What a year 2010 has been. It began smoothly enough, with my begrudging acceptance that we were, in fact, going to be parents to twin girls. I was having a great pregnancy, described by my OB/GYN as one I was "breezing through." Then came Jan. 21, and my baby A's water broke.
In many ways, 2010 was a great year. Against all odds we brought home two beautiful, healthy, thriving girls. I moved into a wonderful new position at the American Cancer Society which allows me to work part-time and mostly from home. Shawn is doing well at work. Brady, after a few tough months, continues to be a sweet, compassionate, funny little man and terrific big brother who's blossoming before our eyes.
But in many more traumatizing ways, the 11 months after Bayla's water broke would be filled with unmeasurable anxiety, turmoil, and change, and that's hard for any family to take. As I've documented before on this blog, it's tough to have infant twins and a 3-year-old. Your sleep suffers, which leads to your life suffering. Your marriage suffers. Your older child suffers. You suffer, because there's no time off and no time for yourself. Your finances suffer (understatement). Thank goodness for Facebook, because otherwise your friendships would suffer greatly too. You're constantly fearing your family will become sick. You're carting your kids from this doctor to that doctor. Your clothes don't fit, and stress from your life is leading to emotional eating, which isn't helping your clothes fit better (just me?). It's a constant juggling act. I can't even get across in words how crazy our lives are right now. Not that we would take any of it back, and not that we don't love our kids dearly, but it's hard. (Luckily, we have some amazing friends, family members, and neighbors who have gone out of their way for us a million times over. Visits to the hospital and home, dinner for the family, even just taking the babies off our hands when we see them-- they're a tremendous help and blessing.)
Shawn and I are ready for the psychological clean slate that a new year will bring. Surely in 2011, the girls will sleep through the night. Surely in 2011, Brady will become more self-sufficient and confident. Maybe in 2011, Shawn and I will inherit a vast fortune from a distant, previously unknown relative. Definitely in 2011, the girls will go off formula and Prevacid, and we will be comparatively rich. Definitely in 2011, the girls will grow and mature, and our lives will get easier.
So the girls are waking up, and my blog time is over. Now on to dinner, bathtime, and bedtime!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
My unsung hero
I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post! A month has gone by, and the girls are now seven months old. I'm not sure how that's possible. The only explanation is that a wormhole opened up and transported us into the future. (Or, possibly, I'm sleep deprived and watching too much sci-fi.) Whatever the reason, time is absolutely hurtling by us, and we're still desperately trying to grab hold of it and catch up. We've given up trying to get ahead-- now we're just hanging on for dear life. Why does this happen, especially since I work part time from home? The answer: I have 3 kids under 3. Now, this statement of fact in and of itself doesn't seem that significant. My situation is far from unique. One of the kids is in preschool. Two of the kids have a nanny for the hours I'm working. So why isn't anything getting done? I mean, I'm not sitting on the couch eating bon-bons and watching HGTV all day. (would that it were!) I've given this a lot of thought, and I've come to realize that I'm simply spread too thin. Nothing gets my all these days. Poor Brady used to get 110%. (and I read about a British study that said that only children are happier. As if I didn't feel guilty enough.)And Belle-- Belle used to sleep in the bed, get taken for long walks, and hop up on the couch for some snuggle time.
But the one who really gets the short end of an already short stick is my unsung hero, my husband. Not all that long ago, we had lots of time for each other. Movies, concerts, shopping, time with friends, sleeping in on the weekends-- the list that made up our leisurely life went on and on. Then came Brady, and most of my attention and effort went toward him. Then the girls came, and good Lord! Who knew I even had the energy to live on reserve fumes as I cared for them and tried not to traumatize and create resentment in my sweet son. But caring and selfless, Shawn's jumped right in to parenthood and the unique challenges of having multiples. He changed Brady's first diapers after his C-section delivery, when I was in pain and in bed. He visited the girls 4 times in the NICU the night they were born. He gives love and smiles and distraction, and it's clear that the girls absolutely adore their daddy. He's been relegated to the back of the line, and he deals with it. And for that, I love him more, and I hope to be able to pay him back when the kids are older and I'm better rested, with more energy.
Whenever we're out with the whole family (A.K.A. the rolling freak show), people stop us, ask questions, coo at the babies (and occasionally notice Brady), and almost invariably say to me, "You've got your hands full. I don't know how you do it." But the absolute, undeniable truth is that I couldn't do it without Shawn, and he gets almost no credit. I mean, sure, his body and brain weren't destroyed to bring the kids into the world, but it's just not fair that old gender roles play into a complete lack of recognition for his involvement. He is the most amazing father and husband I have ever seen, and I want everyone to know it. And so there you go.
But the one who really gets the short end of an already short stick is my unsung hero, my husband. Not all that long ago, we had lots of time for each other. Movies, concerts, shopping, time with friends, sleeping in on the weekends-- the list that made up our leisurely life went on and on. Then came Brady, and most of my attention and effort went toward him. Then the girls came, and good Lord! Who knew I even had the energy to live on reserve fumes as I cared for them and tried not to traumatize and create resentment in my sweet son. But caring and selfless, Shawn's jumped right in to parenthood and the unique challenges of having multiples. He changed Brady's first diapers after his C-section delivery, when I was in pain and in bed. He visited the girls 4 times in the NICU the night they were born. He gives love and smiles and distraction, and it's clear that the girls absolutely adore their daddy. He's been relegated to the back of the line, and he deals with it. And for that, I love him more, and I hope to be able to pay him back when the kids are older and I'm better rested, with more energy.
Whenever we're out with the whole family (A.K.A. the rolling freak show), people stop us, ask questions, coo at the babies (and occasionally notice Brady), and almost invariably say to me, "You've got your hands full. I don't know how you do it." But the absolute, undeniable truth is that I couldn't do it without Shawn, and he gets almost no credit. I mean, sure, his body and brain weren't destroyed to bring the kids into the world, but it's just not fair that old gender roles play into a complete lack of recognition for his involvement. He is the most amazing father and husband I have ever seen, and I want everyone to know it. And so there you go.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Six months! (Feels like 12)
Happy half birthday to Bayla and Harper! This time six months ago, I was laid up with some good drugs and a coke, and I'd only seen the girls briefly before they were whisked away to the NICU.
What a difference time makes. My perfect little baby girls are probably about 16 lbs each (we'll find out Monday), are kinda eating solids (babyfood squash-- yummo!), and are smiley, happy, and laid-back. Unfortunately, they're still not sleeping through the night, something Daddy and Mommy are a little desperate for.
Brady is (mostly) a model big brother, deeply concerned about the location and well-being of his sisters. He asks for "my babies" the moment he comes home. With his crazy antics, and his increasingly interactive sisters, life is getting pretty fun around the ol' Slemons house. Exhausting, but fun.
As I mentioned in my last post, I couldn't stop to think about what might have happened with the girls while we were in the thick of things, but six months out, after giving my heart, my arms, my beauty sleep, and, let's face it, my body and boobs to these babies, I can't imagine life without them. When I'm feeding them at 3 a.m., I'm often awestruck by the enormity of it all. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to be their and Brady's mother, to have a strong hand in shaping who they'll turn out to be.
It's not all sweet of course (for instance, I estimated that we've prepared and fed these girls about 3,000 bottles at this point, and changed about 2,700 diapers), but I'll take it.
What a difference time makes. My perfect little baby girls are probably about 16 lbs each (we'll find out Monday), are kinda eating solids (babyfood squash-- yummo!), and are smiley, happy, and laid-back. Unfortunately, they're still not sleeping through the night, something Daddy and Mommy are a little desperate for.
Brady is (mostly) a model big brother, deeply concerned about the location and well-being of his sisters. He asks for "my babies" the moment he comes home. With his crazy antics, and his increasingly interactive sisters, life is getting pretty fun around the ol' Slemons house. Exhausting, but fun.
As I mentioned in my last post, I couldn't stop to think about what might have happened with the girls while we were in the thick of things, but six months out, after giving my heart, my arms, my beauty sleep, and, let's face it, my body and boobs to these babies, I can't imagine life without them. When I'm feeding them at 3 a.m., I'm often awestruck by the enormity of it all. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to be their and Brady's mother, to have a strong hand in shaping who they'll turn out to be.
It's not all sweet of course (for instance, I estimated that we've prepared and fed these girls about 3,000 bottles at this point, and changed about 2,700 diapers), but I'll take it.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Book of Life
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, recently wrapped up. These are the holiest days of the year for us Hebrews. I'm always extra emotional around this time of year, mostly because I miss my mother, and I miss having a community of other Jews to have holiday meals with. We belong to a wonderful temple, but we haven't really made ourselves a part of any Jewish community. In Savannah, we'd have lunch and dinner with old friends, and it was always a wonderful time. This year, we did get to have Rosh Hashana dinner with our friends the Crows, who have an older boy and twin girls. It was the most fun chaos you can imagine. It felt like home.
I don't talk much about the observant part of my being Jewish, mostly because I firmly believe that everyone's religious life, or lack thereof, is a deeply personal experience. I expect everyone to respect each other's lifestyles and beliefs (or lack thereof). But I'm going to talk about it here because, hey, it's my blog.
Our special Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur prayers include this:
On Rosh Hashana it is written,
on Yom Kippur it is sealed:
How many shall pass on, and how many shall come to be;
who shall live and who shall die;
who shall see ripe old age and who shall not;...
It's the "how many shall come to be" part that struck me this year. Last year on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we knew I was pregnant but didn't yet know we were having twins. We certainly couldn't have predicted the 3 months in the hospital, or the perfect little chunky monkeys we have now. Things turned out so well, and they could have gone so wrong at any time. And that realization turned into me sobbing as we read this on Rosh Hashana morning. You may have seen my post about being inscribed in the Book of Life. Jews traditionally believe that on Rosh Hashana, your prayers and deeds determine whether you get written into the Book of Life or the Book of Death. And on Yom Kippur, your prayers, repentance, and charity seal the deal. I don't necessarily believe that God takes out a pen and writes my name in one book or the other, but I appreciate the imagery and metaphor. And I appreciate the chance to hold and love Brady, Bayla and Harper. I don't know what I did to "deserve" these wonderful children and this great life, but I am thankful for it all.
When Shawn and I first started dating, we had a big talk about my being Jewish and wanting a Jewish home. He was totally on board and now even participates in our (admittedly sparse) Jewish life. But I would like our children to know that they're Jewish, to know the history of their people, and to care about being a Member of the Tribe. I get excited when I think about Hebrew school and bar and bat mitzvahs, matzo ball soup and charoses (not so much about matzo), about Sh'mah and Hamotzi and other prayers, about "I Have a Little Dreidel" and "Mah Nishtanah," about Jewish mother jokes and tradition.
And at this time of year, when I actually make it to temple, and this year, when I have so much to be thankful for, I'm kind of hit over the head with how inspiring being a Jew is. we pray for ourselves, and we thank God, but we also pray for others-- in a nutshell, we want everyone to be nice to everyone else. And so because I feel every religious experience is a personal choice, if that's the only lesson my children get from Judaism, I'm okay with that. If they turn out to be good people who care about social justice (which is such a Jewish concept-- I'd explain more but this blog post is long enough already), and just occasionally make mazto ball soup, I'll be the proudest Jewish mother ever.
I don't talk much about the observant part of my being Jewish, mostly because I firmly believe that everyone's religious life, or lack thereof, is a deeply personal experience. I expect everyone to respect each other's lifestyles and beliefs (or lack thereof). But I'm going to talk about it here because, hey, it's my blog.
Our special Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur prayers include this:
On Rosh Hashana it is written,
on Yom Kippur it is sealed:
How many shall pass on, and how many shall come to be;
who shall live and who shall die;
who shall see ripe old age and who shall not;...
It's the "how many shall come to be" part that struck me this year. Last year on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we knew I was pregnant but didn't yet know we were having twins. We certainly couldn't have predicted the 3 months in the hospital, or the perfect little chunky monkeys we have now. Things turned out so well, and they could have gone so wrong at any time. And that realization turned into me sobbing as we read this on Rosh Hashana morning. You may have seen my post about being inscribed in the Book of Life. Jews traditionally believe that on Rosh Hashana, your prayers and deeds determine whether you get written into the Book of Life or the Book of Death. And on Yom Kippur, your prayers, repentance, and charity seal the deal. I don't necessarily believe that God takes out a pen and writes my name in one book or the other, but I appreciate the imagery and metaphor. And I appreciate the chance to hold and love Brady, Bayla and Harper. I don't know what I did to "deserve" these wonderful children and this great life, but I am thankful for it all.
When Shawn and I first started dating, we had a big talk about my being Jewish and wanting a Jewish home. He was totally on board and now even participates in our (admittedly sparse) Jewish life. But I would like our children to know that they're Jewish, to know the history of their people, and to care about being a Member of the Tribe. I get excited when I think about Hebrew school and bar and bat mitzvahs, matzo ball soup and charoses (not so much about matzo), about Sh'mah and Hamotzi and other prayers, about "I Have a Little Dreidel" and "Mah Nishtanah," about Jewish mother jokes and tradition.
