Twins are Two!
A month ago I made an appointment for Teagan to visit the orthodontist on October 4th. As I made the appointment I kept thinking, "The 4th, Now why does that stick in my mind?" It was not until I received the appointment card and walked to the van that I realised it was the date the twins were born!
This morning I woke up and at a decent time called the twins parents to wish Wendall and Kendell a happy birthday. Their party is this Saturday and we are looking forward to seeing them then. We saw them in August when Wendall and Laurie came to my surprise 40th party with the twins in tow. They are adorable! Into everything and always running in two different directions. Wendall has the biggest blue eyes and a mop of curly blonde hair. Kendell has darker, straight hair and hazel eyes. Wendall looks just like his father and Kendell like her mother.
I can close my eyes and remember the evening they came into the world and the enthralling look of joy and expectation on their parent's faces. Seven years of trying, heartache, disappointments, the roller-coaster ride of infertility that many couples experience all culminated in one joyous moment of seeing the birth of their precious babies. The look on their faces is reward in and of itself and I am so glad that I got to be a part of that.
Happy birthday Wendall and Kendell!
Labels: birth, Surrogate, twins
The Twins Are One!!!
Yesterday, October 4th the twins I carried for a couple here in town turned 1! Where did the time go? Last night the mother gave me a call and said, "Right now a year ago you were getting ready to push out Kendall." Wendell had arrived 12 minutes earlier. She said, "Words will never adequately say thank you for what you gave us."
These photos are from June when the twins were 8 months old, but I should get some photos this weekend when we celebrate their first birthday at a big party.
Wendell and me (his mom is in the background)
Kendall and me
Labels: Birthday, Surrogate, twins
Twins are three weeks old today
A friend emailed me on Friday to remind me that the 21st was my due date for the twins, and wasn't I glad I didn't carry that far? I emailed her back and said the 21st would have been out of the question anyway because it was Garrick's birthday and I was not about to have the twins on his birthday!
I reflect on the intervening three weeks and I am so grateful I took this opportunity to carry the twins for Wendall and Laurie. Their struggle to have children opened my eyes to a whole demographic of the human population who, for a variey of reasons, are unable to carry biological children of their own. I will never look at fertility issues in quite the same way again. It also makes me so grateful to realise just how easy in comparison my own pregnancies were and how I took them for granted.
To all those who have struggled with fertility issues, keep up the good fight, and remember, God is bigger than any problem you face, and He has the answer for you.
Labels: God, Surrogate, twins
Babies, Babies!!
Terry and I are excited to let everyone know that after 37 weeks and 4 days
of pregnancy, the OB determined I had carried long enough and decided to
induce the babies. (I think she felt sorry for me because one of the babies
was breech and had taken up residence under my ribcage!)
They both arrived safely on Tuesday October 4th. Wendall Carter III arrived
at 9:13pm, weighing a hefty 6lbs 10oz, and measuring 19.75 inches. Kendell
Sarah roared into the world 11 minutes later weighing 6lbs 6oz and measuring
19 inches. Labour lasted a total of one hour from first real contraction to
birth.
The babies went home with their parents this morning, and I came home to
resume our family life - for which my children will be eternally grateful.
Labels: Surrogate, Terry, twins
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
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
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
