30 weeks

The good news is that I've made it to 30 weeks. That means just 6-8 more weeks of pregnancy fun before they pull these babies out.

I have arrived at the "everything hurts, is uncomfortable and exhausting" phase of twin pregnancy. I'm not complaining, I'm just announcing.

Most days it's still pretty funny. For example, I was talking on the phone to my mom the other day.
She asked, "What are you doing? Laundry? Dishes? Cleaning the bathrooms?"
"Nope," I laughed, "I just made some juice, poured it into a glass and then sat back down."
"Hmm. With all the moaning and groaning you were doing I thought you were moving furniture or something."

My belly is big. I think it looks even bigger in person than it does in this photo. Another new pregnancy joy is that the dynamic duo's movements now look like there are aliens trying to explode from my abdomen.

I'm not having any real complications still. I'm maintaining my new regimen of IV fluids and that has cut the swelling. My liver is doing well--my albumin and something else were a little low--but nothing alarming or anything the docs need to do anything about.

I'm looking forward to a sunny Seattle weekend. :) yay!!
Lots of love, Brelin

Feeling groovy

So, it's been a while since my last post...Things have been going okay for the most part. I'm still throwing up a lot, but I seem to be keeping fluids down pretty well. As per the doctor's orders, I've gone down to twice a week for fluids (or 3 times per week with just 1 L going in at a time). They are changing the type of fluid that I get, because I'm still having trouble with swelling.

They're switching me to lactated ringers instead of normal saline. This cuts down the amount of sodium and increases my potassium. Today will be my first infusion of that, so I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.

As for the dynamic duo... They are super active!! They often wait until I'm laying down or sitting really still before they start their aerobic workouts. It's awesome that they are active, it just worries us a little what they might be like when they are no longer contained in my belly. :)

They're growing!! The boy is in the 51st percentile for growth and the girl is in the 25th percentile. Hooray!! He is about 3 lbs 2 oz and she is about 2 lbs 13 oz. The doctor said they are both in the normal range and that the size discrepancy is nothing to worry about.

My placenta previa is totally better! Wahoo! And the doctors are not concerned about anything else having to do with me. He mentioned that the kids are getting everything they need (sucking it all from me) in spite of my lack of nutritional disastrousness. (As the doctor said today, you look much better in person than you do on paper!)

I think that's all to report! We are so thankful that this pregnancy (and these babies) continue to be a miracle!

Love b

swollen legs and comic relief

It's been a bit of an adventure, as I am sure that all pregnancies are.  My mother, when she saw me announced that I look "as big as a house."  She and Marcus conspired against me too, and decided that I have the "pregnant lady waddle."  I guess that's all okay--I've got just 9 weeks to go until I hit 36 weeks.  Average twin pregnancies go to 35 weeks. I hoped to give our kids an extra week in the womb.  By then, I should be as big as a skyscraper--so I think I'll be happy to see them on the outside. :)

Me at 27 weeks

Last week, I developed some interesting swelling in my legs.  I know that a certain amount of swelling is normal, but mine was sudden onset and very painful.  My blood pressure also shot up.  All not awesome.  The doctor told me to slow down on my IV fluids and see if that did anything.  I'm also supposed to wear compression stockings on the days that I get my fluids to see if that will help.   The docs were a bit worried about toxemia (infection in the blood), but by the time I got to the doctor (a couple of days later) the swelling and gone down and my blood pressure was back to my normal.  My BP wasn't actually ever "high", it was just high for me.  So, I'm following directions and doing just as the doctor says.  The doc encouraged me to keep swimming and walking when I feel up to it. I'm also trying to up my intake of fluids orally so that I won't miss the extra 2 liters of fluids I was getting IV.  We'll see how it goes.

