First, Jensens:
Part 1
Part 2
Next, Lees:
Much Love!!!
Monday, July 24, 2017
Gender/Twin Reveal: One Year Ago?!?!
In honor of the 1 year anniversary of sharing our gender/twin news, I give you the videos of revealing the news to our families! It was so fun to surprise them with not only the gender reveal, but also the twin reveal. Enjoy!
First, Jensens:
First, Jensens:
Friday, November 18, 2016
#NICUlife
Since the babies have been born, I have had people ask things like, "So are you living at the hospital?, Do you go to both hospitals every day?, Do you get any sleep?, etc.". I am writing this to give you all a better idea of what a typical day looks like for me these days and also to give insight on what it's like to be a NICU parent.
Most mornings I get up around 8 or 8:30 and the first thing I do is pump. Oy... pumping... Pumping is a full time job in and of itself! Am I right, ladies? Then I eat breakfast and take the dog out before getting ready for the day. The morning routine usually also includes an episode of Grey's Anatomy. (As if I don't have enough of hospitals in my day...). I then pack my "NICU bag" which mainly consists of my pumping gear and any breast milk I have ready to bring to the hospital. Once I'm ready, I head over to IMC to see Emery, usually around 10:30 or 11.
Each hospital requires parents to wear a parent badge. At IMC, once I get to the NICU doors, I have to call the front desk for them to let me in. Once in, I sign in and scrub in at the sink. I also take off any hand jewelry and put my phone in a plastic ziplock bag to contain the bacteria on it. Now I'm finally ready to go back. Emery shares a room with just one other baby. Once I'm in Emery's room, I use sanitizer before touching her. For the next few hours I'll just hang out with her. Every 3 hours, they do her "cares." This includes getting her temperature, changing her diaper, cleaning her mouth, and feeding her. I will help with cares and then try to nurse her. Sometimes she does really well and other times, she just isn't interested. She still has a feeding tube if she doesn't nurse or take a bottle. Other than that, I'll hold her skin-to-skin, talk to her, and just love her. The nurse practitioner will usually come in and give any updates or changes.
Just after 2pm, Travis is off work and will come in since he works at the hospital. We usually help with her cares at 3pm and leave shortly after that. We go home for a couple hours to eat and rest for a bit. Around 5 or 5:30, we head up to Primary's to see Indianna.
At Primary's, we have badges to let ourselves into the NICU and the people at the front desk call us back. We also scrub, take off jewelry, and put our phones in bags. Indie shares a room with a few other babies. It's pretty similar to how we spend our time at IMC. Right now she eats very little as her bowel continues to heal. But she takes it by bottle like a champ! She's also being fed intravenously. We don't do skin-to-skin because of her surgery a few weeks ago, but we can still hold her. Around 9 or 9:30, we'll go home, sometimes work on finishing the nursery, go to bed, and start all over the next day.
I think the very hardest part about being a NICU parent is having to leave both of them everyday and find a way to be okay with it. Having to go home without them and feel kind of like nothing has changed. It's so hard to feel like you are being split in two. When I'm with Emery, I wish Indianna is there and when I'm with Indianna, I wish Emery is there.
The NICU is also such a roller coaster. One day the girls can be doing so good and the next there are setbacks. My phone is constantly on loud and every time I see it is one of the hospitals calling, my heart stops for a second. Usually it is just a nurse practitioner calling to update, but I have had a couple scary calls. I know one thing we won't miss for sure is staring at the monitors. Every time their oxygen or heart rate dips even a little bit, we get worried. People have wondered whether or not we get any good sleep. By the time we get home at the end of the night, we are both so emotionally drained that we actually sleep like babies.
The one thing that keeps us going is knowing that this won't be forever. Just picturing having both our girls home with us is enough to get us through most days. All of this is worth it because of our perfect babies. There are times that I wish I could have stayed pregnant longer, but it didn't work out that way. So now we are just trying to stay as positive as we can and take one day at a time. This too shall pass. There is not a doubt in my mind though, that we would do this all over again for our girls. We truly have been blessed with angels. :)
Thank you again for all the love, support, prayers, and well wishes. We are blessed with amazing people in our lives who have made this just a little bit easier. Love you all!
