No Whining!!

Today the babies are 1 month old!!! Not to be Negative Nellie but the last month of the pregnancy was pretty rough for me. I had NO complications or discomforts with my kids so to go about 1 month with majorly swollen feet, ankles and legs, no clothes that fit, not being able to get comfy in bed, etc. was horrible. I know, I know 1 month of that probably doesn't seem so bad for some of you. I guess it's that this pregnancy was soooo different, it kinda threw me for a loop. Anyway, I thought that last month would last forever. Now I can't believe that it's already been a month. It has gone fast. I have seen the babies 3 times since they were born and I think it has been a good amount. Don't get me wrong...I am so ready to see them again!! I mean it has given both families the space that we all need and time to get to 'normal' for my family. I don't have any excuses anymore for being too tired to cook or clean!!
I know Jennifer is doing great with them (and I heard daddy is doing awesome too!!).I also know she is tired. But it will get better.
Speaking of seeing them the babies...I get to babysit on Monday so Jeffrey and Jennifer can go out for Valentine's Day. I hope they have an awesome date and are able to enjoy themselves.
Thursday is the babies check-up and hopefully we will have 1 month pics. I am interested to know how much they weigh so I will post soon so you will know!!!

Flowers?? For me???

I wanted to show you something I got in the hospital after the babies were born. No, I didn't get them from my hubby. I got them from Jeffrey. 3 purple carnations. Jeffrey was supposed to be getting Jennifer some lunch and apparently he got lost. He ended up at the hospital gift shop. When he returned to our room he had this vase of flowers for me and a vase of red roses for Jennifer. He handed them to us and said to Jennifer, "I got you red flowers because I love you." As he handed me my flowers he said, "I got you purple because you are my friend." How stinkin' sweet was that?? (Jeffrey knows I am not a flower person but I didn't even care. I thought it was soooo nice.) He's right!!! I have 2 wonderful friends now. We had a great time the last year and a half. When you spend 4 hours in the car going to doctor appointments you have plenty of time to get to know each other!! Good and bad:) I loved the time we spent together!!! Usually we laughed but we did have some really good conversation. We have spent time together 3 times since the babies have been born and I look forward to many more times!!!
Just so you know....my hubby did get me roses at the hospital but they died a long time ago. The flowers Jeffrey got are still nice and pretty even after 3 weeks and 3 days!!!!

We Do!

Today was a special day for all of us!!! It was Family Commitment Sunday at Jeffrey and Jennifer's church. They were making a commitment to raise their children to love God and it was awesome!!! I made that commitment with my children and I think it is very important. They were beautiful up there on stage holding the babies. They looked at the babies in awe. I know they love them beyond measure!!!! I am happy they let me be a part of the day!! When the preacher was talking to the audience about how we should be there for the babies and it's our responsibility to help teach the children I also responded with a 'we do' response. I want to be in their lives and they have a special place in my heart so I have to do my part too!!!

They'rrrrrre Heeerrrrreeee!!!!!!!

I am proud to announce that after 4 hours and 30 minutes of scheduled induction, Hayden and Hayleigh are here!!!!!

Hayden was born at 1:08 weighig in at 6lb 6oz and 20 in. long. Hayleigh was born at 1:50 weighing in at 7lb. 8oz and 21 in. long. Yes folks, as the nurses said...she was stealing the groceries!!!! The babies are doing great and they are BEAUTIFUL!!!

Want some details??? ok!!!
We were supposed to be at the hospital at 6am. We got there and the nurses were changing shifts so we waited a few minutes on them. I had an IV and had changed into the gown by 7. Hayden (baby A) was so low in the birth canal that they could not keep him on the monitors. They will not put a patient on pitocin without having them on the monitor so they fought with that til 9:30. Finally at 9:30 they decided to break my water and put an internal monitor on Hayden's head. Also, they started the pitocin. I was 2cm dilated at this point and we were going to play the waiting game.

At 10:30 the nurse came in to check me. I was at 5cm. We discussed that I didn't want to wait too long to get the epidural and she reasurred me we wouldn't wait long. Jennifer did tell her I had a high pain tollerance and you would not necessarily be able to tell if I was in pain. The nurse kinda shrugged us off and about 15 minutes later I told Jennifer to get the nurse NOW!! She came back in there and said she would check me. I was fully dilated!!! Complete!!! I began to get really nervous because I could feel the babies coming down and I didn't want to deliver without the epidural. The anesthesiologist was called (2 times:]) and he was slower than poke!!! He did get the epidural in by 12:30 and they took us in the OR at 1:00. I immediately started pushing and Hayden was born in 8 minutes. Hayleigh was facing sideways so it took some help from the doc to get her delivered. They both came out beautifully with no problems!!!