I had lots of fun at a wedding this weekend.  I got to help decorate and do the flower arrangements.  I LOVE that stuff.  It was nice to be able to use my gifts to help out a friend.  The ceremony was beautiful and the reception space was awesome.  Yay team. :)

And now, a little comic relief from my life:
I was walking down the street about a week ago, and was suddenly assaulted by honking, waving teenage boys hanging out their windows cheering for me.  I looked around, realized I was alone on the street, and their misguided affections were for me.  I was slightly grossed out, and thought, "can't they tell I'm gigantically pregnant?!?"
I was reiterating the story to Marcus and he asked, "Was the car coming AT you?  Or were they approaching you from the BACK?" 
I thought for a second, and then realized that the yelling boys had only hooted and hollered from the BACK, until they must've realized their horrible mistake.
Marcus said, "Yeah.  You still don't really look pregnant from behind."
We laughed.
I guess it's nice to know that I've still "got it" from one direction anyway. :)

And then yesterday, my mom and I went to the mall.  As we're walking through the doors, a different group of teenage boys was going out.  After they all did a lot of head nodding and "how you doin'" smiles, the last (and clearly the most observant) boy exclaims, "OH MY GOSH!! THAT GIRL IS TOTALLY PREGNANT!!"  Yes, I thought, and about 15 years too old for you. 
I'm not sure how the first 5 boys that walked through the door didn't notice, but it does frighten me a little to know that they are operating motor vehicles.  HA!

I think those are all of my funny stories for today.
Have a wonderful week!
Brelin

Sometimes I think I'll have a relaxing day.

Today was my "relaxing" day.  I didn't have to go to any appointments.  My whole plan for the day included a nice walk with a friend that I haven't seen in a long time, followed by a day of rest.  Marcus woke me up with his kisses telling me goodbye as he headed out the door at 7 for work.  I walked out to the living room and looked at my cell phone.  One of our good friends had gone to the ER, reported her husband.  They wanted prayers, and someone to hang out with their kids later.  I told them I was free and happy to help later in the evening.  I got ready, and walked out to the car in the rain to go for my walk.

On the way to the car, I slipped and fell.  It was the same spot that Marcus had fallen yesterday, there must've been some kind of car grease or oil or something.  I fell forward, but didn't hit my big abdomen.  I landed on my hand and my knee, while somehow managing to injure my big toe also.   I was pretty shaken up, and a little freaked out--but really relieved that I hadn't hit my belly on anything.  I called Marcus at work because I was concerned about the fact that I couldn't feel my pinkie or thumb on one hand, and that my toe was completely numb on one foot.  He was work, though, and didn't get my message right away.

I headed to my coffee date, and was pretty much fine by the time I drove down the road.  I was still worried about my hand and foot, but figured that if anything was broken it would get worse.  I hugged my friend that I hadn't seen in a while, and she noticed that my belly was really hard--like a rock.  I didn't feel anything, but figured I'd check again in a little bit.  It had gotten hard again.

Marcus was worried, called me back and insisted that I call the OB doctor.  I talked to the triage nurse and asked if she thought I needed to be concerned.  She called back and said the doctor wanted me to come in and get checked out on the fetal monitors.  So, I drove downtown to the hospital and got hooked up to machines.  Both of the babies heart rates were in the normal range for 26 weeks, and the contractions that I was having were not productive, they were more "irritable cramping".  Apparently that's common in some twin pregnancies.  Who knew?!  So, all 3 of us were fine.  What a relief!

Meanwhile, my friend was having an emergency appendectomy.  I was going to try and help out with the kiddos, but didn't know if I'd be out of my own doctor's appt in time.  Ugh.  Her surgery went well.  Her husband was able to stay home from work, and she even got to go home with him because she was recovering so well that same day.  What another relief!  Thank you, Jesus!

I was relieved of my childcare duties, and headed home myself.  I was exhausted from the stress.  I was tired from all of the activity and the uncertainty of the day.  And mostly I was hungry.  I ate a lot of garlic bread tonight.  I'm not sure why that was the best food ever invented today, but it was.  Perhaps there are some restorative health properties in garlic?  Or maybe it was just a comfort to take the warm, butter-slathered bread from the oven and savor each bite from the comfort of my la-z-boy recliner?  Regardless, I'm glad this "relaxing" day is coming to an end.  I can't wait for bed.

The vastly expanding belly. 25 1/2 weeks.

It's Marcus' birthday tomorrow! This is us at his parent's house.

a baby update...or two.

The babies (& their mommy) are doing well. We had a growth ultrasound yesterday, which basically means that they measure all their little bones, their heads, their tummies--and I have to lay still forever. With all of the information they collect, they can estimate the babies' weight.

Right now they are:
Boy: 1 lb. 11 oz. and in the 47th percentile.
Girl: 1 lb. 10 oz. and in the 29th percentile.

All of their important organs look great (heart, brain, etc) and there is not much else to report on that front. :) We are so happy that they are both growing so well.

