Sorry to worry so many from our silence.  At our last OB appointment with Dr. Turnquest, she told us she would do whatever we wanted and if we wanted to come back weekly, that was fine, but she'd do 2 weeks if we wanted too.  Most singleton pregnancies are seen every 4 weeks at this point, but with twins, you are seen every 2 weeks beginning at 16 weeks for cervical checks.  We would also go to our every week appointments sooner with twins as well.  Anyway, we opted to go in 2 weeks to give our mental state a break.  We needed some sense of normalcy and some reflection on things.  We've been asked to make difficult decisions overnight and it wears on you.  Knowing there is nothing we can do right now, we opted for the short break before the stress and worry start back up full force again.

I have a home doppler that checks for the babies' heartbeats.  I've checked them twice since the last ultrasound.  The last one was on Friday morning and although they I only found them both for a few seconds, I found them and they were beating normally.  I worry about Raegan's little heart now. 

So, with that said, let me clarify how we are doing.  We are doing fine.  Some days are harder than others.  Some days I love sitting in their room going through their massive amount of stuff! (I'm amazed at what little babies need and can have!  And clothes for little girls!!  WOW!  It's hard to stay away sometimes. I think the girls get something everytime we go to the store.)  Anyway, some days I can't go in there.  But, as far as I'm concerned, both of my girls have heartbeats and therefore BOTH of them are alive!  I cried for a few days after her shunt, but them I had to remind myself that I will not give up on them until they give up on me.  I know how incredibly tough this is going to be, but I know how incredibly wonderful it will be at the same time.  We are trying to prepare for all scenarios at this point.

It has been quite busy since the short break and more information is to flood in this week.  Here's a brief review of what we've done...

Research
Yes, I'm back at it again!  My little brain doesn't stop and I highly contribute my research to my Crohn's diagnosis.  I just know how to understand medical terms and I ask questions when I don't know.  Anyway, I've read some promising things on baby's with extremely low fluid levels.  It doesn't mean Raegan will live, but it does give hope for her future.  There is a treatment called Nitric Oxide that is used for babies' with pulmonary hypolasia (severe low fluids which keeps the lungs from maturing..basically severe lung immaturity).  It is offered at the hospital in which we will deliver.  That is hopeful.  I know her kidneys could shut down, but my hope is that they were functioning at 18 weeks after nearly 4 weeks of being backed up, and at 20 weeks, 2 weeks later..they were still normal.  Doesn't mean they are normal now, but that is hopeful information.  Her main concern will be her heart (because of fluid), her lungs because of compression from her obstruction and her sac, and her kidneys.  Another piece of hopeful information is that Raegan's anterior placenta could be a blessing in disguise.  It's caused many problems with procedures until now, but it is cushioning her on one side and Addy is cushioning her on the other.  So, she may not be as squished as she looks and if she were a singleton..it's likely my uterus would crush her.   Oh, and we've also read into more possible bladder taps and amnioinfusions.  They are certainly short-term things, but if Dr. T is willing to do it to take pressure off of Raegan's bladder and lungs, it may be worth it.  Everything is weighed at the risk to Addy though.

NICU Visit
Yes, we're headed to the NICU visit tomorrow!  I'm nervous, but we are preparing for whatever we can.  We'll get a 30 minute tour of the NICU and a 30 minute tour of the L&D Recovery.  But, the coordinator said we could have as much time in the NICU as we wanted and she forwarded our information onto a NICU transport nurse (who will be our guide) and she was to speak with a Neonatalogist about our case and get some kind of proper protocol that they could inform us of.  It's going to be tough, but I'm glad we are doing it now..it may better prepare us for more difficult decisions to make.

Our Mini-Baby Shower!
YES! It was SO great!! All our state bowling friends had a little "shower" for us!   Charley sat over with the guys while the girls and I just oohed and awwed over the cutest stuff ever!   Bonnie, one of our "other" moms and Ellen, the picture lady, got together and helped organize it.  A HUGE thank you to them as it sort of fell through and them came back together after Raegan's diagnosis cancelled all future plans for a while!  I still haven't had long-term bedrest, so I've been able to make a few short trips.  It was such a nice change to all the negative around us.   Thanks SOO much to everyone who bought us all these wonderful gifts!!   I'll post some belly pics and others once I get them from my mom!   I had a blast and it was a NICE change to all we've been through thus far!


Daddy got him a gift too!


And, Grandma spoiled her granddaughters with a few more clothes!






That's all for now.. this is a busy week..

Monday - NICU/Hospital Tour
Tuesday - IVIg treatment (4 hour infusion)
Wednesday - My BIRTHDAY!
Thursday - Remicade treatment at hospital (for Crohn's) & our next ultrasound with Dr. Turnquest

Thanks so much for the prayers and continued support.  I am so amazed with all those prayer warriors we have out there.  All those beautiful thoughts, kind words, and those who have lifted our little girls in prayer have reminded us how special they are no matter what.  Whatever comes to us, we will get through..because of such a strong support system from all of you!