11 weeks old today

Its been a while since I bragged about Anderson and Jake so here it is. Both little ones are doing good. They seem to have gotten into a more flexible sleeping pattern. They usually go to bed around 9-9:30 and wake around 2 a.m. for a feeding. After their feeding they will sleep another 4 hours till it is time to eat again. Although they are not sleeping through yet, we'll take it! If we share the responsibilities of feeding them we both can get around 5-7 hours of sleep a night which is far more than we were getting previously. My next challenge to conquer is getting their daytime naps on a schedule. So far this has not been easy.

Last week when we had that beautiful 65 degree day we took the boys on their first walk around the block. They slept through most of it, but did awake towards the end and were looking around with curiousity. As winter babies they haven't seen much of the outdoors. It was funny because every neighbor we passed wanted to talk to us and see them, the same people that have been watching Kevin and I walk by for the past 4 years. Having babies sure does make you popular, I guess the boys make us cool enough now! Its like we've suddenly been inducted into "the club".

Jake Smiling

Here is a short video of Jake doing some smiling.

Bath Time

Anderson just out of the tub.

Jake is getting warm with mommy.

Great News and Bad News

The great news is that Anderson and Jake had their 2 month appointment today and the dr. says they are looking good. Jake is 12 lbs. 10 oz. and Anderson is 11 lbs. 10 oz. So they have almost doubled their birth weight! They had 4 shots each and took them like a champ. Of course they wailed and cried but then they quickly recovered. Poor guys!

The bad news is that I am having surgery tomorrow. I have been having some complications since the boys were born and after an ultrasound today it appears that I have a retained placenta. It happens sometimes with a twin pregnancy and I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. So it must come out and I have the pleasure of adding another surgery to my resume. On the bright side I have an opportunity to get a full night's sleep, that hasn't happened since I was 6 months pregnant.

Easter picture shoot

Who ever heard of an "Easter picture shoot", MOM!!!!!!?

Get this grass out of my mouth!

Jake Thomas on a more calm day.

Anderson James playing with his brother.

The boys are growing so fast! We can't believe how big they are getting. Tomorrow is their 2 month appointment and we can't wait to find out how much weight they have gained. Today they are in clothes that are size 3-6 months! It seems like their cheeks keep getting rounder and rounder making their necks disapear.



Yesterday was a fun day, Uncle Jared came over and we all went to JoAnn's to buy some Easter decorations for an "Easter picture shoot". It was quite a challenge, I've included some pics that show that challenge and how much the boys liked having their picture taken.

We caught Anderson smiling at Mommy.

Nope, not gonna do it.

Lucy the puppy afraid of Jake.

Anderson at bathtime.

More Pics of Anderson and Jake and an update

In our new sleep sacks, getting ready for moving into our nursery.

Jake all dolled up for big cousin Grant's birthday party.

Anderson sporting his penguin sweater for the big party as well.

Anderson and Jake are doing great. Still not sleeping more than four hours at a time but they did spend their first night in their cribs last night. They did awesome! No crying, fussing or screaming about being in their new beds. They slept well, just not long enough for us.

Their clothes are starting to fit them now so we have been having fun dressing them up in regular clothes rather than pj's all the time. They look so cute...like little men.

Jake has been to physical therapy twice now. We have been trying to encourage/force him to not lay on the left side of his head all the time but he has continually outsmarted us. Every time we lay him or place a pillow or blanket that forces him to lay to the right he manages to squirm his way back to the left. Its difficult because we can only do so much using head blocks that is safe for him. So only time will tell if we are successful or if poor Jake will have to temporarily wear a helmet for his misshapen head.

Anderson has been making good progress. In the hospital he got off to a slow start with his suck/swallow reflex, he has always been a lazy eater and he just didn't seem to have the same appetite as Jake. So we decided to change up the nipples on his bottle and we have found that has helped. He doesn't need to put as much effort into sucking which means he eats faster and doesn't fall asleep during his feed. Its only been two days but he has consistently eaten as much as Jake.

We THINK we have gotten legitimate smiles (not from gas pains) out of both boys. It has only happened a handful of times and we haven't caught it on camera yet but we were excited nonetheless. The next few months should really start to become a lot of fun as the boys start to become more alert and laugh and smile.

New Pics

Anderson and his friend.

Jake just chillin.

Jake with his cousins, Grant and Claire.

Grant and Anderson fooling around. Grant was hoping Anderson might mimic him.

Anderson and Jake were Baptized

The boys were baptized this weekend. Unfortunately none of the pictures came out very good. They are either dark or the boys are screaming their heads off in them. When we have some free time we plan on dressing them up again and trying some pics at home.

Despite the lack of pictures, it was a good day. Anderson and Jake wore baptismal suits handmade by Grandma Merris. She has been working on them since the boys were born and they turned out just beautiful. The boys looked SO cute in them....like mini popes.

Church went well, Anderson and Jake slept through just about the whole thing. The water poured over their heads barely phased them. It wasn't until everyone started clapping for the newly baptised babies that startled Jake. He took his first visit to the back of the church for being "disruptive in church". Next time I'll have to threaten to take him out to the car. :)

After mass we had a small reception for our family at Picirillis Ristorante in Shelby. We had about 22 people in the banquet room for dinner and drinks. Our parents, siblings, grandparents, and my godparents were all there to celebrate with Anderson and Jake. By 9 p.m. Kevin and I were exhausted, unfortunately the boys were wide awake. They quickly settled after their feeding when we got home but still didn't sleep more than 3.5 hours at a time. Someday we'll experience sleep again.....

My mom gave me some photos from when I was about 2 months old. We think there is a strong resemblance between Jake and I.