And at this time of year, when I actually make it to temple, and this year, when I have so much to be thankful for, I'm kind of hit over the head with how inspiring being a Jew is. we pray for ourselves, and we thank God, but we also pray for others-- in a nutshell, we want everyone to be nice to everyone else. And so because I feel every religious experience is a personal choice, if that's the only lesson my children get from Judaism, I'm okay with that. If they turn out to be good people who care about social justice (which is such a Jewish concept-- I'd explain more but this blog post is long enough already), and just occasionally make mazto ball soup, I'll be the proudest Jewish mother ever.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Bayla Sarah and Davida Chaya
We had a wonderful baby naming for the girls today at our temple, Kehillat Chaim. For those who don't know, Jewish baby boys get circumcised in an ancient ritual known as Brit Milah, or covenant. This covenant is with God, and the ceremony welcomes them into Judaism. Jewish baby girls have naming ceremonies to welcome them into the kehillah (community), and we were so proud to honor and celebrate them today. Jews traditionally name their children after relatives who have passed away. Bayla was my mother's Hebrew name, and Sarah was my father's mother's Hebrew name, so she is named for them. Harper's English name is after Shawn's grandfather Harvey, and her Hebrew name, Davida Chaya, is for my mother's father David. "Chaya" means life, and as the rabbi pointed out, that's extremely fitting for these girls after all that happened.
The ceremony itself was so sweet. Our rabbi wrote it, and it talks about the kind of women we hope they'll grow up to be, the kind of home we hope to have, the kind of parents we want to be, and the world we want them to grow up in. My brother was sick, but my sister-in-law Alison acted as godparent, and my father, Bonnie, Shawn's mother Gail, and Shawn's father and stepmother Ken & Carole took part in the service as well. Brady twirled around the sanctuary and didn't pay much attention-- it pretty much a window into our lives! The service spoke to our hearts, and I want to share it with you. Our Rabbi, Harvey Winokur, and Cantor, Barbara Margulis, did an amazing job:
NAMING CEREMONY
Rabbi/Cantor: “And you shall call them by their names”...a command given first to Adam and Eve. To call someone or something by name is to touch its heart, its essence. It is to speak a word which lasts a lifetime.
In the beginning, God began to create through names. When God said, “Yehi Or,” “Let there be light” -- only then did light exist. Each name allowed day and night, earth and sky, sunlight and moonlight not only to be what they ought to be, but each name also created a separation. With a name, we become ourselves and no one else.
Even God has a name. In fact, God has many names. And each of God’s names reflects something special about the Eternal. When we say “Elohaynu,” we address that God who rules; when we say “Adonai,” we address a God filled with mercy. K’shmo keyn hu...as is God’s name, so is God’s essence.
Godparents or other relatives: [Ali, Steven in absentia]
Joyfully do we present ______________ and _________________ to their parents to enter into the Covenant of Life.
______________: Blessed is the Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, by whose Mitzvot we are hallowed, who commands us to sanctify life.
Rabbi/Cantor: God and Creator, happy parents have come into Your presence to voice the longings of their hearts in prayer. Give them the wisdom to teach their children to be faithful to the heritage of the Household of Israel, that they may grow up with the knowledge that You are always near to them, guiding and sustaining them. Keep open the eyes of their spirit, that they may ever be conscious of the beauty and wonder of Your world. And let them learn to love the goodness that is in man and woman, that they may ever nourish the goodness that has been implanted within them. Though none can escape sorrow and pain, we humbly ask for them the courage to face evil, the faith to transcend it, and the strength to subdue it. Grant them health of mind and strength of body, that they may enjoy fullness of years and live to do Your will in faithfulness. Amen.
Parents: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray for the health of these children.
I pray for them to be perfect in mind and body,
To grow steadily and sturdily
In a home filled with joy at their presence,
To be nurtured into a people who greet the world
With passion, enthusiasm, dance, love , humility, and faith.
Father: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray for the health of this world.
I beg its leaders to temper their insanity with reason,
So that my children may live in a world that seeks longevity,
not annihilation.
Let the world join in the thrill of creation,
And turn its back on the lust for destruction.
Let my children never know the pain and absurdity of warfare
Let them take part in the dances of peace.
Mother: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray that God watch over me and my family,
I pray for the ability to love and nurture these children,
I pray to feel God’s presence now and always.
Rabbi/Cantor: Praised are You, eternal source of light, Who makes it possible for spark to flow into spark, flame into flame, love into love, life into life.
Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olam, she-heh-che-yanu, v’kiy’yimah-nu, v’hig-giyahnu la-z’man ha-zeh.
Praised are You, O Eternal our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and permitted us to join together in this celebration of life.
Shawn & Becky____: Source of all life, our hearts are filled with joy for the new lives which have been entrusted to us. Not with words alone shall we voice our thanks, but with our striving to rear our children with love and understanding and tender care. “Bestow Your blessing on our child, that they may grow in strength of body, mind and spirit. May they learn to love all that is good and beautiful and true, to be a blessing to society and a joy to themselves.” Give us, O God, the wisdom, courage, and faith that we as parents shall need to raise our children to be human and humane beings, strong, happy and loving persons.
____Bruce____: We are thankful for the many joys with which our life has been blessed. Now this great goodness has come to us: a new life, new grandchildren to love, the opening of a new chapter in the chronicle of our family’s existence. O may these children grow up in health and happiness, to become a blessing to family, friends and neighbors. May their dear parents find much joy in the years that lie before them. Grant, O God, that they rear their children with wisdom and understanding, teaching them the ways of righteousness, leading them to the study of Torah and the practice of love and kindness.
_Rabbi__________: And may we, too, be granted the joy of seeing them develop all their faculties, and the gratification of seeing them fulfill the best that is in them. Then our humble prayer shall have found its answer: the days and years to come shall be for us times of peace and wondrous fulfillment. Amen.
____Bonnie______: Today, we celebrate as ____________ and __________enter into the covenant. This ritual is entered into with You, O God, to praise Your holy name. May it please You to bless this home with health, happiness and contentment. May all the members of our family be privileged to serve You in joy.
____Rabbi______: May ____________ and _____________grow in vigor of mind to become learned in Torah, true children of the Mitzvot, an intelligent, informed and loving human beings. Bless ____________ and ____________ that they may continue to find favor in the eyes of God and humankind
Rabbi/Cantor: Birth is a beginning,
And death a destination.
And life is a journey:
From childhood to maturity
And youth to age;
From innocence to awareness
And ignorance to knowing:
From foolishness to discretion
And then, perhaps, to wisdom;
From weakness to strength
Or strength to weakness--
And often, back again;
From health to sickness
And back, we pray, to health again;
From offense to forgiveness,
From loneliness to love,
From joy to gratitude,
From pain to compassion,
And grief to understanding--
From fear to faith;
From defeat to defeat to defeat--
Until, looking backward or ahead,
We see that victory lies
Not as some high place along the way,
But in having made the journey, stage by stage,
A sacred pilgrimage.
Birth is a beginning
___Rabbi___: May you raise your daughters to bring honor to the names of our Matriarchs. Bestow upon them the qualities of nobility and strength. Instill in them the love of learning; grant them the joy of marriage; teach them to have compassion upon all life that they be blessed with the three-fold blessing of Torah, Chupah and Maasim tovim.
___Gail____: May you raise up these children O Lord, to be strong enough to know when they are weak and brave enough to face themselves when they are afraid; ones who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, but humble and gentle in victory. Send them we pray, not only in the path of ease and comfort but also in the spur of difficulty and challenge. Here let them learn to stand up in the storm; here let them learn compassion for those who fall. Grant them the insight to know themselves and the wisdom to know You.
_______Ken & Carole_____: May you raise these children whose hearts will be clear, whose goals will be high; children who will master themselves before they seek to master others; ones who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; ones who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. After all these things are theirs, this we pray, enough sense of humor that they may always be serious but never take themselves too seriously. Give them humility so that they may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Parents: O God, for the gift of these children we give thanks, praying that we will be worthy of the blessing and responsibility of parenthood.
Rabbi/Cantor
Hebrew is inserted-
Blessed is the Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Rabbi/Cantor: May the One who blessed our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and our matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel bless these children with life and health. May they be a joy to their parents. May they live to bring honor to the House of Israel, blessing to humanity, and glory to the name of God.
Now, in the presence of loved ones, we give to these children the names ____________ (Hebrew Names). Let them become names honored and respected for wisdom and good deeds. May God’s blessing rest upon these children now and always.
We pray that these children will grow in heart and mind. May the story of our people inspire them. May the truths of Torah guide them. And may the grandeur of the prophetic word of truth and righteousness enter their spirit and be for them a lasting benediction. Amen.
Parents: O God, we give thanks to You for the gift of our children, who have entered into the covenant of life. Keep them from all harm, and grant that they may be a source of joy to us and all their dear ones. Be with us, and give us health and length of days. Teach us to rear our children with care and affection, with wisdom and understanding that they may be a faithful children of our people, and a blessing to the world. We give thanks to You, O Lord, the Source of life.
Rabbi/Cantor:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord look kindly upon you and be gracious unto you;
The Lord bestow favor upon you and give you peace. Amen.
The ceremony itself was so sweet. Our rabbi wrote it, and it talks about the kind of women we hope they'll grow up to be, the kind of home we hope to have, the kind of parents we want to be, and the world we want them to grow up in. My brother was sick, but my sister-in-law Alison acted as godparent, and my father, Bonnie, Shawn's mother Gail, and Shawn's father and stepmother Ken & Carole took part in the service as well. Brady twirled around the sanctuary and didn't pay much attention-- it pretty much a window into our lives! The service spoke to our hearts, and I want to share it with you. Our Rabbi, Harvey Winokur, and Cantor, Barbara Margulis, did an amazing job:
NAMING CEREMONY
Rabbi/Cantor: “And you shall call them by their names”...a command given first to Adam and Eve. To call someone or something by name is to touch its heart, its essence. It is to speak a word which lasts a lifetime.
In the beginning, God began to create through names. When God said, “Yehi Or,” “Let there be light” -- only then did light exist. Each name allowed day and night, earth and sky, sunlight and moonlight not only to be what they ought to be, but each name also created a separation. With a name, we become ourselves and no one else.
Even God has a name. In fact, God has many names. And each of God’s names reflects something special about the Eternal. When we say “Elohaynu,” we address that God who rules; when we say “Adonai,” we address a God filled with mercy. K’shmo keyn hu...as is God’s name, so is God’s essence.
Godparents or other relatives: [Ali, Steven in absentia]
Joyfully do we present ______________ and _________________ to their parents to enter into the Covenant of Life.
______________: Blessed is the Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, by whose Mitzvot we are hallowed, who commands us to sanctify life.
Rabbi/Cantor: God and Creator, happy parents have come into Your presence to voice the longings of their hearts in prayer. Give them the wisdom to teach their children to be faithful to the heritage of the Household of Israel, that they may grow up with the knowledge that You are always near to them, guiding and sustaining them. Keep open the eyes of their spirit, that they may ever be conscious of the beauty and wonder of Your world. And let them learn to love the goodness that is in man and woman, that they may ever nourish the goodness that has been implanted within them. Though none can escape sorrow and pain, we humbly ask for them the courage to face evil, the faith to transcend it, and the strength to subdue it. Grant them health of mind and strength of body, that they may enjoy fullness of years and live to do Your will in faithfulness. Amen.
Parents: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray for the health of these children.
I pray for them to be perfect in mind and body,
To grow steadily and sturdily
In a home filled with joy at their presence,
To be nurtured into a people who greet the world
With passion, enthusiasm, dance, love , humility, and faith.
Father: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray for the health of this world.
I beg its leaders to temper their insanity with reason,
So that my children may live in a world that seeks longevity,
not annihilation.
Let the world join in the thrill of creation,
And turn its back on the lust for destruction.
Let my children never know the pain and absurdity of warfare
Let them take part in the dances of peace.
Mother: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray that God watch over me and my family,
I pray for the ability to love and nurture these children,
I pray to feel God’s presence now and always.
Rabbi/Cantor: Praised are You, eternal source of light, Who makes it possible for spark to flow into spark, flame into flame, love into love, life into life.
Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olam, she-heh-che-yanu, v’kiy’yimah-nu, v’hig-giyahnu la-z’man ha-zeh.
Praised are You, O Eternal our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and permitted us to join together in this celebration of life.
Shawn & Becky____: Source of all life, our hearts are filled with joy for the new lives which have been entrusted to us. Not with words alone shall we voice our thanks, but with our striving to rear our children with love and understanding and tender care. “Bestow Your blessing on our child, that they may grow in strength of body, mind and spirit. May they learn to love all that is good and beautiful and true, to be a blessing to society and a joy to themselves.” Give us, O God, the wisdom, courage, and faith that we as parents shall need to raise our children to be human and humane beings, strong, happy and loving persons.
____Bruce____: We are thankful for the many joys with which our life has been blessed. Now this great goodness has come to us: a new life, new grandchildren to love, the opening of a new chapter in the chronicle of our family’s existence. O may these children grow up in health and happiness, to become a blessing to family, friends and neighbors. May their dear parents find much joy in the years that lie before them. Grant, O God, that they rear their children with wisdom and understanding, teaching them the ways of righteousness, leading them to the study of Torah and the practice of love and kindness.
