7 weeks too soon: the twins' birth story - part 1

sorry this has taken me forever to post! let's begin...

july 19, 2014
i was 33 weeks and HUGE. mark and i were getting ready for our friends' wedding in baltimore. the day started off like any other, eat breakfast, take a shower, try my best to get dressed on my own, fail at getting dressed on my own, yell for mark to help me. a little time passed and we ate some lunch then headed out to the wedding. mark actually had to DJ as well.

45 minutes or so later, we get to the venue, The Walters Art Museum, and as mark was setting up, i was eating a chicken teriyaki sandwich from the museum cafe to tide me over till the reception. i ate most of it, but for some reason just couldn't finish it all. i thought i was so hungry i could eat a cow, but i just couldn't seem to finish my sandwich. so i gave some to the bride and the rest to mark.

mmm... chicken teriyaki!

the ceremony went off without a hitch. during cocktail hour my stomach started feeling funny... like i had to poop. so, my friend took me to the ladies' room to take care of business. nothing happened. so i wrote it off as just bad gas and we proceeded to the reception dinner. intros began and my stomach felt yucky and crampy again... like i had to poop even more. another trip to the bathroom. no dice. back to the table and the salads were served. i ate a little and then again... stomach yuck and a trip to the bathroom. again... nada. this went on several times throughout dinner. at one point, i felt bad that my friend kept having to wheel me to the ladies' room and made mark wheel me. as he was wheeling me past the tables to the ladies' room, people must have thought it was Go Time and started clapping and cheering! it was pretty funny when we rolled back in and were like "false alarm!" little did we know, i was actually having contractions and not just funky gas problems!

side notes: with every trip to the bathroom and every grunt from my stomach pains, the ladies at our table all kept telling me that they had similar pains when they started having contractions. i didn't think they were contractions and just thought i had really bad gas or that the chicken teriyaki sandwich must have been bad! 

throughout the rest of the night, i kept having the stomach pains and kept trying to poop. i even got so frustrated with the wheelchair business that i just got up and walked to the bathroom. it actually alleviated the pain from time to time when i would walk. needless to say, i was counting down the minutes till the end of the reception so i could go back to our hotel room and attempt to poop or just lay down and rest for the night. i was feeling so crappy that i didn't even get to take any decent photos that night. this is one of the very very few that doesn't even have mark in it... at least the bride is though!

rita, jemi (the bride) and me

july 20, 2014
we got back to the hotel around 1am-ish after mark packed up his equipment. i got into my pajamas and was getting ready to settle in and rest for the night while mark was getting into more comfortable clothes to go to the after-party in the bride and groom's suite. mark kissed me goodbye for now and off he went to enjoy himself as i started getting into bed. i kept feeling the stomach pains more and more and kept trying to poop, but for some reason just couldn't get anything out. at that point, i actually vomitted; which is why i thought i got food poisoning from something at dinner. the stomach pains kept getting stronger and more frequent, so i texted mark to come back cause i just was not feeling well and i needed him near me just in case it got really bad.  if it was food poisoning, i would have to have him go out to get me some ginger ale or whatever was safe to take while pregnant and sick.

around 2:30/3 am, i just couldn't take it. poor mark was intoxicated and resting in the bed while i kept going back and forth to the bathroom to try to poop it out. at one point, i was faced down butt up on the bed trying to alleviate the pain. and then it hit me... AM I IN LABOR!?!? ARE THESE CONTRACTIONS!?!? BUT IT'S TOO SOON! WE HAVE 7 MORE WEEKS!

duh. duh. duh.

sure enough, i was in labor. i started timing the contractions and they were about 12-15 minutes apart. i look over to see mark passed out and snoring his head off. so i shook him and told him what was going on. he was in as much disbelief as i was that i was actually in labor. he was in denial and wouldn't get up; i think mostly cause he was too intoxicated to fully function. after about a half our of screaming at him to get up, he got up, took a quick wake up shower to get him going, and we started packing things up to head out to the hospital... which was at least 45 minutes away!

stay tuned for the next part!

for now... happy halloween from our little chilipino miracles! (they're already 3 months old!)

25 weeks + other stuff

wow this post is late! sorry to whomever reads and has been waiting... last week was kind of uneventful 'cept for a few things.

i spent most of the week actually IN bed because the twins seemed to be putting a lot more pressure than usual on my cervix. every time i sat up to eat or got up to go to the bathroom i felt our little lincoln bearing down on my cervical opening. it felt like he was just going to pop right out if he pushed any harder. our poor little guy must be so scrunched up and uncomfortable in there! i could also feel our little reagan shuffling around more than usual. at times it felt like she was kicking her brother too. she's the one sitting on top right now, so she's got a lot less pressure on her.