Our hospital stay was great and we enjoyed the time we had together before we left. I felt at peace leaving the babies with Jeffrey and Jennifer because I know they will take good care of them!!! They are thrilled to be parents and enjoying every minute of it!!

INDUCING TOMORROW!!!!!

It's been crazy!!! My son had surgery and we moved in December plus Holiday travel!! SO the blog hasn't gotten as much written in it the past few months with everything going on.

Bags are packed nursery is complete!! All things are washed and ready for when we get home!! :) 3 weeks ago they measured the babies and estimated them at 6lbs. 9oz.!!!! Car seats are ready and being put in the car!!! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!

I have been pumping and taking domperidone and am getting some MILK!!!! WOOHOO!! I pray I have enough and will get enough to breastfeed the twins. They won't get any of the colostrum though because they say I will only produce milk not colostrum. But all will be fine. :)

We are all four going to stay in Louisville tonight because we have to be in the hospital at 0600. Not sure how long it will take but we will be PROUD PARENTS OF TWINS THIS WEEKEND!!!!

God is so awesome to have put Valerie and Steve in our lives to have this opportunity to receive such a gift. It is priceless. We have grown to love one another and will have a bond that I pray will last a lifetime! LOVE YOU VALERIE & STEVE!!! Thank you GOD for it all!!!

We missed our doc appt this past Monday because of weather! :(

The weather was bad so we missed the doctor appointment this past Monday. We didn't want to take any chances since it is so far to drive. Valerie has been having contractions on a daily basis since Monday night! We are so excited!! I got the car seats together (that was a job!) and clothes/blankets and such washed. I have their diaper bag packed and ready to take to the hospital. Jeff and I need to pack still and we'd better get on it! LOL! :)

Time flies when your pregnant!!

I have now realized how fast the 1 week appointments can arrive. I completely missed posting after the last one. We went to the doc on the 29th of November. The ultrasound tech did the scan and we found out that Baby A is head down. I was soooo excited. That means we can try for a vaginal delivery. Baby B was transverse meaning side to side. I did ask if they thought she would go head down after Baby A got out of the way or if they thought she would go feet first. Of course, they don't know and I didn't really expect them to know for sure, but I was hoping they could give me an idea. They would not measure the babies this time. They were only checking breathing practice and heartbeat. They will weigh them on the 6th of December....which beings me to that appointment.

We went this past Monday (without daddy....he had to unload cows!!!) but we took Jennifer's youngest son. He just had some nose surgery so he was out of school. We found Baby A head down still and way down at that!!! Baby B was transverse while the tech was in there but when the doc got in there she was head down kinda bent over. I'm telling you these babies get in weird positions!!! Well, doc did say we can go for a vaginal delivery still because he is sure Baby A won't move now. We are scheduled for 6am on January 8th if we don't go earlier!!! Baby A weighs 5lb 1 oz and Baby B weighs 5 lb 2 oz. They have been basically the same size every time. They were practicing their breathing and are growing very well!! We go back on Monday the 13th for breathing check and heartbeat check!! Hopefully I won't forget to post!!

Love Valerie's title!!

Gotta tell ya...that was hilarious! Just the way the gal showed us was funny. Poor lil guy! :) We have a lot going on!! Geez! Babies on the way...we are moving 6/10ths of a mile up the road (just a bit bigger house with 1 1/2 baths). My son is having surgery on Decemeber 3rd. I am having surgery the 16th of December but I am working on trying to get it moved up! A little too close for comfort (to the due date)! We both are getting our deviated septums fixed and some other things. Plus, Thanksgiving....so like I said alot going on but we'll make it!! We are touring the hospital on our next appointment (Dec. 29th) Jeffrey and I have our 2 yr anniversary coming up on the 12th of December too. I am hoping to get moved this weekend!! That way I can get the nursery organized and set up. Nothing like getting things done at the last minute! LOL! :) Ok....I am now getting stressed just thinking about all the above! ;0)

Her head is where???

We went to the doctor Monday and needless to say babies are doing great!!! Every measurement is right where it should be. The babies are in the 70th percentile for their weight. Baby A is 4lb 2 oz and Baby B is 4lb. 3 oz. That is quite large for twins at this gestation. Most babies, according to our doctor, weigh about 5-6 lb at birth so we are well on our way.
Doc wants to do delivery on January 7th or 8th. It seems so far, but it's really not. I could go into labor at any point now. I feel really good. Still tired, but good. Baby A had moved slightly. He is now butt down in a kneeling position. I hope he is on his way to moving head down. I would love love to deliver naturally and doc will let us try it. Baby B is still laying sideways. To be exact, her 'girl parts' are on his head. There is the sac that keeps them apart, but we thought that was pretty funny. It's amazing to me how they are squished in there and the positions they get into!!! We go back on the 29th and then weekly after that.
I have officially started packing. Just throwing things in a bag as I think of them. My kids are setup with grandma if need be and my sister is coming from about2 hours away to take care of them too! I hope everything is set and ready to go when time comes!!

