1 Month

I can't believe that it has already been a month since these two made their official debut. Where on earth did February go?

At one month they are:

-Eating around 3-4 ounces of milk every three hours

- Sleeping 3.5 to 4 hours at night

-Milo cries more than Briony. He really is the baby of the family 

-Briony sleeps and is awake when she needs to be. In fact, I think she would sleep more hours through the night if it weren't for her crying little brother

-They both have a hard time latching onto their bottles. They love to keep their tongues at the roofs of their mouths. Stinkers

-Sometimes Milo spits up and it always come out his nose. 

-Milo's mouth quivers when he cries and his little feet shake randomly every now and then. Thumper.

-Briony has a softer cry than Milo

-Milo always turns his head to the right. We have been trying to correct this so he doesn't get flat head.

-They sleep together in one crib

-Their skin is peeling like crazy

-Briony is harder to feed than Milo. She always has to be burped multiple times where Milo can eat his whole bottle in one sitting without a single burp

-At three weeks, Milo Weighed 7 lbs 3 oz. Briony didn't get weighed, but we think she's pretty close to that. 

-We have been working on tummy time to try to improve their neck strength. Milo hates it, but Briony doesn't seem to mind.

-They are really good babies for the most part and growing bigger and fatter everyday. 

We sure love these 1 monthers.

Adjusting

Life as a mom of three has been pretty challenging, but awesome at the same time. I forgot how much work is involved with a newborn. Starting with the feedings. It's the most challenging sleep depriving task I've ever had to do. Luke is good to remind me that someday I will miss this stage and how small they once were. What a good reminder to live in the moment and embrace this time even with its challenges. 

Luke got a week off of work to stay home and help me. I'll just say it wasn't long enough. 

This was my very first feeding without Luke. Somehow, I managed.

It's amazing how even after one week, they have grown and changed so much. Love these two and I love them in their cute little jammies.

We went on our first outing where the babies got to meet their Pediatrician. 

Briony was especially happy to be there. Or maybe it was because she was with her dad.

We also had their first photo shoot with the amazing Karina. 

Oliver has been really good. He asks to help with the babies all the time and for the most part, he has adjusted nicely. 

Snuggling with his sister. 

Bathing the babies. Luke and I have this routine down really well. He bathes them and I dress them. 

We have also had so many friends and family members bring us meals and treats and snacks and it has been a blessing. One day, Oliver even got his own anonymous package.  We are surrounded by so many good people in our lives. Thank you!

People have stopped by to visit us too. Both Grandmas stopped by at the same time one night. 

And some cousins that hadn't seen the babies yet got to...but since a couple of them had coughs, they only got to see them through the window.

It's crazy to think I use to stay up until midnight every night. Now I try to make it to bed by no later than ten so that I can get up at midnight or one to feed again. Like I said, the feeding part it so hard. I have been so blessed to have Taleesha and especially Amy help me with this in the mornings. Oh my goodness what would I do without the goodness of those in my life. 

Speaking of goodness. Amy and the rest of the grandma night adult gang had an intervention and got me out of the house while Luke stayed home with the babes. We hit up the Crown and had such a good time. Trent even made us laugh until we cried with his scary outburst of Womanizer. It was SO good to get out. 

These two have changed out lives forever. I admit that some of it is super hard, but they make it totally worth it. 

A {twin} Baby Story

I woke up fairly early this morning to get things rolling. We got Oliver ready and I said goodbye to him which was a little hard for me being that next time I would see him, he would be a big brother. My only child and the boy that made me a mom would have a new role now as big brother and one of three. Luke took him up to Amy's where he would stay for a few days while we were in the hospital. I showered and tried my hardest not to think of food. Of course since I had to fast from midnight until after the surgery, I was going to think of food. I called the labor and delivery unit to see if we were still on for my scheduled c section and they said we were good to go. Once Luke got back we were off and driving up to the Uof U hospital to get ready to meet baby A and baby B. We were so excited! 

