The Past Few Months...

I FINALLY uploaded all of the pictures off of my camera from the past months and months, so here are the last few months of what our family has been up to.

In May I chaperoned Darby's field trip to Rancho San Rafeal, they had the opportunity to meet their pen pals from another school that they had been corresponding with for their entire 3rd grade year.

I took the kids hiking at Galena Creek, but my stinking camera wasn't charged, and so I didn't get too many pictures...sorry Forrest :-(

We celebrated Chandler's 11th birthday with a computer from Grandma and Grandpa Willey and Brian and I. He was so surprised, it was a perfect gift for him! (For some reason blogger will not let me upload his birthday...uggghhhh)

Father's Day was special this year for Brian. This is his last year being a Father to only 3 children, next year we will be celebrating with 5, what amazing blessings they all have been!

Over July 4th weekend we took the kids to Carmel, we didn't do much, but it was a great getaway. We went whale watching and saw over 100 humpback whales and around 500 dolphins. It was such a beautiful place, none of us had ever been to...and we will save those pictures for the next post.

It Has Been a While

I felt guilty uploading the new ultrasound pictures (from July 1st) because I haven't uploaded ANY pictures of the other kids, but I am sitting at work ready to chop my wrists off for something fun to do, so I thought that I should do something a little less destructive.

On July 1st we found out we are having our perfect little package, a beautiful little girl, and a handsome little boy. I was so strung out going to our appointment because I just knew in my heart that we were having two boys! But once again, we were given the perfect gift.

We actually just had our "official" ultrasound done a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't hold out to know, so I scheduled my own ultrasound and had the fun 3d/4d ultrasound done. It was so much fun!!!

Baby A is our little girl!!!

Baby B is our little boy!

Our Adorable Nursery

We have gone with matching Caden Lane bedding in coordinating colors! They are oh soooo adorable...I can't wait to put it all together.

Our cribs are this crib, except they are in cherry!

Just a Bragging Moment

I first off have to say that not many women can say the married a man with three children and they adore them as though they are their own. Not many women can say they have "perfect" step-children. Of course they have their moments, but what child doesn't and I would just think there was something really weird going on if they didn't have them every once in a while...

But then some times you just have to brag about how beautiful and wonderful children are, and there is nothing more beautiful than this...

Stantec Picnic

Our IT guy just downloaded these great pictures from our family picnic this last weekend (of which are still on my camera) surprise...surprise! I am determined to get our trip to Carmel up as well as all the other fun stuff we have done over summer by the end of the weekend. I swear if I can't snag it from an internet site it doesn't happen anymore! Self motivation my friend, that is what I need!

Pray for a Better Week!

I have to vent this out because frankly I still can't believe that our week went the way that it did.

Let's recap:

Monday - We went to Starbucks for an early morning pick me up when our debit card was declined...what do you mean its declined there is plenty there I had just deposited on Saturday. So we called Bank of America thinking that they had just shut it off because we were in Carmel the week prior when the told us that we were overdrawn $255. I immediately freaked, Brian thought I had spent his entire check, and then they tell us there is no pending deposit. So eventually we find that they had deposited our entire deposit into another persons account!

To top the night off I began leaking fluid around 8:00 for about a half an hour before I realized that I needed to go to the ER. Brian flies me to the ER where the triage nurse basically thinks I am an idiot who got knocked up and had no prenatal care, and that's when I thought my husband was going to take her out! After about 4 hours of waiting, my pants soaking (I looked seriously like I was sitting there with my pants urinated in) we finally decided to leave since they told us it would be just a few more hours before we saw someone. I thought I might as well sleep and go see the doctor in the morning.

Tuesday - All stinking morning I was calling my "new" OB because my old OB decided that as of September 12th they would no longer take our insurance, well that meant I was without OB. I was faxing releases like crazy to everywhere so that I could get in to see my "new" OB when my "old" OB called and said "Get in here!" Woohoo, someone cares!!! I learned that they are just renegotiating their contract and I will still be able to see him...Woohoo!!! But, as I was leaving for the doctor, I was wearing kitten heels and walked out the door, somehow got my heel caught in the rug kept walking, but my foot was planted, twisted and fell into all of the paint to paint the house that was at our back door! It was seriously a "Help I can't get up moment!"