Peditrician Appointment

Anderson and Jake had their one month appointment yesterday. Their birthweights were 6'4 and 6'7 and yesterday they weighed in at 10'1 and 9'1. Jake is the larger of the two but that came as no surprise since he is a big eater. The dr. said both of them are doing well, their iron levels are a little low so we will be giving them iron supplements but other than that they are thriving. Anderson made his presence known at the dr's office....he continually passed gas and then poo'ed on the table. After that was all cleaned up he decided it was time to pee all over the table. The nurses were all laughing!

Jake has a tendency to favor his left side, always wanting to sleep on that side and look that way. Because of this we are going to meet with a physical therapist and learn different exercises that we can do with him so that he rests his head to either side as to not develop a "flat head". It is more of a preventive measure at this point, hopefully we will be able to correct it quickly.

Last weekend the boys started to show the slightest signs that they were able to start sleeping longer than they have. They feed every three hours and it takes a half hour for each of them to feed. That only leaves 2.5 hours of sleep time in between feeds. So far Jake has been able to sleep longer than Anderson. He has slept anywhere from 2.5-4.5 hours and Anderson has gone from 2.5-3.5 hours. It hasn't been consistent and some nights they are up every 3 hours like clockwork for their feedings but at least its a start!

Kevin and I still feel like we are dreaming. Anderson and Jake are such a joy and we feel so blessed and lucky to have them!

Jake's other twin

We knew Jake and his crazy hair reminded us of someone. It just took us a while to figure out who. Sorry Jake!

Some new pics

Anderson, Jake and their new friend Addison (Katie and Matt's daughter)

Oomph! Mommy and Daddy make us do the dumbest things for their own entertainment!

My "man"tarage (minus Jared) sleeping in on a Sunday morning.

Playing together after our baths.

One Month Old

It's hard to believe that Anderson and Jake are one month old today. The past four weeks have flown by, which I find incredibly wierd due to the fact that I am up about 20 of the 24 hours a day, so one would think that the time has dragged on.

Kevin is back at work now and even though it has only been a couple of days the boys and I have been able to keep a pretty good schedule. They are still eating every three hours, unfortunately there have been no signs yet that they can hold out longer so that we can get an extra hour or two of sleep sometime during the night. We are both incredibly exhausted and are counting down the weeks till they can start sleeping for longer periods of time.

Next Monday they have another appointment with the peditrician. We are curious to see how much weight they have gained. We know that Jake feels much heavier than Anderson and he consistently eats quite a bit more than his brother so we are guessing he is going to be a chunker. Here are some new pics of the boys.

Happy Three Weeks, Anderson and Jake!

Today we took Anderson and Jake on their first field trip. We went to Kohls for about a half an hour and then to a quick dinner. The twins slept the whole time so they didn't really take much in of their first trip out. I enjoyed going to a store and not having to be pushed around in a wheelchair, that hasn't happened in several months!

I put together a slideshow of the boys' first three weeks with Kevin's help.

Team Edgar

Anderson and Jake have been keeping us very busy! They are both doing great, eating well, sleeping when they should (most times) and making us laugh with their funny expressions and little snorting sounds that they make.

They are on a three hour eat, play, sleep schedule. It takes a little over an hour to feed them both so by the time they are fed, we clean up and make more bottles for the next feeding it leaves us with about an hour of free or sleep time till the cycle starts all over again. During the day we share the responsibilities, in the evening we each handle them independently. I usually go to bed from 7 p.m. to midnight and Kevin takes care of them and then I am up for the middle of the night feedings while he sleeps. Kevin goes back to work next Thursday so it will be interesting to see how I will survive. The boys are awesome though so it is well worth it!

Finally a Family Picture

And it only took 11 days. They had a good appointment yesterday, I don't think we have a feeding problem anymore. Anderson gained 11 ounces in 5 days and Jake gained 14. The doctors only look for about an ounce a day. They said we could take Anderson off of the high calorie formula. Nights have been interesting, Tammy usually goes to bed at about 7pm, I stay up for the next two or three feedings till midnight or 1am, and then Tammy takes the next two after getting some sleep. Of course we both end up waking up for nearly every session because they fuss a bit.

I also posted a little video of a hiccup battle they had going for a while when we had them both in the same bouncy seat.

MVI_5723

I am so in love!!!!!!!!!

Well I finally have a free minute to update, although I should probably use the time to be sleeping instead but I had to let everyone know how in love I am with Anderson and Jake! This past week has been the best of my life. I cannot express how much I love being a mom, how much I love Kevin, and how I cannot wait to watch them grow and develop. They are our dream come true and our miracles. We are so grateful that they are healthy and developing well.

Many thanks to all of you for all of the emails of support, prayers, and congratulations. Hopefully one day when we share this blog with the boys they will realize how loved and wanted they were by us and friends and family alike. We wish we could respond to them all but as you can imagine we are a little busy right now. In fact I ask Kevin almost everyday what day of the week it is or he will ask me the same question three times in a hour.....sleep deprivation can really take its toll. We will use the blog now to shamelessly brag about Anderson and Jake and to post pics :) Hope everyone will enjoy them as much as we do!

And if you're not sick of them yet, here are some more pictures in an album.

Or a nifty slideshow.

Together at Home

We are all home now. Anderson ate well again last night and gained a little weight, which combined with the special lights he was under, helped reduce his bilirubin levels (used to measure jaundice) to a normal range. With that he was discharged this morning and we brought him home to see his brother again.

Tammy has been amazing, her motherly instincts have kicked right in. It's eases my mind to know that when I can't handle something she's right there to show me the way it should be done. Tonight I'm trying to help her get some sleep, because she hasn't gotten much since we've been home, by taking all of the changing and feeding responsibilities tonight, if she'll let me. Her birthday is tomorrow, it's my gift to her, if she'll accept it. It's hard for her not to be awake, checking on them and making sure they are ok.

We are still yet to have a picture taken of the four of us together, we will have to do that tomorrow. We'll have to get some new pictures up soon.