sometime in the middle of the week, mark was laying on my belly during his "daddy and babies time." i was just watching and trying to hear what he was talking to them about that day. sometimes i can hear him talking to them, sometimes i can't and just fall asleep while they have their bonding time. while i was sitting there watching him rub my belly and talking to them, i could feel lincoln squirming around a lot. all of a sudden, lincoln headbutted the spot where mark was laying his head really hard and strong. so strong that mark jumped up onto the other side of the bed! we laughed for a good 10 minutes about it. i laughed so much that i needed to pee really badly afterwards! haha! now, every since then, mark's been scared to lay on my belly and just chooses to lay on my lap to talk to them. 

so the next morning, we had our weekly appointment with GWMFM. if you read from last week, i was quite unhappy about our last sonographer. in the middle of this past week, mark had emailed dr. matia about the experience and the horrible attitude of the sonographer. the head sonographer emailed mark back to assure us that we would no longer have that person as our sonographer and would make it a point to assign us sonographers that i have already seen and had good experiences with. it was a great sigh of relief and weight off my shoulders.

as we waited to be called in, that bad sonographer popped out to get another patient. talk about awkward. i was assuming she was reprimanded or something prior to our visit that day. she seemed to give me a bad look when she saw that i was there in the waiting room. you'd have thought that she'd learn and be nicer after getting her ass chewed out for how she treated a patient, but i guess people with bad attitudes like her just always have bad attitudes no matter what. if that's the truth, that's just plain sad on her part.

so, we got called back, the sonographer did her usual scans and then dr. manely, another GWMFM doctor, did her check up stuff. after dr. manely checked things out, a nurse came in to administer a steroid shot to me. it was to help the lung development of the twins. it's commonly given to multiples in utero. then, i had to come back 24 hours later to get the second dose. the shot hurt, but i knew it's what had to be done to keep the babies growing and healthy.

i'll try not to be late with this week's update! have a great weekend everyone!

21 weeks + bed rest + strong love

so here we are... 21 weeks! this week, other than the emergency surgery, was pretty uneventful really. i suppose it's due to the fact that i've been stuck in bed on bed rest.

it has been an emotionally draining week though. with the news of having to get the surgery and the twins being in danger of early delivery and possible loss, my emotions went haywire. i was, as any parent would be, worried out of my mind. i found myself crying and panicking more than usual and couldn't control it at all. i was like a ticking time bomb of tears. again, as usual, i was scared that my depression was about to take over and win again. i was glad that towards the end of this week, mark and i had a long talk (after a really uncontrollable bout of crying) and he reassured me that it was normal to be this worried... what parent would be right?

i say it over and over again, but i am so extremely thankful for mark. he has been my rock and my light in the darkness. through all the ups and downs, he has remained by my side and never wavered. the things we have gone through are the things that are usually designed to tear couples apart. how lucky, fortunate, and blessed are we that those things have only made our relationship and love stronger than i could have ever imagined!? God truly blessed us beyond our expectations.

my post-op follow-up appointment with dr. matia is tomorrow morning. please, please, please pray for us that i am healing well and that the twins are still doing well too.

till next time... have a great week y'all!

18 weeks + "just like his mommy"

this was a pretty exciting week for us... i finally got to feel the babies move! unfortunately, it's still too early for mark to be able to feel them. the night before my sonogram, i didn't sleep well at all because i kept feeling this sharp stabbing pain near my belly button. it wouldn't go away unless i rubbed the spot. but as i would start to fall asleep and stopped rubbing, the pain came back. and then there was this little twitching feeling on the other side that didn't really bother me too much, it just felt weird. i can describe it as a feeling similar to when your eye twitches when it's tired. it was a rough night to say the least. i was worried the next morning as i was telling mark what happened all night. i attributed it to gas, but it stayed in that same spot, so i was more concerned. i was so glad to have our appointment that next morning.

we went to the sonogram and saw the babies on the screen. there they were, squirming around. thank God. i had told the doctor about the stabbing and constant pain. she placed the sonogram wand right where the pain was and told me to look at the screen. there he was, on the screen, bobbing his little head up and down and rubbing right at the spot where the pain was... out little lincoln jude. so it turned out it was just him... probably wanting some affection from mommy to help him sleep according to the doctor! mark said, "just like his mommy." apparently, according to mark, i've had a tendency to want lots of hugs and affection right before i fall asleep and want mark to rub my back to help me sleep better. and the little twitching feeling... our little reagan elizabeth. as usual, she was calm and only seemed to nudge her brother when he'd get into her space... calm, just like her daddy.

unfortunately, the carpal tunnel has gotten worse. i ordered some wrist supports that were supposed to help alleviate the pain and numbness, but they did nothing but make my hands all swollen. so i returned them and ordered another pair. i hope the new ones help. it's been difficult staying asleep because my hands just get completely numb, fall asleep and are just so painful! just this morning, i woke up with both hands numb, asleep and almost impossible to move; i couldn't even grip the blankets to get them off me! it took almost half a hour before i could ball my hand into a fist. even then, it was painful.it was a rough start to my morning to say the very least.

mark, the twins, and i also had brunch with one of their ninangs this week. ninang is the filipino word for Godmother. it had been a while since we had seen Sera cause we had all been so busy lately. we had a great time and brunch was delicious. we went to Maple Ave in Virginia. you definitely have to make reservations to dine there cause there are only 8-10 tables, but it's totally worth it!

