10 Week Checkup

Yesterday we had another doctor’s visit. Whew! It was a long one! Almost five hours long!

Of course, a good chunk of it was paperwork. Would it be a real doctor’s appointment without it? :)

Our new sonogram showed us that we may be raising a family of gymnasts. Baby A spent the entire sonogram jumping straight up and down. Baby B was standing on his head (I don’t know why, but I kept seeing Calvin and Hobbes cartoons in my head while looking at that little guy). Baby C was the calmest of the bunch, and Baby D was rolling over. All the tech could say was, “looks like a rambunctious bunch of kids you’ve got there.” I’m going to feel like a living trampoline when I can actually start feeling them move around!

We met with a second doctor in the practice as well. Because of the nature of our pregnancy, I am a patient of the practice, not of a specific doctor. So far, we are very impressed with the level of care and concern these doctors have for us. The good news is that the doctor said that I have a best case scenario going on with quads: everybody has their own sack and everybody has their own placenta. He was very clear that this is still a very high risk pregnancy, but that the way everything is growing eliminates a few problems that comes when babies share sacks and placentas. Praise God for that! He also went over all of the statistics on chances of stillbirth and deformities. I held it together, but it was rough. I don’t like hearing things like that, but know those are simply the facts and our God is greater than statistics. His goal is to get us to 35 or 36 weeks. The last doctors said 31 to 32. So armed with that information, I’m just aiming for as long as possible. :) The doctor did say that there is nothing we can do to prevent problems or actively extended the gestation period. All they can do is monitor us closely and respond as quickly as possible if something goes south.  With that being said, they can’t predict exactly when I will go on bed rest as there is no need to put me there unless a reason comes up that makes it necessary. He did say that typically, things start to get a little rough between weeks 21-24.

They decided to do an early screening for gestational diabetes while I was there. The combination of family history and higher risk for gestational diabetes made it seem like a prudent choice. The orange glucose drink wasn’t nearly as bad going down as I thought it would be, but the hour after wasn’t too fun. Neither was the rest of the evening. I managed to keep it all down so that they could draw my blood, but it definitely made the rest of the afternoon and evening a little hazy.

The nurse practitioner we met was great as well! She came to check on us while we were waiting for the glucose drink to do its thing. She spent six years as a NICU nurse before going back to school to become a nurse practitioner. She told me I would be able to hold our babies sooner than I thought we would (I thought it would be a month or two before I could hold them). She also said that she would make sure that we had a chance to see the NICU and meet a high-risk pediatrician before the babies arrive. Comforting!

Our next appointment is in about three weeks or so and not long after that, we will start seeing the doctors much more frequently. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

PS. I know we are just about at 11 weeks, but my 10 week baby bump picture is below for those of you who would like to see me start inflating. :D

 

--posted by Rebecca

Yesterday we had another doctor’s visit. Whew! It was a long one! Almost five hours long!

Of course, a good chunk of it was paperwork. Would it be a real doctor’s appointment without it? :)

Our new sonogram showed us that we may be raising a family of gymnasts. Baby A spent the entire sonogram jumping straight up and down. Baby B was standing on his head (I don’t know why, but I kept seeing Calvin and Hobbes cartoons in my head while looking at that little guy). Baby C was the calmest of the bunch, and Baby D was rolling over. All the tech could say was, “looks like a rambunctious bunch of kids you’ve got there.” I’m going to feel like a living trampoline when I can actually start feeling them move around!

We met with a second doctor in the practice as well. Because of the nature of our pregnancy, I am a patient of the practice, not of a specific doctor. So far, we are very impressed with the level of care and concern these doctors have for us. The good news is that the doctor said that I have a best case scenario going on with quads: everybody has their own sack and everybody has their own placenta. He was very clear that this is still a very high risk pregnancy, but that the way everything is growing eliminates a few problems that comes when babies share sacks and placentas. Praise God for that! He also went over all of the statistics on chances of stillbirth and deformities. I held it together, but it was rough. I don’t like hearing things like that, but know those are simply the facts and our God is greater than statistics. His goal is to get us to 35 or 36 weeks. The last doctors said 31 to 32. So armed with that information, I’m just aiming for as long as possible. :) The doctor did say that there is nothing we can do to prevent problems or actively extended the gestation period. All they can do is monitor us closely and respond as quickly as possible if something goes south.  With that being said, they can’t predict exactly when I will go on bed rest as there is no need to put me there unless a reason comes up that makes it necessary. He did say that typically, things start to get a little rough between weeks 21-24.