Kevin

We're Home, Anderson's Isn't

He lost a little weight during the day yesterday, more than they wanted to see so he had to stay. Tammy is in some pain, we've paged the doctor so hopefully he can take a look while we're there with Anderson. Then we have to get back to take Jake to the pediatrician on the other side of town, so no time for a good update.

Thanks.

Kevin

Getting Better

Anderson was doing much better yesterday afternoon, after a good feeding he was able to come back to the room with us around 1:00 pm. Both of them are latching on very well now, Jake still seems to have a much larger appetite, but Anderson is definitely eating plenty and passing it through, and as a result he has been much more alert and aware of things around him (as much as a 4 day old can be I guess). It is a big relief. They both went to the nursery again last night and Tammy was able to get the most sleep yet. We went down to be with Anderson and so Tammy could feed him at 3am, it was just about his best session yet, a touch over twenty minutes with a lot less stimulation needed to keep him awake and focused. Tammy is down with him again now, this will be his second feeding since the 3:00 one.

Tammy and Jake are going to go home today, we haven't talked to Anderson's pediatrician yet, so we're not sure about him, we're hoping tomorrow. There is still a lot to be done yet, Tammy has to have some staples removed and they both have to be circed (which I think will happen to both today). Not sure what time we'll be leaving, but the more time with Anderson the better.

Anderson Update

Well, Tammy is back and we've spoken with the doctor about Anderson (see last post). It looks like he won't be coming home with us tomorrow, they want to see him eating more. Tammy is going to go back down there in a bit to try and feed him again, he took about 15 ccs this morning and was on the breast a llittle to, but very slow.

We can't wait to be home together as a family.

Back in the SC

Anderson is back in the special care nursery, although he never technically left, he was still in their care, just spending his time here with us. Yesterday he was doing rather well, and they mainly had him there to finish administering his anitbiotics to prevent serious infection. We were told he could come back with us after an adequate feeding and good sugar level test. We tried once with no luck, but he was fast asleep and was pretty fresh off the dextrose iv. An hour later we tried again with the lactation consultant and he got a good 15 minutes in, an hour later tested well, and was sent to our room. Last night before bed we tried to feed him, but it was a real struggle, he only took in about 10cc and that took a lot of stimulation, where his brother will take 30 without nearly as much agitation. We sent them to the nurseries last night so Mommy could try and get some sleep, Jake to the regular nursery, Anderson to SC. When we called this morning, he only took in 10 cc at his two feedings and that is not enough, they had to give him some additional nourishment through his iv. I spent an hour with him this morning before they kicked me out for the nurse shift change, and Mommy is there now, we're waiting to hear what the doctors have to say.

We were hoping we would all be able to go home today (before the feeding issues last night with Anderson), but yesterday Tammy's doctor stopped in and mentioned he would like her to stay until Sunday. She didn't like the sound of that, but if Anderson has to stay it will be easier all around, saving us trips back and forth, close attention for Tammy and the kids, plus another day of help in these first few days that can be scary is welcome.

They should be getting circed today by Tammy's doctor who has been great, they don't know whats coming. I'm not sure if Anderson will be an issue since he is in SC.

So here's hoping Anderson can learn to enjoy food as much as his dad does.

Kevin

Together Again Pictures, and Anderson update.

Anderson is in the room with us. It was a long 2 days without him, but we're very happy to have him with us now. After a successful feeding today and a good sugar level test, he was brought to our room. We were finally together as a family.

See some pictures (but curiously, none of the four of us yet).

Thanks again for all the love, support,comments and well wishes.

Kevin

More Pictures

For those interested more pictures can be found (and downloaded) at my webshots account. To download a full image, click the magnifying glass beneath the pic to open it up at full size. Then right click the image that pops up and select save image as and you can name it and save it to your computer.

http://community.webshots.com/album/556826356ixXHkv

They're here!

We proudly announce the arrival of.....

Jake Thomas (top), 12:23pm, 6lb 4oz, 19 inches and Anderson James (bottom), 12:24 pm, 6lb 7oz, 20in

Anderson is in the Special Care Unit, he was working a little too hard to breathe, he had a lot of the fluid in his lungs that didn't get squeezed out during the c-section. He had an x-ray of his chest done to check for pneumonia and it looked good. They put him on oxygen so he didn't have to work so hard. We hope to have him back with us in the morning. Mommy is doing well, but pretty exhausted. We hope to have some better pictures soon. Thanks for all of the love and support.

Kevin

Time's Up!

The babies are coming next Wednesday, January 3rd! Everything at today's appointment was good, our dr. said at this point it's looking as though the babies are going to need some encouragement to enter the world so we have an induction scheduled for next Wednesday at 10 a.m. When we arrive at labor and delivery they will do an ultrasound to check on the babies positions and decide at that time if it will be a c-section or an induction. If it's a c-section then the babies will be born by early afternoon, if its not they probably won't be born till late that evening. The nurse said an induction usually takes 12 hours from start to finish.

We are going to spend the next few days cleaning, grocery shopping, and assembling some last minute stuff so that all is prepared and organized when we bring our little guys home. Unfortunately Kevin has come down with a cold/sinus problem so he just headed to the dr's office to hopefully get some medicine so that everything clears up by the time the babies arrive. I'm just hoping I don't catch it too!

Our last Christmas as kids

Kevin and I referred to this Christmas as our last as kids knowing that next year will be much different. We had a busy holiday traveling to one house to another to visit with all of our family. The boys recieved some wonderful Christmas presents, lots of clothes, toys, books, and tike bikes.

At our last dr.'s appointment last Friday our dr. said that if the boys haven't made their arrival by this Friday we will start to discuss a plan of action. This may mean scheduling an induction but our dr. said he would rather the boys come on their own. Sometimes that just doesn't happen and he said there becomes a point when they are better off out in the world. So we are anxious to hear what he will say on Friday. Its starting to look like they will be January babies and we were pretty convinced that they were going to be December babies. Hope our parental instincts start to sharpen up a bit!

