Growing Together

I must apologize for my absence, though I'm sure anyone with a baby would understand.  Life has been turned upside down and sideways around here, but we've been trying to get a routine down as we grow together and get used to these two new family members.

Stella to the left, Alice to the right

Stella and Alice are now 12 weeks old (or 6 weeks adjusted age since they were born 6 weeks early).  Both girls are growing so much and doing really well.  It's so great to see their adorable little smiles and we're just waiting to hear the first giggle.  They make sweet cooing noises and are getting better neck control as time goes on.  

Things have been pretty tough for me.  Three weeks after the c-section, only days after Alice came home from the NICU I had to have an appendectomy.  I woke up with severe pain in my lower right abdomen and I couldn't even talk I was in so much pain.  It was 2am and Chris called an ambulance.  Turned out my appendix was "gangrenous" and ready to burst...but it' hadn't yet so the surgeon was able to remove it laparoscopically.    Thankfully I only had to spend one night in the hospital, but recovering from that so soon after a c-section really took it's toll.
A few days after coming home from that surgery everything kind of fell apart.  I guess the hormone drop, the physical challenge of two surgeries so close together, and exhaustion hit me and Post Partum Depression really set in.  I went from one day feeling like I could do the "twin thing" to feeling as though I couldn't function as a person, let alone a mom of 2 infants.  Thankfully things have gotten under control now, and after med adjustments I'm feeling much better.  PPD is a scary thing.

Our FOUR gorgeous kids!

I'm still facing some challenges as I adjust.  Chris is still on paternity leave from work because I'm still trying to feel comfortable taking care of both girls on my own.  I feel a lot of anxiety and stress when it comes to caring for both by myself but I'm working on it by attending a support group for other sufferers of PPD and also getting counselling.  It's a process, but at the same time it's been great to see Chris bond with the girls and they with him.  We've been enjoying the time together.  The older kids really love their little sisters as well.  Evelyn participates with helping with some feedings and changing diapers...Nolan gives them kisses, talks to them and loves being a big brother.  It's a little hard for me since I feel pretty guilty that I can't spend as much time with the older kids as I could before and as I'd like to, but I know that the babies won't be so demanding forever.

Interestingly I was contacted by a writer for Today's Parent magazine regarding PPD.  She'd come across my blog and wanted to see if I would be willing to share some of my experience in a story in a special pregnancy issue about pregnancy and depression.  Look for the story in the December issue!

Tests and Moving

  Appointments and tests, that's what my life exists of right now.  I am happy to say though that I can go to these tests from HOME rather than still being in the hosptial!  My cervix stayed at around 1cm for 3 weeks straight and I wasn't having any other issues so I insisted on being let out.  Having a room mate that had undiagnosed sleep apnea and snored so loudly I wasn't able to sleep much for 3 days straight only made my resolve to get out stronger.  I've been home for just over 2 weeks now and it's wonderful!
The tests I go for are Non Stress Tests (NST), Ultrasounds, doctor appointments and Biophysical Profiles (BPP).  NST's check to see if either baby is under stress.  Stress could be due to cord entanglement, oxygen deprivation, or a variety of other reasons.  Ultrasounds and doctor appointments are pretty self explanatory, but BPP's are special ultrasounds where the technician measures the babies movements, the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding each baby, among other things.  So I'm going to twice weekly NST's, bi-weekly ultrasounds and BPP's, and weekly OB appointments.  It's a little crazy.

A few days after I was discharged from the hospital was moving day.  Of course I didn't participate, instead I visited a friend for the day and relaxed.  Our new-to-us place needed (and still needs) quite a bit of renovations and cosmetic work but it's going to be perfect for us.  Slowly things are getting done by my wonderful husband and our house is looking more and more like a home every day.  I feel bad that I'm not able to do much to help, but I know taking it easy is what's best for our little girls.

Speaking of the twins, they're both doing very well.  Baby B isn't growing as fast as Baby A, but neither little ones are showing signs of distress.  B is about a pound smaller than A according to ultrasound measurements.  I had a second appointment at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto and they didn't seem concerned about the size difference between the girls so I guess they aren't too worried here either.  As of a few days ago A was measuring about 4lb 7oz, and B 3lb 5oz.

