These twins like to get attention. Mostly from us though. They don't wait for the paparazzi to sneak out of the bushes and take their pictures after just eating breakfast and having oatmeal and bananas stuck to their foreheads. When we leave them in the family room, we have the gate up and leave to go clean up after breakfast/lunch/dinenr, go to the restroom, make ourselves breakfast/lunch/dinner etc. They figured out a sneaky way to get our attention. They have a few toys that have balls, and they have some big bouncy balls. They carry said balls over to the gate, that looks into the tiled entry way. The then toss the balls, which makes a click clack noise. They wait for us to come out and give the balls back. If that doesn't work they get other toys: Little People, books, socks, shoes, straw cups, etc. Pretty soon the entry way is covered in toys. At least they don't cry.
I have turned the bottom of their closet into a "toy chest". I keep completely different toys up there, open up the door and let them play while changing diapers, getting them dressed, changing sheets, putting away clothes. Lately, I have been finding odd stuff while cleaning. Namely pacifiers. Which leads me to..........
We stopped giving pacifiers at 11 months. 3 months ago! Our goal was to phase out pacifiers and bottles at 1 year. However, we kept losing the pacifiers. We were constantly looking for them. "have you seen the purple paci?" "where did Trent put the Orange paci?" We got to the point where we had lost 10 paci's. Or the kids put them some where. We were down to the ones from the hospital. So we said, forget it, no more. Cold turkey, Trent went to bed with out his paci. And he was fine. Verona didn't really NEED it, she always spit it out during bedtime and nap. And because they both had teeth, they spent more time CHEWING on the paci then actually sucking on it. The problem, is I have been finding paci's over the past few weeks. I pulled out the changing table in their room to vacuum and found a blue one. In between their cribs is a canvas box that holds burp cloths/snot rags. Yesterday Trent spit up in the morning and I found another blue one in the canvas box. I found a pink and a purple one behind one of the couches a few weeks ago.
I have noticed that some mom's are sad about putting away baby clothes. Last night while folding their laundry I realized I can't wait for them to grow up. I can't wait to have conversations with them, and talk with them. And folding tiny pairs of pants are a pain. Andy wants them to wear clothes that only have snaps and zippers. I don't' think we want a 12 year old wearing a onesie to school. I am over onesie's. I only put onesie's on them when they go to daycare. Is that bad? They are a pain, I have to pull down their pants AND undo the snaps to get to the diaper,plus I have to do this TWICE! I keep the separate tops and bottoms for us and put them in the complicated clothing for daycare. I am terrible, but it makes it so much easier when you are by yourself with them.
I think this is a good stopping point.I am going to try and figure out how to "mobile blog". There may be more blogs in the future if I can learn how to!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Cause and Effect
Look, 2 posts within 2 months!! Cause and Effect seems to be the theme around our home lately. Verona is now a walker/toddler. She can take a good amount of steps before she just sits down or looks for something to hold on to. She doesn't look where she is walking and will walk over ANYTHING. (Legs, toys, cups, pony's, brother) and she eventually falls down and becomes upset. By not looking where she is going causes her to fall and the effect is she throws a tantrum. Trent has learned that if he let's Verona take his toy, scratch him, or push him, he will cry and not "fight" back. Thus I swoop down, comfort him, and show Verona how scratching and pushing is not nice, while she smiles and laughs at me. But alas, it is a two way street. Trenton's 12 teeth are good for chomping down on Verona's fingers when she finds it funny to stick her fingers in his mouth. She is left with tiny bite marks, a hurt ego, and the effect of knowing her brother has 12 teeth and she has 6.
Trenton took 3 steps unassisted on February 15th. And nothing since then. He can't stand on his own either. He tends to lead with his stomach when we hold his hands to get him to walk. This may be due to the fact that he can now hold down food. And lots of it. He is a never-ending pit for food. He crawls up the stares s l o w l y. Crawls pretty fast around the house. But the elusive walking seems to be his hold back. I am not worried at all. He's a boy, he likes to do his own thing and he is developing great every where else. His sensitive side is showing more. We noticed it when he was younger, but it has really come out lately. If you scold Verona for dropping food, throwing food, or hitting Trenton, TRENT cries!! He doesn't like any harsh remarks. "Verona, be nice to Trent!" His lower lip pops out, and he becomes all upset. Such a sensitive boy. However, he is the best snuggler in the house. I can always count on him to crawl into my lap, or request to be brought up on the couch and will happily lay on either of us and just rest is hinds
Verona took her first steps on January 15th. She would take 3-5 steps cautiously if we were right there for her to fall into. In the past few weeks she decided she doesn't need help and can do it on her own. She has been crawling up the stairs on her own for almost 2 months now. We need to show her how to go down the stairs now. She is such a funny girl. Anything makes her laugh, especially when Andy get's down on all fours, and growls and is going to "get her" she lays down on her back and waits for him then laughs. She likes to be tickled and is very very curious. About Everything. All the time. She can swipe the iPad open, knows to use her fingers if she wants the iPad or our iPhoens to do anything. But she is the queen of tantrums. If you dare leave her sight it is an all out crying, head shaking, feet stomping, arm swinging good time. Andy and I rather enjoy watching it progress. She goes from happily playing to freaking out in a matter of seconds if we get up to get something that is not in the family room. But when you come back, she is fine and wants to climb into your lap and hug you. How can you not want to leave the room and come back when you know you get a hug?
Kisses. They are both learning to do kisses. Trent "throws" kisses to us, but is not big on giving kisses. Verona gives kisses, and sometimes she lingers. With her mouth open. Today, I was laying on the floor, puckered my lips up, and she leaned down with her mouth open and kept trying to keep her lips on mine. I was laughing so hard she kept doing it over and over. She also has given kisses on the cheek, but she has bit me a couple times doing that. She is learning that if you bite during a kiss, you can't give any kisses on the cheek.