Waiting on hold

Since being released from strict bedrest I have been getting out a little. So far I have been carted around in a wheelchair at Michaels, Target and Kohls. I feel a bit foolish making Kevin, my mom or Jared push me around but I don't have much of a choice. I have been out to eat quite a bit, trying to make up for lost time. Kevin is sick of doing all the cooking and I just don't have the stamina to do it.

Today is my last day on the medication to keep my contractions at bay. I started to wean off of them yesterday so we are anxious to see what is going to happen. I would love to make it another week or two, the longer the boys stay put the better it will be for them and honestly I'm going to miss being pregnant. This will most likely be our only pregnancy and I'm starting to get sad that this short phase of our life is almost over. I would like to have three children but for now Kevin says two is enough for him.

Despite the stressful couple of months we experienced I really loved being pregnant. Kevin and I had so much fun experiencing the pregnancy together, preparing for the boys arrival and anticipating how our lives are going to change. So we are trying to enjoy every last minute of this experience because we know the end is near and our lives as we know it will never be the same. No more sleeping in and laying around all day, no more vacations on a whim or frivilous spending just because but that's alright with us! We are looking forward to our new lives with the boys and if we happen to get a little sleep along the way that will be a bonus.

34 weeks!

Finally, we have reached 34 weeks! Kevin and I are extremely excited to have finally reached this milestone. We had an appointment today and it was good news all around. The babies are looking good and are still doing well so that is most important. The dr. has decided that starting on Tuesday I will begin to wean off the meds that I have been taking for my contractions and as of today I can resume some limited activity! I'm allowed to go out to eat or go to someone's house for a visit. I can't go shopping or anything but that is fine because I wouldn't physically be able to anyways. I got so exhausted today just from going out to dinner so I know there is no way I'd be able to hit up the mall.

To celebrate my new freedom we met my cousin Jared for dinner at Don Pablos. Never have I appreciated a dinner out like I did today! Its been almost 12 weeks since I've been allowed to go anywhere and it was so nice to get out of the house and go somewhere besides the dr's office.

So the plan right now is to just let nature take its course and wait for our twins to decide they are ready to come out and meet everyone. I suspect that once I stop my meds next week that it will only be a few days before labor starts. Even on the meds I still get strong contractions that get more frequent when I'm due for my next dose of medication. They usually subside after I take the medicine so I'm guessing without the medication I will be contracting quite a bit.

Kevin set up a baby pool where people can guess the arrival date of the twins as well has thier stats. You can click on the link he set up on the top left of the page. You don't need to register or anything, you should be able just to make your guesses.

Some Pictures

Kevin on his 29th birthday!

My scary belly on Kevin's 29th birthday. 33 weeks pregnant with twins.

Claire and Uncle opening gifts.

Claire and Grant playing with Lucy the puppy.

Sorry for not updating lately. I have some recent belly pics and some pictures from Kevin's birthday I would like to post but I'm waiting on Kevin to do that for me on our desktop. We had another non-stress test yesterday, everything looked perfect. The boys were kicking like crazy and their heartrates were good. I had a couple contractions that were normal the tech told us. We see the dr. on Friday, I'm looking forward to that and finding out what he says about bedrest.

Kevin turned 29 on Sunday. He celebrated by taking a trip to the casino on Friday with friends and on Sunday we celebrated with family at our house. Kevin's sister Sara brought over her puppy, Lucy, and everyone loved playing with her...especially Grant and Claire.

We are starting to get super excited about the boys arrival. We already were excited and the feelings are growing each day. Kevin has installed the carseats so they are ready to go, this weekend he is going to assemble the bouncy seats, swings and a few other things we'll be needing shortly after they come home. My bag and the babies bag are packed for the hospital. I still can't believe I have two babies inside of me that will be here in just a few short weeks or sooner! Kevin made me laugh yesterday, he said that the babies are done cooking, all we need to do is let them brown up a little.

33 week update

We had an ultrasound and non-stress test today. Both went great! The babies are now measuring 5lbs 7oz and 5lbs 4oz. So I'm lugging around close to 11 lbs. in babies. Their fluid levels look good as well as the bloodflow in their umbilical cords.

At the non-stress test one of the babies had the hiccups making it difficult for the tech to monitor his heartrate. I have mentioned to Kevin a couple of times lately that I thought one or the other might be having hiccups and I guess I was right. After about 10 minutes or so she was able to get a good reading despite his hiccups. Both babies heartrates and movements looked good during the test but I had a monstrous contraction, it hurt like mad, and several smaller ones. There is no cause for concern at this point but there was definitely more contractions today than there has been at past non-stress tests.

One more week to go before we finally reach the dr.'s goal of 34 weeks! I'm just astonished that we made it this far considering the pre-term labor scare and the just about non-existent cervix. When that happened at 27 weeks I really thought we'd be lucky to go 2 more weeks, now it has been 6! I guess strict bedrest really does work to help keep the babies safe and on the inside. My next appointment with the dr. is a week from today. I'll know more at that point about whether or not I can stop the medication I am on and come off of strict bedrest. Right now my guess is these babies are coming around 35 weeks and Kevin is confident we will make it to 36 weeks. Either way it looks like our boys will probably be here sometime before the end of the month!

The nursery

Almost 32 weeks update

Today's appointment went well. Both heartbeats on the little ones were great and I didn't have any contractions during the time they monitored us. The dr. said "Let's measure your belly just out of curiousity." Ummm.....it measures 42 weeks, that is how huge I am right now. Keep in mind I will be 32 weeks on Friday. Even if I were off of bedrest I don't think I could do much of anything right now at this size. I could probably eat but that's about it :). Last night after taking a shower I was so out of breath I felt like I could pass out. It's partly because of my size and partly because of the meds I'm on for the contractions.

