The Week of the Doctor Appointments

Hello again everyone!  This weekend was filled with lots of fun for me which was much needed.  Bonus- I felt great all weekend (we won't talk about Thursday).  On Friday I headed to some garage sales around town with my brother Nick.  His big find?  A lava lamp circa 1970 for a whopping $2.00.  I can't make this stuff up.  After that we went swimming again.  Every single time I get out of the pool the weight of my stomach really hits me all at once, and seeing pictures lets me know real quick just how big that sucker is getting.

13 Weeks Picture

Saturday was my dad's birthday, so I got donuts for him for breakfast (Jolly Pirate- my personal favorite).  After, I went with my dad and grandpa to an auction at the oldest house in our small town.  Let me just say, good thing I have 4 little ones on the way or I would have been leaving that place with a lot less money than I came with!  The antiques that the lady that lived in the house had (and their condition) were remarkable.  I actually ran into a lady there that recognized me from reading my blog even though I didn't know her.  How cool is that?!  Thank you all again for reading and keeping up with our journey =)  Saturday night we went out to dinner for my dad's birthday with the whole fam then over to my grandparents house for dessert where Aleah proceeded to tell me, "I really love your belly.  It has a really big bump on it!"  I just adore that child so much!

Darling Aleah at dinner.  The only picture I took- I need to get better at that!

As for Sunday?  We won't talk about my 5 movie marathon session.  A girl has to rest up for 4 doctor appointments in one week, right?

Not only did I lay around ALL day, but I also ate this entire Cinnabon =) Don't judge me.

Today we had our first doctor appointment of the week with my regular OB.  I cannot even begin to explain to you how nervous I get before each and every one of these appointments.  I know in my head there is physically nothing that I can do (aside from not exerting myself too much, and I've got that one VERY under control!), but I still can't shake my nerves before the appointments.  I think anyone would feel that way, but, if you know me, I get nervous about anything like that to begin with!  Not to mention I over-analyze everything.  Every little pull or stretch or cramp or pain I feel brings on this little voice in my head that says, "Is this normal?"  I have gotten a little bit better about it because my high risk doctor said at my last appointment that anything I have felt to that point must be normal for my body because the babies looked great.  I take a little bit of solace in that.
Anyways!  On to the babies =)  Once again, they are PERFECT!  Seriously, straight A's for this bunch.  They are all growing at or above the rate they should be (between 13 weeks 4 days and 13 weeks 6 days- I am currently 13 weeks 4 days, so perfect!).  They are pretty much within .2cm of the length of each other, and their heart rates are all very close to the same.  And, bonus (if you want to look at it that way!), I finally gained 5 pounds!  Five pounds in 10 days- if you could see my face right now.  But, it is good news for the little ones since I hadn't gained any weight yet.  My doctor said that Baby B was doing jazzercise in there, and you could see it!  Every time she tried to get the heart rate the baby would push it's legs off the side of its sac to get away from her- it was too funny!  That is usually how Baby C is, but Baby C was scrunched today, poor thing.  Baby C will likely move towards the back to have more room as the pregnancy continues.

Baby A (always lounging)

Heart Rate- 157. Length- 7.4cm.

Baby B (do you see that spine?!)

Heart Rate- 159. Length- 7.73cm.

Baby C (hard to get a picture of this time- he or she is being scrunched all up in the middle)

Heart Rate- 159. Length- 7.72cm.

Baby D (the only picture we got!)

Heart Rate- 159. Length- 7.7cm.

Stay tuned- I will update lots this week with all of my appointments!  I have an echo tomorrow, the high risk doctor on Wednesday, and the cardiologist on Thursday- wish us luck! 

Swimming (and, reluctantly, belly pictures)

Well, I went swimming- twice!  It was fun, but I am always exhausted afterward.  I did get a little sun though.  I was definitely looking the palest I have ever looked in my life.  It was quite terrifying really (photographic evidence below- please prepare your eyeballs now), especially because miss Aleah is such a tan baby from vacation!  I asked Aleah whether I looked "big or little," and she said "You look GIANT!"  Toddlers don't lie.