Bottles. So we were doing a morning bottle, and then straw cups for lunch and dinner, and a night bottle. My parents were visiting and I told them about the straw cups but neglected to tell them about the morning bottle. So they put the morning bottle in the straw cup. PERFECT!! Now the kids are down to only 1 bottle a day. I figure we will keep doing it until they don't want it. Hopefully by 15-18 months they are over it. It is so nice to not have to wash bottles. The straw cups are easier for all of us. But I need to find some new ones, these ones seem to leak when they are thrown to the ground, which happens ALL THE TIME!
Food. What don't they eat? They love it all. Brussell Sprouts, Eggs, meatballs, Multi-Grain Cheerios, pancakes, pasta, beef stew, carrots. But they really like sour foods. They go CRAZY for pickles! And Granny Smith Apples. Whenever Andy makes a sandwich with pickles, their radar turns on and they won't leave him along until they get a taste. They don't seem to mind lime or lemon either. And luckily, they are fiends for milk. I LOVE milk, and they had no problem going from formula to milk.
Hope this finds you well.Until next time
Trenton took 3 steps unassisted on February 15th. And nothing since then. He can't stand on his own either. He tends to lead with his stomach when we hold his hands to get him to walk. This may be due to the fact that he can now hold down food. And lots of it. He is a never-ending pit for food. He crawls up the stares s l o w l y. Crawls pretty fast around the house. But the elusive walking seems to be his hold back. I am not worried at all. He's a boy, he likes to do his own thing and he is developing great every where else. His sensitive side is showing more. We noticed it when he was younger, but it has really come out lately. If you scold Verona for dropping food, throwing food, or hitting Trenton, TRENT cries!! He doesn't like any harsh remarks. "Verona, be nice to Trent!" His lower lip pops out, and he becomes all upset. Such a sensitive boy. However, he is the best snuggler in the house. I can always count on him to crawl into my lap, or request to be brought up on the couch and will happily lay on either of us and just rest is hinds
Verona took her first steps on January 15th. She would take 3-5 steps cautiously if we were right there for her to fall into. In the past few weeks she decided she doesn't need help and can do it on her own. She has been crawling up the stairs on her own for almost 2 months now. We need to show her how to go down the stairs now. She is such a funny girl. Anything makes her laugh, especially when Andy get's down on all fours, and growls and is going to "get her" she lays down on her back and waits for him then laughs. She likes to be tickled and is very very curious. About Everything. All the time. She can swipe the iPad open, knows to use her fingers if she wants the iPad or our iPhoens to do anything. But she is the queen of tantrums. If you dare leave her sight it is an all out crying, head shaking, feet stomping, arm swinging good time. Andy and I rather enjoy watching it progress. She goes from happily playing to freaking out in a matter of seconds if we get up to get something that is not in the family room. But when you come back, she is fine and wants to climb into your lap and hug you. How can you not want to leave the room and come back when you know you get a hug?
Kisses. They are both learning to do kisses. Trent "throws" kisses to us, but is not big on giving kisses. Verona gives kisses, and sometimes she lingers. With her mouth open. Today, I was laying on the floor, puckered my lips up, and she leaned down with her mouth open and kept trying to keep her lips on mine. I was laughing so hard she kept doing it over and over. She also has given kisses on the cheek, but she has bit me a couple times doing that. She is learning that if you bite during a kiss, you can't give any kisses on the cheek.
Bottles. So we were doing a morning bottle, and then straw cups for lunch and dinner, and a night bottle. My parents were visiting and I told them about the straw cups but neglected to tell them about the morning bottle. So they put the morning bottle in the straw cup. PERFECT!! Now the kids are down to only 1 bottle a day. I figure we will keep doing it until they don't want it. Hopefully by 15-18 months they are over it. It is so nice to not have to wash bottles. The straw cups are easier for all of us. But I need to find some new ones, these ones seem to leak when they are thrown to the ground, which happens ALL THE TIME!
Food. What don't they eat? They love it all. Brussell Sprouts, Eggs, meatballs, Multi-Grain Cheerios, pancakes, pasta, beef stew, carrots. But they really like sour foods. They go CRAZY for pickles! And Granny Smith Apples. Whenever Andy makes a sandwich with pickles, their radar turns on and they won't leave him along until they get a taste. They don't seem to mind lime or lemon either. And luckily, they are fiends for milk. I LOVE milk, and they had no problem going from formula to milk.
Hope this finds you well.Until next time
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Time Flies
Well not bad. It has been less then a year from my last blog. The twins turn 1 and that statement sums up the last year. We have been extremely busy with them and keeping up and balancing life, work, and them has taught us many things, but mostly patience. Without patience, everything falls apart. I am so lucky to have Andy in my life and go through this ride with me. With that, he made an amazing video summing up Trenton and Verona's first year. The songs have a special meaning to us. The first song we considered the title a name for a daughter for about 2 weeks then we came to our senses. The second song came from a movie that we saw the summer I was pregnant and I balled through most of the movie. The third song is by an artist that I like a lot and it just seemed to flow for us both. Enjoy and I will attempt to blog more this year. <
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Double the Joy
Wow, when I last blogged I was 31 weeks. A lot has changed since then and I am sorry for the late post.
One of the biggest decisions we had to make last year was about insurance. We were on a PPO plan through Andy's work and we had the option to changing up our plan. We were looking into an HMO only because it cover's EVERYTHING! We would be paying more per month but thought that once we had a kid we would be going to the doctor more often. Once we found out it was twins, we knew, HMO it must be. The only hitch, the new insurance would not go into effect until January 1, 2011.