So as of today things are looking good. Of course that could change at any time but we are so incredibly thankful to have made it to this point. Next Friday we'll go back to find out how much the little guys have grown and to monitor me for contractions. The dr. has decided to wait another 2 weeks to check and see if I have started to dialate or not. He doesn't want to disturb things if they seem to be in check.

More good news came today and that was the call that our furniture for the nursery is finally here. It will be delivered on Friday afternoon, after we have things semi-organized I will post some pics of it all.

31 weeks 2 days

Only 4 more days to go till we make it to what once seemed an unattainable goal of 32 weeks! At this point the boys would of course be preemies but at less of a risk of developing any serious complications, they would most likely be labeled what the NICU calls "feeders and growers". They would just need some extra time to gain weight and learn to feed properly because usually the sucking reflex does not develop till 34 weeks. Our next appointment is on Wednesday and starting the week after this we'll be going twice a week for the monitoring of the boys heartrates and my contractions. We are still hoping to make it to at least 34 weeks before the boys make their arrival.

We had a nice Thanksgiving despite the circumstances. My parents and grandmother came over and cooked all day and in the evening Kevin's family brought desert and visited as well. Even though I was bound to the couch it was soooo nice to have a break from the norm.

I'll update again after our appointment on Wednesday. It has become increasingly difficult for me to sit up and type very often. One of the boys is so high up in my rib cage that if I'm not laying on my side the pain in my back becomes unbearable.

Kevin assembling the double stroller.

Yesterday Kevin started to put together some of the gifts we received at the shower. The twin bassinett is now assembled and ready to go. He also assembled the double stroller and the car seats. We are still waiting on the furniture for the nursery. It was supposed to be delivered three weeks ago to the wharehouse from the manufacturer but apparently that did not happen because we still haven't gotten a delivery date.

The nursery is a mess right now because we have no dressers to put all of the things we received away. I'm feeling totally unprepared for the boys arrival. Unfortunately I can't go into the nursery and organize things or take inventory of things we still need to buy so it is very frustrating.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. My Mom, Dad and Grandmother have offered to change their plans (my sister is hosting a big dinner) and come over and cook a small Thanksgiving dinner here at our house. I'm glad that Kevin and I will be able to have a somewhat normal Thanksgiving since we were going to be unable to go anywhere.

Thankfully most of our Christmas shopping is done. My sister offered to help us out and she has spent the past couple of weeks picking up gifts here and there for us. My mom has been coming over weekly to help prepare a meal or two, do laundry and clean the house. Kevin's mom has also helped to prepare meals for us as well as my grandmother. My grandmother has made us some good old fashioned polish dishes.

Even my cousin Jared came over last week and made chicken enchiladas. Usually he just comes to babysit me and make me laugh but this week he really stepped outside of his box by cooking a meal. My good friend Jodi has also brought us food, magazines and goodies. A huge thank you to everyone who has been so generous in helping us out, if I forgot anyone I apologize!

30 week update

Today marks the 30 week milestone and Kevin and I are very grateful to still be pregnant with the boys safely on the inside. We had a dr.'s appointment, a detailed ultrasound, and a non-stress test today. We were there for four hours, so I guess you could say they are covering all their bases to make sure everything is being done to keep the babies safe.

The ultrasound went well. The boys continue to grow and gain weight. Baby A (our sassy one) is the smaller of the two and he weighs 3 lbs. 15 ounces. Despite being slightly smaller than his brother he has a significantly larger head. Hmmm....he was going to get the "sportier" name and his brother, due to his more calm nature, was going to get the" brainy" name. Baby B weighs
4 lbs. 3 ounces, Kevin and I were surprised at the size of the babies. Everything we have been reading says they are expected to weigh just slightly over 3 lbs. at 30 weeks and usually twins tend to be smaller than singletons so we are very happy that they are developing so well. Of course the measurements are only an estimate but we are excited nonetheless.

After the ultrasound we had the non-stress test. This test is done to monitor the babies heartbeats for a half an hour and to check me for contractions. The monitors for the babies heartbeats were placed on my stomach and our usual easy going Twin B was a little tempermental today. He kicked or punched at the monitor till eventually he moved it off of his chest area and they lost the signal. It was entertaining to watch the monitor move across my stomach. I guess everyone is entitled to get crabby once in while, Lord knows his mom has had her share of those days lately. Despite his antics they were able to get the information they needed and both heartbeats looked great and I only had one contraction during that time so the dr. said that it was good news all around.

At our last appointment my cervix (yes it is wierd to discuss your cervix publicly) measured one centimeter and today it measured at a half centimeter. Although it decreased again we were relieved that it is still closed and not dialating. The dr. expressed again how important it is that we make it to 32 weeks to ensure the saftey of the babies. The 32 week mark is important because after that point it is extremely rare for babies to develop any bleeding on the brain(cerebral hemmoraging) even if they are premature. If they came now their chances of cerebral hemmoraging is small but there is still a chance it could happen. IF we can make it to 34 weeks then I will be allowed to resume some activity and we will just let nature take its course. So its back to bedrest I go.

Week 6 of bedrest

Not much happening in the land of bed rest. As I'm sure everyone can imagine its a very boring way to spend your days when you are used to being fairly active. Its been almost 6 weeks of bedrest and I've only been out of the house a handful of times. The isolation and the dependence on others has been most difficult. I depend on Kevin and family members to prepare all my meals, clean the house, do our Christmas shopping, the list just goes on and on.

