And the twins are..........

We're trading in our dolls, bows, make-up and pearls

for Legos, cars and superheroes!!!

That's right....two Slagle boys are on the way!!

We are incredibly shocked!! I cannot even imagine waiting 4 more months to find out this news because I thought FOR SURE it was two girls (or at least a boy and a girl). I even bought some girl outfits last weekend, but I guess my mother intuition was WAY off!

We had a very detailed ultrasound (took about 20 minutes) on Wednesday because the doctors weren't sure if the twins were each in their own sac or if they were sharing one. There are more complications when twins share a sac or placenta so they wanted to make sure that our twins were in fact diamniotic dichorionic twins. Di-Di twins each have seperate blood supplies from the mother and there is no risk of the babies sharing blood between them and therefore fewer complications.

During the ultrasound the tech found the first baby and said "It's a boy!" (it was obviously a boy!) and I thought...oh...the second one HAS to be a girl. Nope...another boy!! I was shocked, but very excited at the same time! Tears were in my eyes because it was so amazing to see these two tiny babies (weighing only 6 oz.) moving and waving...incredible! I am just happy that we have two healthy baby BOYS! Of course Andrew said "Now I don't have to worry about paying for two weddings" Haha...he would say that!! And he is excited because he can still call them Duncan A and Duncan 1!

I haven't even THOUGHT about boy names! Andrew and I even agreed on one girl name...but I guess we will have to wait to use it now :) I really like family names and older names...but boy names seem really difficult to "bring back in style". Older girl names are cute...like Claire, Ella, and Grace, but some boy names just shouldn't come back....like Lloyd (my grandpa), Lyle (Andrew's dad...sorry Lyle) and Russell (my grandpa). Now we have to come up with TWO boy names!! WOW! I guess you will have to wait and see what we come up with :)

Gender poll--what will our twins be??

It is almost that time....time for us to find out what we are having (besides two babies of course!) HOPEFULLY we can find out at our doctor appointment on Thursday. If not, it will be another four weeks! BOO!

What do you think?

Two girls??

Two boys?
Or one of each?
You can cast your vote on the right side of the blog page. Also, feel free to leave us a comment too....tell us what you picked, maybe some name suggestions, advice, etc. We haven't discussed names at all yet, but right now Andrew is calling them Duncan A and Duncan 1 (he doesn't like calling them A and B haha) He is REALLY pushing for one (or both) to be named Duncan. HELP!

We will make the big announcement as soon as we find out!

Twins: 15 weeks pregnant

How far along: 15 weeks

Size of the babies: 4 inches long…the size of an apple! TWO apples inside me…hard to believe!

Total weight gain/loss: Starting weight was 128 pounds…now I weigh about 138. I gained 10 pounds pretty quickly and haven’t gained much weight over the past three weeks although my stomach is definitely bigger and I am definitely showing!

Cravings: Not really any cravings yet.

Morning sickness: Not so much anymore. I used to be nauseous all day long, but the past few weeks have been really good!

Sleep: Uncomfortable already! I am a tummy sleeper so it has been a rough adjustment. I HATE sleeping on my side and I wake up about 4-5 times/night. Oh yeah...and I usually have to go pee twice a night already.

Other pregnancy symptoms: Sore back, some cramping and headaches.

Baby Movement: Not yet

Favorite maternity clothes: Sweatpants. I had to buy new sweatpants because my old ones are too tight already...didn't know you could outgrow sweatpants :)

Weird dreams: I dreamed the other night that it was triplets instead of twins. Yikes!

Good advice received: Splurge on a comfortable chair for the nursery because you will spend a lot of time in it.

How is pregnancy different than expected? I thought I wouldn't have morning sickness or that I could easily "deal with it".....WRONG! It has been worse than I expected.

Highlight this week: I bought a Doppler (a little handheld device with headphones) from someone for $10 last week…I didn’t know if it would actually work BUT we found BOTH the babies heartbeats this week! It is amazing to hear two different heartbeats and now we can tell exactly where they are in my belly. Pretty amazing!

Other news: We bought our nursery furniture over Labor Day weekend because JCPenneys was having a great sale and I also had a 15% off coupon! The furniture took less than a week to arrive (WOW...that was fast!) so we had to quickly clear out the "nursery" and make room for two cribs, a tall dresser, a long dresser/changing table and a chair. Thanks to my parents for helping us clear out the room and move everything to the basement! Andrew assembled all the furniture and it looks great! I will take some pictures once we get crib mattresses and crib sheets. I am not buying baby bedding because it is sooo expensive (especially x2 babies) and they can't really use half the stuff that comes in those crib sets (the quilt and bumper) so I have opted to make my own bedding. I have one quilt done....one more to go! Good thing I started early....hopefully I will get it all done before the babies arrive! Wish me luck!

Drug free pregnancy!!

After 136+ shots in my butt, arm, thighs, and stomach.....we are officially done with shots!!!! Friday was a big night for us because after 6 months of fertility drugs....we are finally done and PREGNANT!!!

I looked at our calendar and over the past few months here are all the drugs I have taken to get us to this point....

