Another Peep Into My Internal Organs!

The Black Spot is the Brain!

From Dax

Another Peep Into My Internal Organs!

Baby is growing!! I tried to recognize head from tail but that's about impossible. It's still fun to try. Baby had a rapid heartbeat - good.

There was not a second speck or flicker this time so it appears there will only be one little sweet pea. It appears the second was under developed and just not viable.

I'm not upset like I thought I would be which is good but I almost feel guilty for being strangely apathetic - I guess it is because I expected it, and what's meant to be is meant to be. God had other plans. And for now that is for me to be carrying one healthy baby. So much to be thankful for. I feel as if it would be wrong for me to be upset. We've truly got a little blessing on our hands.

Interesting too, because if you'd have mentioned twins to me a year ago, I'd have passed out or freaked out. But when faced with the possibility of never having children… triplets even sounds doable. ; ) [yeah I know… brave statement now that I know there's only one. Ha ha]

From Dax

Very Cool!

I had my first ultrasound today. The U/S tech asked me if I saw it and I made the sound of excitement (I guess because she obviously saw it even though I hadn't yet – and still couldn't) So a little disappointed and confused I said... "No."

Then she said "see the flicker" and I got really excited again that I about jumped off the table and said "I see it! I see it!" It was absolutely the coolest thing ever! Even though it still wasn't really much to look at – ha ha.

Seeing the heartbeat was amazing and over joying. It reminded me of a frog filling up its stomach with air and letting it out. I have a picture of what I'm calling "sweet pea" or my "little parasite"

After I finally was shown what I was looking at there appeared to be two, but one was much smaller. Doctor had already asked if identical twins run in our family (I thought she was just playing with me) and when I said no – I didn't hear much else from her about it – it's almost as if she had all the sudden been confined to what she could say – very strange. Later, when I got my HCG levels and Progesterone level results in – they were seriously higher than what I had been told was normal.

So worried – again – that something was wrong with my little sweet pea, I got on the internet and "googled" to see what would cause my HCG levels to be 3 times the normal. I couldn't believe what I read… "multiples." I would say I was terrified and/or excited about thinking back to what that nurse said, what I "thought" I saw and what I was reading, but the second tiny white mass I saw didn't have a flicker. I tried to call and get them to tell me and I didn't get a lot of explanation, only we'll see you in a week. Great, what a seriously looooonggg week this is going to be.

From Dax

Mom and Dad Leave for Brazil

Today I took Mom and Dad to the Airport at 3:30 a.m.

They are going to Brazil to visit Brian, Emma Brown, Natalie Ellen, Owen, and Claire with little Isaac still in Emma Brown's belly (he's due in February). I really wish I was going with them, but maybe next time.

They will not be back until Christmas Eve and Clint and I will be staying at their house to take care of the horses, and Boss while they're gone.

Get a Grip Please

Things are moving right along [but slowly at the same time] and in my excitement I have literally made Books a Million a daily stop. I just want to read everything!

However, it has really done me some harm. Every book I read talks of the MANY different ways and symptoms of miscarriages… I know every new mom must go through this, but now the thought of a miscarriage has got me so anxious and worried that it's become not so fun at the moment. I know that God's will be done. And I truly accept that but I know I'd be devastated and no matter what, I can't get the fear off my mind. I've had too many friends recently deal with miscarriages. I heard so many stories and now these books… literally driving me crazy with worry.

I felt so bad and exhausted I guess from all the changes that are going on the first of the week but on Wednesday, everything just stopped – I felt great - no food aversions, no exhaustion…nothing.

As dumb as it sounds, this even began to worry me as I had read some where (Again with the books that I probably shouldn't have read this early) that a sudden stop in symptoms could mean you may have miscarried.

Uh oh… here comes even more worry… I'm such a complete freak sometimes… Since that night I had to do some shopping for my niece's and nephew's Christmas presents I decided to pick up a digital PG Test while I was out. Because I had also read that your tests will come up negative if you have miscarried. [I'm not making this up – I really did worry that much]

When I got to Mom and Dad's I dropped the sacks on the floor and went straight to the bathroom to take the test. When I came out they were looking at me like "What is going on???"

Very relieved, I said "well, I'm still pregnant [we'll add a dramatic sigh here – ha ha]."

They looked at me like "you don't say! (Sarcastically)"

Right about that time Aunt Sheila called and mom was telling her that I was freaking out.

Aunt Sheila asked mom to put me on the phone where she proceeded to tell me about her almost dying of Toxemia while she was pregnant with Leah and all that could have went wrong but didn't. Leah will be 21 in December. She ended it with "SO, you stop that [worrying]!!!" using the funny and kind but getting on to me tone that she uses when she gets after us.

It's so nice to have family that loves you enough and is willing to pop you upside the head [with words of course – or literally if need be] to put some kind of sense in you. Thanks Aunt Sheila! It really helped hearing that.

