Finally a recent update November 15, 2009

I’m so sorry for not updating sooner!!  I have been super busy!!  So here’s a recap.  Since I had the twins I got layed off (blessing in disguise) and feverously was looking. I got layed off in the beginning of september and I finally got a fulltime job October 19th.  It really has been fantastic and I am loving it!!!  I went to see the twins when they were 2w old, 7w old, and at their baptism when they were almost 10w old.  Now they are 4m old!!  I can’t believe it.  They have had their 1st Halloween and will soon have their 1st Thanksgiving and Christmas.  They are getting so big.  She is going to take them to the Dr for a 4m check soon but I can see they are doing fantastic!!!  Hopefully they will jump on when they can and do an update on being parents of twins. 

I had such a great time when we went down for their baptism.  My Mom, sister Laurie, and daughter Taylor all came.  We stayed in Kerville and drove to Fredericksburg that Sunday.  We had a wonderful time and the baptism was beautiful!!  They took pictures afterwards and even asked me to come up and take one with them.  I was really touched.  They have always made special time for me and made me feel special every time we were together like if it was letting me babysit when I visited  when they were 7w old and letting me stay with them for a few days for that matter to asking me to take a picture with them at the baptism to sending me a picture of the girls in their M&M outfits I bought when I was pregnant with them.  They are so thoughtful!!!  In fact it was the coolest thing with our blog I didn’t know this but you can make it into a book but Matt worked really hard on it and made it into a book!!  It was the sweetest and most thoughtful thing ever!!!!  I love it.  Well Matt and Melissa are planning to visit us sometime after the new year so all of my family up here can see the twins.  We miss each other so much!!!  On to the pictures!!!

Aren’t those great!!!  We just had our family thanksgiving and it was wonderful. Love to all!!!!

My awesome visit with the twins 7w old September 17, 2009

I went to see the twins for a few days.  I drove in on Tuesday and left Friday.  It was so much fun!!!  On Tuesday I got their around 11am so Melissa got us lunch at a potato place which was yummy!!!  We just sat around and took care of the girls!!  It was so fun to hold them and feed them and change their diapers.  Wednesday I started doing the 9am feeding and Melissa got to sleep in!!  I was sooooo happy to let her sleep it made me feel good!!  The girls are soooooooo good!!  I’m so happy for them.  They are the sweetest cutest little things ever!!  It’s really bad everytime my mom and I are in Walmart we have to go to the baby section because it’s so much fun to buy for them and they have been a part of our family so we think about the Carters all the time.  Tuesday night we had chicken from a wing place that was so yummy and then Wednesday night Matt made his famous cheesy bbq chicken with a bunch of sides that was so great!!!  I was surprise that Matt cooked since he is a very picky eater.   Wednesday it was bath night and I got to trade off one that needed to be washed to one that was clean and got to dress her!  So fun to play with babies when mine have been grown for a while.   Thursday Melissa got to go to the dentist and I babysat.  So fun.  They slept most of the time but I got to pack their diaper bag because we were going to Grandma’s for dinner.   Let me just tell you, if you ever want your children to be driven with a safe driver you should pick melissa!!!  She is so great at driving safe and does such a good job.  I always love driving with her.  We had a great dinner and time with Kathleen.  It’s always nice to see her.  We did have a great big storm roll in so Melissa and I took the girls and fed them in the closet (it is huge) to be safe.  Melissa such a great mommy!!  Kathleen also made these baked beans that were fantastic!!  I have now made them twice for my family.  Thanks Went back to their house, rocked the girls after their feeding, and Matt put them to bed.  If you ever wonder what perfect twin parenting looks like I’ll send you a picture of Matt and Melissa!!  They really are so great!!!  So Friday my 9 o’clock feeding was over and I helped do the dishes and wash bottles and made omelets that morning for Melissa and I.  It was time for me to go and get back to my family.  I had such a great time being apart of team Carter for a few days!!  It was nice to get to know the girls and see Matt and Melissa with them.  A few weeks before I went to see them I was feeling a little funky.  I was missing them and of course they were busy but didn’t really know how much and so I wrote them to tell them I was feeling forgotten some.  They of course were so busy not only with the babies but with Matt going back to work full-time but it wasn’t like they weren’t keeping in touch.  They were sending me videos and pictures of them and I was reading their blog ect…  I don’t know how to explain it but it was what it was.  Matt and Melissa being the wonderful people that they are let me share with them my feelings and they calmed my anxiety and reassured me perfectly.  Another big help was going to visit.  Seeing how much work is with twins and how little time they do have for anything out side of the girls gave me a 1st hand look at their daily lives and I was able to understand a little better then too.  Thanks for being patient with me.  The time after delivery for a while is a little funky for surrogates and our emotions run high. Matt and Melissa have done such a great job in the transition in our relationship and I am still so blessed to have them in my life!!  This weekend is the girls baptism and we are honoured to go!!  It will be my mom, sister Laurie, Taylor my daughter, and me going.  We are driving down and spending the night and then leaving after lunch on Sunday.  I’ll post pictures later. 