Each hospital requires parents to wear a parent badge. At IMC, once I get to the NICU doors, I have to call the front desk for them to let me in. Once in, I sign in and scrub in at the sink. I also take off any hand jewelry and put my phone in a plastic ziplock bag to contain the bacteria on it. Now I'm finally ready to go back. Emery shares a room with just one other baby. Once I'm in Emery's room, I use sanitizer before touching her. For the next few hours I'll just hang out with her. Every 3 hours, they do her "cares." This includes getting her temperature, changing her diaper, cleaning her mouth, and feeding her. I will help with cares and then try to nurse her. Sometimes she does really well and other times, she just isn't interested. She still has a feeding tube if she doesn't nurse or take a bottle. Other than that, I'll hold her skin-to-skin, talk to her, and just love her. The nurse practitioner will usually come in and give any updates or changes.
Just after 2pm, Travis is off work and will come in since he works at the hospital. We usually help with her cares at 3pm and leave shortly after that. We go home for a couple hours to eat and rest for a bit. Around 5 or 5:30, we head up to Primary's to see Indianna.
At Primary's, we have badges to let ourselves into the NICU and the people at the front desk call us back. We also scrub, take off jewelry, and put our phones in bags. Indie shares a room with a few other babies. It's pretty similar to how we spend our time at IMC. Right now she eats very little as her bowel continues to heal. But she takes it by bottle like a champ! She's also being fed intravenously. We don't do skin-to-skin because of her surgery a few weeks ago, but we can still hold her. Around 9 or 9:30, we'll go home, sometimes work on finishing the nursery, go to bed, and start all over the next day.
I think the very hardest part about being a NICU parent is having to leave both of them everyday and find a way to be okay with it. Having to go home without them and feel kind of like nothing has changed. It's so hard to feel like you are being split in two. When I'm with Emery, I wish Indianna is there and when I'm with Indianna, I wish Emery is there.
The NICU is also such a roller coaster. One day the girls can be doing so good and the next there are setbacks. My phone is constantly on loud and every time I see it is one of the hospitals calling, my heart stops for a second. Usually it is just a nurse practitioner calling to update, but I have had a couple scary calls. I know one thing we won't miss for sure is staring at the monitors. Every time their oxygen or heart rate dips even a little bit, we get worried. People have wondered whether or not we get any good sleep. By the time we get home at the end of the night, we are both so emotionally drained that we actually sleep like babies.
The one thing that keeps us going is knowing that this won't be forever. Just picturing having both our girls home with us is enough to get us through most days. All of this is worth it because of our perfect babies. There are times that I wish I could have stayed pregnant longer, but it didn't work out that way. So now we are just trying to stay as positive as we can and take one day at a time. This too shall pass. There is not a doubt in my mind though, that we would do this all over again for our girls. We truly have been blessed with angels. :)
Emery
Indianna
Thank you again for all the love, support, prayers, and well wishes. We are blessed with amazing people in our lives who have made this just a little bit easier. Love you all!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Birth Story ~ Thursday, October 6, 2016
I'm a little behind on this and it is kinda out of order, but I want to share Indianna and Emery's birth story. As scary as it was, it was still one of the best days of my life.
So for the few weeks prior, I had been going to the doctor twice a week for non-stress tests and ultrasound. I was also told to expect to deliver the babies any day. Well all of the tests had looked good and there hadn't been any big changes in the past couple weeks. Plus, the babies had been really active, so I figured I would make it a few more weeks.
So I went in for my weekly ultrasound on Thursday morning. After the ultrasound tech was done looking, the doctor came in and immediately said, "You're going down to labor and delivery right now. We need to get these babies out today." The blood flow in Emery's umbilical cord had become reversed flow. Previously it had just been absent. They needed to get them out right away because Emery wasn't receiving enough blood or nutrients. Even though I knew that it could be any time, I was still surprised and scared. I was only 31 weeks 2 days along. That means they would be 2 months early.
I left the doctors office and called Travis. He was working and didn't answer, but I knew he would know why I had called. I headed down to labor and delivery and got admitted. This was at about 9:30am. They took me to my room and put monitors on to watch the babies and my blood pressure. Travis got there a few minutes later and they told us we would have to wait a few hours before delivering since I had eaten in the morning. So then we waited... Our moms and a few other visitors came.
