One more?

Hold me back...I'm goin' for three posts in one day! I forgot to write one more thing. We went to the hospital today to bring cookies for the Labor & Delivery nurses and to wish them a Merry Christmas. We hadn't been back since Tyler and Brody came home right before Independence Day so I thought it would be fun to bring everyone in. On the way over Hunter and I had this conversation:
Hunter: Mom, do you have a baby in your tummy?
Me: (laughing) No!
Hunter: (sad voice) Awwwww....
Me: Why, do you want another brother or sister?
Hunter: No, not a sister. Only just one more brother.

I think it's pretty funny because he was sad when we told them that Brody & Tyler were boys (when we first found out). He wanted them to be girls! I guess he has had a change of heart. Although his best friends at preschool are girls. There are two little girls that he talks about all the time. One is named Hailey and the other one is Nyelli. Everytime I pick him up at the end of the day he HAS to hug each of them before leaving the classroom. Hailey's mom told me that Hailey told her that sometimes Hunter looks at him with "husband eyes." YIKES! Another funny thing I heard was that the teachers caught Hailey and Hunter talking about God recently. Hailey had told him that God is inside you. Hunter looked in his shirt and said, "Where?" I love how literal four-year-olds are!

6 month-appointment

Oops! Forgot to write about Tyler and Brody's 6-month appointment. Wow...two blogs in one day! I'm impressed with myself!

They had their appointment last week Thursday and are both 26.5 inches long (50%). Brody is 15 lbs. 9 oz. (10-25%) and Tyler is 15 lbs. 1.5 oz. (10%). I'm a little worried about their weights being so low but we just started solids a few weeks ago and I'm increasing how often they are getting them from once a day to twice. So far I have to admit that I don't like this change even though I know it is necessary for their development. They can't just survive on breast milk alone forever. I feed them both at the same time, a spoonful for Brody, a spoonful for Tyler. Tyler will cry while I am giving Brody his spoonful and Brody will cry while I'm feeding Tyler. They are so impatient and it's so stressful! I can't get the food to them fast enough apparently. I might have to start feeding them separately for my peace of mind. Although, when I did try this once whomever was left to eat second was too tired by the time I got to him that he wasn't interested and cried anyway! It's challenging. I'm open to any suggestions...comment here please! Their Pediatrician didn't seem alarmed by their weights (probably because they are twins and have some catching up to do) so I guess I shouldn't be either but it's quite the change from Hunter's well-baby visits. He was always off the charts with height and weight.

Holiday stress!

So far preparing for Christmas has been very different than in years past. Shopping with *only* Tyler and Brody while Hunter is at Preschool (a short three hours MWF, that is when they cooperate), making cookies during their 1/2 hour naps, wrapping and making cards/gifts after all boys are in bed until 1 a.m. and then turning around and waking early for the 5 a.m. feeding. I'm exhausted. It's easy to lose focus and remember what Christmas is really about. We do light our advent wreath every Sunday and pray together as a family, which helps bring the focus back. Hunter really enjoys this (especially being in charge of the candle snuffer). He decided we should all come up with our own prayer before extinguishing each candle after dinner. I love this new tradition! I wish I could remember his exact prayer last night so that I could write it but I don't. I know it started with "Dear Lord" and ended with "Amen."

Hunter had his first caroling experience yesterday. One of my student's mother is dying of ALS ("Lou Gehrig's Disease") and a big group of teachers, parents and students got together and brought gifts, baked goods and caroled in front of their house. It was so hard for me not to cry while singing thinking of their situation. This will be their last Christmas together. Her mother is too sick to leave her bed. Hunter, being as interested in music as he is, loved caroling. We had lit candles, which was also a hit. They invited us inside and Katrina (my student) opened the gifts and played "Jingle Bells" for us on her family's piano. When I told Hunter it was time for us to get going he told me he had something to tell Katrina (whom he had just met for the first time that night). I wasn't allowed to come with so I waited by the door. When we got home I asked him what he had told her and he said, "I told her she had a beautiful home!" How thoughtful!

Time flies...

I cannot believe that Tyler and Brody turned six months old today. That is truly incredible. Some days seem to drag on forever and I catch myself checking the clock often hoping it's close to the time that John gets home because I know help is coming but as a whole these six months have flown by. Not much has changed in the last week or so with them. Tyler is a little chow-hound. He has really taken to this eating solids thing we have going on in our house. Brody spits more but is eating as well. Brody is more of a "mover." John and I are astounded that he is actually trying to crawl already. He's not getting anywhere (thankfully) but as soon as we lie him down on his playmat he immediately rolls over to his belly and oftentimes tries to get his little legs under him and kicks. When I first saw it I thought to myself that it looked like he was trying to crawl but it seemed to me that it was too early for that. When John mentioned the same thing to me I realized maybe it wasn't too crazy of a thought.

I have a quick story about Hunter. Tonight John had a football game on the t.v. and Hunter was intently watching this one commercial that came on. It was a jeweler that was featuring a necklace with a silver heart and diamonds all around. He turned to me and said, "I want to get that for you but I don't know how." It melted my heart and I want to remember this forever so I had to blog about it.

Yum!

The boys started eating "solid" food this week on Monday and have so far tried rice cereal and sweet potatoes. They prefer the potatoes and I don't blame them! They are gradually getting better at swallowing more than spitting and today I can say most of what I gave them went into their tummies rather than on their bibs. I am shopping for a second high chair today. A friend gave us this "pod" thing that's supposed to work similar to a high chair but the boys don't sit in it too well (kind of hunched over) and are more interested in playing with the chair than eating. I thought at first that maybe Brody was just more interested in eating than Tyler (Brody was in the high chair at first) but then I switched them and then Tyler seemed more interested than Brody. It's the pod for sure.

Hunter read John an entire story by himself the other night (The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss). Granted, it's a very easy read. We were impressed but not half as much as today at nap time when he read me, "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" (Dr. Seuss), which is a very long book with tons of words (60+ pages). He only had me read two pages (one about half-way through and another near the end) because he was getting tired. He said to me, "I'm trying REALLY hard!" I kept telling him that he didn't have to read it if he didn't want to but he insisted! He was frustrated at first because he told me, "I want to read it as fast as you can!" Storytime was about 100 times longer than normal but I didn't mind one bit! I had to explain to him that everyone starts out reading a little slow. He's so cute! I'm super proud (can you tell?)!

The boys and I went to breakfast with Santa this morning which was organized by a twin club where I now belong. Hunter got to make some art projects and decorate a cookie. They had a Secret Santa Shop where the kids could pick out gifts for their parents and the older kids wrapped them in the secret shopping room so that the parents didn't see them. We played holiday bingo (Hunter won once) and then Santa came and took pictures with each child and handed out presents. The twin club meets once a month at a retirement center and that is where they had the event. They always invite the retirees to partake in the events they hold so Hunter and I played bingo with a 90-year-old woman. She asked me if I could repeat what the call was (elf, santa, reindeer, etc.) because she had trouble hearing it. Hunter was so funny because he started repeating it for me loudly to the lady. She said he was a real sweet boy, which he is! We had a lot of fun. The cool thing about being around so many families with twins is that they have all been through this so I had a lot of women ask me if they could help me by holding a baby. (John had to work so he couldn't make it.) I had the youngest twins there but there were a lot of twins around one year and two years old. I gladly handed off one a few times (when they were both crying at the same time). I also caught myself daydreaming about how nice it would be if they held an event every day around crabby time...

Accomplishment!

All three boys are napping at the same time as I type this. This is only the second time I have had the pleasure to experience a quiet house in the middle of the day since Tyler and Brody came home from the hospital. I'm not even sure what to do with myself. A quick update to my blog, finish the carrot soup I started making an hour ago, start my Christmas cards, do some lesson planning, catch up on email, laundry, get to that "stuff to glue" pile, okay let's not get carried away. I think I hear one of the boys stirring in the nursery...maybe I can quick get the first one done on the list anyway. I knew this would be short-lived.

Brody rolled from his stomach to his back the day before yesterday so now both boys are rolling both ways. They also have both "discovered" their feet in the last couple of days. It's super adorable changing their diapers now because they like to play with their toes (especially Tyler).

Hunter is very much into "packing things up" lately. He asks for little baggies and twist ties all the time. He has little packages of things (mostly small toys) stashed all over the place. He has mentioned to me that this is important because it will keep them safe from the twins. He has expressed concern over them chewing on his toys already. I've tried to reassure him that his stuff is safe for now, afterall rolling doesn't get you very far but he still insists!

360's

Tyler rolled from his front to his back for the first time yesterday so now he is doing 360's around the living room floor. Today I set him down on his activity mat and walked away for no more than a few minutes before I heard some whimpering. I came back to find him several feet away from the mat stuck next to the legs of the bouncer. He must have done three complete rolls to get there! Unbelievable. I'm a little nervous for when these guys start moving even more. It's coming though!

Brody's big day!

Brody rolled over today for the first time! YAY! As I mentioned previously he has been making some very loud and interesting noises lately. Hunter told John yesterday, "It sounds like there is a pterodactyl in here!" We agree that if we were around when the dinosaurs roamed that might be what they sounded like!

Own beds!

Tyler and Brody slept in their own cribs last night after sharing one this whole time. It was about time since they are moving around quite a bit and waking each other up with involuntary hitting/kicking. They slept 12 hours last night. Divine! The three nights prior they got up once around 4 a.m. but the week before that they slept between 10-13 hours. They were going to bed between 6:30 and 7:30 and waking anywhere from 5:30-6:30. I was getting used to that routine until they started getting up at 4 a.m. again. I think how well they slept last night tells me that they like having their own separate sleeping space. I hope it continues! Thanks to Aunt Laurean/Uncle Tom for loaning us theirs and for Noni/Nona for bringing it to us! It's weird to see two cribs in the nursery. The boys look smaller to me now with all that extra room around them. I can't believe they are five months old already!

