Long time coming update

It has been many, many months since I updated this blog, primarily because my back starts to hurt if I spend more than about 5 minutes at the computer. That is good news, though, as it is just one of the symptoms of the twin pregnancy I am going through right now.
We just finished up our 26th week, (I can't believe we are this far along) and the babies are looking good. The boy, Frederick, is weighing in at about 1 lb and 12 oz, and the girl, Not Olga (for now) is just one ounce lighter. They are both exactly wher they should be in their measurements, so I feel very much at ease, which is not what I was expecting initially.
I can't say that the pregnancy has not been without its adventures. I started off with extreme fatigue and back pain in the first trimester. I had a little scare when I thought I might have another kidney stone and had to go to the hospital at around week 14. That turned out to be just a sciatic nerve, which was no fun, but went away shortly afterwards. Another challenge has been keeping my sugar levels down, as they seemed a little high early on. I have managed to cut down drastically on my sugar intake, and after 2 glucose tolerance tests, have barely passed without being diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
The biggest challenge I have faced so far has been a terrible rash that broke out all over my belly and chest. It started off as a few bumps around my belly button but quickly became a series of hives completely covering my abdomen and went all the way up to my chin. The doctors thought it was somthing called a PUPPS rash and prescribed a steroid cream. I don't know what I would have done without it. By the time I got to the doctors office, I was hysterical in tears from the extraordinary itching and burning from the rash, not to mention that fact that it had not let me sleep in 4 days. It took about 4 days of using the cream for the rash to start to clear up, but thankfully, it did just that.
I am actually feeling very good at this point in the pregnancy. I have gained weight at a steady pace of about one pound a week, but most of that has gone straight to my belly. That doesn't count, however, the 20 pounds I gained while undergoing the IVF treatment. In the end, I expect to gain about 55 to 60 pounds by the time the twins are born. That is a whole lot'a weight for someone with my 5 foot frame, but I know that it is worth it for the babies to be healthy. I hope that running around after two little ones will help me lose the weight quickly enough.
Today is the first day that the weather has actually cooled off significantly in the last two weeks. We were going through a terrible heat wave, with temperatures in the high 90s to low 100s, which when you're a fatty fat like I am now, is not pleasant at all. On top of that, there are massive wildfires in the mountains to the north of us that have filled the air with smoke and ash. We had pretty good views of the flames at night from our balcony, but thankfully, we are far enough from the fires to not be in any sort of danger. I just can't imagine what kind of a moonscape the forest will look like when this is all over with. I've enjoyed many hikes in our local mountains and will be sad to see them barren.
I am still working, but at a reduced schedule. I am just getting too big to be very useful behind the coffee bar, and mostly get in the way of my staff members. Most of the time I am just handling paperwork, supervising my staff from a chair, and answering customer questions about how big I am and how I must be due any day. I always get an excited reaction from people when they hear "twins." I've always felt that twins are special, but never realized how strongly so many people feel about them.
I will make a better effort going forward to post more regularly, especially as I have more time at home and will soon have nothing but time at home waiting for the babies arrival. I really can't wait.

Sleepy Time

So now that we are a month into this pregnancy thing, I have basically missed most of it because I am most sleeping all of the time. I cannot believe how tired I am. Where did all my energy go? Well, I guess its a good sign that I am sleeping for 2, or maybe 3. We have our first ultrasound this Friday and will find out if 1 or both of the embryos made it. I'm not really sure at this point which would be better, I mean with the economies of scale, 2 wouldn't be bad. Then again, how in the world can I carry not one, but two little Fritzs. I cannot begin to imagine...