My Littlest Princess Lala =)

Here I am in all my glory!

Try to tell me I don't look that big.  I am only 13 weeks!  I swear I haven't gained an ounce!

"You just look a little bloated." - My Aunt Krista

Other than the swimming excursions, not too much has been going on this week.  I joined a Columbus group for Moms of Multiples, and it looks like it is going to be a great resource!  Through one of the moms in that group, I was able to find a group of all quad (or more) moms from across the country.  Finally!  People that can share their experiences and answer my questions.  Both groups seem really great so far.  You would be surprised how many quads there are in the Columbus area- it is amazing.  The highlight of my Monday was Chris bringing me some Adriaticos Pizza for dinner!  Let's be honest though, I lovingly threatened to punch him if he had it for lunch and didn't bring me any for dinner... I don't think he had too much of a choice there. =)  One of my best friends Brittany also got engaged on Monday- it was a big day around here.  Congratulations to Brady and Brittany and the whole fam- how very exciting and a huge surprise!

A little lounging time with my hubby =)

I have FOUR (there is something about that number isn't there?) doctor appointments next week, so stay tuned for some serious updates on the little ones and some updates from the cardiologist!

Thanks for reading, and thank you all SO much for all of your support =)

Our Life Turned Upside Down

Our life has been a whirlwind!  It is hard to believe we have already passed the 12 week mark which puts us halfway to the very important 24 week viability mark and about 40% through the pregnancy... say what!?!  The first trimester has definitely been no joy ride, but I am happy to be through it and starting to feel a little bit better.  The doctors say that I will have a couple of weeks of feeling "okay" before I get so big that I am miserable again.  Let's hope those weeks stretch out a bit!

12 Weeks (and ready for a nap!)

As most of you know, I am a "brand new" attorney.  I graduated law school in May 2013, took the bar in July 2013, and found out I passed in October.  I started working right away in the town I live in with another attorney that is a family friend.  I so much love my job and cannot tell you how awesome it felt to FINALLY be done with all schooling and to be moving on to the next chapter of my life with working.  Well, I have just been so sick that I had to stop working at about my 11 week mark, and, to be honest, I was only there about half the time during weeks 9 and 10.  During the 10-11 week mark, I was in the ER three times, and it just got to the point where it was too much and I couldn't handle the work anymore.  I could never forgive myself if I pushed myself too hard and something happened.  Thankfully, my partner in the law firm, Tom, has been super understanding and supportive.  We are going to re-evaluate after the start of next year.
Good news is, since I have stopped working, I am feeling so much better, and I am able to get all the rest and down time that my body needs.  I had not had any trips to the ER since I stopped working- until Friday night!  Ugh- my heart was acting up and both my OB and my high risk OB sent me to the ER to get it checked.  I waited with Chris and my mom in the waiting room for over 5 hours!  So by the time anyone saw me, my heart was back to normal.  Seems like it always happens that way.  Even though I am not working anymore, it has definitely still been hard.  Anyone that knows me knows that I am not one to sit around for too long- I like to be busy!  Thankfully, Chris and my mom have come up with some ways to keep me pretty busy, and getting this blog ready and posting on it has given me something to do.

Me during one of the trips to the ER.  My mom takes such flattering pictures!  It took me about 4 hours to convince them that I needed something to eat.  I may have been better off without!

Now for some laughs.  My mom and I decided to go complete the baby registries early on because my doctor said the further along I got the harder it would be.  Well, at Target I felt so horrible that I had to ride around in one of those motorized scooter cart things.  This is not a joke.  I felt so embarrassed!  Clearly everyone was starring at me.  I have learned quickly that this is not the time in my life to be vain or modest!  I think I crashed about 10 times (which always requires backing up which leads to the BEEP BEEP BEEP sound- only me).  At Babies R Us, they had no motorized carts (I don't know if this is a good or bad thing), but they did have a wheelchair!  Oh my word- my mom pushed me around that whole store in a wheelchair.  At least there were less people there to stare at me.  I think we were there 5 hours (yes, seriously).