At around 2pm, the nurse came in and had Travis put on his gown and shower cap thing and put my shower cap thing on. She was also all gowned and masked up. Just a few minutes later, we all walked to the operating room for my c-section. Once there, they had me lay on my side on the operating table so that the anesthesiologist could give me a spinal tap. He had me curl into a ball. Do you know how hard that is with a pregnant belly?! Anyway, the spinal tap is really weird because it completely numbs you from the waist down. I tried moving my feet and you literally can't feel anything. It was kinda freaky. Then the doctor said, "Let us know if you feel anything sharp." Luckily I didn't.
They put up a big plastic sheet so that you can't see them operating on you. What seemed like only a couple minutes after they started, the doctor was already saying, "Here comes baby A." Travis stood up and watched them pull her out. She cried and then came baby B. She didn't really cry, but Travis said she was super wiggly. I didn't get to see either of them because they were immediately passed through a window to the NICU. Baby A was 3 lbs 10 oz, 16.9 inches long, and born at 3:21pm. Baby B was 2 lbs 6 oz, 15.4 inches long, and born at 3:23pm.
The rest of the time seemed to take the longest. They were stitching me back up. I was so glad to have Travis there to keep me calm. They finally finished and moved me to a bed. That's when the shakes started. I was shaking so bad, but didn't feel cold or anything. They wheeled me back to my labor & delivery room and wrapped me in blankets. We stayed there for about an hour and a half.
On our way to my maternity room, they took me to the NICU to see the babies. We only got to see baby A because they were still working on baby B. What a crazy thing it is to see your baby for the first time. Instant love.
After that, they took me to my room. Then a whole bunch of our visitors came in to see us. I can't even remember who all was there... They all left and I started to get feeling back in my feet. The nurses said that I had to wait until midnight before trying to get up. So at midnight, they helped me get up and get into a wheelchair so that I could go see baby B. Again, the second I saw her, I fell in love with her.
As soon as we saw baby B, we knew the names we were thinking about fit them. Baby A is Indianna Rae and baby B is Emery Madison.
It definitely wasn't the birth story I had ever imagined, but nothing about my pregnancy was. I will never forget that day, the day I became a mother. It has changed my life. What an amazing blessing it is to live in a time with so much medical technology and knowledge. I am so grateful that my babies were able to get here safely and be in a place where they can continue to develop and grow. I cannot wait for the day we get to bring them both home!
Happy Birthday Babies!
10~06~16
So for the few weeks prior, I had been going to the doctor twice a week for non-stress tests and ultrasound. I was also told to expect to deliver the babies any day. Well all of the tests had looked good and there hadn't been any big changes in the past couple weeks. Plus, the babies had been really active, so I figured I would make it a few more weeks.
So I went in for my weekly ultrasound on Thursday morning. After the ultrasound tech was done looking, the doctor came in and immediately said, "You're going down to labor and delivery right now. We need to get these babies out today." The blood flow in Emery's umbilical cord had become reversed flow. Previously it had just been absent. They needed to get them out right away because Emery wasn't receiving enough blood or nutrients. Even though I knew that it could be any time, I was still surprised and scared. I was only 31 weeks 2 days along. That means they would be 2 months early.
I left the doctors office and called Travis. He was working and didn't answer, but I knew he would know why I had called. I headed down to labor and delivery and got admitted. This was at about 9:30am. They took me to my room and put monitors on to watch the babies and my blood pressure. Travis got there a few minutes later and they told us we would have to wait a few hours before delivering since I had eaten in the morning. So then we waited... Our moms and a few other visitors came.
At around 2pm, the nurse came in and had Travis put on his gown and shower cap thing and put my shower cap thing on. She was also all gowned and masked up. Just a few minutes later, we all walked to the operating room for my c-section. Once there, they had me lay on my side on the operating table so that the anesthesiologist could give me a spinal tap. He had me curl into a ball. Do you know how hard that is with a pregnant belly?! Anyway, the spinal tap is really weird because it completely numbs you from the waist down. I tried moving my feet and you literally can't feel anything. It was kinda freaky. Then the doctor said, "Let us know if you feel anything sharp." Luckily I didn't.
