I was very brave and I'll be patiently waiting for my "prize" in February

I did it! I survived a spinal! I was very nervous about it, to say the least. Dad, you should be proud! I was a big girl and despite a few tense moments, there was very little panicking/ anxiousness involved.

The babies cooperated nicely. In fact, when I came out of the operating room and was on my way to the recovery room, Twin A was kicking up a storm. I still can't figure out how I felt him since everything was numb from my rib cage down. I received awesome care at the hospital and other than some headache pain, I am resting at home comfortably.

A HUGE thank you to our wonderful neighbors who brought us a delicious dinner including fresh-out-of- the- oven chocolate chip cookies!!! Mmmmmmmmm.....................

So, it will be here on the couch that I will spend my days. We are looking into getting a wheelchair so that Jeff can take me out on walks. My only outing will be on Tuesday when I go vote!!

If anyone has any book/ movie/ website recommendations I am all ears!

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Love, Rebeca

An Eventful Couple of Days

Hi All-

We had our 20 week ultrasound on Monday afternoon. I was anxious as usual, mostly because I have been so uncomfortable lately with severe back pain, and I suspected something might be going on in there. (other than the normal baby/ belly growing,etc.)

Well, it didn't take long for the tech to see that my cervix is shortening due to the pressure of the babies. Before this whole experience, I always thought that what a cervix does during pregnancy is dilate, open up in other words. Now I have learned that in addition to dilating, it shortens, which means it stretches in the other direction. A healthy cervix during pregnancy should be at 4 mm. Mine was at a 2. something. So that was enough for the dr to order me to immediate bedrest and I will be undergoing a surgical procedure tomorrow where they will place a cervical cerclage, which is just a stitch, in my cervix to help keep it closed.

Many emotions came over me at the thought of all of this. Work details are getting figured out and I was lucky to find a very experienced sub. I can do the bedrest, but I am quite nervous about this procedure.It seems to be quite common and my OB is great and very experienced.

On a positive note, my cervix is not dilated at all and we caught this early enough to where everything should be fine. The boys looked great and were very active during the ultrasound. In fact, we caught them kicking each other while the tech was moving the wand around.

Here is a picture of each one:

Twin A- He was being shy and wasn't posing so well!

Twin B- He was being more cooperative with his poses!

Please keep us in your thoughts...we'll keep you posted!

Babymoon

Since I have this week off (Fall Break), Jeff and I decided that we should take some time and enjoy one last getaway before our lives change completely. The timing worked out nicely as Jeff had his last wedding of the year the previous weekend and definitely deserved some R & R. Between working like a dog and processing the costs of two little ones, he's been under "a little bit" of stress.

Our vision of the getaway was "relaxation". So we stayed at an adorable Bed and Breakfast in the middle of the countryside of San Luis Obispo. We enjoyed a delicious home cooked breakfast each day and a wine (apple juice for me)/ appetizer happy hour at sunset. The Inn only had two rooms and we met a very nice couple who are in the process of planning a wedding. Between the local wineries nearby and the lively downtown (which had a record store and a used book store right next to each other- an easy way for us to kill a couple hours), we had a lots to do during the day. We slept a lot and watched some of our favorite movies. We attempted a game of Scrabble in front of the fireplace, but Jeff had enjoyed the wineries a little too much and we didn't get past the third round.

On the way home we stopped at an apple orchard in the middle of nowhere. We did some apple tasting and who would have thought that there were so many varieties of apples! We stopped in Avila Beach for lunch and then headed back home to reality!

Here are some pics of our trip:

Jeff and I in the living room.

Here is my 18 week belly pic! (Yes, the halfway point!!) I am standing right in front of the Bed and Breakfast.

Here is TigerLily- the official greeter of the Bed and Breakfast. She was so sweet and waited for us every morning on the back deck to get her daily rub!

Ahhhh, cozy nights by the fireplace!!

If anyone is looking for a great place to stay off the beaten path in San Luis Obispo, we highly recommend staying at the Bridge Creek Inn!

On another note, last night Jeff was excited to finally feel some of the kicking action that I've been feeling for the last couple of weeks. We have our 20 week ultrasound on Monday where they will be looking closely at their little hearts to make sure all is well. I'm sure all will be fine, but say a little extra prayer for us if you can!

Love to all- Rebeca

+7

I had an regular OB appt yesterday and I am happy to announce that I am up 7 pounds from my last appt. (4 weeks prior) In fact, according to their scale, I am now up 3 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight! I had to wait a long time to see the dr because he had to be called out to deliver two babies. (2 moms) I had the option of rescheduling the appt, but it's always nice going into the weekend hearing those little hearts beating away. Luckily the hospital is just right across the street from the dr's office and none of the deliveries turned into C-sections, so I saw sweet Dr. Coyle an hour and a half after my appt time!! I don't get ultrasounds at these appts, but he does listen to the hearts with a doppler. We listened to them beating away and he could tell they were moving around a lot in there. I told them that I had been feeling movement for a couple of weeks now and he seemed really surprised that I could feel it so soon. Knowing my boys, they are probably having a kicking competition in there!

