Tales from my life as a mom of 2 sons and 2 daughters

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Cheli On Sunday, May 30, 2010
We finally got around to taking the boys for their 2 year and 4 year photos. Normally we take them like the week after their birthday but this year we had just found out we were having twins and I had just graduated from the nursing program so we didn't make it. Then once it got postponed it just kept getting postponed. So today was the day.. 3 months late. Better late than never, right?

My handsome 4 year old. This is the one we got for his 4 year photo

She told him not to smile and look mean :)

I just love his smile!!!

I'm serious.. isn't it beautiful!

Joe Cool :) I can't believe how big he is!



Playing around with the photographer.. as long as she didn't get to close or touch him he was all smiles for her LOL

Love how this one came out but he wasn't looking at the camera..

"Cheese"

This is the one we ended up getting of Journey for his 2 year picture

Believe it or not he really was hugging him here not trying to snap his neck LOL

Getting Journey to look at the camera proved to be quite a challenge. Although he was all for saying "Cheese"


This is the one we ended of getting of the 2 of them together :)

Awwwww look at my little men :)


Cheli On Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Another perinatologist appointment for me today. 22 weeks 1 day. I was surprised to find out when I got there that they were doing the growth scan this appointment instead of next week. Doug missed the appointment because he wanted to go to next weeks. But that's okay. They'll be plenty more I'm sure.

Today's appointment was a growth scan (they scan all the major bones as well the head circumference and abdominal circumference) as well as a fetal echo cardiogram to make sure 1) there are no anomalies since Journey has Pulmonary Valve Stenosis 2) make sure that there wasn't any indication of Down's or complication because of possible Twin to Twin Transfusion. They also checked my cervix and the blood flow through the umbilical cords and fluid levels like usual.

Ember was 14 oz today with a heart rate of 140 and Kaeda was 11 oz with a heart rate of 147. Both girls had great fluid levels and doppler flow through the cords. And their hearts both look anatomically PERFECT. The discordance between their sizes is still there but the good news is that it's not growing at all. They are still measuring consistently the same distance apart and growing at the same rate. With any luck the 3 oz between them will remain the same through out the remainder of the pregnancy and 3oz won't be such a big deal as they get bigger. The best news of the day was that neither girl had ANY markers for Down Syndrome. So we won't be going through with an amniocentesis. We'll keep the thought in the back of our minds just in case one is born with Down's but I honestly don't feel like anything is wrong with my girls.

I have an OB appointment on Thursday at 2pm so I'll get to see them again I'm sure. I'll update again in a week

Now for the pictures....

Here's me at 22 weeks pregnant :)

Ember's profile picture. Her hand is right up next to her mouth. She spent the entire ultrasound trying to get her hand in her mouth LOL

Kaeda's profile picture

Another Kaeda profile. The blob to the left of her head is Ember's head if that tells you how close together they are!

My favorite profile pic of the day. Kaeda again

We were given 2 more pictures of their girly shots but I didn't feel the need to post those LOL

In other news...

River saw his new counselor this week. She is really nice. She seemed to agree with the diagnosis of ADHD and was glad that he's got an appointment set to see the psychiatrist in June for an evaluation. She gave us a behavior chart to try and help him stop one of the behaviors that bothers us most. We're working with him but I'm not expecting any miracles.

We heard from his school's disabilities coordinator. She came out and observed him in class an feels that he would benefit from being referred to the county public school system for further evaluation. She said he is behind on his fine motor skills which is common with kids with ADHD and sensory issues. They have up to 60 school days to evaluate him which means he probably won't get any kind of evaluation done until next school year. School ends June 9th here
Cheli On Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Journey had his surgery this morning on his ears. He did beautifully. They gave him Versed before the surgery so he went with them with out too much of a fuss and didn't freak out when he woke up with out us there. He was 29 lbs (50th percentile) and 33 inches (4th percentile on regular charts or 50th on Noonan charts) which is basically right where he tends to hang out so we'll take it. The doctor said there was fluid behind his ears again. *sigh* but that other than that no problems. We go back in July for a follow up with the ENT and audiologist.

Pregnancy wise. I'm 21 weeks 1 day now. I went to the perinatologist yesterday and got some more information about the screening they did that came back positive for possible Down Syndrome. My numbers went from 1:932 chance to 1:86 chance based on the screening. They of course talked to me about the more invasive testing of amniocentesis which I declined with the stipulation that I may change my mind in the future (like once the girls have reached a good age that if they were born they could survive). The ultrasound from yesterday showed that both girls had a good normal amount of fluid (B had a bit more than A) and good blood flow. My cervix was looking good as well. I'll go back next Tuesday for another repeat scan of the same thing (fluid, blood flow, cervical length). Then On June 2nd I'll go in for a genetics ultrasound (Level 3 ultrasound) which should be able to pick up on any other markers for Down Syndrome that girls might have. They will also be measuring the girls' growth progress to make sure they are staying on the same course (aka that Baby A isn't falling further behind)
Cheli On Thursday, May 13, 2010
Has it really been almost a month since I updated?? I'm such a slacker.