This meant the twins would need to stay inside until 12:01am on the 1st. The days leading up to the 1st were at times stressful. Any little ache, pain, or cramp was cause for me to sit down and put my feet up. We just kept telling the kids they needed to stay inside for just a wee bit longer and then they could come when they wanted.
And boy did they decide to come.
On the 4th of January at around 12:20am I got up to go tot he bathroom. As I was headed back to bed, the urge to relieve myself came upon me again so I walked quickly back to the bathroom and didn't make it. I was confused. Did my water just break? I stood there with wet pajamas's pondering this for about 2 minutes. Crazy I know. I then changed pj's woke up and Andy and told him. He went into daddy mode real quick. Turned on the lights, asked if I was having contractions and what not. I on the other hand was in denial. I said to let me wait and see. Called the Dr. Office and explained the situation. The on-call nurse asked if I was having contractions and I said no. I then told her I felt fine and would call back later. I decided to go back to bed. I got up at around 5:45 and got ready for work. Andy looked up my symptoms on the internet (bad I know) and I decided that I must be incontinent. I was having ZERO pains at all. So I drove to work and worked ALL DAY LONG. I called the doctor again in the afternoon to explain hat I was still leaking and was this normal for incontinence. The nurse said she would call me back. 30 minutes later I got the call that would change it all. The nurse said the doctor thinks my water did break and that I need to get to Labor and Delivery right away.
I left work and told a manager that I was probably going to have my babies and needed to leave. I was scared, but calm. Calm enough to stop and get gas. Only me.
I met Andy at the hospital and we headed to L & D. I went to the "maybe baby" room. This is where the weed out the crazies who THINK they are in labor from the one's who are in DENIAL they are in labor. Guess which category I fell into? The nurse Tammy did a fern test that would say for sure if my water broke, and sure enough it had. By now it was 6pm, 18 hours my water had broken. I couldnt' believe it. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. The twins were supposed to wait until I was 37 weeks, when they would be larger and I would have my Leave of Absence until the end of April!
At this point the on call ob/gyn came in to check the babies. He did an ultrasound and as usual Twin B was transverse (crescent shaped with head towards the top) and Twin A was head down. And he gave me the bad news. I was 33 weeks and 3 days pregnant. The hospital has a strict 34 weeks policy, meaning that I wasn't 34 weeks, I wasn't in danger so I needed to go have these twins at a larger hospital. Boo. But then it got real exciting. I was told I would be helicoptered down to Sacramento! My first helicopter ride!! Andy was left with the task of calling my parent's and using his best calm voice to explain what was happening and then driving down to Sac to meet me.
The ride was so strange. I was put on my left said strapped in with my catheter bag(double boo) and loaded up. All I could think about was that episode of ER when the mean red headed doctor get's his arm chopped off by the blades of a helicopter as they loaded me up. I was right next to the pilot and had a great view, even if it was 9pm. He used the spotlight a few times and it felt like an episode of COPS.
I got to the hospital and was met by a nurse who said there was a "very worried Mom on the phone". Had to be for me. My mom was freaked out and for good reason. You get a call from your daughter's husband saying she is being flown to a large city to have her babies.
Once I got checked in, found out that I would NOT be delivering right away. I was so bummed. I was all prepared to have my babies that night.
The next morning we were met by the on call ob/gyn. Had an ultrasound done and Twin B turned!! We couldn't believe it, Twin B was now head down and I would be able to deliver naturally like I wanted!! The induction was schedule for 4am on Saturday the 8th, when I would be exactly 34 weeks. The next 3 days were filled with me being poked (still had my gestational diabetes), prodded (had to have blood drawn many times)and hooked up to a fetal monitor for what seemed like hours. Each baby had it's own monitor and Twin B as usual never stayed in the same spot so the nurses could never get an accurate reading. At this time I also was hooked up to a monitor for contractions. I finally found out that these "pains" I was having at the top of my stomach were not in fact Twin B pushing it's head,but contractions. Oops. And they didn't hurt at all, just annoyingly tight.
So at 4am, my nurse Heather woke me up and checked me and I was already at a 3 all on my own. She started the pitocin and at 7 I was 4cm. At 9am I was 5cm. At 11am I was 6cm. And that's where it all stopped. I didn't have any pain medication, I wanted to go as natural as possible. And the funny thing was I wasn't in any pain at all. I started watching the Seahawks-Saints game. That took my mind off of everything. The doctor came in at around 1:30 or so to tell me that if I wanted to keep going I could, but that when Twin A comes out, Twin B could float to the top of my uterus and he would have to reach up and grab a foot to get Twin B to come out. Excuse me? I will take the C-section please!
I got ready for the epidural. The numbing agent lidocaine was sooo painful, the needle used for the epidural, dint' feel a thing. I was getting excited and nervous. We would finally meet these twins! As they wheeled me towards the operating room my parents, Andy's parents, and his brother were all at a spot where I could see them. Inside the operating room it was crazy. There were so many people. It was bright and loud and just buzzing with excitement. Since NOBODY knew what we were having it just seemed to be more fun for everyone to spend a Saturday afternoon.
At 3:07pm, Twin A was born. A boy we named Trenton. He was rushed over to a warming table and given oxygen. At 3:08pm, Twin B arrive, a girl we named Verona. I was beyond excited. I knew from the time I was 20 weeks, that Twin A was a boy and Twin B was a girl. I told everyone that as well. No one believed me. At times I thought 2 boys, but I knew. I immediately told Andy we were done. No more kids. We got one of each and had the perfect family.