Thanks Mom for the awesome pic (not).

Everything in my pregnancy timeline is happening like twice as fast as normal I think (or maybe 4 times).  Because I am going to be on strict bed rest so soon and likely hospitalized around week 20, we have to get things ready pretty early!  Our amazing families are planning a baby shower for us in mid-July right before I get to the "OMG you seriously expect me to get out of bed" phase and I am not allowed to do anything.  Because I am not allowed to travel (goodbye to 2 planned vacations this summer- boo!), I cannot travel down to my husband's hometown to visit with his family all summer which is hard!  But I think some of them are planning to come up here for the shower which will be great.
I have pretty much been living at my parents house (only 2 doors down from our house) since around the time I stopped working.  My mom is home all day, so it is easy for her to help me along when I am not feeling great while Chris is at work.  Not to mention I don't get so lonely being at home all day by myself.  My little niece Aleah is here a lot of the time so she keeps me pretty entertained and laughing all day long.  She is the best!  She has been gone on vacation for the past week, and I was so excited when she got home last night.  She gave me a big kiss and came running to me- loooove.  Then four kisses for my belly of course (she makes me count).  She is such a doll!

My mom is a rockstar!  She treats me like I am still her little baby and helps me with anything I might need.  What a great mom I have!  Both of my grandmas have also cooked and baked me some of my favorite meals- yum yum yum!  Have to keep those babies growing.  Would you guys believe me if I told you I haven't gained any weight?  Better believe it!  I have absolutely no idea how considering I am about the size of a bus compared to what I am used to (and I am constantly hungry), but the scales don't lie.  Since I have gone to the doctor (first appointment at six weeks), I have not gained an ounce.  I'm thinking the doctors won't put up with that too much longer.  I do not think I can physically eat much more than I have been though- every time I eat, I feel like my stomach is just going to explode my guts all over the walls (gross, I know).  It usually goes something like this (every 2 hours or so):  STARVING, eat less than a normal amount, feel like I am going to die/explode, have to sit reclined for about an hour for it to die down.  I am living the dream I tell ya!
Chris is doing an awesome job supporting me.  He keeps in touch while he is at work each day to see how I am feeling, and he makes me (and my family) dinner regularly.  He is an awesome cook!  After work each day, he comes over and we get to spend some time together.  It is hard not seeing each other as much, but, in the end, I think it is easier for both of us.  He is also doing a pretty good job of keeping up with everything at our house.  I stop over sometimes for a visit or to go see our little (or should I say huge) cat Booger.  He has also been able to miss work for each of my appointments which is awesome because I always seem to be stressed out for each one of them.  My friends are awesome too and stop over for visits, grab something to eat with me, or go on some short excursions- everyone has been so supportive!
Chris and I also went to a "Marvelous Multiples" class at OSU, and, what do you know, it was taught by someone that I know that lives in the same city as us (she is the sister of two of my childhood best friends).  She is also a nurse at the NICU at OSU, so it is nice to know we will know someone there. During the class, we got to tour the NICU which was the best part for me.  I like to know what to expect.   We got to see triplets that were 3 weeks old and born at 27 weeks.  They were SO tiny, but so so beautiful.  It was amazing to see how well they were doing and progressing.  That moment changed everything for me- it is possible!  One of them (the boy) was just wailing because they were changing his equipment- amazing that something so small (about 3 pounds) can make such a huge noise.  And the little girl that was being held by her mom had so much hair.  Just amazing.
I read books, read blogs of other quad moms, watch entirely too much television, look online for baby stuff, cook, hang around outside, and run errands.  Oh and lots of sleep- I am talking over 2 hour naps each day.  My mom is trying to get me to start knitting or crocheting- keep that dream alive mom! 

Proof of my sleep.  Do all moms still take sleeping pictures of their 26 year old kids?!  I am looking at you Karla.

