The New Journey Begins

It has been an emotional last few days with passions in all directions. We had the shock of an unexpected delivery of the twins two weeks prior to the plan. There were some initial health concerns that seem to turn out not to be worries. However, as time progressed new worries set in.

Journey’s End…Sorta

So, roughly 24 hours ago, Kristina and I were at the final routine visit before the scheduled delivery of the twins on November 1. There had been a little excitement earlier in the day as Kristina was trying to decide whether an incident was simply some pregnancy-related incontinence or whether she may have had a sign her water might be about to break. With her first pregnancy there was a similar incident that occurred a few hours before her water broke.

Not Big Enough

So, we are beyond 34 weeks now and nothing is big enough.

A Letter To My Sons

Dear Grayson and Bennett:
 

There are only days remaining before I get to meet the two of you. This is a very exciting time for your mother and for me. We are nervous, eager and thrilled about your arrival.

Milestone 32

This week is somewhat of a magical milestone. It is the “last marker” before delivery, and what our doctor refers to as the safety point. Although, optimal is full term, twins rarely make it that far. However, at week 32, all the critical development is complete, and key abilities to survive outside the womb are in place.

The Big Three-O

It seems crazy that we are only a few weeks from delivery. A friend of Kristina's who had twins last year reminded us that she had already delivered by this point. Of course, hers spent some time in the NICU because they were so early, which we'd prefer to avoid, but Bennett and Grayson will come early if they choose to do so.

The 29-Week Visit

Today we visited the perinatal specialist for a routine ultrasound and check-up. The boys are healthy and fine. Grayson weighs 2 lbs 9 oz, and "little" Bennett came in at 3 lbs 2 oz. I jest about "little" Bennett because he was the morula and implanted about 24 hours after Grayson; however, he has made up for it now. Of course, who knows which will be bigger in eighteen years?

Third Trimester

Well, we are officially in the third trimester now. That being said, it is probably closer to only eight weeks before delivery. It's getting down to the wire; so, I guess I need to refer back to my checklist of things to get done.

Two Dozen Weeks

It was a much better and calmer week...until last night. Kristina just seems to collect quick-passing kidney stones. I suppose the quick-passing part is a blessing...and at least this one didn't land us in the hospital.

Venti

We have reached the twentieth week of Kristina's pregnancy. I have too many thoughts, as well as too many distractions, to properly express what is going through my brain about the boys' development. We have classes we are taking to help us prepart. There are doctors visits o'plenty. And let's not forget nursery plans to complete.

Half The Way There

So tomorrow marks 19 weeks. This makes it officially the half-way milestone as the OB/GYN has stated she does not plan for Kristina to carry the boys beyond the 38th week.

Everything In Pairs

So, we joke that we do everything twice. We got engaged twice. I bought the ring twice. We set the same day twice. We went through in-vitro twice.

Blinded With Science

Oh the interesting details one learns when going through in-vitro. Some I probably shouldn’t reveal here; however, one piece of information I will share is about the due date. We all know “9 months” or “40 weeks,” but the truth is neither is chronologically accurate.

The Test Results

It has been a long process. We knew when we got married having a child together would present a challenge. After all, I had a vasectomy six years prior. When we learned the reversal surgery was not successful last summer, it seemed that challenge turned into a barricade. After our first cycle of IVF resulted only in a chemical pregnancy, that barricade brought questions about our belief of how the universe works.

The Summary

We gave a few updates today on Facebook, but I know not everyone follows that. So, let me summarize the day:

All We Can Say Is Thank You

It is with heavy hearts we announce that despite all this process, we once again landed on the wrong side of the statistics. We are not pregnant.

"Sciency" Details and Other Results

Moments ago, Kristina received the first phone call from the clinic to give the Day-1 report on the embryos. There will be some potentially icky details, but I promise no pictures. I say this because Kristina and I jest about making a baby in front of her mother yesterday. So, there are some really good puns to be had right now.

Step 38: Social Support

I wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who has been following our blog during the in-vitro process. I noticed this morning that the total views of this blog broke the one-thousand mark. That translates to about 60 people looking per post on average. That's a lot of support, prayers and good wishes for our journey to babyhood. That means more than can be well expressed here. Thank you all!

Dear Future Child

You do not yet exist, but already you are loved. Your mother and I are working hard, making sacrifices and literally giving of our own flesh to ensure your own survival. I know this will be more than you can understand for years to come, but I want you to know how important you are to us already.