They decided to do an early screening for gestational diabetes while I was there. The combination of family history and higher risk for gestational diabetes made it seem like a prudent choice. The orange glucose drink wasn’t nearly as bad going down as I thought it would be, but the hour after wasn’t too fun. Neither was the rest of the evening. I managed to keep it all down so that they could draw my blood, but it definitely made the rest of the afternoon and evening a little hazy.

The nurse practitioner we met was great as well! She came to check on us while we were waiting for the glucose drink to do its thing. She spent six years as a NICU nurse before going back to school to become a nurse practitioner. She told me I would be able to hold our babies sooner than I thought we would (I thought it would be a month or two before I could hold them). She also said that she would make sure that we had a chance to see the NICU and meet a high-risk pediatrician before the babies arrive. Comforting!

Our next appointment is in about three weeks or so and not long after that, we will start seeing the doctors much more frequently. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

PS. I know we are just about at 11 weeks, but my 10 week baby bump picture is below for those of you who would like to see me start inflating. :D

 

--posted by Rebecca

Faithful and Steadfast

Oh my! My DH is so goofy with the link to the short bus he posted below. Lol! It's true, we are looking for a minivan these days. If anyone happens across one at a cheap price, let us know! We are excited though because some baby things are already showing up around here! We already have two car seats, a high chair, countless preemie/newborn/baby clothes, and it looks like the possibility of two cribs! Many thanks to those of you who have given us those items. We really appreciate it!

I'm also excited because my good friend, Courtney, was in town this weekend and she completely redesigned our blog header! So exciting! She even scanned the babies ultrasound pictures with her phone, uploaded them to her computer, tinted them, and then put them in order: Baby A, Baby B, Baby C, Baby D. If you have a chance, take a look at it! I think it makes our blog so much more fun!

What I especially like about the header is the Bible verse that is listed. It's not just some random verse we yanked out of the Bible and threw up there. The verse talks about the Lord's steadfast love and faithfulness to all generations. It means so much to me, not only because I'm working on the entire next generation of Ishums right now, but also because my name, Rebecca, means Faithful and Steadfast. It's like God decided to set it up long ago that my name would be a daily reminder of His character. Do you know how many times a day I say my name? Well, let's just put it this way. I'm first on the phone where I work and every time I pick it up, I identify myself. And that's just me saying my name. If I figure in all the times everyone else says my name per day...Wow! It was a pretty neat moment when I realized the parallel. :) God is good even when we have no idea how this is all going to work out!

--posted by Rebecca

Oh my! My DH is so goofy with the link to the short bus he posted below. Lol! It's true, we are looking for a minivan these days. If anyone happens across one at a cheap price, let us know! We are excited though because some baby things are already showing up around here! We already have two car seats, a high chair, countless preemie/newborn/baby clothes, and it looks like the possibility of two cribs! Many thanks to those of you who have given us those items. We really appreciate it!

I'm also excited because my good friend, Courtney, was in town this weekend and she completely redesigned our blog header! So exciting! She even scanned the babies ultrasound pictures with her phone, uploaded them to her computer, tinted them, and then put them in order: Baby A, Baby B, Baby C, Baby D. If you have a chance, take a look at it! I think it makes our blog so much more fun!

What I especially like about the header is the Bible verse that is listed. It's not just some random verse we yanked out of the Bible and threw up there. The verse talks about the Lord's steadfast love and faithfulness to all generations. It means so much to me, not only because I'm working on the entire next generation of Ishums right now, but also because my name, Rebecca, means Faithful and Steadfast. It's like God decided to set it up long ago that my name would be a daily reminder of His character. Do you know how many times a day I say my name? Well, let's just put it this way. I'm first on the phone where I work and every time I pick it up, I identify myself. And that's just me saying my name. If I figure in all the times everyone else says my name per day...Wow! It was a pretty neat moment when I realized the parallel. :) God is good even when we have no idea how this is all going to work out!

--posted by Rebecca

The New Normal?

