Soooo, Jack has this new 'thing' at bedtime.. While Lyla goes to sleep pretty easily and without much drama, Jack just isn't tired. AT ALL. He's wired, actually. It's almost as if someone gave him a Red Bull.. He's all smiles and laughs and totally not ready for bed.
Last night, the babies had dinner around 5, bath around 6 and their bedtime bottle at about 6:30 or so- a typical bedtime routine these days. Lyla went down around 6:45, squawked a few times, so we'd go replace her paci.. but she was asleep by 7:10 or so. Jack drank his bottle and got pretty heavy eyed so I went to put him in bed and UP popped his head. I patted his back and he strained to see the projection on the ceiling from their sound machine, so I flipped him on his back (yes, my kid sleeps on his belly. It's what he prefers and has been rolling onto his tummy to sleep since he was 3 months old. I can't stop him.) so he could watch the show and snuck out of the room to pump.
About 3 minutes later, he started baby talking REALLLLLY loud, so Jeremy went to quiet him down and ended up just brining him back out into the family room. This is what happened:
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Bananas and Dad out of town
Jeremy has been working a lot these days- like insane amounts. His company is doing several stores across the country and he is running things on many of them. His workload is insane and he has to travel to some of the locations to help out and learn what is being done. He's tired, I'm tired.. the babies were sick last week and they're stuffy and crabby which makes things more fun for all of us. Jeremy left Sunday afternoon to go to a remodel and so I've been on double duty.
Sunday night, my parents came over and helped with bedtime, which turned out to be a great thing because both babies were super high maintenance that night. Lyla was chatty and tired and refused to go to sleep. We could hear her blah blah blahing (her latest noise) for 30 minutes after we put her down. Jack was wired and definitely not tired. The house was a mess, the dishwasher needed to be emptied.. my parents were a huge help that night.
Last night, I was on my own. My mom called to see how things were going and if I needed help and I told her I thought I had everything under control. I had picked the babies up from the sitter at 4:15 and she thought they would probably need to be fed by the time I got home. I put them in their highchairs and let them play with their sippy cups while I made their dinner- cereal and bananas. They ate great- Lyla likes to talk while she eats- num num num num la la lala lalala.. she's very noisy these days. Jack has learned how to give raspberries which is super cute, but not while you're trying to feed him. He and I were both covered in slimy bananas by the time he was finished eating. After dinner, I changed them into their pjs and they played in their exersaucers while I cleaned the mess, made bottles and started to steam some peas for them for later this week.
Around 6:15 Jack started to rub his eyes and get a little fussy. I warmed a bottle for him and he fell asleep about 3.5 ounces in. He went right to bed, no problem. 6:30, one kid down.. one to go.
Lyla played a little while longer, then started to fuss so I warmed her bottle and attempted to feed her. She was grabby for the bottle, but kept fussing about it. She'd take a few swallows then get really angry so I'd sit her up to burp and she'd grab for the bottle again. Finally she took 4 oz and seemed to be finished, so I stood up to burp her and take her to bed when the girl literally exploded all over the two of us. I have never seen such a geyser of bananas, milk and cereal come out of a child with such force and height. All I could do was stand there and make sure her airway was clear when the river of not quite digested food had finished flowing from her tiny mouth. When she was finished she looked up at me and smiled. The kid didn't seem the least bit fazed by what had just happened. I was awestruck.. and covered in bananas. We snuck into the babies' room to get a change of clothes for her and some wet wipes for a quick wipe down. Her pjs were toast.. soaked and stinky. I got her changed and just happened to glance at myself in the mirror. 
This really doesn't even do it justice. Most of the river of slime ended up DOWN my shirt and IN my BRA. My shirt is wet from being soaked from the inside out. The vast amount of bananas that were found in my bra was amazing. It was almost as if I just poured the mashed bananas into my bra.
I cleaned myself up (ended up getting bananas in my hair in the process) and gave the girl another few ounces because I knew there was NOTHING left in her stomach. She went right to bed after that, waking up at 5:15 this morning.
Moral of the story- Mom can handle the babies, a huge river of slimy bananas in her bra and end the night making peaches and peas for the babies all before 9:15 all by herself. Yay me :)
PS- This isn't the first time Lyla has exploded on one of her parents.. but Dad just got covered in milk
Monday, October 11, 2010
MU Tailgate
Jeremy and I took the babies to their first MU Game on September 25th. I feel like I spent the whole week beforehand trying to get everything together for the 2 hours drive to Columbia- cooking things for the tailgate, prepping the kids outfits, doing laundry and cleaning the house because we wouldn't be home that day until late and those things needed to get done at some point.