I'm still gaining weight (hooray!!) and may even get close to the 45-60 lbs that the docs were hoping I could put on. I'm about up 25 lbs. right now, and the doctors are thrilled. I tried to do the glucose challenge test yesterday, where they check for diabetes--but I puked the drink after half an hour, so they couldn't do the blood test. They sent me home with a glucometer instead, and I'm supposed to measure my glucose levels 4 times a day for 3 days. So far, I haven't had a reading over 91 (which it should be when I'm fasting)--I might have other issues, but I'm pretty sure we can rule out diabetes. I still have 2 more days to go.

I still have a placenta previa, but it seems like it might be better by the time the babies are born. They are doing some blood work today to check on my iron and thyroid. I'll keep you posted on those.

All in all, I'm feeling mostly good and we are getting really excited for them to be born! We are almost done unpacking, and just need to hang pictures on the wall, and then finish the nursery.

Sending love and hugs to you.
brelin

feeding tube dieting? seriously?!?

I'm not often compelled to rant about current events or things that I see going on in the world. Today is different. There was a news story this evening about women using feeding tubes to lose weight quickly so that they can fit into their wedding dresses. SERIOUSLY?!? While I appreciate them drawing attention to the fact that feeding tubes exist, I find it wholeheartedly disturbing that any physician would allow such a horrible thing (which is indeed life-sustaining for people who need it), but it seems that it's being used incorrectly, somehow scoffing at those who rely on it for real nutrition.

An NG tube (the kind that goes up your nose and into your stomach) is painful in itself. It hurts when they put it in, and it hurts while it's in there. It even hurts when they take it out. It sits like a lump in the back of your throat that you just can't swallow. Nutritious fluid is dripped into it, landing in your stomach--and apparently keeping a dieting person from being hungry. I not only hated having one in, but I also threw up the fluid that was being dripped in anyway, so never got to experience the "not hungry" part.

Instead of making healthy food choices & getting more exercise, people have opted for an NG tube?!?

I'm completely disgusted that THIS is what our world has come to. Being thin has become so important in our society, and the wedding industry has become so vast that women are going through medical procedures just so that they can fit into their "ideal" image of a bride.

UGH.

Tonight my prayer is that women (girls, teens, and my little growing girl) can realize WHO they are and WHOSE they are. I pray that they know they are loved, they are beautiful, and that no matter what size they are--their hearts are so much more important than what their bodies look like. Each one of them has been created individually and they are each gifted, prized, and capable of changing the world just by walking out who they are called to be.

And none of that requires a feeding tube. (unless you're actually sick.)

We have arrived.

My latest prego photo. 23 1/2 weeks and outside of our Sammamish condo. Our house is behind me and the pretty trees.

acceptable pregnancy fashion?

5 1/2 months. That's how far I've made it so far without having to be in the hospital... YAY!
We're also moving on Saturday, 4/7 back to Sammamish--and I'm so excited.

And now for a little comic relief:
I had my first fashion crisis on Sunday. I'd gotten most of my shoes packed for the big move coming up this weekend. I also really wanted to wear a new skirt, rather than one of the two pairs of pants that I've been wearing every. single. day. So, I put on the new skirt, and then couldn't figure out what shoes to wear. I opted for my cute, brown boots. With my skirt & boots, I had chosen a white tank with a navy blue and white cardigan sweater. The sweater was not a maternity one, and I had it buttoned at first. I decided it looked a little dumb, so I unbuttoned the bottom few buttons, letting it rest to the sides of my belly so it wasn't noticeably too short. This alone took several minutes, and several conversations with Marcus about whether it was okay to even wear the sweater at all.

Finally I was dressed, but looked in the mirror, and felt that I needed to pick up the brown leather from my boots somewhere else in the outfit. A belt!! Of course!! Why hadn't I thought of this earlier?! The first belt I selected from the pile was about 3 inches too short. Hmm. Perhaps a different one?

So I found a belt that was long enough, buckled it, and then asked Marcus, "Do I look cute?"
He responded, "I'm not sure. I don't know what the pregnancy fashion rules are."
Honest? Sure. But not helpful.

So I rebuttoned and then unbuttoned the cardigan. I took the belt off and put it back on. I tried two different colors of Tom's shoes, and then put the leather boots back on. I tried on boot socks, then no boot socks. And then I asked again, "Marcus, is this cute?"