Hope you are all well!
Love, Rebeca

"Are there really two in there?"

Here they are..............Jeff and I agree that I look more squarish rather than round. Maybe because there are 2 babies in there. He assured me that pretty soon it will look more basketball-like and that little evidence of a waistline will be history. Our goal is to do a weekly pic.....We shall see!

17 weeks

We had to remind the dogs that it was still a bit early to play with the boys!

What's wrong with boys?

Okay, I have to vent for a minute. Telling people you are pregnant always gets an excited reaction. Telling people you are pregnant with twins gets an even more excited reaction. The typical follow-up question is "Do they run in your family?". (Usually I tell them "No, I'm just an overachiever!") Telling people you are pregnant with twin boys brings about a reaction that I'm a little tired of. Usually, there is a LONG pause. After that, comes a look of shock or fear. Finally when they are able to speak again, phrases like "Is your mom nearby to help? How 'bout your mother in law?" , "WOW, two boys, wow", "are they sure they are really both boys?". I want to scream it out loud- YES, they are sure!! WE are sure and we can't wait to meet our trouble-making duo! I feel like my boys are already getting slighted and I don't like it one bit!!

So, to those of you who have shared with me the joys of raising boys and how great it is, I REALLY thank you.

On another note, we are finally taking a belly pic tonight! If I can convince Jeff that he doesn't need to spend countless hours editing it, it should be up by tomorrow!!

Hugs and Kisses- Rebeca

Sorry if we have kept some of you in suspense overnight. After our big appointment yesterday, we did a little shopping at a mall nearby and celebrated with a delicious dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. (of course, I didn't get to enjoy my dinner too much. But I did get my favorite candy from See's, scotchmallow, so I was a happy camper!)

We have FINALLY attached some pictures of the babies. None of them show their male OR female anatomy until the last one. So, introducing the Fassett babies.........................

Yes, this baby is waving hello! These babies are very active and this one had his/her? hands waving around while the tech was taking all of the required measurements. It's really quite amazing all of the things they can check for at this early stage: brain development, fluid behind the neck, cleft lip, blood flow through the kidney, the arteries in the umbilical cord, etc, etc. Everything checked out fine and our babies are growing well!

I think this picture should be listed as the definition of the phrase "snug as a bug in a rug"!

Amazing, isn't it? We think they are too cute, but we are a little biased!

"Don't bother me, I'm snoozin'."

And last but not least, the shot you are waiting for.........Even though this is just one of the babies, both are this gender!!!

No, we don't have to worry about carrying on that Fassett name. We are blessed with two boys!! It's a little hard to tell in the picture. It's a shot of the cute little butt, with the male parts in the middle. I'm still not sure if the shock has completely worn off yet. When the tech told us that Baby A was a boy, I sat in disbelief for a while. Not that I don't love little boys, but I would have bet all my $ in Vegas that that baby was a girl. I had dreams about it, the tech was 80% sure at our last appt that he was a "she". So much for mother's intuition!! Jeff held my hand as she went over to the other baby. We didn't vocalize it to each other, but at that moment we both knew that the other one was going to be a boy too! Sure enough, a prominent boy part stared us straight in the face! Jim said I looked a little white for a minute! So, as much as it would have been a cool experience to do the boy/girl thing, our life is a bit simpler now. And most importantly, both babies looked healthy and are developing right on track.

In the end, 4 people ended up guessing boy/ boy. The winners are...............................

My dad, our friend TJ, my cousin Lynda and our neighbor Mike

Bella and I are totally outnumbered and Carolina was quite upset!! (but she has probably already gotten over it by now!!)

That's all for now-Stay tuned for a belly picture in the next few days!

Love to all, Rebeca and Jeff

Popcorn Anyone?

I'm a bit sleepy today because when I got back into bed after my usual middle of the night trip to the bathroom, I felt like I was popping popcorn in my belly! I had felt a few flutters previously, but this was like the peak of the popcorn popping in the microwave. It really feels like what everyone says..............gas bubbles, butterflies, etc, etc............. I couldn't fall back asleep for about an hour! I can't imagine what it is going to feel like when the babies are bigger and practicing their karate moves!

Is it Friday yet? Man this has been the longest week ever! I probably won't sleep well tonight either......... I am always nervous before an ultrasound! Let's hope they aren't being shy and hide the goods.............Especially since Nancy and Jim are coming up for the appointment!

Prediction update= 3 more votes for boy/ girl, 2 votes for boy/ boy

Jeff says we need our own guesses and that they count for two, in case anyone is keeping track. So, Jeff's guess is boy/ girl. My guess is hard...............I am feeling more of the girl/ girl vibe going on, which is weird for me because I have always envisioned having only sons. (pre-pregnancy)

Wish us luck...........and a good night's sleep!
Love,
Rebeca