How did this happen???

We've been directing more and more people to follow along with our journey on this blog, but the one question people keep asking is how this all started? Many of you know the back story of our adventures in trying to get pregnant, but for those that are more casual observers, here's the scoop. (Since most people get the whole "sperm meets egg" part, we'll skip to the relevant issue of how we got four embryos when most folks usually end up with one. For those who need a brush-up in the matter of "sperm meets egg" consult a biology textbook or a Marvin Gaye album)

Crissie and I had been actively engaged in the natural processes that generally yield pregnancies for quite a while--roughly 18 months--with no results. She'd been taking Clomid for about a year before the doctor recommended a fertility specialist. We went to see Dr. Lu in Mandeville who suggested some follicle stimulation (which is not nearly as much fun as it may sound). That entailed a daily shot of Follistim to stimulate growth, shots of Ganirelix to prevent premature ovulation, and finally an HCG (trigger) shot to force ovulation at the appropriate time.

We started our first cycle on this protocol and things were not progressing as the Dr. would have liked, so he sent us home to take the trigger shot, knock boots, and see what happens. He was not particularly optimistic that we wouldn't have to try again the next month. He was wrong. Crissie released some good eggs and my sperms got down to biz-ness. We don't really know how many eggs she released yet, but we know that we ended up with four little dots on the ultrasound 4 weeks later. For you techies out there, they are all in their own little bags in the womb--no shared quarters.

To review: No Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), no In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), yes follicle stimulation, yes bedroom happy-time. Nothing against IUI or IVF, of course--people just ask us all the time because they hear "quadruplet" and they automatically assume implanted fertilized eggs.

So, now you know the story of how the little ones got into Crissie's belly. For more on how they're going to get out, stay tuned!

18 Weeks and Counting...

Whew!

Since our last update, the greatest thing to happen around here since the Battle of New Orleans has transpired. The Saints won the Super Bowl! It still seems strange to write it. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the game, but Crissie's doctors weren't overly keen on the idea of her travelling and so she stayed behind. Although we were both pretty disappointed that we couldn't go together, we also both realized (once I got back) that it would have been really tough on her and the kiddos.

So, the Saints win Super Bowl XLIV (44) the same year we're having four babies. Nuts.

Mardi Gras followed closely behind the big win and (long story short), everybody around here is pretty worn out from 2 weeks of ridiculous partying. Even without much participation in the partying, we're worn out just from watching.

The big news on the baby-front is that we've gotten official confirmation on the sexes of the babies. Despite the early indications that we had at least 2 boys in the womb, turns out it was only 1! Three girls, one boy is the latest finding. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't 2 and 2--not because I didn't want girls versus boys, but because I wanted it to be balanced. Just seems like it would be easier for the lil' dude to have a brother to play with, but as long as everyone's healthy we continue to be super-blessed.

Other news of note: Crissie is home now on light-duty. Her last day at school was the Friday before Mardi Gras and she's been trying to take advantage of what little time she has before complete bed-rest begins in another couple of weeks. The doctors are really pleased with her progress. The babies are all at or above normal weights (1 girl @ 7 oz., 2 girls/1 boy @ 8 oz.) for this point in the pregnancy.

The mattresses are all spread out in the baby room. Beds should be in next week. Closet is filling up with little clothes and there's a pack-and-play in the living room (don't ask me why). It's starting to look like we're preparing for a house full of babies. We're past the reasonable half-way point now and we're both really looking forward to them finally being here... I know that sounds crazy, but we're just excited.

Crissie's doing well. She's feeling good right now, but she's stretched like someone pregnant with one baby at 33 weeks. I'm fine too (not that anyone cares).

Week 14

Second trimester is here!

We were looking forward to the second trimester for many reasons--foremost among those the subsidence of morning sickness. Unfortunately, we're still waiting. On top of occasional symptoms, she's dealing with the discomfort of being continuously stretched... and stretched... and stretched a little more.

One of the many neat things about multiples (and something that anybody with experience with multiples already knows) is that, because there's so many little people in there, the heartbeats have to be checked via ultrasound versus normal doppler. With a doppler and four heartbeats, all you'd hear is a jumbled mess. As a result, we get a lot of extra opportunities to see the munchkins on TV and we get a chance to speculate early as to the sexes of the little ones.

So, (drumroll please)...

Our ultrasound tech, Kristy, feels pretty comfortable that there are either: two boys, two girls; or three boys, one girl. Hopefully, we'll be able to know for sure in the next couple of weeks, but for now (like anyone) we're happy that they're healthy and progressing nicely. I know it's politically incorrect to hope for the babies to be a particular sex, but I don't think it's unnatural to hope for balance in the household. There's a real possibility that these might be the only kids we ever have and as such, we'd be especially blessed to have both sons and daughters--or some combination therein. I suspect that most expectant parents of higher order multiples would express similar sentiments.

So anyway, the beddings are bought. The glider's on order and the cribs are picked out. The closet is starting to fill up with tiny clothes and blankies that are ten times softer than any I remember from my own babyhood. It's all getting very real--which is to say, exciting. Meanwhile, we enjoy these few remaining weeks before bed rest officially starts. We have much to do, but we still have time and plenty of helpful loved ones to get us there. We continue to be thankful for our numerous blessings!

Introduction to our Blog

So this is the blogosphere...

Well, apparently this is the most logical place to post musings about life. Specifically, Crissie and I wish to use this as an on-line diary for friends and family who wish to follow the adventure of our most interesting news...

We're having quadruplets!

Yep, it's still weird to write it out and I've been coming to grips with it for more than 6 weeks now. As I write this, Crissie is two days shy of 12 weeks into her pregnancy. She's growing nicely despite her morning sickness and the doctors all seem really pleased with her progress.

Apart from the obvious shock: "Oh my God, I'm having four babies all at the same time!!!", there are so many hundreds of little things that most people (those who don't have multiple inbounds) never have to think about while pregnant. Each of those little 'Eureka' moments provide endless fodder for discussion between the wife and I. These discussions usually end with us nervously laughing and reassuring each other that "we'll be fine." Then we roll over and wonder if we're just kidding ourselves!

I've said this probably a hundred times since we started sharing the news, but I believe it, and I'm sticking with it: Our greatest blessing, in terms of our preparedness, is that we don't have any kids now and therefore, we won't know the difference. Four babies will just be normal to us and that's all we'll know.

People always want to know what our initial reactions were. I'm told that I was just smiling the whole time during the ultrasound. I remember being genuinely excited and happy. I wouldn't say I was scared. I knew I had a lot I needed to learn pretty quickly, but the internet and Consumer Reports could fix a lot of that. Crissie was initially pretty shocked, but soon our common excitement started to feed on each other. Now, I'd say we are in full-on planning mode, which suits us well.

Anyhow, our aim is to keep everyone updated via this blog, so I'm sure we'll have plenty more to share. Sincerest appreciation is due to the incredible outpouring of support and well-wishers. We continue to be so blessed to have such loving and thoughtful friends and family.

Stay tuned for our adventure!