I told Andy to go take pictures, and check on them. He did and they were rushed off to the NICU. After they were done stapling me (yes that's right 13 staples) I was in recovery for about 2 hours or so. I was exhausted. I just wanted to sleep and eat. Once back in my room, Andy showed me pictures of the kids. There were lots of tubes and monitors,but I didn't care they were alive and getting the best care available. At around 1am, we headed to the NICU so I could finally see them. I was overjoyed. Trenton was on a CPAP for his breathing and Verona was Intubated for her breathing. Luckily they were each only on these for 24 hours, then Verona was on a CPAP and Trenton was breathing on his own. They both had Central Venous Line's, first in the hands, then that vein gave out, then in their feet, then those vein's gave out and finally in their heads. They looked like unicorn's so we called them the unicorn IV's. Verona had an umbilical line as well. It was tough having them in the NICU. They were hooked up to so many monitor's and were in incubator's. But they got the best care. They were on a schedule of 11,2,5, and 8. That is when they were fed, changed and had their temps taken. As parent's we were encouraged to attend each of these times to do their changing's, temps,and feedings. It was so great. We got to bond with them and hold them even if they weren't allowed to be out of the incubator's for too long. They both had feeding tubes, so what ever they wouldn't take from a bottle was gevaged in. We became really good at knowing all the beeps and sounds from the monitors and could distinguish if they were having any issues from those.
After about 5 days we made the big push to have them transferred to our local hospital. They were stable, and just needed help eating. After a long drawn outprocess on the 20th, they were transferred by ambulance to our hospital. While they were in Sacramento, I stayed with my amazing friend Melissa. She lived only 15 minutes away and I spent usually 10 hours at the hospital without leaving. It was emotionally draining. Andy would drive from work down to Sacramento to see me and the kids and then drive home. It was a very difficult time for all of us.
Once they were in Chico, it was so much better. I was able to sleep in my own bed, see my husband everyday, and he could spend more time with the twins as well. We finally got the ok from our pediatrician that they would be discharged. On the 26th, 18 days after they were born, nearly 3 weeks, we got to bring our beautiful twins home!
Once we got them home it was just surreal. We didn't' know what to do exactly. We kept the hospital's schedule,which was now 9,12,3, and 6. That first afternoon we let them sleep and just monitored them. That night as we put them down in the same crib, Andy read them a story and we got all our blankets and slept on the floor. And we slept like crap. They made so many grunts and groans we didn't know if they were sleeping, being fussy or what. Turns out they were sleeping! Just noisy sleepers they are!
My parents arrived on the 29th (when I would have been 37 weeks) and stayed for 2 weeks helping us. Doing yard work, cooking, sewing, getting up and doing feedings in the middle of the night with us. It was amazing to have them with us. It was difficult to say goodbye. This week it has been just me and the kids, all day long. And so far so good. It has been super stormy and cold outside so I have been bundling them up inside, which in turn led to Verona getting heat rash. Oops. Poor thing, mama was just trying to keep her warm. I am wanting some nice weather so we can go for a walk to the park my our house, but instead we stay inside all...day...long. So glad I don't live where it rains all the time anymore.
At this very moment, it was pouring rain, and I have Verona snuggled up on my chest while I type. Not sure how I will get a shower in today, but I see it happening shortly!
Thank you to all for the cards, flowers, and well wishes. We are so thrilled with our new additions.
Here are their stats:
3:07pm. Trenton Richard 4lbs 11 oz, 17"
3:08pm. Verona Marie 4lbs 14oz 18.5"
One of the biggest decisions we had to make last year was about insurance. We were on a PPO plan through Andy's work and we had the option to changing up our plan. We were looking into an HMO only because it cover's EVERYTHING! We would be paying more per month but thought that once we had a kid we would be going to the doctor more often. Once we found out it was twins, we knew, HMO it must be. The only hitch, the new insurance would not go into effect until January 1, 2011.
This meant the twins would need to stay inside until 12:01am on the 1st. The days leading up to the 1st were at times stressful. Any little ache, pain, or cramp was cause for me to sit down and put my feet up. We just kept telling the kids they needed to stay inside for just a wee bit longer and then they could come when they wanted.
And boy did they decide to come.
On the 4th of January at around 12:20am I got up to go tot he bathroom. As I was headed back to bed, the urge to relieve myself came upon me again so I walked quickly back to the bathroom and didn't make it. I was confused. Did my water just break? I stood there with wet pajamas's pondering this for about 2 minutes. Crazy I know. I then changed pj's woke up and Andy and told him. He went into daddy mode real quick. Turned on the lights, asked if I was having contractions and what not. I on the other hand was in denial. I said to let me wait and see. Called the Dr. Office and explained the situation. The on-call nurse asked if I was having contractions and I said no. I then told her I felt fine and would call back later. I decided to go back to bed. I got up at around 5:45 and got ready for work. Andy looked up my symptoms on the internet (bad I know) and I decided that I must be incontinent. I was having ZERO pains at all. So I drove to work and worked ALL DAY LONG. I called the doctor again in the afternoon to explain hat I was still leaking and was this normal for incontinence. The nurse said she would call me back. 30 minutes later I got the call that would change it all. The nurse said the doctor thinks my water did break and that I need to get to Labor and Delivery right away.
I left work and told a manager that I was probably going to have my babies and needed to leave. I was scared, but calm. Calm enough to stop and get gas. Only me.
I met Andy at the hospital and we headed to L & D. I went to the "maybe baby" room. This is where the weed out the crazies who THINK they are in labor from the one's who are in DENIAL they are in labor. Guess which category I fell into? The nurse Tammy did a fern test that would say for sure if my water broke, and sure enough it had. By now it was 6pm, 18 hours my water had broken. I couldnt' believe it. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. The twins were supposed to wait until I was 37 weeks, when they would be larger and I would have my Leave of Absence until the end of April!