_Rabbi__________: And may we, too, be granted the joy of seeing them develop all their faculties, and the gratification of seeing them fulfill the best that is in them. Then our humble prayer shall have found its answer: the days and years to come shall be for us times of peace and wondrous fulfillment. Amen.
____Bonnie______: Today, we celebrate as ____________ and __________enter into the covenant. This ritual is entered into with You, O God, to praise Your holy name. May it please You to bless this home with health, happiness and contentment. May all the members of our family be privileged to serve You in joy.
____Rabbi______: May ____________ and _____________grow in vigor of mind to become learned in Torah, true children of the Mitzvot, an intelligent, informed and loving human beings. Bless ____________ and ____________ that they may continue to find favor in the eyes of God and humankind
Rabbi/Cantor: Birth is a beginning,
And death a destination.
And life is a journey:
From childhood to maturity
And youth to age;
From innocence to awareness
And ignorance to knowing:
From foolishness to discretion
And then, perhaps, to wisdom;
From weakness to strength
Or strength to weakness--
And often, back again;
From health to sickness
And back, we pray, to health again;
From offense to forgiveness,
From loneliness to love,
From joy to gratitude,
From pain to compassion,
And grief to understanding--
From fear to faith;
From defeat to defeat to defeat--
Until, looking backward or ahead,
We see that victory lies
Not as some high place along the way,
But in having made the journey, stage by stage,
A sacred pilgrimage.
Birth is a beginning
___Rabbi___: May you raise your daughters to bring honor to the names of our Matriarchs. Bestow upon them the qualities of nobility and strength. Instill in them the love of learning; grant them the joy of marriage; teach them to have compassion upon all life that they be blessed with the three-fold blessing of Torah, Chupah and Maasim tovim.
___Gail____: May you raise up these children O Lord, to be strong enough to know when they are weak and brave enough to face themselves when they are afraid; ones who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, but humble and gentle in victory. Send them we pray, not only in the path of ease and comfort but also in the spur of difficulty and challenge. Here let them learn to stand up in the storm; here let them learn compassion for those who fall. Grant them the insight to know themselves and the wisdom to know You.
_______Ken & Carole_____: May you raise these children whose hearts will be clear, whose goals will be high; children who will master themselves before they seek to master others; ones who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; ones who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. After all these things are theirs, this we pray, enough sense of humor that they may always be serious but never take themselves too seriously. Give them humility so that they may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Parents: O God, for the gift of these children we give thanks, praying that we will be worthy of the blessing and responsibility of parenthood.
Rabbi/Cantor
Hebrew is inserted-
Blessed is the Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Rabbi/Cantor: May the One who blessed our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and our matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel bless these children with life and health. May they be a joy to their parents. May they live to bring honor to the House of Israel, blessing to humanity, and glory to the name of God.
Now, in the presence of loved ones, we give to these children the names ____________ (Hebrew Names). Let them become names honored and respected for wisdom and good deeds. May God’s blessing rest upon these children now and always.
We pray that these children will grow in heart and mind. May the story of our people inspire them. May the truths of Torah guide them. And may the grandeur of the prophetic word of truth and righteousness enter their spirit and be for them a lasting benediction. Amen.
Parents: O God, we give thanks to You for the gift of our children, who have entered into the covenant of life. Keep them from all harm, and grant that they may be a source of joy to us and all their dear ones. Be with us, and give us health and length of days. Teach us to rear our children with care and affection, with wisdom and understanding that they may be a faithful children of our people, and a blessing to the world. We give thanks to You, O Lord, the Source of life.
Rabbi/Cantor:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord look kindly upon you and be gracious unto you;
The Lord bestow favor upon you and give you peace. Amen.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Whew! 4 months already??
Time is absolutely flying. Bayla and Harper celebrated their 4-month birthday yesterday with about 28 oz. of formula each, Brady got some Dora popsicles, and Shawn and I toasted with lots of caffeine. :)
These four months have been some of the happiest, most hectic, most frustrating, and most enjoyable of my life. We even got in a vacation to Savannah and woke up to the ocean every day. We saw lots of friends and family and just had a great time.
We went to the doctor today for their 4-month checkup, and they are doing just so, so well. My baby girls Bayla and Harper, who were born at 4 lbs, 13 oz, 16 inches and 4 lbs, 12 oz, 17 3/4 inches, are now 13 lbs, 13 oz, 23 inches and 13 lbs, 5 oz, 24 inches, respectively. They barely made the percentile chart at 2 months, and now they're comfortably in the middle. They're sleeping pretty well-- they wake up once a night, sometimes at 2:30, sometimes at 4:45 or anytime in between. Truthfully, Harper could probably sleep through the night, but I'm too chicken to try it. I would hate to wake up at 3 with Bayla and then 4:30 with Harper, so they get staggered feedings just like any other time of day. They're still sleeping in our room, but I don't know how much longer they'll be able to sleep in the Pack N Play because they're getting so big. (Shawn is ready to move them to their room-- I think he'd like his wife back. But I'm not ready for them to be down the hall yet!) They are smiling and extremely vocal, and they have terrific head and trunk control.
I am so darn proud of them and am feeling so fortunate I'm about to burst. I've said it before but I'll say it again-- these 2 girls together are easier than Brady was alone. I'm sure it won't last, so I'm enjoying it while I can. After all, these are MY girls, so we're in for some bullheaded d-r-a-m-a. (Sorry, Shawn. But this is why you love me, right? ;))
Brady started his new school today. His transitions are always harder for me than for him, but we both did pretty well today. Thankfully his girlfriend Elle is at his new school too, so they each have a familiar face for comfort. He's doing very well. He has his good days and bad days of course. He's about 80% potty trained, which is nice. He won't consistently poop in the potty, but we're working on it. This potty training is about the hardest thing I've ever had to do, INCLUDING being on hospital bed rest for 12 weeks. I'm completely serious. It's enough to drive a sane person crazy. I mean, for example, Brady had a day with no accidents of any kind-- even in a new environment -- then he thought it'd be fun to pee on the carpet right after his bath. He did it just for sh**s and giggles, I suppose, but it took a superhuman level of restraint for me not to bang my head against a wall. Can I just rub his nose in it?????
Work is busy, busy, busy, but I am enjoying having a little Becky time, and it's not the worst thing in the world to get a break from bottles and diapers every day. The hardest part is just trying to keep it all together-- the kids, the husband, the household, work-- but this is nothing new. Ask any mom of 1, 2, 5, or 10 and they'll tell you the same thing! Working outside the home, working from home, stay-at-home-- it's all a guilt- and anxiety-ridden guessing game. But then your 3-year-old tells you a story at the dinner table ("Once upon a time there was a baby. Him rode a fire truck, and an ambulance, and a dump truck. The end.") and sings "Rock-a-Bye Baby" to his crying sister while the other one brilliantly smiles at you, and all is right with the world.
More updates soon!
These four months have been some of the happiest, most hectic, most frustrating, and most enjoyable of my life. We even got in a vacation to Savannah and woke up to the ocean every day. We saw lots of friends and family and just had a great time.
We went to the doctor today for their 4-month checkup, and they are doing just so, so well. My baby girls Bayla and Harper, who were born at 4 lbs, 13 oz, 16 inches and 4 lbs, 12 oz, 17 3/4 inches, are now 13 lbs, 13 oz, 23 inches and 13 lbs, 5 oz, 24 inches, respectively. They barely made the percentile chart at 2 months, and now they're comfortably in the middle. They're sleeping pretty well-- they wake up once a night, sometimes at 2:30, sometimes at 4:45 or anytime in between. Truthfully, Harper could probably sleep through the night, but I'm too chicken to try it. I would hate to wake up at 3 with Bayla and then 4:30 with Harper, so they get staggered feedings just like any other time of day. They're still sleeping in our room, but I don't know how much longer they'll be able to sleep in the Pack N Play because they're getting so big. (Shawn is ready to move them to their room-- I think he'd like his wife back. But I'm not ready for them to be down the hall yet!) They are smiling and extremely vocal, and they have terrific head and trunk control.
I am so darn proud of them and am feeling so fortunate I'm about to burst. I've said it before but I'll say it again-- these 2 girls together are easier than Brady was alone. I'm sure it won't last, so I'm enjoying it while I can. After all, these are MY girls, so we're in for some bullheaded d-r-a-m-a. (Sorry, Shawn. But this is why you love me, right? ;))
Brady started his new school today. His transitions are always harder for me than for him, but we both did pretty well today. Thankfully his girlfriend Elle is at his new school too, so they each have a familiar face for comfort. He's doing very well. He has his good days and bad days of course. He's about 80% potty trained, which is nice. He won't consistently poop in the potty, but we're working on it. This potty training is about the hardest thing I've ever had to do, INCLUDING being on hospital bed rest for 12 weeks. I'm completely serious. It's enough to drive a sane person crazy. I mean, for example, Brady had a day with no accidents of any kind-- even in a new environment -- then he thought it'd be fun to pee on the carpet right after his bath. He did it just for sh**s and giggles, I suppose, but it took a superhuman level of restraint for me not to bang my head against a wall. Can I just rub his nose in it?????
Work is busy, busy, busy, but I am enjoying having a little Becky time, and it's not the worst thing in the world to get a break from bottles and diapers every day. The hardest part is just trying to keep it all together-- the kids, the husband, the household, work-- but this is nothing new. Ask any mom of 1, 2, 5, or 10 and they'll tell you the same thing! Working outside the home, working from home, stay-at-home-- it's all a guilt- and anxiety-ridden guessing game. But then your 3-year-old tells you a story at the dinner table ("Once upon a time there was a baby. Him rode a fire truck, and an ambulance, and a dump truck. The end.") and sings "Rock-a-Bye Baby" to his crying sister while the other one brilliantly smiles at you, and all is right with the world.
More updates soon!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Trying to get in the swing of things
I've been back to work a few weeks now, and it still doesn't feel like we've gotten into the groove. We are desperate for some structure, some sense of routine, and it's just not happening. The girls spend much of their time in the bouncy seats (not that they seem to mind), but we're trying to work on expanding their horizons a bit. Some mornings are good (read: Brady gets dressed easily and doesn't fight us on every.little.thing), while others are more challenging so he doesn't get to preschool until 8:30. But everyone is fed, hugged, (mostly) clothed, and occasionally bathed (including Belle the dog), so I guess we're doing okay.
I can't begin to tell you how hard it is to juggle everything. Poor Shawn went to dinner at a dear friend's for some much deserved guy time the other night, and I had to call him home. 3:1 just doesn't work very well at bedtime, even though Brady was well behaved. There are so many balls to keep up in the air, and the most important ones are the ones in danger of falling. Let's just hope they're bouncy balls and rebound.
But there are some really funny times, as evidenced by the new photos I just put up. And again, everyone is healthy. Harper now weighs over 11 lbs, and Bayla is 10 1/2 lbs. They're rounding out and getting ridiculously adorable, and I can't believe how much they've changed. Brady continues to grow. I had him on the changing table the other day (a rarity, but it couldn't be helped), and realized just how big he is. It's hard to believe he ever fit on that thing. More hilariousness will ensue soon-- the paci fairy will be visiting Brady's room. Here's the convo when I told him about said fairy:
Me: "Brady, the paci fairy is going to come soon to get your paci. She gets pacis from all the boys and girls who are too big for them. But she leaves presents!"
Him: "The paci fairy? Will he pinch me?"
Me: "No, honey! She's a nice fairy. She brings presents."
Him: "Is he blue?"
Me: "Um, sure. She can be blue."
Him: "Is him a person?"
Me: "She's a fairy. You know, with wings?"
Him: "But a person?"
Me: "No, honey, a fairy."
Him: "Where does her live?"
Me: "In Fairyland. Maybe that's next to Dragonland."
Him: "Next to Dragonland? And her brings presents?"
Me: "Yes! Maybe a Tokyo Mater or a Mac [truck from Cars, not the computer]!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VonerCejzg4&feature=related)
Him: "I want a BIG ONE! A red one, a green one, and a blue one!"
Me: "Well, we'll see. If she brings a Mac, it'll be red, and if it's a Tokyo Mater, it'll be blue. But you know, she'll take your paci and leave you something cool."
Him: [blank stare]
So...we'll see how that goes....
We were hoping to get through the summer without illness, but Brady had a mild fever for one night. Bayla came down with some virus (probably shared by her brother) and we ended up in the ER with a 103.3 degree fever. So far, Harper hasn't come down with it. As for me, I went to the dentist for a cleaning today and discovered I have NINE...9...NINE cavities. Isn't pregnancy wonderful?
We're also getting ready for our first trip as a family of 5. We're heading to Savannah for a week. To be honest, it's scaring the crap out of me. But a week at the beach is much needed, even if it's with 3 kids. We hope to see our SAV friends and family while we're there. Then, when we get back, Brady will be starting at his new preschool. It's a lot of change at all once, and we'll probably wait for him to settle into the new school before the paci fairy makes her appearance.
So life around the Slemons house continues. It's chaos, it's messy, it's frustrating at times, but we'll take it.