Oh I almost forgot on how the girls are doing, they are both so big!!  They are eating 4oz every 3hrs during the day and then they eat a little more at night and go 4hrs between feedings.  The pedi said they are the best doing twins he’s ever seen!!!  Meagan has a little more gas and doesn’t poop as often as Natalie but they both are great babies and love to hear their mom and dad.  They especially love when Melissa sings to them.  Here are some pictures from my visit.

Natalie and I

Melissa and Meagan

Natalie

Meagan at Grandma’s

Meagan smiling

The twins at 2w August 2, 2009

The girls have been doing so fantastic!!!  It all because they have the best parents in the whole world!!!  I went to see them on Thursday when they were 2w2d old for a few hours.  Here’s a recap, so when they were born Natalie weighed 5lbs 11oz and Meagan weighed 5lbs 14oz.  At discharge they both weighed 5lbs 9oz.  At 2 weeks old Natalie weighed 6lbs 9oz and Meagan weighed 6lbs 7oz.  The pedi said its one of the best twin growths he’s ever seen!!!  Beaming for my IP’s!!!  They are doing such a great job!!!  I am going to go see them again for a few days in early Sept. Way to go Matt and Melissa!!!

  Meagan     Natalie

   proud momma!!

Our birth story July 18, 2009

Well I am home now and it was a wonderful past few days!!  This is how it all started…. 

Tuesday July 14th was starting out to be a regular day but an exciting one because we had dr apptsthat day.  Matt and Melissa came to my house to pick me up and it was also the 1st time they packed their car with the car seats and the hospital bags just in case (super smart) so we go to the peri appt and all is well.  They did a non stress test on the girls and it was neat because the girls put on a great show for them!!  They were wiggling so much!!!  After a great test was run we got scanned by our favorite sono tech and they estimated Natalie at 6lbs 10oz and Meagan at 6lbs 6oz.  We were all done and waiting for our OB appt that was at 1pm.  So Matt sweetly went to Panara Bread (my favorite place) to get lunch and we went to the hospital (in the same complex as the dr office’s) to get a quick something from Starbucks because I was starving.  So I got a protein smoothie and some coffee cake Yum!!  After I scarfed that down we went to sit in the lobby to wait for Matt.  Melissa was telling me about the cute stuff her cousin got to put in the yard and I said well let me go pee before I get comfy.  I went to the restroom and while I was on the toilet peeing my water broke!!!  Oh my gosh I couldn’t believe it.  It was 12:30 pm.  I mean how lucky can you be to not only have your water break at the hospital but for me to be on the toilet where it wouldn’t have made a mess!!  I quickly got up and walked out to Melissa and said Melissa my water broke!!  She said really??  I said yes so lets grab our stuff and go to get a towel from L&D and call the dr.  We walked down there and she was calling Matt.  I talked to the Dr and they said well go to the hospital and I said I’m at the hospital.  We went to triage and I called my husband and said hunny my water broke go get my bag at home and come on.  He was so cute and excited and nervous.  He even went to the wrong hospital he he he.  I love him sweet man!!! 

We got checked by our OB Dr. Wagner at 1pm and she said I was 3cm and 80% so we wait and see what happens.  Natalie was head down so we were going to try to labor and deliver vaginally.  So there are a bunch of calls being made and my sister and mom show up in our room.  Matt’s family is on their was as fast as they can but their not to close so it will take them a while.  The Anesthesiologist comes in and she says she wants to place the epidural so its placed if we anything happens they can dose it up and take us right for a c-section.  Dr Sidaui placed it perfect and we were now with pain control.  So it was 6pm when Dr. Wagner comes in and checks me again.  She said I haven’t made any change and it had been 5hrs.  Since I was already ruptured she can’t send me home which is what she would do if I weren’t and give us a few days to get in active labor.  So to a c-section we go.  Everything started getting very busy!! 