As for myself, I'm getting pretty uncomfortable.  Getting up from sitting or laying down is quite excruciating for my back and pelvis.  The babies are a heavy weight for my pelvis to carry, and I have to pee ALL the time! With the heat it's amazing how much my feet swell too.  I can no longer wear shoes and am relegated to flip flops (which also get very tight sometimes).  This pregnancy is definitely much different than my other ones.  My appetite comes and goes, some days I'm very hungry but most days I'm not hungry at all and I have to force myself to eat.

Over all we're very excited to meet our little girls!  I'm currently 32 weeks and 2 days along :).  I'm very happy to have made it this far, my doctor didn't think I would given my short cervix.  From here on out every day is a real bonus!  I haven't gotten any really good ultrasound pictures recently.  Often they are facing inward toward my spine, and now that they're getting bigger it's harder to get decent pictures...plus they're very active girls!  I can't wait to post real photos of the girls when they get here :D.

There's Always Something...

You never know what will happen with an identical twin pregnancy.  I've been here in the hospital on bed rest for 3 weeks and a day now!  Definitely didn't expect this, but yet, here I am.  Things had been going rather smoothly here, have an ultrasound weekly to check on the girls growth and how my cervix is holding up.  The first week I was here it went from 1.6cm to 1.1cm, but since then has only shortened very slightly which is great news.  My doctor seemed hopeful that I'd last until 30-32 weeks and maybe even be able to go home at 32 for a while until labour starts.  Now, I'm not sure how things will go.

The issue right now isn't my cervix, but possible growth disparity between the two girls.  Baby A has always been the larger one, but the difference between the two girls is increasing.  My doctor came in to give me results and this past week A gained a whopping 10oz, but B only gained 3oz.  Now, this is based on ultrasound results so there is a chance that they could be off.  That's why I will likely be sent to Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto again for another evaluation by a specialist. Dr. Potts said it doesn't look like Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, but more like possible IUGR or Intra Uterine Growth Restriction.  He said if that's the case they will most likely recommend monitoring me until 32-34 weeks and delivering sometime in that time frame...unless B stops growing completely then it would be more practical to get them out asap.  Of course it depends on the results from Mt. Sinai so we'll just have to wait and see.  Hopefully they will let me know a date tomorrow that I can have an appointment there.


Over all I'm doing alright.  Being in the hospital for 3 weeks isn't fun, and if everything is ok and I don't go into labour before then I'm looking at being here another 3 weeks (until I'm 32 wks).  Sigh.  Days are long and rather boring but I know it's what's for the best right now.  Finding babysitting for the kids can be a challenge and Chris is working on getting our new house fixed up and ready to move into so he's very busy.  I'm looking forward to getting back home and developing a new "normal".  

Thank you everyone for your continued good thoughts and best wishes for us, they're greatly appreciated, and thanks for reading my blog!  How about some ultrasound pictures?  These are the best from the last couple of weeks.

No Berry Picking

Lets change things up today...I usually post my ultrasound scans at the end of my post, but today, what the heck, here are our little girls!

Giving her neck a stretch

Look at that cute little nose!

My OB was very happy that the report from Mt. Sinai came back normal and well and that the girls look wonderful.  He was, however, a little concerned about my cervical length.  I've been instructed to rest as much as possible to give the girls as much of a chance to stay safely in utero for as long as we can.  

To get an idea of how much rest he meant I mentioned that I was hoping to go pick strawberries soon...he told me to buy them.  Sigh. I was looking forward to going out and picking them, it's so fun with the kids, but of course, the safety of our babies  comes first, so we'll buy them.

He told me to call immediately if I get any painful contractions or have any bleeding at all...so I guess I need to take the rest thing pretty seriously.  I'm only 23 weeks 5 days today, much too early for the girls to arrive safely.  He said he highly doubts I'll make it to the full 37 weeks considering my short cervix, so I'll do what I can to rest.  It'll be difficult with our move coming up, but I know Chris won't let me lift a finger, he's in love with his little girls already!  I do hate the pressure it puts on him though.

I'm not sure if I mentioned the thumb pain I was having in a previous post, but since then my other thumb started hurting as well, and the pain went from my thumbs and up my wrists.  Time for the mighty Google to help me figure out what the heck was going on.  It turns out I've developed Pregnancy Induced Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.  In both my wrists.  I guess it's caused by a constriction of a certain nerve in the wrist and  will usually resolve itself after the birth.  I could purchase braces and I'm going to price them out, but I'm guessing they're probably more expensive than I want to spend on a pain that will go away in not too long.  