The game started at 1:00, and our tailgate started at 10:00, so we knew we were going to have to leave the house early to get there in time. We left the house by 8 and the babies slept almost the whole way there. We picked up my sister at 10:15 because she was going to be our 3rd set of hands and wanted to spend some time with the munchkins (we are SOOO lucky to have such an involved aunt!!).
The plan was to have Jeremy drop us, the babies and all of our STUFF off at the tailgate then park the car somewhere else because we didn't have a parking pass. The girl at the entrance of the lot wasn't going to let us even pull into the lot, but after a lot of convinceing that we had TWO VERY SMALL BABIES, she finally let us in. We parked right next to our tailgater friends and never left the lot...oops! There were plenty of spots available and the parking lot police never said a word to them. 
The babies were fantastic the whole time. They each took naps, ate their bottles and were great sports the whole time. We decided not to go into the game which turned out to be a good idea-it was loud and hot in the stadium and not really baby appropriate. Plus they got more time with Aunt Caitie. We loaded up around 4, took Aunt Cait home and were on the road by 4:30. The slept until about Warrenton then were very vocal about needing bottles. We pulled into a parking lot, gave them their bottles and headed home. It really could not have been a better day.
Sitters
No, not the 16 year old kind that you hope don't invite their boyfriends over for make out sessions while they are supposed to be watching your precious little ones.. I'm talking about having two 7 month olds that are now officially sitting.. well, with a little help. We have had a few tumbles, but they're doing great. Jack gets a huge smile on his face when he loses his balance and hits the floor. Lyla squawks in frustration until someone rights her.
Monday, September 20, 2010
TaTa's
I have been a little neurotic about BF over the past 6 months. I believe the BM is the best thing for the twins and luckily, I've been able to keep up with their feedings and I have a good amount stock piled in the deep freeze. When the twins were about a month old, I was having trouble getting my supply established and ended up taking Fenugreek for a few weeks. That got things rolling and things have been great ever since. I think both babies have each only had one bottle of formula since they were born. That being said, I totally understand that BFing isn't for everyone. Some can't get a supply established, some don't have the time- every one has their reasons. I'm for feeding babies- doesn't matter which you feed them :)
Honestly, I'm an EP (exclusive pumper). I have been since the babies were about 6 weeks old. It's just a lot easier for me to pump and bottle feed them. Yes, it takes a bit more time, but when you have two it's a lot easier to have my husband, mother, mother in law, sister, etc. feed one while I feed the other. My friends always ask just how much I'm able to pump and they're always amazed. I pump 5 times a day. My first pump is always my largest- about 20 oz and I do that around 5:00 AM. My second pump is about 14-16 oz sometime between 9-10AM. Third is about 12 oz- 2-3PM, forth 6:30ish and I get about 10-12 oz and fifth is right before bed. I usually only get about 8 oz then. Yes, I'm a dairy cow. I don't mind the pumping and it has been going really well for me. I love to be able to eat pretty much whatever I want- I weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant. I really love that I save us about $200/ month in formula.
Why all this talk about TaTas? Well, I have a clogged duct. It hurts like hell and I'm afraid it's getting infected. I've been working on it for more than 24hrs and it still won't unclog. Heating pads, hot showers, massive amounts of pumping.. nothing seems to be working and I'm starting to stress. I almost stayed home from work so I could work on getting it out. I brought my heating pad to work with me so I could heat and pump at the same time.
It's time to pump now- fingers crossed that I can work this sucker out!!!
UPDATE- The clog came out.. after lots of massaging and hoping and swearing and 'please oh please.. it came out. No medical intervention needed.. WHEW.
Honestly, I'm an EP (exclusive pumper). I have been since the babies were about 6 weeks old. It's just a lot easier for me to pump and bottle feed them. Yes, it takes a bit more time, but when you have two it's a lot easier to have my husband, mother, mother in law, sister, etc. feed one while I feed the other. My friends always ask just how much I'm able to pump and they're always amazed. I pump 5 times a day. My first pump is always my largest- about 20 oz and I do that around 5:00 AM. My second pump is about 14-16 oz sometime between 9-10AM. Third is about 12 oz- 2-3PM, forth 6:30ish and I get about 10-12 oz and fifth is right before bed. I usually only get about 8 oz then. Yes, I'm a dairy cow. I don't mind the pumping and it has been going really well for me. I love to be able to eat pretty much whatever I want- I weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant. I really love that I save us about $200/ month in formula.