I think what is most disheartening is that I feel cheated. I was enjoying this pregnancy so much, despite the aches and pains I absolutely LOVED being pregnant. I was learning so much about myself during this process and I feel like that has all come to a hault. Instead of enjoying myself as I was, I now worry constantly about what will happen if the boys come prematurely, as it is more likely than not that they will. I research information about their time spent at the NICU, the vast array of medical obstacles they may face and long term effects that could plague them as they grow and develop. Everyone tells me not to do that, but I feel a obligation to learn as much as I can so that when the time comes Kevin and I are prepared and can make the most educated decsions possible if needed. I keep reminding myself that a year ago I would have done ANYTHING to be in the position I am in right now despite these complications and that helps me get through the tough emotional times.

I asked the dr. why I am experiencing the complications that I have. He said it is very simple, my uterus has never been stretched before and with twins it measures 7 weeks larger than it would if I were only carrying one. So my uterus thinks I'm nearly 37 weeks pregnant and my body is just naturally doing what it should be. My cervix shortened to prepare for delivery, contractions started to develop, and if I were 37 weeks pregnant that is exactly what should be happening. The problem is I'm only 29 and half weeks pregnant.

28 weeks 3 days

Kevin has fixed the tickers!

Jared officially gets the award for most committed cousin. He came over yesterday in the afternoon and stayed with me for about eight hours! Yesterday would have been a long day for me since Kevin was at work and then had to go to a CPR for infants class that we had signed up for in the evening. So it was very nice to have company for the day, being on bedrest can be extremely lonely and isolating. For instance I will be in the house for 11 consecutive days before my next dr. appointment and will never be able to step outside or get a fresh breath of air. It made my day fly by, we shopped on-line, harassed Kevin via email, watched TV, and did a lot of laughing which is exactly what I've been needing.

I do have an updated belly pic to post, I'm just waiting for Kevin to help since I can't sit at the desktop to do it and I don't know how to from the laptop.

4 days and counting to 29 week milestone.

I had a dr.'s appointment today and things are pretty much the same since leaving the hospital one week ago. My bloodpressure was good, I haven't been able to gain weight for a few weeks now but that doesn't seem to be a concern since the boys are growing well. My total weight gain to date is about 40 pounds. The contractions sneak up on me in the evenings so my dr. is increasing the meds that I am taking. Hopefully they will help because getting the contractions can be so nervewracking. It is a terrible feeling to know that labor could start at any minute and the contractions are just a reminder of that. I'm so afraid that I won't know when they are serious enough to head in to the hospital and I need to be sure I go in enough time to for the dr. to be able to stop them. My next appointment will be a week from Friday and at that time we will have another ultrasound to see how much growth the boys have made. Hopefully they will be around three and half pounds each.

Since being on bedrest Kevin has had to take over all the household duties. Although he does help out from time to time under normal circumstances, our typical responsibilties are that he handles the outside and I do the inside. Poor Kevin has been having to do so much running around. I literally cannot do anything but get up to go to the restroom so he has to bring me everything I need, do all the cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, and errands. I feel so bad watching him work so hard and he never complains. But those of you who know Kevin well would not be surprised by that.

Being on bedrest has started to take a toll on me physically. When I do get up to use the restroom my legs are starting to feel like rubber. I think I am experiencing muscle atrophy. After going to the dr. appointment today I was exhausted! Kevin even had to push me around in a wheelchair since the dr. doesn't want me walking and I was still tired by the end of it all. I wish I could have that feeling of fatigue at 4 a.m. when I'm wide awake and can't sleep because my hips hurt so bad.

Just a side note, the tickers that are above each post are 4 days off, hence the title of this post. Its a long story but its too much of a pain in the a$$ to try and fix them.

An update

I was released from the hospital yesterday around dinnertime. They were able to ease the contractions I was having and after monitoring me for a couple of days they were confident that for now things seem to be stable. I'm feeling pretty drained, it was a very emotional 4 days worrying about all the meds they were giving me and how they might affect the babies. Of course they tell you its all safe, but you never really know. Unfortunately its a double edge sword, either take the meds and risks that come with those or deliver babies that would be 3 months premature and have a whole gammet of complications and possible long term disabilities. It was/is a horrible thing to have to experience, the road to get to this point has already been a very difficult one for Kevin and I so it is very disheartening that now our joy and healing has been replaced by fear and anxiety.

My instructions were to come home and follow strict bedrest orders. That means I can only get up to use the restroom or move from the couch to the bed. Kevin is going to set up a small refridgerator in our room next to the bed so that I don't have to go to the kitchen for food during the day while he is at work. After spending 4 days of bedrest at the hospital my whole outlook on bedrest at home has changed. Its like a vacation, I so hope that I will not need to return to the hospital for any length of time again. Although the nurse told me to expect to and to prepare myself for that possibility.

Right now we will just take things day by day. The dr.'s goal is to make it to at least 32 weeks. That would be another month. Ideally 34 weeks would be best, if the babies stay put until then they would most likely not need to spend anytime in the NICU, only a couple of extra days in what they call "special care". Thanks to everyone who called or sent their well wishes, it really means a lot to us!

Ultrasound Videos

Baby A,



And Baby B.

Bad News

Today's dr. appointment brought bad news. At 18 weeks my cervix was 3.5 cm. which was very good, at 24 weeks it had shortened to 2.7 cm which is why I was placed on bedrest 3 weeks ago, today at 27 weeks it is 1 cm and funneling. This means it is opening from the inside out and has only 1 cm to go before I may start to dialate. So here I sit at the hospital on a huge regimen of drugs and iv's scared to death. I was given a fetal fibroectin test which came back positive meaning I have a forty percent chance of going into labor within 2 weeks. I'm on every med available to try and stop the contractions I've been having and will be here till probably Monday. No longer I hope.

If I get to leave on Monday I'll continue bedrest, be on a pump that delivers meds intravenously, and have a constant monitor attached for contractions. I'm not sure what the next few days, let alone few weeks hold for us. Kevin and I are very concerned, obviously, there were many tears today. We just hope we can hold off labor for as long as possible for the saftey 0f the babies.