We got there, checked our car in to the valet parking and I waddled my way up to the second floor. Luke asked if I wanted a wheel chair but I figured since I had made it this far, what's another few more steps. We checked in and went back. The nurses recognized me from two days ago when we stopped by to double check on visitors and vaccines again. Our nurse introduced herself and walked us back to our room where she told us what would be happening that day. She told me to change into my gown, put the belly band on and to let me know when I was ready. We asked her so many questions and requested not to have any students work on me to which she was very happy to oblige. She got the babies hooked up on the monitor and they both sounded great. I could finally relax knowing that whatever happened from here on out, the babies would be in good hands. She then put in my IV and did such a good job. I told her about my prior experience with the student that put in my IV and had a hard time finding the vein (which is surprising since I have very large veins). The nurse got all my info printed out and put bracelets on me and Luke and gave luke some scrubs to change into. I asked her about one of the nurses there that I went to high school with and hadn't me seen in about 8 years.. She said that she was working that day and a few minutes later, My old friend walked in. It was so nice to see a familiar face. We talked and caught up for about 45 minutes and it was so good to see her and know that I was going to be in good care with the L&D team. We had a resident come in and do an ultrasound to make sure that the babies were still breech. If there was any chance that they were head down then I would have preferred a vaginal delivery and that would have changed everything, but of course, baby A and now baby B were breech so on with the c section. We had the anesthesiologist come in with another resident to talk to us about what to expect in the or. It was nice to have him walk us through it and it really put me at ease. Our nurse said that he was the best and that I was going to be in good hands. The resident that was working with him actually was the one that did the spinal tap and she did an amazing job and she was so kind.  After they left we had the OBGYN resident come in and talk to us. We were waiting on my doctor and she came in and talked to me about the c section procedure and what to expect and the. Had me sign wavers and such. This resident doctor was beautiful and again, it was nice to have everything explained to us. At this point it was around 11:30 and just about time to go back to get things started. Our doctor walked in and I could have cried. I was so glad to see her and yet a bit nervous that this was really happening. It was time. 

I kissed Luke goodbye and told him that I would see him after my spinal and they wheeled me to the OR. When I got there I walked around to the tiny operating table and sat up on that table. I remember shaking because I was nervous and cold. My nurse got me some heated blankets and wrapped them around my shoulders. They undrapped the back of me and told me to push out my back as much as I could. I was having a hard time relaxing so the nurse grabbed my arms and put them on a high metal table. She held onto me from across that table and told me to breath. She started to talk to me about Oliver and how old he was and school and her daughters and how it was good that he had missed the school deadline. It helped a little and I stopped shaking but I was still so nervous. The spinal was quick and I instantly felt my legs get warm and tingly. I actually liked how it felt. They helped me lay back on the table as my body was getting more and more numb.As they prepped me, I could see up above me in some sort of metal fixture my reflection. I was hoping that I wouldn't have a view of the procedure right above me and that it would somehow get covered up.  They put up the blue drapes and thankfully it covered up the view.  They did the poking test to make sure that I couldn't feel anything and I couldn't so they proceeded to begin. They put an oxygen mask on me and I remember getting super hot. They were surprised because they say that women are usually super cold. They took off a blanket and I felt like I could breathe again and felt much more comfortable. Luke came in and I was so glad to have him there with me. I started to feel a lot of tugging and they said they were ready to begin. Since we didn't know what genders the babies were, our doctor was set on having Luke call out the gender of the babies and she told everyone in there to not say anythjng. I don't remember much because so much was happening, but I do remember the anesthesiologist  checking in on me a lot and then at 12:15, baby A.

I suddenly heard a little cry and I could not believe that that little cry was my baby. The doctor told Luke to look as she held the baby around the blue curtains and he said "it's a girl!" I was all smiles and I could not believe that I had a daughter. Baby A was a girl just like I had thought and hoped for. I just wanted to know that she was okay since baby A was the smaller baby and we were worried about her growth. I asked Luke if she was okay and it seemed like she was because there wasn't anything or anyone telling me otherwise. One minute later I heard another cry and it was baby B.