He shrugged his shoulders. I blinked back the tears. "I guess I'll just go. And if I look ridiculous, hopefully Rachel (my roomie from college) will tell me before we're there too long."
"Why can't you just affirm me?" I continued, making my way to the car.
"You look beautiful, honey. And I'm so proud of you for carrying two babies at once. I just don't know if the belt is an acceptable fashion risk."
"You just think I look FAT."
"No, I think you look pregnant."

After church, two different friends came up to me..."Your outfit is SO CUTE today."

And now we know, the belt is acceptable during pregnancy. Even if you're having twins.

No more resting

...not exactly "no resting", but the doctor has lifted the inaction ban. Yes!! He even said I can go back to yoga and light weight lifting. Or, I can clean my house and pack some small boxes. I promise not to lift them.

Thank you for all of your prayers. I'm certain that is why I'm doing better.

B

20 weeks!

The latest growing belly picture. I turn 21 weeks tomorrow. I go in for another doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, when they will hopefully lift my bed rest rule-- I'll post tomorrow evening or the next day, depending on how I'm feeling.

dramatic adventures

I'm not really sure if anyone but my old soccer coach is still reading, but I guess I'll keep this up for him (and whoever else might stumble on my site.) :)

The most recent update is that the last few days have sucked. Prior to the sucking, I had a wonderful time visiting my mom, throwing a bridal shower for a family friend, and then getting stuck an extra day in the Tri because the pass was closed. Sadly, I was so exhausted after the shower that we hardly ventured out to see anyone except my grandma.

It all started sucking when I got home. On Tuesday night, I started having weird tightening and pelvic pressure. I was having a lot of cramping too. I blew it off, and thought if it was still happening in the morning that I'd call the doctor. It happened all morning on Wednesday too, so with much urging from my mom and another good friend, I called the triage nurse at my OB's office. She suggested taking a bunch of ibuprofen and calling her in two hours if it didn't get better. Well, it didn't get better, so I called back and she told me to roll into the ER.

The annoying part of this story is that my husband (who is seemingly always home) has been working days this week, like a normal person does. Only he's taking a rope rescue class for work and doesn't have access to his cell phone except for briefly at lunch. So I was wildly sending text messages that he'd receive after I was already at the hospital. Normally, I'd call M's parents next to take me to the ER. However, they just flew to Kwajalein to visit for a month. Thankfully, my friend who lives down the way was free, and took me to the ER in Issaquah.

We got to the ER and they looked a little panicked when I told them the situation, and that I was 20 weeks pregnant with twins. They immediately transferred me up to the OB floor of the hospital for monitoring. Meanwhile, I'm trying not to freak out. Since the age of 18, the ER has been a place of comfort...usually it means that I've gotten so bad that I'm ready for the medical community to intervene in my guts. However, since I'm no longer just dealing with my own life, and don't have any frame of reference about what should hurt, the ER is no longer a simple adventure. At this point, however, I am holding it together. I am assuming that the cramping is just my normal GI stuff, and that perhaps I have a bladder infection or something else easy to fix--just as my nurse at the OB office suggested.

We arrived at 3:30 pm. I was hooked up to some monitors looking at my contractions, and told to pee in a cup. I threw up 4 times during my stay. The nurse was very nice, but weirded me out a little when she was talking about how they have to treat me very "gently" because of my lengthy medical history, and the previa, and the twins. Ugh. I was finally seen by the OB doctor on call at 6:30 pm, who talked to me for a bit, and thought it was best to page the high-risk OB from the office that I'm seen in downtown. Duh. They'd been telling me that they were going to talk with them from the beginning...why had no one called yet? It'd been 3 HOURS. After reaching the high-risk OB, they sent me home with a regimen of ibuprofen and progesterone. They told me to call the high-risk docs first thing the next morning. Yesterday I called and they squeezed me in for another long ultrasound and a short doc visit.

