Level II Ultrasound: Sex Determination

Well, we finally had our 20 week ultrasound. It was exciting to see the twins moving around on the screen. I made sure to drink some 7-up before my appointment to insure that the babies would be awake and active. I didn't want to risk not being able to find out the sexes. It's a BOY and GIRL! We're thrilled. I mean, I'm still definitely terrified, anxious, etc. about the arrival of these babies, but a boy and girl are a perfect combo. Everything looks good with the babies too. They're right on track size-wise (same as a singleton baby), the hearts are strong, all organs are functioning properly, and they have all their limbs in the appropriate places. Baby B (girl) has a slightly smaller head, so the doctors are going to keep an eye on her growth, but I'm not too worried about it. I've always been kind of a pinhead myself, so I'm guessing it just runs in the family. Grandma Meemee (my mom) is kind of a pinhead too.

My OB appointment also went well. The doctor said she's going to let me go as far as possible...she won't deliver the twins any earlier than October 23rd (as long as the pregnancy is progressing healthily). She also said I'm going to be really uncomfortable come August. DUH! I'm already getting uncomfortable! So, the farther along I get, the more I'll just have to remind myself how blessed I am to be that uncomfortable. The doctor doesn't anticipate any complications at this point. I'm healthy, my blood pressure is nice and low, there are no signs of pre-term labor to speak of thus far. We'll just pray that the twins develop as they should. 

Boy, oh Boy?

I had a doctor's appointment today. It was pretty routine: pee in a cup, blood pressure, then wait. When the doctor arrived, she measured my belly. I'm 16 weeks, but I measure 20 weeks. Then, we listened to the babies' heartbeats. Baby A's was 144 and Baby B's was 142. The doctor said, "sounds like you might have two boys in there!" Yikes. Seriously, two baby boys? That freaks me out. Not that there's anything wrong with boys. All my friends' baby boys are beyond adorable and incredibly precious. I'm just so used to a girl, that two boys intimidates me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about two boys all day. I guess it'll be good to mentally prepare myself for my ultrasound next month, where I'll find out the sexes for sure (as long as the babies cooperate). So, until then...

"Impossible," you say? Not in my family.

Now, I know a lot of people have trouble with family. Whether it be with the infamous MILs, kids not getting along with step-monsters, or parents not getting along with parents, the trouble always seems to surface somewhere, right? Well, you're not going to believe it when I say it, but, not in my family. I'm one of the fortunate few. Here's proof:

For Mother's Day this year, my mom invited all the girls to the North Shore for the weekend. "The girls" included my mom, me, Linnea, my step-mom Linda and my mother-in-law Tamara. I promise you no drama unfolded. We had a wonderful weekend....eating, hiking, shopping, etc. It was great to see all Linnea's grandma's together taking care of her and showering her with love. I know Linnea felt incredibly special. She thought the whole Mother's Day weekend was just for her, I'm certain of it.

I'm incredibly blessed to have such great relationships with my "moms." It should always be a happy Mother's Day in my family. :-)

Like Mother, like Daughter

The joys of daily life with Linnea:

Linnea and I stopped at the bank today while we ran errands. I needed to deposit some checks, and I had her on my lap while I filled out the deposit slips. She started getting squirmy, so I gave her the pen. That didn't work. I also gave her a deposit slip. That didn't work for long, but all the sudden she was still. Then, she pointed to the wall and said, "Ohhhhhhh, fish fish fish!" It was the cutest thing ever. She saw a bunch of decorative fish on the wall, and went nuts over them. She's really into "fishies." Way to make a mama proud! It's no secret that mommy is quite into fishies too. In my mind, there's nothing more fascinatingly beautiful than the ocean and it's inhabitants (other than my Linnea, of course). It appears Linnea is on her way to developing the same fondness. Oh, like mother, like daughter. I love it. 

Once a Wigart...