They put up a big plastic sheet so that you can't see them operating on you. What seemed like only a couple minutes after they started, the doctor was already saying, "Here comes baby A." Travis stood up and watched them pull her out. She cried and then came baby B. She didn't really cry, but Travis said she was super wiggly. I didn't get to see either of them because they were immediately passed through a window to the NICU. Baby A was 3 lbs 10 oz, 16.9 inches long, and born at 3:21pm. Baby B was 2 lbs 6 oz, 15.4 inches long, and born at 3:23pm.
The rest of the time seemed to take the longest. They were stitching me back up. I was so glad to have Travis there to keep me calm. They finally finished and moved me to a bed. That's when the shakes started. I was shaking so bad, but didn't feel cold or anything. They wheeled me back to my labor & delivery room and wrapped me in blankets. We stayed there for about an hour and a half.
On our way to my maternity room, they took me to the NICU to see the babies. We only got to see baby A because they were still working on baby B. What a crazy thing it is to see your baby for the first time. Instant love.
After that, they took me to my room. Then a whole bunch of our visitors came in to see us. I can't even remember who all was there... They all left and I started to get feeling back in my feet. The nurses said that I had to wait until midnight before trying to get up. So at midnight, they helped me get up and get into a wheelchair so that I could go see baby B. Again, the second I saw her, I fell in love with her.
As soon as we saw baby B, we knew the names we were thinking about fit them. Baby A is Indianna Rae and baby B is Emery Madison.
It definitely wasn't the birth story I had ever imagined, but nothing about my pregnancy was. I will never forget that day, the day I became a mother. It has changed my life. What an amazing blessing it is to live in a time with so much medical technology and knowledge. I am so grateful that my babies were able to get here safely and be in a place where they can continue to develop and grow. I cannot wait for the day we get to bring them both home!
10~06~16
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Indianna's Surgery
Last night was probably the scariest night of my life. Our little 9 day old, 3 1/2 pound Indianna had to be life flighted to primary children's hospital for surgery.
Indianna got an infection called NEC which is in her bowel. Yesterday they discovered that the bacteria had eaten a hole in her intestine and needed immediate surgery. She was life flighted from IMC to primary children's hospital for surgery. They had to take out about 18 centimeters of her small intestine because it was infected and had died. They gave her an ostomy which means her intestine now comes to the outside of her stomach while her intestine heals. In a month or 2, they will reconnect it back inside. She did really well with the surgery, but will be at primary children's for a few months.
Emery is still doing great, but I feel so bad that we had to separate them! Emery will stay at IMC. Thank you all for the love and support in this very difficult and stressful time! Please know we will try to respond to messages and phone calls, but cut us some slack if you don't hear back from us for awhile.
Love you all!
Indianna got an infection called NEC which is in her bowel. Yesterday they discovered that the bacteria had eaten a hole in her intestine and needed immediate surgery. She was life flighted from IMC to primary children's hospital for surgery. They had to take out about 18 centimeters of her small intestine because it was infected and had died. They gave her an ostomy which means her intestine now comes to the outside of her stomach while her intestine heals. In a month or 2, they will reconnect it back inside. She did really well with the surgery, but will be at primary children's for a few months.
Emery is still doing great, but I feel so bad that we had to separate them! Emery will stay at IMC. Thank you all for the love and support in this very difficult and stressful time! Please know we will try to respond to messages and phone calls, but cut us some slack if you don't hear back from us for awhile.
Love you all!
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Bumpdate: 29 Weeks - Big Scary Changes
So I know I just posted an update last week, but since then we
have had another couple ultrasounds and a lot has changed. I will try to
explain as best I can.
So in these last ultrasounds, both babies were active, both
bladders visible, and both had normal fluid volumes; which is good. The
size difference in the twins is concerning. Baby A is now 3 lbs. 1 oz and
Baby B is 1 lb. 14 oz. In the past 3 weeks Baby A grew almost a pound,
but Baby B only grew about 5 oz., which is is a lot less than she should be
growing. Another concern is that there is abnormal blood flow in Baby B's
umbilical cord. The doctor thinks that this is due to unequal placental
sharing, meaning that Baby B isn't getting quite enough nutrients since she has
a smaller share of the placenta. There is nothing they can do to correct
unequal placental sharing, they just have to monitor Baby B really, really
closely. So now I am having to do non-stress tests twice a week to make
sure Baby B's heart rate is normal and that she is not in distress. I
also will have weekly ultrasounds to monitor the blood flow in the umbilical
cord. The reason they watch so closely is because Baby B is at risk to be
still born. If that were to happen, Baby A would also be at risk since
they share some blood vessels and the placenta. The goal is to deliver
before that can happen. Because of this, I also had to get steroid shots to
help the babies' lungs develop faster in the event I have to deliver soon.