The pregnancy is going well. I'm 20 weeks now (20 weeks 3 days to be exact). I am seeing the perinatologist weekly now and the OB every 2 weeks. It's been interesting to say the least. The girls are still measuring differently (there is a 23% discordance) or at least there was at the last measuring a week and a half ago. Baby A was 6 oz and Baby B was 9 oz. But other than the size difference they are both doing beautifully. A has a heart rate of 155 and B has a heart rate of 145. Fluid levels look great and they are just going to keep a close eye on us.


We had a bit of a scare this past week. Monday I got a call from the OB office asking me if I could come in ASAP to meet with the OB to discuss some of the results of my blood work I had done. So I told her that my next appointment was scheduled for Thursday. She said the doctor wanted to see me sooner than that. Asked if I could come in at 4:15 that day (mind you it was 2:15 at the time). OK... yes I'll be there. Come to find out, the blood test for Down Syndrome came back positive. However the doctor is fairly confident that it's a false positive as there have been no other indications that would suggest they are at risk for the condition. My guess is they are off on the due dates and I'm further along than they had in their records (which I know to be true as the paper work has my due date as 10/5 for some reason which is over a week after my actual due date). This difference alone could be enough to ensure the false positive. However, it's something I'll be following up with the perinatologist on Monday (my next appointment) for sure .

One of the nice things about being a high risk pregnancy, I get to see the girls weekly. It's wonderfully good for my anxiety levels (which are admittedly through the roof this pregnancy) and that means I get lots of pictures to share with those who love them :)



In other news....

Journey is going in for surgery on Tuesday the 18th for tubes for his ears. We has an appointment with the ENT who feels that it's a good move to make. This past Tuesday we went in for the anesthesia consult.. something about a heart kid makes anesthesia freak out every time he needs to be put under. She cleared him for surgery barring the cough he has (which has has had for weeks due to drainage from his nose we're assuming) hasn't gotten worse. She also said that since this is the 2nd time he's had a clear consult and a clearance from the cardiologist that the next time (let's hope there isn't a next time) he needs a surgery we don't need the consult with anesthesia as long as nothing in his medical history changes (ie his heart doesn't get worse or he develops other issues that may make anesthesia difficult). So we'll get official surgery time Monday night and go in on Tuesday morning for what will hopefully be a very quick, in and out procedure.

Other than his ears, he's doing fabulously. He is FINALLY starting to talk a bit more. He tries to use words although most of them are still unintelligible to even those who know him best but he's TRYING. He will say some words clearly if he mimics you "Can you say Dog?" "Dog" that kind of thing. He's still getting speech therapy once a week and we are going to be having his transition meeting set up any time this summer to start transitioning him to the school system since the Early Intervention program only lasts until 3 and he'll be 3 in February. Not much going on in the growth department. His weight has pretty much held steady or grown some.. We're still below 30 lbs by 2 or 3 lbs at this point. And he's hanging out on the 25% for his weight. His height is all but the same... he's around the 5th% on that but hey that's okay. He's such a beautiful little boy.





River has been having a rough go of it lately. We aren't sure what is going on with his behavior but it's gotten really bad. He's extremely defiant. He back talks constantly. He is aggressive to his teacher and fellow class mates. He doesn't listen. We took him in to see a behaviorist at the local mental health clinic and after seeing her 3 times she informed us she was leaving the company and someone would be in touch with us to further his care.. that was 3 weeks ago. I've been in contact with them twice to try and get someone to see him because SOMETHING is definitely going on. We've heard ADHD, ODD, PDD, all sorts of possible diagnoses and reasons for his behavior but no one is willing to truly diagnose him.

His school has been just as bad about continuity of care with him. They requested someone from the school system special needs resource department come out and evaluate him at the school. We were told months ago that they had 60 days to follow through on the request. I asked a few weeks ago if the coordinator knew if it had happened or not. She said she knew that the evaluator had come out and done the evaluation but didn't know what the recommended or anything and that she would look into it. After giving her a few weeks I went up there 2 days ago and discovered that she no longer works for the company and the gentleman who replaced her had NO clue about any of it. So we now have the ball rolling on that end again. Hopefully with enough time before the school year ends on June 9th to get SOMETHING going to help him out.

Other than the behavior issues he's doing wonderfully. He's incredibly smart and playful. He is so excited about having 2 baby sisters coming. He loves his brother. The boys are now sharing a room in hopes of opening up the 3rd bedroom for the girls when they are ready to be in their own room (whenever that is). It's working beautifully for both boys most nights. They both seem to sleep better having someone in the room with them which is great.