More updates (and beach photos!) soon!
I can't begin to tell you how hard it is to juggle everything. Poor Shawn went to dinner at a dear friend's for some much deserved guy time the other night, and I had to call him home. 3:1 just doesn't work very well at bedtime, even though Brady was well behaved. There are so many balls to keep up in the air, and the most important ones are the ones in danger of falling. Let's just hope they're bouncy balls and rebound.
But there are some really funny times, as evidenced by the new photos I just put up. And again, everyone is healthy. Harper now weighs over 11 lbs, and Bayla is 10 1/2 lbs. They're rounding out and getting ridiculously adorable, and I can't believe how much they've changed. Brady continues to grow. I had him on the changing table the other day (a rarity, but it couldn't be helped), and realized just how big he is. It's hard to believe he ever fit on that thing. More hilariousness will ensue soon-- the paci fairy will be visiting Brady's room. Here's the convo when I told him about said fairy:
Me: "Brady, the paci fairy is going to come soon to get your paci. She gets pacis from all the boys and girls who are too big for them. But she leaves presents!"
Him: "The paci fairy? Will he pinch me?"
Me: "No, honey! She's a nice fairy. She brings presents."
Him: "Is he blue?"
Me: "Um, sure. She can be blue."
Him: "Is him a person?"
Me: "She's a fairy. You know, with wings?"
Him: "But a person?"
Me: "No, honey, a fairy."
Him: "Where does her live?"
Me: "In Fairyland. Maybe that's next to Dragonland."
Him: "Next to Dragonland? And her brings presents?"
Me: "Yes! Maybe a Tokyo Mater or a Mac [truck from Cars, not the computer]!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VonerCejzg4&feature=related)
Him: "I want a BIG ONE! A red one, a green one, and a blue one!"
Me: "Well, we'll see. If she brings a Mac, it'll be red, and if it's a Tokyo Mater, it'll be blue. But you know, she'll take your paci and leave you something cool."
Him: [blank stare]
So...we'll see how that goes....
We were hoping to get through the summer without illness, but Brady had a mild fever for one night. Bayla came down with some virus (probably shared by her brother) and we ended up in the ER with a 103.3 degree fever. So far, Harper hasn't come down with it. As for me, I went to the dentist for a cleaning today and discovered I have NINE...9...NINE cavities. Isn't pregnancy wonderful?
We're also getting ready for our first trip as a family of 5. We're heading to Savannah for a week. To be honest, it's scaring the crap out of me. But a week at the beach is much needed, even if it's with 3 kids. We hope to see our SAV friends and family while we're there. Then, when we get back, Brady will be starting at his new preschool. It's a lot of change at all once, and we'll probably wait for him to settle into the new school before the paci fairy makes her appearance.
So life around the Slemons house continues. It's chaos, it's messy, it's frustrating at times, but we'll take it.
More updates (and beach photos!) soon!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Musings on a maternity leave
Well, here we are...12 weeks in...and it's back to work (part-time, most likely temporarily), thanks to some very accommodating bosses. It's hard to believe it's been 12 weeks since Bayla and Harper came into the world. The hospital is all a blur, for which I'm grateful. Brady has adjusted, for which I'm equally grateful. The girls are both doing amazingly well-- they're our little miracles, truly. They're filling out and getting bigger, and we're waiting for their smiles. We have our screamy days and our calm days, and then we have our screamy screamy days. The bouncy chairs are our best friends, with the swings coming in a close second. We don't get to hold them enough, and we wish they'd eat more, and more quickly. We wish they'd sleep 6-7 hours and look forward to a more structured schedule. We laugh a lot, we cry sometimes, we grumble, and we trudge through our tired day, looking forward to feeling like ourselves again. But we don't complain, because we could not be more thankful for the bounty of blessings that we've gotten. Three beautiful children? A nice house? Enough money to pay the bills? Enough food to fill our tummies? What's not to love? There's a lot of love in and around us, and I am just so happy.
Here are some things I've learned the past 12 weeks:
1. I never thought I'd be content just staring at 2 babies.
2. I never thought I'd be so comfortable/happy paying for someone else to care for my kids.
3. I never thought I could go this long without having a meaningful conversation with my husband.
4. The DVR holds A LOT.
5. In a million years, I didn't think I'd be so torn about going back to work. If you knew the Becky of 5 years ago, you'd know what I mean.
6. Beans and rice makes an excellent (and fast) dinner, even 2 times a week. Frozen pasta too!
7. I complain about living all the way out in East Cobb sometimes, but we couldn't ask for more wonderful, caring, genuinely good people to live around. Our neighborhood is amazing.
8. A family of 5 produces a remarkable amount of laundry.
9. What's exhausting about twins, besides the obvious lack of continuous sleep, is that you have to make a million small decisions every moment of every day-- should I feed the one who's stirring first, or the one who usually goes first? should I change that wet diaper and risk waking her up? has she been in the bouncy seat too long? I have to be somewhere at 3, but they eat at 2-- how am I going to make that happen? is the diaper bag packed/do I need to bring x, y, or z?
10. I never thought a 3-yr-old would be harder than a preemie newborn.
11. Stretchy fabrics are highly underrated. Who needs to get into those old clothes anyway?
12. Daily hygiene is overrated.
13. Reminder: Health insurance companies love to screw you at every possible opportunity. It's like they enjoy it.
14. There's a lot of decent TV on between 8 a.m. and noon-- then it kinda sucks.
15. The most important thing: if you anticipate feedings, you save yourself a lot of grief, stress, and shrill screaming.
16. Waking a sleeping baby to eat, no matter how much of you dies inside each time you do it, is sadly necessary when you have 2 of them.
So I'm sure there's more, but it's time for another feeding, so I'm off to get the bottles ready. (see #15) More updates soon!
Here are some things I've learned the past 12 weeks:
1. I never thought I'd be content just staring at 2 babies.
2. I never thought I'd be so comfortable/happy paying for someone else to care for my kids.
3. I never thought I could go this long without having a meaningful conversation with my husband.
4. The DVR holds A LOT.
5. In a million years, I didn't think I'd be so torn about going back to work. If you knew the Becky of 5 years ago, you'd know what I mean.
6. Beans and rice makes an excellent (and fast) dinner, even 2 times a week. Frozen pasta too!
7. I complain about living all the way out in East Cobb sometimes, but we couldn't ask for more wonderful, caring, genuinely good people to live around. Our neighborhood is amazing.
8. A family of 5 produces a remarkable amount of laundry.
9. What's exhausting about twins, besides the obvious lack of continuous sleep, is that you have to make a million small decisions every moment of every day-- should I feed the one who's stirring first, or the one who usually goes first? should I change that wet diaper and risk waking her up? has she been in the bouncy seat too long? I have to be somewhere at 3, but they eat at 2-- how am I going to make that happen? is the diaper bag packed/do I need to bring x, y, or z?
10. I never thought a 3-yr-old would be harder than a preemie newborn.
11. Stretchy fabrics are highly underrated. Who needs to get into those old clothes anyway?
12. Daily hygiene is overrated.
13. Reminder: Health insurance companies love to screw you at every possible opportunity. It's like they enjoy it.
14. There's a lot of decent TV on between 8 a.m. and noon-- then it kinda sucks.
15. The most important thing: if you anticipate feedings, you save yourself a lot of grief, stress, and shrill screaming.
16. Waking a sleeping baby to eat, no matter how much of you dies inside each time you do it, is sadly necessary when you have 2 of them.
So I'm sure there's more, but it's time for another feeding, so I'm off to get the bottles ready. (see #15) More updates soon!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Two months old!
Bayla and Harper are 2 months old! We had our checkup this morning (complete with 6 vaccinations), and everything looks great with them. Bayla weighs 8 lbs, 6 oz. and is 20 in. long, and Harper weighs 9 lbs even and is 20 3/4 in. long. We've gotten the okay to let them sleep at night as long as they want-- we don't have to wake them to eat any longer. Hallelujah!! I imagine they'll still wake btwn 4 and 5 hours, but I'll take it. This is great for us because we can now start getting into a routine. Should be interesting to see if Brady wakes up from their cries at night. Because let me tell you, these formerly placid girls are LOUD. Harper's cries are piercing, and Bayla's are just heartbreaking. Because they're twins, they both cry a little more than a single baby just because I can't get to them both immediately. As I've said before, thank God these are my second and third babies because I now understand that a little crying won't kill them.
Bayla's head is rounding out nicely, and her neck is much more flexible since we've continued PT and stretches. Both girls are VERY strong. Bayla is the stronger one, which is just crazy to me. Bayla also needs to be held more, but we're working it out.
For Brady's part, his 3-yr-old hijinks have led to power matches, time outs, truck-take-aways, and more. We're looking forward to 4 years old. If he makes it. If we make it. Still, when he's sweet, he's the sweetest, and when he's funny, he's the funniest. We try to remember those times to avoid his serious injury. If you've ever had a 3-yr-old, I'm sure you can relate.
Shawn and I had our first date since January on Monday. We saw Conan O'Brien at the Fox. It was a great time, and it was wonderful to be Shawn & Becky and not just Daddy & Mommy for a while. We got to eat in peace! It was fantastic.
We're exhausted, tired of power struggles with Brady, and achy from holding 2 babies, but for the most part, everything's going well. It's funny-- sometimes I'll just be sitting here and realize we have twin girls, and 3 kids. As used to the concept as I am, I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed and surprised by it. It's a lot to take in! It's constant juggling and lots of work, and sometimes we're so worn out we can barely handle it. But I'm grateful to my friends who are moms and dads of twins for their perspectives and support-- they survived, and so will we! And we're also grateful to the continuing support of our neighbors, family, and friends, who have provided so much help as we figure out what being a family of 5 (plus dog) is like. The bumpy road that is our life will smooth out eventually, right?
So I know I promised some cute photos, but I have to find the cord that connects the camera to the computer. As soon as I do (you should see this house right now-- it might be a while), I'll stick 'em up here. More updates soon!
Bayla's head is rounding out nicely, and her neck is much more flexible since we've continued PT and stretches. Both girls are VERY strong. Bayla is the stronger one, which is just crazy to me. Bayla also needs to be held more, but we're working it out.
For Brady's part, his 3-yr-old hijinks have led to power matches, time outs, truck-take-aways, and more. We're looking forward to 4 years old. If he makes it. If we make it. Still, when he's sweet, he's the sweetest, and when he's funny, he's the funniest. We try to remember those times to avoid his serious injury. If you've ever had a 3-yr-old, I'm sure you can relate.
Shawn and I had our first date since January on Monday. We saw Conan O'Brien at the Fox. It was a great time, and it was wonderful to be Shawn & Becky and not just Daddy & Mommy for a while. We got to eat in peace! It was fantastic.
We're exhausted, tired of power struggles with Brady, and achy from holding 2 babies, but for the most part, everything's going well. It's funny-- sometimes I'll just be sitting here and realize we have twin girls, and 3 kids. As used to the concept as I am, I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed and surprised by it. It's a lot to take in! It's constant juggling and lots of work, and sometimes we're so worn out we can barely handle it. But I'm grateful to my friends who are moms and dads of twins for their perspectives and support-- they survived, and so will we! And we're also grateful to the continuing support of our neighbors, family, and friends, who have provided so much help as we figure out what being a family of 5 (plus dog) is like. The bumpy road that is our life will smooth out eventually, right?
So I know I promised some cute photos, but I have to find the cord that connects the camera to the computer. As soon as I do (you should see this house right now-- it might be a while), I'll stick 'em up here. More updates soon!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Whew!
Whew! It's been quite a few weeks. The girls are now 8 weeks old and have been home nearly 5 weeks. Brady has adjusted to being a big brother-- now his tantrums are related to being 3, rather than to all the huge changes in his life. Potty training is coming along. We're down to 2 diapers a day for him, which does nothing to offset the 20+ diapers a day for the girls. Bayla's diaper rash, which began in the NICU, is continuing to stump us. We've been to the dermatologist and are trying several medications and treatments to finally do away with it. It's awful, just awful. I've been hopping around from doctor's appt to doctor's appt trying to keep these girls checked out and healthy, Shawn's been working and helping hold down the fort, Brady's been in camp, the girls have been maturing, all we're an all-around chaotic family!
Brady is almost always very sweet with his sisters, bringing them pacis when they cry (often with dirty hands, oh well), helping me diaper or feed them, and giving hugs and kisses. He also is testing his limits by poking his sisters or touching their faces, which he isn't allowed to do. At least he's not hurting them!
There's just always something to do! One of the 3 kids (or all 3 at the same time!) is always in need of something, there's bottles to clean and prepare, breast milk to pump, incessant laundry to do, a household to keep relatively clean and orderly, and a life to keep up. We're exhausted!
Overall we've been enjoying the girls a heck of a lot. Except when one or the other of them won't go back to sleep after their middle of the night feed. We have gone to feeding them every 4 hrs (instead of 3) at night, and that helps with sleep a bit.