The doctor told us to be prepared to deliver as soon as next week, but if
not, most likely within the next couple of weeks. They don't think I will
make it to 34 weeks...
I am so scared! I am scared of keeping them in too long and
risking too much stress on Baby B, but it is still sooo early to have them be
born! I just gotta have the faith that the doctors know what they're
doing, and that they will make the best choice for the health of my babies and
me. I am so grateful for modern medicine and technology so that we have
the best chance to have healthy babies. I know that everything is
ultimately in God's hands and I trust that He is watching over us.
I will try to keep you all updated. If you could spare a
prayer for me, Travis, and the babies, we would be so grateful! Thanks
again for all of the love and support!
*Below is a video explaining unequal placental sharing just in
case anyone is interested. :)
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Bumpdate: 28 Weeks ~ 3rd Trimester!
Hello all! I decided I would give a quick, little update on the status of our girls and this prego mama!
We'll start with me: I am 28 weeks along with less than 12 weeks to go (as twins come early)! I am now officially in the third trimester!!! In a lot of ways, I can't believe how fast time is going! Not sure I'm ready to take on 2 babies in just a few months! I am feeling pretty good right now. My biggest complaints are huge, swollen feet, terrible aftertastes that linger, and some acid reflux. Tums are my new fave! I am sure though that pretty soon I will be counting down the days until this pregnancy is over!
As far as other symptoms go, I am always hungry! I can eat a good meal and an hour later feel like I haven't eaten anything all day! It is kind of fun being able to out-eat Travis. I haven't really had any cravings other than I could eat watermelon anytime and anything fruity always sounds good. So far I have gained about 28 pounds. Also, I ended up failing my 1-hour glucose test so I had to take the 3-hour glucose test, which I passed! Just barely though... Basically, I just have to try to limit the sweets like cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. All the good stuff... Boo! But at least I don't have gestational diabetes!
As for the girls... they are doing pretty good! I feel them every day, but only on my right side or really low. I think I felt at least one of them have the hiccups for the first time the other night. Travis has still yet to feel them, but he has seen them kick my stomach. Every time he puts his hand on my stomach, they decide to stop moving... Hopefully he'll be able to feel them soon! At our last ultrasound, the amniotic fluid in each of their membranes looked good and both of their bladders were visible! Both are good signs and mean that they do not meet the criteria for twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome. Let's keep it that way! They also are measuring within a normal range even though Baby A is a bit bigger than Baby B. Baby A is 2 lbs. 3oz. and Baby B is 1 lb. 9oz. So things are moving right along.
The nursery is also coming along. We have two cribs (one is in our room for now) and just got our changing table. Both of our cribs were donated from family and the wood matched! We got our changing table from KSL and it also happened to match! What are the odds?! Now we mostly just need to organize and decorate. Let the nesting begin! :)
We'll start with me: I am 28 weeks along with less than 12 weeks to go (as twins come early)! I am now officially in the third trimester!!! In a lot of ways, I can't believe how fast time is going! Not sure I'm ready to take on 2 babies in just a few months! I am feeling pretty good right now. My biggest complaints are huge, swollen feet, terrible aftertastes that linger, and some acid reflux. Tums are my new fave! I am sure though that pretty soon I will be counting down the days until this pregnancy is over!
As far as other symptoms go, I am always hungry! I can eat a good meal and an hour later feel like I haven't eaten anything all day! It is kind of fun being able to out-eat Travis. I haven't really had any cravings other than I could eat watermelon anytime and anything fruity always sounds good. So far I have gained about 28 pounds. Also, I ended up failing my 1-hour glucose test so I had to take the 3-hour glucose test, which I passed! Just barely though... Basically, I just have to try to limit the sweets like cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. All the good stuff... Boo! But at least I don't have gestational diabetes!