PS-  The "Waugh-Nuts" story!  My mom has a hard time calling anyone or anything by its real name.  There are nicknames for everyone.  So, we had taken to calling the babies "peanuts" (I mean they are small little things).  Well my mom or someone mentioned the "peanuts" in a group text with the family and my ever-the-jokester husband said "They aren't peanuts, they're Waugh-nuts" (Waugh is our last name).  Get it? Waugh-nuts/Walnuts.  Chris said he had been saving that one for 30 years.  So there you have it- our little Waugh-Nuts (we are all a little nutty too).

Important Appointment at 11 Weeks 6 Days

Well, Chris and I had a really important (at least it seemed that way to me) appointment with my high risk doctor this past Wednesday.  It was an important one for me because I had not been to see any doctor in 2 1/2 weeks (NOT doing that again), and they were also testing each of the babies for abnormalities.  Normally, this is a two-part test with an ultrasound and testing my blood, but with Quads, they cannot test my blood because if it came back positive, they would not be able to link it to any of the four babies individually.  So, my test was solely an ultrasound where they measured the size of this tiny little sac of fluid behind each baby's neck, checked to make sure each of them had nasal bones growing, and took a picture of the cross-section of each baby's head.  I was having a pretty rough week leading up to the appointment- lots and lots of stress and anxiety.  The morning of the appointment I went to get a manicure and pedicure to take my mind off of it all (not to mention it is getting harder and harder to reach my toes and they were in need of some serious TLC!).
Of course the entourage was with me for the appointment!  Chris, my mom Karla, and Chris' parents Dan and Lori all attended- good thing this place has big ultrasound rooms!  My mom again took a copious amount of notes- really helpful when I am writing these posts.  I love that Chris is always there because he is always a jokester and he puts my mind at ease!  I laid back, and the ultrasound tech went to work.  As soon as she came in I told her how very very nervous I was and she literally turned the machine on and within 5 seconds said, "I see four heartbeats!"  What a relief- we made it over the 12 week hurdle!  Then I looked up to the television screen that shows the ultrasound and I could not believe my eyes.  Those little tiny nuggets I had seen before (and that I shared with you all in my first post with the ultrasound pictures) were HUGE!  No wonder I am growing at such a rapid pace.
The ultrasound tech then went to work getting each of their measurements- no small feat.  We had to measure length, heart rate, the little fluid sacs behind each of their necks, the cross section of their heads, find the nasal bone, and then check the legs and arms of each one!  Not to mention that when measuring each of these things, they take the average of three measurements and each baby had to be laying a certain way without their typical gymnastics routine movements.  We were in for the long haul.  It actually ended up taking less time than expected or scheduled, and the babies each behaved perfectly!  It is a mother's touch, what can I say. =)
Well, let me get down to it.  They are all PERFECT!  Here are some highlights:
-Each baby is measuring at the size it should be or larger.  Again, great since they will be born so early!
-Each baby's fluid sac behind it's neck is measuring perfectly, and each has the nasal bones growing- important for the abnormality testing.
-All of the heart rates are within the normal range.
-Each baby is about 5.5cm long (around 2 inches).  It is amazing to me how much detail you can see even though they are "technically" still so small.
-Each baby (and especially baby C) likes to do gymnastics routines in my belly.  I can't imagine how this is going to feel once I start to actually feel their movements- can't wait!
-Each baby definitely has its own placenta!  This is something we were worried about for Baby B and Baby C, but we confirmed they are all separate on Wednesday which is very good news!  Also, this means there are no identical babies (actually, there are no twins at all).  So after trying for so long we successfully fertilized four separate eggs in one month.  Seriously, what are the odds?!  The doctor said less than the odds of getting struck by lightening randomly.  Can I get a lottery ticket over here?!
After the ultrasound, a marketing person for OSU came in my room and asked if I would mind being on a video about multiples that they were shooting that day.  Pretty much it would consist of them taping my conversation with my doctor and then me having another (short) ultrasound so they could get some footage of that.  At this point I was in such a good mood, how could I possibly say no!  Plus, I am all for learning and helping others along this journey.  So, the babies made their first movie debut! 
The discussion with my doctor wasn't too crazy at that appointment- she was just catching up on what had been happening since the last time I was in and asking questions about my ER visits.  We did determine, however, that I am going to go see the cardiologist to get some testing and see if there are any medications that can help regulate my heart.  She also told me I should go swimming because it will help my body feel much better- no complaining here!
I had a different ultrasound tech for my second round for the movie, and she shared with us some ways that you can start to tell the gender of the babies early on before everything is developed.  Supposedly these methods are correct about 80-85% of the time.  It has something to do with whether the pelvic bones are pointing or forming "up or down."  Needless to say, she gave us some early predictions, although Baby A and Baby C were moving around so much (I guess they were as happy as I was to get the good news), that it was harder to predict for them.  We are going to keep this news close to home until we get more definitive results around the 16-18 week mark, but I would love to hear everyone's predictions!!!
So there you have it!  After I got home that night (I think it was about a 3 1/2 hour appointment), I shared the news with all of you and posted my first blog post.  HOLY COW!  I would have never expected to get so much support.  It has been wonderful, and it is so great to know that all of our friends and family and even people that do not know us personally are behind us 100%.  Thank you all so much, it means more to us than you know!
I will leave you with some of the amazing ultrasound pictures.  Stay tuned for how our actual life has been turned upside down since the news and what we have been doing to prepare!  I will also share how the bambinos lovingly got the "Waugh-Nuts" nickname.