Since 14 weeks our girls have remained head-down (or Vertex as the doctors would say).  Considering that I asked my doc how soon after a vaginal birth he'd be able to do a tubal ligation, and his answer was 6-8weeks.  I had hoped it could be done within a day or 2 but he said swelling needs to go down.  The good news is that since the surgery is done laparoscopically (with a few small incisions and a little camera to guide the surgeon) the recovery is very fast.  If I had it done on a Friday, but Sunday I'd be pretty much back to normal.  So, I guess if I don't wind up having to have a cesearian it'll be alright, I'll recover over a weekend and be ok to care for the babies the following week.

There's my big update this week folks!  I'm getting really excited about all our changes happening, and about meeting our new additions!  I've been getting tons of kicks, punches and head butts, and the kids have both been able to feel their sisters bumping around inside me :).  Their excitement really rubs off and they just can NOT wait to meet their sisters!  OH and I just wanted to add I lost another pound this appointment!  Ugh, I try to eat as much as I can, I swear!  However, I'm measuring large according to my doctor, if I was having a single baby I'm measuring 33 weeks! About 10 weeks ahead lol! Thankfully fundal height measurements aren't really accurate for multiple births so I'm not too concerned.  I sure feel huge though!  Here's me this past week:

23w 4d preggo with our girls :)

Specialist

Yet another eventful week here in the Hoover household!

On Monday I got a call from Mt. Sinai hospital in Toronto.  My OB had sent a referral and they were booking an appointment for me to come in on Wednesday.  I hadn't yet had the follow up appointment with my doc about the ultrasound the previous Thursday so I was surprised!  We booked the appointment and I called my doc's office to find out what's up.  I guess my OB was concerned about the sizes of our girls and it appeared that one had more amniotic fluid surrounding her than the other, and the other one appeared to have an empty bladder...these are early signs of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (you can read more about TTTS here: http://www.tttsfoundation.org/)

TTTS, if left untreated is 80% fatal for both fetuses, so it's very important to have an ultrasound by a specialist to determine if treatment is needed. TTTS can only happen in identical twins that share a placenta.  The treatment I would likely have had is a laser ablation surgery, where they use a laser to burn any blood vessels between the two babies, which would hopefully cause the babies to even out their growth and them to get nutrients from the placenta rather than giving and taking from the other twin.  The only hospital in Ontario to offer this surgery is Mount Sinai, with Dr. Ryan performing the surgery.  I met Dr. Ryan today, he went over the technician's notes and ultrasound pictures and he confirmed the results.

So, what are the results?  There are NO SIGNS of TTTS at all!!!  Our little girls look very healthy, strong, growing completely normally!!!  The ultrasound took over 2 hours, and was incredibly thorough.  She listened to vessels in the brain, heart, checked the kidneys, bladders, bones, chambers of their hearts, everything!  Everything was perfect!  Another positive was that both of the umbilical cords attach near the centre of the placenta, which is a good sign that TTTS is unlikely to develop!  We are SO relieved and thankful, words can't express it!  I'm not sure where things went wrong with my previous ultrasounds.  The only thing I can really guess is that since I have a different technician every time, things are measured slightly differently by each tech, so things can seem to be wrong when they're really not.

I know so many of you are pulling for us, and we're so thankful for your positive thoughts, they mean so much!  Thank you!  I didn't get any ultrasound pictures today (sorry!), but there will be more next Thursday!

Size Matters

Today is HOT and I'm sure feeling it!  28 degrees celsius!  Looking forward to our move where we'll have central air! lol.  I'm really not complaining though, since I'll take the heat over the cold and snow ANY DAY.  I've been feeling quite a bit more movement in the past week or so, and if I look at my belly at the right time I can see it moving which is so neat!  The girls also seem to enjoy using my bladder as a soccer ball, which is not so neat lol.  The older kids are so excited about the girls coming, Nolan has been saying "goodnight" to the babies and Evelyn has been talking about all the things she'll teach them.  I'm so proud of my wonderful kids!