I have no idea what a normal day looks like anymore.  Each day is a brand new adventure.  I can’t wake up and say “today I will do X”.   Sure, there are tentative plans, but they pretty much change minute by minute.     Everyday, Becca feels different.   Most days we get swarmed by phone calls.   The majority of the people are very sweet.  They offer us help with food, cleaning, and baby items.   Some people are quite pissy for lack of a better word.   They get upset that we don’t pick up the first time they call.   It seems that almost everyday someone stops by.   Some call ahead and some just show up.   Again not a bad thing; most people are sweet and they have our best interest at hand.   I go to work each day and people tell me I look so tired and I need to start resting up because when the babies get here, we won’t have time to rest.   I feel that the only way to possibly get rest is to start turning people down.  I feel this might lead to more upset phone calls.  I think that is part of being a father.  Deciding what is a priority and what is not.   My wife and my unborn children need to be my top priority.   Maintaining my employment gets second priority.  I am under no illusion that the birth of these children is going to be cheap, so I need to remain employed to pay for that.   I am praying more now than I ever have in my life.  God provides for us every single day and moment.   There is that verse in Lamentations 3 about God’s mercies being new every morning.   How can you not be expecting four bundles of joy and not recognize God’s mercies?   Am I tired almost every day?  Absolutely.   I enjoy the weekends so much because I get to nap.   Naps are so wonderful. 

Today I made a life changing decision.  I resigned from being a deacon.   I think for the most part, people will see the wisdom in this decision.   I think others will say if I want to lead my family, I need to be a leader in the church.   I say thee nay.  If I want to be a leader in the church then I need to lead my family first.   My job is to protect them and to be wise with my time and energy.  If I am constantly running around and putting out fires, then I will burn myself out and my family will be getting my ashes.  I don’t want that.   I don’t want my kids or my wife to remember that I was there for everyone else but I missed out on them.   Sure, I think there will probably be a time when I might be a deacon again, but right now there is too much unknown in our lives.   The church will always be a part of our life.   It is filled with such wonderful people.  Sides, I don’t need a title to serve. 

I don’t know how long it will take to discover the new normal.   Things right now are in such a flux.  Maybe the flux is the new normal.  One day life will settle down and have some type of routine.   Until then, we will just have to enjoy the adventure into the unknown.  It’s more fun that way.  If we always knew the outcome of everything we wouldn’t be able to experience the fear which leads to excitement.  Challengers of the Unknown.  That was the name of a comic I read one time.  I don’t remember anything other than the name but that is kind of what we are.  

I do want to let everyone know how thankful we are for everyone that has helped us out so far.   I would list everyone’s name but I am afraid I will leave someone off.   If by chance, I have not returned a phone call, e-mail, or text message, please don’t hold it against me or Rebecca.  It’s not that we think less of you, it’s just you have somehow got lost in the shuffle.  Which is a horrible thing to say, “hey sorry we forgot about you, you got lost in the shuffle.”   We started this blog to give people more frequent updates and yet we haven’t been so good about updating it. 

So here’s the update:

We are doing our best to stay away from getting overwhelmed.  We are going to try to have the babies’ room put together by thanksgiving in case Becca goes on bed rest shortly there after.  In regards to the holidays, we plan on spending them by ourselves.  Not because we hate or are mad at anyone, it’s just large gatherings of people right now wear us both out, which isn’t good for the babies.  That and this will be our last holiday season without kids so we are going to focus on one another.  We don’t know what our lives will bring on a day to day basis but we trust God to take care of us.  Sleep is quite possibly our best friend right now and we wish we had more of it.  We are so blessed with so many honest and good people in our life.  And for all the people who suggest baby names, I will tell you the same thing I tell Spencer: $10,000 a name.  *wink*   Going to need a new van soon.   $10,000 grand would certainly help.

--Posted by Sean

I have no idea what a normal day looks like anymore.  Each day is a brand new adventure.  I can’t wake up and say “today I will do X”.   Sure, there are tentative plans, but they pretty much change minute by minute.     Everyday, Becca feels different.   Most days we get swarmed by phone calls.   The majority of the people are very sweet.  They offer us help with food, cleaning, and baby items.   Some people are quite pissy for lack of a better word.   They get upset that we don’t pick up the first time they call.   It seems that almost everyday someone stops by.   Some call ahead and some just show up.   Again not a bad thing; most people are sweet and they have our best interest at hand.   I go to work each day and people tell me I look so tired and I need to start resting up because when the babies get here, we won’t have time to rest.   I feel that the only way to possibly get rest is to start turning people down.  I feel this might lead to more upset phone calls.  I think that is part of being a father.  Deciding what is a priority and what is not.   My wife and my unborn children need to be my top priority.   Maintaining my employment gets second priority.  I am under no illusion that the birth of these children is going to be cheap, so I need to remain employed to pay for that.   I am praying more now than I ever have in my life.  God provides for us every single day and moment.   There is that verse in Lamentations 3 about God’s mercies being new every morning.   How can you not be expecting four bundles of joy and not recognize God’s mercies?   Am I tired almost every day?  Absolutely.   I enjoy the weekends so much because I get to nap.   Naps are so wonderful. 