The gist of the visit is that everything is mostly fine. My cervix was closed and long, so even though I'm feeling contractions--they are not causing any problems so far--and the babies are staying in. My placenta previa is not better, but worse--the placenta is covering the cervix completely now. It's the boy that's the problem, just for the record. They'll continue to keep an eye on this, and there is still a chance that it'll resolve on it's own. They think that the pain is my uterus expanding, possibly ripping scar tissue from previous surgeries/peritonitis--and that it's probably irritating my GI system too. awesome. I was also told not to do anything anymore. No heavy housework, no exercising, not even shopping. I'm basically supposed to laze around, eat a lot, watching tv and movies. I guess I'll get that scrapbook done after all--from the couch. I'm allowed to drive myself to the doctor still, so my fun adventures will now be to see the IV therapy team in Issaquah three times a week. They've only put me on restriction until next Wednesday when I have a follow-up appointment. Perhaps they'll lift the "inaction" plan. But, maybe not.

I'm 20 weeks and 2 days now, and I'm back to puking all the time again. I'm keeping some things down at the moment (maybe one meal a day), and the babies are still growing regularly. They're about 13 oz each now and about 10 1/2 inches long head to heel. They also do flips all the time causing trouble for the ultrasound team because they won't hold still for their pictures. I was a little worried because I only feel kicking on one side. The ultrasound revealed that they're facing each other, scheming, and that all 4 of their little feet are lined up right next to each other. The whole time I've been blaming the boy for the kicking, when it was probably both of them all along. We can chalk that up to my first incorrect placement of blame as a parent. I'm sure it won't be my last. :)

In spite of all this, we still think these are miracle babies--and we are so thrilled to welcome them into the family. We're so thankful that God has control of this whole situation and that He's given us a great medical team to take care of us too. We hope and pray that they'll continue to be "knit together in their mother's womb" just as Psalm 139 talks about.

Please pray that:
1. they stay in there until at least 36 weeks.
2. they are healthy.
3. the placenta previa does not rupture and cause other problems.
4. my cervix stays intact.
5. i stop puking.

Lots of hugs to you all.
b

almost 19 weeks

Well, here is another pregnant belly picture from yesterday. I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow. For those not in prego land, that is almost 5 months. I'm so excited.

I believed everyone when they said that pregnancy was difficult. I listened, but stubbornly argued that I could handle it because I'd already been through so much medically.

That being said, pregnancy is exhausting. I'm back to puking all day (and night) again. There are moments when I'm curled up on the couch frustrated because my back hurts, angry because I have another headache (I get one every day), and really annoyed because I'm puking again. Then 5 minutes after I vomit, I still feel horrible, but am starving again. I'm maxed out on my dose of nausea medicine, which helps a bit--just not enough to stop me from puking.

All that's going on, but I can't help but thank God every day for it. I'm so excited to meet these beautiful babies... and already feel that they are each such a miracle. I'm pumped to hear their little cries, and see their beautiful eyes. I can hardly wait to hold them in my arms, watching them take in the world one new sight at a time--and I'm thrilled to see Marcus as a daddy. He's already so protective of me (and them) and it's adorable. He's been feverishly researching car seats and strollers; combinations of each, and which ones have the highest safety ratings. He has spent hours checking into cribs and dressers, and I have to keep talking him down from making purchases.

Needless to say, we are BOTH excited.

We are getting ready to move back to the condo in Sammamish on April 7th. This is for a variety of reasons, the main one being that we need to refinance and we get a better rate if we are living there (because otherwise it's considered an investment property.) We're also looking forward to being all on one floor (our rental house is 2 stories with the master on a different floor than the other bedrooms.) I'll be much closer to the hospital where I'm still getting fluids 3 times per week (it'll only be 1o minutes one way instead of 50 minutes), and should I go into labor, we'll be much closer to the hospital in downtown Seattle as well. The final reason is that I'm so excited to start fussing around with the nursery--painting and decorating with Marcus... it should be awesome.

In other news, we celebrated our 7th anniversary yesterday. It was super low-key. We had rather elaborate plans for the day, but I woke up feeling terrible so we just chilled in downtown Sumner instead. Then to celebrate 7 years and 1 day of marriage, we woke up to SNOW. Everywhere. Apparently the stupid groundhog was right.

Thank you all for your love and prayers. We're so excited to be sharing this journey with you.
brelin

It's a... and a...

As you can see from the picture above, we'll be welcoming a BOY & a GIRL this summer. Both babies look great, are growing well, and seem to have a special affinity for Mexican food and applesauce. We couldn't be happier.

It's as if God has been jotting down all of our prayers over the past 3+ years, and is saying, "Yes, NOW is the time. Here you go, my loves, exactly what you've been dreaming of."