At this point the on call ob/gyn came in to check the babies. He did an ultrasound and as usual Twin B was transverse (crescent shaped with head towards the top) and Twin A was head down. And he gave me the bad news. I was 33 weeks and 3 days pregnant. The hospital has a strict 34 weeks policy, meaning that I wasn't 34 weeks, I wasn't in danger so I needed to go have these twins at a larger hospital. Boo. But then it got real exciting. I was told I would be helicoptered down to Sacramento! My first helicopter ride!! Andy was left with the task of calling my parent's and using his best calm voice to explain what was happening and then driving down to Sac to meet me.
The ride was so strange. I was put on my left said strapped in with my catheter bag(double boo) and loaded up. All I could think about was that episode of ER when the mean red headed doctor get's his arm chopped off by the blades of a helicopter as they loaded me up. I was right next to the pilot and had a great view, even if it was 9pm. He used the spotlight a few times and it felt like an episode of COPS.
I got to the hospital and was met by a nurse who said there was a "very worried Mom on the phone". Had to be for me. My mom was freaked out and for good reason. You get a call from your daughter's husband saying she is being flown to a large city to have her babies.
Once I got checked in, found out that I would NOT be delivering right away. I was so bummed. I was all prepared to have my babies that night.
The next morning we were met by the on call ob/gyn. Had an ultrasound done and Twin B turned!! We couldn't believe it, Twin B was now head down and I would be able to deliver naturally like I wanted!! The induction was schedule for 4am on Saturday the 8th, when I would be exactly 34 weeks. The next 3 days were filled with me being poked (still had my gestational diabetes), prodded (had to have blood drawn many times)and hooked up to a fetal monitor for what seemed like hours. Each baby had it's own monitor and Twin B as usual never stayed in the same spot so the nurses could never get an accurate reading. At this time I also was hooked up to a monitor for contractions. I finally found out that these "pains" I was having at the top of my stomach were not in fact Twin B pushing it's head,but contractions. Oops. And they didn't hurt at all, just annoyingly tight.
So at 4am, my nurse Heather woke me up and checked me and I was already at a 3 all on my own. She started the pitocin and at 7 I was 4cm. At 9am I was 5cm. At 11am I was 6cm. And that's where it all stopped. I didn't have any pain medication, I wanted to go as natural as possible. And the funny thing was I wasn't in any pain at all. I started watching the Seahawks-Saints game. That took my mind off of everything. The doctor came in at around 1:30 or so to tell me that if I wanted to keep going I could, but that when Twin A comes out, Twin B could float to the top of my uterus and he would have to reach up and grab a foot to get Twin B to come out. Excuse me? I will take the C-section please!
I got ready for the epidural. The numbing agent lidocaine was sooo painful, the needle used for the epidural, dint' feel a thing. I was getting excited and nervous. We would finally meet these twins! As they wheeled me towards the operating room my parents, Andy's parents, and his brother were all at a spot where I could see them. Inside the operating room it was crazy. There were so many people. It was bright and loud and just buzzing with excitement. Since NOBODY knew what we were having it just seemed to be more fun for everyone to spend a Saturday afternoon.
At 3:07pm, Twin A was born. A boy we named Trenton. He was rushed over to a warming table and given oxygen. At 3:08pm, Twin B arrive, a girl we named Verona. I was beyond excited. I knew from the time I was 20 weeks, that Twin A was a boy and Twin B was a girl. I told everyone that as well. No one believed me. At times I thought 2 boys, but I knew. I immediately told Andy we were done. No more kids. We got one of each and had the perfect family.
I told Andy to go take pictures, and check on them. He did and they were rushed off to the NICU. After they were done stapling me (yes that's right 13 staples) I was in recovery for about 2 hours or so. I was exhausted. I just wanted to sleep and eat. Once back in my room, Andy showed me pictures of the kids. There were lots of tubes and monitors,but I didn't care they were alive and getting the best care available. At around 1am, we headed to the NICU so I could finally see them. I was overjoyed. Trenton was on a CPAP for his breathing and Verona was Intubated for her breathing. Luckily they were each only on these for 24 hours, then Verona was on a CPAP and Trenton was breathing on his own. They both had Central Venous Line's, first in the hands, then that vein gave out, then in their feet, then those vein's gave out and finally in their heads. They looked like unicorn's so we called them the unicorn IV's. Verona had an umbilical line as well. It was tough having them in the NICU. They were hooked up to so many monitor's and were in incubator's. But they got the best care. They were on a schedule of 11,2,5, and 8. That is when they were fed, changed and had their temps taken. As parent's we were encouraged to attend each of these times to do their changing's, temps,and feedings. It was so great. We got to bond with them and hold them even if they weren't allowed to be out of the incubator's for too long. They both had feeding tubes, so what ever they wouldn't take from a bottle was gevaged in. We became really good at knowing all the beeps and sounds from the monitors and could distinguish if they were having any issues from those.
After about 5 days we made the big push to have them transferred to our local hospital. They were stable, and just needed help eating. After a long drawn outprocess on the 20th, they were transferred by ambulance to our hospital. While they were in Sacramento, I stayed with my amazing friend Melissa. She lived only 15 minutes away and I spent usually 10 hours at the hospital without leaving. It was emotionally draining. Andy would drive from work down to Sacramento to see me and the kids and then drive home. It was a very difficult time for all of us.
Once they were in Chico, it was so much better. I was able to sleep in my own bed, see my husband everyday, and he could spend more time with the twins as well. We finally got the ok from our pediatrician that they would be discharged. On the 26th, 18 days after they were born, nearly 3 weeks, we got to bring our beautiful twins home!
