TOTAL Thyroidectomy

I've been gone for far too long.  I know.  The babies and I are doing well...I wish I could say the same for my sweet hubby.

On Wednesday he went in for a 6-hour surgery: a thyroidectomy and neck dissection.  It went smoothly and as far as we can tell, there's no permanent voice or nerve damage.  The doctor was able to preserve all 4 of his parathyroids.  Thank God.  We spent 2 nights in the hospital (the babies were NOT a fan) and we we're home midday Friday.  He's pretty miserable...you'd be amazed by all that the thyroid controls/balances.  He still has one drain in and hopes to get it out tomorrow.  He's now considered "hypo" until radiation in the next few weeks.  After radiation, he'll see an endocrinologist to help him find the right replacement meds.  We expect quite the physical and emotional roller-coaster for the foreseeable future.  Be thinking of us...especially him, poor kiddo.

I'm happy to report that I'm 16w5d and doing fabulously (updated pics coming SOON).  Headaches aside, the second trimester is a breeze so far.  Oh, and we know what we're having...at least we think we know.  A friend of a friend is a sonographer and took a peek for us at 15w1d.  The little ones were cooperating and she could tell almost right away!  Unfortunately, I won't be posting it now in fear that someone I know has found my blog.  If you follow regularly (and are curious), shoot me an email and I'll let you know.  Our "official" gender scan is August 10th and we'll be telling our family on August 15th or 16th.  How exciting!!

13 WEEKS!!

How far along:

13 weeks

Weight gain:
+6 lbs (hey...I just got back from a 7-night cruise and gained 2 lbs in one week...oops!)

What I miss:
I want nothing more than to scoop up my 19 month old niece and snuggle with her all day.  Doc says no more than 10 pounds...she's nearly 30.  So sad.

What’s up with my body:
More belly goodness.  The top is jiggly, the bottom is harder (that's where my babies are).  Here's another discreet pic: 

What’s up with the babies:
This week, they're about the size of a medium shrimp or a small peach.  At about 3 inches, my babies now have fingerprints and veins and organs are now visible through the skin.  Their heads now make up 1/3 of their body size.  We can't wait to get another peek at them next week (14w2d).

Cravings:
NOTHING.

Aversions:
Still nothing sounds good...ever.  I did eat my first hamburger on the cruise (which I had been avoiding like the plague).

Nausea:
Took Zofran on the trip but didn't need it.  Could my nausea be gone?  It began in week 6 and continued through week 12.  This last week has been pretty fabulous though.  Maybe Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel have something to do with that!

Puking:
Still nothing!  LOTS of heartburn though.  Tums are a pregnant girls best friend.

Boobs:
Same...no pain, just large.  They haven't grown since week 9 or 10.

Other: 
At 12w5d the doppler came out of hiding and I tried it again.  I found one baby close to the same spot as last time.  I think the other baby is just a notch over but could be picking up the same heartbeat.  Overall, I'm still unimpressed with the doppler but that doesn't stop me from listening to the recording of my baby's heartbeat over and over and over again.

I came back from my trip to FABULOUS news!!  JM @ Meier Madness FINALLY got a solid BFP with a fabulous doubling time.  Woohoo!  If you haven't told her CONGRATS!...now would be a great time.