Some baby shower pics

Baby Shower

Today was our baby shower and I can't say thank you enough to everyone who came. Kevin and I are so appreciative of everyone's generosity, it is absolutely unbelievable how much baby stuff we received! After we came home from the shower my mother unpacked and organized everything for us and I just kept staring at all the stuff in shock. How can two little babies need so much?

I apologize that I was not able to do much visiting with everyone, it is difficult to socialize from a chair behind a table. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some :)) we had to speed things up a bit since I really wasn't supposed to be out and about but I wanted to make sure everyone knew how thankful I am that they came and for all the generous gifts we received. Hopefully I was able to express that, if I wasn't due to the super sonic speed of everything please know that I am.

So today was the highlight of my upcoming month. It's back to the couch and bed for the upcoming weeks, hopefully our little guys will stay comfortable where they are for the next couple of months.

Dr. Appointment Update

I had another dr.'s appointment today to get my second steroid shot and a blood pressure check. The second shot went fine and luckily I haven't noticed any side effects. The good news is my blood pressure was perfect, so hopefully yesterdays elevated numbers were just due to stress and not the onset of pre-eclampsia. Bedrest is still in effect but I was relieved to see the bloodpressure was better.

Jared came over for a visit and dinner today. He brought me some magazines which I will save for next week when I start to get really stir crazy while Kevin is at work. Luckily Kevin has taken Monday off of work to recover from the world series game he is going to on Sunday night and next Friday he will be off for a half a day to take me to my next dr.'s appointment. So hopefully that will make the house arrest a little easier.

Officially on strict bedrest

Today's appointment didn't go as well as I hoped for, my first steriod shot wasn't too bad but my blood pressure was slightly elevated which is a concern because 2 weeks ago it was normal. Technically it was supposed to be lower than normal because of the meds I'm taking to lower my bloodpressure and relax the uterus from contracting, but despite the meds it was slightly high. My dr. said it could just be stress or it could be the beginning stages of pre-eclampsia. So due to that, my shortening cervix, and contractions I am now officially on strict bedrest. That means for the next few weeks I cannot do ANYTHING or go ANYWHERE. The dr. was very clear about that this time around. If pre-eclampsia does develop then there is a good chance I would have to do hospital bedrest.

After I get to around 30 weeks or so the dr. said we can re-evaluate my activity level because we will be out of the "danger zone" for the babies. He did give me permission to go to my shower on Sunday, but he said I need to stay sitting the whole time and to have Kevin open the gifts. Had it not been at a reserved hall he said it would have been best to postpone it for a few weeks.

The good news in all of this is that the boys look very good. Their heartbeats were strong, they were moving around, their fluid levels look good and they look to be the same size. We'll know more specifically how they are developing next week at the detailed ultrasound. Hopefully they will be 2 to 2 and a half pounds each. I just wish I could be doing as well as they are, house arrest isn't easy but its only temporary and like I said in a previous post, I'll stand on my head for the next 10 weeks for our little guys....whatever its going to take.

26 week update

Bedrest continues and time is slowly moving on. The past week and a half has been very difficult, my admiration and respect for any woman that has ever had to do bedrest for a pregnancy. ..especially in the hospital. Although I'm not on strict bedrest, I am very limited in my activity. I do go out every couple of days for either dinner with Kevin or a stroll around Target but the rest of my time is spent lying on the couch or in bed. Tomorrow's Dr. Phil should be interesting, they just promo'ed it, "Out of control Twins".

I have Dr.'s appointments tomorrow and Friday for a check-up and my first set of steriod shots to develop the boys' lungs. I'm going to get a better explanation from the dr. spefically letting me know exactly what my limitations are, he told me that I needed to take it easy and stay off my feet as much as possible, but what exactly does that mean? I'm also going to beg him to take another measurement of my cervix so I can see how that is progressing, if it is getting shorter or holding up. I'm not due for another measurement till next week, but for piece of mind I'm hoping he will do one tomorrow or Friday.

The baby shower is this Sunday at Greystone Golf Course. I'm looking forward to that and seeing all our family and friends. It's a day I have been anticipating long before this pregnancy came to be. Sorta the always a bridesmaid but never a bride type situation. I'm grateful that it is finally our turn, just yesterday Kevin and I were discussing just how lucky we feel to have gotten to this point and how amazing it is that we are blessed twice over.

What not to watch while on bedrest

Note to self, don't watch TLC stories about families with multiples as they "struggle through the stress and challenge of caring for more than one baby and adjusting to a hectic life filled with endless feedings and changings." Ugh, I did this earlier in the summer and swore I would stop watching it but my curiousity gets the best of me. I've never been a "that will never happen to me type", I'm always quite the opposite thinking everything bad could happen to me, but in this situation I'm going to slip into the comfort of denial and say "that will never happen to me". Twins will surely be a cinch, afterall I've been managing close to 30 children a day for the past 8 years! Easy Schmeeesy!

If anyone was wondering what one does while on bedrest, here's a peek into the ultra exciting days I've been having:

Wake up sometime around 9 and check email, eat breakfast, watch TV
By now the phone starts ringing with daily check in's from my mom, sister, and grandma
Sometime around 11 I attmept to take a nap, thus far no success
After laying around and trying to sleep for an hour I have lunch
After lunch its back on the laptop to search ebay for designer purses and baby junk (I did buy Jared a coach wallet for his birthday....LUCKY)
Phone begins to ring again with calls from Kevin, Jared, and Tina
1:30 is usually shower time
After my shower I attempt to nap again....unsuccessfully
3:00 Dr. Phil time....jeez he can be such a pompus a-hole but there isn't much else to watch
4:30 Kevin comes home............YAY FINALLY!!!!!!

Sorry for such boring content, I promise next time I will come up with something a little more interesting. Perhaps pictures of a new "Manhattan" Louis Vuitton Handbag that I have my eye on.