 I thought that I might have heard someone say that it was a boy and again, our doctor told Luke to announce and he said "it's a boy!" I was so happy and again I kept asking if they were okay and I could not believe that I had a girl and boy. This was exactly what I wanted and I could not believe that that was what I got. They didn't know how much the babies weighed for a few minutes. I guess baby A was having a hard time regulating her breathing and one of the pediatricians wanted to take her to the NICU, but my amazing nurse fought for her and said to put her on my chest skin to skin to see if that would help her and next thing I knew it, I had the tiniest little baby on my chest. In all this chaos and with all these people in there, I didn't quite know why she was being placed on me. I just thought that they were allowing me to hold her this way. I couldn't see her very well because she was placed just right under my neck. I tried to look down as much as I could and all I could see were these wide awake  dark little eyes. No crying, just this perfect little girl skin to skin with me. My miracle babies were here and I could not help, but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that they were here and safe and doing well. 

They asked us what their names were and Luke said "Baby A is Briony and baby B is Milo." Briony weighed in at 4lbs 14oz and Milo weighed in at 5lbs 5 oz. I actually thought that they would weigh more than that, but I was happy that they were healthy. What I found strange was that they never told us how long they measured. I don't think they ever measured their length because even after in their medical report, I never found it.

 Anyway,  the nurses then took Briony once her breathing had regulated and after a few minutes of being stitched up, they took the blue drapes down. Our amazing doctor congratulated me and took off while the resident doctor finished up. At one point, the anesthesiologist  had taken my camera from Luke and was snapping pictures to which I was so grateful for. While Luke held the babies,  the nurses transferred me to a bed and then they placed the babies on my chest and wheeled me back to L&D. My friend and our nurse were there wheeling me to my room and my friend suggested that Luke take a picture of me holding the babies...again I am grateful she did because one of the pictures that Luke took is my absolute favorite with my babies.

 I don't remember much after that or how long I spent in L&D. I just remembered that our wonderful nurse said her goodbyes to us and I was so gratful to her for pulling for us and being so incredible to us while in her care. She gave us a hug and told us to come back to visit her. I felt such a connection to this woman and thought that this is possibly the last time I would get to see her. My friend wheeled us into our recovery room where we would spend the next 5 days. I didn't really get to say goodbye to her either since nurses were already coming in to check on us. I really wish that I could have stayed in the care of those two the entire time. They were so good to me. 

The next few days were such a blur. The babies got to room in with me and it was no time before I was trying to nurse them and adjust to this new role as a mom of twins. I started to breastfeed them that day and the nurses were so great at helping me. We had Oliver and Amy stop by that night. Oliver loved seeing his new siblings and he was so happy that he got to hold them. My mother in law and my mom and sister were the only other people to come up that night.

 The next day we had a few more visits from Ginger, Lindsay, and Jonny and Taleesha. I didn't sleep a whole lot since I was trying to feed and with all the visits from the nurses and doctors and trying to take care of myself, I was very sleep deprived. Because of it, I started to get sick so for the next two nights, they took the babies at night so I could sleep. At one point because I hadn't slept and because of the medication (we think), my hearing was affected and everyone's voices sounded distorted and like robots. It was the strangest thing ever.

 As I started to feel better and heal well, It was time to go home. The think I will remember most was the care of the nurses. I had two specific nurses that were exceptionally amazing. They were both with me for three days and I even cried when their last shift ended and they left. One of the nurses even crocheted  Briony and Milo little minion hats. They were adorable and it just goes to show the level of love and care that we were in. I will always be so grateful to them for all they did, even if they were just doing their job. On Monday afternoon, we were discharged and we made our way home to be on our own and to try and adjust to our new lives as a family of five. 

The Home Stretch Weeks 31-37

Well here we are. The final stretch in this pregnancy. I can't believe we have made it this far and that the babies are just weeks away from arriving. 

These pictures were taken at 27 weeks, but I loved them and thought I would include them.

 He is going to be the best big brother.

31 Weeks

Getting ready for Christmas and feeling overall pretty good. 