Why all this talk about TaTas? Well, I have a clogged duct. It hurts like hell and I'm afraid it's getting infected. I've been working on it for more than 24hrs and it still won't unclog. Heating pads, hot showers, massive amounts of pumping.. nothing seems to be working and I'm starting to stress. I almost stayed home from work so I could work on getting it out. I brought my heating pad to work with me so I could heat and pump at the same time.
It's time to pump now- fingers crossed that I can work this sucker out!!!
UPDATE- The clog came out.. after lots of massaging and hoping and swearing and 'please oh please.. it came out. No medical intervention needed.. WHEW.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Oh, so tired
Jack and Lyla are teething. Well, at least we think they are. Jack has already popped two teeth and is absolutely adorable. He grins and two tiny perfect white teeth can be seen. Lyla has been drooling, chewing, gnawing, etc on everything she can get her hands on. She has recently began crying fits for no reason which leads me to believe we're going to see a tooth soon (fingers crossed).
Needless to say, with all of this teething going on our house hasn't been so quiet the past few weeks. We got a few good nights when we started cereal, but things have returned to 'normal' and we're up 2+ times a night. Lyla, our normally good sleeper, has been waking up a few times a night and just won't go back to bed. We've been resorting to putting her in her swing and sleeping on the couch- NOT something that I want to become a habit.
Yesterday, I was exhausted. I think I woke up around 3:45 and never really got back to bed. When I got to work, I tried to use my garage door opener to open the gate at my office.. it didn't work.
Needless to say, with all of this teething going on our house hasn't been so quiet the past few weeks. We got a few good nights when we started cereal, but things have returned to 'normal' and we're up 2+ times a night. Lyla, our normally good sleeper, has been waking up a few times a night and just won't go back to bed. We've been resorting to putting her in her swing and sleeping on the couch- NOT something that I want to become a habit.
Yesterday, I was exhausted. I think I woke up around 3:45 and never really got back to bed. When I got to work, I tried to use my garage door opener to open the gate at my office.. it didn't work.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
6 Months Old
Okay, so I've been away for a while. Let's just say life with twins is insane. It's loud, messy and so much fun. There have been tears (both mine and the twins) and there has been screaming, (me, Jeremy, the babies- we have screamed at one point or another) but there have also been moments so great, I never in a million years could have imagined how great these kids have made me feel. I feel like I've finally found something that I'm meant to do- and I'm good at it. Granted, I'm tired and sore and my house has definitely looked like a tornado hit it on more than one occasion, but I am loving my life right now.
Jack and Lyla are 6 months old now. She weighs 14lbs 8oz and he weighs 14lbs 1oz. She has a temper like her father and he is laid back like me. Her eyes are the same blue as my mom's and we think his are going to be grey/blue.. hazel? She loves her pacifier and hates green beans. He loves his Big Bird and is a great eater. He has 2 teeth (lower middle ones) and she still doesn't have any. These days, neither of them are sleeping though the night. Jack loves to cuddle and Lyla would rather do her own thing. I love their smiles, their smells (even the stinky ones) and spending time with them.
My goal is to begin posting several times a week. I have loved looking back at this blog and seeing how things were a year ago. I only wish I would have kept better notes over the past 6 months! So, starting today expect at least 3 posts a week from me. And more pictures- LOTS of pictures :)
Jack and Lyla are 6 months old now. She weighs 14lbs 8oz and he weighs 14lbs 1oz. She has a temper like her father and he is laid back like me. Her eyes are the same blue as my mom's and we think his are going to be grey/blue.. hazel? She loves her pacifier and hates green beans. He loves his Big Bird and is a great eater. He has 2 teeth (lower middle ones) and she still doesn't have any. These days, neither of them are sleeping though the night. Jack loves to cuddle and Lyla would rather do her own thing. I love their smiles, their smells (even the stinky ones) and spending time with them.