On a happy note, June 12 is our 5th anniversary. If you'd have told us 5 years ago that we'd have 3 kids by now, you would have gotten a huge laugh. Funny how life works out. I wouldn't change it for the world. I would consider swapping something for a full night's sleep though. :)
Speaking of.... time to pump, then give a "top-off" feed to the girls, then I'll have a couple hours to rest before it's time to feed again. Then it's Shawn's shift. :)
More updates and photos soon! (teasers: Superman Brady using the potty, Bayla blissful in the swing)
Brady is almost always very sweet with his sisters, bringing them pacis when they cry (often with dirty hands, oh well), helping me diaper or feed them, and giving hugs and kisses. He also is testing his limits by poking his sisters or touching their faces, which he isn't allowed to do. At least he's not hurting them!
There's just always something to do! One of the 3 kids (or all 3 at the same time!) is always in need of something, there's bottles to clean and prepare, breast milk to pump, incessant laundry to do, a household to keep relatively clean and orderly, and a life to keep up. We're exhausted!
Overall we've been enjoying the girls a heck of a lot. Except when one or the other of them won't go back to sleep after their middle of the night feed. We have gone to feeding them every 4 hrs (instead of 3) at night, and that helps with sleep a bit.
On a happy note, June 12 is our 5th anniversary. If you'd have told us 5 years ago that we'd have 3 kids by now, you would have gotten a huge laugh. Funny how life works out. I wouldn't change it for the world. I would consider swapping something for a full night's sleep though. :)
Speaking of.... time to pump, then give a "top-off" feed to the girls, then I'll have a couple hours to rest before it's time to feed again. Then it's Shawn's shift. :)
More updates and photos soon! (teasers: Superman Brady using the potty, Bayla blissful in the swing)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
OH.MY.GOODNESS.
Tonight was the first night we truly felt like the parents of 3 kids. Brady had a complete and total meltdown, and the girls were both hungry and screaming. I'm writing this post in the hopes that someone will have pity on me and bring over several pitchers of margaritas. Any tequila will be fine- I'm not picky. ;)
But seriously... the next few years are going to be something. I can't imagine how the teenage years are going to look and feel.
But seriously... the next few years are going to be something. I can't imagine how the teenage years are going to look and feel.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Life as a family of five
Bayla and Harper have been home nearly 3 weeks now, and we're settling into life as a family of 5 + dog. The girls are doing so, so well-- as of a week and a half ago, Bayla weighed nearly 7 lbs, and Harper was at 7 lbs, 3 oz. I'm sure Harper's topping 8 lbs, and Bayla is probably well past 7. They're eating pretty well, and up until the past few days, they've been extremely laid-back. My due date was May 27, and as we'd heard, they did start to wake up and cry more.
We're feeding them every 3 hrs, so we head off a lot of the hunger-related screaming. If they're crying, it's usually because they need some love, and after a little holding, they're better. I do not expect this good luck to last. I remember late, difficult nights with infant Brady, so I'm bracing myself for that times 2.
Speaking of Brady, he is mostly a very sweet, very caring big brother. When we first brought them home, he was so interested in their "funny faces" and "little handses and footses." The novelty has worn off, and like any good 3 year old, he tests his limits around them. "Can I throw this ball near them? What about a head butt? What if I poke their eyes? What if I scream as loudly as I can around them?" It's exasperating. Throw in a week and a half at home because daycare was closed, and you have some exhausted, frustrated parents. He also has some very sweet moments, like last night, when he insisted on getting on the play mat with them and just lying there, and tonight when he offered Bayla his bath after he was done. After all, "There are lots of toys for her to play with." He's getting plenty of attention (both good and bad), but this is a huge life change. It's hard to go from being the center of the universe to one of 3 suns. We're trying to be patient, but that wears pretty thin after 1.5 hours of trying to get him to go into and stay in his room at bedtime.
We're also getting out more. Brady's full social calendar (I'm not even kidding) has seen Mommy or Daddy taking him to a birthday party nearly every weekend. It's nice alone time with him, and it gives the other parent a break and a chance to focus on the girls. We've made a few family excursions, but we're trying to keep the girls from being around too many people (and related germs). We take walks around the neighborhood a lot, which is great for everyone.
Mostly, this is an amazing, miraculous experience. Sometimes we'll all be sitting on the bed, or hanging out in the den, or going somewhere in the car, and I'll think, "Holy s@#t, we have 3 kids!" It's a lot to take in, but we're unbelievably fortunate to have 3 beautiful, healthy children. '
Sure, we're exhausted, but the night nurse, our neighbors, and some family and wonderful friends are helping us as much as they're able (Bonnie took a week off and came up here to help-- we miss her!!), and it makes such a difference. When Brady was born, I refused almost all help-- I wanted to do it on my own, my way. I won't be making that mistake again. It takes a village, that's for sure. And we appreciate it more than those helping will ever know.
So that's a lot for now. All is well, although tiring. I'll do my very best to get on here more often with anecdotes and updates about the Slemons family. I'm also going to do my best to figure out how the hell to add photos so you can see the progress and my beautiful kids. :)
More updates soon!
We're feeding them every 3 hrs, so we head off a lot of the hunger-related screaming. If they're crying, it's usually because they need some love, and after a little holding, they're better. I do not expect this good luck to last. I remember late, difficult nights with infant Brady, so I'm bracing myself for that times 2.
Speaking of Brady, he is mostly a very sweet, very caring big brother. When we first brought them home, he was so interested in their "funny faces" and "little handses and footses." The novelty has worn off, and like any good 3 year old, he tests his limits around them. "Can I throw this ball near them? What about a head butt? What if I poke their eyes? What if I scream as loudly as I can around them?" It's exasperating. Throw in a week and a half at home because daycare was closed, and you have some exhausted, frustrated parents. He also has some very sweet moments, like last night, when he insisted on getting on the play mat with them and just lying there, and tonight when he offered Bayla his bath after he was done. After all, "There are lots of toys for her to play with." He's getting plenty of attention (both good and bad), but this is a huge life change. It's hard to go from being the center of the universe to one of 3 suns. We're trying to be patient, but that wears pretty thin after 1.5 hours of trying to get him to go into and stay in his room at bedtime.
We're also getting out more. Brady's full social calendar (I'm not even kidding) has seen Mommy or Daddy taking him to a birthday party nearly every weekend. It's nice alone time with him, and it gives the other parent a break and a chance to focus on the girls. We've made a few family excursions, but we're trying to keep the girls from being around too many people (and related germs). We take walks around the neighborhood a lot, which is great for everyone.
Mostly, this is an amazing, miraculous experience. Sometimes we'll all be sitting on the bed, or hanging out in the den, or going somewhere in the car, and I'll think, "Holy s@#t, we have 3 kids!" It's a lot to take in, but we're unbelievably fortunate to have 3 beautiful, healthy children. '
Sure, we're exhausted, but the night nurse, our neighbors, and some family and wonderful friends are helping us as much as they're able (Bonnie took a week off and came up here to help-- we miss her!!), and it makes such a difference. When Brady was born, I refused almost all help-- I wanted to do it on my own, my way. I won't be making that mistake again. It takes a village, that's for sure. And we appreciate it more than those helping will ever know.
So that's a lot for now. All is well, although tiring. I'll do my very best to get on here more often with anecdotes and updates about the Slemons family. I'm also going to do my best to figure out how the hell to add photos so you can see the progress and my beautiful kids. :)
More updates soon!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
More about the girls
It's been 2.5 weeks since our girls were born, and as predicted, the journey has continued. Bayla and Harper have breathed on their own since birth, and they're perfectly healthy. They're still in the hospital because they were born too early for their suck, swallow, and breathe reflex to have been developed, and they're having to learn to eat. But as of today, they're each taking four bottles on their own and even breastfeeding sometimes, so we're expecting them home in the next week or so.
Bayla and Harper are marvelous to look at. Sometimes when we're at the hospital, I just look back and forth from bassinet to bassinet, amazed that Shawn and I have created these two perfect babies. Bayla's head is a little smooshed and her neck is very tight because her sister was taking up so much room in utero, but it will even out in the next year. Their good health is more than we could have hoped for, and we are just so, so grateful for these girls. I'm sure there will be challenges here and there because they are preemies, but for now, we're just on cloud 9.
I've gotten a taste of how exhausting it is to run a household and go back and forth to the hospital everyday, and I can't tell you how impressed I am with my husband. He did an amazing job during the 3 months I was out of commission. Brady is happy to have Mommy home, and Mommy is beyond happy to be home. I can't tell you how unbelievable that first shower at home was, and how great it is to sleep next to my husband, down the hall from my son every single night.
Now that my incision is healing well and I'm feeling more like my old self and can do more, the house is getting back in order. I'm happy to say that we're all ready for the girls to come home and get settled. The house is messy, but I think that's just how it's going to be for the next 20 years. Oh, well!
So now we're focused on getting Bayla and Harper home, and getting Brady adjusted to truly being a big brother. He hasn't even met the girls yet because NICU doesn't allow children younger than 14, so it's going to be interesting. I can't wait to have the entire family together. I get teary thinking about it.
So anyway, that's all that's going on. Sorry for the disjointed post, but I haven't even had a chance to process all the emotions and thoughts, much less articulate them! We'll do better about updating the blog and keeping everyone in the loop. Continued thanks for everyone's love, support, thoughts, and prayers. More updates soon!
Bayla and Harper are marvelous to look at. Sometimes when we're at the hospital, I just look back and forth from bassinet to bassinet, amazed that Shawn and I have created these two perfect babies. Bayla's head is a little smooshed and her neck is very tight because her sister was taking up so much room in utero, but it will even out in the next year. Their good health is more than we could have hoped for, and we are just so, so grateful for these girls. I'm sure there will be challenges here and there because they are preemies, but for now, we're just on cloud 9.
I've gotten a taste of how exhausting it is to run a household and go back and forth to the hospital everyday, and I can't tell you how impressed I am with my husband. He did an amazing job during the 3 months I was out of commission. Brady is happy to have Mommy home, and Mommy is beyond happy to be home. I can't tell you how unbelievable that first shower at home was, and how great it is to sleep next to my husband, down the hall from my son every single night.
Now that my incision is healing well and I'm feeling more like my old self and can do more, the house is getting back in order. I'm happy to say that we're all ready for the girls to come home and get settled. The house is messy, but I think that's just how it's going to be for the next 20 years. Oh, well!
So now we're focused on getting Bayla and Harper home, and getting Brady adjusted to truly being a big brother. He hasn't even met the girls yet because NICU doesn't allow children younger than 14, so it's going to be interesting. I can't wait to have the entire family together. I get teary thinking about it.
So anyway, that's all that's going on. Sorry for the disjointed post, but I haven't even had a chance to process all the emotions and thoughts, much less articulate them! We'll do better about updating the blog and keeping everyone in the loop. Continued thanks for everyone's love, support, thoughts, and prayers. More updates soon!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Introducing Bayla and Harper Slemons
They're here! Bayla Celia and Harper Jordan Slemons were born Thursday, April 15. Here's their information:
Bayla Celia Slemons: Born at 1:18 p.m., 4 lbs 13 oz., 16 in. long
Harper Jordan Slemons: Born at 1:19 p.m., 4 lbs 12 oz, 17 3/4 in. long
Both girls are doing incredibly well. They haven't needed any breathing help, and they're learning to take bottles and regulate their temps. We don't know when they'll come home, but the average NICU stay for 34-weekers is about 2 weeks. I might get to go home tomorrow (Sunday).
We are so grateful and relieved that they've been born healthy. We couldn't be more thrilled. We can't wait to introduce them to everyone!
More info soon, and I'm going to figure out how to add photos!
Bayla Celia Slemons: Born at 1:18 p.m., 4 lbs 13 oz., 16 in. long
Harper Jordan Slemons: Born at 1:19 p.m., 4 lbs 12 oz, 17 3/4 in. long
Both girls are doing incredibly well. They haven't needed any breathing help, and they're learning to take bottles and regulate their temps. We don't know when they'll come home, but the average NICU stay for 34-weekers is about 2 weeks. I might get to go home tomorrow (Sunday).
We are so grateful and relieved that they've been born healthy. We couldn't be more thrilled. We can't wait to introduce them to everyone!
More info soon, and I'm going to figure out how to add photos!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The end of the road, the beginning of an adventure
Here I sit in the hospital room I've been in for the last 11 weeks, knowing that in 2 days I'll have 2 more children. I thought life was complete with an amazing husband, sweet son, supportive family, the best friends anyone could ever hope for, and a meaningful job, but I'm realizing that these girls are really going to round it out. Every life has ups and downs-- I had my biggest down when I lost my mother nearly 6 years ago-- and I guess all you can do is hope and pray that you have more ups than downs. 11.5 weeks ago we were terrified we'd experience another huge down, but here we are. Who knows why? I certainly don't, and I'm not especially inclined to ask. I'm just grateful and hopeful.
I'm also anxious and nervous. Having twins is no walk in the park, and because they'll be preemies, a lot can be wrong. Having major surgery is scary. Trying to fit back into my old life is going to be a hard transition. Affording 3 kids is challenging. Making sure Brady, Shawn, and even the dog get as much as me as I can give is daunting. But it will all be okay, because it has to be. These girls are meant to be ours, and we're going to do our very best to raise happy, healthy, loving children.
