They Have Arrived

These LONG awaited babies have FINALLY arrived! We were surprised and shocked with the timing and the chaos that ensued, but at the end of everything we have been blessed with 2 wonderful babies :) Many people have asked for the details so here they are:

I woke up Jan 26th (Thurs morning) with my water breaking, and me in COMPLETE shock We had recently been to the Dr and he said we should be able to make it another week or so.... I swore, woke Adam up, we grabbed our overnight bags (which I had JUST finished packing that day :), and HAULED to 'Vegas. By the time we finished the hour and a half drive, my contractions were 3-4 min appart and the nurse was able to see that I had dialated to a 5. The nurses had been moving around kind of slow before that (I'm sure they get a lot of false alarms), but when they realized I had already gotten that far, they started to run around like crazy. It then took a little while to get the Anastesiologist up there for the Epidural, but then he seemed to have a hard time getting it in.... it took him 20 min to put it in, which was FOUR contractions people! (they kept telling me it was my first labor, so I shouldn't deliver for several hours. Because they're twins that should prolong things as well) An hour later the nurse asked me if I was having any pressure... I told her I had a wierd level of pain tolerance (I can endure a lot), so she checked me and I was dialated to a nine.... They also figured out that the epidural hadn't worked (up to that point I thought I was being a wuse, because everybody raves about how much they love their epidurals)
The doctor showed up about an hour later (I was in more pain now, because I wanted to start pushing, but the dr hadn't shown up until then) and I pushed for 20 min and Zach was born (PS the Dr was MAD they hadn't called him earlier. Quote 'I sad to get her comfortable! I DIDN'T say to get her dilated to a 10 and THEN get her comfortable!' :) The dr had to then give me some shots 'down south' (because no working epidural), so they could give me an episiotomy. He was beautiful! SO surreal to see something come from your own body. Adam was able to cut the cord and it was all pretty dang awesome. But then the dr saw that the blood coming out with Zach looked 'old'.... apparently he had torn his placenta the day before which is what triggered my water breaking. The doc got a little nervous and started yelling for me to keep pushing to get Ellie's water bag to drop. They broke that and he noticed there was a TON of blood in it. He said, 'We're done' and they started the emergency C section. Adam and I didn't know entirely what was going on as they had him leave the room. They then had to put me out (again because no working epidural) and they pulled Ellie out..... They found she had a torn umbilical cord and wasn't breathing because of it... Praise ALL heaven they were able to revive her. And she has done GREAT since then. While talking to the Dr later, he told us if anything had delayed them even a min more, we would've lost her.... I can't even IMAGINE loosing our little girl and I thank our Heavenly Father every day that they are both with us and are both healthy :) (Yes, EVEN when they're both crying at 2am :)
So, I woke up a couple hours later with stiches 'down south' and stiches in my stomach, but 2 healthy babies. Adam and I were able to compare stories and realize how INCREDIBLY blessed we were to have both those little babies with us.






Zach FINALLY being able to stretch all the way out. He tried SO hard while in the womb :) 4lbs 9 oz










Ellie HATED not being swaddled, so she is voicing her discontent right here :) 4 lbs even.










The next stage was getting them through the NICU.... NOT my favorite time in my life. It was SO hard to wait, watch them, and to want to take them home SO badly. We understood that they needed more time to grow, but it was SO emotionally draining to see them hooked up to so many monitors and IV's, and knowing we couldn't do anything to help.... One of the worse moments was when Ellie's IV started to fall out and they tried to save it. She screamed so long that she was horse and I was in the corner sobbing because I could do NOTHING for her pain. Adam even had to go back to work for 5 days in there and I had JUST been discharged from the hospital..... I should've been 'taking it easy' because of the C-section, but I wanted to see my babies so I was at the hospital for about 9 hours a day and had quite a distance to find any thing to eat. Needless to say, I had high blood pressure and my Dr was threatening to put me on meds :) LUCKILY, Adam came back again and he saved me :) I. LOVE. THAT. MAN. He has been such a rock through all the chaos and I couldn't do it without him.... He's SUCH an amazing husband and I've LOVED seeing him as an amazing dad. I've loved this new and crazy phase in our lives.







Ellie getting out of the NICU!!! February 7th, 2012










Zach FINALLY getting out too! February 11th, 2012

Many Happenings

SO busy lately. Unfortunately I don't think 'Hey, I need to get this onto the blog' so this poor Media forum has suffered. We're full of events and travels, but I don't have hardly any pictures, so I'll try and paint a picture :)

- The first weekend in November was AWESOME! I was able to make a trip up to Logan, Utah and have a blast with SO many wonderful friends and family. There were TWO baby showers and about a million laughs. It was wonderful and I am SO grateful for my sister Tasha and many close friends that put together a truly memorable weekend :)

- We then had Thanksgiving down in sunny, Southern California with my Mother-in-law and a few of Adam's family. Adam was able to go golfing a couple of times and I was able to tour a few shops at the outdoor market with my Mother-in-law and Step Father-in-Law. It was SO wonderful to enjoy the warm weather and relax for the weekend :)

- The next weekend we were able to go to Logan, Utah again for the wedding of my little brother :) We were SO excited for these two to FINALLY get married :) She's such a wonderful gal and they are so happy together. It makes my heart happy :)






- Seven days following this adventure (do you see why we've been pretty busy? :), we had another baby shower here in Alamo, NV. My awesome cousin Amie and my dear mother were able to put together another wonderful baby shower full of fun and friends. Everybody has been so generous and helpful with getting us ready for these little twins. It honestly makes me want to cry when I think about all the wonderful people in our lives, both near and far, that have supported us and helped us these past months and even years. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!