Family Picture- say cheese!  This is the layout, but imagine it upside down (Baby A is on the bottom).

Baby A's full Picture

Baby A's profile.  You can see the jaw bone and the little hand and fingers in front of the face!

Baby B's full body.

Baby B's Arm- Look at those fingers!

Baby B's FOOT!  Love love love!  It is 1cm long =)

Baby C's full self.

Baby C's Arm waving!

Baby C's profile.

Baby D.  The detail is incredible to me!

Baby D's profile.

Our Life Since we Got the Big QUAD News

Life has been a whirlwind ever since we got the big news!  I had a doctor appointment with my OB that next week after we found out.  I truly adore my OB.  She spent almost 2 hours and all of her lunch break and some of the time she was supposed to be at the hospital with us to squeeze us into the schedule ASAP.  Chris' mom Lori came up for the appointment, and my mom came as well to take notes- she has been keeping fantastic records that even my Doctors sometimes refer to!  At this appointment, we had to talk about a lot of the basics- what I can do, what I can't do, what to expect, preterm labor, risks to me, risks to the babies, hospitalization, NICU, and selective reduction.  Selective reduction is where you go to the doctor, and they selectively reduce the pregnancy from four down to two.  It is illegal in Ohio, so we would have to go New York or Pennsylvania to have the procedure done.  Chris and I talked about it after the appointment, and decided against it.  We are of the thinking, that what is supposed to happen will happen.  If my body can handle the quadruplet pregnancy it will, and if it can't it won't.  What is meant to be will be.  If we are supposed to have quads, then we will have quads, and if something else results, then that is what was meant to be.  We are trying to stay positive and think of all of the great blessings we have and this could bring us instead of focusing on the scary aspects of this journey.

At this appointment, we also thought we had lost one of the little ones, which is common so early on.  One or more of them can just stop growing.  Baby D was completely hiding!  Then all at once he popped up out of no where- what a day!

With quads, there just is not a lot of information or statistics out there, which is hard because the doctors just do not have the numbers to give you.  Because it is so rare (usually two in Ohio per year), most of the doctors are pretty unfamiliar with some of the things that are going on.  As a result, we have a lot of doctor appointments!  So far, they have been every other week, but are now going to start to be every week.  We have ultrasounds at every appointment as well which is nice so we can see how the little bambinos are growing.  I have had three appointments since then, including one with my high-risk doctor.  The ultrasounds always take a long time- it is not easy to find four tiny little babies growing, measure them, and also find and measure their heartbeat!