I've spent so much time focusing on NOT focusing that I'm experiencing a huge wave of emotions: relief, terror, happiness, excitement. Mostly, I'm ready to get back to my life, know what we're up against, and move forward. It's going to be quite a ride.
The next time you hear from me on the blog, you'll know the girls' names and statistics, and I'll figure out how to add photos so you can see the little faces we've been so excited to see. So more updates soon!
I'm also anxious and nervous. Having twins is no walk in the park, and because they'll be preemies, a lot can be wrong. Having major surgery is scary. Trying to fit back into my old life is going to be a hard transition. Affording 3 kids is challenging. Making sure Brady, Shawn, and even the dog get as much as me as I can give is daunting. But it will all be okay, because it has to be. These girls are meant to be ours, and we're going to do our very best to raise happy, healthy, loving children.
I've spent so much time focusing on NOT focusing that I'm experiencing a huge wave of emotions: relief, terror, happiness, excitement. Mostly, I'm ready to get back to my life, know what we're up against, and move forward. It's going to be quite a ride.
The next time you hear from me on the blog, you'll know the girls' names and statistics, and I'll figure out how to add photos so you can see the little faces we've been so excited to see. So more updates soon!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Old wives' tales
We are in the final countdown. Six days to go until we meet our girls...if they wait that long.
So a big rainstorm blew threw Atlanta yesterday, and it poured for a while. Have you ever heard the old wives' tale that women go into labor during a storm? Ask any nurse and they'll tell you it's true, and I can just about corroborate it. When the weather turned yesterday, I started to bleed and contract. I went on the monitors for about 2 hours, and the babies were fine the whole time. But during that 2 hours, the weather cleared, and things smoothed out for me and have been fine ever since. You can correlate the rain going away with my contractions stopping-- and I'm not kidding. It wasn't nearly as scary as the last time I bled, mostly because they're in a much safer place. And probably because I am READY to get the hell out of here. (My water broke 11 weeks ago today.)
But I had an ultrasound this morning and everything looked great. Because I am so close to delivering, any strange goings-on will almost certainly result in me delivering these babies. Strange goings-on could include more bleeding, bad monitoring sessions, etc. I'd like to hold out til Thursday, but we shall see.
I'm not sleeping well, and I'm starting to get very nervous about the surgery and what's in store for the girls. But Shawn and I are SO ready to know what the next stage will be like, and how the girls are doing. We fully expect them to be in the NICU for awhile, but no one knows how long that will be, and they won't even know when they're born. We'll be continuing to play everything by ear, but at least we'll know what we're dealing with. And of course, we'll get to hold and love our baby girls.
So I have one more ultrasound on Tuesday, which is also my last day of work before maternity leave, then it will be go time. More updates soon!
So a big rainstorm blew threw Atlanta yesterday, and it poured for a while. Have you ever heard the old wives' tale that women go into labor during a storm? Ask any nurse and they'll tell you it's true, and I can just about corroborate it. When the weather turned yesterday, I started to bleed and contract. I went on the monitors for about 2 hours, and the babies were fine the whole time. But during that 2 hours, the weather cleared, and things smoothed out for me and have been fine ever since. You can correlate the rain going away with my contractions stopping-- and I'm not kidding. It wasn't nearly as scary as the last time I bled, mostly because they're in a much safer place. And probably because I am READY to get the hell out of here. (My water broke 11 weeks ago today.)
But I had an ultrasound this morning and everything looked great. Because I am so close to delivering, any strange goings-on will almost certainly result in me delivering these babies. Strange goings-on could include more bleeding, bad monitoring sessions, etc. I'd like to hold out til Thursday, but we shall see.
I'm not sleeping well, and I'm starting to get very nervous about the surgery and what's in store for the girls. But Shawn and I are SO ready to know what the next stage will be like, and how the girls are doing. We fully expect them to be in the NICU for awhile, but no one knows how long that will be, and they won't even know when they're born. We'll be continuing to play everything by ear, but at least we'll know what we're dealing with. And of course, we'll get to hold and love our baby girls.
So I have one more ultrasound on Tuesday, which is also my last day of work before maternity leave, then it will be go time. More updates soon!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The real countdown is on
Today I'm 32 weeks, 5 days! And we only have 9 days to go until we meet our girls. Only 9 days! To break it down for you the way I'm thinking about it, that means, at the time I'm writing this, I have:
-2 more ultrasounds
-13 more baby and contraction monitoring sessions
-31 more insulin shots
-30 more finger pokes
-About 12 more nights away from my husband, son, and dog (assuming all goes well)
It's exciting! I'm just so so ready to be back to my life. I asked Brady if I can give him baths, read him books, and tuck him in for night night, and he said, "No. Daddy does that." Ouch. But we'll reconnect, I'll bribe him with ice cream, and all will be well. Then his sisters will come home... ;)
We had another ultrasound today, and everything looked great. Baby A had a decent amount of fluid, so that was good news. Baby B is doing fantastic as always. Interestingly, Baby B seems to be everywhere at once-- she's head down, she kinda curves around the middle of my belly, and her legs and feet are on my left side, above her sister. When she gets going, my entire abdomen just goes completely nuts. Baby A is much more reserved. It will be incredibly interesting to see if they retain these personalities. I bet they will, and if so, let me just say this: we are in so much trouble!
But anyway, that's all the news. Tomorrow we'll be counting down from 8 days. More updates soon!
-2 more ultrasounds
-13 more baby and contraction monitoring sessions
-31 more insulin shots
-30 more finger pokes
-About 12 more nights away from my husband, son, and dog (assuming all goes well)
It's exciting! I'm just so so ready to be back to my life. I asked Brady if I can give him baths, read him books, and tuck him in for night night, and he said, "No. Daddy does that." Ouch. But we'll reconnect, I'll bribe him with ice cream, and all will be well. Then his sisters will come home... ;)
We had another ultrasound today, and everything looked great. Baby A had a decent amount of fluid, so that was good news. Baby B is doing fantastic as always. Interestingly, Baby B seems to be everywhere at once-- she's head down, she kinda curves around the middle of my belly, and her legs and feet are on my left side, above her sister. When she gets going, my entire abdomen just goes completely nuts. Baby A is much more reserved. It will be incredibly interesting to see if they retain these personalities. I bet they will, and if so, let me just say this: we are in so much trouble!
But anyway, that's all the news. Tomorrow we'll be counting down from 8 days. More updates soon!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Another week down
It's now been 10 weeks since Baby A's membrane ruptured. Let me repeat that: 10 weeks. Seems like both yesterday and a lifetime ago. I miss being at home with my boys more and more each day, and I'm just glad I don't have that much longer til we can start our family life together again.
We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything looked wonderful. Babies are practicing their breathing, kicking around, and appear otherwise healthy. I'm now 32 weeks, 1 day, so my feeling is that this can really happen any time...any time now... It would be wonderful to make it to 34 weeks-- really wonderful-- but I know the girls would be in such a great place now, and it's extremely freeing. Plus, I'm getting really uncomfortable, and it's no fun to roll myself out of bed every time I need to get up.
Everything is in countdown mode now, and I'm looking forward to April 15 like you wouldn't believe. Oh-- if you have any night nurse recommendations, please let me know. This is actually happening, so we need to start interviewing night nurses so we can actually get some sleep the first couple months these girls are home.
So all is well, and we have another ultrasound Tuesday. More updates soon!
We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything looked wonderful. Babies are practicing their breathing, kicking around, and appear otherwise healthy. I'm now 32 weeks, 1 day, so my feeling is that this can really happen any time...any time now... It would be wonderful to make it to 34 weeks-- really wonderful-- but I know the girls would be in such a great place now, and it's extremely freeing. Plus, I'm getting really uncomfortable, and it's no fun to roll myself out of bed every time I need to get up.
Everything is in countdown mode now, and I'm looking forward to April 15 like you wouldn't believe. Oh-- if you have any night nurse recommendations, please let me know. This is actually happening, so we need to start interviewing night nurses so we can actually get some sleep the first couple months these girls are home.
So all is well, and we have another ultrasound Tuesday. More updates soon!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Next milestone within reach
Today I've reached 31 weeks, 5 days. 32 weeks will (hopefully) be a HUGE milestone, and we're excited to be within reach of it. At 32 weeks, the risk of many common preemie ailments goes down dramatically, including intestinal problems, brain bleeds, etc. Breathing could still be an issue, but everyone agrees that we're essentially in the clear after this milestone is reached. The girls would still be in the NICU for awhile, but they'd come home mostly healthy.
We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything looked good. We also found out some interesting information. If you'll recall, when this whole membrane rupture happened 9.5 weeks ago, no one would give us any concrete statistics or odds. We knew that most women went into labor within 24 hours of their water breaking, and we knew that the risk was greatest for us within the first week, but that's about all we knew. WELL. It turns out that it's probably a good thing we didn't know. The perinatologist I saw today gave me some real info: to have gotten this far is remarkable. We had a 1 in 100 chance of a successful pregnancy. WOW. I mean, I'm competitive, but this is ridiculous. Shawn and I were chatting about the odds this morning. He felt like the odds were pretty long just because everyone was so evasive and concerned, but we're a bit floored. For my part, I just don't think I ever stopped to REALLY consider what happened and what this situation could have meant -- I focused on the success stories -- and I'm glad.
Knowing the odds puts this all in perspective. I've been in this hospital a long time, but it will be more than worth it if we bring home 2 healthy girls.
It's also Passover now, a Jewish holiday celebrating and commemorating Hebrew slaves being freed from slavery in Egypt. If you've seen "The 10 Commandments," it's basically that story. It's my favorite holiday, and I was very bummed that I was going to be missing the ritual- and tradition-filled meal of Passover, called Seder. But God and fate threw me a (shank)bone, and I've made a new friend in the hospital (also on bed rest with twin girls, along with a 3-yr-old girl at home) who invited me to her family's Seder in one of the conference rooms. It was a very special and fun night, and I was so excited to celebrate Passover with a Seder, even in the hospital. Thank you to Lani and all the Roths and Preises for inviting and including me.
In other baby news, we want to send congratulations to our dear friends Jenn, Sean, and Anna Shaikun on their new addition Shepherd Alan Shaikun, born last night. And more congratulations go out to the Blakelys, whose daughter Savannah was in daycare with Brady almost their entire lives; they also have a new addition, Thomas Spencer Blakely. His mommy and I were on bed rest for a bit together. And I'm also waiting to hear the news about Lani, whose twin girls were supposed to be born this morning. Babies, babies, babies!
So we'll have another ultrasound Friday (only 4 more total before these babies are born), and I'll report back. More updates soon!
We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything looked good. We also found out some interesting information. If you'll recall, when this whole membrane rupture happened 9.5 weeks ago, no one would give us any concrete statistics or odds. We knew that most women went into labor within 24 hours of their water breaking, and we knew that the risk was greatest for us within the first week, but that's about all we knew. WELL. It turns out that it's probably a good thing we didn't know. The perinatologist I saw today gave me some real info: to have gotten this far is remarkable. We had a 1 in 100 chance of a successful pregnancy. WOW. I mean, I'm competitive, but this is ridiculous. Shawn and I were chatting about the odds this morning. He felt like the odds were pretty long just because everyone was so evasive and concerned, but we're a bit floored. For my part, I just don't think I ever stopped to REALLY consider what happened and what this situation could have meant -- I focused on the success stories -- and I'm glad.
Knowing the odds puts this all in perspective. I've been in this hospital a long time, but it will be more than worth it if we bring home 2 healthy girls.
It's also Passover now, a Jewish holiday celebrating and commemorating Hebrew slaves being freed from slavery in Egypt. If you've seen "The 10 Commandments," it's basically that story. It's my favorite holiday, and I was very bummed that I was going to be missing the ritual- and tradition-filled meal of Passover, called Seder. But God and fate threw me a (shank)bone, and I've made a new friend in the hospital (also on bed rest with twin girls, along with a 3-yr-old girl at home) who invited me to her family's Seder in one of the conference rooms. It was a very special and fun night, and I was so excited to celebrate Passover with a Seder, even in the hospital. Thank you to Lani and all the Roths and Preises for inviting and including me.
In other baby news, we want to send congratulations to our dear friends Jenn, Sean, and Anna Shaikun on their new addition Shepherd Alan Shaikun, born last night. And more congratulations go out to the Blakelys, whose daughter Savannah was in daycare with Brady almost their entire lives; they also have a new addition, Thomas Spencer Blakely. His mommy and I were on bed rest for a bit together. And I'm also waiting to hear the news about Lani, whose twin girls were supposed to be born this morning. Babies, babies, babies!
So we'll have another ultrasound Friday (only 4 more total before these babies are born), and I'll report back. More updates soon!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Large and Not-So-In-Charge
Today I'm 31 weeks, 1 day, and moving right along. At this point, if the babies were born they'd do great. I know several 30- and 31-week babies who are now adorable, healthy, active children, so I'm feeling pretty darn good about things.