-42 birth control pills to help regulate my cycle
-116 baby aspirin to thin my blood and prevent blood clots
-46 Lupron shots in my thigh to quiet my ovaries to prevent early release of eggs
-28 doxycycline pills to prevent infection
-7 Flagyl pills to prevent bacterial vaginosis which can cause early miscarriage
-6 methylprednisolone pills to decrease my natural immune reaction system to help with implantation of the embryo
-9 Repronex shots in the thigh to help produce lots of eggs!
-9 Follistim shots in my arm to help produce more mature eggs
-2 Ovidrel (hCG) shots to release the eggs from the follicles before egg retrieval
-24 Vivelle patches to balance my estrogen and progesterone levels
-1 Prometrium suppository to relax my uterus prior to embryo transfer
-1 Valium pill for anxiety
-16 Zofran pills for nausea
-? hydrocodine pills for pain after egg retrieval
-180 Prenatal vitamins (I am still taking these)
-70 progesterone oil shots in my butt to maintain the endometrium to prevent miscarriage

PLUS

-20+ blood draws
-10+ internal ultrasounds
-1 painful egg retrieval
-AND 1 perfect embryo transfer!!!

Andrew has been an amazing nurse for me and is a pro at giving shots now. There were a few nights that I told him he was the "worst shot-giver ever", but it was usually because I was bleeding a lot and was fighting back tears...he knows I didn't really mean it :) In his defense, the progesterone oil shots were getting really difficult to give the past month because my upper butt area is so calloused and bruised from repeated shots. The progesterone oil shot was one where I had to ice before the shot, then it took about a minute to inject because it is an oil, and then I had to heat the area after to break up the oil. We are so thankful to be done with that shot and have our evenings back! No more 9:30 curfew to do shots!!

Speaking of...we have had to do shots in some interesting places. Since we had to do shots at a certain time each night (9:30)...we had to get creative when we were out on the town. One time we were on a party bus and had to shoot up in the back of someones car. Another time I was at the bar and had to shoot up in the bathroom. We shot up a lot a friend's houses. AND we even took our drugs to the fair...but decided we didn't really want to shoot up in the corner of the midway...so we went home early :)


Here is a picture of me at the bar with my spider man and Barbie ice packs since the drugs have to be kept cold. I had to get creative :)

I will admit, I am a little nervous to be drug-free. My body has been dependent on them for 6 months....I hope my body knows what to do to sustain and maintain a healthy pregnancy. We had our 12 week ultrasound on Thursday and everything looks great so far!

Let us know if you want to get together...we would love to hang out (and we don't have a curfew anymore :)

Infertility survivors guilt

Infertility survivor’s guilt. Sounds crazy…I know…but I think I am experiencing it. I almost don’t want to write about this because I feel like I am going to jinx my pregnancy…but I have to get this off my chest. I am so grateful to be pregnant with our two precious babies, but that doesn’t mean that a part of me doesn’t feel guilty.

-I feel guilty that my blog will inevitably shift from an infertility blog….to our baby blog. I know I have blog followers out there who are “still in the trenches” of infertility and I feel bad. Does it offend them that I talk about my pregnancy?

- Morning sickness has been in full force for a few weeks now. Nausea ALL DAY long…which is never easy to deal with when you have three almost two year olds running circles around me. I feel guilty because Dora the Explorer has come to my rescue a few times lately.

-Andrew has been a trooper! He has done everything for me the past few weeks. When he gets home at 5:00….I crash! He prepares all of our evening meals and has been doing the grocery shopping too (makes me sick to go to the store right now!). He has been an amazing husband and I am so lucky to have such a sensitive, caring guy!

-I feel guilty that Andrew doesn’t have a social life anymore. Seems like the weekends are spent at home (with me lying on the couch). Apparently people stop calling you to hang out when they find out you are expecting. I can be a fun preggo lady…I promise!!

-I feel guilty because I struggle to trust my body. It “didn’t work right” for 4 years, with no explanation as to why….so why should I believe that it knows how to nourish and support TWO babies?

-I feel guilty for getting pregnant with twins the “unnatural way” …like somehow I have undermined or stolen something from those women who have gotten pregnant with twins naturally. Why do I deserve twins?

-I was in the “infertility club” for so many years and now I feel guilty being out of it and leaving others who are still suffering behind. It’s not fair. Why does the “infertility club” have to exist?? It is a club that no one wants to be in….yet so many couples are in.

-Why me? I am having a difficult time accepting the fact that this is our time. We have spent sooo many years waiting to get pregnant….and I now I feel guilty for being pregnant?!? Why me….and not my friend who is going through IVF too? Why me…and not my other friend who has had 5+ miscarriages? Why me…and not my other friend who has tried to have a baby for 7 years? Why me??

-I feel guilty because I can’t even talk to my friends who are still battling infertility. The most difficult thing is for them to see a pregnant lady (I understand)…so why would they want to see me? I just want to shout out to them “I haven’t joined the ‘other side’. I STILL know what you are going through. I STILL understand!”