- Within all these travels, we've been visiting the doctors regularly and trying to follow all instructions. This past appointment had great news and okay news.... My body is doing REALLY well and the bed rest has helped IMMENSELY. My body is now on track with twins at 7 1/2 months and the doctors are really happy about that. The 'okay news' I try not to dwell on and keep me up at night, is that Zach is a little too skinny. He measures in wonderfully with his length, but his stomach is too little. I feel some of it is genetics (taking after his daddy :), but then a few tests showed that the blood flow to the umbilical cord isn't as high as it should be. The solution to this is...... MORE bed rest :) I honestly would stand on my head and drink whole milk if I had to for this little one, but they said the only thing we can do is 'take it easy' and help the blood flow that way. It really is a comfort when he's kicking like crazy, because I know he's okay :) I love that feeling.

- Now Christmas is right around the corner, and I am SO excited! I LOVE Christmas and I love spending it with family. The traditions of music, caroling, and decorations make me feel like a little kid and I truly appreciate the focus we get to have on our Savior Jesus Christ. So many things could be said about my feelings of our Savior, but they're so dear that I have a hard time expressing them..... I truly appreciate his life and his ultimate sacrifice. It's a wonderful time of year to reflect on his mortal life and the sacrifices he made and the love he showed each of us by making these sacrifices. Truly the BEST time of year :)

The Results

I know this post comes in a little late, but I knew the information needed to be posted onto our blog :) We went to our Specialist a little while ago and we were FINALLY able to find out the genders of our little ones. We get to have a boy AND a girl :) We're SUPER excited to have one of each and to enjoy these sweet little ones :)


This is our boy Zachary hiding his face from the camera. He's shy showing the face, but it DEFINITELY wasn't a mystery as to his gender :)



















Our sweet Elizabeth's (Ellie) profile. She would show us her face without any problems, but she was REALLY hesitant to show us she was a girl. Adam says she's not shy, just modest :)












It was SO incredible to sit there for about 20 min and watch while they measured the babies. I could've sat there ALL day watching them measure their brains, kidneys, etc :) Everything looks great for them and they are completely healthy. The Dr. did discover a problem with my Cervix (it's too short), so they've put me on bed rest for awhile (probably the rest of the pregnancy). We've been monitoring it the past few weeks and it has not gotten smaller, so we're feeling good about everything. The Dr. said my body was reacting normally to a 7 month single pregnancy (which is what the weight of the twins were at), but I was only at 5 1/2 months with the two 1 pound twins. SO, we're taking it easy and I'm LITERALLY feeling like an incubator :) Every day I feel SO incredibly blessed to feel them moving and beating me up from the inside out. The greatest gift we could've EVER received and I'm SO grateful to our Heavenly Father. So many blessings.....

The Baseball Game

Adam's mom asked him what he wanted to do for his 30th birthday and he immediately suggested a trip to see a professional baseball game. We looked into Phoenix, LA, San Diego, and San Francisco, before we decided on watching the Diamond Backs play the Giants in Phoenix. We would be able to meet up with his family there AND enjoy a game. Win, win!













Adam and his mom enjoying the festivities :)












My sister is a HUGE baseball fan and hasn't been able to make it to a professional game, so my family was able to join us for the game! Sweet, huh?













GREAT game to go to! Unfortunately, we had gone there to cheer for the Giants, but the Left-Fielder Adam knows, was out with a blown knee.... At least it was cool to see Arizona do so well :)















It was SO incredibly hot while we were there (ESPECIALLY being 4 1/2 months preggers with twins :), but at least we were able to have a great time with family. I think we might have to turn this into a tradition :)