We had another ultrasound this morning and decided to do measurements today. Baby A is measuring 30 weeks, 5 days, and 3 lbs., 13 oz. Baby B is measuring 29 weeks, 6 days, and 3 lbs, 11 oz. Of course, this is all plus or minus a healthy margin of error, so who knows really how much they weigh, but it's definitely more than 3 lbs. We're thrilled! It still tickles me that Baby B is smaller than Baby A, but the ultrasound tech reminded me that because they're fraternal, they're genetically different, so we shouldn't be that surprised. Good point. This reminder makes me even more curious about what they'll look like-- and if anyone is going to inherit my curly hair!
In other good news, I no longer have to have my finger pricked to check my blood sugar after every meal. They're alternating now, so I only have to have 2 pokes instead of 4.
Brady is getting more ready to meet his little sisters. He and Daddy read a special big brother book at night (thanks, Aunt Allison, Uncle Brian, and Topher!), and he's definitely understanding a few more things. He told me on the phone this morning that his sisters are going to grow up big and strong, and that he's going to hold their hands in the street so they don't get hurt by cars and trucks. It's so sweet, and it brought tears to my eyes. Although I'm not 100% convinced he understands that they'll cry and scream and live with us forever, I can't wait to see him as a big brother. He's so sweet with babies, and I can only hope that sweetness will continue with his own sisters, who will be getting most of the attention.
So that's all the news-- less than 3 weeks to go! More updates soon.
We had another ultrasound this morning and decided to do measurements today. Baby A is measuring 30 weeks, 5 days, and 3 lbs., 13 oz. Baby B is measuring 29 weeks, 6 days, and 3 lbs, 11 oz. Of course, this is all plus or minus a healthy margin of error, so who knows really how much they weigh, but it's definitely more than 3 lbs. We're thrilled! It still tickles me that Baby B is smaller than Baby A, but the ultrasound tech reminded me that because they're fraternal, they're genetically different, so we shouldn't be that surprised. Good point. This reminder makes me even more curious about what they'll look like-- and if anyone is going to inherit my curly hair!
In other good news, I no longer have to have my finger pricked to check my blood sugar after every meal. They're alternating now, so I only have to have 2 pokes instead of 4.
Brady is getting more ready to meet his little sisters. He and Daddy read a special big brother book at night (thanks, Aunt Allison, Uncle Brian, and Topher!), and he's definitely understanding a few more things. He told me on the phone this morning that his sisters are going to grow up big and strong, and that he's going to hold their hands in the street so they don't get hurt by cars and trucks. It's so sweet, and it brought tears to my eyes. Although I'm not 100% convinced he understands that they'll cry and scream and live with us forever, I can't wait to see him as a big brother. He's so sweet with babies, and I can only hope that sweetness will continue with his own sisters, who will be getting most of the attention.
So that's all the news-- less than 3 weeks to go! More updates soon.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Still here!
I'm just about 31 weeks! The bleeding problem we had last Thursday appears to have been a fluke, thank God, and we haven't had any recurrences. Everything has been totally normal since then.
We had another ultrasound today, and they didn't do measurements because everything has been going so well. We will do them next Tuesday, assuming I'm still pregnant. But today's ultrasound looked great, with both girls active and healthy. In fact, Baby A's amniotic fluid levels were higher than they have been since her water broke-- they categorized it as "low/normal" today. Break out the sparkling cider! I fully expect the level to go down again as part of the ebb and flow of a ruptured membrane, but it's reassuring to know that she's at least getting some protection and normalcy in there. Baby A remains head down, which is good because Baby B, while also head down, is in some sort of contorted position across my abdomen with her feet above Baby A. She is quite literally kicking her sister's ass.
The biggest news this week is that we have a date for a scheduled C-section: April 15. Those of you who know that my brother-in-law works for the Dept of the Treasury/IRS (and that my father-in-law retired from the IRS,) and that my brother owns a tax service, will chuckle. This is significant because it means that the doctors agree we COULD actually go this long. Having the babies born at 34 weeks would be a dream come true, and the answer to many, many prayers. At this point, they'd be out of danger for almost every preemie condition (breathing could still be a problem). And they'd probably be able to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time, meaning they could breastfeed or take a bottle. This still feels a long way off, but we are very, very hopeful. There's an end in sight, and that's putting me in a good mood. We're all ready to have me back home.
So, anyway, we'll have another ultrasound on Friday, and I'll report back then. More updates soon!
We had another ultrasound today, and they didn't do measurements because everything has been going so well. We will do them next Tuesday, assuming I'm still pregnant. But today's ultrasound looked great, with both girls active and healthy. In fact, Baby A's amniotic fluid levels were higher than they have been since her water broke-- they categorized it as "low/normal" today. Break out the sparkling cider! I fully expect the level to go down again as part of the ebb and flow of a ruptured membrane, but it's reassuring to know that she's at least getting some protection and normalcy in there. Baby A remains head down, which is good because Baby B, while also head down, is in some sort of contorted position across my abdomen with her feet above Baby A. She is quite literally kicking her sister's ass.
The biggest news this week is that we have a date for a scheduled C-section: April 15. Those of you who know that my brother-in-law works for the Dept of the Treasury/IRS (and that my father-in-law retired from the IRS,) and that my brother owns a tax service, will chuckle. This is significant because it means that the doctors agree we COULD actually go this long. Having the babies born at 34 weeks would be a dream come true, and the answer to many, many prayers. At this point, they'd be out of danger for almost every preemie condition (breathing could still be a problem). And they'd probably be able to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time, meaning they could breastfeed or take a bottle. This still feels a long way off, but we are very, very hopeful. There's an end in sight, and that's putting me in a good mood. We're all ready to have me back home.
So, anyway, we'll have another ultrasound on Friday, and I'll report back then. More updates soon!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Waiting for the other shoe to drop
Today I'm 30 weeks, 1 day! My regular OB had rounds yesterday, and when he came in he said, "I honestly didn't think you'd make it this long." As I've told a couple people, I'm not sure I realized just HOW scared I should have been 8 weeks ago when Baby A's water broke. I just think we couldn't imagine something going so wrong. Thank goodness we never had to deal with that, and we're in a much better place now.
Still, it's been 8 weeks of anxiety, and that's hard to take. Days go by where everything seems to be (the new) normal, then something will take us by surprise and remind us what's going on.
One of those somethings happened late last night, when I began to bleed. It didn't last long, and it didn't seem to affect the babies, but it was very scary. It was as scared as I've been this entire time in the hospital. I thought for sure that the other shoe was finally dropping, that I was going to have an emergency C-section at 1 a.m. before Shawn was able to get here. But for now, everything is stable. The ultrasound today revealed nothing amiss-- both babies look great and are doing well. They're both head down, and I do appear to be carrying lower so the babies may have dropped. The bleeding could be because my cervix is starting to open, meaning things are getting going, or I could have some irritation that would mean I might not make it the next 4 weeks. Or -- and this is what is difficult about medicine -- it could mean nothing at all. I'm told these things occasionally happen. I don't want them to be born so soon, but like everything else about this pregnancy, it's all completely out of my control. And so we wait some more.
If I make it til Tuesday, we'll have another ultrasound and get new measurements. Otherwise, our next update may contain names, birth weights, and other fun facts about Brady's new sisters. We'll see!
Either way, more updates soon!
Still, it's been 8 weeks of anxiety, and that's hard to take. Days go by where everything seems to be (the new) normal, then something will take us by surprise and remind us what's going on.
One of those somethings happened late last night, when I began to bleed. It didn't last long, and it didn't seem to affect the babies, but it was very scary. It was as scared as I've been this entire time in the hospital. I thought for sure that the other shoe was finally dropping, that I was going to have an emergency C-section at 1 a.m. before Shawn was able to get here. But for now, everything is stable. The ultrasound today revealed nothing amiss-- both babies look great and are doing well. They're both head down, and I do appear to be carrying lower so the babies may have dropped. The bleeding could be because my cervix is starting to open, meaning things are getting going, or I could have some irritation that would mean I might not make it the next 4 weeks. Or -- and this is what is difficult about medicine -- it could mean nothing at all. I'm told these things occasionally happen. I don't want them to be born so soon, but like everything else about this pregnancy, it's all completely out of my control. And so we wait some more.
If I make it til Tuesday, we'll have another ultrasound and get new measurements. Otherwise, our next update may contain names, birth weights, and other fun facts about Brady's new sisters. We'll see!
Either way, more updates soon!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Staring down 30 weeks
I've now been in the hospital for 50 days. FIFTY days. As far as I know, only one person on this floor has been here longer. There were 2 women who'd been here longer than I, but one had her baby yesterday. I'm an old timer!
This 50 days has seen a large amount of anxiety and a small amount of showering, and it's been quite a ride. And since everyone's saying how stable I appear to be, I could have another 30 days of this before I deliver.
This week is shaping up to be less dramatic than last week. Brady's 3rd birthday was yesterday, and I've been thinking all week how we were here in this same hospital exactly 3 years ago. We celebrated here in my room with a special dinner for Shawn and I from the hospital (it was surprisingly good!), and a hot dog and cupcake for the birthday boy. They had cupcakes at school too, and he insisted on bringing me one. What a great kid. Did I eat it? Hell yes, I ate it, and I ate it with relish. My blood sugar didn't go up that much. :)
We had another ultrasound this morning. The girls look great. Both babies are dancing on major internal organs. Incredibly, being 7.5 months pregnant with twins isn't that comfortable. ;)
Brady also had his 3-yr check up today. He's skinny (shocker!), with his BMI in the 5th percentile, but his weight is in the 10th percentile, and his height is in the 50-75th percentile. He's trending as he has been his entire life. Shawn said he wasn't too keen on the finger prick (I understand), and when the doctor was checking his reflexes, he yelled "My knee! My knee!" but otherwise he did great.
I've been reflecting on how fast the past 3 years have gone, and how much I love that kid of mine. I've been thinking about how much I love being a parent, and how grateful I am to have a wonderful husband who has been an equal parent to Brady his entire life (or, at least when I let him! Lesson learned for me!), and an equal partner to me. I could not be happier with how things are turning out, and I just hope they continue. We are always thankful for our families, friends (many of whom are like family), and neighbors for all they're doing to help us get through this brief blip in our otherwise amazing life together.
More updates soon!
This 50 days has seen a large amount of anxiety and a small amount of showering, and it's been quite a ride. And since everyone's saying how stable I appear to be, I could have another 30 days of this before I deliver.
This week is shaping up to be less dramatic than last week. Brady's 3rd birthday was yesterday, and I've been thinking all week how we were here in this same hospital exactly 3 years ago. We celebrated here in my room with a special dinner for Shawn and I from the hospital (it was surprisingly good!), and a hot dog and cupcake for the birthday boy. They had cupcakes at school too, and he insisted on bringing me one. What a great kid. Did I eat it? Hell yes, I ate it, and I ate it with relish. My blood sugar didn't go up that much. :)
We had another ultrasound this morning. The girls look great. Both babies are dancing on major internal organs. Incredibly, being 7.5 months pregnant with twins isn't that comfortable. ;)
Brady also had his 3-yr check up today. He's skinny (shocker!), with his BMI in the 5th percentile, but his weight is in the 10th percentile, and his height is in the 50-75th percentile. He's trending as he has been his entire life. Shawn said he wasn't too keen on the finger prick (I understand), and when the doctor was checking his reflexes, he yelled "My knee! My knee!" but otherwise he did great.
I've been reflecting on how fast the past 3 years have gone, and how much I love that kid of mine. I've been thinking about how much I love being a parent, and how grateful I am to have a wonderful husband who has been an equal parent to Brady his entire life (or, at least when I let him! Lesson learned for me!), and an equal partner to me. I could not be happier with how things are turning out, and I just hope they continue. We are always thankful for our families, friends (many of whom are like family), and neighbors for all they're doing to help us get through this brief blip in our otherwise amazing life together.
More updates soon!
Friday, March 12, 2010
29 weeks, 1 day!
We've made it another week! And what a week it's been. In addition to Tuesday's drama, we had another scare yesterday. During my morning monitoring, the babies' heart rates were pretty flat. They were strong and within normal limits (in the 150's for both babies), but there wasn't a lot of fluctuation as there should be with 29-wk fetuses. My medical team is being overcautious these days-- the farther we get into this pregnancy and the bigger the babies, the more they're paying attention.
So I went down for an ultrasound to check this out. By the time I got down there, Baby B was being her usual kicky, twisty self, but Baby A was being much more quiet. She did eventually do everything she was supposed to do, including practicing breathing and moving around, but it took a while to get there. The doctor said that everything looked okay and he wasn't prepared to do anything, but he did put me back on the monitors for much of the afternoon, then for 2 hrs last night. The babies looked great on the monitors.
So I went back this morning for my usual ultrasound (appointment kept out of caution), and both babies were active. Baby B is in some kind of contorted position with her head in the middle of my ribcage, and her tush kind of down in my side. Can't be comfy. Baby A remains the same. We watched her hiccup during the ultrasound. Then I came back up and went on the monitor, and both babies did what they were supposed to do.