My goal is to begin posting several times a week. I have loved looking back at this blog and seeing how things were a year ago. I only wish I would have kept better notes over the past 6 months! So, starting today expect at least 3 posts a week from me. And more pictures- LOTS of pictures :)
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Birth Story
After we left Dr. Wagner's office, we headed home to pack and take Charlie to my parents' house. The plan was that family would be notified when we were going to the hospital, but in order to keep some level of sanity, we requested that they wait for a second phone call from us before they headed to the hospital. We also requested that they refrain from sharing the news with anyone as we wanted to be the ones to announce the birth of our kids..more on this later..
We went home, grabbed our overnight bag, a few last minute things and the dog and headed to my parents house who live about 10 minutes from us. The plan was to surprise them when we got there, but my brother was the only one home and the first to find out that we were having the babies that evening. We called and texted family on our way to the hospital, all the time, not really in any hurry. We even debated whether or not we should stop and get something to eat, but decided against it because I wasn't supposed to eat anything before surgery.
The phone calls to our parents were pretty funny. My dad's response was full of 4 letter words, Jeremy's mom didn't quite realize what he was telling her and it took a moment to sink in.
We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 PM and were settled in the room by about 7:00. I was hooked up the standard ToCo (contraction) monitor, had an IV and cath put in and was checked by a nurse to see how things were progressing. Much to ALL of our surprise, I was at 7, pushing 8cm and wasn't really in any pain. Again, I was just uncomfortable. She left to speak to a doctor and to call anesthesia to speed things up. Jeremy and I watched a little TV (I don't remember what was on) and we watched the line on the contraction monitor continue to rise and I continued to feel more and more uncomfortable- never in any pain, just uncomfortable. At one point, Jeremy asked if I needed anything and I told him that in about 2 minutes, I was going to send him to find a doctor or a nurse. At that precise moment, my doctor, the anesthesiologist and several nurses walked in in full scrubs. Jeremy took that as his signal to go put on his scrubs.
I was wheeled into the surgical room,which was FREEZING, at 8:00PM. Jeremy was asked to wait outside until I had been prepped. "Prep" consisted of getting a spinal block (didn't feel a thing) and my belly getting scrubbed and cleaned. There were about 14 people in the room, including myself and my doctor- nurses for me, a doctor and a few nurses for each of the babies, the anesthesiologist, the room was full. While I was being prepped, I watched the nurses get the two isolets ready for the babies and realized I went to grade school with one of the nurses. Talk about a small world!
After I had been prepped, I was laying on the table waiting for Jeremy to come in. One of the nurses told me that my mother in law had stopped her and wanted her to tell me that they were there. As if I was waiting on pins and needles and wouldn't start before they arrived.. sigh...
Jeremy was allowed in at about 8:10 and the blue screen was pulled up. The anesthesiologist stood behind me and I laid on the table with my arms out to my sides- think Jesus on the cross. He narrated what my doctor was doing for me and when the time came, he told Jeremy to stand up and look- they were pulling Baby A (Lyla) out (8:19PM) . Even though I couldn't feel anything from the waist down, I felt the weight of her leave my body. She was rushed to one of the isolets and her team began working on her. I remember hearing her 'gurgle', but I wasn't concerned. I knew she was okay. I'd never been worried about her. Something told me that she was going to be fine. Then, I heard the anaesthesiologist tell Jeremy to look over the screen again because they were lifting Baby B (Jack) out (8:20PM). Jeremy peeked over the screen just as Jack was pull butt-first out of my abdomen, screaming and mad as hell. I got a quick peek at him before the nurses started working on him before I heard the anaesthesiologist ask Jeremy if he was okay. I looked up and Jeremy was WHITE. He sat down and had a wet cloth put on his neck. Poor guy almost passed out. Turns out, Lyla was still being worked on- she inhaled a bit of fluid right before they pulled her out and was having some problems breathing. We have a few pictures of her while they were working on her and she was a bit blue. The combination of seeing our blue child and watching Jack be pulled butt-first from my stomach was a bit much for him. After a short break, he was up again snapping pictures of our kiddos.
While Jack was on the table, he peed all over one of the nurses. They were able to stabilize Lyla and before we knew it, Jeremy was holding both babies. My arms were still spread out and I was being sewn up, so I couldn't really hold either of them, but I breathed them in as much as I could before they were wisked away to the Special Care nursery.
A few things that I remember about the c-section itself..
