Flutters in my tummy

So I'm a "touch" person, and I try to pass touch on everywhere I go. The other night I told Ramon, "the babies need some attention". We both held my stomach as if to pass on hugs through my tummy to the babies. The next night I began to feel fluttering in my tummy so I asked Ramon if he could feel anything. He described it exactly as I would have - it was like feeling a shaking sensation under our hands. Of course, I use every opportunity to justify why there must be 2 babies in there instead of just one. Since babies do move around alot at this stage, I figured that the two of them are just playing and trying to find their own tummy territory to chill in. And there's always the explanation that I just had some gas/indigestion/heartburn. Cheryl says it's God's way of letting us know everything's ok in there =)

Upcoming Doctor Appointments

Next appointment is on Thursday 1/4 @ 11:30am for our second ultrasound. Pray for those heartbeats to be thriving and obvious during this appt! 2 weeks after that, we'll meet again with the doctor on Tuesday 1/15 @ 9:45am for a follow-up / check-up. I am so thankful for all the many appointments so early in this pregnancy. It's a nice relief to look forward to meeting up with the doctor more rather than less in this first trimester. I'm also hoping to squeeze one last appt. in before Ramon leaves for Ethiopia in early Feb so that he doesn't have to miss any :)

Symone Cheree Mayo !

I love her name! Still wrestling with spelling it "Cymone" verses "Symone" ... Girl names have been a little easier than boy names, but since I'm still hoping for boy/girl twins, all my mind's attention is now moved on to boy names now that we have a girl name.

A good reason to listen

It's those random coincidences that always amaze me. So I was watching Talib Kweli's video for ."Listen" and then I began to rip the music from my friend's Acapella cd. The first track is "Listen to him". Not soon after Yvette says we should name the baby Symone. We debated shortly on what it meant. I thought it meant "unstable" and if it meant that the name was out but if not then we would consider it. She looked it up and it meant "hearer of God or one who hears". So with so many signs pointing to the concept of listening I think we have settled on the name Symone. We are actually going to spell it differently "Symone". So if you can't guess already I want a girl.

Update on Spotting

Seems like the spotting was nothing internal, but actually a more external skin related irritation. I'm relieved that the bleeding subsided soon after the first time I checked, and hasn't come back since. Praise God! Thanks to all who prayed. =)

A Request for Prayers

I have read many times that this is normal, yet you can't help but be a little concerned. This afternoon I experienced some red "spotting" or bleeding after using the bathroom. It was a small amount and I have not noticed it since. This is the first spotting that has occurred since the implantation spotting that happened at the very beginning of this pregnancy. Today being Sunday, tomorrow being Christmas Eve, and the next day being Christmas, it is doubtful to be able to reach the doctor in the next several days, so I will continue to monitor it for any abnormal signs. In the meantime, I will be resting & continuing to trust and believe God for protection and safety for my baby and for myself. We believe everything is ok, but would love prayers during the interim.

Christmas Exhaustion

Today I played acoustic guitar and sang for the Christmas worship service @ VX. Whew! How exhausting! It is amazing how a little effort can wear down an already tired body. I'm about to lay down, no promises as to when I will get up...thank the Lord it's Christmas, and hopefully that means a little more free time to rest =)

A tadpole causing sickness????

Yvette is sick a lot. That makes me sad. No matter how many crackers, tortillas, bananas she eats...still the demon of morning sickness comes. I also think it is falsely labeled. She gets sick in the afternoon and at night. Good thing she hasn't actually barfed.

On another note...Why do they call the baby at this stage a pole? Hmmm...like a tadpole. I think it is a bit degrading. Although tadpole is kind of cute in a kermit the frog type way but that is no way to speak about a human. God is forming her (I believe it is a girl) right now in the womb. Psalm 139

How we decided on "Mercy"

My dear college roomate Rebecca (affectionately know as "Monster" by all of her college housemates =) asked me how we came up with the name Mercy for our first baby. After typing out the response on email, I realized that the full story was not yet put on this blog, so here it is: Our 1st baby's testimony or "life-verse" is referenced in 1 Corinthians 1: 3,4. God gave me the name Mercy for this child as a testimony to how he would use her short life & our suffering and the overall story of her as a bridgebuilder between Him and others. He will use it to comfort others who had gone through the same or similar thing & as help for those who will go through similar things. In a dream, I also got the name "Anna" as a middle name for her. The problem is we were never sure if it was a girl or boy (too soon to tell @ 9 weeks). So I checked around online and found that Mercy can be used as a unisex name for boy or for girl. We speak about her as if she is a girl because that's what we believe to be true, but since we can't be sure, I leave the Anna off but just hold it in my heart.