Once we got them home it was just surreal. We didn't' know what to do exactly. We kept the hospital's schedule,which was now 9,12,3, and 6. That first afternoon we let them sleep and just monitored them. That night as we put them down in the same crib, Andy read them a story and we got all our blankets and slept on the floor. And we slept like crap. They made so many grunts and groans we didn't know if they were sleeping, being fussy or what. Turns out they were sleeping! Just noisy sleepers they are!
My parents arrived on the 29th (when I would have been 37 weeks) and stayed for 2 weeks helping us. Doing yard work, cooking, sewing, getting up and doing feedings in the middle of the night with us. It was amazing to have them with us. It was difficult to say goodbye. This week it has been just me and the kids, all day long. And so far so good. It has been super stormy and cold outside so I have been bundling them up inside, which in turn led to Verona getting heat rash. Oops. Poor thing, mama was just trying to keep her warm. I am wanting some nice weather so we can go for a walk to the park my our house, but instead we stay inside all...day...long. So glad I don't live where it rains all the time anymore.
At this very moment, it was pouring rain, and I have Verona snuggled up on my chest while I type. Not sure how I will get a shower in today, but I see it happening shortly!
Thank you to all for the cards, flowers, and well wishes. We are so thrilled with our new additions.
Here are their stats:
3:07pm. Trenton Richard 4lbs 11 oz, 17"
3:08pm. Verona Marie 4lbs 14oz 18.5"
Sunday, December 19, 2010
It's been a hard day's night
It has been some time since my last post and I apologize. We left off at 20 weeks and half way. Wow, lots of things have changed.
-I am now 31 weeks and huge.
-I am the not so proud owner of gestational diabetes
-My kids feel the need to kick and move during the night now
-I can no longer wear my wedding band. : ( Swelling of the hands.
-I can barely tie my shoes
-I keep getting mistaken for someone having a Christmas baby
-I have become extremely good at cooking eggs in a stainless steel pan
-I work retail, so the holidays have prevented me from providing a more consistent posting schedule.
Ok, so 31 weeks pregnant. I had an ultrasound at 29 weeks, the twins were measuring just fine. TA is head down like a proper baby should be. TB has a mind of its' own. Head is up, and body curves like a crescent moon with the feet towards my left side. So I get the benefit of a head popping up looking like a cone, AND getting kicked on the side of the ribs. TA likes to push it's little bottom up and then push its' feet against my stomach and ribs. I like to lay on the couch, pull my shirt up and watch the show. Andy finds it to be totally weird as do I. It's strange how I am not grossed out by this. I mean imagine, you are just minding your own business, watching TV and you feel some strange movements in your stomach. Wouldn't you normally call the hospital or think you have some sort of parasite inside you?
Gestation Diabetes: I was pretty upset when I failed the 1 hour glucose test, imagine how I felt when I found out I failed the 3 hour test. I got all hormonal and poor Andy was left standing there holding me while I cursed myself for drinking Juicy Juice Boxes for lunch EVERYDAY for the past 5 MONTHS! Obviously that didn't cause the diabetes, but I felt like it at the time. (It's 100% Juice, I thought I was doing something good!) I met with a nutritionist/dietitian lady twice. Disliked her wholly and have quit going to the program. I know I am not a doctor, but neither was she. Telling me things that just stressed me out. So I am now in control of my own health. And am doing VERY well. I have to be under 90 while fasting over night. And since I stopped going to the program, I have been. I eat animal protein (steak, hamburger, chicken etc) about 1/2 to an hour before I go to bed. That usually helps. Apparently the diabetes is because of the hormonal changes of my body and the placentas are taking all the good stuff and my pancreas can't keep up with the production of insulin so glucose can't be properly digested and hangs out instead. At least I think that is how it works. Either way, I don't eat any simple carbs (cookies, cakes, candy, chips, french fries, junk food). Now my meals consist of MEAT and vegetables, and small amount of some complex carbs. Nothing like eating a hamburger patty at 10 at night with some mustard. The other part of this that I like is that I am eating more consistently. Breakfast is always the same. A piece of double fiber bread toasted and plain. A slice of Pepper Jack Cheese, and 1 or 2 hard friend eggs on top, then a little salsa. Followed with a glass of milk. I always have a healthy snack 2-3 hours later (string cheese or mandarin orange or granny smith apple) then a good lunch. Then afternoon snack of yogurt, apple or mandarin or peanuts. Then dinner, then a night snack of MEAT.
Ahh to have ice cream and cookies.
The kids are moving like crazy. It's fun and strange. We are getting excited to find out what they are. Each week it changes. This week I am convinced it is 2 girls. For the past few months I thought it was B and G. Andy is hoping for B and G, but thinks they are Boys. I think deep down they are boys, but I am hoping for at least 1 girl to drive Andy crazy as a father. : )
Swelling is not too bad. My fingers are swollen when I get up in the morning and for a few hours. I have tried forcing on my wedding band, but it's like a squeezing a sausage into a casing. I have given up and instead wear this ring I got in Venice, Italy. I bought it and Andy and I pretended to be engaged when we were in Germany with our day camp group because apparently the year before the 2 counselors the had actually did get engaged. Hmmm, funny how that worked out for us.
Working retail is not that bad. I like working with the public, even though 30% of them are crazy. The only problem is it is very busy and I keep getting asked "When are you due?" "Looks like a Christmas baby!" "You look ready to pop." I have started responding with yes, it is a Christmas baby, yes I am ready to pop. But I am more forthcoming to those who ask when I am do. I say February, watch them squirm and then say with Twins. I have been getting lots of "Good Luck" and "Wow!" from those folks.