1. The spinal block didn't hurt at all- just a small pinch and that was it.
2. I felt the babies being pulled out of me. No pain, but I felt the weight of them leaving me.
3. The room is FREEZING
4. The suction container was right by my head- literally, I just had to turn my head to the right and I could see everything that they were sucking out of me. Good thing I have a strong stomach.. because I got to see all sorts of nastyness.
5. The anaesthesiologist was great. He made sure Jeremy took pictures of the babies and he even took our first family picture.
After I was sewn up, by a resident (ARGHHHHH), I was sat up and got to see an incredibly flat stomach for the first time in months. The nurses even commented on how it didn't even look like I'd just had twins. SO nice to hear :) They scrubbed me down, cleaned my belly and back. Jeremy told me later that it was pretty nasty and bloody. Nice. Then I was moved onto another bed and wheeled back into the room. I remember it was about 9:00 because the anesthesiologist requested that a certain channel be turned on because the new series "Parenthood" was beginning. Looking back, it was very appropriate.
Our parents were allowed back into the room and were incredibly hyped up. They had seen the babies pass by in the isolets and were able to catch a glimpse of them. At one point, Jeremy asked if they wanted to know their names. They were all very happy with our choices. I started to get the shakes, which continues for quite some time, as a result of the surgery. I couldn't move from the waist down, but my whole body was shaking. I was trying to drink some water and finally gave up because I was afraid I was going to pour it all over myself.
Before I was moved into the room I would call home for the next 4 days, I was wheeled into the Special Care nursery so I could see the babies. I was able to see both of them, but I could only hold Lyla. Jack was put on oxygen because his levels had dropped a bit, but Lyla was going strong. When they were born, they got hats with stickers put on them #1, #2.. I'm afraid that Lyla will never let Jack forget that she was #1 from the day they were born.
After spending a few short moments with the babies, I was wheeled into my room, vitals were taken and Jeremy and I had a few quiet moments to ourselves. By that time, it was after midnight and we were pooped. He tried to sleep on the futon in the room, but the constant checking of my vitals throughout the night kept him up. At one point, the nurse noticed that my incision was seeping and called the doctor who was on call that night. I think it was about 3AM and the doctor had to have been 85 years old. There was concern that I was going to have to go back into surgery again to have it resewn.. damn resident! They changed my dressing and watched it more closely and the fear of going into surgery again brought back the shakes. Badly. It was finally decided that it was just a pocket of fluid and surgery was not needed. Whew..
I awoke the next morning to gigantic boobs. They were rock hard and oh-my-goodness big. A nurse wheeled in a pump and I began pumping the precious gold colostrum. Every drop was important and Jeremy used the tiny syringe to get every little bit to take down to the babies. The visitors started arriving and Jeremy would take them to the Special Care nursery to see the babies, but I still hadn't gotten down there. I still had an IV and cath, and moving even the slighted bit hurt so bad. Finally my mom showed up and got me loaded into a wheelchair and she and Jeremy took me down to see my babies. They were so tiny. I breathed them in, loved on them and kissed them as much as I could.
We went home, grabbed our overnight bag, a few last minute things and the dog and headed to my parents house who live about 10 minutes from us. The plan was to surprise them when we got there, but my brother was the only one home and the first to find out that we were having the babies that evening. We called and texted family on our way to the hospital, all the time, not really in any hurry. We even debated whether or not we should stop and get something to eat, but decided against it because I wasn't supposed to eat anything before surgery.
The phone calls to our parents were pretty funny. My dad's response was full of 4 letter words, Jeremy's mom didn't quite realize what he was telling her and it took a moment to sink in.
We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 PM and were settled in the room by about 7:00. I was hooked up the standard ToCo (contraction) monitor, had an IV and cath put in and was checked by a nurse to see how things were progressing. Much to ALL of our surprise, I was at 7, pushing 8cm and wasn't really in any pain. Again, I was just uncomfortable. She left to speak to a doctor and to call anesthesia to speed things up. Jeremy and I watched a little TV (I don't remember what was on) and we watched the line on the contraction monitor continue to rise and I continued to feel more and more uncomfortable- never in any pain, just uncomfortable. At one point, Jeremy asked if I needed anything and I told him that in about 2 minutes, I was going to send him to find a doctor or a nurse. At that precise moment, my doctor, the anesthesiologist and several nurses walked in in full scrubs. Jeremy took that as his signal to go put on his scrubs.