1 Down 6 To Go

We went to the doctor and had a very good visit. Both babies are 3 pounds 2 ounces. They are in the 68th percentile for weight. They are doing great. We love getting to see them each time we go and we like the tech. She is very friendly and is patient with us. We tend to ask a lot of questions! She doesn't mind and will tell us if she doesn't know the answer.
Baby A is head up, feet down. Baby B is laying sideways. Doc says that if Baby A will flip and weighs more than Baby B, he will deliver them naturally. Baby A has to weigh more because Doc knows if Baby A can get through the birth canal so will Baby B. Otherwise we will have a scheduled c-section. I really trust the doctor to lead us, but delivering a breech baby does make me a little nervous. I do think there is a chance Baby B could go head down after Baby A gets out of the way. Who knows...maybe both will come out head first.
We will go to the doc 6 more times if all goes as scheduled. Doc thinks we may deliver January 8th or so.
Jeffrey and Jennifer are moving to a new house and getting things collected for the babies. I can't wait to see the babies room and see them in it!!!!

Valerie

It has been a long time since I posted. After Jennifer's computer trouble we had some here too. Hopefully we are all better now!!!

I will talk about myself first. I have been feeling really good lately.....except being very tired. I get up in the morning good but after lunch I can't function very well. Being a preschool teacher, I am out by 11:30 so i can get a nap in before I go get my kids at school at 2:45. That has been a huge blessing. I have been out of breath lately too. I am sure it's due to space in the belly. I was out of breath with my kids too so it's probably just how my body is. If I can get to the stage where the babies drop, I will know because I will be able to catch my breath again!!
We have started doctor appts. every 2 weeks for awhile. We were going to a high risk doc and a regular OB/GYN. Last appt. we decided it would be best to just go to the high risk doc. He is wonderful and we feel very comfy with him. They do an ultrasound every appt. and they couldn't be any more thorough. They check everything. They measure every organ and bone. I love that. They are keeping a very close eye on us.
If we haven't mentioned before we are driving 3 hours to the doc because of the laws in our state.....we are. That is also why they are watching close.

Our next appointment is Monday, November 1st. I am always excited to see the babies. They are very active and I know they are doing well. They move a lot now and that is always a good sign!! There is nothing better than feeling the lives of them in me. I am so thankful I am part of this.

Jennifer had her shower a couple weeks ago and, my goodness, she has some great friends and family!!! She received some wonderful gifts from people who have been praying very hard for us and the babies. They brought books instead of cards and several put messages in the books about the praying for us.

Well, I have had my nap now so I really need to use the energy I have to do some laundry and cleaning up. I never dreamed I would be so wiped out. I guess that would be a slight downside to carrying twins, but well worth it!!!

27 weeks and 4 days!!!!!!!!

I am SO excited!! God is so awesome!! What a blessing Valerie is to our family!! More ultrasound pics to come!! :) Last doc appt was the 18th of October! Now we go every two weeks twice then we are down to weekly appointments!!!!!!!!!!!!

18 weeks!!! We found out what sex Baby "A" & Baby "B" are FINALLY!! :)

172 ultrasound pics!! I am only uploading 4!! LOL!! It was so awesome to find out what Baby "A" and Baby "B" were!! It was pretty intense! When she looked at the sex of Baby "A" and said it is a BOY! I thought Jeffrey was going to....I don't know!! What emotions! He was so excited and happy!!

Then came the pictures of baby "B" and YES! It's a girl!! I was so happy!!! :) God blessed up both with what each wanted!! He is so awesome and we could never be happier!!

We had to go right out afterwards and find an outfit to bring them home in!! ;) Jeffrey wanted to get our baby boy a pair of carharts to wear home from the hospital!! I said, "Uh...no honey they like to be held close and tight not stretched out and stiff from the new carharts! LOL!! I told him we needed to wait just a bit longer! LOL!! :) It was great! Valerie and Steve seemed to be as excited as we were!!!!

BOY ARE WE BEHIND!! Catching up!! :)

WE HAVE FINALLY GRADUATED FROM THE IVF DOCTOR!! On July 6th, 2010 (3 mos. appt) we had our first ultrasound done with Dr. Watkins at Women's Specialist in Louisville, KY. Our first time to hear the heartbeat's too!! It was so awesome! Our initial experience with our doctor we found him to be very nervous...to say the least! We were definitely something special as far as us being a couple with a gestational carrier (a very special one at that!) It was a pretty eventful appointment. The nurse was really crackin' us up! We explained to the nurse that we weren't "a couple" too. LOL! It was pretty funny!!! She was a hoot!

