Going Public on Facebook! Ever since we passed the 12 week mark and we both talked to our managers, we've been debating about when to make things "official" by sharing our news on Facebook. I kinda thought it would be fun for my husband to be the one to share the news. He reminded me that he doesn't post things on Facebook - but did say that I could tag him in my post announcing our news. Our May was pretty crazy with various work/personal trips and I kinda wanted us to
Even though I tried to make the post as concise and clear as possible - we've still had a lot of questions from folks thinking that we're just having two or thinking that my sister is carrying her own twins. My cousins in Japan also found out via the Facebook post and at first thought we were having twins. After they put the post into a translator - they learned that it was 4 babies. ;) And just about every day at work, I have someone stop by my desk or stop me in the hallway to either congratulate me or confirm the crazy rumor they heard about about me. I must admit that I'm getting very good at explaining our story quickly and adjusting the level of detail based on my audience! Anyway, it's nice to have our exciting news out in the open. And as you can imagine, we have heard from others that either went through infertility struggles of their own or are currently going through them - definitely affects more people than you would think! We pray that those affected my infertility will also find a way to start their families sooner than later. Never give up hope - your time will come, somehow, someway!
18 Weeks & Counting!! We are so lucky that both pregnancies are still going really well for both of us. The tiredness from the 1st trimester has gone away for my sister. We are both definitely getting some baby bumps on us - which is exciting! We took our first joint baby bump picture last week at 17 weeks, so we'll have to get an 18 week picture in tomorrow. I was very anxious for the bump to appear - but now that my baby bump is starting to make a more defined appearance, I'm starting to wonder exactly how big we're going to get this summer. ;) My sister is starting to feel her nieces/nephews moving around inside of her - which is pretty cool. I still haven't really felt them moving around - but it may just be that I don't know what it feels like. My sister and some other friends have mentioned that they felt their 2nd babies sooner - because they knew what to expect. I apologize for slacking on my blogging and baby development updates - but here's how our little babies are developing at this stage of the game:
- From their head to their rump, the babies are about 5 1/2 inches long and weigh about 7 ounces (the size of a bell pepper).
- The babies are busy flexing their arms/legs - which must be what my sister is feeling. :)
- A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around their nerves, which is a process that will continue for a year after they are born.
- Ears have made it to their final positions - but are still standing out from their heads a bit.
- Blood vessels are still visible through their thin skin.
- If we have any girls, their uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. And if we have any boys, their genitals are noticeable now.
Kicking off the Summer! We had a great time down in Gatlinburg with my husband's side of the family - it was nice to have the whole family together (minus the 2 babies in my sister's belly - hee, hee). And last weekend we went to Pittsburgh to visit with my uncle, aunts, and cousins. My sister and her little boys joined us on that trip - so it was nice to have ALL of our babies with us for that weekend. ;) We also got to meet my cousin's little girl, Sophie! She was fun to cuddle and definitely did NOT get the large head that most members of the Kortlandt family seem to have. We also went to see "Wicked" this week and on Sunday I'm going to see "The Package" tour starring NKOTB, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men. Such a fun week! Friends and family are already starting to play baby showers for us - which is so exciting! I have a feeling that June, July, and August are going to FLY by. We are so grateful and thankful for everyone's enthusiasm for our 4 little unborn children. We know that they are definitely going to feel very loved by our amazingly supportive family and friends. Welp, it's getting late - so I should probably get to bed! Good night!!