I was wheeled into the surgical room,which was FREEZING, at 8:00PM. Jeremy was asked to wait outside until I had been prepped. "Prep" consisted of getting a spinal block (didn't feel a thing) and my belly getting scrubbed and cleaned. There were about 14 people in the room, including myself and my doctor- nurses for me, a doctor and a few nurses for each of the babies, the anesthesiologist, the room was full. While I was being prepped, I watched the nurses get the two isolets ready for the babies and realized I went to grade school with one of the nurses. Talk about a small world!
After I had been prepped, I was laying on the table waiting for Jeremy to come in. One of the nurses told me that my mother in law had stopped her and wanted her to tell me that they were there. As if I was waiting on pins and needles and wouldn't start before they arrived.. sigh...
Jeremy was allowed in at about 8:10 and the blue screen was pulled up. The anesthesiologist stood behind me and I laid on the table with my arms out to my sides- think Jesus on the cross. He narrated what my doctor was doing for me and when the time came, he told Jeremy to stand up and look- they were pulling Baby A (Lyla) out (8:19PM) . Even though I couldn't feel anything from the waist down, I felt the weight of her leave my body. She was rushed to one of the isolets and her team began working on her. I remember hearing her 'gurgle', but I wasn't concerned. I knew she was okay. I'd never been worried about her. Something told me that she was going to be fine. Then, I heard the anaesthesiologist tell Jeremy to look over the screen again because they were lifting Baby B (Jack) out (8:20PM). Jeremy peeked over the screen just as Jack was pull butt-first out of my abdomen, screaming and mad as hell. I got a quick peek at him before the nurses started working on him before I heard the anaesthesiologist ask Jeremy if he was okay. I looked up and Jeremy was WHITE. He sat down and had a wet cloth put on his neck. Poor guy almost passed out. Turns out, Lyla was still being worked on- she inhaled a bit of fluid right before they pulled her out and was having some problems breathing. We have a few pictures of her while they were working on her and she was a bit blue. The combination of seeing our blue child and watching Jack be pulled butt-first from my stomach was a bit much for him. After a short break, he was up again snapping pictures of our kiddos.
While Jack was on the table, he peed all over one of the nurses. They were able to stabilize Lyla and before we knew it, Jeremy was holding both babies. My arms were still spread out and I was being sewn up, so I couldn't really hold either of them, but I breathed them in as much as I could before they were wisked away to the Special Care nursery.
A few things that I remember about the c-section itself..
1. The spinal block didn't hurt at all- just a small pinch and that was it.
2. I felt the babies being pulled out of me. No pain, but I felt the weight of them leaving me.
3. The room is FREEZING
4. The suction container was right by my head- literally, I just had to turn my head to the right and I could see everything that they were sucking out of me. Good thing I have a strong stomach.. because I got to see all sorts of nastyness.
5. The anaesthesiologist was great. He made sure Jeremy took pictures of the babies and he even took our first family picture.
After I was sewn up, by a resident (ARGHHHHH), I was sat up and got to see an incredibly flat stomach for the first time in months. The nurses even commented on how it didn't even look like I'd just had twins. SO nice to hear :) They scrubbed me down, cleaned my belly and back. Jeremy told me later that it was pretty nasty and bloody. Nice. Then I was moved onto another bed and wheeled back into the room. I remember it was about 9:00 because the anesthesiologist requested that a certain channel be turned on because the new series "Parenthood" was beginning. Looking back, it was very appropriate.
Our parents were allowed back into the room and were incredibly hyped up. They had seen the babies pass by in the isolets and were able to catch a glimpse of them. At one point, Jeremy asked if they wanted to know their names. They were all very happy with our choices. I started to get the shakes, which continues for quite some time, as a result of the surgery. I couldn't move from the waist down, but my whole body was shaking. I was trying to drink some water and finally gave up because I was afraid I was going to pour it all over myself.
Before I was moved into the room I would call home for the next 4 days, I was wheeled into the Special Care nursery so I could see the babies. I was able to see both of them, but I could only hold Lyla. Jack was put on oxygen because his levels had dropped a bit, but Lyla was going strong. When they were born, they got hats with stickers put on them #1, #2.. I'm afraid that Lyla will never let Jack forget that she was #1 from the day they were born.