Get it Right!!

We still do not have pics up. Soooo sorry. That is because we all are super busy. Jeffrey is a cowboy in charge of many acres of cows, Jennifer has her 9-5 job and I do babysitting daily. About 7 kids per day.

I had to fit in a tooth repair today, but I am fine.

I reason for my post today is because we learned somthing new the other day. Thanks to our lawyer he told us there is a difference between surrogacy and gestational carrier. You are a surrogate ONLY if you are directly related to the intended parents. Either related to mom or dad. For example if Jennifer was my sister, I would be the surrogate. I am not related to either of them so that makes me the gestational carrier. Thanks to Jennifer for changing our blog name from "God's Percious Gift Thorough Surrogacy" to "God's Precious Gift Through a Very Special Gestational Carrier"!!

Babes from the start!!

I am sooooo far behind it's a bit ridiculous. We have had 2 doctor appointments since I posted last. I have been incredibally busy and a little on the puny side. We do have pics from both of the appointments which will be posted soon. The first appointment was the last at the fertility doctor. We had our ultrasound that day and they are growing. Jolly rancher size!!! They were about 1 1/2 inches long and lookin' good. We do appreciate our fertility doctor and were pleased with the kindness and care we recieved from them.

Our last appointment was with the new doc. Dr. Watkins. We met him yesterday and answered a lot of questions. A lot of questions!! We briefly discussed delivery and things like that but mostly it was family history and how this even got started!! When we finally got around to the physical part of the appointment, doc could find only 1 heartbeat. I was not worried at all, but we did end up with another ultrasound just to double check. Everything is fine. Both babies were moving around and Baby B is a real mover!! "B" was moving it's hand around even had it up to it's mouth. B was also pushing on A's sac. I told Jeffrey to get his child under control!!! Baby A was not as active. Just chillin'. I wonder if that is a sign of things to come!?

I have been glad we have had a chance to see them at every appointment thus far. I know we won't see them next time, but it's been sooooo neat to see how they have changed in just a couple weeks between visits. I am totally convinced that they have been real babies since the first day!!! God has made them and noone will ever convince me that they were ever just 'cells'.

I will work on getting pics and you can see how they have changed. The nurse yesterday said it was a little tough to get them both in the same picture. Next time we see them, hopefully, we will see 'parts'!!!!

Jolly Ranchers????

I guess I should go ahead and update a little here. Jennifer has done the last couple of posts, so it's my turn.
I am officially 7 weeks 5 days pregnant. I am feeling pretty good except that I could nap at any given moment. A friend told me that when she was pregnant with twins the doctor told her that it's like having 2 parasites sucking the life out of you. How true that seems so far. I feel very tired, but that's ok. I have not been sick at my stomach at all. I would rather be tired:) I do know that I am eating for 3and so that has been a little challenging. I know I need to eat plenty of fruits and veggies so I am trying to do that. With twins I was told to try to eat about 73g of protein per day. That is a lot of food every day. I can't eat that much so I am just doing the best I can. If I eat that much I feel completely stuffed, but if I don't eat good I feel underfed. There is a happy medium. I am just trying to find it!!

Our fertility doctor will release us on our next visit on June 21st. That will be our last ultrasound there to check the growth of the babies. Last time we were there they were the size of gummie bears, so I am excited to know how much they will have grown by the 21st. I don't know.....jolly ranchers??? We will go to our first OG/GYN appointment on July 6th. I am excited to move to a regular doctor. It's kinda like we are moving to the next step already. Before we know it, Jeffrey and Jennifer will be holding their babies!!

2nd ULTRASOUND!!!

What a blessing!! THIS IS SO AWESOME!!! Their hearts were just a beatin'!! ;)
They are growing so fast!! First ultrasound the size of a grain of rice now they are the size of a gummy bear!

TWINS!!!!!!!!

No words can explain our excitement, happiness, and gratefulness!! Thank you God for TWO precious gifts!!

Thank you Valerie for caring for these two precious gifts for us in the months to come! We cannot thank you enough! What a bond we have with you now and always!

Next ultrasound is on the 4th of June!!

2 Peas in a Pod!!!

Yesterday was our first ultrasound and we found out Jeffrey and Jennifer are going to be the parents of twins!!! There are 2 sacs which means they are fraternal, not identical. We were able to see heartbeats too. That was really neat because the doctor said it would be too early to see heartbeats. Doc said they were measuring very good size. Everything looked really good, so we were pleased. Our official due date is January 21, 2011. We will go back in 10 days (June 4th) for a second ultrasound and checkup.

I will get the ultrasound pics posted as soon as I can so everyone can see!!!!

Valerie