A Sac & a Pole

1st prenatal visit - success! All tests look great, and we got our ultrasound! The dr. confirmed for the 3rd time, that we are, in fact, pregnant. During the ultrasound, she found "the sac" which houses the tiny, tiny being that is forming into our baby, and "the pole" which is the beginning glimpse into the formation of baby. And it looks like there's only one in there...but it's all good - we love the one the same as we would have the two =) The new "intuition" is that we believe we are having a girl. So Dan, we'll see how your prophecy plays out in a few months...;) Thanks for giving us some idea of what may be going on with the gender. 2 more appointments are set - in 2 weeks we'll have our second ultrasound, this time to listen for the heartbeat, which should be audible by then. The next appointment will be in 4 weeks for another checkup with the doctor. Oh, and one more thanks to Sean & Sandra - we LOVED the Dr!! She's exactly what we needed! =) Thank you all for your prayers! Please keep praying!

Ob/Gyn visit?!??!??

Okay so first they make you wait. Then they make your wife strip. Then they insert a metal gun like apparatus in her "you know what". Then they take a little stick (looked like a coffee stirrer) and stir up a little cocktail. What is this? Women's doctor visits are a new and scary thing. :} Honestly people I give a shout to women all over the world for putting up with this and pregnancy and men's dumb antics!!!

Let the checkups begin!

First appointment went well, just a basic check, confirmation, & referral for prenatal appointments to begin. Hoping for an early ultrasound on Monday and continuous regular ultrasounds to keep track of what's going on inside. I'd like to know if my intuition is right about there being 2 babies in there or not. I'd also like to see if I am any further along than 4-5 weeks. Given all the heightened symptoms of pregnancy, it makes me wonder what week we're in right now. Also looking to know if I am experiencing any new health problems that may be causing the difficulty sleeping & circulation stuff, as well as find out about good options to keep active during this time. Thanks Sean & Sandra for the good word about your personable doctor. She's the one we'll see on Monday =)

Sleeping Pregnant

They say it doesn't start until much later, but I'm having the darnedest time finding a good sleep position. Last night I don't know how many times I woke up with one of my limbs fast asleep =) We may need to invest in some kind of sleep chair that reclines if I don't figure this thing out...one of the things on the agenda to discuss with doctor on Monday.

A New Day Is Coming

After waiting the 3 months suggested by the doctor after the loss of Mercy & my surgery, we opened ourselves again to the possibilities of becoming pregnant. My home pregnancy test on Saturday 12/8 showed that we are again expecting! As I learn my body & just learn myself, I am starting to pay attention to the little things. I had a strong feeling I was pregnant a few days to a week before confirming it through the test. In tracking my cycle, our "attempts" @ baby-making, and in listening closely to my body, I noticed that all of the timing seemed so perfect throughout November, all the way down to how aware I was of experiencing those babies implanting in me...yep, I said "those babies"! This time I feel we should be expecting to find that we're pregnant with twins...no tangible proof here, just my instinct ;) Time will tell, soon enough. First appointment tomorrow (Thursday) with my general doctor, and first prenatal appointment is on Monday.

Losing Mercy

We've gone through the loss of our 1st child, Mercy. Mercy was due to arrive in February of 08, however at the first ultrasound in July, no heartbeat was detected and she was a week behind in development. In tears, I went into surgery that same night, with Ramon by my side. This grieving process is very new to us. Although we are doing our best to see God in our situation, we still struggle to accept the reality of losing Mercy. Our comfort is in knowing that she is in heaven with Jesus and that he is taking care of her there even though she cannot be with us here.

We're having a baby!!!

Stay tuned for more about our journey into parenthood...