Brody has been "talking" up a storm lately. Tyler has been experimenting also. I think they both just realized that they can make some very interesting noises! Hunter keeps telling me that they are saying "olive." I guess it sounds like that to him.

Hunter started skating lessons last week. He is working his way up to playing hockey. He seems to enjoy it so far!

First big milestone

Tyler rolled over tonight! He's been working on it for several weeks now and finally made it all the way over. John and I missed the whole thing. We were eating dinner while Tyler was on the activity playmat. I heard him making some little noises and I just assumed he was tired of being by himself so I made my way over and was surprised to see him lying on his stomach! I rolled him back over onto his back and by the time I made it back to the dinner table he had done it again. He did it about five more times one right after another. I think he's a bit of a show off! Hunter thought it was hilarious. Brody is still working on this skill.

Sounding it out?

I was reading to Hunter last night and the book was a search-and-find-type book. He had to look at a picture of a classroom and find something in the picture for every letter of the alphabet. He came up with apple for A, bat and ball for B and when he got to C he told me, "Oh, I know...circle!" I thought this was pretty good considering "circle" has an S sound. Later on I was telling my brother about this in front of Hunter and he started quizzing him with a few more. "How 'bout "snake?" Hunter: "S!" "How 'bout "circus?" Hunter: "C!" This went on a few more times and he never missed. Not sure how he does it but he never ceases to amaze us. Ceases...I'll have to ask him about that one next time. :)

Trick or Treat

With two hungry babies loudly "telling" me they needed immediate attention, a four-year-old insisting he needed help putting his shoes on so he could go trick or treating, about 15 trick or treaters already at the door and a cat meowing to be fed I think labeling it as a stressful few hours is an understatement. I was counting the minutes until John got home from work. Unfortunately that did not happen until the trick or treat hours were over. Thankfully Hunter is a pretty easy-going kid who does not throw temper tantrums. I put him in charge of candy and told him we'd trick or treat after I had nursed Tyler and Brody and then fed Roman afterwards. At one point I had to change diapers upstairs in the nursery and I heard the doorbell ring. I thought it odd because I knew Hunter was handing out candy. When I came down I saw him at the door doing just that. I asked him if everything was okay and he told me it was. I said, "Oh, I heard the doorbell ring so I thought you weren't handing out candy anymore." He said, "No, see...I'm handing these out!" I looked and he had opened up an individually wrapped package of Runts intended to be handed out in its entirety and was giving each kid ONE runt (not the package). We're for sure going to be called the stingy house after that one. Too funny! It definitely lightened my mood. After getting everyone ready for the adventure we headed out around our block. Hunter hit all the houses he could while I pushed Tyler and Brody in the double stroller. Brody screamed his head off the entire time and I'm not sure why. Once John got home it was much more manageable. We had night-time trick or treating to look forward to. Since it was 35 degrees tonight Brody and Tyler stayed home with John and Hunter and I got some alone time. It was much more fun than this afternoon.

Baptism

Brody and Tyler were baptised one week ago today. YAY! We sat with the normal congregation (instead of in the crying room) and they did so well. Of course it did help that they were being held the whole entire time. They did not cry even one bit during the ceremony and only started a little bit during pictures on the altar afterward because they were getting hungry. My sister's family and my mom were here for the week, which was super fun! We did some typical fall-type activities since they all live in Arizona and don't get to experience that too often. We jumped in leaves, went apple picking, went to the Wehr Nature Center for their annual "Halloween Haunts," and to a pumpkin farm. We also squeezed in a trip to Monkey Joe's (Hunter's first time and I think he liked this best of all). The weather wasn't too great all week (a lot of rain and pretty cold) but it was sunny the day of the baptism. The boys looked so so cute in their baptismal garments and Hunter looked so spiffy too! It was his first time wearing a tie and he was pretty excited about it. He kept telling everyone he could that he got to wear a tie! I have uploaded some new pics. Brody & Tyler were very happy the whole week because there were extra hands to hold them and walk them around. We had a small gathering of mostly family at our house after the ceremony and Uncle Hank came up to me and said, "How to make grandmothers happy...have twins" and pointed to both Grandmas each holding one baby with big smiles on their faces. Hunter was also very happy to have Grammy and his Aunt/Uncle/Cousins around all week. The house has been very quiet since they all left (with the exception of a little more crying from Tyler and Brody due to the lack of those extra hands)!

Church?

I attempted it and was successful. Church this morning at 9:00 a.m. Got all three ready and arrived with minutes to spare. H, T & B were all VERY good the whole time. It was fabulous. Brody & Tyler slept almost the whole time. Hunter was super well-behaved. John works every Sunday so I've been putting this off for quite some time but I was just really up to the challenge this morning. It was wonderful but no doubt a lot of work getting there. Just carrying everything (both boys in their "buckets," diaper bag, purse, and a bag for things to keep Hunter occupied) was enough for me to contemplate a nap in the crying room. I made Hunter carry "his things" (one bag) because it was physically impossible for me to carry any more. I missed communion but not for lack of trying. I was devising a plan all through mass of how I would accomplish getting up to the altar with two infants and a four-year-old...both buckets? Take one out and leave one in? Carry both with H by my side? Any way you figure it would be a scene to behold. I imagined a lot of people shaking their heads back and forth thinking, "glad it's not me!" Then Hunter needed to go potty and by the time we got back communion was over. Solved that problem! I'm open to suggestions for next week. Just a quick comment about the field trip to the bathroom...when he announced he had to go (despite having gone at home right before we left to try to avoid this dilemma) I looked at both boys in their car seats and said, "now?" He replied with, "just leave them here!" Like I could do that. So I had to lug all 30 pounds of them off to the bathroom all for little H's little bladder. This will get easier!

Shower!

My co-workers threw me a "babies" shower yesterday! Brody and Tyler scored some really great stuff! Lots and lots of cute coordinating outfits, some books and toys. They were the stars of the hour. They were actually there with me, along with Hunter for a short while. I brought them just for the first few minutes because John got off of work at the same time that the shower started. He met me there and picked up the boys to take them back home. It was nice to have them there though for the staff who hadn't had a chance to meet them yet. Although many of them had met them previously because I spent most of the time Hunter was at preschool last week taking them to the three schools where I taught last year so the students and staff could see them. It's the least I could do for all the prayers that were sent our way during the pregnancy! The shower was so unexpected and really super nice of everyone. If anyone is reading from work, THANK YOU again!!! Hunter enjoyed what time he did have there. He left by saying loudly to everyone (a group of at least 20), "Have a nice time! I like your decorations! Especially the fish and the Halloween ones!" He then ran out the door. I wouldn't describe him as a shy boy!

I have been wondering how much Tyler and Brody weigh lately so I weighed myself and then weighed myself again holding each baby. I think they weigh around 15 pounds if my scale is accurate. Brody is slightly heavier than Tyler (no more than a pound and a half). I would have better results from an office visit if we had a Pediatrician but ours has moved to Madison and so we are in the market to find a new one. Any suggestions are welcome!

Sleeping through the night?

A friend of mine told me recently that she read that a baby is technically sleeping "through the night" when they start sleeping for five hours at a time. Tyler and Brody have reached this milestone as of a few nights ago. Seeing as how I'm not prepared to start my day at 2:30 a.m. I am not considering this sleeping "through the night." When they awake for the first time at around 5 a.m. I'll celebrate this milestone. Granted, five consecutive hours is better than two!

I've been back at work for a few weeks now and I actually welcome the change of pace. It's nice to get away and not hear a baby crying for a solid six hours. Although I do come home and nurse them on my lunch hour which is nice because I avoid the dreaded activity of pumping.

Hunter is back at preschool so I get a "break" three mornings a week when I'm "only" taking care of Brody & Tyler. I think he is enjoying this break too.

I've been running errands with all three in tow more and more lately. The other day we were at Kohl's with the double stroller and one of the funky Kohl's carts in which Hunter insisted on sitting. Picture me pulling the double stroller and pushing Hunter in the cart at the same time (in the middle of the two). It was a scene, let me tell you. A little while later when Hunter decided he was through with the cart he started wandering the aisles (close by me). A couple approached me with Tyler and Brody and said, "oh, are they twins?" This is a comment we hear at least four times at every store we enter. After I answered the woman said, "You're not here by yourself, are you?" I had to answer, "Oh no, my four-year-old is right over there." Her mouth dropped and she said, "I will be thinking of you next time I'm struggling with my teenagers at home." I think every stage is both challenging and rewarding at the same time and that's what I told her. Then both babies started to melt down and we had to check out as quickly as possible and leave. They only stopped crying as soon as the minivan started moving. I've decided that I refuse to be a prisoner to my home simply because we have twins. I have things to do outside of the home and it's not possible to always wait for John to get home from work for me to complete those things. Like, for example, shop with my 30% off coupon from Kohl's...hello?! It was expiring that day.

Worst parents?

GRANDPARENT WARNING! CONTENT MAY BE DISTURBING...
John and I felt like the worst parents in the world last night because we sent Hunter to bed with no dinner. If grandparents are still reading you can rest assured that he woke up this morning none for the worse for having missed one meal. We had served dinner and upon seeing it he had said, "yuck!" This had become a nasty habit of his over the last week or so and it was really getting on our last nerve. When you spend an hour or two making dinner for your family a comment like that is the last thing you want to hear. We had warned him on a previous night that the next time he had made such a rude comment his dinner would be taken from him. As much as I hated doing it we had to follow through. I know he was testing us because he had said it with a softer voice and looked right at us to see if we would actually do it. After I took his dinner away he kept saying he was hungry with big tears welling up in his eyes. It was killing me to stick with our decision but I knew that I would be doing him such a disservice by backing down. He needs to know that we love him so much that we are willing to stand by and watch him suffer the consequences of his poor decision to disrespect us. It's never easy to watch your child suffer but we want him to grow up to be a man who respects not only us as his parents but authority figures in general. What kind of life would he lead without having this virtue? Would he be a good student? A law-abiding citizen? Caving in and giving back his dinner just because he's crying would teach him that disrespect is allowable as long as you show remorse afterwards. That's not true! Cuss at a cop that pulls you over and then say you're sorry and see how far that gets you!