Bladity Blah

Yup, I DON'T KNOW WHAT to blog about, so that has lead to the silence from this section of the blogging world.... Nothing too crazy is going on - just the regular everyday comings and goings.
- Adam is still working hard at C.O. Bastian High School as a group leader. We're PRAYING with all our heart that he gets another job that will HOPEFULLY open up at the same school. It's as a therapist and he'd be able to use his Master's Degree.... Fingers still crossed (we've been hoping and praying for about 4 months now, so we'd LOVE to see some progress on that :)
-As for me, I've been busy canning/bottling a variety of veggies and fruits, subbing at the local schools, and finding excuses to go to 'Vegas with my hubby :) After I passed the 12th and magical week of pregnancy, I want to live again and I have the energy to do a few projects a day. I never really had too bad of a 1st trimester (I didn't ever throw up or have excessive nausea), but I did struggle with being SO tired and wanting to do anything. I'm told that's normal, but you do start to feel lazy eventually :) I'm about to start my 16th week, and I don't even feel pregnant, except for the KILLER heartburn I have.... I'm starting to show a little bit (which is great to have SOME sign :), but it's not really an 'I look pregnant', its more of a 'Did you gain weight?' look :)
- Adam and I went to 'Vegas on Friday and bought a few Maternity clothes. SUCH a guilty pleasure. We don't have the dinero to blow too much money on pregnancy clothes (and I don't REALLY know how many other pregnancies I'll have), but really it was SO much fun. What girl doesn't want to look nice and fit into clothes while pregnant? Definitely a fun shopping expedition for a couple that didn't know if it would ever happen :)
- I have picked up a love for trying new recipes. I now have the time to experiment and I've found some fun recipes (a few from this blog). Shocking, I know, but I guess every girl can try new hobbies :) PLUS I love cooking with my mom and hubby.
- Is it weird that I PRAY for my siblings to come visit? They need to try some of these new recipes :) AND I miss them.
- We gave in and started watching the series Dr Who on Netflix. COMPLETELY cheesy, but oddly addicting....
- I ADORE this video. She's just SO passionate, it makes me want to cry....
Adele - Someone Like You (Live): Adele performs "Someone Like You" live at the 2011 VMAs.

That's all from us. I hope ya'll are having fun heading into autumn

The Results

So, after all those crazy procedures, we were FINALLY able to go get a pregnancy test done...... And we can officially announce our entrance into parental responsibility! We were SO excited to get a positive answer on the pregnancy test! 5 years and countless tears have set us up to be RIDICULOUSLY excited :)

We had barely digested that information before we headed into our first ultra sound (at 8 weeks) and found out that we would soon become a family of 4! TWINS! Adam was a little stressed out for a couple of days (you know how guys kick into providing mode :), but we honestly can't stop smiling about the whole thing. We are over-the-moon excited. SO many blessings....

Many people have asked me how I've been feeling, and honestly, I feel I'm doing pretty well. I'm WICKED nauseous all the time (but I haven't thrown up and can basically keep it under control if I eat regularly :), and SO tired, but I've known so many others that have been hospitalized that I feel pretty lucky. I've heard all symptoms can be compounded by multiple babies, so I figure that's why I've been so sleepy. I'll admit, I'm probably being a little bit like a wuss with the nausea, but tell me who DOES like to feel awful all the time? :) So, that's us in a nutshell. We're happy, sassy, and multiplying :)

IVF 101

I'll admit, I was SO naive when I first went into the In-vitro (IVF) Dr last summer. I truly thought there would be a couple of appointments and then the embryo transfer would take place and we would know within a couple of days if we were pregnant. Not so, my friends. There is a WHOLE world of appointments, medicines, and charting of calendars that I would soon venture in to. So, here are all the dirty details for your reading pleasure :)

- Start Birth Control (on this for at least 2 weeks) to help control when the cycle will happen.

- At least 2 weeks into the Birth Control (up to 4 weeks if needed) start the Lupron injections (Needles. I. Inject. Into. Myself. Gulp!)

- Go off Birth Control and continue Lupron shots (this is when the dreaded monthly visitor comes around :)

- At this time, you start 3 shots a day of Lupron, Repronex, and Follistim (side note. The Repronex is PAINFUL stuff) In this time, I discovered I bruise EASILY. I really never knew this about myself, so I was surprised to see my body spotted with purple bruises.

- After a week and a half of this funness, you go into the dr every morning for ultra sounds and blood draws. You do this until they say your eggs are 'ready' for a trigger shot of HCG they give you. This has to be timed perfectly with your 'egg retrieval' at EXACTLY 36 hours before your procedure. The needle is HUGE but I had an amazing friend that did a great job and I didn't even cry :) (from the size of the needle, I really had worked myself up into a panic and thought I would pass out :)

- You then stop the previous 3 medicines and start taking an antibiotic the night before the 'egg retrieval'. You go in the next morning for the 'egg retrieval' and are put under. Coming out of the procedure just in time to take more medicine and then start Progesterone shots (that you continue until a pregnancy test. If pregnant, keep doing for 6 MORE weeks... Again, Gulp!) These are the same size needle as the GINORMOUS HCG shot, so I'm a little nervous about these...

- 5 days later you then go into the dr's office and FINALLY have the 2 best embryos transferred. Yeah!!!!

- About 12 days after the embryo transfer, you find out if there will be a 'little one' on the way in 9 months :)

Whew! Quite a few steps, right? I appreciated that they gave all those steps only one at a time, so you didn't get confused and mix anything up. This whole experience has been super educational with a steep learning curve. SO worth it though if the percentages work in our favor and we get to finally start our family.