a whole lotta nothing

I've been sick since Sunday night (sinus congestion, pressure in my entire face and ears, low grade fever for three nights, sore throat- all around good times over here).  I paged my ob Wednesday morning to see what he could offer me to gain some sort of relief.  He prescribed me a zpack and ok'd me for sudafed and claritin.  Not much else has been going on over here.  I just have pretty much been laying around, drinking water, taking lots of baths and showers (not too hot though!) to loosen things up, and reading. 

I did make a list today of things to do now that I'm a stay at home mommy-to-be.  Once I feel better I'll get cracking on it, but here it is:
-work on Greta's scrapbook
-crochet my babies' afghan (the one I started long ago, mentioned here)
-work on my project for Brooke's new baby (it's been on hold for the last month while all of my energy went to Greta)
-clean (umm, yeah...)
-read
-hang out with Greta
-visit Dominick
-and of course, maybe give a bit more attention to my blog

I haven't taken a tummy shot in a few weeks.  This week I just felt (and pretty much looked) like garbage, so I didn't feel the need to document it.  I'll get back on track, though!

Guess what we saw...

Jamie and I both SAW Baby B MOVE in my tummy!!!  After two visible thumps, Jamie put his hand on the baby and FELT movement for the first time.  =)  I've been trying and trying to get him to feel something for a while now, and our persistence has paid off.  I am so, so happy!!!  Now, I can have a new hobby- tummy watching.  Seriously, it's the craziest thing to see a baby move inside.  Baby A was also doing tricks, but based on location being lower down and tucked back further, that sweet little angel is going to have to get a bit stronger before Daddy can feel anything. 

School's Out!

Yesterday was my last day of work!  Today, technically, starts my spring break, but since my doctors do not want me working past 24 weeks (which is Tuesday) it's much more than spring break.  As long as everything is going well with the babies, I'll be up at school for a half day to help with placements for next year and also at the end of May to do report cards and records.  Of course I have to bring Jamie to schol to help me pack up my room and lug boxes at some point, but other than that I suppose I can say I'm now a stay at home mommy-to-be.  It really hasn't sunk in yet, after all it's only day one, but just knowing that I don't have to work and can just rest and relax and grow healthy babies is a pretty great feeling. 

tummy shot: 22 weeks

How far along? 22 weeks
Weight gain: about 7 pounds

Maternity clothes? all the time

Stretch marks? still no

Sleep? Lately, it's hit or miss.  Either I sleep like a rock or I'm tossing and turning and uncomfortable all night.  A terrible night's sleep usually leads to total exhaustion the next night, aka sleeping like a rock.

Belly button in or out? still in, although the bottom portion seems to be pulled a little tighter

Movement? I feel both babies every day, but Baby B a bit more still.  We're trying so hard to get Jamie to feel them, but no luck yet.
Cravings? Ehh, nothing right now.

Greta's change in plans

So, Greta was supposed to have limb sparing surgery this past Thursday.  10:30 Wednesday night we cancelled it.  At 8 o'clock that evening I got a phone call from the surgeon.  He wanted to review drop off procedures and the potential risks with me.  Well, he squeezed in the list of risks two new ones!!!  If either occured they would have to do immediate on the spot amputation of her leg.  There would be no way to know until they were past the point of no return and havd cut through muscle, tendon, and bone.  if the cancer had broken through her wrist cartiledge or ife her third metacarpal broke when inserting the screw, they would amputate.  How did this come up for the first f-ing time 12 hours before surgery?  I'm pretty pissed that we wasted an entire week more than necessary to begin her treatments.  If he had told me this the week before, she'd already have gotten the care she needs!

This was never and acceptable option for us.  Dogs carry 60% of their weight on their front legs.  We have a 147 pound girl over here.  There's no way we could do that to her.  That would not have resulted in the quality of life we want to preserve for her.  After lots and lots of tears, we decided that for her sake, we had to cancel it. 

Our new plan includes radiation treatments starting tomorrow.  This will be accompanied by bisphosphorate treatments (basically like that Boniva osteoporosis medicine form women) to strengthen her bones.  I'm hopefully that when Jamie talks to the radiologist tomorrow we can find out if we can incorporate chemotherapy in her treatment plan, too.  Very likely this new plan will not give her as prolonged of a life as the limb sparing and chemo.  With surgery and chemo we were hopefully looking at another 1-2 years potentially.  Radiation should give her (hopefully) about 6 months with much less pain.  We still have to worry about her breaking her wrist.  If that happens, our options would be amputation or saying I love you one last time.  The thought of that makes my heart hurt so much. 

For now, just like when I was gearing up for ivfs and fets, we're doing everything humanly possible to help her, praying our hearts out, and just taking it day by day (and enjoying each moment with our gentle giant).  We'll have more of a clear plan after tomorrow, but tomorrow will certainly be her first round of radiation.  Thoughts and prayers are always appreciated!

a much needed smile

I came across this video on two different blogs (ams8099 and sulfa) before I was pregnant.  I thought it was certainly funny back then, but now that I'm almost 22 weeks along with multiples myself, it gave me a much needed smile as I rewatched the video.  I have already had several parts of this conversation myself, several times, so it rings very true.  Enjoy!

Happy 5th birthday, Greta!

Today is my baby's 5th birthday! 

She's been feeling really good in the last week.  To make a very long story short, here's our plan... Upon the biopsy from last Friday (grrr, don't even get me started on wtf is taking so long) 100% confirming what we think we know, on Thursday the 7th Greta will go in for limb sparing surgery.  Basically they will remove the cancerous section of her right radius (the outside, weight-bearing bone) and replace it with a metal spacer bar.  This will further be supporter by a metal plate running down her wrist, across her paw, and get attached to her 3rd metatarsal.  Her paw will be frozen in place, but her elbow and shoulder will still have full mobility and she gets to keep her leg.  This is a big, big deal surgery with a bunch of potential risks and side effects, but the benefits outweigh the risks.  2 weeks later, Greta will begin chemotherapy so the cancerous cells don't look for a new home now that their tumor is removed.  The biggest place we'll be keeping a close eye on is her lungs.  It can not spread to her lungs (or anywhere else for that matter, but especially not her lungs!)  Every penny of these two extremely expensive procedures will be worth it if it means Greta is not in pain, and has a good quality of life for a longer period of time!  She means more to me and Jamie than words can even begin to describe.  We just know in our hearts that all of this is what's best for her, and we have to give the fight everything we've got.

Earlier in the week, one of the teachers on my team baked Greta a get well doggie cake, with a side of frosting!  Here are a few pics of Greta enjoying it: