havingtwinsnow.com

Archive for the ‘First Trimester’ Category

We had our first appointment with our new OB group on Wednesday, July 29th @ Focus On Women in St. Charles, IL.

We had no expectations but to hear the heartbeats of our babies for the first time. The last time we were in a position to hear them, they were looking for one heartbeat and found three (a, b & julie – not triplets), so the sound was forgotten in order to celebrate the multiple factor.

Our first impressions were all awesome. Nice office, nice people, awesome Doctor and a huge favor that we won’t forget.

As the MA was poking around with the doppler, we found one heartbeat at 160 bpm but couldn’t find another one. She apologized and left the room saying the doctor would be in shortly. Now, there is nothing like hearing your child’s heartbeat for the first time, and there’s nothing like finding out you’re having twins, but when someone says they cant find the heartbeat of one of your babies, no matter how tough and strong you are, you start to freak out a little bit.

We’ve read about “disappearing twins” and about the mothers who birth one live and one stillborn baby, but we haven’t actually put any of that into our stockpile of preparation ammunition by ANY means. After a few minutes of silence the doctor enters the room and sees Jules crying and me fighting back tears unsuccessfully. She asked what was wrong and we explained without actually explaining so as to keep those words unspoken.

With a quick tilt of the head and a smile the doctor says “Do you want to go see them? I have an ultrasound down the hall. Come on, let’s take a walk.”

A few deep breaths and a squirt of some cold ultrasound lube later we were looking at our two babies. The heartbeat on the right side twin was clear as day, the left side, not so much. Just as we were about to look at each other the left one JUMPED and twisted like a microscopic version of our son. We were overjoyed, again.

I pulled out my cell phone and asked if I could take a picture to which the doctor scoffed and said “I can print you a picture.”

So I have the first picture of our two lil’ ninjas.

Most people would have no idea what they hell they were looking at, but our son was considered high risk so I have improved my ultrasound viewing capabilities considerably since the first time I witnessed one. If you don’t know, up top, exact middle is one and to the left of that is two. They are both playing Playstation 3 in this picture like their daddy does when all the kids and wife are asleep.

START EM YOUNG!

Needless to say, we’re not as freaked out knowing that they’re still kicking a ton of ass, but we’re not to 12 weeks yet.

This is the part of my life where I hold up encouraging signs for my wife like I’m at a ballgame saying things like:

DRINK THAT WATER!

EAT THAT PROTEIN!

SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP!

I will take care of everything else, you just take care of you three.

We knew when we first started preparing to have our second child that we were going to have to do some rearranging of our current layout when the new-bebe became an impending reality. We have a four bedroom house and we have all four rooms accounted for: us, son, spare bedroom (for reinforcements) & my office/studio.

We know we cannot afford to get rid of the spare bedroom because those reinforcements I just mentioned will be grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends who we weasel into giving additional support while we adjust to having twins and the reality of three potentially crying babies in the house.

We had discussed moving my office/studio to the basement and making my former diggs the new baby’s nursery. My stash of guitars and equipment has some humidity and temperature necessities that would have to be addressed before any move would be considered.

Thinking that process over, we don’t have the cash right now to construct a basement office and basement playroom. We have to do some maneuvering of our living space above the frost line for the first few years before we can successfully put some money aside to build out the basement.

So we have come to the conclusion that we need me out of my office so the twins don’t have to sleep in the hallway, and that means, my office/studio will now reside in the front living room.

There are no doors to keep out sticky, cheese-filled hands.

In addition to all of the moving I will be doing of my equipment and instruments, I will be in the market for an 8 foot baby gate that can sustain the muscle-man I currently have ruling my life and the impending twin assault.

Here’s what I’ve found at Amazon that I like:

I don’t find it necessary to build anything ridiculous, because the basement will one day house my man-cave, but for the next 3 or 4 years, I need to safely store my equipment away from ze’ babies would could hurt themselves on a 2006 Butterscotch Blonde American Telecaster (my pride and joy).

