13 weeks update

Today we had our second ultrasound and doctor appointment.  Thankfully this will be my last vaginal ultrasound; the rest will be abdominal. Yea! Overall, it was an exciting and informative day.

The first pic is a twin shot together. Since they are getting bigger, it is getting harder to get a pic together.  Both babies were moving some in and out of the "picture frame" so it was hard to get a good picture of them together.  Basically Baby A is on top and you can see the top of the head and bits of 2 hands.  Baby B is below with it's head towards the left side and tummy  on the right.  We heard the heartbeats of both babies and could actually see their little chests moving and beating. So neat! They are both at 150 bpm, which is exactly right on track. The tech also measured them and they are measuring at 12 weeks and 6 days each, so also right on track! We are so thankful and blessed that everything is measuring, beating and looking beautiful for our twins.

Baby A

Baby A was quite the mover and shaker in my tummy.  It was flipping and sliding around so much that it was hard for the tech to get a good picture.  This baby decided to give us a side profile.  The baby's head is on the right, facing up and you can see the baby's stomach and that little blob over the top of the stomach is a hand waving to us.  The baby has legs, you just can't see them in this picture. We saw all the parts as the baby was moving and grooving. Elliot thinks this baby will have my personality of "Look at ME!" and constantly on the go, go, go!

Baby B

Talk about night and day difference in the babies!  Baby B was relaxing and not moving much at all.  Baby B also gave the tech as hard time getting a picture because it would only move when she prodded and poked it with the wand so she could see the rest of the baby.  This goober looked directly at the camera the ENTIRE time, we never saw it's profile. It did like whenever I laughed; Baby B would move a bit more. After laughing another time, Baby B takes it's arm and 

ran it over it's face, like a "whew!" movement. It was so cute! In the picture below you can see the baby looking at us, the darker spots on the face are the eyes and you can see the shoulders and top of the torso. I think this baby has Elliot's personality of calmness and observing the world around you.



Momma
Below are some belly pictures.  Ginger had been playing around my feet during the several pictures Elliot took, so I finally picked her up so she could be in the photos too.  My nausea is starting to lessen, but to be replaced with indigestion!  I eat Tums like candy, but still feel like there is a lump in my throat, so I was told to take an over the counter heartburn medicine.  All the nausea and indigestion means I have actually LOST weight this first trimester!  I was worried that the babies weer not getting the nutrition they needed, but Dr. Wright assures me that the babies are healthy and growing right on schedule.  Even though I throw up frequently and a lot, the twins are getting what they need. I can tell my belly is moving outward and changing in dimensions.  I've also been instructed to eat like a bird, meaning no large meals and to nibble on food all day. I am still waiting to feel more energized and ready and able to do more.

Daddy

Elliot had really been wonderful.  He has had to pick up a lot of slack since I have been tired and nauseous.  He's done lots of chores, cooking, vacuuming, rockin' the litter box, cleaning the toilet and taking out the trash whenever I say "I'm gonna throw up, get that garbage out of here!".  I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful and caring husband. Last night he said to me that it felt like Christmas because we got to see the babies again the next day. Awwww! I think he has been more excited to see the ultrasounds than me.  Elliot was determined to try to get the tech to tell him the gender of the babies, even though I told him it's too early to definitely tell.  No, we or the tech do not know the gender of the babies; Elliot will have to wait a bit more!

Mid-August I go back for a Doctor's visit and a blood test.  The blood test is to determine the potential of any chromosomal abnormalities/Down's Syndrome via my blood, which may also show up in the babies.  If the test raises any red flags, an amniocentesis would be done on each twin to determine any problems.  On 8/31, my birthday!, we will have a anatomy ultrasound and doctor's appointment.  It's then we will find our the gender of the babies!  We can't wait!!