Now, don't get me wrong--this pregnancy has not been a walk in the park so far, but so many things have been going miraculously right.

1. I'm not in the hospital on bedrest. This has been one of my fears from day one, and I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to gain any weight. I was terrified that I would develop hyperemesis (basically super-vomiting) worse than my normal life, and that I'd be forced to spend my entire pregnancy on TPN. (feeding through my veins). Despite all my worries and fears, God has been blessing my socks off. I'm still vomiting plenty, but I'm keeping down enough food that even my doctors are impressed. The babies are growing, and I can even lift light weights and do yoga still. (And I'm almost half-way done!!)

2. We really wanted two kids, one of each ideally. And, BAM! God again has come through fulfilling our biggest dreams of having a boy and a girl!! Realizing how miserable pregnancy would be for me, He let me get it all over with in one fell swoop! :) My pregnant life has consisted of increased nausea, daily headaches, increased need for IV fluids, anemia, stuffy sinuses, miserable sleep, increased abdominal pain, bleeding gums, motion sickness, and a sense of smell that could rival an elephant. Do elephants smell well?! They just have the biggest noses I could think of--so I might have made that up. Regardless, I am so pumped to never have to be pregnant again.

3. We have the love and support of our whole families as we embark on this crazy adventure of parenthood. We've got wonderful role models to learn from--and it's so exciting to carry on the "tradition" of twins in my family. I'm thrilled to experience two babies at once as a parent, rather than an 8 year old. (for those of you who don't know, my brother and sister are twins and were born when I was 8).

We feel so blessed. We are trusting that God is "knitting these babies together in my womb" just as Psalm 139 promises. Pray along with us for healthy babies, for no time in the NICU, no bedrest for me, for continued weight gain, and for COMPLETE HEALING for me.

We love you all, and are thrilled that you're on this wild ride with us. We are so happy to have you loving and praying for us, supporting us emotionally and spiritually through the ups and downs. It's such a JOY to share all this wonderful news for a change.

Hugs and love,
b

16 weeks...

I've arrived at 16 weeks!! And, I'm feeling pretty good too! The latest health updates:
1. Anemia- They let me know that I've got, like, 0 red blood cells when they checked by CBC. They put me on a massive dose of iron pills, and that seems to be helping a bit.

2. Hypothyroid- My thyroid is also super low. They are supplementing that with pills too.

3. Placenta previa- part of the placenta is covering the cervix. In many women, this resolves itself as the uterus expands. They'll keep an eye on it to make sure that things are going fine.

4. Baby A & Baby B continue to be healthy and cute. They're both looking good, and are roughly the same size. (all good.) Baby A's umbillical cord is slightly off-center, but not so far that the doctors are worried about it. Again, it's something that they'll keep an eye on to make sure that he/she is growing properly.

5. Nausea & Vomiting- I'm still super nauseated, much more than normal, even. That being said, I'm keeping a lot more food down than normal. I think that I'm beginning to experience indigestion. Prior to this, I only experienced vomiting, so I'm glad that I get to try out a new yucky GI symptom. :)

Overall, things are terrific. We went on a "last hurrah" trip to San Diego this past weekend to get some sun and see our friends. It was really fun, although I felt slightly like a beached whale in my swimsuit. Marcus and I are convinced that I literally get bigger each day.

The highlights of our trip included: Fancy dinner night with friends, laying by the pool and getting a tan, and going to the San Diego Zoo to see the giant pandas. Mostly it was nice to be away from the rain and gloom of Seattle, and hanging out with our best "couple" friends was a super fantastic bonus. The lowlights of the trip included: riding on the airplane. It was awful. I'm super sensitive to smells, and even more sensitive to motion sickness. My normal GI issues don't include these bizarre problems, so travelling as a prego woman really caught me off guard. I'm planning to not go on a plane again until these kiddos are out.

This whole pregnancy has been such a miracle!! We're so thankful that God's hand is so clearly in and through each day. We couldn't be happier!!

Sending you all lots of love,

brelin

Marcus is doing a Firefighter Stair Climb for Cancer

Hi Friends and Family!

I will be participating in the annual Firefighter Stairclimb on March 11th. Please support me with a donation. Our efforts this year will help make a big difference in the fight against all types of blood cancers.