Here are some of the highlights from all of the appointments:

-As of my last appointment, all of the babies are growing perfectly!  They are all measuring very similarly and growing according to schedule.  They are all measuring within 1-2 days of each other, with some even measuring bigger than their due date.  All good news since they will come so early!

-One baby (Baby A) is on the bottom, and Baby B, Baby C, and Baby D are all lined up right in a row.  Baby A is always the biggest because it takes all the room!

-Each baby has its own sac which is VERY good news.  It also appears that each baby has its own placenta, although we are still trying to determine that definitively for Babies B and C.  They are really close together, so either their placentas are also pushed together (but still separate), or they share a placenta.  I am hoping to find out for sure at the next appointment.  It is better if they have their own placentas because then one baby cannot take all the nutrients from the other.

-They all actually look like humans now!  Little heads, butts, legs, arms- it is amazing how much you can see them grow from appointment to appointment.  You can also see there hearts fluttering which is just so reassuring.  I get a lot of anxiety before each appointment!

-I can expect hospitalized bed rest at some point during the pregnancy.  Usually sometime between weeks 16-22.  This will make for a long stay at the hospital for me- you all better scope out the visiting hours now!

-On average, quads come at week 28-29.  Obviously this is VERY early for babies to be born, and they will be very small and have a long stay in the NICU.  Our first goal is to get to week 24 (when they are viable outside the womb) which can be a difficult task in and of itself.

-Around week 18, I will look like a full term single pregnant woman, and my body will feel those pressures.  Those weeks from week 18-24 are dangerous because your body feels like it is big enough to go into labor, but the babies are not big enough to survive outside the womb yet.  This is what scares me the most.  Please pray for us to successfully reach week 24.

I have also had a couple of trips to the ER where I have found out some new quad pregnancy symptoms!  First, I have SEVERE morning sickness.  I will spare you the gory details, but let me just say one morning I visited the bathroom 14 times.  Not a joke.  That caused one trip to the ER just to get fluids in my system and give me anti-nausea medications via IV.  Another ER trip was spurred by some irregular heartbeats.  This trip resulted in the determination that I have heart palpitations (caused by the pregnancy).  Depending on how this symptom progresses, I might have to see a cardiologist to be put on beta blockers.  My heart is also working overtime (there is lots of extra blood pumping through for the babies), so it is beating a little faster than it should be- we are monitoring it.  It needs to stay under 109 beats per minute.  Last thing!  I have some cysts that are causing a little bit of pain, but they seem to have gotten a little better recently- good news!

So there it is in a nutshell- everything that has been happening with doctor appointments and ER visits since we found out!  I will leave you with some belly pictures starting once we found out we had four little ones growing in there- Enjoy!

7 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

Stay tuned for my next post about the important appointment I had yesterday (11 weeks 6 days) and the incredible ultrasound pictures I got from that appointment.  Thanks for reading!

The Day we Found Out we are Expecting QUADS

So, as some of you have probably heard by now, we are expecting!  We were so thrilled to find out that I was pregnant when we found out in April because we had been trying for awhile with no success.  We wanted so badly to start our family!  By my six week mark, we knew something was up.  I was feeling HORRIBLE, and I was already starting to show which should definitely not be happening so early on in the pregnancy.  On Thursday, May 8, 2014, I left work early and headed to the ER because I was in so much pain, and I wanted to know what was going on and make sure the "baby" was okay in there (I thought I might be miscarrying or that I had appendicitis!).

Well, when you are pregnant you get to skip the long lines of the ER, so that was a plus for me! They took me right back, and Chris met me there about 20 minutes later from work.  First, they ruled out appendicitis.  Next, they started pushing around on my stomach (HELLO uncomfortable!) to see where it hurt.  Next came the internal exam which was normal.  Next they brought in the ultrasound machine.  The Doctor asked if they could have some students come in to watch.  I said I did not mind, but, thankfully, Chris noticed I was nervous, and told them maybe it wasn't the best idea.  So grateful he was there with me!