After realizing we weren't kidding around his tears turned to anger and he started lashing out at John. We ended up not only sending him to bed with no supper but without a bath, stories, even without brushing his teeth (eek!), which he was especially concerned about. We thought that was pretty cute. He went to bed in his street clothes at 6:15 p.m. We were fully prepared for him to be starting his day around 4 a.m. considering his normal bedtime is at 8:30 p.m. but he slept until 8 a.m. this morning! Boy was he ever bright-eyed and bushy-tailed too! He made no mention of the happenings of the previous night nor of being starved for lack of food. This made me so relieved and happy for him that he learned a valuable lesson and only had to pay the price of one measly dinner for it. Needless to say at dinner time tonight he said, "Yum! This is so delicious!" I kid you not.

On another note Tyler and Brody are now smiling back at us (as of about a week ago), which is so much fun! They are still only sleeping about every three hours, waking from hunger. Their gasiness has gotten a lot better. It's still there but they are coping with it so much better. They are happiest when against a warm body (doesn't matter who so c'mon over!) and (this is key) moving around. Cuddling on the couch doesn't usually cut it. We're getting our exercise anyway!

I am back at school teaching as of this week. I welcome the change of pace but I worry about all the work that lies ahead. As you know, teaching isn't a profession where you can leave your job and be done until the next day. There is so much work that needs to be done outside of the classroom with lesson planning, assessments, grading, contact with parents, etc. That's the part that worries me. I'm not sure how I'll find the time to add anything more to my plate with the schedule that I keep at the moment. I am praying for the babies to start going longer between feedings and sleeping more at night. That will make such a difference!

Hunter started preschool this week as well. He seems to be excited to be in the 4K classroom because he has mentioned to me on more than one occasion that he doesn't want to be in the 3K room. I look at the 3K students and can't believe how little they are. Hunter was like them only a year ago? It's crazy how fast he is growing up.

Here's a random thought that popped into my head just now that I'd like to document for a future laugh...Hunter makes me smile because he says "blog" when he means "block" so when we are riding our bikes he'll say, "Are we gonna go like five more blogs?" Even when I correct him and say, "five more blocks?" he'll say, "no Mom, it's bloGs!" (emphasizing the G). I've stopped correcting him and just smile.

I know this post is getting pretty long but I have to also mention that John and I cannot believe this but Hunter is actually reading now. Not only did he start reading words a few months ago he is now reading sentences. They are simple ones, no doubt about it, but he is FOUR years old. We are blown away. We haven't sat down and taught him this skill. I wouldn't really even know how. Other than reading to him several times a day and demonstrating our own love for reading we have done nothing. We attribute this amazing feat to "The Electric Company." It's bizarre, I know, but this PBS program is seriously teaching him how to read. He started watching it about six months ago and fell in love with it's quirky songs and characters. I have to admit it is fun to watch on occasion. Soon after he was sounding out words! Then today when I got home from work John informed me that while on the Super Why! website (pbskids.org) he demonstrated how he could read entire sentences. AMAZING! That's my proud parent moment to balance out the guilt I'm still internalizing for making him feel so horrible last night. This blog has helped me work it out in my head a little more to ease my guilt though. Thanks for reading!

Adventure!

Today I took all three boys out on our first outing solo. We spent it at Walgreens and Walmart. Exciting, I know...but we got that first one out of the way. I ran into my good friend Kim (Bessa) at Walmart. She had her four kids and the two babies she sits for with her and made it look effortless. She told me that I'll get there too in time. Actually the trip went very smoothly. Tyler and Brody slept the whole time and Hunter was...well, Hunter (very well-behaved). That double stroller sure is hard to maneuver through the aisles though. My arms were getting a workout just trying to turn it. It was nice to get out of the house. I've prolonged this journey because I have been fearing a double meltdown due to hunger and nursing twins in public is not my idea of fun. The timing went well though. We left shortly after they ate and just as we were pulling up back home they started crying because they were hungry again. Someday they will not be eating every two hours and we can venture out somewhere further I'm sure.

Sleeping is still scarce around here. The only one getting any is Hunter. I envy him and all that energy he has. They did both sleep four straight hours at the same time about a week ago. I got very excited thinking that we had made "the turn" but I guess it was a fluke. As I type John is crashed out on the floor of our living room trying to catch a nap before he takes over for the night shift. He gives one bottle of formula to them a few nights a week so that I can get a good 4-5 hour stretch of sleep. It helps my mood tremendously on those days! I’m getting ready to head off to bed here in a few minutes after the boys are finished eating (nursing right now) and then I’ll be up again at around 3 a.m. to nurse them again. They are 12 weeks old now and I’m wondering when that magical night will happen when we will all be well-rested upon waking.

Life with the boys

Life with three boys (plus John) is a lot of work but lots of fun too! I love sitting down together as a family at the dinner table. It's my favorite. I don't know why it seems like more of a production with three kids vs. one but it does. What I mean is, Tyler and Brody are not eating with us yet but I still feel like it's more meaningful when we are all at the table. Well, T&B are usually in their bouncy chairs or pack 'n play but oftentimes one of us is holding at least one baby while trying to eat at the same time.

I've managed to figure out how to carry both at the same time somewhat comfortably. I put one in my baby wrap and have the other one cradled in one of my arms. The thing is that they are happiest when they are being carried around. I have had to resort to this technique while John is at work and it's just me at home trying to soothe both of them at once. Anyway, I should get a picture of this and post it somewhere. I have been so bad at sending out pictures this time around. The few on this blog are pretty outdated. I'm blaming it on lack of time. As it is it is 4 a.m. and I'm online trying to catch up with this blog and emails. I got up to feed the boys and pump and the computer was calling my name. I really should be sleeping though. I'm going to try to send out pics and update the ones here soon!

I think I've mentioned this already but Hunter is the BEST big brother EVER! He is so proud and gives them hugs and kisses lots of times throughout the day. He really loves babies and helps out with them tremendously. Oftentimes he will (unasked) go over to one of them while they are crying and stick a nuk in, bounce their chair or play music for them to try to get them to calm down. It's so sweet to watch.

2 month appointment

Tyler and Brody had their two month doctor's appointment today and are both doing very well. Tyler is now 21.5" and weighs 10 lbs. 1/2 oz. Brody is 21.75" and weighs 10 lbs. 5.5 oz. They are still only sleeping 2.5 hours at a time, waking from hunger. Their Pediatrician says this is completely normal considering they were supposed to be born on July 25th so we should think of them as 3 weeks old instead of 10. As frustrating as that is I know that this too shall pass and John and I will not be sleep-deprived forever.

They got their first series of shots today. They, of course, cried for about a minute and then settled down and fell asleep.

Hunter continues to be the greatest big brother ever, helping even when not asked. I catch him bouncing their seats and talking to them saying, "it's okay" when they are crying and he gets to them sooner than I am able. He gives them hugs and kisses at least five times a day and is very fair about it (always giving both equal love). It's so sweet.

When will they sleep?

Okay, I'm a little bitter. A friend of mine who had twins several weeks AFTER Tyler and Brody were born has just reported to me that hers are sleeping four hour stretches at a time. UNFAIR!!! T & B are sleeping only two and a half, which means that I get two hour stretches by the time I feed, burp, change them and fall back to sleep myself. Eight weeks of this makes for one cranky mommy. When will they sleep longer? Good thing they're so cute...that makes up for it a little bit!

On a happier note, Tyler's goopy eye has cleared up. YAY!

Disconnected

I feel pretty disconnected from the world lately with being at home so much with very little time to spend online checking email and such.

My sister came from Arizona for six days to help us and boy did she ever work herself to the bone! She even vacuumed our house and weeded our garden on top of preparing meals and caring for the boys! She also got in some serious bonding time with Hunter. He really enjoyed all of the attention. We all squeezed in a trip to the Renaissance Faire while she was here and had a great time. Brody and Ty slept the majority of the day and Hunter was thrilled with the jugglers, fire throwing, jousting and rides. He is at a great age for it (four).

I've been on my own for the past several days while John is at work. It's challenging. I will leave it at that.

Due date!

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a bad blogger. I haven't updated in so long. Here's the thing...when given the choice between keeping everyone happy around here (and escaping LOTS of crying) and blogging, I choose the former. But Hunter is in Madison for the night and the boys are both sleeping so I found a moment to update!

Today marks the day that Tyler and Brody were supposed to be born (July 25th). They are now six weeks old and CUTE AS EVER!!!

We took the entire family on our first trip a few days ago. We went to Madison to visit John's parents and also had a wake to attend for a friend's mother-in-law. Tyler and Brody slept most of the way in the minivan. Hunter dozed off for a while on the way there so John and I were able to enjoy a little peace and quiet and finish a conversation for once.

A woman from the health department came to the house on Thursday to check the boys out. I guess it is standard procedure for NICU patients. She measured and weighed them as well as checked out some other things (soft spots, reflexes, etc.). They are both doing well and gaining lots! Tyler weighed 7 lbs 15 oz. and Brody weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. They had their diapers and clothes on though when they were weighed so you have to account for that (and they are in cloth diapers too and those weigh a lot more).

John went back to work yesterday after having most of the week off. I've found out how difficult it is having to care for two infants (who are often upset at the same time) as well as a 4-year-old without help. Of course, John helps as soon as he gets home from work but I'm talking about having no help during the day. Luckily the boys are usually not fussy until the evening hours and John is home by then. My sister is coming to visit in a few more days and I'm looking forward to that!

Tyler and Brody have been SUPER gassy and uncomfortable every night. It lasts from around 5 or 6 p.m. until about midnight and it gets pretty UGLY. We finally called their Pediatrician about it (and their diarrhea) and the nurse told us it could be due to the antibiotic that I had been taking for that nasty cold I had last week. They must get some of it through the breast milk. I took the last pill this morning so we are hoping for relief in another day or two. Poor little guys.