As for the girls... they are doing pretty good! I feel them every day, but only on my right side or really low. I think I felt at least one of them have the hiccups for the first time the other night. Travis has still yet to feel them, but he has seen them kick my stomach. Every time he puts his hand on my stomach, they decide to stop moving... Hopefully he'll be able to feel them soon! At our last ultrasound, the amniotic fluid in each of their membranes looked good and both of their bladders were visible! Both are good signs and mean that they do not meet the criteria for twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome. Let's keep it that way! They also are measuring within a normal range even though Baby A is a bit bigger than Baby B. Baby A is 2 lbs. 3oz. and Baby B is 1 lb. 9oz. So things are moving right along.
The nursery is also coming along. We have two cribs (one is in our room for now) and just got our changing table. Both of our cribs were donated from family and the wood matched! We got our changing table from KSL and it also happened to match! What are the odds?! Now we mostly just need to organize and decorate. Let the nesting begin! :)
All I Want is Sugar Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix (and ingredients listed on the box)
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cartons ice cream
1 tub Cool Whip
Directions
1. Chop up chocolate chips and set aside. Mix cake mix according to the directions on box and mix chopped chocolate chips into the batter.
2. Bake according to the directions on the box using two 8-inch pans. Make sure to spray the pans with cooking spray prior to cooking!
3. Once cakes are done cooking, allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then remove from pan and allow cakes to cool completely on wire racks. Once they are completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer until frozen.
4. Once cakes are frozen, remove from freezer and cut each one in half horizontally to make 4 cake layers. Re-wrap in plastic wrap and place back in freezer.
5. Now we get to soften the ice cream. It is easiest to work one layer at a time, so you will just use about half a carton of ice cream for now. I have found that the best way to do this is to get a large bowl and fill it with hot water. In a slightly smaller bowl, place your ice cream and place that bowl in the bowl of hot water. I usually just let it sit for a minute or two until it starts melting. Then I mix it until it is a soft-served consistency.
6. Take two of the cake layers out of the freezer. Place one on the plate/tray you'll build the cake on. Spread the softened ice cream over the cake and then place the second layer over the ice cream. Put back in freezer.
7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 until you have all 4 layers of cake with the 3 layers of ice cream in between. Place back in freezer and allow to freeze until solid.
8. Once the cake is solid, take out of freezer and spread cool whip all over the cake like frosting.
9. Now you can garnish the cake with what you want,
10. Wah-lah! Finished. Store cake in freezer. :)
Notes:
- You can use 1, 2, or even 3 different ice cream flavors! For my cake, I used cookies & cream and Samoas ice creams.
- You can also get creative with the topping/garnish. I went with crushed Oreos, but you could use cut-up fruit, chocolate syrup, candy bits, etc.
- This cake may seem a little daunting, but it's really not too difficult. Just time consuming. I would suggest baking and freezing the cake layers a day in advance, so the next day all you have to do is put it together.
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Gender/Twins Reveal!
Twins!!!
We went in for our 20-week ultrasound and we were so excited to finally learn the gender! I was also excited because I have been paranoid most of my pregnancy that something might be wrong. After drinking the required 32oz. of water in an hour, I was ready. The ultrasound tech (her name was Lynn) brought us back to our room and put that cold gel stuff on my belly. As soon as she put the ultrasound tool on my belly, she almost immediately removed it and asked if I had any previous ultrasounds. I told her that I had at 8 weeks and she asked me what they said about it.
I said, "Well what do you mean?" Silence from Lynn... So I continued, "Well they said that the due date is on December 6th, but not much else."
Then Lynn said, "Well you're having twins."
What?! Travis and I looked at each other with looks of complete shock.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"I never kid about this."
Holy cow! What a crazy bomb to have dropped halfway through the pregnancy!
Anyway, so Lynn looked around at the babies for a few minutes and then had to try to move some of her later appointments around since now our appointment would take twice as long. Thankfully, she let me go to the bathroom as I felt my bladder was about to burst!
We both came back to the room and she looked at each baby more closely. It's so crazy to watch on the ultrasound screen and see your babies! She told us that they are most likely identical twins because they share a placenta, but won't know for sure until more tests are done. That also meant that they would more likely than not, be the same gender. Twin A is a girl and so is Twin B! Two little girls...
At the end of the ultrasound, Lynn told us that Twin B was about a week behind in size than Twin A. She left a note on Dr. L's desk to contact me and said that there was a good chance that I would be sent to the high risk doctor as well.