Natalie Gail was born at 6:12pm 5lbs 10oz 18.25 inches long

Meagan Celeste was born at 6:13pm 5lbs 14oz 18.5 inches long

Natalie came out fine and was put in the warmer.  Meagan didn’t want to come out so well but she cried as soon as she was out.  She had a little transitional breathing issues and couldn’t keep her lungs inflated so they put her in NICU on a nasal c-pap to give her some time to work it out.   She also wasn’t eating very well so they put a feeding tube down her too.  She was only in the NICU for a day and came out to Matt and Melissa at midnight on the 15th. 

We got admitted to our rooms and I got to hold and feed the girls a lot.  I really loved the time I got to spend with them and their families.  It was so nice to see what wonderful parents Matt and Melissa are and how great they are going to be with the girls.  They have a ton of awesome family to help and it was nice to see that too.  I got to get the girls in the morning for the morning feed and it was nice to sit with them and have the quiet time to say goodbye. 

It was a little sad for me and you can imagine that delivery hormones are uncontrollable and not nice so I’m teary just typing.  Not unusual.  But this was the journey I hoped for!!  This was the family I dreamed of helping!!  They were so loving and giving and open to every beautiful thing surrogacy and family can offer.  I’m so proud to be a part of them forever and little things like when we were in the hospital and they let me give them tips on swaddling or my mom giving them tricks on feeding and that they totally welcomed that was so special to me.  I wished they lived closer but they did say I could come visit before I go back to work.  I guess the sadness is really from everything being over but I’m more overjoyed that they have 2 wonderful little girls who will change their lifes forever!!!   In some of the pictures you might see 2 silver rings with rubies in the center.  Those are from Matt and Melissa with the girls names ingraved inside.  That is such a precious gift!!  I have never had rubies before which is my birthstone as well as Matt’s.  Thank you so much!!

Thank you for your life for the last nine months Matt and Melissa and for the privledge of taking care of your girls until they were safely into this world to be cared for by their mom and dad and loving family.  You all mean so much to me!!!

Love Lisa and family.

The Girls are here!!! July 17, 2009

We had the girls on July 14th at 6:12 and 6:13 pm by c-sec.  They were 35w5d old.  Natalie born 1st weighed 5lbs 11oz and Megan born 2nd weighed 5lbs 14oz. I’ll post more about the birth story and more pics in a few days.  Meagan had a feeding tube but that was for her 1st day.  She doesn’t have one now and she’s doing super great!!!

 Natalie Gail Carter

 Meagan Celeste Carter

Quick update and pics from my b-day 35w July 9, 2009

Well I went for my 35w appt with the OB today and we are 2cm dilated and 50% effaced.  For those who have no clue what that means here is a great analogy.  It’s like when you suck on a lifesaver candy, it’s thick and the center is small and as you suck on it the candy gets thinner and thinner and the center gets bigger and bigger.  Well the center is the 2cm dilated and the 50% effaced is the thinness of the lifesaver after you suck on it.  So we need to thin out 100% and be 10cm before the babies come out but if I get into a regular contraction pattern then we are safe to go to the hospital to deliver.  Yippee!!!  That is so super exciting!!!  I hope they come by next Thursday though because my mom has to take a high dose of radioactive iodine and she will be in isolation for 2w.  We’ll see.  Here are some pics from the 4th and we celebrate my b-day at the same time every year so here’s my cake too.  Here are fireworks from our house and my best friend Tricia with our kids Taylor and Daniel, then it’s me with chocolate covered strawberries that Andrea hand made for me!!  Oh man they were so yum.  I did share though, and here’s my cake!!

 

 

Our 34w update with pics July 1, 2009

Hello everyone.

We are all waiting with baited breath for these girls!!!  They look to be for the long haul.  We went to the Drs and Natalie weighs 5.2 lbs and is in the 56%, Meagan is 5.4 lbs and is in the 61%.  They both look great!!!  Natalie is still head down and her head is right on my cervix and Meagan is folded like a taco with her head near my belly button and her body folded up with her feet at the top of my belly.  The peri says that it shouldn’t be a problem to VBAC because Meagan should move down since her head isn’t really at the top.  We’ll see where she is next visit.  I am measuring 40w so we have a great big belly!!!  I also don’t have to take my procardia anymore!!!  I’m so happy!!!  It really made me feel bad.  I also don’t have to wake up twice a night to take it anymore. 