A few days ago I was trying to get them to calm down using their pacifiers and Hunter said to me, "I think they want the real stuff Mom!" I had to laugh. He has been the BEST big brother EVER! He comes over and kisses and hugs them all the time and helps bring things to me when I ask. He gets very concerned when one or both are crying and rushes over to see what the problem is. He then procedes to tell me to hurry up and get over there because "they are crying!"

I think that about sums it up! Thanks for staying tuned!

Catch up

Tyler and Brody checked out nicely at the doctor's office the other day. They are both gaining weight and healing from their circumcisions. Tyler still has a goopy eye but that's not a concern. Hunter had one that went on forever after he was born.

My mom has been visiting for the last five days and it has been a tremendous help. It's a pretty helpless feeling when both boys are crying simultaneously and you can only help one at a time. She has been able to alleviate that feeling by helping the other. Also she's been playing with Hunter a lot, preparing some meals and taking over mid-day so I can take a nap. This has especially been a Godsend because I've been sick and the boys are waking up every two or two-and-a-half hours at night to nurse. That's rough when Hunter wants to play all day and I'm runnin' on empty. TGFG (thank God for Grandma).

We sold the Jetta (sad face) and bought a minivan in the last couple of days as well so we are mobile now! We took all three boys on their first adventure together today to the Wehr Nature Center. We went on a brief hike in the woods to a waterfall. Hunter has been asking to go "somewhere fun" and we are to avoid crowded places with Tyler and Brody so this was my solution. It took three times longer to get everyone ready for the hike than to hike the trail itself but it was nice to venture out of the house for a while.

What the?

I'm not sure how that Country song got onto my blog but I think I've fixed it now. You all know how I feel about Country...

Tyler and Brody have been sleepy guys...been sleeping around 3-4 hours at a time, with an occasional 2 1/2 hour stint. Hunter insists on running up the stairs most times that the babies are crying to "help." We like to play the game, "Which one do you think it is with the problem this time?" We haven't ventured out of the house with them yet but tomorrow is the BIG day. They have their first pediatric appointment, mostly for a weight check. I'm hoping they have gained. It's impossible to know how much milk they are actually taking because I'm nursing. Since they are peeing and pooping a lot and sleeping well I'm thinking they're doing okay but we'll know for sure tomorrow.

Big brother

After helping with the twins this morning (burping, getting Tyler and Brody their pacifiers, handing off burp cloths, etc.) Hunter announced, "Whew...being a big brother sure is a lot of work!"

Home sweet home!

The boys came home today!! I'm surprised and very pleased that they both came home together. We couldn't be more thrilled! Hunter has been a great big brother so far, wanting to help feed them, burp them, rock them, bring them stuffed animals, etc. I'm sure this novelty will wear off soon enough but we're enjoying it while it lasts. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us get through this trying time in our lives, whether by visiting in the hospital, praying for good outcomes, or just checking in every so often. It really helped tremendously and we can't express our gratitude enough. I'm not expecting to have much time for updating my blog on a daily basis anymore but will try to occasionally post when something eventful happens. Right now we are just trying to keep up with these little bundles of joy!

BIG DAY!

They removed their feeding tubes today!! Do you think the docs are reading my blog? Ha ha! Even better news though is that their NICU doctor called us today to tell us that Brody and Tyler could be coming home as early as Wednesday! We are so excited! Brody nippled every feeding for the last 24 hours and Tyler has also been doing very well (not quite as well as Brody but not far behind). They changed their schedule from care times (and feedings) every three hours to what they call "ad-lib" feeding, which just means feeding them whenever they wake up and act hungry and allowing them to take as much or as little milk as they wish. This is similar to what we will be doing with them at home so they are preparing them for this change. They are no longer supplementing with more breastmilk after I nurse them. They have arranged for their circumcisions, which will happen later on tonight. The nurse gave us a DVD on infant CPR that John and I have to watch and practice. A nurse will test us before we can take Tyler and Brody home. All in all it has been a BIG day for everyone over here.

Weights

The boys are doing great! Both are nursing super well and are gaining weight. Brody now weighs 6 lbs. 2 oz. and Tyler is 5 lbs. 11 oz. so they have surpassed their birth weights in just over two weeks. Brody pulled his feeding tube out tonight and Tyler pulled his out last night. I think they are trying to tell us that they don't need them anymore. I wish the doctors would order for them to be removed. All in due time I guess.

Peatering out

Both boys are doing so great with nursing while I am at the hospital with them. I am able to be at the hospital twice a day for about 2.5 hours each time for a total of about five hours each day. I wish I could nurse them every time but with them eating eight times a day and Hunter unable to visit for more than 15 minutes (NICU rule) it's just not possible. Yesterday the Neonatologist called and said the boys are doing very well and as soon as they can prove that they are able to nipple every feeding (whether by breast or bottle of expressed breastmilk) they will be able to come home. In other words, whenever they can get rid of their feeding tubes is when this will happen. Right now they usually either nurse or take the bottle for about half of their feeding each time and then get the rest of the milk through their tubes. This is because it takes a lot of energy to suck the milk down and this burns a lot of calories for the little guys. They peater out by the time half the feeding is over and fall asleep. They just need to build up their endurance. The goal is to get them to take between one and two ounces of milk by themselves. They are each eating an ounce and a half right now (at each feeding) but half of that is via their tubes.

I might have been getting a little ahead of myself when I mentioned Brody coming home soon (last post). The nurse got me excited when she told me to bring in the car seat. We brought it in but it might be another week before they send either of them home. We'll just keep praying that they get stronger quickly!

Twice in a row

Tyler nursed again today at both care times that we tried. He lasted a good 15 minutes each time. He's getting to be a pro! Of course, Brody nursed as well. The nurse mentioned that we should bring in our car seat. That tells me that they're thinking Brody might come home soon. Before the boys are discharged they do a car seat test. They put the baby in the seat with monitors on them to make sure they don't have any problems with breathing and such while in the car seat before sending them home.

Breakthrough!

TYLER NURSED TODAY!!! YIPPPEEEEE!!! It happened at 7:30 a.m. this morning and I am so beyond thrilled.

The boys are considered "growers" and not "sick babies" so we're just in waiting mode right now. They just need to grow a little stronger so that they can come home. I had a little "talk" with Tyler yesterday about it. I guess he was listening. :)

Time management issues

It's amazing how the days are escaping me and I have found no time to update my blog. Traveling to and from the hospital (and spending five to six hours a day there) twice a day as well as taking care of Hunter, pumping every 2-3 hours, and staying on top of household tasks has really been eating up my days. There's nothing new to report though. Brody is nursing like a champ and Tyler still has no interest at all. This afternoon when I fed Brody they didn't even supplement it with a tube feed afterwards. That's a first! The nurses have introduced the bottle (of expressed breastmilk) to both boys and it's the same story (Brody takes it, Tyler not so much). They are both steadily gaining weight after losing a little their first week of life (which is normal). Brody is now 5 lbs. 9 oz. and Tyler 5 lbs. 4 oz.

No more IVs!

The IVs are gone. YAY! Now we just need to work on their feeding tubes.

Brody is really getting the hang of nursing, while Tyler has absolutely NO interest. He is just so so sleepy. Their nurse mentioned today that it could have something to do with Tyler's elevated bilirubin levels. Apparently, this can make a preemie sleepier than normal. Brody is much more awake than Tyler during care times. Tyler's bilirubin levels have gone up slightly since he has been off of the phototherapy lights but are not high enough to start them up again.

They both got baths today and their hair looks mighty fluffy!

When can they come home?

Today the boys were very very sleepy. We tried breastfeeding but they were way too out of it to be very successful. Brody did better than Tyler but neither really got very much. The nurse told me that the boys get pretty exhausted trying to suck and that I shouldn't be frustrated. It'll come in time.

I forgot to write that last night they removed the bilirubin lights from Tyler's bed.

The boys are getting their IV's removed tonight. I'm happy about that because the lines are currently in their heads. It looks pretty uncomfortable for them. It will be easier to handle them without having to worry about disturbing that area.

I mentioned a few posts ago that the boys were getting a daily dose of caffeine. Most preemies get this because their central nervous systems are undeveloped and oftentimes they will forget to breathe. The caffeine helps them remember. A neonatologist called us at home to let us know that they were taking them off of the caffeine as of yesterday morning. It takes 10 days for this to work itself out of their systems and the boys will not be sent home before then because they want to observe them to see if they can handle it well once it's completely gone. So we're not expecting them home for at least another eight days (after today). That is, if they are feeding well by then.

Big boy beds!

I went to visit the boys at 1:30 p.m. today and they were both in hospital bassinets. No more incubators!! They are maintaining their body temperatures nicely so far. They are also getting weaned from their caffeine doses. I was able to try and get them to breastfeed today. Tyler is a little better at it than Brody but both boys are mostly just experimenting and not really taking in a lot of milk. The nurse supplements with a tube feeding of expressed breastmilk after they try for like 15 minutes. The boys are opening their eyes more and more lately. Brody was smiling at me a bunch tonight while I was talking and singing to him during mom-time. I got to hold them for an hour each tonight when I went back to visit them around 6:30 p.m.

Discharged!!!

Today I got to go home!! I can't tell you how much fun it was just riding in the car on the way home, let alone walk in the door and around the garden. It was thrilling!

This morning before leaving the hospital I visited the boys for their two morning care times (7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.). They had their pulse ox removed off of their feet (glowing red thing that measures the oxygenation saturation in their blood). They had to keep this on for a minimum of 24 hours after the removal of any device used for breathing assistance.

Tyler is still under his bilirubin lights.

I got to snuggle both boys twice today, once for the morning feeding and once this evening at their 7:30 p.m. care time.

Both boys got their first baths tonight. I went back to the hospital to witness this and help. They didn't like it AT ALL. Preemies don't like to be touched much and that washcloth must not have felt too good to them. They cried the entire time until the nurse washed their hair. They liked that part and calmed down. She even combed their hair and parted it to the side. It was cute.

