Rikk and I met with all kinds of doctors yesterday here in San Francisco, we spent 6-7 hours at the hospital. I had another 2 hour ultrasound, talked with the OB specialist, had a just over one hour echo cardiogram for the babies and then back to talk with the OB doc. He assured us that we literally had the best team in the world working with us...the best fetal surgeon, the best OB doctor, the best radiologist who actually specialized in TTTS, and the best anistegiologist(sp?).

The smaller baby yesterday had such little fluid it was unmeasurable and his amniotic sac was wrapped around him like saran wrap. The big baby had too much fluid, (9cm, they really like only about 6, 8 at the absolute most) and his kidneys were dilated they think from all the fluid, although we were told that is also a marker for DS. The big baby's heart had a little bit of thickening around it because he has been working so hard, but they aren't worried about it and feel that after the surgery everything with his heart will go back to normal. We were also told that even after the surgery the babies wouldn't be sharing the placenta evenly, more like 1/3 and 2/3 with the smaller one only having 1/3. They say that it shouldn't be too much of a problem, just not to expect that smaller one to be as big as his brother. That's okay, we are used to small babies!!!

Rikk gave me a blessing last night before we left for the hospital. We checked into the hospital last night at 10pm and weren't able to get to sleep until about 3. I guess I was having some contractions, although I wasn't feeling them, it just felt like the boys were moving around. Then we were woken up at 5 to talk with doctors and to get the prep going for the surgery. I got an epidural and they gave me some meds to relax (the more I was relaxed the more the babies were relaxed and wouldn't move which is what they wanted), and I don't remember anything except the last 5 minutes before they took me upstairs to my room. I was having a really good sized contraction and it took them a few to get it under control with some meds. The expected a contraction, just not that big and long.

They said the surgery itself went well, a little more trouble than they expected, but they succeeded. I guess the sharing blood vessels were beyond intertwined and it was just a little tougher than they expected. They also took out 3 and 1/2lbs of fluid. My tummy is quite a bit smaller. which is nice.

I am doing okay. My BP bottom number was lower than they would have liked for about 5 hours after surgery. Then I asked for the catheter to be removed because I had to use the restroom (which is unusual because when you have a catheter you shouldn't feel like you have to go). The nurse got the okay to remove the catheter, took some blow up things off my legs (I still have the pretty white tights on!) and got to use the bathroom. The nurse was surprised I actually went and then she took my BP and it was just fine. She told me I must do things backwards! They are surprised I am having hardly any pain and no dizziness.

Tomorrow they will do an ultrasound to see how things are going. We were told we would get one of the three following outcomes...
1. Nothing has changed and it may take a couple more days to see a change. This is what happens on average.
2. There will already be a significant change in the fluid around the smaller baby which is great. This is always a nice surprise.
3. That we have lost the smaller baby.

There is a 80% chance of one surviving, a 50% chance of both and had we done nothing they both would have passed. We are confident in the decision that we have made to have the surgery and know that everyone that has been working with us was being guided by Heavenly Father. We are praying and Rikk is fasting that they both make it, but we know that our Heavenly Father has his own plans for us. As dad said to me last night on the phone..."If we were to end up losing the little baby, he's going to have the best knee to sit on while he waits for us." You can't argue with that!

We appreciate all the prayers and fasting you all have done, that really means a lot to us. We will try to update again within the next few days.

P.S. Rikk got a room at the Hilton but has yet to sleep in it. I don't think he really appreciates the recliner/pull out chair they gave him to sleep on!!!