the story

I am awake. It's not even dawn. After the third time of getting up in the middle of the night for my new-routine-restroom-break, I am unable to fall back asleep...probably because of the news we received yesterday. TWINS. I am still in complete shock!!

I know many of you are wondering, so here's the story...

Kris & I have been married for 3 years now and have (until recently) unsuccessfully tried to get pregnant during that time. Last September, we finally gave in and decided to see an infertility specialist to see if they could figure out why we still weren't pregnant. Many tests later, it was determined that our chances of conceiving were slim to none without some level of intervention.

So our journey of infertility treatments began. After countless prayers, dozens of "negatives," thousands of tears (and the lowest point in my life), 1 surgery, several rounds of Clomid, 3 IUI procedures (and with this last one, 2 shots of hCG), and not to mention lots of hard-earned (and well-used!) cash...we are FINALLY pregnant!

Words cannot express the joy we felt. My heart is overflowing with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for his hand in this miracle.

Once I took a home pregnancy test and saw the positive test-result, I was scheduled for some blood work to check my hCG levels and make sure they were rising appropriately. My numbers were excellent, they said, but didn't necessarily indicate multiples. I always knew there was a chance for multiples because of the medication and procedure, but the chance of that is so slim that I talked myself out of believing I would ever be pregnant with more than one. Plus, the fact that I had 3 eggs during each previous round of IUI, and both the first and second trial were a failure, I seriously doubted that more than one egg would be fertilized this time...I was only expecting one. I was so ecstatic at the prospect of having one child...that finally being pregnant with one baby was an absolute miracle in and of itself. So when we had our first ultrasound yesterday and the first thing he said was that there were two, I was (and still am) in complete shock. Kris wasn't as surprised as I was though. From the get-go, he has been whispering to my tummy every day, "Grow babies, grow."

It was determined that the babies are fraternal twins. It looks like each baby has their own sack and that they don't share anything except for my womb. So only time will tell, but it could be 2 girls, 2 boys, or one of each. We were able to hear the heartbeats of both babies - this was so exciting, and most definitely reassuring. The Dr. said that both babies look beautiful and healthy, and that this looks like a very healthy pregnancy. Lets pray that it continues that way!

I have been very tired lately, and had some nausea and an overall feeling of being sick. But I am happy to report that up to this point so far, I am tolerating the symptoms well. And although it can be very uncomfortable, it makes me so happy to know that my babies are thriving within. So I say, BRING IT ON!!!