The nurse mentioned that they are weaning the boys off of their incubators by lowering the temperature inside gradually to meet the temperature of the NICU room air. They will then be moved to a "crib" (more like a hospital cart bassinet). I'm not sure how long it will take for this to happen.

Hunter and I had so much fun together at home today. We played games and he showed me his new dance moves. John told me that when they were preparing to leave the house this morning he went and got my car and house keys and brought them to John and said, "I've got Mommy's stuff!" He enjoyed pushing the cart of all of my belongings at the hospital out to the car. It's great to be home!

Big brother time!

This morning I learned that Brody was already taken off his nasal canula the night before and was breathing just fine and they were in the process of taking Tyler off as well. I got to experience "Kangaroo Care" with Tyler for the first time. This is where you have a baby on your chest skin to skin and snuggle for like an hour. What's better than that? This especially helps preemies because the baby is able to hear your heart beat and feel the warmth of your skin as well as feel you breathing. It's very soothing to them. I was able to do this with both boys today; Tyler at his 10:30 a.m. care time and Brody at his 4:30 p.m. care time.

A lot of people have been asking me if they think I can spot any characteristics that are different between the boys. The only thing I have been able to notice so far is that Brody is a bit feistier than Tyler, (although Tyler's nurse said today that he is giving Brody a run for his money in the last day or so).

They have both been given a peripheral IV line in their hands so that their umbilical lines could be completely removed (they each had one line left going into a vein). Apparently the NICU team noticed via x-ray that the lines had moved a little out of position and rather than putting them in again (which is a sterile surgical procedure), they were stable enough to just have the IV put into their hand instead. This is much better because they are easier to handle and hold without worrying about disturbing that area.

They are taking more and more milk and digesting all of it so far!

Hunter got to meet his brothers today for the first time. He was very curious about all the different buttons on the incubators and in their NICU room in general. The nurse was busy explaining all of their functions. There are a few other babies in the room with our guys and Hunter saw a similar incubator on the other side of the room. He said, "Mom, we have three twins!" John asked him if he wanted to see Brody. He went and got a step stool and brought it over to Brody's "home" so he could peek in at him. He asked which twin it was and John told him "Twin B." He said, "That's not Brody, Dad...that's Milk" (I mentioned on an earlier post that several months ago he nicknamed them Tree and Milk). He was getting antsy after a little while and went up to my hospital room with John while I finished "Kangaroo Care" with Brody. The nurse said they like this care to last at least an hour so that's quite some time for a four-year-old to stay calm.

Tyler's bilirubin count was high enough that he had to start phototherapy lights tonight. He has to wear special eye-wear to protect his eyes while under his "tanning lights." Brody is still avoiding this for now but most preemies and even a lot of term babies will have jaundice so it's no big deal.

I will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning. It is bittersweet. On the one hand I am so ready to get home and enjoy the freedom I have missed out on these last 9+ weeks and to spend time with my family but on the other hand I am so sad to have to be apart from the boys. We hope that they can come home very soon.

BIG progress!

Today was such a great great day! When I called the NICU last night they told me they would like to wait until morning to try to get the boys off their vents. So this morning when the phone rang at 7 a.m. I knew what had happened. They moved them straight to nasal canula (forced room air through prongs in their nostrils) and skipped CPAP altogether. We are SUPER excited about that. When I went to visit them during their care time I got to hear them cry for the first time since the OR. They were not able to make any noise with the breathing tubes in. Although they still squirmed and scrunched up their faces and looked as if they were crying. Brody sounded a little hoarse from the tube being inside of him. The Neonatologist said it looked like the boys were showing signs that they want to be weaned off of the nasal canula altogether because they both keep pulling it out of their nose and chewing on it! Since they are not showing any signs of distress they will start the weaning process and will soon be breathing just like you and me!

They have removed Brody's arterial line through his umbilical cord. I didn't realize how far that went into his body until they started gradually pulling it out. It went up at least four or five inches from his belly button and into an artery right near his heart. He didn't squirm or even wake up while they were pulling it out and only bled a little bit. I think this means that we will be able to hold him soon too!

At noon when I went back to visit they said the boys were ready to get a feeding tube put in and start being fed breastmilk. So far they have only been fed nutrients intraveneously. I am especially excited for this because I've been working hard to get my milk to come in. The milk is given through a tube in their nose and goes into their tummies by gravity. I held the tube of milk up and it only took about four or five minutes for it to go down. I think this will satisfy them better because their tummies will be full (versus having the nutrients "fed" intraveneously). Sometimes they cry and the nurse has said, "I know...you're hungry." She explained that even though they are getting the nutrients that they need intraveneously their tummies are still empty. That can't feel too good. I would cry too! Their care times are going to be every three hours instead of every four now that they are getting breastmilk. The boys have a slight case of jaundice but the breastmilk will help them with that as well.

I've made a slide show of the boys. If you'd like to watch it, click here: http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=juliestenen&SID=252553&Show=Y&p=

Extubated?

A lot can happen in just a few short hours in NICU. We were told by the Neonatologist on duty this afternoon that he'd like to try to have them off of their vents by the end of the day today and moved onto less-invasive breathing assistance!! We are VERY excited for this because then they can start being fed breastmilk (through a tube, I'm sure). Not to mention I can see them sometimes gagging on those tubes and it doesn't look comfortable for them. Although the nurse did tell us that it's good that they have that gag reflex because it's necessary to get them to feed. They've turned both their vents down to minimum assistance and the boys are coping well. They will decide at their 11 p.m. blood draws if they can take them off or not. I'm planning on calling down there at midnight (40 mins from now) to see what the decision is. Brody is now off of Dopamine completely and his blood pressure is stable.

John and I went down for their 4 p.m. care time and I was able to hold Tyler for the first time. The nurse and a respiratory therapist helped him out of his little incubator and brought him over to me. They taped his breathing tube to my shoulder to keep it in position. It was thrilling! He was very peaceful and happy the whole time, just sleeping away (and light as a feather!). The nurse told him not to tell his brother that he was getting "mom-time." Brody can't come out and play yet because he has umbilical lines that cannot be disturbed because they run through an artery. I got to change both their diapers today which was exciting (did I say that?). I feel like I'm helping make them more comfy at least. Both boys had pooped for the first time. The nurse said that they have shown that they are identical in more ways than one! Yesterday when they were hooking the boys up to their vents she told me that they were wheezing in unison.

Thanks for all of the prayers, messages and good thoughts that are coming our way. We all appreciate this so much and are thankful to have such a caring support system to be thinking of us at this time. I think the boys are feeling the love!

Meds for Brody

I just got back from the NICU and both boys were sleeping on their sides. Their nurse told me that we can't hold them yet. We might be able to hold Tyler at his 4 p.m. "care time" depending on his blood gases whatever that means. John will be here by then so that will be nice for support. NICU-land is very foreign to me and sad. The nurses give me all of this medical information that I don't understand. I can't help but cry when I see them like that with all those machines sustaining their lives. I hope they get better soon. Brody is on Dopamine to keep his blood pressure up because he is unable to maintain it by himself. She said this is unusual for "big 34 weekers." Also, they told me that they had to give him Morphine yesterday because he was flailing around and not calm (a sign of pain) but his nurse said he is much better today. I'll keep updating as I get more information.

They're here!!!

Tyler Henry (5 lbs. 9 oz.) and Brody Upton (5 lbs. 11 oz.) were both born this morning at 7:59 a.m. Brody was born first. Before he came out Tyler had his hand sticking out of my incision as if he were saying, "Hey, don't forget me!" The docs/nurses were all saying, "Look at his hand!" I thought they were talking about Brody because I had a sheet in front of me and couldn't see Tyler. I kept saying, "What's wrong with his hand?" but nobody answered. We figured out later what they had meant. Both boys came out crying so John and I took that as a good sign of their well-being. The nurses and docs were all telling them "Happy Birthday" as they were born. I thought that was cute.

The NICU nurses brought each boy over to us briefly but Brody was turning a little blue so they quickly got them to their new temporary home in intensive care. We were told that the standard procedure is to take the parents over to the NICU to see the babies on their way up to the postpartum rooms after recovering for a while post-surgery but when my nurse called to inform them we were on our way the NICU team said they needed an hour and a half before we could come see them because they weren't ready for us. That worried us a little bit. After that time was up and we had settled into my new room we called down and they said we could come anytime. I was nauseous and sick for most of the day due to the drugs given to me in my spinal and so we waited until around 3:30 p.m. to attempt the trip to see them. We got to Brody's isolet and peeked in for a few minutes before the Neonatologist and a NICU nurse started updating us on their status. I started to feel pretty ill and got sick so we had to leave to go back up to my room before even making it over to see Tyler. John quickly snapped a picture before we left but I waited in my wheelchair out in the hallway with the nurse.

Both boys are intubated, which means that they are on ventilators that breathe for them. This is saddening because we didn't think that they would need this much assistance. The Neonatologist seems optimistic that they will be able to get them to a less-intrusive breathing device called a CPAP within a few days. This evening they tried to turn down Brody's ventilator a little to get him to try to breathe a little bit on his own but his blood pressure dropped. They gave him something to regulate it. They haven't done anything to Tyler's ventilator.

At around 6 p.m. I have been starting to feel much better (less dizzy and not as nauseous). I hope to make it down to visit them first thing tomorrow morning.

Birthday

I had a great birthday today. Lots of people remembered and called, sent messages or stopped by. I appreciated it because it really helped keep my mind off of tomorrow's BIG event. I'm pretty nervous about it but also optimistic that things will go well.

Yes, tomorrow is the big day for us and we are pretty excited it has finally arrived. This has been the longest pregnancy EVER! My platelets dropped to 64K today but nobody seems concerned about it.

I will post an update as to how things go tomorrow as soon as I feel up to it.

Two days left!

My platelets are up to 74K!! Woo hoo!!