I was a bit concerned after the follow up from my previous ultrasound.  At the appointment my Doctor told me that it appears that baby A is measuring about 20% smaller than baby B.  Now, that said, they weren't able to get all of baby A's measurements at that time since she just wasn't cooperating for all of them, but he said we'd be keeping a close eye on their sizes.  He said just one measurement can really throw off the anticipated size as a whole, so I'm hoping that after today's ultrasound they'll have gotten what they need and it'll show more even growth.  Apparently they are both still within "normal" range size wise for their gestation, so that's a good thing. He also said that it doesn't appear to be a problem with the placenta, and it could easily be that baby A is just a smaller baby.  I'll be looking forward to the follow up for this ultrasound to see what's going on.

That said, I've been feeling pretty good recently and thinking I might have a bit more of an appetite than I've had until now.  I have hip, back and groin pain but I guess that's just part of the deal this time around.  I've been doing a good bit of knitting in preparation for the girls coming, and I just can't wait to see them wearing my creations.  I'll be sure to post pictures of them wearing them.

Baby Girl A, getting so big!

So, an ultrasound means PICTURES!  Here they are!  Got a really good one of baby girl A this time and not such a great one of baby girl B, but they were very bouncy and moving all over the place.

Baby Girl B, facing down

And The Verdict Is......

That's right!  We'll be having two beautiful baby girls!!!
Today was the very thorough ultrasound.  It took about 2.5 HOURS!  Considering my back is still sore from the spinal block it was no easy task to lay there while the technician took her many measurements.  Of course she couldn't tell me much about what she found but things seemed to be good and I'm looking forward to the follow up doctor appointment to discuss it.

Of course I called Chris immediately after the appointment and he was a little surprised because he had guessed boys..but also very happy.  The kids came home from school and as soon as they saw me they were asking what the babies are! lol.  Evelyn of course was thrilled about them being girls, and Nolan is happy too.  He was hoping for boys...obviously...but even this morning he said if they're girls he'll be happy too.  I think once he sees how cool it is to be the only boy in mix he'll be happy.  They're both going to be wonderful older siblings!

Baby Girl A, just chillin'

Some other news, we got a house nearby and we're moving at the end of July!  It's very exciting as the house is 4 bedrooms which we will definitely need!  It's going to be a crazy summer, with both the current kids playing softball this year on alternate evenings, and Chris playing on Sundays...plus the house needs some renos (thankfully Chris is a carpenter!).  Lots going on, but all great and positive so we're looking forward to the changes.

Baby Girl B, sucking her thumb!

Now for the pictures! I know you're all waiting :).

Both their little heads, look about the same size!

14 Weeks and Growing

Today was the last time I'll have to drink a litre of water before an ultrasound!!! YAY!  I have to say, that is the only bad thing about early ultrasounds.  It's great to see the babies progress and everything, but that full bladder feeling, and having the technician press on it has to be the worst!

The technician I had today was the same lady that discovered our twins!  I've seen a different tech every time I've been in so it was nice to see this one again, because the babies sure have grown a lot since they were two little fetal poles the last time she saw them. 

Top of both babies heads

I'm a tad bit concerned about the ultrasound.  The good news is both babies are growing at the same rate, and with identical twins that's what you definitely want to see.  The thing that worries me though is that she was having a hard time seeing a membrane separating the two babies.  It WAS definitely there at the 8week ultrasound, but I've heard of some cases where the membrane was so thin that the babies had managed to tear it and then they went from being diamniotic (each having their own amniotic sac) to being monoamniotic (sharing an amniotic sac).  Sharing a sac can be dangerous because their umbilical cords can get very tangled.If it happens to not be there though, it would 100% mean that I'd have a planned cesearian.  So I'm a bit worried but monoamniotic twins are rare and chances are she just couldn't get the right angle to see the membrane and that it's still there.  We'll likely see it at future ultrasounds.  

My next ultrasound isn't planned until May 10th, so you'll all have to wait a while to see more ultrasound pictures, but hopefully I'll get a nice preggo belly to show at some point lol. 

Baby A

The individual pictures of the photos aren't great this time, but they give a general idea.  They've grown a fair bit in 2 weeks!

12 Weeks!!!

Any woman who has been pregnant knows, 12 weeks is a pretty significant milestone to reach, and today I'm there!  I won't be "officially" out of the first trimester until the end of 12 weeks but knowing that I've made it this far is definitely reassuring!