We start seeing the OB every week now and she will start doing cervical checks too and we see the Peri again in 2w and then at the next appt it will be twice a week for scans and non stress tests.  Neither dr thinks I will go till 38w but we’ll see. 

On another note my birthday is the 5th of July and when Matt and Melissa came for the dr appt they brought me a very sweet present!!  A pink half robe that I really wanted and a sisters willow tree!!!!  I am so lucky to have found them and having their girls is a joy and pleasure for my family.  I can’t believe we are so close!!!   I’ve asked them questions like what are they thinking about how soon their girls are coming and stuff like that and it is so neat to get a glimpse into what is going on in their minds.  We always have such a good visit and they drove me home and we got to look in my hospital bag to show them all the stuff I’m bringing.  It was fun and I tried on my hospital gowns and wow I better not bend over because there is already no room for my butt especially if the girls grow any more which I know they will!!!  Here’s some pictures of my new transfers I got and ironed on shirts and us with my b-day gift and my kids making a heart on my belly.

     

32w visit June 17, 2009

Well it’s been a while since I’ve updated but there really hasn’t been anything to say.  Yesterday we had our 32w appt with the Peri and OB and it was very surprising to say the least!!! 

Over the weekend I went to my cousins Derrick and Shannon’s withmy family to hang out and we had a fabulous time with one exception, I got sunburned pretty bad!!!  I put on sunscreen but it didn’t work very well.  It may have been because it wasn’t the bull frog we usually use and I didn’t wear a shirt like I always tell Chris and the kids to do!!!  I was so worried that I would get some what dehydrated since you loose heat and moisturethrough the sunburn and if that was going to happen then I would start contracting and that would not be good!!  So I was drinking a ton and put cold damp rags on me with a fan and in 2 days by the time we had our appt I was able to wear clothes which was good ha ha!!!  Here are a few pics from that visit.

 

 

 

Matt and Melissa came and picked me up from my house yesterday for our apptsand we got to the Peri at 10:00 am I think we waited an hr before we were seen which is much better than the 3 from a monthago.  We went back and they had to find the position of the girls.  Natalie was head down just like last monthand Meagan was head down with her head being a little higher than her sisters.  She did Natalie first and saw how great and big she looked!!!  She is 4lbs6oz and in the 83%.  They were shocked at how big she is.  Here is a 3d sono pic of Natalie

Off to Meagan and while her sister was being sono’ed she moved head up and had her legs by her head folded like a taco.   So funny!!  She was also a big one and even bigger than her sister!!  Meagan weighed 4lbs12oz and is in the 94% for her weight.  Wow these are some big girls!!!  The sonotech also said she could tell I’ve been drinking my water because I have a lot of good fluid still.  She said that most ladies at 32w with twins don’t have nearly that much fluid.  My cervix shortened by 4mm but that has been over 6w so that’s ok.  It’s still good at 24mm.  I also have funneling when they push down on my belly that opens it to 17mm.  We did a preterm labor test and it was negative so that’s good!!!   If it was positive then she would have given me steroids for their lungs to develop better.  I’ve gained 4.5lbs and it’s all baby.  My blood pressure was great at 114/68 and no swelling in my feet.  I am more tired these days and even though I’m on modified bed rest I’m not really board yet for the most part.  Some times I get board.  We go back in 2w and after that we will see the OB every week!!  She said that it could be 4-6w away and she doesn’t think I’ll make it to the 31st when our c-sec is scheduled.  We got out of the Peri at 12:30 and our appt with the OB was at 1:10 which was fine but we were starving!!  Matt being a good daddy already was so sweet to go out to PaneraBread which is so pack right now and get all of our lunch and as my husband says I’m a pain to get food for.  So here’s what I ordered and you can tell me if I’m a pain or not, Fuji Chicken salad with no onions, flavored tea and if they don’t have that unsweet tea with 4 splenda, a sourdough roll with butter, and a short bread cookie.  It was pretty straight forward I thought but poor Matt called and said they didn’t have any splenda and then he saw it and it was so busy and I didn’t know the name of the salad I wanted I called it the chicken salad with apples so I guess I was difficult but he did a fantasticjob!!!  Way to go Daddy!!  Melissa was so sweet and she stayed with me at the drs.  Matt came back and we just got all our food out to eat when they called us back.  Funny but the OB was at the hospital right then so we were able to eat in the exam room before she got there.  I just have to say Matt and Melissa are such perfect dr buddies!!  They are so great to me and they hold my purse and write the info down in the journal and keep me straight on questions to ask and take my drink so I can get on the exam table.  How great to have wonderful people like that with you.  They have been taking such good care of their girls by taking such good care of me!!!  I love you guys!!   Well after the OB we went to see my mom in the hospital which is in the same complex but there is a pretty steep drop from the entrance to the hospital to the dr bld.  Matt was so awesome and he had a running start to push me up!!  It was tough I know but I can’t walk more than I need to and so I had to go in a wheelchair.  Matt got his exercise for the day.  We hung out with mom for a little bit and then we took cute cute pictures and they went home.  We will see them again in 2w for our next appt on the 30thfor both.  It will probably be a long day because our peri appt is in the afternoon and there will be a wait!!  So here’s pictures of us at 32w