Kim was discharged from the hospital today so I've lost my "neighbor." She stopped by my room to give me a birthday gift before leaving. I forgot to mention that yesterday Karen Anderson, Kim's mother, came by and brought me flowers. Between that and the planter that Becky gave me yesterday my room is much more colorful and fragrant!

Hunter and I took our last bath together in the whirlpool tub today when he visited. He cried when he found out I would be in a different room next time we would see each other.

Tomorrow I will start packing up my room!

Weight measurements

It has been three weeks since their last measurements were taken so today was the day. By their estimate, Baby A weighs 5 lbs. 6 oz. and B weighs 5 lbs. 9 oz. To me that sounds pretty big and while I do feel enormous and very uncomfortable of late I just would be amazed if this estimate is accurate. We'll know more on Saturday!

My platelets were 64K today. There is no plan to give me steroids. I guess we just hope for the best the day of surgery. Only two more days of being a mommy of one.

My friend Becky came for a surprise visit tonight to bring by an early gift for my birthday and one for the twins. She also came to visit Kim and meet Annalee. We both went up there together.

John and Hunter came this afternoon as well. Hunter and I played with my craft supplies since I've already started sending stuff home with John in preparation to be moved upstairs to postpartum. Hunter's toys are already gone. We made due with some punches, paper and buttons. He had a blast!

Typical Tuesday

My platelets were 66K today.

John and Hunter visited this morning. Elise, Sarahbeth, Raven and Kim were here tonight. I went upstairs to see the Jerabek family briefly around dinnertime.

Nothing else new around here.

8 weeks today

I have been in the hospital for 8 weeks now. Have I mentioned that I'm ready to go home? Five days to go!!

My friend Kim gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Annalee last night at 1 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. I was able to visit her several times yesterday while she was waiting to dilate. My nurses allowed me to go up today to meet her (Annalee) sans wheelchair which was so liberating! It was so nice to actually walk down the hallway and onto the elevator by my own power to get to their room. She is a precious little bundle and it was so much fun to hold her! Hunter and John came to visit tonight and we took another trip up there so they could meet the baby too.

My friend Mo came by to visit tonight as well. She spent several hours here chatting with me so the time passed by very quickly tonight.

My platelets were 69K today. The BPP was normal, both babies were practicing their breathing right away. I was weighed and have gained 48 lbs. total so far.

One more week!

I am so excited to have reached the "one week to go" milestone. I am so READY!! Ready to meet the boys, ready to be done with the heartburn and back aches, ready to stop being poked and prodded and having my privacy invaded, ready to be with my family for longer than a couple of hours a day (if that) and read Hunter bedtime stories again, ready to walk around my house and garden, ready to prepare and eat my own food, ready to drive my car, ready to sleep in my own bed, ready to wear normal clothes that actually fit, ready to just move on with my life, READY!!! I hope this week goes by SUPER fast.

My platelets were 74K today.

My friend Kim was admitted to this hospital tonight to be induced and is right down the hall from me. She and Bryan came to visit already while the nurses were preparing her room. It's nice to have a friend nearby.

Beautiful!

My platelets were up to 78K yesterday and are 73K today. I hope they stay that way! The babies are both doing great on all the NST's and scored 8/8 on their BPP again today. Such overachievers!

Today went by fast with all of my visitors! My friend Erin came over with Joseph and Jacob this morning and they brought yummy Panera treats. MMMmmmm! Another friend, Alicia came to visit this afternoon and John came this evening and took me outside. The weather was gorgeous! Truly the best weather EVER!

Not much else going on around here.

Better mood now!

So sorry if you read my crabby post earlier. The day is going much better now. John and Hunter came to visit (that has a lot to do with it) and we had so much fun together. Hunter was busy asking my nurse (Tammy) all about more buttons in the room. She was very accommodating to his relentless inquisitiveness and even lifted him up so he could feel the baby warmer heat up and touch the suction machine. He is the most curious little boy! He told John and I a while back that he wants to be a nurse, "just like Tonya" (his favorite of my nurses).

He has nicknamed the twins "Tree" (A) and "Milk" (B). That's what he told us he will call them. He has even addressed them as such while talking to my belly.

My platelets are back up to 72K today. YAAAAAYYYYYYYY!! The BPP was the fastest one I've ever had. The babies both showed they were practicing breathing instantly and both scored 8/8.

Forgotten patient

Yesterday was pretty busy for the nurses. I hear that Tuesdays are their busiest days because doctors like to schedule inductions and c-sections on that day so that patients are released by the weekend and then they don't have to come in and do rounds. Anyway, I felt like the "forgotten patient" a little bit because I either kept getting left on the monitors for too long or put on late or both. I took myself off a couple of times due to persistent back aches. I also had more variety of nurses because one would get busy and ask another to come in to put me on. It normally wouldn't bother me but the night schedule was all messed up. I'm normally monitored at 11 p.m., 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. to start the next day. They had me on from 9ish until after 10 p.m. when I finally took myself off. I then stayed up late expecting to be put on one last time before bed. Nobody came. I finally went to bed a little past midnight and the nurse came in at 2:00 a.m. I was left on until 3:15 a.m. and now I'm up too early for the day (in my opinion...I wouldn't normally get up at 6 a.m. by choice). I said something to my morning nurse and am hoping today will be better. I got fewer than five hours of sleep and it wasn't continuous. I guess it's good practice for when the babies are at home. If I would've known I would've gone to bed right at 10 p.m. but my "revised schedule" wasn't communicated to me.

My platelets dropped again yesterday. They were 72K and now they are 63K. I haven't had my blood drawn yet today. The lowest they have been since I got here was 59K. I'm not sure why they're dropping so much. One of my favorite nurses, Tonya, said that you can't do anything about it. It's sort of like having "crappy veins...either you have 'em or you don't." I still have a week and a half to pray that they stay where they are or increase so that I don't need more steroids.

I did have a lot of fun earlier in the day when Hunter and John came to visit. Hunter and I played with his new Play-doh Spaghetti Factory that we got him for his birthday. He had a lot of fun making spaghetti, linguine, ravioli, and other pastas. Also, my friends Kim and Elise (fellow scrappers) came to visit last night for a few hours. Thanks guys!

Sorry for the crabby blog post. This hospital stay is dragging on and on. I'm so ready to go home. "Only" 10 days left (plus four post-op days).

All is good...

My friend Mo came over and wheeled me outside today. The sprinklers were on and it was pretty windy so we kept getting sprayed. It was pretty funny.

John and Hunter came by this evening as well. It was so nice to see Hunter again. This last weekend seemed to drag on and on. He was excited to see me too and told me all about the fun times he had at Noni and Nona's!

The twins are doing well. They both scored 8/8 on their BPP (via ultrasound) and are extremely active today. Lots and lots of kicking! My platelets went down to 72K. They just need to be above 50K before I deliver. I'm still contracting (have been since I got here) but it is not affecting my cervix so nobody is worried about it. Terrible back aches and heartburn are my latest complaints. John looked at me tonight and said, "I don't know how you can get any bigger. Your belly extends out past you at least a foot longer than normal!" Two weeks left and then I will have instant relief, although then I'll have an incision that needs healing.

Outside and NICU tour

Today has been such a great day so far!

John took me outside and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was so sunny and warm. I think it's the best weather I've had the opportunity to enjoy since I arrived at the hospital. I was actually getting a little pink and I was only out for maybe 20 minutes. I guess the lack of exposure to the sun has made me extra sensitive.

John came over last night too and brought Maggiano's for dinner (much thanks to Angela, the General Manager for comping our meal) and we ate outside but it was a little breezy and cool. It was much nicer today. John was so cute bringing a candle that he lit to make it more special. Too bad the wind kept blowing it out!

One of the nurses, Tonya, brought us into the NICU so we could see some of the premies to prepare us as much as possible for what's to come. She brought me over several days ago but John hadn't been yet. Those babies are unbelievably tiny. The little girl we saw today was only 3 lbs. and her arm was about as big around as a small hot dog.

My platelets are up to 83K!! I cannot believe that! They just keep going up and up and I am so thrilled about it!

Our babies will be born in less than two weeks now and I CANNOT WAIT!!! This has been such a long journey.

C-section date set

I haven't posted in a couple of days because everything is pretty much the same. John and I met with Dr. Schell (OB), Dr. Chauhan (Perinatologist), and a Neonatologist this morning and we have set a delivery date! My c-section will be on Saturday, June 13th unless the babies decide to come earlier (which hopefully does NOT happen). With taking everyone's advice into consideration John and I decided that the benefits of them staying in for as long as possible outweigh the risks involved in remaining pregnant for two more weeks. Of course this decision was not easy given that a cord accident could happen at any time that would likely take both their lives. Dr. Chauhan mentioned that if a cord accident were to occur and they caught it during a monitoring session it's unlikely that there would be enough time to perform an emergency c-section to save them. We have made it this far and it hasn't happened yet but as Dr. Schell put it, "we're sitting on a time bomb." However, the Neonatologist mentioned brain bleeds with 32 weekers and that pretty much sealed the deal for us. We remain confident that the babies will continue to do well and that the power of prayer and faith will keep them safe inside for just a few more weeks.

Dr. Schell asked Dr. Chauhan if the polyhydramnios (extra fluid) is an advantage in my case because the extra fluid should allow the cords to flow freely rather than be constricted. Dr. Chauhan couldn't give us an answer because in the 17 years he has been practicing he has never had a mono mono twin case with polyhydramnios. He works at several different hospitals and has only cared for a handful of momo pregnancies. There has only been one other set of monoamniotic twins born at this hospital. That family was given the same advice that we just received and decided to deliver at 34 weeks as well.

I toured the NICU today and was able to see several premature babies. They are SO small. There was a set of twin boys that were just born yesterday at 30 weeks (3 1/2 pounds). They were hooked up to all kinds of machines. It was kind of frightening to see but good to prepare for mentally. Our babies are already several weeks ahead of them and weigh a great deal more so they will hopefully need less medical intervention.