Today was my Nuchal Translucency (NT) ultrasound scan.  I know everyone is waiting to see pictures so I won't make you wait any longer!

 Here is little Baby A!  According to the technician, Baby A was relaxed and she got the measurements easily.  During the NT scan, the fluid at the back of each fetus' neck is measured.  In fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities (like Down Syndrome for example) there is usually an excessive amount of fluid, indicating a possible problem.  The nasal bone is also checked.  In the past few years it's been discovered that 3 out of 4 fetuses with Down Syndrome do not have a nasal bone at 12 weeks gestation, whereas the majority of "normal" fetuses do.

To the right we have Baby B!  Baby B was being a bit of a brat during the scan...is this a sign of a future little troublemaker? ;).  The technician needed to get a "profile" picture to measure the nuchal fold and nasal bone but the little one kept wanting to look straight on at the technician, and kept wanting to be the center of attention when she was trying to get Baby A's measurements!  A little attention hog!  Maybe a future superstar! lol.  After having me lay on my side the tech was finally able to get a perfect profile picture, as you can see.  Believe it or not, the twins are actually right next to each other, but it's hard to see by these pictures since they are both taken on either side of the babies.

So my scan was at 11am, and I had an Obstetrician appointment at 1:00pm to go over the results of the exam.  I know in my head that there are plenty of "false positives" with NT scans, but thankfully, it seems we won't have to worry about that because everything came back PERFECT and NORMAL!  The babies are measuring perfectly size wise, and have great heartbeats.  It's such a relief to hear that news after going through the sickness and exhaustion that is the first trimester :).

To be extra sure that all is fine and well I'm also having Integrated Prenatal Screening done, otherwise known as IPS testing.  It's a blood test that tests for Down Syndrome and also for the risks of Spina Bifida.  I'm a firm believer that knowledge is power, and if I can have tests that will help me to be prepared for any problems with my babies I want to know, so although I expect "normal" results, the tests are simple, non invasive and virtually painless, so why not know?  I know some people have differing opinions but I just NEED as much information as I can get.

So there is my update!  I'm pretty excited that my little babies are growing strong and healthy!  I actually got 2 photos of EACH baby, so though they're very similar to the other photos, as a parting gift here are the other 2:

 

Then Til Now

I thought I'd use this post to bring you all up to date to where we're at now that I'm 11 weeks and 4 days along.

We took a few days to digest the idea of adding two more family members to our menagerie.  We told the kids about TWO babies coming and they thought it was fantastic that they would both have one to hold when they want to!  Such wonderful kids we have! 

Two weeks after that surprising ultrasound I had another one booked, and it was an important one.  You see, the previous ultrasound had shown that there was one gestational sac containing two embryos.  This means that the babies will be "identical", or the medical term is Monozygotic, meaning "from one egg".  This happened when the fertilized ovum split in two, creating two babies that share the same DNA.  There are two types of monozygotic twins, ones that share the same amniotic sac, "monoamniotic",  and those that have a membrane in between the two, giving each their own amniotic sac or "diamniotic".  As one can imagine, monoamniotic twins have a tendency to get their umbilical cords very tangled and knotted, causing one or both babies to possibly not survive because their nutrient supply gets cut off.  Monozygotic/monoamniotic (or Mo/Mo) twins are quite rare, but a very possible reality.  This next ultrasound that was done when I was at 8weeks 3days gestation was to determine whether we were having mo/mo or mo/di twins.  

6 week, 3 day mo/di twins!

Chris was able to come to this ultrasound, and after the technician took the measurements she needed to take, she called Chris in to come take a look.  They looked like 2 little gummy bears!  Ultrasound techs aren't supposed to divulge much information about the results of an ultrasound, so when I commented excitedly that I could see the membrane separating the babies she said "I didn't tell you that!" lol!  But I was THRILLED to see that the risks involved with having identical twins were lowered significantly by knowing my babies would each have their own amniotic sac!

Chris loved being able to be there and see the little gummies, both close to the same size which is good news and both with perfect heartbeats!  