mark's beer... it smelled delicious. wish i could've tasted a bit!

crème fraiche wings

steamed PEI mussels

shrimp & grits

seared scallops and risotto

pork belly sandwich

us with sera

again!

that seems to be all i can remember for now... if i think of anything else that was eventful, i'll do a few mini-updates. have a great week everyone!

the process, the gory details and all that stuff - part 6 + christmas, new year's eve, & my brother turning 30!

so the 2 week wait. it coincided with the holidays. so either we sat around here in rockville till the new year just to get the results or we went ahead with our travel plans to spend the holidays with my family in Texas. uh... no debate. we were heading to Texas.

everyone protested me flying down there because they didn't want anything to happen to me and the little embryos. but, to me, if the doctor says it's okay, it's okay. in hindsight, i understand the concern now. but i really needed to be with my family at the time. i guess they just didn't realize how much i needed to be with them and see them and hug them and spend as much time with them as i could before all the chaos happened. i'm hoping they understand now though.

it was great to be around everyone, but it was hard hiding the fact that i was incubating 2 little embryos. only my parents and siblings and their significant others knew the news. on christmas eve, we celebrated our annual "Ulanday Christmas" at my sister's house and had a great time. we did our usual white elephant exchange and played some games. all in all it was a very exciting and fun day.

my niece Taylor and nephew Mason

me & mark

brother-in-law Allen, Mason, Taylor, sister Laurie

brother Mike and his girlfriend Rachel

Mom and Dad, Mason and Taylor

cousin-in-law Holly, niece Hannah, cousin Eric

cousin Dennis, nephews Nick, Jake and Zach, niece Olivia, cousin-in-law Kelly

Mason with brother-in-law's brother Jody

Dennis

Aunt Corette

Kelly's sister-in-law Sharon

Mike and my Uncle Rolly

kiddos playing the right left game

nephews

Laurie and cousin's girlfriend Cindy

on christmas day, we all woke up early to have breakfast at my sister's in-laws' house. as we were finishing up breakfast and heading out to church, i needed to use the restroom. it was then and there that i started bleeding. i had felt a little pain early that morning but attributed it to gas from the heavy breakfast. i guess i had been wrong. so i called the doctor's office (they are open 24/7/365) and left a message for the on-call doctor about my bleeding and mild cramping. mark and i decided that i should go back to bed and lay down while he went to church with my family. and so i did.

while at church, the doctor's office called back and told me that there was nothing they could do at the moment and for me to monitor the bleeding - making sure that it didn't get worse and that hopefully it would get better. it got better. by the time everyone came home from church and were getting ready to eat lunch, the bleeding had subsided. i was to call back the next morning or friday to speak to dr. o'brien or one of her nurses about further instructions. i called back on friday.

according to the nurse, it could be bleeding from implantation which is fairly common - even more if there are 2 successfully implanted embryos. so that news calmed me down. but, i had to take it easy from now on and really adhere to the no lifting more than 25 pounds thing. it was REALLY hard to adhere to that when i missed my niece and nephew so much that all i wanted to do was pick them up and cuddle with them. i had to resort to laying on the couch with them most of the time.

new year's eve and my not-so-little-anymore brother's 30th birthday (new year's day) was looming around the corner. as i was helping my sister take care of the kids and she helped my mom prep for the annual new year's party at my parents' house, i felt cramping yet again. and wouldn't you know it, i started bleeding yet again. it wasn't as bad as christmas day, but i definitely saw fresh red blood. my heart just sank. another call to the nurse and the doctor's office ensued.

this time, the nurse said that it could still be residual from the first bleed and the same instructions were given. rest, take it easy, and monitor the heaviness of the bleeding. it thankfully didn't get any worse and subsided by the time people were arriving to my parents' house. the party was a lot of fun 'cept that a whole bunch of us had apparently gotten sick and were still recovering from something someone may have passed around on christmas eve. my brother turned 30 and my sister and i looked at each other and realized just how old WE were now! haha

Mike & Taylor

cousin Mark & husband Mark

Daddy & Mike

Daddy, Aunt Eufe, Aunt Corette, Uncle Rolly, Mike, Godmother Juliet

pretty banner i made and family photos

Mike & Rachel

Mike, Mark, godbrother Matthew, Mark, Rachel

Taylor and my Mommy

my goddaughter Julia and Taylor

playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

Julia and her mom, my godsister Jennifer

Me and Julia

me and mark

playing Minute To Win It games

Julia's brother Ben playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

Uncle Art, playing Minute To Win It games

Allen, playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

playing Minute To Win It games

helping my brother blow out his candle

umbrella with 30 rolled up $1 bills hanging from it for Mike's 30th birthday, made by me and my sister

passed out Mason, and a very exhausted sister and niece

a few days later, mark and i headed back to rockville completely exhausted, hearts filled with a lot of love and ready to take my blood test to see if we were pregnant.