Base of Upper Yosemite Falls

This is the base of the falls, above where Fritz and I were married almost 2 years ago. The hike to get to the top was about 4 hours uphill, and close to 3 going downhill, for a total of 7 miles of various switchbacks and some rather steep terrain. We started the hike at the base of the Lower Falls, directly across from the Yosemite Lodge. This is the first time that I ever made this hike. I especially wanted to get up to the top for my 35 birthday, if anything, to prove that I am not that far over the hill. What was surprising was the change in seasons we experienced as we went up the mountain. We started off in the dry, almost desert like sandy switchbacks and as we got higher in elevation, the weather started to change. It got to be a light layer of snow leftover from the winter, and then suddendly, as we got the the base of the Upper Falls, it was full blown snow, up to our knees in some areas. It wasn't really that cold, except for the actual snow, but Fritz seemed rather comfortable in his shorts. The falls actually form a cone of snow as the water collects at the base, which eventually melts and keeps going down to the Lower Falls. These falls are at about 3500 feet elevation and are the tallest waterfalls in the United States. I am so proud that we made it up, and grateful that we made it down in one piece, especially after Fritz spotted a bear at the base on the way back down. We must have looked too worn out to eat.

2 Pink Lines!

Waiting, and waiting

I am currently a nervous wreck as we wait for another 5 days to hear if our embryo transfer was a success. This past Friday we were able to transfer 2 embryos, which is 2 more than on the last round of IVF. Getting to that point, however, does not guarantee that they will safely implant and make it to babyhood. So we wait, and wait, and wait, until we either get a positive or negative pregnancy test on Friday. It is just very strange to leave the doctor's office told that you are carrying 2 embryos, 2 living creatures, but don't get too excited or your hopes up that in 7 days you will actually be "pregnant." I mean, if you have 2 embryos inside of you aren't you at that point, officially "pregnant." I tried to resist the temptation to name them, but I couldn't help it: Tweedlie Dum and Tweedlie Dee. Those are names I can't really get too attached to, right?
In the meantime, we keep, (I say we, but really, who are we kidding) getting shots in the ass every night to support the pregnancy. I'd like to imagine that it hurts Fritz as much as it hurts me to have to give me the shots, but honestly, I doubt it. I think he actually likes it a little bit. He says as much, as if he were kidding, but I don't think he is. In the end, if we end up with a baby, it will all be worth it. If not, well, I will have a polka-dotted rear for a few more months.
We went to yet another baby shower yesterday, for my friend Cindy, who I went to junior high with. I was a little bitter over the last few showers, but now I am at a point where I can really enjoy them and they mostly give me a sense of hope. I know we will get there, it's just a matter of when. It was actually fun, with all of the oohing and ahhing over the cute, frilly little girl things. I thought Fritz was going to explode, but I think he actually enjoyed it a little. He even made himself useful by helping get some of the lemons out of the tree, way up on top, where the little brown people couldn't reach. Horray for big white guys with long arms!

Bed Bugs

How many tails can you count on my bed. I'd say 4. Those are Grendal, Aria, Lazarus, and Dino, of course in a big grey ball. And they say we can't all just get along.

Pin Cushion Time

Despite all of the media hype over Octo-mom, Fritz and I have decided to continue with our second IVF cycle. I have been taking Lupron shots and some Dexamethasone steroids for the last couple of weeks. They have made me, in a word, crazy. I have never had such a short temper in my life. I think I almost ripped one of my poor employee's heads off because the bit that holds the tape roll in the dispenser went missing. I have also flung poor Dino off of the bed in the middle of the night because he meows too loudly when I need to adjust my sleeping position. Well, to be honest, he's probably had that coming for some time now.
We are now on to the happy shots. I started the FSH shots 2 nights ago, which are supposed to start stimulating my ovaries to develop more eggs for retrieval. We visited my RE on Monday, who was optimistic about the 12 antrifollicles we have so far, which is 1 more than the last cycle. We are also taking a more aggressive approach in terms of the drugs this cycle than the last. Of course, I am also not going to be dealing with the kidney stones that I did earlier this year. Overall, I have a million reasons to be more optimistic this time around, but to be honest I am not. I think that the more I learn about this process, the more nervous it makes me and the more I just want to forget about it. Thank God that I have a husband that will push me right back into the deep end even if I am desperate to get out of the pool. Its baby or bust, so I'd better get with the program.