After spending a few short moments with the babies, I was wheeled into my room, vitals were taken and Jeremy and I had a few quiet moments to ourselves. By that time, it was after midnight and we were pooped. He tried to sleep on the futon in the room, but the constant checking of my vitals throughout the night kept him up. At one point, the nurse noticed that my incision was seeping and called the doctor who was on call that night. I think it was about 3AM and the doctor had to have been 85 years old. There was concern that I was going to have to go back into surgery again to have it resewn.. damn resident! They changed my dressing and watched it more closely and the fear of going into surgery again brought back the shakes. Badly. It was finally decided that it was just a pocket of fluid and surgery was not needed. Whew..
I awoke the next morning to gigantic boobs. They were rock hard and oh-my-goodness big. A nurse wheeled in a pump and I began pumping the precious gold colostrum. Every drop was important and Jeremy used the tiny syringe to get every little bit to take down to the babies. The visitors started arriving and Jeremy would take them to the Special Care nursery to see the babies, but I still hadn't gotten down there. I still had an IV and cath, and moving even the slighted bit hurt so bad. Finally my mom showed up and got me loaded into a wheelchair and she and Jeremy took me down to see my babies. They were so tiny. I breathed them in, loved on them and kissed them as much as I could.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Gone way too long
A lot has happened since my last post. I'll try to summarize my last 6 months as briefly as I can.
-December 11, 2009
I went to a perinatologist to begin fetal monitoring. During that visit, the ultrasound tech noticed that my uterus was contracting and cervix was funneling. Jeremy and I met briefly with a doctor who immediately had me admitted to St. Luke's. I was hooked up to fetal monitors, contraction monitors, given terbutaline to stop the contractions and told to get comfortable- I would be there for awhile. I stayed in the hospital until December 28th.
- December 13, 2009
Jeremy got to attend his first baby shower, because I was in the hospital. He learned the dos and don'ts of showers and did a great job opening gifts, showing them off and passing them around.
-December 25, 2009
Spent Christmas in the hospital. While this sounds horrible, it actually wasn't all that bad. Christmas came to me. My mom brought a small tree and decorated it. I did a lot of my shopping on-line and Jeremy did most of the wrapping. Jeremy attended both of our families' Christmases and brought presents to the hospital.
-January & February
were fairly uneventful. I went back into the hospital a few times. My longest visit was 3 days, shortest was 5 hours. We watched my belly grow and I continued to work from home, laying on my side, typing and editing pictures with one hand. My sister played nurse and stayed with me while she was home on break. She made my lunch, filled my water and entertained Charlie while I stayed in bed. She was a HUGE help and I was sad to see her go back to school. Although, I'm sure she was ready to get back to a much more exciting lifestyle. My brother and sister in law came over and helped Jeremy paint the nursery. My mom and sister painted a border and my extremely talented cousin painted the border to match the babies bedding. Jeremy installed a closet system and organized the closet for the babies. The nursery was finished!
-December 11, 2009
I went to a perinatologist to begin fetal monitoring. During that visit, the ultrasound tech noticed that my uterus was contracting and cervix was funneling. Jeremy and I met briefly with a doctor who immediately had me admitted to St. Luke's. I was hooked up to fetal monitors, contraction monitors, given terbutaline to stop the contractions and told to get comfortable- I would be there for awhile. I stayed in the hospital until December 28th.
- December 13, 2009
Jeremy got to attend his first baby shower, because I was in the hospital. He learned the dos and don'ts of showers and did a great job opening gifts, showing them off and passing them around.
-December 25, 2009
Spent Christmas in the hospital. While this sounds horrible, it actually wasn't all that bad. Christmas came to me. My mom brought a small tree and decorated it. I did a lot of my shopping on-line and Jeremy did most of the wrapping. Jeremy attended both of our families' Christmases and brought presents to the hospital.
-January & February
were fairly uneventful. I went back into the hospital a few times. My longest visit was 3 days, shortest was 5 hours. We watched my belly grow and I continued to work from home, laying on my side, typing and editing pictures with one hand. My sister played nurse and stayed with me while she was home on break. She made my lunch, filled my water and entertained Charlie while I stayed in bed. She was a HUGE help and I was sad to see her go back to school. Although, I'm sure she was ready to get back to a much more exciting lifestyle. My brother and sister in law came over and helped Jeremy paint the nursery. My mom and sister painted a border and my extremely talented cousin painted the border to match the babies bedding. Jeremy installed a closet system and organized the closet for the babies. The nursery was finished!