When we got back from the hospital with our son, I ordered Jimmy Johns for lunch and Julie was sitting on the couch DEVOURING a turkey tom when out of nowhere I heard sniffling and weeping.

I look over and she’s chewing a HUGE bite of sammy, wiping tears from her eyes with her sweatshirt sleeve. I asked what was wrong, she shakes her head to tell me nothing’s wrong, so I ask how her sandwich was and she does a few sharp intakes of air and says through her huge bite and the tears “It’s Delicious.”

YOU’RE CRYING OVER A SANDWICH?!

photo credit: quinn.anya

I knew at this moment she wasn’t upset or sad or anything, she was just dealing with a HUGE influx of hormones now that she had been relieved of incubation duties for our son. I tried my best not to laugh, but that didn’t last long, so I excused myself and exited my house into the -10F cold to laugh hysterically.

That was quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen firsthand, but now that we’re having twins, these emotional episodes are becoming more frequent and for even weirder reasons.

So, as I have done with the list of things Wifey hates (smells, tastes and things that make her sick to her stomach and want to barf), I will now jot down a short list of things that make Wifey CRY.

Things That Make Wifey CRY: Vol. I

1. Sappy commercials
2. Magazine articles with a happy ending
3. So You Think You Can Dance
4. Big Brother 11
5. The Bachelorette
6. Putting our son to bed
7. Picking our son up from day care
8. Getting hugs and kisses from our son
9. Not vomiting in the morning -
   (but as soon as she notices she hasn’t vomited, she has to vomit: I relate it to getting a car wash to make it rain)
10. Vomiting in the morning
11. Day time television
12. Her job
13. Vomiting while at her job

I can assure you this list will grow.

For now I will remain patient as I have read in the many, many, many books I am currently in the process of reading that this uncontrollable surge of feelings, emotions and AAAAHHHH is affecting the neurotransmitters of the brain more now than any other time during the pregnancy (we’re right at the climax of the last half of the first trimester).

At any given time, holding any container with water or food, standing or siting near any type of flooring, furniture or HUMAN MALES, a jolt of pain can be sent directly to your hip or uterine area which will cause said container to flip INto the air, flipping end over end and landing on said floor, piece of furniture or HUMAN MALE.

photo credit: //amy//

These sharp pains are not the babies trying to hatch.
These sharp pains are not a voracious pack of mealworms trying to ooze their way out of your hip bones or uterus.

This sudden sharp pain jolt is “Round Ligament Pain.”

The Round Ligament of the Uterus, as told by the almighty Wikipedia is:

“The function of the round ligament is maintenance of the anteversion of the uterus (a position where the fundus of the uterus leans ventrally). When the uterus grows during pregnancy, these ligaments can stretch causing pain.”

Due to my ownership of testicles and not actually carrying the twins, I am limited in what I can do to make these pains go away to absolutely nothing, but at least I can educate myself enough to try and quell her fears about alien babies and imaginary deck nails poking her at random intervals.

Today’s lesson tells me I can shush her successfully by putting my hands in front of my imaginary uterus and mimic the “uterine growth” that is occurring.

Those are growing pains babe! SUCK IT UP! *im dead aren’t i?*

A recent study by Canadian Canadians finds that women who suffer consistently brutal morning sickness actually breed smarter kids!

photo credit: rubenerd

Yeah right.
Like it’s possible to rate the severity of morning sickness on a cohesive platform, let alone distinguish between one kid being smarter than the other without having the study last twenty years.

I love Canadian studies. While they might be completely skewed and influenced by the people performing the actual study, who am I to poop on the potential compliment to a hurling wife?

“Hey! You’re vomiting up everything you eat! Good work!”

**PUKE** **HACK** **SPIT** ‘What are you talking about?’

“The nation of Canada stands behind you in your efforts to puke your way to a smart ass kid!”

Regardless of how sarcastic I am at this very moment, I plan on using this information when my wife is at her worst.

If anyone wants to be an ass and negate this article in front of my wife, prepare to die.

Please read the following article and comment on its authenticity, its hilarity, its completely logical awesomeness or all of the above.

Study links morning sickness to brighter kids