All in all we are both really excited to have a date set and cannot wait to meet our little guys. Hunter was so cute yesterday when he visited because he was talking about his little brothers. He was able to see them on the ultrasound equipment during my BPP and one of them yawned. The u/s tech printed a picture for him. He's going to be the best big brother ever!

Monitoring switch

I can't believe I have been here for six weeks (as of last Monday). It feels more like six months.

They have switched my monitoring to be every two hours for a half hour at a time. It means that I am being monitored more overall each day but in shorter increments. The logic behind it being that they are able to keep tabs on the babies more frequently throughout the day and night. My OB is allowing me to be monitored every four hours through the night (instead of every two). That allows me a little more sleep. I thought they would have waited until I reached 32 weeks to increase the monitoring but they are doing it a little bit early.

John and I are meeting with my OB, Perinatologist, and a Neonatologist on Friday morning (when I am officially 32 weeks) to weigh the benefits and risks of keeping the babies in or taking them out. 32 weeks is considered a big milestone because once the babies reach that gestational age it is pretty safe for them to be born. They will most likely have some breathing and feeding issues but it's unlikely that they will face any major defects at that age. We are hoping to keep them in for a few more weeks because at 34 weeks the babies' lungs are developed better and so it is much easier for them to breathe on their own. Also, they develop a suck reflex around that time so it is easier for them to eat as well. We will know more after our pow-wow with the docs at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Memorial Day

I hope everyone had a fun Memorial Day! It was pretty quiet here at the hospital. Hunter and John came to visit this evening and we played with his new Lite Brite that he got for his birthday.

My platelets dropped a little bit (69K).

I reluctantly posted a new belly shot to the slide show. My sister and mom who live in Arizona have been bugging me to send a new picture since they are unable to see me in person. Rather than posting one on my blog I sent one to their private email accounts because to me I look shockingly enormous considering I am only 31 weeks and full-term for a normal twin pregnancy is 37 weeks. I can't imagine how big I would be with six more weeks to go. Of course, the doctors will not allow me to deliver past 34 weeks because of the increased risk of a cord accident so at most I will have three more weeks of growth. Anyway, my sister convinced me to post the picture here but I think this will be the last.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Today was an exciting day for us because Hunter turned four years old! We had a little celebration for him here in the hospital and he had so much fun opening presents and eating cake! Thanks to those who either came or sent gifts. Hunter really had a great day! It's hard to imagine that four years ago we were in this same hospital welcoming him into our family. What a blessing he has been to us.

The babies are the same today, still no arrhythmia for A and my platelets were up again (76K).

31 weeks!

I'm so excited to have made it to 31 weeks and my platelets were up again today (71K). Hooray! John came to the hospital to watch a movie with me. In a nutshell, that was the excitement of the day.

Great day!

Today my platelet count went up for the first time in over a month!! It's now 64K (up from 59K yesterday). It's not a significant increase but I'm just thrilled it didn't drop again. They are drawing my blood every 24 hours now. We will be so happy if it stays above 50K for the next three weeks.

Baby A hasn't shown his arrhythmia in about three days now. Hooray!

My nurse (Dawn) brought me a fruit smoothie and some protein bars today. I guess she was listening pretty intently yesterday when I was complaining about the food. What a sweetheart!

My friend Sarahbeth and her daughter Josie came to visit this morning. We played Scrabble. It was challenging. Sarahbeth is WAY too good at that game.

John also came by and brought me outside for the second day in a row. It was a tad cold so we didn't stay out for too long.

Hunter had a swim lesson in Madison this morning. My mother-in-law enrolled him in a class last week. He learned to float all by himself and dove to the bottom of the pool to retrieve some rings for the first time. I, for one, am impressed! Afterall, he is only three years old (until Sunday).

Platelet drop (again)

Today my platelet count is 59,000 (an average person has 150,000). It has dropped from 71K four days ago. I have been told that if my levels drop below 50K and I have an emergency c-section I will have to be put under general anesthesia and miss the birth of our babies completely. Furthermore, John will not be permitted to be in the operating room. The Chief of Anesthesiology came to talk to me and explained that they do not allow local anesthesia (spinal) for patients with low platelets because they could end up needing back surgery to prevent paralysis because of a hemotoma (bad bruise) in between the bones in the spine with no room to expand, putting pressure on the nerves. They don't want any kind of bleeding anywhere near the spine. It is safer to do general anesthesia for the mother's health. Anyway, I don't think it will come to that because I believe these babies will make it just fine for three more weeks and then I will have a planned c-section. This is better because they will have time to administer more steroids in the days beforehand, which will boost my platelets as long as my body responds to them well. As long as my platelets are above 50K I can safely have a spinal tap and be awake for the delivery (with John beside me). And that's what I'm praying for.

The babies look fantastic! I didn't hear A's arrhythmia at all today. I feel like it's miraculously gone!

I got to meet my friend Shelly's new baby Rylan today when they came for a visit. He's adorable and so snuggly. I got to hold him and it made me so excited to meet our little guys. My in-laws came to visit as well (along with John and Hunter). They were in town to help plant my garden so that we will have fresh produce this summer. Aren't they amazing?! John came back later and took me outside for a bit. The weather was nice.

Anniversary

Today John and I celebrate nine years of marriage together. It (obviously) wasn't how we would normally celebrate the day but at least we got to spend some time together this morning. Hunter was in a great mood so he was especially fun to be around.

I had a growth scan done today at my ultrasound, which happens every three weeks. According to their calculations Baby A weighs 4 lbs. 5 oz. and B weighs 4 lbs. 3 oz. Those are great sizes for their age (71% for A and 68% for B) but like I have mentioned before, they can be off by a pound in either direction. Nonetheless they are showing that they are definitely growing so that's a great sign.

Baby A has flipped and is now breech (head up). B remains head down. A's arrhythmia is so much better these last few days. The u/s technician didn't see it at all during the 45 minute exam and I can hardly hear it when I'm on the monitors. Maybe he's outgrowing it!

Preschool concert

Today I was pretty sad because Hunter had his end-of-the-year preschool concert and I wasn't able to attend. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.

My dad came to the hospital again to visit and brought Hunter an early birthday present. Hunter and John came shortly after and we had a small celebration. Hunter loved his new gifts. We went outside together to try them all out. He has a new sidewalk chalk set with a ton of colors and he had a lot of fun decorating the hospital patio. He also used one of his new squirt guns to "wash" it off. And the bubble gun was a total hit! All in all it really cheered me up to watch him have so much fun with his new toys.

Then my friends Elise and Mo came to the hospital to watch Idol with me. That was fun too. Thanks guys! Mo brought me some new scrapbooking supplies. YAY!

The babies are fine and still "cooking" in me. I was weighed today and have officially gained the same amount (42 lbs) as my total weight gain when I was pregnant with Hunter. Considering this has happened 10 weeks earlier scares me but my doctor reminds me that I am carrying two so I shouldn't worry.

Surprise!

Today I got a super BIG surprise when my dad (who lives in Florida) walked through my door with flowers in hand! He hadn't told anyone he was coming so I was just floored. I haven't seen him in about two years so it was really great to spend that time with him. Our visit got interrupted by my ultrasound appointment so he came back later in the evening with my step-mom. John and Hunter had arrived at the same time. It was super cute to see Hunter show off for them. He kept saying, "Grandpa watch this!" followed by one of his "maneuvers."

The babies are looking great today. A has had an arrhythmia since I was admitted five weeks ago but today it seemed scarcer than normal.

The BPP went fine today as well. B took some time to show he was practicing "breathing" but eventually came around. That's unusual for him. Normally it's A who takes his time to show us this skill. A showed us right away today.

Dr. Schell told me that my platelets have now dropped to 71,000 according to the results of the last blood draw. That means they have dropped by 4,000 in two days. Hopefully that pace doesn't keep up because I really do not want another round of steroids nor do I wish to have a platelet transfusion at the time of my c-section. Positive thoughts...

30 weeks!

That mattress was HORRIBLE. It kept waking me every time I moved at all. At 3:00 a.m. I finally buzzed my nurse and asked her to help me change back to my old mattress (they hadn't taken it away yet). I was then able to sleep through the remainder of the night.

We've made it to 30 weeks! Super exciting stuff! We have two to four more to go before meeting our little guys.

New mattress

My nurse convinced me to get a different mattress today because she said it would be way more comfortable and now that I have it I'm not sure I like it. It's an air mattress that continuously pumps air and the machine it's hooked up to makes this humming noise that I'm not too fond of. I might have to ask to have it switched back.

Sarahbeth and Mo (scrapping friends) came to visit me today with their daughters, Josie and Kennedy. It was fun hanging out. Thanks for bringing me your paint Mo!

Other than that it has been a quiet day.

Humane Society

I wasn't able to post last night due to a virus on my laptop. Luckily my Geek Squad hookup (John) assisted me with fixing the problem and I'm back online.

Yesterday was a busy day. My friend Erin and her son Jacob came to visit in the morning. Then Hunter and John came for lunch before heading off to Madison. We were lucky enough to have been informed by our nurse that The Humane Society was visiting in the lobby of the hospital with some of their animals, some of which were therapy dogs. We went down to check it out and Hunter really enjoyed it, despite his great fear of dogs. There was a Newfoundland that looked like a small bear. Hunter thought it was pretty funny (from a distance). We also got to see a brand new kitten and Hunter was able to pet a guinea pig.

Last night my friend Sara came to visit as well. I decided to paint my nails while we were hanging out and was having trouble reaching my toes with this big belly of mine, so she offered to do it for me. Such a sweetheart!

A surgical tech named Lisa surprised me with a pint of Kopp's frozen custard last night. I see her pretty often even though she isn't one of my nurses. She assists doctors with c-sections and I'm hoping she's the surgical tech on duty for when I have mine. She is so nice! She has twins too so she's been giving me tips on what to expect.

