Well it's finally time we annouce the big news on the blog - we're having twins! We've known since the summer but were waiting till the end of the first trimester to announce it, like we've done in the past. I had my first appointment around 9 weeks and all looked good including an ultrasound with just ONE baby present. Then when I went back a month later the doctor almost dropped the ultrasound wand when she saw the two babies which was news to her and I. All of a sudden life was changing right before our eyes! We'd planned on 3 kiddos but 4 was a whole new story. Needless to say after the twins were discovered there were more tests and scans to be scheduled. I had an ultrasound with a doctor who specializes in multiples last week and it was very reassuring. He said they look great and healthy, no abnormalities noticed so far. Each kiddo is in it's own sac and has it's own placenta which is also really good. Still doesn't tell us if they're identical or fraternal though. I didn't realize this was possible before but Allen and I have done a lot of reading lately on the biology of twins. Since I declined an amniocentesis we won't be able to tell if they're identical until they're born and we test their blood. Oh and here's the other big part - we actually found out the genders this time! We weren't going to find out with just one baby but we felt we had to with two coming now. It was sort of anticlimatic since it took the technician and the doctor awhile to confirm the sexes but they proclaimed they're both girls :) I honestly feel like they were 95% positive and at this rate even if it changed next time I wouldn't be surprised. My first US was wrong so it could happen again right? Regardless we're happy to have 2 sweet little girls join our family in the spring of next year. We'll keep you posted as time goes by. I'll have to have an ultrasound every 3-4 weeks to check on the twins progress.
This is the first US. It's hard to see since it already started to fade when I took a picture of it but there's just one baby there. You can sort of see the round head and body. This was at 9 weeks.
Then just 4 weeks later this is the shot we got. You can see one baby lying there on bottom portion of the pic and then the membrane between them and the other head in the other sac. I still need to take pics of the newest US shots.
Meanwhile Esme has also had a big visit to the doctors office. We had her one year follow up for her Kawasaki's last week. We went to Kapiolani Hospital on Oahu to see Dr Melish but first she had to get a echocardiogram and an EKG. Both of which took longer than my ultrasound on the same day! Thankfully though both test were completely normal along with her exam with Dr Melish. She told us that at a recent international symposium for KD they came out with some new studies that show that kids who had no cardiac involvement originally (like Esme) go on to lead healthy lifestyles into their 40s (that's as old as the studies are since KD has only been diagnosed here in the US since the mid 70s). Kids with cardiac involvement had heart attacks, the need for stents, and other cardiac issues before their 40s which is so sad. Our next/last follow up will be in 4 years and then Esme will be cleared. Phew!
During her echocardiogram. She was watching a TV high up on the wall.
Time for the EKG.
Then check up with Dr Melish who almost had the disease named after her since she was the first one to classify and diagnose it in the United States. Turns out she and Dr Kawasaki had been doing the same research in different places and he was about 5 years ahead of her in Japan and she was in Hawaii. Those are the top two places, in that order, where KD appears. Next is San Diego, CA.
Ever since Halloween Chan has wanted to wear his Spiderman costume almost everyday if we'd let him. He even wanted to wear it for our family photos the other day. The kid is obsessed! He also loves pictures of the Avengers. He calls them "da Bengers." He got some Spiderman shoes the other day and the box has all the Avenger characters on it. Well he ended up carrying the box with him for almost 3 days straight. He's so funny! Oh and the things that come out of his mouth lately! He loves the word "actually" and uses it all the time. He talks like he's 3 or 4 sometimes. No one ever believes me that he's 2 when they hear him talk.
Flashback: I showed this picture to Esme the other day and she says "Cute! Did Chan get a haircut today?" Ha ha! I told her to look closer cause he's like 6 months in this pic. Our little bald guy that he was!
Look at his hair now - still soft as a newborn baby though with curls in the back.
Driving cousin Makena crazy!
The underwear gang playing in the yard.
These moments are fleeting but it's cute to catch them doing stuff like this.
Picnic in the backyard with cousin Tosh.
Nature lesson with dad - checking out the green gecko.