Wednesday - Great day...We spent the day on the Lake with the Santoro's basking in the sun and loving every minute of it.

Thursday - Brian flooded the bathroom like the tsunami that hit Thailand and as I went to get into my PJ's I slid across the floor and took out my same hip that I did on Tuesday!

Friday - Scrambled out of work to go and get the kids from school at 2:30, when I realized I got there and no one was leaving that Forrest was the one getting out at 2:30, not Darby and Chandler.

Saturday - I took the kids to Stantec's family picnic, and had a great time, until that night when I left to get Brian from work and ran over Forrest's friends bike. Somehow I was able to hit the wheel just enough to pop the bike up and the bolt that holds on the back tire blew out the sidewall of the tire, but please don't fret the $50 bike wasn't hurt at all, the rim was not even bent! Brian had to get a ride home, and we then went to Jamie and Art's wedding (which was absolutely stunning), but we forgot our camera so no memories were caught.

Sunday - I don't know what happened to the air conditioning, but it went out and our house roasted us all at 85 degrees the entire day.

Please week be better than the last!!!

New Baby Pictures

We met with our OB for the first time yesterday (we have been at the fertility clinic until now), and we love him. I didn't think that after we had such amazing care with Dr. W. and Dr. F. we could love anyone as much as them, but we do.

We had an ultrasound on Sunday because I was cramping really bad, and having some other not so pleasant issues, so we got to see the babies again.

Our OB was more interested in listening to their heartbeats than he was how cute they are. I laughed so hard when I looked at the pictures. I though that I was getting good at looking at ultrasounds, but this is like Where's Waldo, but Where's Baby???

An Update

I have been completely slacking at blogging. We have done fun things this month, but I have yet to take the pictures off of my camera to download them.

Chandler turned 11, and he received a computer from my mom and dad, and Brian and I...he was sooo surprised. We have been hiking a couple of times, and all of the kids are now out of school.

The babies are busily growing, and sucking every bit of energy out of me, but I love to sleep, so I really don't mind it too much :-)

I will get some requested belly pictures posted as well as our fun times with the kids, and the new ultrasound pictures of the adorable little ones that are rapidly growing inside of me.

The String of Ultrasounds

So...these past couple of weeks have been oh so hard to keep secret, but I managed to suceed. We found out on April 22nd that we were having twins, but that Baby A may not make it. We prayed like crazy for the little tike, and are now ready to announce to the world that I am having twins!! We are due December 12th, two days after my birthday, and 10 days after Darby's, and 5 days after my mother-in-law, so the chances of them hitting a birthday are very high. Between twins, Christmas, and Darby our Christmas shopping must now be done with by August in order to have saved enough money to afford to play Santa for our basketball team of children :-)

So, here are my ultrasound pictures. Baby A's heartbeat is now beating at 173 beats per minute and Baby B's heartbeat is beating at 158 beats per minute, it really caught up! I am convinced we are having boys, but who knows what you can believe! We heard the heartbeats yesterday morning, and it was the first time that I actually felt pregnant. Woohoo, my babies sound like they are running a marathon!

April 29th

May 4th

Ohhhh Babies!!!

Brian and I are pleased to announce that we are pregnant with twins. Two babies are now busily growing inside of me, and I have never felt better. No morning sickness, no anything! I am 8 weeks along and feeling great.

We were in Las Vegas for our wonderful friends wedding at the Four Seasons, it was a spectacular event!

But, along with having twins comes holy cow I look like I am 4 months along...opps! That would really only be about 2 :-) So I thought I would share our cute little baby bump as well as my hot husband!

Have You Been Waiting For the News???

I know that I said I would wait to write, but dangit! I have to tell the world. I am just praying that all my numbers continue to go up, but Brian and I received the phone call on Friday confirming that we have a little something something growing inside me. I think its a litter of puppies because I still don't believe it!!!

Our 1 year anniversary is tomorrow! What great news to celebrate the day with!

1st Baby Pictures

Look at our cute embryos!

Two Beautiful Babies

So, I have been on bed rest for the past 4 days letting our two beautiful, little embryos implant into my uterus.

On Tuesday we transferred 2 embryos, one of which the doctor said was so perfect it must be a girl, the other a little weird looking, but all in all a great set of babies. It was amazing watching the babies be transferred into my uterus. We felt so blessed to witness our own conception. We are now just playing a waiting game. One more week until we can take the conclusive blood test (don't kid yourself though, I am peeing on a stick every morning! So far they have all been positive!)

This picture was taken right after they transferred the babies, if you look closely at the ultrasound you can see two little dots, that's the babies! Amazing!

Brian took a not so great picture, but you can see the two little embryos on the far right as one big white blob.

This picture is a little bit better at separating the two little ones! I pray that they both take, am I nuts for wanting twins???

This Could Very Well Be...

the last day that I don't have a little something something growing inside of me.

My egg retrieval was moved up to Saturday morning instead of Easter Sunday. They originally thought that I had 30 follicles that were beautiful and waiting to hatch into little Courtney and Brian's. I overstimulated at the beginning of the week, and I just knew that we were going to be done, because you can't overstimulate. They got me back on track, and retrieved a day early.

Of course, Brian took some lovely videos of me with no makeup, hair back with no product, glasses, and in sweats, those I think we will save for our children when they are grown.

We went back, I have no veins left in either of my arms because I have been poked about 80 times and they are all blown. The Anesthesiologist however took my warning of leaving the top of my hand out of it, and found a nice vein in my left arm (which mind you had been poked about 8 times within the week prior). I went to sleep nicely, woke up with this amazing heating pad on me and my wonderful husband sitting next to me.

Dr. W. came in and said out of the 30 beautiful follicles only 11 were mature enough to use, the rest either were too small, or didn't have an egg inside of them. Bummer...only 11...that's okay right??? No answer, he didn't want to tell me one way or the other.

Next, it's Brian's turn. Needless to say I will not go into any details, if you would like to do a google search on PESA, you can then say that my husband loves me unconditionally. I sat with him rubbing his head, as they cannot numb the inside of the vein, they can only numb the outside, and he was in pain. The first sample looks beautiful...a beautiful sample with no sperm.

No sperm, I am thinking, we didn't go over this scenario in our head. We never even thought that he wouldn't have any...it has only been 3 years since his vasectomy. They go in for round 2...

At this time I am shedding my clothing as the temperature of 97.3 degrees is starting to affect my breathing. I finally decide I need to leave the room, and as I do I pass out in the waiting room. 30 more minutes go by, and by this time I am crying and consumed with, "why didn't we think about this!" We had prepared ourselves for everything else!

Finally Traci, the godsend of a nurse, pokes her head out the door and yells, "We have swimmers!" I immediately run back to see my husband laying down, all I can do is just tell him how much I love him for doing this!

Sunday morning we have another appointment to receive our progesterone, and have more blood work done. More blood work, I have no more veins. So after 8 pokes, and no luck, they hit the same stinking vein that the previous 8 pokes plus the IV was in! Ahhhh!!!

We were at the doctor's office so long that we missed church, of all days that we needed to go! So we took off for Winnemucca a little early. About half way there the phone call came.

Out of the 11 total follicles 6 were mature, and 5 fertilized. So that means we have 5 little Brian and Courtney's toasting in a petri-dish! Woohoo...

Transfer is tomorrow at 1:30. Everyone should call Brian and tell him what a trooper he is! After this, I know that there is no one that can love me as much as he does!

Belly Wounds

I have determined that I look like a junkie. I look like I have track marks on my stomach, and to top it off my right side is bruised. I just thought I would share in this wondrous occasion.