I had my first appointment with my obstetrician at 10 weeks.  It was pretty standard, going over my previous pregnancy/birth/health history.  I wasn't far along enough yet to do any measurements or anything.  We discussed the possibility of needing a cervical cerclage because of some other issues I've had with my cervix, and at 14 weeks I'll have an ultrasound to check how my cervix is holding up.  I opted to have a nuchal translucency scan, which checks for chromosomal abnormalities (Down Syndrome is one example), which means an ultrasound done at 12 weeks (or this Thursday!).  So, I'm hoping that the scan will come out normal, that both the babies will be at around the same size, and that I'll have another little picture of my bubs to show!  The OB also booked an full scan/gender ultrasound for MAY 10th!!!!  I can't wait for that one and find out if I'm having two little girls or two little boys!!!  I'm 11 weeks 4 days today!

Surprise for the Hubby

I went home from the ultrasound appointment where I'd just discovered I was carrying not one, but TWO babies!  I couldn't wait to tell my hubby but I had to think of the best way to tell him.  He couldn't come to the appointment with me because he was a few days out from his appendectomy surgery, so I had the drive home to think about how to tell him.

I got home, and remained emotionless...hard as it was.  I told him to sit down, and solemnly I said "I know we really wanted to have another baby..."  He had a sad look on his face.  Then I said "But..what do you think about having TWO?"  My eyes filled up again, and I couldn't help but smile.  He said "Yeah right, you're full of crap!", but with a smile, not sure if I was serious or not! I assured him I wasn't joking, and soon both of us were laughing and crying again!

Some of his first words were "We need a VAN!" and shortly after "I'll be getting a vasectomy!" lol.  He was thrilled as we both are, but it's still hard to believe we are going to be the parents of FOUR children in a only 6 short months!

Adventure Began With 2 Lines

That picture represents the beginning of our new adventure.  

Hi, I'm Sarah and my husband is Chris.  We've been happily married for 11 years and we have two amazing children, Evelyn is 9 and Nolan is 7. 

Evelyn was the easiest baby in the world.  She was content 99% of the time, slept a lot, and was happy as could be when awake.  Nolan on the other hand, was a handful!  He seemed to like to avoid sleep, only for the purpose of being miserable when he was awake!  My experience with him was the main reason we waited so long to even consider adding to our little brood.  Finally, after 7 years I felt "baby fever" again and we decided to have "just one more".  I was a young mom the first times around, only 21 and 23 when my older kids were born...now I'm 30, more comfortable, more confident, and most of all, more PATIENT.  Sure, I can handle, even enjoy, a little baby now!  Hubby was on board, kids were on board...but none of us were prepared for what was in store...

In mid-January 2012 our adventure began with 2 lines. A positive pregnancy test!  Yes!  In 9 months we'll have the little baby we've been planning for!  Kids couldn't wait and started their requests for a brother or sister!  

Crap hit the fan when Chris wound up needing an emergency appendectomy...the same day I started spotting, and pregnancy symptoms had seemed to completely disappear so I was pretty sure I was losing the pregnancy.  I'll spare the details...but in the end Chris's surgery went very well and I was told I needed to book an ultrasound through my family doctor. 

I lay there during the ultrasound, telling the technician that I was sure I was miscarrying, and that I knew she couldn't say anything but that's ok, and told her about my husband's plight.  She was nice, and she said "I'll turn the screen in a minute to show you"...Uh...why would a technician show me a miscarrying embryo?  Then I thought, well maybe I AM wrong and the baby is ok???!!  

Then she turned the screen.  There I saw one "bubble"(otherwise known as a gestational sac), with NOT one, but TWO yolks and TWO teeny tiny fetal poles!!!!!!!  My brain couldn't make sense of it at first, and I must have given her the strangest look because she said "that's right, it's twins...identical twins actually".  She gave me the biggest smile and she even started tearing up..I don't know how she kept such a straight face through the exam!

I started laughing, my eyes filling with tears!  How could this be?  I was SO sure I was miscarrying!  Twins! What?  Chris is going to FREAK! We need a van!  Where will they sleep?!  These were the thoughts going through my head as I had a minor meltdown in the ultrasound room.  She must have thought I was a lunatic! 

So, now you all know why we're seeing double.  I'm currently 11 weeks and 3 days along.  Still early in the race, but so far things are looking good.  In my next post I will tell you all about my husbands response to the news!