Oh how they grow up...

So....its been a while since our last update, which is not to say that things haven't changed! We spent a great week over July 4th with Josh's family at the beach in St. Simon's Island, GA and then MH and Ben stayed in Chapin, SC with her family for a little over a week at the lake (while Josh slaved away in Flagstaff...).

As I think I mentioned, the twins have been doing a lot of growing over the last month or so since our last update, as you can probably tell from the ultrasound photos below. The one immediately below is from just before our vacation on June 25th with one image of each of the twins. The one below them is the most recent picture, which captures both in one picture, sort of. It has the head of one (on the left) and the feet of the other (on the right). Hopefully this last picture isn't indicative of the fact that they will have the same amount of photogenically as their father...

Similarly, MH has also been doing some growing to keep up with the twins and is now in her 15th week of pregnancy (almost half way there!). Before vacation, she had only gained 2 pounds and the Dr. mentioned gaining some more weight. We figured a vacation in the Southeast should do the trick. She got back and had put on 8 pounds. That comes from all the meals where she ate and then went back for more, because it was "now time to feed the twins." Doc said to keep it up. The most recent picture of the baby-mamma is below.

We have another appointment on the 4th of August where we hope to find out the sex of the babies. If not, it will not be until the end of August. Keep your fingers crossed that everyone is in the right position.

Could it be.....movement?

So, last night about 30 minutes after I sat down to relax, I felt this flutter in my belly. I told Josh that I knew it was crazy, but I thought I felt the babies move. I looked in a book and it said that you can feel movement between 18 to 20 weeks and a little bit earlier for 2nd pregnancy, so I dismissed it. However, tonight, after sitting again for 30 minutes, EXACT SAME FEELING IN THE SAME PLACE!!!! I looked online and read other people's notes about their pregnancies and sure enough other people, especially the ones having twins or multiples said they had felt fetal movement as early as 9 weeks. How cool is that!! Looking forward to when the movement is enough for Josh and Ben to feel it as well.

Pictures of our babies

We got the proofs of Ben's first school pictures today and I think they actually turned out pretty cute. Josh and I were talking about how terrible our school pictures used to be, standing in front of fake library books or something just as cheesy, so I was glad to see these. I am sure in 27 years or so, Ben, too, will think his are horrible, but for now, they are the best school pictures in the world. When we get these back, we will also get a class picture, so I will send that then.

We also had some more pictures of Baby A and Baby B, renamed to Baby Left Lower and Baby Right Higher, taken today unexpectedly. I had been having some cramping, so for peace of mind, we had a little look-see and my how they have grown. They look great and their hearts are just beating away. The doctor saw no problems, so the cramping is probably just from 2 babies growing at a very fast rate. I am 8 weeks and 1 day and they are both measuring at 8 weeks and a few days. Baby LL is measuring in at 19.8 mm and Baby RH is 18.5 mm. So, they are about the size of a pinto bean.

I have a lost a pound (last time I will probably be able to say this), since the last visit. Good to know, that I can eat potatoes everyday and still watch my weight gain. Actually, last week, I had some major food aversions and nausea, but this week, I am back to normal, so expect weight gain in the upcoming months. My belly is getting bigger and I am officially out of my jeans. Maternity clothes here I come at 8 weeks. I have also been exhausted, but I was able to start back at the gym this week and that has helped my energy level. Plus, my wonderful husband has been taking care of a lot of things around the house, which has been giving me time to put my feet up at night. What a doll!

So, the next appointment will not be until June 26th near the end of the first trimester. Gosh, we will be glad to get to that point. That means we are out of the woods and no more shots for me, since I am continuing to have to take shots from in vitro until that time.

"Big Brother"

I thought that I would only be writing in this about every 3-4 weeks, but it is appearing that this is not the case. Anyway, I have another cute story about Ben. We were having ice cream at Baskin Robbins with some of our friends, and Jenny asked Ben about the babies in mommy's belly. With chocolate all over his face from his first ice cream cone, he says, "I am going to be a big brother." Josh and I have not taught him this, but he is learning this sibling thing pretty quick. My friend, Jill, and I both teared up.

The word is getting out!

So...between the two of us, MH and I have spent a lot of time talking with family and friends spreading the news. Well, it seems like Ben is getting into the swing of it too. MH has been trying since yesterday to get in touch with one of her friends here in Flagstaff. Unfortunately (sortof) Ben saw her first when she was helping out at his school today. Later in the day she called MH and let her know that Ben told her at school that mommy had 2 babies in her belly. Only 2 1/2 years old and already stealing his mommy's thunder! I guess we should be used to him stealing the spotlight by now though. I doubt he will have too much trouble continuing to attract attention even after the twins join the mix.

Lovekamps grow

For those of you that don't know, Josh and I did another embryo transfer on April 25th, where they transferred 3 embryos. Since then, we have been patiently awaiting the answers to 2 questions: Are we pregnant and if so, with how many? So, we got the answer that we were indeed pregnant on May 5th and then we were still waiting for the answer to how many. That patience turned to anxiety when the doctor did some bloodwork and left a message that my HCG Level was "tremendous." I was 5 weeks, 6 days and they expect to see the level over 1000 and my level was a whopping 29,131. It has been a long five days since then with thoughts of multiples, conversion vans, house additions, etc. So today, at 6 weeks and 3 days, we went in for the ultrasound. We were both practicing a little labor breathing of nervousness until the sonographer confirmed that we are having twins. WE ARE THRILLED!!! Baby A and Baby B look great. Baby A is measuring 6 weeks, 2 days, and Baby B is measuring 6 weeks and 1 day. Also, both of their heart rates are at 117.

From what the doctor says, it does not seem that a twin pregnancy will be much different than a singleton. They still want me to get to 37 weeks and activity remains the same. However, a few things are different.
1. More monitoring, which don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. They will do an ultrasound at almost every visit, because it is hard to tell the heartbeats apart with the Doppler. 2. My abdomen will measure full-term at around 6 months. So, I will continually have people asking me when I am going to deliver. Explains why my pants are too tight and my belly is poking out so early (see picture below).3. I can consume 500 more calories a day (explains the largeness) 4. The delivery will be a party. I will deliver in an operating room ("just in case") along with Josh, 2 obs, 2 pediatricians, 4 or more nurses, an anesthesiologist, and depending on how early, a neonatal doctor. Welcome to the family!!!


I told Ben today that we were going to have a baby. Well, let me preface this story with: This past weekend, we were going through pictures and found one of me at Christmas, pregnant with Ben, wearing a red shirt. Anyway, so I tell Ben today and ask him if he knows how many babies we are going to have. Ben typically answers "2" for everything. He wants 2 snacks, 2 pancakes, 2 toys, etc. So, I thought: This will be perfect, he will be so excited when he answers correctly. So, his eyes light up and he says, "Seven." Remember the stress I talked about earlier, I am so glad that we did not ask him early this week. He sits and thinks for a minute and says: "They're in your stomach?" "Yes." "You need to wear your red shirt." I didn't for the life of me know what he was talking about until I remembered the picture. Kids are so funny!! We have also asked him if he wants a brother or a sister. And Ben says, he wants a "Baby butter, peanut butter." But, I finally realized that he was mimicking the son of good friends of ours, who always talks about his baby "butter."

And people keep asking me how I am feeling and I feel pretty good. I have had some nausea, but not much and I am tired from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. But, I am blessed for what appears to be pretty easy at this point. I will keep you updated.

Look for an update on June 9th or 10th after our next appointment. Hopefully that one will be a little more short and sweet.