I'm sure mine and Travis's faces looked dazed as we walked out of the office... We then went to BuyBuyBaby and just sat in the rockers trying to process everything. We also decided not to tell anyone about the twins until we did the gender reveals with our families the following week. It made that next week so long keeping such a big secret!
Jensen Gender Reveal
So we decided to tell Travis's parents on the Friday before we left on a trip to Oregon with my family (one week after the ultrasound). We made cupcakes and hollowed out the middles. Then we filled them with pink M&M's and frosted them. We brought over the cupcakes and had them both take a big bite at the same time.
My mother-in-law (Laura) screamed, "Oh, it's a princess!"
We kind of let that sink in for a minute and then we handed them a gift bag telling them that we got the grandparents a gift. Inside was a pink helium balloon that we wrote, "Baby # 2" on. Laura opened the bag and pulled the balloon out. She read the balloon and was so confused! Meanwhile, my father-in-law continued eating cupcakes. Laura guessed that "Baby # 2" meant Tedder (our dog) was baby # 2 and also guessed that baby # 2 was an announcement for my sister-in-law. She was not even thinking for a second that it was twins! Travis and I both laughed and then I handed her the ultrasound showing both of the babies' heads. As soon as she saw that, she just started screaming and yelled, "Oh! Two princesses!" It was definitely the reaction we were hoping for! We were so glad that we waited to tell them about the twins with the gender reveal.
My mother-in-law (Laura) screamed, "Oh, it's a princess!"
We kind of let that sink in for a minute and then we handed them a gift bag telling them that we got the grandparents a gift. Inside was a pink helium balloon that we wrote, "Baby # 2" on. Laura opened the bag and pulled the balloon out. She read the balloon and was so confused! Meanwhile, my father-in-law continued eating cupcakes. Laura guessed that "Baby # 2" meant Tedder (our dog) was baby # 2 and also guessed that baby # 2 was an announcement for my sister-in-law. She was not even thinking for a second that it was twins! Travis and I both laughed and then I handed her the ultrasound showing both of the babies' heads. As soon as she saw that, she just started screaming and yelled, "Oh! Two princesses!" It was definitely the reaction we were hoping for! We were so glad that we waited to tell them about the twins with the gender reveal.
Lee Gender Reveal
For my family, we decided to do the gender reveal on our summer trip to Oregon. For the past few years, we have been going to Oregon and staying in a beach house with my family so we thought it would be fun to do something on the beach.
So the night we got there, Travis and I got everything ready before heading down to the beach. We had black spray bottles and filled them up with pink paint. We had also bought some cheap white clothes to wear. Travis just had a t-shirt and gym shorts and I had a white summer dress. And the final touch was a poster that said, "Boy or Girl?"
Once we were ready, we all headed down to the beach. We told everyone that we would hand them a spray bottle behind their backs because you could see through a couple of them and then on the count of three, they could bring them in front and spray us. So we did just that and our white clothes turned pink! It was such a fun way for everyone to be involved in revealing the gender!
Then Travis and I brought my niece and nephew over to the "Boy or Girl?" poster and had them hold it. We then flipped it around and on the other side it said, "Baby # 2". Then Travis and I sprayed everyone with pink silly string. My mom immediately said, "Baby # 2?... Twins?! Oh my gosh!!" Haha! It was so fun seeing everyone's reactions at this unexpected news! Everyone seemed to be just as shocked as we were. Again, we are so glad we waited to tell them about the twins!
Excited/Overwhelmed/Worried/Blessed
We have had such a whirlwind and mix of emotions as we have tried to process doubling everything. At first, I just felt shocked and overwhelmed. Then it moved to worry and then excitement. And now we are realizing just how truly blessed we are to have two little girls on the way.
I wake up every day worried about the babies' development and health. I pray constantly that they are being watched over and developing properly. There are elevated risks associated with a twin pregnancy and even a little more elevated when they share a placenta and are identical. The doctors are going to be watching very closely though (ultrasounds every 2 weeks), so that if something were to happen, it could be caught quickly. I don't think the worry will ever go away now. I think it must be a parent thing...
Anyway, we are just trying to stay positive and continue looking forward to November! Goodbye sleep, hello craziness! So excited for this new adventure! :)
*I will post again very soon with pictures!
*I will post again very soon with pictures!
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