IRON BOWL & Still Spreading Our Joy

This morning (Iron Bowl Day) we had our usual breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Paw Paw, only Paw Paw was sick and couldn't make it, so it was Clint, Me, Uncle Alan and Aunt Sheila and Leah and Tracey and Mom and Dad. We were all decked out in our team shirts, Auburn of course, EXCEPT for Mom - only UA fan there – well besides Dad, but he very rarely wears team colors and though leans toward Alabama, he's really interested in both teams.

Mom not even giving the waitress time to put the coffee on the table looked at me and said "are you going to tell them?"

Everybody got quite and was staring at us, I looked and them and said "Clint and I have decided to become Alabama fans…." Then I said "just kidding, we're having a baby" They were all super excited and after all the congratulations quieted down... Uncle Alan looked at Clint while chuckling and said "Cuz, how did that happen." ha ha.

Since mom and Dad were going to TN and coming back that afternoon and it's sooooo pretty this time of year, I decided to ride up with them. While there I got my first symptoms of carrying a bundle and one of them [which was extremely out of the ordinary for me] a case of the sleepys. I took a nap on the way there AND on the way back.

When I got home I almost went straight to bed immediately. I wanted to watch the game with Clint – we always decide to watch the Iron Bowl with just us [too critical a game, you know?] but I was so tired, I just went straight too bed. We were taping it and I figured I'd wake up to catch the end of it. I didn't.

Auburn won with the first ever 6 Iron Bowl wins in a row and I missed it. Though I did get up EARLY the next morning and watch it, at the time I couldn't have cared less... I was growing one of God's little miracles... [ I KNOW! GET OVER YOURSELF ALREADY TERI!! ] ha ha ha. I'm just so excited!! What a sweet sweet year 2007 had ended up being.

Drum Roll Please...

Today is the Day after Thanksgiving and I had to get up early (not to beat the crowds at Toys R Us in order to catch a bargain for my angels that I'm shopping for this year), but to have my blood drawn at Brookwood to see if Clint and I do in fact have some big news to share with everyone. Since I wouldn't be finding out until that afternoon, and it would probably be shear torture waiting… We decided not to sit around all day and wait on that test, so we drove up to Clint's mother's house to spend the day with her and eat some really good food.

When we got back I checked my patient voicemail and listened to the nurse talk about not being able to reach me at our given numbers and it seemed to take FOREVER for her to finally get around to what I was waiting for… Finally… - Your test is in fact positive. She went on and on about a lot of other stuff on that message, but I didn't hear a word of it. LOL!

I had a smile you couldn't wipe off my face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I started jumping up and down!!

Clint was very ecstatic too!!! I think we probably keep looking at each other off and on for goodness knows how long with a big smile and would just break out almost laughing every time. We were just silly with happiness.

A bit later, we called his mother back and that is when she told us that she thought that's why we were coming in the first place. She also said the whole time we were at her house she noticed a glow about me.

When I told my mom, she said "Babe! Praise be to God - you make sure you Thank the Lord for not having to go through all that stuff" (she was referring to the injections and such that most people have to go through at the ART).

I ran by Misty's (my first cousin) house to tell her the news. When she opened the door she was in tears, because Lint (her cat of 14 years that I had named) had just died [okay, moment of silence for Lint – poor little baby… hmm… okay the moment is over]. ; ) When I told her she laughed and said "GIVE ME A HUG!" Then I went and told Aunt Sherry and Uncle Merrell. They were very excited!! I just wanted to run and tell everybody, I don't think I could sit still. I think I called Jaime, Jennifer and Daniel to tell them all the news I would have driven over to My Aunt Sheila and Uncle Alan's House to tell them with Leah and Tracey and by Paw Paw's too, but since it was getting late and I was getting wore out, I thought... that it'd be a lot more fun to wait until our Weekly breakfast on Saturday at Cracker Barrell with Paw Paw and just invite Aunt Sheila, Uncle Alan, Leah and Tracey too. So we called them and set it up.

So over to mom's house to see her and dad's excitement in person and when I got there Mom informed me she had just heard news of Scott McKnight's wife, Sharon, expecting, and we were due on the same day.

Mom and SueAnn have been friends for EVER! Ha ha. So Brian, Me, Scott and Heath grew up together and they are pretty much like family. You know these too were just tickled pink!

Clint's Quite the Poet

Our Anniversary is May 27, 2006. But we count February 14 as an Anniversary of us. Of a long courtship if you will. We started dating sometime in January of 99, but we always counted February 14. Besides being Valentines Day we try to do something special. Well, Valentines Day must have snuck up on Clint and me both because we really didn't talk about it and make any plans.

Just another day it seemed.

Until I got home and saw the Daffodils that Clint had snatched off the side of the road "growing wild" LOL! (I had to explain to him that Daffodils are not likely to grow wild, but whatever). This is the notes he had to go with it.

From Miscellaneous

From Miscellaneous