Today I made a life changing decision.  I resigned from being a deacon.   I think for the most part, people will see the wisdom in this decision.   I think others will say if I want to lead my family, I need to be a leader in the church.   I say thee nay.  If I want to be a leader in the church then I need to lead my family first.   My job is to protect them and to be wise with my time and energy.  If I am constantly running around and putting out fires, then I will burn myself out and my family will be getting my ashes.  I don’t want that.   I don’t want my kids or my wife to remember that I was there for everyone else but I missed out on them.   Sure, I think there will probably be a time when I might be a deacon again, but right now there is too much unknown in our lives.   The church will always be a part of our life.   It is filled with such wonderful people.  Sides, I don’t need a title to serve. 

I don’t know how long it will take to discover the new normal.   Things right now are in such a flux.  Maybe the flux is the new normal.  One day life will settle down and have some type of routine.   Until then, we will just have to enjoy the adventure into the unknown.  It’s more fun that way.  If we always knew the outcome of everything we wouldn’t be able to experience the fear which leads to excitement.  Challengers of the Unknown.  That was the name of a comic I read one time.  I don’t remember anything other than the name but that is kind of what we are.  

I do want to let everyone know how thankful we are for everyone that has helped us out so far.   I would list everyone’s name but I am afraid I will leave someone off.   If by chance, I have not returned a phone call, e-mail, or text message, please don’t hold it against me or Rebecca.  It’s not that we think less of you, it’s just you have somehow got lost in the shuffle.  Which is a horrible thing to say, “hey sorry we forgot about you, you got lost in the shuffle.”   We started this blog to give people more frequent updates and yet we haven’t been so good about updating it. 

So here’s the update:

We are doing our best to stay away from getting overwhelmed.  We are going to try to have the babies’ room put together by thanksgiving in case Becca goes on bed rest shortly there after.  In regards to the holidays, we plan on spending them by ourselves.  Not because we hate or are mad at anyone, it’s just large gatherings of people right now wear us both out, which isn’t good for the babies.  That and this will be our last holiday season without kids so we are going to focus on one another.  We don’t know what our lives will bring on a day to day basis but we trust God to take care of us.  Sleep is quite possibly our best friend right now and we wish we had more of it.  We are so blessed with so many honest and good people in our life.  And for all the people who suggest baby names, I will tell you the same thing I tell Spencer: $10,000 a name.  *wink*   Going to need a new van soon.   $10,000 grand would certainly help.

--Posted by Sean

Our Little Apartment Complex

Today was our first visit with the perinatologist. They did another sonogram and we actually got to SEE the babies hearts beating and saw a couple of them wiggle around a bit.  We could also see their defined heads and rumps. It was really amazing! The midwife told us they had high-tech machines at this level, but we didn't know we would be able to see so much. I know a lot of moms talk about the first time they hear their baby's heart beat and how incredible that is for them. We heard one at our very first appointment, but for me, it was mostly overshadowed by the "you are having triplets or quadruplets" news that prefaced it. The wiggling is what really did it for me! We saw them move! I just can't get over it!

The doctor came in and looked at the babies after most of the sonogram was finished. She said everything looked great, and that I had a nice little apartment complex going on inside. :)

I really liked our doctor a lot! After the sonogram, we had a consultation with her about the pregnancy. I really appreciated that the first thing she did when we sat down was work on a game plan for getting my morning sickness and other pregnancy side effects under control. She spent at least 20 minutes going through things with me to create a game plan. I have high hopes that some of her new recommendations will work! Then we went over possible complications, but she stayed highly positive the whole time. The goal is to get to 30 weeks (or longer!), and she is going to do everything she can to get us there. She also said that even though she has delivered a set of quadruplets and quintuplets, she is going to consult with a perinatologist that works in Phoenix, Arizona at a hospital that has delivered the most quads in the United States. Apparently his nickname among doctors is "The Quad God." She wants to have the most up-to-date information to provide the best care possible for us and our babies. At our next appointment, she should have a better idea of when I will go on bed rest, but did say she would try to get us past December 1st.

At this point, we have also officially been offered the option of fetal reduction, and have turned it down. Yeah, four babies was definitely not in the original plan, but abortion is not an option. It wasn't ever an option, but especially after seeing them wiggle around, we could never do anything like that! Looks like we are in this for the long haul!