This year I will be climbing in honor of our good friend, Kendyl Price. She has been battling leukemia for the past 2 years, and is just 4 years old now. She is such a fighter and her life continues to be an inspiration to me and so many others. We're hoping that by raising tons of money, kids like Kendyl won't have to fight such difficult battles.

I have included some information below about what the Firefighter Stair Climb entails as well as information about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society--which is the organization that benefits from the funds raised.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Marcus Rismiller

What is the Firefighter Stair Climb? It is a timed race to the top of the Columbia Tower, Seattle's tallest skyscraper. Each firefighter must be dressed in full combat gear and SCBA (about 50 lbs of gear total) as they ascend the tower's 69 flights of stairs. The race includes 1311 steps, 19 steps per flight, and 788 feet of vertical elevation. While the race will be rigorous, it is nothing compared to what these kids and adults who are fighting for their lives have to go through each day.

Where will my money go? All proceeds from the race go to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to assist in the mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Here is a link to their website if you'd like to get more information about this tremendous organization. http://www.lls.org/#/aboutlls/mission/

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.llswa.org/site/TR?px=1514401&pg=personal&fr_id=1220&et=UjvZY2oyHm86ubE3Tyn74Q&s_tafId=16430

Click here to view the team page for Renton Fire and Emergency services
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.llswa.org/site/TR?team_id=41196&pg=team&fr_id=1220&et=QDoZN6hd12kU3M8ox6mSvw&s_tafId=16430

health update

My cold is much better, and I have gained back the weight that I lost last week. I have gained 9 lbs since this pregnancy began, and am feeling pretty good. I still have a bit of a cough, but nothing to write home about. The news from the OB this week is that I'm super anemic, and my thyroid function is low. I'm already on thyroid meds, so they are simply leaving those the same for the moment. As for my iron, I was taking 50 mg a day--and they've increased it to 648 mg a day. Yowsa. I'm hoping that with all those new red blood cells I'll have I will feel less tired. :)

Please read the next post too.

hope and a future

Well, overall things are going well. My weight was up 3 lbs (!!!) since two weeks ago when I went to the doctor on Monday. They were very impressed. They do a quick ultrasound each appointment to make sure that the babies are still moving and shaking in there. On the ultrasound, BOTH babies were dancing this time. They kept poking the other one through the little membrane that is separating them. They are each in their own sac, but are having a good time playing together anyway. :)

However, I came down with a horrific cold on Sunday night. I have been miserable--not able to breathe, ears hurting, eyes leaking tears from the pressure in my head, horrible headache, cough, inordinate amounts of mucus, and seriously increased nausea. The end result? I've lost all my new pounds. My IV therapy nurse told me not to be discouraged--that once I start feeling better that everything will be okay. And she reassured me that the babies are still growing and getting what they need...so not to worry about that.

So, I'm trying not to be frustrated. I'm laying on the couch a lot, and looking forward to being able to breathe sometime soon.

I've been able to see my Young Life girls more often than normal...since we've been doing our group meetings during the day instead of at night. It's been so fun to watch them grow in their faith lives. I'm looking forward to hearing one of them share their faith story on Friday night at the annual YL Banquet. My mom is going to join me, and that should be a fun adventure too.

I'm so thrilled to see God is still using me, even when I feel like I'm not doing anything good for anyone. Life with chronic illness sometimes seems selfish--I'm forced to spend so much time on myself, making sure that I stay healthy--that it's easy to lose sight of the fact that God is doing mighty things IN me, and that others can see Him at work through me in spite of me.

My friend shared this with me, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

I love that verse. It's such a good reminder that God's in control--and that His perfect plan is being revealed to me one tiny piece at a time. He's blessing me with prosperity, hope, and an amazing future. I can't wait.

Short-lived trend

Can you call something a "trend" if it only happened for one day? I suppose it depends on just how optimistic a person is.

My puke-free trend lasted for just a day, but it was still really awesome. Sadly, Tuesday included a puke session that was so violent that I almost passed out. Oops.

Well, I can still celebrate Monday, right? I was livin' the dream that day.

In other news, I think I may have gained a pound this past week. Yes!! Just 10 more in 6 weeks to go... :)

Love you all,
Brelin

Puke-free for a day.

I just wanted to share that, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I did not throw up the entire day yesterday.

Alleluia.

Thank you God, thank you baby hormones, and thank you for the wonderful respite for my throat. Please let this be the beginning of the end of puking.
Amen.