35 mile per hour winds, but residents here are stocking up like crazy! Terry went to the store to buy water (we drink a lot of bottled water!) and Wal-mart was completely out. The lines at the checkout were crazy and he didn't even stop and get gas because the cars were creeping around the corner. We heard from one gal who lives in Houston and she is trying to get to her sister in Dallas. She left her house at midnight and by 6:30AM was only 40 miles from her house!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those in the path of Rita.
Labels: Surrogate, twins
Swimming Year Round
This summer ALL the kids learnt how to swim - a huge weight off my shoulders as I could relax a little more down at the pool. My biggest concern was that between seasons the little ones would forget everything!
Hayley tried out for the School District team - and boy, are the coaches rigourous! To get on the team is very hard, and then the requirements once they get on the team are tough. However, in reading the literature for this particular district I was interested to learn the teams have produced 12 Olympians - whether in diving, swimming or water polo.
Hayley made the team which is great for her, but what is even better for us is that as her immediate family we have FREE access to the Olympic size pool whenever there is advertised "Family Time". At the moment that is limited to 8 hours every weekend, but that is better than nothing, and on those cold winter weekends will be the perfect outlet for the kids and will still maintain their skills.
We LOVE our school district!
Labels: Hayley, pool
Miracles DO Happen
Ok, in order for people to get the full impact of this story, I need to give some background.
When our youngest son Carson was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Autism. At the time he showed all the classic symptoms including no language, living for long periods of time in his own world, getting upset when his schedule was changed even a bit. It was a hard time for our family, but Terry and I resolved that he would get better, and we signed up for several programmes offered through the school districts, and we prayed over him daily.
Jump ahead to this school year. Carson is in a regular Kindergarten classs, he has no special interventions, he gets no special help and although he still gets speech therapy, you would never know this child had received a devastating diagnosis three years ago this week. You'd think this would be enough - right? And don't get me wrong, Terry and I are thrilled, we weren't sure he'd ever get to this stage.
But, it gets even better! Carson has shown little interest in books, if I read to the other kids he sits on the periphery playing. He would bypass the books on the shelves to play with trains. I noticed this summer though that he pulled books from the shelves, mostly to count the page numbers. However, this afternoon I realised that he was reading a book, and not just an easy primer either! Carson taught himself to read! Terry and I have not sat down with him to teach him, his teachers have not got to the point of teaching the kids - he did this all by himself!
I can only come to the obvious conclusion that prayer works! Granted, Terry and I worked hard with him, but I don't believe Carson would be where he is today without the prayers of our family and many friends. And to those who have prayed for our son, we say 'Thank you'.
Labels: Carson, Jesus
Our "other" kids
Our family loves animals, and we are the proud owners of 3 cats, 1 dog and 1 snake.
The snake is a Ball Python (called that because of the way they will curl up when threatened). I never thought I would like a snake, but I have to say, this snake has captured our hearts. She is 18 months old now, and is approximately 2 and half feet long. She will grow no longer than 4 feet, which is perfect.
Joshua our dog is a stray we took in once we moved (actually so are the Calico and the grey cat). San Antonio has a real pet population problem. Too many people here think it's cruel to spay or neuter their pet, or they just don't care. I found Josh running desperately from person to person in the cold outside Carson's school one morning. He had so many fleas that it took an hour and a half in the shower with a comb and flea shampoo to clean him off.
Anyone else out there with a soft spot?
Labels: Chloe, Joshua, Serena, snake
Baby B is a Stubborn Little One!!
Yesterday I saw the u/s person and they measured the babies and A is 5lbs 7oz, and B is 5lbs even. That means if they were born right now they would more than likely go home immediately unless they exhibited signs of not being able to keep their body temperatures up by themselves, or had trouble sucking. That is the GREAT news.
On another front though on Labour day I began to feel really uncomfortable, I have been in a lot of pain because I thought both babies were kicking me at the same spot. Well, turns out only one was kicking! Kendall (baby B) turned again, and now her head is stuck right under my ribcage pushing my ribs out. Even breathing hurts when I sit or lay down! It doesn't change things for the delivery, I can still go vaginal because Wendall, the first twin is head down, but part of me is like, "you need to be able to breathe deeply when in labour, that's not happening right now!" I need this baby to turn! From what I read online, an external version done by the doctor is probably not a viable option because there are twins and therefore no room. I am going to try some natural remedies that might help.
Anyway, please agree with me in prayer that she moves, I am in such pain that I don't think I can take another couple of weeks of pregnancy like this. I want to give these guys another week or so in the womb, but the way I feel I just want to get it over and done with! I can feel her move a lot, and I really hope that one of the moves that was recommended by a midwife will get her head down again.
Labels: God, Surrogate, twins
Finally Brave Enough
Terry took the photo this morning, when I don't feel so 'big'! I wake up in the morning feeling pretty good about life, but by 2:00pm I feel HUGE!!
Labels: Surrogate, twins
How Big??
OK, so I go and see my OB today - officially I am 33 weeks and 6 days pregnant. A 'normal' pregnancy will last right around 40 weeks, although anything over 38 weeks is considered full term.