  

 

Our 7 month appt visit May 20, 2009

Well yesterday we went to the OB and the Peri and my cervix didn’t shrink any more, I am holding at 28mm. I am still on the procardia which is no fun but totally do able!!! The girls both gained about 1lb so they are now 2.7 and 2.8 lbs and Natalie (right side)  is now head up and Meagan (left side) is now head down so they flip flopped. They are measuring a few days ahead and I only gained 3lbs two of which are the girls!!! My BP is great and at 4w ago I was measuring 36w and yesterday I measured 36.5w so even though they are growing and gaining weight I haven’t really got any bigger.

Melissa came to my house to pick me up and we took my car to the appts while she drove because the meds make me feel yucky and I’d rather not drive. We met my sister for a great lunch at a tea room then off to our appts that started at 1:45. Well The OB was running behind just a little but it was no big deal so we got back and it was 2:55 (our peri appt one floor up was @ 2:45) the nurse just stepped in and said the Dr went to a delivery so we went upstairs to the peri so check in ect.. The OB called us back down stairs which was fine because we had 6 others in front of us waiting. We got checked by the OB and all is well so I got my blood drawn for my thyroid and we went down stairs to pick up my thyroid meds then back up stairs at 4:45 to see the peri and we finished with that appt at finally left the office at 6pm!!! I don’t have to go back to see her for 4w so that’s good. We left and drove back to my house where my mom and dad were over with my family to have dinner. Melissa helped cook and talked to my 15yr old DD about boy drama lol and we had a wonderful dinner!!! She also brought presents from the shower for me that I missed. I got the willow tree twins from her cousin, a “friends” willowtree from my IP’s, a beautiful ceramic heart necklace about faith, hope, and love, and a wonderful assortment of lavender bath products!! It’s really neat because we both collect willow trees and now we have 2 matching ones the twins and a pregnant one that my DH got us.   I am so really blessed to have them as not only the parents to these girls but to really be my friends and wonderful people!!!  They have a great family on both sides too!!!

Here is a belly pic of me at 27w

We had a really great day and I’m just so happy I didn’t change because I was afraid they were going to put me on hospital bed rest.

 

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Fredericksburg Baby Shower May 16, 2009

Last weekend we had our 2nd and last baby shower with Melissa’s family in Fredericksburg.  Lisa was going to fly down for it but because of being put on bedrest we all thought it was better that she stay home and take it easy, plus she got to spend mother’s day with her family!

Everyone missed Lisa at the shower but they understood. Lisa even got some gifts that we will bring to her at our next appointment!!

The shower was fun and relaxing. We had it at Melissa’s parent’s new house out on their land in Fredericksburg. It was a lunch time shower and Tara and Melissa’s mom had worked very hard setting it up and preparing finger foods and sandwiches for all of the guests.  Melissa’s cousin Nicole also made some great cakes with the cutest cake topper! Everyone really pitched in to make the shower wonderful.

After lunch we started opening gifts and we got tons of useful and thoughtful gifts. Melissa’s grandmother made 2 quilts, one for each of the babies. Matt’s sister, Celeste, also gave us a neat framed history detailing the family history of the name Celeste (which is going to be Meagan’s middle name). We were so excited about these gifts!! Matt even stayed for the shower and helped to open gifts which was good because it was starting to get hot, so it went faster.

After the shower, Melissa’s dad and grandpa cooked some fish and all the fixings! It was very good. Melissa enjoyed hanging out with her family. We had a great weekend and everyone is so excited for us! Although we do wish Lisa could have been there to experience everyone’s excitement and gratitude, we know it was best for her to take it easy. She is doing a wonderful job taking care of our girls!!

We hope to have another update soon after our next doctor’s appointment and hopefully we will have some 3D/4D pictures of the girls to share!

Love,

Melissa and Matt