(ugly sweater party)

32 weeks.

 Went to the hospital the day after Christmas to have a growth ultrasound to see how the babies are doing. Baby A measured 3lbs 6oz and baby b measures 3lbs 15oz. They will be monitoring me more closely to make sure that baby A is gaining good weight. I weighed in at 191lbs which was fun because that's how much Luke weighs too. 

 33 weeks.

I got sick shortly after Christmas which was not fun at all. I had also pulled a muscle in my belly somehow so being sick and coughing and sneezing would hurt quite a bit. I still have acid reflux but luckily for me the foot and leg cramping have stopped. Next up are NST's and a better idea of what delivery day will be like. 

 34 weeks.

NST's are in full swing and I couldn't be happier. The babies sound so good and I am happy. The belly keeps growing and growing and the babies keep kicking and kicking. Their kicks are really starting to hurt. 

 35 weeks.

Bleeding sent me to the hospita,l but everything looked okay. This week I ended up having to go to the clinic or hospital every single day. 3 of the days were due to symptoms that needed to be checked out to make sure everything was okay. Thankfully, everything was. The other days were scheduled ultrasounds, Non stress tests(NST's) or routine check ups.

Amy took me in one of the times to which I was so grateful for. Being there for three hours is never fun. Especially when your getting blood drawn, getting an IV and being checked for dilation. 

 36 weeks.

Feeling really good and I am so happy that these babies are still growing and doing well. I could go at any minute. We have a scheduled c-section date of January 30th, 2014. Baby B is head down, but that stubborn baby A is still breech. If baby A stays in the breech position, January 30th will be their birthday.

 37 weeks

Final week. I am feeling very large and uncomfortable, but good for the most part. I know one day I will miss the belly and feeling these babies move inside me. I went to the doctor hoping that I would weigh over 200lbs, but to my surprise I lost 2 pounds and ended up weighing 197.

 I was so uncomfortable. Even walking hurt so at the grocery store I fully embraced looking silly on this Rascal while I comfortably shopped. Luke thought it was awesome.

My final Ultrasound. Baby B went from head down to breech so it looks like it's a go for January 30th. We loved our technician and ended up requesting her for the last three ultrasounds.

The day before delivery day, I went to lunch to Yannis with Amy for my "last supper". It was delicious

Some of the things I will miss about my pregnancy:

- I will miss my big belly. I have loved to see it grow and house these two babies over the past 9 months. 

-I will miss weigh ins. I actually loved gaining weight.

-I will miss having people (and when I say people, I mean friends and family) touch/rub my belly. Unlike most women, I really did enjoy it. 

-I will miss being able to eat whatever I want...guilt free

-In the last picture I am holding apple juice. This was my drink of choice during my whole pregnancy. I loved it!

-I will miss feeling those sweet babies kick me. Even if at times, it hurt so bad.

-I will miss telling people that I am expecting twins. It was never necessary to say that I was carrying twins, but I loved to acknowledge that there were two in there and not just one.

-I will miss people's reaction when we would tell them that we weren't finding out their gender. "how do you prepare for that" and "I could never do that" were the most common phrases said following their surprise. 

-I will miss the many foot rubs that Luke gave me. Probably the only time in my life that this will happen since Luke doesn't particularly like feet. A true action of love. 

-I will miss hearing the babies heart beats on a regular basis

-I will miss refering to them as baby A and baby B. And dreaming about their genders and different scenarios in life because of it. 

-I will miss the excitement of going to doctor appointments and seeing their black and white grainy images from the ultrasound

-I will miss having an excuse to not vigorously exercise...who am I kidding...more like to not exercise at all. 

-I will miss taking pictures of my growing belly

-I will miss actually having boobs

-I will miss the nightly routine of looking online to see what growth the babies made that day (through a website) and to see how many days pregnant I was.

-I will miss seeing my doctor on a regular basis. She is pretty awesome.

And lastly

-I will miss the sense of knowing that my body is a part of creating the most important thing on this earth, life.

Next up, January 30th!