So, I know it’s only my second blog, and, apologetically, the topic is going to involve poop. Sorry, the topic just runs in my family. Oops, haha. No pun intended! Poop never escapes the Wigart table at any family gathering. For as long as I can remember, every Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthday celebration, poop makes its way into discussion. No, it isn’t table talk, and we aren’t Neanderthals. Just call us open, honest, and somewhat raunchy, and, really, poop talk can just be so darn funny!

Anyway, I was thinking about something today that no one warned me to watch out for as a new mom. Unfortunately, this isn’t very funny. It involves hand washing. On a day-to-day basis, I would be classified as a compulsive hand-washer. My hands are always raw, even in the summer. I wash my hands constantly. There was just ONE time…

When Linnea was about 6 months old, I changed her diaper, and forgot to wash my hands afterward. I was in a hurry to meet the girls for lunch at Panera. I simply didn’t think to wash my hands before I ran out of the house. Panera was really crowded and it was somewhat hectic getting our food. I was so hungry by the time I finally sat down that I just started ripping my bread apart, dipping it in my soup, and shoving it in my mouth. Here’s where I’ll make a long story short: a couple days later I ended up spending the majority of my time on the toilet. Montezuma had nothing on this “didn’t wash your hands” revenge. I did a little Internet research at the time, and found that something like 80% of new moms experience the same thing. All from changing a diaper…sheesh.

Bottom line, for all those parents out there, don’t EVER forget to wash your hands. I haven’t forgotten since, and I know I’ll never forget again. 

The Big Announcement: Double Oops

Ultrasound - April 21, 2009: TWINS

Ok, so I'm going to be open and detailed throughout my writing. If it's too much, I apologize, but it's the best way for me to document this exciting, crazy time for our family. This is how the above ultrasound came to be:

Approximately three months ago, I made an appointment with my doctor to discuss alternative birth control options. I felt like the pill I was taking was making me crazy. I was so moody and irritable. It wasn't fun for anyone. I stopped taking the pill the week of my doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, my appointment got cancelled at the last minute, and I wasn't able to reschedule before damage was done, so to speak. It was Valentine's Day weekend. I knew it was risky, but I figured, what are the odds? Well, apparently the odds were good. I took a pregnancy test about a month later, and it was positive. Yup, two solid red lines. No doubt about it. 

My initial reaction was to swear a couple times. Holy S__T! Oh my GOD! F__K! Really? Then, I called Shane.

We weren't planning on having another child anytime soon. I wasn't even sure if I wanted another child! It was tough adjusting to the news. I never thought I'd have two kids only 23 months apart. Wow. All I could really think was, I've got my work cut out for me!

Fast forward to this past Tuesday....

I decided to get the 1st trimester screen, so I could have an ultrasound before 20 weeks. I didn't really care about the actual test. I just wanted to see that baby! The minute the ultrasound technician (AKA Bobbi) put the wand on my belly, I knew I was seeing twins. My hands went to my head and I said, "How did I know?! Oh my God. I knew it! How did I know?" Don't get me wrong, I huge portion of me was totally surprised, but there was also a part of me that somehow knew. Call it divine intuition. We'd been joking about having twins for the past couple months. I'd been feeling too big too soon. The last thing Shane said to me before my appointment was, "Call me when you're done and let me know how the twins are. Haha." That's how much we'd been joking about it. Well, Shane was dead on. I did call him right after to let him know how the twins were. Surprise!

The rest of the Tuesday was a blur of shock and phone calls. My mind hasn't stopped racing since Tuesday morning. What is this going to do to our family? How will Linnea feel? Can I take care of two babies and a toddler? We need SO much stuff: double or triple stroller, another crib, swings, pack 'n plays, bouncer, bottles, a freakin' mini-van!! Oh my God.

So, this is the beginning of the Lange family blog. I'm 11 weeks pregnant with twins. My belly already measures 17 weeks. Linnea is 16 months old. Ringo is 4. We have (fingers crossed for full-term pregnancy) about 6 months before Baby A and Baby B make their way into the world. Wish us luck!