The monitoring went well yesterday and so far today they look great too! My ultrasound showed both babies practicing breathing and they scored 8/8 today, like always. I had a little extra amniotic fluid but nothing alarmingly high.

1 month

I have officially been a hospital patient for an entire month as of today. I was admitted on April 13th. I'm getting pretty good at finding the babies when they decide to scootch off the monitors. My nurse was looking for Baby A for 45 minutes tonight with no luck finding him. She got called out of the room to take a phone call and I found him in less than five minutes. A few days ago one of my nurses joked with me that I could get a job here.

Hunter and John visited in the morning but otherwise it has been a quiet day. Both babies looked great on the ultrasound today.

Visitor night

Tuesdays always go by quickly for me because it's my biggest visitor night. John and Hunter came around 4:30 p.m. and as I was finishing up monitoring Hunter was keeping my nurse busy by asking all kinds of questions about different equipment in my room (again). He was fascinated with the labor lights in the ceiling tonight. He was having a ball controlling them. He was also asking about the monitors themselves and Tanya (nurse) told him she could put one on his heart so he could listen to it beat. Hunter backed away and said, "Oh, gosh no. Not today." We took another bath in the whirlpool tub and that was super fun. John picked up Thai food for dinner. Yum!

Dr. Schell was here waiting when I finished taking my bath and Hunter decided to be a little exhibitionist for a bit. He was having a blast dancing on the bed and running around the room naked.

The doctor who has been tracking my platelets also came to my room this evening in order to update me on that front. She said that my platelet count right now is 78,000 (normal is above 150,000). She said that if I delivered right now that this count would be fine to get me through the c-section. If it drops below 50,000 they would want to give me steroids and a possible platelet transfusion at the time of surgery. Let's hope we don't need to cross that bridge. She suspects I have an immune disorder that runs in my family called ITP. My sister had it when she was 4 years old. I've never been tested for it before and didn't have any trouble with excess bleeding when I delivered Hunter so I'm not sure what to make of the news.

My scrapbooking friends came over (Elise, Sarahbeth, Kim and Raven) to watch Idol tonight. Thanks guys for making the effort to see me! I know it's no fun to watch it on a small hospital t.v. with bad sound but I appreciate it so much that you come anyway to keep me company. You're the best!

Weight Day

Today is "weight" day (once a week). I've gained 37 pounds since the start of my pregnancy. I gained 42 total with Hunter but I carried him 11 more weeks plus a few days. The boys showed they were "breathing" very quickly today on the ultrasound. Both scored 8/8 again. My amniotic fluid level is once again normal and cervical length is "long" (which is good).

I had a fun surprise today when a hospital volunteer knocked on my door to deliver some mail and it wasn't bills! How exciting!! I got two cards from my friend Keem, a card from Karen Anderson (her mom) and a letter from Laurean (John's sister) with drawings from Jarrett and Johnny as well as a letter from Ethan (nephews). I hung them all up in my room. This room is really beginning to look lived in. Thanks everyone!

The babies looked good on the monitors today. A still has an arrhythmia and B is "normal." Both tracked very easily and haven't changed position.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was pretty quiet this morning and early afternoon. John, Hunter, Laura & Dean (my in-laws) came to see me around 4 p.m. and brought a dozen roses, a cake, and some fresh cut up mango (yum!!). Hunter handed me a musical card on which he recorded a message for me. It said, "Hi Mommy! Happy Mother's Day! I love you! Hunter James Collins" and then it plays that song, "She's Some Kind of Wonderful." I love that he said his full name. So cute! He signed the card himself too so that's pretty special. It was fun to visit with everyone. Hunter was very busy asking my nurse what every button and machine does in my room. She was very sweet to go out of her way to answer all of his questions and allowed him to push a lot of the buttons on the machines. John got Qdoba for dinner so I avoided hospital food tonight. My doctor brought me flowers last night when she visited and chocolates tonight. She's so sweet!

The babies are doing well. They seem to be in the same positions and have been for four or five days now so that's good!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day!!!

29 weeks

More monitoring, scrapbooking and visiting with John. Babies are fine. The big news of the day is I've made it to 29 weeks now. Hooray!

What weather!

Good news today at my ultrasound. My amniotic fluid lowered to within normal levels so I'm happy about that. The babies looked great. B had his arm wrapped around A's head. They were snuggling!

I spent the majority of the day scrapbooking and made the CUTEST spiderman page for Hunter (from Halloween last year). I'm excited about it!

My friend Raven surprised me with a morning visit. She's also pregnant (with a boy) and due in July. She had an OB appointment in the building so she stopped by to say "hi" for a bit.

John came over this evening and took me outside and thank goodness for it because the weather was PERFECT (80 degrees and sunny)!! I wanted to stay out there all night. There's rain in the forecast for tomorrow so I'm sure I'll be staying in all day.

Walk

Today was the same ol' same ol'. Nothing new to report as far as the babies are concerned. This evening my nurse (one of my favorites) wheeled me outside and left me there alone to read my magazine. It was so nice! She told me I could just leave the wheelchair in the lobby and walk back up to my room when I was ready to come back. It felt so liberating to walk a "long" distance and not have to be wheeled. The things you take for granted...

Hydramnios

Yesterday was non-eventful so I didn't post. I watched a few movies (thanks Bourquin) and scrapbooked a bit. The babies were the same until the p.m. monitoring when they "fell off" the monitors and my nurse found their heart beats in completely different locations than before. It didn't come as a surprise then at my ultrasound today that they had shifted positions again. This time it was pretty minor. They kind of shifted about 10 minutes clockwise, both still head down for the most part and they're still on the same sides with B is super low (they say "presenting" which means that B is closest to my cervix). John said that B is just tired of being called B and wants to be "first" (the baby that is presenting will automatically be born first and thus will be called Baby A).

Apparently I have a mild case of hydramnios (sometimes called polyhydramnios) which means that I have an excess of amniotic fluid. This could be caused by a number of different things but right now they are not worried about it because it's not a severe case by any means. I guess it's just something they will continue to watch and hope that it doesn't get worse. I read on the internet that it occurs in 3-4% of all pregnancies. I'm wondering what other rare things are going to show up during this pregnancy. I also read that, "Hydramnios may also occur during perfectly healthy multiple pregnancies." That puts my mind at ease.

John and Hunter came to visit tonight. We all had dinner together and then Hunter and I took a bath in the giant whirlpool tub. He had SO much fun. The giggling was endless as he swam all over the place playing with the jets and going underwater. It made me so happy to see him having such a good time.

More awesome stuff

Hunter did in fact visit today (Monday) for a short time and brought flowers and homemade cookies (thanks Nona!). He was very excited to share them with me. We had a nice visit but had to cut it short because it was getting to be time for dinner. He was so sad when we told him it was time to go home. He started crying and said he didn't want to go and that he wanted to stay "here" (at the hospital). I felt terrible for him but I know that tomorrow's visit will be easier.

My girlfriends Becky and Shelly came over for a surprise visit tonight and brought Toppers breadsticks. YUM! They wheeled me outside for a night time stroll too. It was so much fun!! I haven't seen the moon in three weeks. I could also see the blossoming trees. They were just beautiful. I have noticed that I've taken nature's wonders for granted now that I don't have the privilege of seeing them on a regular basis. That's one thing I have learned while being in here. Beck & Shel, I had a lot of fun with you guys, like I always do. What a great surprise!!

3 weeks inpatient

Well, I've survived being here for three whole weeks. I can't imagine up to six more but I'll do what it takes to give our twins the easiest time possible recovering from prematurity. When asked what the plan is as far as the date they will be born if everything continues as it has been my doctor said they'd like to see me make it to 32 weeks (May 30th) and we'll see how it goes day by day after that. If they see any erratic behavior at that time they will schedule a c-section but if the babies are not looking distressed in any way they may allow me to deliver at 34 weeks (June 13th-a day after my birthday!). It doesn't sound like I will be permitted to carry the pregnancy later than that. I guess the risk of "cord accidents" heightens significantly after 34 weeks. The boys are doing well today and are still in the same position. Both got 8/8 again on their BPP and monitored well this morning.

John has been visiting daily and took me on an outside adventure the last two days to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine (and when I say "adventure" I mean sitting out on the patio in a wheelchair). I don't think I'll get out today though as he is working all day and then driving to Madison to pick up Hunter. They will visit later on tonight and I'm really looking forward to that. I haven't seen Hunter since last week Thursday. He has been emailing me daily though with updates on his time at Noni and Nona's. It sounds like they are having lots of fun. He wrote me yesterday saying that they "played records...like 10,000 of them!"

Yay, 28 weeks!

Can I just vent for a second and say that I am so sick of being here? I'm going crazy in this room. Okay, that's done.

The babies are doing the same. I think they may have even stayed in the same position for two whole days now. Woah! I'll know for sure tomorrow morning at my ultrasound.

The good news is we made it to 28 weeks as of yesterday so the really super scary stuff is past (if the babies were to be born right now). Of course, it would be a lot better if I made it to 32 weeks but at least the babies would be better off as opposed to a week ago.

It looks nice and sunny outside today. I hope you all are enjoying the weather!

Can't keep track!

At my ultrasound the tech found A on my left and B on my right, both are still head down. It's so hard to keep track. They keep switching and turning and changing direction. So much for Dr. Schell's comment about how they don't change positions that much this late in the pregnancy. I guess our boys have a mind of their own and decided not to follow the "rules."

Today was a fairly quiet day. I had one surprise visitor. Beth, the secretary at St. Martin of Tours, came in the morning with a nice rose plant. So nice and unexpected! Then John came in the afternoon and then back for a little while in the evening. I had lots of down time so I spent it scrapbooking. Gotta catch up before our new little ones arrive. I don't think I'll have much time to scrapbook for a while after they enter our lives.

The boys behaved for the most part with staying on the monitors today. I had lots of contractions today and I'm not really sure why. I tried to stay hydrated to avoid any talk of putting an IV back in for fluids or, worse yet, a terbutaline shot. It must have worked because they calmed down this evening.