I now go to the doctor every other week. I should also mention that with this new diabetes diet I have lost some weight. I was concerned, but the doctor said not to be worried. 1. I was obviously eating some not so healthy stuff before. 2. Since I am carrying twins, and came into the pregnancy with a little extra stuffing, I should only gain 25-35 pounds. With that, counting the loss from my last appointment which was last week Thursday, I have only gained 17 pounds. The doctor is pleased with this and said that because I work retail and walk to much (3-4 miles a day) He is ok with this weight.
But this is what the weight that I am carrying is from.
Babies: 6.5 pounds
Placentas: 4-5 pounds
Amniotic Fluid: 4-5 pounds
Blood Supply: 2-3 pounds
Fat stores(?)- 5-8 pounds
Uterus: 4-6 pounds
I think that I am burning off MY weight, and not the weight that is for the babies. In my head that is what I think. I keep getting told my face looks thinner, and have had several people be behind me at stores or customers at work be behind me, and I turn around and they are like "I didn't know you were pregnant, you don't look it from behind" This could be taken several ways but take I take it as a major compliment. I am ALL BABY BUMP. And my belly button I think is going to pop soon. I really want it to so I can give it a spa treatment.
I will update as information changes. I hope you have a healthy and happy Christmas and New Years!
-I am now 31 weeks and huge.
-I am the not so proud owner of gestational diabetes
-My kids feel the need to kick and move during the night now
-I can no longer wear my wedding band. : ( Swelling of the hands.
-I can barely tie my shoes
-I keep getting mistaken for someone having a Christmas baby
-I have become extremely good at cooking eggs in a stainless steel pan
-I work retail, so the holidays have prevented me from providing a more consistent posting schedule.
Ok, so 31 weeks pregnant. I had an ultrasound at 29 weeks, the twins were measuring just fine. TA is head down like a proper baby should be. TB has a mind of its' own. Head is up, and body curves like a crescent moon with the feet towards my left side. So I get the benefit of a head popping up looking like a cone, AND getting kicked on the side of the ribs. TA likes to push it's little bottom up and then push its' feet against my stomach and ribs. I like to lay on the couch, pull my shirt up and watch the show. Andy finds it to be totally weird as do I. It's strange how I am not grossed out by this. I mean imagine, you are just minding your own business, watching TV and you feel some strange movements in your stomach. Wouldn't you normally call the hospital or think you have some sort of parasite inside you?
Gestation Diabetes: I was pretty upset when I failed the 1 hour glucose test, imagine how I felt when I found out I failed the 3 hour test. I got all hormonal and poor Andy was left standing there holding me while I cursed myself for drinking Juicy Juice Boxes for lunch EVERYDAY for the past 5 MONTHS! Obviously that didn't cause the diabetes, but I felt like it at the time. (It's 100% Juice, I thought I was doing something good!) I met with a nutritionist/dietitian lady twice. Disliked her wholly and have quit going to the program. I know I am not a doctor, but neither was she. Telling me things that just stressed me out. So I am now in control of my own health. And am doing VERY well. I have to be under 90 while fasting over night. And since I stopped going to the program, I have been. I eat animal protein (steak, hamburger, chicken etc) about 1/2 to an hour before I go to bed. That usually helps. Apparently the diabetes is because of the hormonal changes of my body and the placentas are taking all the good stuff and my pancreas can't keep up with the production of insulin so glucose can't be properly digested and hangs out instead. At least I think that is how it works. Either way, I don't eat any simple carbs (cookies, cakes, candy, chips, french fries, junk food). Now my meals consist of MEAT and vegetables, and small amount of some complex carbs. Nothing like eating a hamburger patty at 10 at night with some mustard. The other part of this that I like is that I am eating more consistently. Breakfast is always the same. A piece of double fiber bread toasted and plain. A slice of Pepper Jack Cheese, and 1 or 2 hard friend eggs on top, then a little salsa. Followed with a glass of milk. I always have a healthy snack 2-3 hours later (string cheese or mandarin orange or granny smith apple) then a good lunch. Then afternoon snack of yogurt, apple or mandarin or peanuts. Then dinner, then a night snack of MEAT.
Ahh to have ice cream and cookies.
The kids are moving like crazy. It's fun and strange. We are getting excited to find out what they are. Each week it changes. This week I am convinced it is 2 girls. For the past few months I thought it was B and G. Andy is hoping for B and G, but thinks they are Boys. I think deep down they are boys, but I am hoping for at least 1 girl to drive Andy crazy as a father. : )
Swelling is not too bad. My fingers are swollen when I get up in the morning and for a few hours. I have tried forcing on my wedding band, but it's like a squeezing a sausage into a casing. I have given up and instead wear this ring I got in Venice, Italy. I bought it and Andy and I pretended to be engaged when we were in Germany with our day camp group because apparently the year before the 2 counselors the had actually did get engaged. Hmmm, funny how that worked out for us.
Working retail is not that bad. I like working with the public, even though 30% of them are crazy. The only problem is it is very busy and I keep getting asked "When are you due?" "Looks like a Christmas baby!" "You look ready to pop." I have started responding with yes, it is a Christmas baby, yes I am ready to pop. But I am more forthcoming to those who ask when I am do. I say February, watch them squirm and then say with Twins. I have been getting lots of "Good Luck" and "Wow!" from those folks.
I now go to the doctor every other week. I should also mention that with this new diabetes diet I have lost some weight. I was concerned, but the doctor said not to be worried. 1. I was obviously eating some not so healthy stuff before. 2. Since I am carrying twins, and came into the pregnancy with a little extra stuffing, I should only gain 25-35 pounds. With that, counting the loss from my last appointment which was last week Thursday, I have only gained 17 pounds. The doctor is pleased with this and said that because I work retail and walk to much (3-4 miles a day) He is ok with this weight.