Today was our first visit with the perinatologist. They did another sonogram and we actually got to SEE the babies hearts beating and saw a couple of them wiggle around a bit.  We could also see their defined heads and rumps. It was really amazing! The midwife told us they had high-tech machines at this level, but we didn't know we would be able to see so much. I know a lot of moms talk about the first time they hear their baby's heart beat and how incredible that is for them. We heard one at our very first appointment, but for me, it was mostly overshadowed by the "you are having triplets or quadruplets" news that prefaced it. The wiggling is what really did it for me! We saw them move! I just can't get over it!

The doctor came in and looked at the babies after most of the sonogram was finished. She said everything looked great, and that I had a nice little apartment complex going on inside. :)

I really liked our doctor a lot! After the sonogram, we had a consultation with her about the pregnancy. I really appreciated that the first thing she did when we sat down was work on a game plan for getting my morning sickness and other pregnancy side effects under control. She spent at least 20 minutes going through things with me to create a game plan. I have high hopes that some of her new recommendations will work! Then we went over possible complications, but she stayed highly positive the whole time. The goal is to get to 30 weeks (or longer!), and she is going to do everything she can to get us there. She also said that even though she has delivered a set of quadruplets and quintuplets, she is going to consult with a perinatologist that works in Phoenix, Arizona at a hospital that has delivered the most quads in the United States. Apparently his nickname among doctors is "The Quad God." She wants to have the most up-to-date information to provide the best care possible for us and our babies. At our next appointment, she should have a better idea of when I will go on bed rest, but did say she would try to get us past December 1st.

At this point, we have also officially been offered the option of fetal reduction, and have turned it down. Yeah, four babies was definitely not in the original plan, but abortion is not an option. It wasn't ever an option, but especially after seeing them wiggle around, we could never do anything like that! Looks like we are in this for the long haul!

Ridiculous Parenting Products

A coworker forwarded this article to me today, and I thought it was absolutely hilarious! It's amazing what is on the market these days!

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/family-parenting/staticslideshowparenting.aspx?cp-documentid=25659395&GT1=32023

A coworker forwarded this article to me today, and I thought it was absolutely hilarious! It's amazing what is on the market these days!

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/family-parenting/staticslideshowparenting.aspx?cp-documentid=25659395&GT1=32023

In Case You Want to Know What We Are Up To...

We have had an AMAZING outpouring of encouragment and prayer support as we have discovered we are having quadruplets! I (Rebecca) get at least five emails, numerous text messages, and a couple of phone calls per day and Sean gets a good number as well. Everybody wants to know how we are, if the babies are growing and healthy, and how they can pray for us. I've tried to keep up with communication on my end, but my morning sickness is making it super difficult to keep up, and I know I haven't emailed, texted, and called everyone back. I had a couple of people suggest I start a blog to make it a little easier for people to keep up with us and to create a written record of our journey to parenthood.  If you care to subscribe to our blog, you are welcome to. We certainly appreciate your prayers!

The only update we have right now is that we are going to see the perinatologist on Wednesday and hopefully get some sort of game plan in place (as much as we can! Ha!). We are really blessed to have an appointment so early in my pregnancy!

We have had an AMAZING outpouring of encouragment and prayer support as we have discovered we are having quadruplets! I (Rebecca) get at least five emails, numerous text messages, and a couple of phone calls per day and Sean gets a good number as well. Everybody wants to know how we are, if the babies are growing and healthy, and how they can pray for us. I've tried to keep up with communication on my end, but my morning sickness is making it super difficult to keep up, and I know I haven't emailed, texted, and called everyone back. I had a couple of people suggest I start a blog to make it a little easier for people to keep up with us and to create a written record of our journey to parenthood.  If you care to subscribe to our blog, you are welcome to. We certainly appreciate your prayers!

The only update we have right now is that we are going to see the perinatologist on Wednesday and hopefully get some sort of game plan in place (as much as we can! Ha!). We are really blessed to have an appointment so early in my pregnancy!

Triplets?? Quadruplets??? How many babies are you having???

Originally posted on FaceBook on September 26th, 2010

__________________________________________________________________________________________

For those of you who have heard that we are expecting, yes! We are expecting multiples! I've had several people ask for the details on what, how, and why that is. Here is the condensed version of the story. :) 

Sean and I have been trying to get pregnant for over a year. Eventually we were told by the doctor that I most likely have Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. You can google that if you want all of the fun details on it, but one of the side effects is infertility. So the doctor put us on what we thought was a basic fertility drug with a high conception rate. We specifically asked her what our chances of multiples were, and she said practically none given the drug didn't have a history of causing multiples and my health history would work against that as well. Armed with that info, I honestly didn't even give the idea of multiples another thought.