My OB measured my stomach today see how much the babies had grown. I was last measured two weeks ago when I was 31 weeks and 5 days pregnant. At that point, I measured at 38 weeks. In other words, if I was carrying one baby, I would be considered full term.
In just this last week I have really felt the babies growing. It's almost like my belly is a separate entity, and seems (in my eyes) to sway in front of me when I walk. Dr. Largoza measured me today and I measured at 43 weeks! I could barely believe my ears when she said that - no wonder I have been complaining about feeling big, I am!! The twins did 5 weeks worth of growing in 2 weeks.
But the good thing is that the babies are big and healthy - both are over 5lbs. We will get a more accurate idea of their size on Friday when I return for yet another ultrasound! (I think I have seen one doctor or another once a week since we started this whole process).
In the meantime I am holding on, 34 weeks is right around the corner. Anything past that is a bonus, and although part of me wants to be done already, another, more rational part knows that staying pregnant longer is the best thing for these babies.
Labels: Surrogate, twins
Smelker Labour Day
Well, I called Warrick the "phantom child" and I was not far wrong! I had to go back almost 11 months in iPhoto to find this shot of him.
We had a quiet, relaxing day here. Terry, the master chef of pancakes brought out the griddle this morning and created a masterpiece that the kids soon devoured. Apart from that, the day was fairly uneventful. I am still not allowed to do much more than walk from room to room, which any other day is not too bad, but today was the last day of the sub-division pool being open. The committee had organised for a raffle and a large BBQ, and I was looking forward to going, but the doctor put the kibosh on it. Terry took the kids for a couple of hours, spurred on by the fact that one of Garrick's little friends called the house looking for him.
However, on Friday, as mentioned before, all restrictions placed on me will be lifted and I can start moving around freely again. These last few days are harder than the beginning. It's like when I used to run cross-country at school, the hardest part was seeing the finish line in front of you and wondering how long it will take to get there! I can almost taste the freedom! But I have to say I am really grateful that I am not stuck in a hospital bed, forced to lie there 24 hours a day.
I have had friends who have either been confined to their homes, stuck on the couch for several weeks, or in the case of one woman, in the hospital for 16 weeks! I did joke with my one friend Kim who basically suffered labour pains for 6 long weeks that she has a great comeback when her son wants to learn how to drive. Saying, "I was in labour with you for 6 weeks and you want to get into a car and probably kill yourself," sounds a lot more effective than, "I was in labour with you for 45 minutes..." Lacks impact!
I am just thankful that on this Labour Day I did not labour!
Labels: pool, Surrogate, Terry, twins, Warrick
Terry - The Artist or the Goof??
As many of you know, Terry is a graphic artist and as such has a great time designing logos, brochures, fixing old photos etc. Last year his company Newtek wanted to have shirts designed for some special function. Terry is wearing the finished product. (And for those who don't know - NO, that is not his habitual expression, although some would believe otherwise!)
Labels: NewTek, Terry
Catching Up...
The kids recently saw some of the Star Wars movies, and each of them received a lightsabre as a result. Garrick has ALL the moves down, and can even fling the lightsabre around like he saw on the movie. He can also do a passable imitation of Yoda, and several other characters. Terry had them stage a few moves from the movie, and then he created a comic book for the kids (gotta love the Mac software!)
Labels: Carson, Garrick, Terry
Our Little Mermaids
Our sub-division has a lovely pool (diving board and all) and during the summer months, our sub competes with 4 or 5 surrounding communities. This year Teagan and Hayley competed for the first time. We discovered that Hayley is REALLY good at swimming (and diving). In fact, she is so good I am signing her up for the School District team.
June and July were busy months for the girls as they had practice every morning, and then competed several times during those months - and at the end of it all, the team had photos taken. Here they are! Teagan has the slightly darker hair.
Labels: Hayley, pool
A little Late - But here's the first day of school
Can you tell the kids spent a lot of time in the sun this summer? They all turned into little blondes. Hayley is on the left, Garrick is next to her, Teagan is next and Carson is on the right.
They are all in school full time now - for the first time in 10 years I have the house to myself during the day - of course I haven't been able to enjoy it as much as I normally would on account of being placed on restrictions the week before the kids returned to school.
Labels: Carson, Garrick, Hayley, Teagan
Lazy Sunday!!
This is so unlike us - to be lolling arond the house on a Sunday, rather than getting ready for church and all the activities that follow it! This is the second Sunday we have stayed home - not by choice - but under doctor's orders for me! But, Friday the 9th of September I will be a free woman once again.
For those not in the know, I am carrying twins right now - and they are not Terry's babies! They aren't mine either...I am a GS (Gestational Surrogate) carrying boy/girl twins for a couple unable to carry their own babies to term.
So, today Terry will probably take the kids to the pool later on (our temperatures are still in the high 90's and low 100's) while I loll around here at home. I am not even allowed to cook (oh DARN!)
We decided to create this blog because our family is spread to the four winds and we have been really bad at scanning and sending photos and news to family. Be warned! Once I post the photos, you'll notice a distinct lack of Warrick! That's because he is seldom home, and even less seldom in range of the camera.
Labels: Surrogate, twins