But this is what the weight that I am carrying is from.
Babies: 6.5 pounds
Placentas: 4-5 pounds
Amniotic Fluid: 4-5 pounds
Blood Supply: 2-3 pounds
Fat stores(?)- 5-8 pounds
Uterus: 4-6 pounds
I think that I am burning off MY weight, and not the weight that is for the babies. In my head that is what I think. I keep getting told my face looks thinner, and have had several people be behind me at stores or customers at work be behind me, and I turn around and they are like "I didn't know you were pregnant, you don't look it from behind" This could be taken several ways but take I take it as a major compliment. I am ALL BABY BUMP. And my belly button I think is going to pop soon. I really want it to so I can give it a spa treatment.
I will update as information changes. I hope you have a healthy and happy Christmas and New Years!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Half Way
Sorry for not doing this post on time. I had my 20 week ultrasound and appointment a few weeks back. Let's start with the appointment.
Heard both heart beats, and gained 7 pounds from my 16 week appointment, which brings the grand total to 14 pounds gained since I became pregnant. I wasn't sure if this was enough weight. I hear about all these other women gaining 50-70 to pounds. My dr. was not worried at all. He said, that for twins this is fine because most of the weight is baby goo (my words not his). Placentas, blood, sac's, all the things that babies need to live inside me, but will disperse once they are here. Ideally, he said I should only gain 35-45 pounds. Sounds fine by me. I measured perfect for how far along I am as well.
Now for the fun. The ultrasound was great. My dear husband got to come and see them for the first time. He did "see" them at the 8 week ultrasound when we found out it was twins, but let's be honest, at that early stage they were just grayish blobs. Our tech started on my right side and immediately found TA (Twin A). As from my last ultrasound,TA was a moving and a shaking while the tech was attempting to measure him/her. We saw the diaphragm, kidneys, bladder, and 4 chambers of the heart. It was very cool. We let her know that we did NOT want to know the sexes and if she could let us know when she went south to measure the legs.
TB (Twin B) was next. TB was giving us perfect profile the entire time. Saw the diaphragm, kidneys, bladder and 4 chambers of the heart. We also so on both kids, their cerebellums. Our tech was so nice enough to take 3D pics of the kids. She got a great one of TB, and then moved over to TA. TA was not having it. But now we know why TA is always moving. TB uses TA's head as a pillow!! In the ultrasound, the tech showed us how TB keeps laying it's head on TA!! Poor little TA. The Tech got 2 pictures of TA, but TB's head is in both pictures. Apparently, their sac's are only separated by 1mm of thickness. Crazy!
I will post pics at the end. I finally felt them kick yesterday. Since everyone feels kicking at different stages I wasn't too worried. I could feel them moving (drink a bunch of water on an empty stomach then go jogging, that sloshing feeling is what it feels like). We were watching football yesterday, and out of no where, kick, then kick, I told husband to put his hand on my belly, and he felt a kick too! I have been waiting for this for awhile now. My dr. said twins are funny like that. Some will kick early because there isn't much room, but some times, they like to wait a bit longer. I don't mind one bit.
Twin B has both hands brought up to the mouth.
If you look closely, Twin A has a frown, and is holding a fist up to the left cheek. We call this pouty face.
Twin A with Twin B's head on the left.
Heard both heart beats, and gained 7 pounds from my 16 week appointment, which brings the grand total to 14 pounds gained since I became pregnant. I wasn't sure if this was enough weight. I hear about all these other women gaining 50-70 to pounds. My dr. was not worried at all. He said, that for twins this is fine because most of the weight is baby goo (my words not his). Placentas, blood, sac's, all the things that babies need to live inside me, but will disperse once they are here. Ideally, he said I should only gain 35-45 pounds. Sounds fine by me. I measured perfect for how far along I am as well.
Now for the fun. The ultrasound was great. My dear husband got to come and see them for the first time. He did "see" them at the 8 week ultrasound when we found out it was twins, but let's be honest, at that early stage they were just grayish blobs. Our tech started on my right side and immediately found TA (Twin A). As from my last ultrasound,TA was a moving and a shaking while the tech was attempting to measure him/her. We saw the diaphragm, kidneys, bladder, and 4 chambers of the heart. It was very cool. We let her know that we did NOT want to know the sexes and if she could let us know when she went south to measure the legs.
TB (Twin B) was next. TB was giving us perfect profile the entire time. Saw the diaphragm, kidneys, bladder and 4 chambers of the heart. We also so on both kids, their cerebellums. Our tech was so nice enough to take 3D pics of the kids. She got a great one of TB, and then moved over to TA. TA was not having it. But now we know why TA is always moving. TB uses TA's head as a pillow!! In the ultrasound, the tech showed us how TB keeps laying it's head on TA!! Poor little TA. The Tech got 2 pictures of TA, but TB's head is in both pictures. Apparently, their sac's are only separated by 1mm of thickness. Crazy!
I will post pics at the end. I finally felt them kick yesterday. Since everyone feels kicking at different stages I wasn't too worried. I could feel them moving (drink a bunch of water on an empty stomach then go jogging, that sloshing feeling is what it feels like). We were watching football yesterday, and out of no where, kick, then kick, I told husband to put his hand on my belly, and he felt a kick too! I have been waiting for this for awhile now. My dr. said twins are funny like that. Some will kick early because there isn't much room, but some times, they like to wait a bit longer. I don't mind one bit.
Twin B has both hands brought up to the mouth.
If you look closely, Twin A has a frown, and is holding a fist up to the left cheek. We call this pouty face.
Twin A with Twin B's head on the left.
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