Well life certaintly has slowed down over these past few days. It has been a challenge, but I have been forcing myself to take it easy and lay down for the majority of my day. The more reading I've been doing on the internet, the more panicked I become about my cervix shortening. I LOVE my dr. and so far he has been so proactive and cautious regarding every single issue that has come up so the fact that he isn't too worried should calm my nerves, but unfortunately it hasn't.

The blood pressure medication that I'm taking has become quite consuming. I have to take it every 6 hours which means I have to set my alarm for 2 a.m every morning so I can take my middle of the night dose. Luckily I haven't experienced any side effects but I haven't noticed it helping out with the contractions really either.

The boys have been really active lately so I've been enjoying that. I think when they hear my alarm go off at 2 a.m. they think its time to start the day because they start moving around and usually keep me up for an hour. Its difficult to sleep when those little guys are bouncing around as if they were on a trampoline inside my belly. Call me crazy but I love it, even when I'm exhausted.

Speaking of sleep, Kevin's mom bought me this pregnancy pillow that I slept with for the first time last night. Poor Kevin, I have created this fort of pillows around myself that are overtaking his side of the bed. The new pillow definitely helped me sleep better last night. It is u-shaped so I no longer need to set up my fort of pillows every time I need to roll over. Kevin and I always joked pre-pregnancy that we slept in different area codes, we both like to have our own sleeping space so we bought a King size bed. I'm 586 and he's 313 but now I'm afraid he's become 517, somewhere up in Lansing.

A big thanks to Grandma Merris for being so thoughtful and looking out for me and the boys so we can get a better night's sleep.

24 Week Update

Here is a picture of Baby A with his hands on his face.

This is a picture of the side of Baby B's face/head with his brothers foot

planted squarely on his face.

Our "semi" professional pic taken by Kevin at 24 weeks.

Pic taken at Wolcott Mill by Jared.

Our latest dr.'s appointment was yesterday. We had a Level 2 ultrasound again where they take measurements of the babies growth and progress. Twin A is one pound and eleven ounces and Twin B is one pound and 7 ounces. Both are of average size for a baby that is 24 weeks of age. As you can see in the pictures we were able to get a nice picture of Twin A's face, however Twin B was being totally pinned down against the placenta by his brothers foot and butt. He was literally sitting on top of his head and the technican was unable to make him budge. The dr. says everything is still looking good with our bubs but unfortunately I am not holding up as well as I was 6 weeks ago when we had the last Level 2 ultrasound. My cervix has shortened from 3.5 centimeters to about 2.7. When pressure is applied it has started to weaken a bit and open up. So it was definitely a good time for me to stop working.

As a precaution I will receive 2 steriod shots at my next appointment in 2 weeks to help with the boys' lung development in the event I were to go into pre-term labor. I have also been given a prescription for procardin which is a blood pressure med. My blood pressure is normal but the dr. wants to lower it to open up and relax blood vessels in the uterus to hopefully slow down my contractions and make them less frequent. With the meds and modified bedrest he is confident I should continue to do well and carry the boys to a safe delivery date. I'm trying not to worry too much but it has been difficult.

Today we went to Wolcott Mill and had my cousin Jared who has many a photography classes under his belt and a kick ass camera to take some "semi" professional pregnancy pictures. The pictures above were taken with our digital as practice shots before Jared took the real ones with his camera. He did a great job and we appreciate the time he spent helping us out. Hopefully the real ones will be as nice as the digitals.

Fall vacation begins

Well things around here have changed quite a bit since my post two days ago. I had a dr.'s appointment yesterday after work and while I was there I mentioned my menacing contractions that the nurse told me were "normal" and my dr. was concerned. As of Friday I am done with work. There is no reason to panic, because I'm always on the verge of that state, but the dr. says that the next 4 weeks is crucial to the boys development and we can't be taking any chances. He said it is WAY too early for me to go into premature labor and if the babies want a fighting chance they need to make it to AT LEAST 28 weeks. So although contractions can be "normal" for some pregnancies he said normal can turn to problematic real quick with twins so it would be best for me to spend a majority of my day off my feet and resting. I'm not on strict bedrest but I do have to take it easy from now on.

Physically I'm so ready to be done with work, but emotionally it is not settling in as I thought it would. I've either been studying to teach or teaching for the past 12 years and its really hard to just up and stop doing that. I really like my job, the kids, my co-workers, etc.. so I am feeling really mixed emotions. Of course I know its best for the boys and I'll stand on my head for the next 16 weeks if that is what the dr. told me I needed to do for the them but still it is bittersweet.

113 days to go!

Things have been pretty uneventful around here lately. From what I have been reading, each boy should be 1.25 lbs and a foot long by now. Only 113 more days to go!

Even though I have been back to work for a month now, this past week was our first week with students and they totally kicked my butt! The first day with students was on Wednesday and I started having some contractions from all the bending over and physical activity that I haven't been used to. I called the nurse and of course she reassured me that everything was fine. She even mentioned that working with the kiddies was a good distraction for me from all my aches and pains. WHAT? Lady, working with the kiddies is the CAUSE of my aches and pains. I was frustrated but grateful that the discomfort I have been experiencing is nothing serious.

Today we had our first of two baptism classes at our church. We recently decided to change churches and start attending St. John and Paul in Washington Twp. Although I hate to officially leave St. Lawrence, it has just become too far for us. The boys will both have my sister, Tina, as their Godmother and our brother-in-law, Kevin, as their Godfather. As many of you know, Kevin is not religous in any sort of way but I have to say I am so lucky that he has been supportive of this whole process. As much as church is not his thing and I know how uncomfortable it can make him feel, I was so impressed by his selflessness today at the class. He participated in class and never once complained. I already knew that I have an awesome husband, but it seems like during this pregnancy there have been so many reminders of why I love Kevin so much and how deep that love runs. Just like my little guys, I just can't get enough of him either.