Jeremy was able to take me to my weekly doctors appointments. Around week 32, my cervix really started to thin and I was 2cm dilated. My doctor said the babies could come any day, so we prepared. The following weeks' doctor visits showed pretty much no change. At each appointment, my doctor would say "Any day now" and the days ticked on.. still no babies. Once I hit 35 weeks, I started to venture out of bed a little more and made a trip to Costco and Target. Jeremy shot video footage of me attempting to steer through Target safely. We also toured MOBAP. Jeremy learned he's not the best wheelchair driver and I'm not the best passenger. We ended up denting a few walls and I managed to drop my scarf into the path of the wheel just as we were getting on an elevator with our tour group. Untangling scarfs while trying to exit an elevator is not an easy thing to do.
-February 28, 2010
I made it to 35 weeks and was allowed to go to the shower my sister and aunt threw me. Dr. Wagner told me to finish my procardia prescription and not refill it, so the morning of the shower, I took my last Procardia. It took me all morning to get ready for the shower. I took a shower, then a nap, did my hair, then took another nap, did my make-up and got dressed. At 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant with twins, I was tired. I felt huge (having gained a whooping 30lbs), and was just plain worn out. The shower was wonderful. Tons of great food, lots of good friends who I hadn't seen a while and I was finally out of bed! I was convinced that the babies were going to arrive the following day and was totally fine with that.
-March 1 2010
No babies. I was super tired, really uncomfortable and not sleeping well at night.
-March 2, 2010
My last day of being able to 'work from home'. HR had only approved 90 days of telecommuting and this was my last day. I would begin maternity leave the following day, regardless if there were babies or not. I had my daily conversation with my boss, filled him on on where things stood on several projects and called it a day around 4PM.
I had my weekly check-up at 4:30 and on the way, Jeremy and I joked about how there was probably still no change in things and that I was going to end up carrying these kids to term. During my appointment, we discussed scheduling a c-section around St. Patrick's Day- about 2 weeks away. Dr. Wagner asked how I was feeling and while I felt uncomfortable, I wasn't in any pain . The thought of waiting another two weeks wasn't entirely something that I wanted to do, but it was attainable. I'd already spent the last 14 weeks on bed rest, what was another 2? He checked my cervix and said that maybe we wouldn't have to schedule it after all.. I was FINALLY at 5cm. I remember him asking if we wanted to have some babies that night. Jeremy had to ask him if he was serious- our doctor is pretty sarcastic and quite possibly could have been joking. He called MOBAP and scheduled me for a 9:00PM surgery, told us to go home, get our stuff and he'd meet us at the hospital.
-February 28, 2010
I made it to 35 weeks and was allowed to go to the shower my sister and aunt threw me. Dr. Wagner told me to finish my procardia prescription and not refill it, so the morning of the shower, I took my last Procardia. It took me all morning to get ready for the shower. I took a shower, then a nap, did my hair, then took another nap, did my make-up and got dressed. At 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant with twins, I was tired. I felt huge (having gained a whooping 30lbs), and was just plain worn out. The shower was wonderful. Tons of great food, lots of good friends who I hadn't seen a while and I was finally out of bed! I was convinced that the babies were going to arrive the following day and was totally fine with that.
-March 1 2010
No babies. I was super tired, really uncomfortable and not sleeping well at night.
-March 2, 2010
My last day of being able to 'work from home'. HR had only approved 90 days of telecommuting and this was my last day. I would begin maternity leave the following day, regardless if there were babies or not. I had my daily conversation with my boss, filled him on on where things stood on several projects and called it a day around 4PM.
I had my weekly check-up at 4:30 and on the way, Jeremy and I joked about how there was probably still no change in things and that I was going to end up carrying these kids to term. During my appointment, we discussed scheduling a c-section around St. Patrick's Day- about 2 weeks away. Dr. Wagner asked how I was feeling and while I felt uncomfortable, I wasn't in any pain . The thought of waiting another two weeks wasn't entirely something that I wanted to do, but it was attainable. I'd already spent the last 14 weeks on bed rest, what was another 2? He checked my cervix and said that maybe we wouldn't have to schedule it after all.. I was FINALLY at 5cm. I remember him asking if we wanted to have some babies that night. Jeremy had to ask him if he was serious- our doctor is pretty sarcastic and quite possibly could have been joking. He called MOBAP and scheduled me for a 9:00PM surgery, told us to go home, get our stuff and he'd meet us at the hospital.
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