Latest Doctor Appt & Ultrasound!

OK.  For those of you who see a bunch of gray & black blobs above, no worries.  You are normal!!

For those of you who have a keen eye for ultrasounds and can read the letters A, B, C & D, yes, you are correctly looking at all 4 of our babies at once!

We started the appointment with the ultrasound which was relieving to see them all doing well, and just amazing looking at those 4 very real lives wiggling in me.  At 12 weeks along, they already have so many intricate features and wiggle around and move-- God is so Amazing! 
I know they are hard to see: let me help you make out our beautiful blobs:  they always count the first baby (A) at the cervix, and then go up from there.  We also have pictures of each individual baby that are a little more clear, but they still look more like ink stains than babies so I will try to describe them instead!
Our first guy, A, is at the bottom.  His head was up.  Our baby B was laying on its back and wiggling around.  Our babies C & D are the identical twins.  They were cutely facing each other, with C facing up and D facing down.  All four babies were moving around and amazingly we could see fingers, toes, facial features... breathtaking!!!  And NO, we don't know the sexes yet.  We will let you know when we know!  Each baby is measuring around 2 inches long and have healthy heartbeats.
ALL LOOKS GOOD! :-)

We then met with the doctor, and he consulted with us for over an hour!  We really like him, and he was very informative and realistic about problems and complications that might arise, things to do, what to expect, etc.  There are a lot of things that could go wrong, and he stressed often that a lot of complications can arise.  It wasn't scary, but it was sobering to hear of what we might face.

He did clear up a few things for us.  First, although I will likely have no energy to do any more than the very basics this summer (i.e. use the bathroom), his goal is for me to avoid hospital bedrest as long as possible.  He said it is better for all if I stay at home as long as possible, unless complications arise.  He also said I do not need to eat 4,500 calories a day like it's recommended in my multiples book!  He respectfully disagrees with the author, and said instead to listen to my body-- eat when I am hungry, but to not feel like I have to stuff myself like a sausage.  I am not a calorie counting person (way too mathematical for me!) and essentially this has been what I have been doing, and I have been hungry a lot... however, maybe I don't need to ALWAYS end my days with ice cream!

My doctor also said it is very normal for me to get winded easily and to have a fast heart-beat when doing basic activities.  He was very glad I stopped working and again reminded me to just LISTEN TO MY BODY.  To sit when I need to sit, to lay down when I need to lay down, to say no when I need to say no and to ask for help when I need it.  Gotchya.

The coolest thing was that at the end of our consultation, he said he could tell we were Christians and would we mind if he prayed for us and our babies.  Andy and I were very touched by this.  What a cool way to end our first appointment!

Andy and I are trying to be realistic but optimistic.  We both feel wholeheartedly that God gave us this opportunity, and he indeed is the God that gives and takes away... but blessed be His name (one of my all-time favorite songs!).  There's a verse in 1 Chronicles 29 (15-17) where King David is praising God and giving him gifts in a temple, and basically is saying "Everything in heaven and earth is Yours, everything comes from You, I give You back only what has already come from Your hand."  I try to remind myself daily that these babies are not ours, they are gifts from God and we need to trust His plan for us.  I know it will not be easy and it's a matter of when, not if, difficulties will come.  All the same, when I went through my miscarriage, these were some of the thoughts and verses that helped me as I worked through the anger, pain & sadness.  Not that it's easy- I think its much harder to live by faith than without, but I also think it is a good place to land on when working through things like life, pain, joy, grief & hope.

Often people ask me about my upcoming quad-dum lifestyle, "Aren't you scared?"  I can honestly say right now, no, I am not.  Maybe I am a little delirious and still in some denial, but seriously I think it's because I try to remind myself all the time of these things and I really feel the calming effects of everyone's prayers!  I am convinced in the sustaining power of prayer, so thank you, thank you, THANK YOU everyone, for the prayers.  We definitely feel them at work!

I have a little rascal that is protesting bedtime, so I need to go for now but will keep you all updated!