Since I was only six weeks, they started out with the ultrasound on my stomach.  It was at that point that the ultrasound tech said, "Is there a chance of multiples?"  I explained to him that there is always a chance and twins run in the family, etc.  They then did a more detailed ultrasound which seemed to last for hours! I was so anxious and worried.  At some point, Chris and I heard them count to two and we looked at each other and thought, oh no it is twins!  But the tech did not show us anything or say anything to us until the end.  It was at that point that he looked at me and said, and I kid you not, "I don't want to alarm you, but there are four babies growing."  Ummm HELLO guy that is just a little alarming!!!  I think he needs to work on his presentation.  I just laughed at him as if it was some sort of joke.  He then showed us what he saw, but said he was going to send us upstairs to the ultrasound wing for an even more detailed exam.  The techs left, and it was just Chris, the nurse, and I.  I am so thankful for the nurse that was in the room with me that day when we found out.  I think her name was Jen, and she was just so sweet and comforting and knew all the right things to say.  In fact, all of my nurses that day were just so unbelievably supportive and comforting.  They all said they had never even seen twins in the ER, let alone QUADS!

At that point, I broke down in some serious tears and started panicking- mostly because it was so unexpected and I was scared of the unknown.  I looked at Chris and cried, "I NEED MY MOM!"  We hadn't told anyone yet, we were waiting until we hit the magic 12 week mark.  He went outside to call her, and then it was just me and my thoughts alone in the ER room.  Needless to say, uncontrollable sobbing ensued.  After what seemed like decades, my parents got there and Chris came back.  Everyone was just in shock.  They whisked me off to the ultrasound floor, and Chris went up with me.  While they did the ultrasound, we both looked at each other and said "Please don't find a fifth!"  We got to see a lot more detailed pictures that showed four separate sacs, and we got to hear four little heartbeats with the more high-tech machines.  It was thrilling, nerve-wracking, and altogether exhausting.  

With all the crazy news, they contacted my OB, who I hadn't even had an appointment with yet, and she sent one of her partners in her practice that was at the hospital to come chat with us.  We got some information, which I hardly even remember, but that was the start of the conversation about selective reduction, risks to the babies, risks to me, preterm labor, and miscarriages.  After that I was discharged.  What a whirlwind of a day.  We decided to go ahead and tell our immediate family and best friends because the pregnancy was so high-risk and because our lives were going to change so rapidly.  So, that night, we called the majority of our family and friends to fill them in on our day.  We are so blessed to have such great and supportive family and friends.  

One of our favorite things about this whole experience so far is seeing everyones reactions.  We have gotten pretty creative with our presentation.  It usually goes something like this:  "Kacie is pregnant!!"  Lots of yayyyy and screaming ensues- then we drop the bomb.  "There are FOUR!"  Silence.  Then we crack up.

So there you have it!  That is the story of the day we found out there were four little ones growing in my belly.  Over a month later, lots of things have happened since then.  I made this blog so I can keep all of our family and friends updated with what is currently going on.  Stay tuned for my next post (I have lots of free time on my hands) where I will share my "weekly" belly pictures so far and what has been going on the last month with Doctor appointments, ER visits (4 total), and our plans moving forward!

Thank you for reading this novel of a post!  It is great for me to have somewhere to recount all of our memories.  As a reward for making it through- some ultrasound pictures of babies A, B, C, and D!

3 Bambinos at 6 weeks (you can only see the one in one of the sacs)

Each of the tiny babies at 6 weeks (when we found out)

Baby D at 7 weeks- they grow fast!

Baby B, C, and D are all lined up in a row (Baby A in on the bottom taking up all the space)- 9 weeks

Baby A at 9 weeks- Heart Rate is 177 bpm; 3.03cm (biggest)

Baby B at 9 weeks- Heart Rate is 174 bpm; 2.95cm

Baby C at 9 weeks- Heart Rate is 171 bpm; 2.71cm

Baby D at 9 weeks- Heart Rate is 180 bpm; 2.68cm

 Hope you enjoyed the pictures =)  More to come from my latest Doctors Appointment at 11 weeks 6 days!