Obviously, God has a sense of humor!

So two cycles of fertility treatments later, we are SUPER pregnant!

We found out two weeks ago that we are expecting and went to see our midwife this past week just to make sure everything was going okay. During the appointment, she asked if we had any questions or concerns, to which I responded that I was very concerned about miscarrying. She offered to do a sonogram even though I was only six weeks to see if they could find anything to put my mind at ease. Generally sonograms are done around 10 or 12 weeks because that's when they can pick up heartbeats and such, but it seemed like a good idea to at least check. Saying we were absolutely floored is probably an understatement. The sonogram showed four sacs with babies in at least 3 and a possible fourth in the extra one. They were even able to pick up the heartbeat on one of the babies! Oh my word! Technology is amazing, isn't it?!?!

We go back in about a week for a second sonogram to confirm exactly how many babies I'm carrying. At that point, if there are indeed 3 or more, they will refer me to a high-risk specialist.

If I were carrying one baby the full 40 weeks, my due date would be May 19th. If there are multiples, I probably won't make it quite that far. We would definitely appreciate your prayers that I can carry them as long as possible though. I did a little research and average gestation time for quadruplets is between 28 and 30 weeks. That would put us sometime in March.

We tossed the idea back and forth of waiting to say anything until after the first trimester, but when we realized how many babies I'm carrying, we decided we need the prayers and support now. With so many babies, there is a higher chance of something going wrong than if there was just one. Please pray that all of the babies stay healthy and make it through the pregnancy, that my severe morning sickness will go away soon (if I'm not at work, I'm laying on the couch. It's pretty bad), and for Sean and I as we prepare for the biggest adventure we've ever undertaken.

And if anyone has any maternity clothes that they would be willing to lend out, let me know! With so much going on in there, all of my clothes are already getting tight. :)

Originally posted on FaceBook on September 26th, 2010

__________________________________________________________________________________________

For those of you who have heard that we are expecting, yes! We are expecting multiples! I've had several people ask for the details on what, how, and why that is. Here is the condensed version of the story. :) 

Sean and I have been trying to get pregnant for over a year. Eventually we were told by the doctor that I most likely have Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. You can google that if you want all of the fun details on it, but one of the side effects is infertility. So the doctor put us on what we thought was a basic fertility drug with a high conception rate. We specifically asked her what our chances of multiples were, and she said practically none given the drug didn't have a history of causing multiples and my health history would work against that as well. Armed with that info, I honestly didn't even give the idea of multiples another thought.

Obviously, God has a sense of humor!

So two cycles of fertility treatments later, we are SUPER pregnant!

We found out two weeks ago that we are expecting and went to see our midwife this past week just to make sure everything was going okay. During the appointment, she asked if we had any questions or concerns, to which I responded that I was very concerned about miscarrying. She offered to do a sonogram even though I was only six weeks to see if they could find anything to put my mind at ease. Generally sonograms are done around 10 or 12 weeks because that's when they can pick up heartbeats and such, but it seemed like a good idea to at least check. Saying we were absolutely floored is probably an understatement. The sonogram showed four sacs with babies in at least 3 and a possible fourth in the extra one. They were even able to pick up the heartbeat on one of the babies! Oh my word! Technology is amazing, isn't it?!?!

We go back in about a week for a second sonogram to confirm exactly how many babies I'm carrying. At that point, if there are indeed 3 or more, they will refer me to a high-risk specialist.

If I were carrying one baby the full 40 weeks, my due date would be May 19th. If there are multiples, I probably won't make it quite that far. We would definitely appreciate your prayers that I can carry them as long as possible though. I did a little research and average gestation time for quadruplets is between 28 and 30 weeks. That would put us sometime in March.

We tossed the idea back and forth of waiting to say anything until after the first trimester, but when we realized how many babies I'm carrying, we decided we need the prayers and support now. With so many babies, there is a higher chance of something going wrong than if there was just one. Please pray that all of the babies stay healthy and make it through the pregnancy, that my severe morning sickness will go away soon (if I'm not at work, I'm laying on the couch. It's pretty bad), and for Sean and I as we prepare for the biggest adventure we've ever undertaken.

And if anyone has any maternity clothes that they would be willing to lend out, let me know! With so much going on in there, all of my clothes are already getting tight. :)