Hopefully I'll remember (find the energy) to get on here again before another month has passed.
Cheli On Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Well it is official!

We are proud to announce that we are expecting IDENTICAL TWIN GIRLS!!!!!!

I was SO expecting blue too. Even though this pregnancy has been a world of different thus far I figured it was just because it's 2 of them. So we told her that we wanted to know if she could get a good shot of the goods. So as she was doing measurements for Baby A (the doctors office calls her Maria) LOL she was SO not shy about it and gave a few great peaks and she said. Oh that's a girl! I said are you sure?????? She said I've been doing this for 21 years and I've learned not to call a gender unless I'm sure. So then we tried Baby B (Who the peri office is calling Isabelle) who was in some God awful position and she tried EVERYTHING to get her to give us a shot but she as being a total booger and just wouldn't do it. But once we got a look at the placenta she said well there is only one placenta so that tells you Isabelle's gender :) WOOOOT!

So now that the shock has worn off a bit, here's the rest of the appointment info that I wasn't coherent enough yesterday for.

Baby A (Maria) is measuring at 15 weeks 2 days and is approximately 4 oz in weight currently.
Baby B (Isabelle) is measuring at 16 weeks 4 days and is approximately 5 oz in weight currently.

The perinatologist said they don't worry about the size discrepancy until it gets to be about 10 days to 2 weeks. We're at about 9 days now. So they want to monitor us VERY closely.

The girls are laying one or top of the other kind of pancaked in. So depending on which way they are laying they do a whole bunch of kicking each other in the head. LOL

Because of my history a child with a genetic anomaly and congenital heart defect. They are going to be monitoring me even closer. Normally they see you every 4 weeks for a scan with twins. For me they'll be seeing me every 2 weeks for a while and then probably every week. They are going to do fetal echocardiograms on BOTH girls when we are between 20-22 weeks So in about 3-5 weeks.

I go back to the OB on April 28th (next Wednesday) for a regular prenatal and he'll do a scan in office just to lay eyes on the girls and get heart rates (they won't rely on Doppler with twins) and I think I start seeing him every 2 weeks after that.

I go back to the perinatalogist in 2 weeks (May 4th) for another scan. They want to measure their abdomens because Baby B's abdomen is measuring a little large and Baby A's is measuring a little small and that can be another sign of TTTS (Twin to twin Transfusion Syndrome) and they won't to monitor amniotic fluid levels and cord blood flow.

The peri said that because of what type of twins they are (Monochorionic/Diamniotic) they WILL deliver early. He wouldn't discuss how early though, just said that depends on the girls and how well they continue to grow as the time gets closer. But it's looking like they will most likely end up August babies.



Cheli On Saturday, April 10, 2010
On Thursday morning I went in to take my NCLEX-RN exam. When I took the NCLEX-PN to become an LPN I had the minimum number of questions before the computer shut off and although I was nervous for the next few days, I was pretty confident that I had passed. This time around, I had all 260 questions and was JUST as confident that I had failed. So the next morning when I signed on to the website to see my results I was fully expecting to see "FAIL" under the status. Much to my delight I saw....
So it's OFFICIAL. I am OFFICIALLY a Registered Nurse. WOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!

In other news.. the ultrasound has finally been scheduled (after much issue with the insurance company to get the level 2 ultrasound covered). We have our ultrasound (and find out the genders hopefully) on April 20th at 8am. We are VERY excited.

I'll do a better update after the ultrasound on the 20th.
Cheli On Wednesday, March 31, 2010
I had an OB appointment today. It was my first time meeting this OB. Before this I had been seeing a midwife but being that I'm high risk it's better for me to be followed by an OB. So the OB decided that since this was his first time meeting me he wanted to get an ultrasound real quick so he could see the babies for himself.

He said they look great. Baby A is measuring right along with my due date at 13 weeks 6 days (I'm 14 weeks 2 days) and Baby B is measuring a considerable amount smaller at 13 weeks even. He was slightly concerned about the difference in size especially as he said it looks like they are sharing a placenta. He said that his machine isn't all that great but from what he can see there is only one. So what does that mean?It means that the twins most likely are monochorionic/diamniotic (MoDi). Which means they are in separate amniotic sacs but share a placenta. It also means that most likely the are identical! YAY!!!

He wants me to go in for a level 2 ultrasound as soon as the insurance does the pre-authorization and we can get the appointment set up to make sure they are in fact sharing a placenta. Sharing a placenta puts them at increased risk for TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome) which can be a completely devastating condition resulting in losing 1 or even both of the twins if not monitored very very closely. So hopefully we'll have a Level 2 Ultrasound date tomorrow.

Baby A-- face shot


Baby B