-I feel guilty about complaining. In fact…I feel like I have no right to complain about anything during this pregnancy and beyond. I asked, I begged, I prayed, I paid (in my heart and with my checkbook), I hired intervention, I defied nature to have these babies…..I brought this upon myself. I have no right to complain about anything. But sometimes I just want to curl up in a ball and cry. Is that so wrong?? But I don’t and I won’t…I feel too guilty.

Even though I am pregnant…I am not cured…I am still infertile. My feelings of infertility will ever go away. Infertility has scarred my heart and I will never forget…
• What reading a negative pregnancy test month after month feels like
• Feeling hopeful and then having it all taken away
• Sitting across from doctors and them not having an answer for you
• Climbing into stirrups over and over again
• Waiting, waiting, waiting
• Seeing someone else’s growing family and yearning for my own
• Feeling like I can’t do it anymore
• Doing all the right things—seeing a specialist, following their directions, ingesting and injecting every medication prescribed—and still failing at becoming pregnant cycle after cycle.
• Seeing the helplessness in Andrew’s eyes—he wanted to cure every problem…but there was nothing that could be done to help me
• Crying in my husbands arms
• Feeling like I will never reach the end goal
• The pain and agony of losing a child to miscarriage...he/she was a tiny soul inside me, but will always have a big place in my heart


I am sooooo thrilled to be pregnant BUT I feel like I am not enjoying my pregnancy to the fullest (or at all!) because guilt is holding me back. My heart is constantly tormented by the pull between the two…happiness and guilt. I want to move on and be happy and celebrate my pregnancy, but at the same time….my wounds are still fresh, my heart still hurts, and what about those who I have “left behind”? I want to start blogging about every joy, blessing and happy moment, but I don’t want to hurt any feelings. As my blog posts turn from infertility to “baby news”…please remember that I understand…I’ve been there…and I will NEVER forget.

Boy...Girl....Twins....Triplets????

Well sorta....they are not identical twins though! Just had to post one for my computer savvy husband :)

I think they are ganging up on me already!! Morning sickness...constant nausea...cramping...peeing all the time...trouble sleeping...but I wouldn't change a thing!!!

We had our first ultrasound today and everything looks great. I cried when I heard their heartbeats for the first time (Baby A-128BPM & Baby B-116BPM). Now the pregnancy actually feels real!! Hopefully I will be less stressed now that I know both of them have made it this far :)

I forgot to ask my doctor when my due date is, but I am 6 weeks and 5 days along so here is a rough estimate:

Singleton Due Date: March 09, 2012
Twins By Ave Gestation: February 16, 2012

So basically anywhere between January and March.


Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! We are excited for this new journey in our life and we are extremely blessed to have so many supportive friends and family!

Here is the first picture of our little babies.....

Happy, sad, scared...oh my (emotions!)

Pregnancy is making me C-R-A-Z-Y!!! WOW…talk about a RoLLerCOastER of emotions!

-A week and a half ago we were ecstatic because we found out I am finally pregnant!! We can’t believe the moment has finally arrived for us to be blessed with a baby or babies!!

-On Tuesday we were sooo excited because my HCG blood level was 1010 and on Thursday it was 2282…really high numbers which could mean twins (or more…yikes!)

-I feel guilty that I am pregnant. Weird…I know…especially since we have been trying for soooo long. We know other couples who are struggling with infertility and from experience...it is never easy to find out someone else is pregnant so I feel bad telling them our news. Will they still want to be friends with us?? I think I am having a difficult time accepting that this is finally our time!

-Anxious for my first ultrasound on July 21st…will there be one baby or two? Or any?

-Exhausted all the time! Yesterday I took a 3 hour nap (I didn’t even wake up to my alarm) and then still went to bed 4 hours later! I never thought I would be this tired!

-Happy because Andrew is excited and optimistic about this pregnancy! He already has names picked out….Duncan, Cameron, Ferris and Sloan. I have vetoed every name so far!

-Nervous because I am 6 weeks pregnant today and last time I had a miscarriage around this time.

-I am concerned that I am not having more symptoms of morning sickness, etc. IF I am having twins…shouldn’t the symptoms be more severe?

-But…at the same time…I am thankful that I have felt pretty good so far!

-Sad because on Tuesday I started getting really bad cramps and I told Andrew that I felt like we lost one of the babies. Last week I was so confident that we had twins…and now I feel like there is only one. I sure hope I am wrong!

-THEN, yesterday (Friday) around 10:00AM I started bleeding which was eerily similar to my first miscarriage. I went through all the stages of grief….at first I was in denial saying “This is not happening! This can’t be happening again!!” Then I got angry and said some inappropriate angry things “Are you ¬_ _ _ _ _ _ _ kidding me?” Then I started bargaining with God “please God…don’t do this to me again….I will do ANYTHING!” Then I got depressed and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed because I thought I was losing my babies. And then I finally accepted that there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it and crying wasn’t going to make it any better.

-Relieved because the bleeding stopped after a few hours! The nurse said it could be from “twins trying to make room in your uterus”, losing one of the babies, or Andrew thinks that the babies got in their first fight with each other :)

-Hopeful that we have two healthy babies on Thursday, but cautiously optimistic because I don’t want to get my hopes up too high!

-Grateful that we have such amazing friends and family supporting us and praying for us and our little embies.