I discussed all this with my regular perinatologist, and he said that it's possible the babies were sleeping yesterday while being monitored. Who knows? I told him that I'm really getting anxious again, that I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. And this week feels like the shoe is starting to drop. He told me to take things day by day, that every day I'm pregnant means 3 less days for the babies in the NICU. I said I wanted to make it to 32 weeks. He said to not get too wrapped up in how many weeks I am. Then he said, and I quote, "You are far beyond what I would have considered a tremendously successful pregnancy." While I'm proud of my immune system and uterus, I'm also kinda wondering just HOW bad this whole thing was. They would never give us stats or chances because everyone is so different, and after hearing my doc say that sentence, I'm glad we didn't know. I mean, gheesh!
Some days I think, "I'm making it to 34 weeks no problem." And some days I think, "There's no way I'm making it to 30 weeks." Every day I think, "It sucks that I have no control over this." And so we wait to see what happens, wondering when these girls are going to enter the world, and thinking that we have lots of fodder for guilt when they're obnoxious, dramatic teenagers. :)
More updates soon!
So I went down for an ultrasound to check this out. By the time I got down there, Baby B was being her usual kicky, twisty self, but Baby A was being much more quiet. She did eventually do everything she was supposed to do, including practicing breathing and moving around, but it took a while to get there. The doctor said that everything looked okay and he wasn't prepared to do anything, but he did put me back on the monitors for much of the afternoon, then for 2 hrs last night. The babies looked great on the monitors.
So I went back this morning for my usual ultrasound (appointment kept out of caution), and both babies were active. Baby B is in some kind of contorted position with her head in the middle of my ribcage, and her tush kind of down in my side. Can't be comfy. Baby A remains the same. We watched her hiccup during the ultrasound. Then I came back up and went on the monitor, and both babies did what they were supposed to do.
I discussed all this with my regular perinatologist, and he said that it's possible the babies were sleeping yesterday while being monitored. Who knows? I told him that I'm really getting anxious again, that I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. And this week feels like the shoe is starting to drop. He told me to take things day by day, that every day I'm pregnant means 3 less days for the babies in the NICU. I said I wanted to make it to 32 weeks. He said to not get too wrapped up in how many weeks I am. Then he said, and I quote, "You are far beyond what I would have considered a tremendously successful pregnancy." While I'm proud of my immune system and uterus, I'm also kinda wondering just HOW bad this whole thing was. They would never give us stats or chances because everyone is so different, and after hearing my doc say that sentence, I'm glad we didn't know. I mean, gheesh!
Some days I think, "I'm making it to 34 weeks no problem." And some days I think, "There's no way I'm making it to 30 weeks." Every day I think, "It sucks that I have no control over this." And so we wait to see what happens, wondering when these girls are going to enter the world, and thinking that we have lots of fodder for guilt when they're obnoxious, dramatic teenagers. :)
More updates soon!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A little bit of drama
I'm 28 weeks, 5 days! Today started out at 7:20 with a finger poke and slightly high blood sugar readings. After a quick and unsatisfying breakfast, I was whisked downstairs for my Tuesday ultrasound. Everything looked great. Both girls were active and healthy. Baby A now measures 28 weeks, 3 days, and Baby B is measuring 28 weeks even. Both weigh about 2 lbs, 13 oz. This means that in 2 weeks time, Baby A has gained about 8 oz, and Baby B might have gained 12 oz., or her measurements were slightly off last time. Bottom line is that their weight is good, and once they get over 3 lbs, they have an ever greater chance of good health. We're very close,and this is all great news.
So I got back from the ultrasound and was put on the contraction monitor and baby monitors as I am twice a day everyday. Except today, Baby A's heart rate kept dropping then coming back up. It happened enough for them to be concerned, so the doctor was called. Then Baby B started doing some funky stuff, then they both stabilized. THEN, I started contracting. I wasn't feeling anything, but there were some definite contractions showing up. Then the team kicked into action. Blood was drawn, and IV was inserted, and I was started on some fluids. Things smoothed out pretty quickly, but I was kept on the contraction monitors for several more hours and the IV fluids until this evening. I still have the IV in just in case, but let's hope I won't need it. It's not very comfortable.
This was all very scary. Sometimes, the universe sends you signals. This signal was, "Hey, Becky! Quit complaining about being in there and deal with it. The girls are still too small to come." The past few days have been very difficult for me. I missed my niece's birthday party on Saturday, and I missed Brady's birthday party on Sunday. I cried pretty much all day Sunday because I was missing that very special day, although from all the photos and video, I don't think Brady missed me very much. :)
But I'm tired of being in here, and I'm tired of being poked all the time (I'm now up to 4 shots of insulin a day, plus 4 blood sugar checks. But you'll be happy to know that as soon as I deliver, all of that will stop. I will then ask for a Cherry Coke immediately.). Although I want 2 healthy baby girls, I also want to be home with my husband and child and dog, and I want my privacy and life back. Until this little bit of drama, I was very ready for them to come whenever, but this shocked me back into reality. Still, 32 weeks is sounding REALLY good. That's 84 more shots and 84 more finger pricks, by the way. But we shall see. This really isn't up to me.
Anyway, I'll keep you apprised of the situation. Assuming nothing happens before then, we'll have another ultrasound Friday. More updates soon!
So I got back from the ultrasound and was put on the contraction monitor and baby monitors as I am twice a day everyday. Except today, Baby A's heart rate kept dropping then coming back up. It happened enough for them to be concerned, so the doctor was called. Then Baby B started doing some funky stuff, then they both stabilized. THEN, I started contracting. I wasn't feeling anything, but there were some definite contractions showing up. Then the team kicked into action. Blood was drawn, and IV was inserted, and I was started on some fluids. Things smoothed out pretty quickly, but I was kept on the contraction monitors for several more hours and the IV fluids until this evening. I still have the IV in just in case, but let's hope I won't need it. It's not very comfortable.
This was all very scary. Sometimes, the universe sends you signals. This signal was, "Hey, Becky! Quit complaining about being in there and deal with it. The girls are still too small to come." The past few days have been very difficult for me. I missed my niece's birthday party on Saturday, and I missed Brady's birthday party on Sunday. I cried pretty much all day Sunday because I was missing that very special day, although from all the photos and video, I don't think Brady missed me very much. :)
But I'm tired of being in here, and I'm tired of being poked all the time (I'm now up to 4 shots of insulin a day, plus 4 blood sugar checks. But you'll be happy to know that as soon as I deliver, all of that will stop. I will then ask for a Cherry Coke immediately.). Although I want 2 healthy baby girls, I also want to be home with my husband and child and dog, and I want my privacy and life back. Until this little bit of drama, I was very ready for them to come whenever, but this shocked me back into reality. Still, 32 weeks is sounding REALLY good. That's 84 more shots and 84 more finger pricks, by the way. But we shall see. This really isn't up to me.
Anyway, I'll keep you apprised of the situation. Assuming nothing happens before then, we'll have another ultrasound Friday. More updates soon!
Friday, March 5, 2010
28 weeks, 1 day!
We made it! 28 weeks is a huge milestone because the babies are no longer at risk of being severely premature. This means that their odds of living are like that of a full-term baby, and their odds of serious complications are much lower. Another great thing about making it to 28 weeks is that they most likely won't have to get their nutrition from an IV or a stomach tube. They would have a tube running from their noses directly to their stomachs and could receive breast milk.
The next milestone will be 32 weeks. If we hold out that long, their risks for major preemie problems like brain bleeds and necrotizing enterocolitis are extremely low. They still may have breathing problems, and if they're born before 34-35 weeks they won't be able to breathe, suck, and swallow all at the same time (meaning they can't take a bottle or be directly breastfed), but both of those problems can be overcome.
We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything looks great. Both girls are now head down, so on the ultrasound, you can see two itty bitty heads right next to each other. Pretty neat. Fluid is still low and will be until we deliver, but Baby A is not showing any signs of distress.
This weekend we'll be celebrating Brady's 3rd birthday a little early with lots of family, friends, cake, and jumping around. (I hope to be Skyped in for some of the festivities.) Hope your weekend is as fun.
We'll have another ultrasound Tuesday and get new measurements, so I'll report back after that ultrasound. More updates soon.
The next milestone will be 32 weeks. If we hold out that long, their risks for major preemie problems like brain bleeds and necrotizing enterocolitis are extremely low. They still may have breathing problems, and if they're born before 34-35 weeks they won't be able to breathe, suck, and swallow all at the same time (meaning they can't take a bottle or be directly breastfed), but both of those problems can be overcome.
We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything looks great. Both girls are now head down, so on the ultrasound, you can see two itty bitty heads right next to each other. Pretty neat. Fluid is still low and will be until we deliver, but Baby A is not showing any signs of distress.
This weekend we'll be celebrating Brady's 3rd birthday a little early with lots of family, friends, cake, and jumping around. (I hope to be Skyped in for some of the festivities.) Hope your weekend is as fun.
We'll have another ultrasound Tuesday and get new measurements, so I'll report back after that ultrasound. More updates soon.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
27 weeks, 5 days, with SNOW (again)
We're almost to a major milestone! All remains stable. Had another ultrasound this morning, and the girls both have good blood flow, are practicing their breathing, and are overall looking pretty good. Baby B is now stretched out with her head in my ribcage and her toes waaaaay down near my pelvis. This means she's occasionally kicking Baby A in the head. Poor Baby A. But I guess she better get used to it!
I asked today about how long they'd let us go until they deliver the babies. We'd been told before that they wouldn't let us go past 34 weeks, but today I was told that they *might* let us go to 35 weeks, but not past that point because the risk would be as great as the benefit. So I could have another 7 weeks in the hospital, plus recovery. Of course, that would mean the girls would have less time in the hospital, so that's good. I guess we'll see how it all goes! They'll make the call during the 33rd week, assuming I make it til then.
It's snowing again, and I wish I could get out in it. Can't believe the one winter it snows 3 times, I'm in the hospital! But when I get out of here, it'll be beautiful springtime, my favorite time of year. I told Shawn it's like I hibernated for the winter!
So, anyway, that's all that's going on today. More updates soon!
I asked today about how long they'd let us go until they deliver the babies. We'd been told before that they wouldn't let us go past 34 weeks, but today I was told that they *might* let us go to 35 weeks, but not past that point because the risk would be as great as the benefit. So I could have another 7 weeks in the hospital, plus recovery. Of course, that would mean the girls would have less time in the hospital, so that's good. I guess we'll see how it all goes! They'll make the call during the 33rd week, assuming I make it til then.
It's snowing again, and I wish I could get out in it. Can't believe the one winter it snows 3 times, I'm in the hospital! But when I get out of here, it'll be beautiful springtime, my favorite time of year. I told Shawn it's like I hibernated for the winter!
So, anyway, that's all that's going on today. More updates soon!
Friday, February 26, 2010
27 weeks, 1 day!
We've made it another week! All remains stable.
The girls and I had another ultrasound this morning, and everything still looks great. The doctor confirmed that their lung capacity/chest size is exactly the same. I asked if that's problematic because Baby B is slightly smaller than Baby A (the one without the fluid), and he said absolutely not. He said he would have been happy if their chest measurements were even close to each other, so the fact that they're the same is cause for celebration. He feels like this means that when they're born, we're not going to have too many problems in the breathing department. Thank God.
I also found out that I won't be getting another dose of steroids because they can affect immune response, and since we're at risk for infection anyway, we want to have the most functioning immune systems possible.
Baby A remains head down, while Baby B is back to a transverse position, meaning she's sideways. Her head is under my belly button and she stretches out across my side. I've been getting kicked in the side and back a lot, which is always interesting. Baby A, meanwhile, has her head against my bladder, as if I didn't have to pee enough already. Isn't she sweet?
Still learning to manage the gestational diabetes without the full support of the hospital's food choices, and I'm complaining to anyone who will listen. Northside will be receiving a strongly worded letter from me when I get out of here.
Anyway, other than that, all is well as we head into our 28th week. Again, 28 weeks is a HUGE milestone for them- 98% survivability.
More updates soon!
The girls and I had another ultrasound this morning, and everything still looks great. The doctor confirmed that their lung capacity/chest size is exactly the same. I asked if that's problematic because Baby B is slightly smaller than Baby A (the one without the fluid), and he said absolutely not. He said he would have been happy if their chest measurements were even close to each other, so the fact that they're the same is cause for celebration. He feels like this means that when they're born, we're not going to have too many problems in the breathing department. Thank God.
I also found out that I won't be getting another dose of steroids because they can affect immune response, and since we're at risk for infection anyway, we want to have the most functioning immune systems possible.
Baby A remains head down, while Baby B is back to a transverse position, meaning she's sideways. Her head is under my belly button and she stretches out across my side. I've been getting kicked in the side and back a lot, which is always interesting. Baby A, meanwhile, has her head against my bladder, as if I didn't have to pee enough already. Isn't she sweet?
Still learning to manage the gestational diabetes without the full support of the hospital's food choices, and I'm complaining to anyone who will listen. Northside will be receiving a strongly worded letter from me when I get out of here.
Anyway, other than that, all is well as we head into our 28th week. Again, 28 weeks is a HUGE milestone for them- 98% survivability.
More updates soon!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, Feb. 23
26 weeks and 5 days! Everything is stable, thank goodness.
Sorry I was all negative Nellie last post-- I just get frustrated sometimes, and not even the thought of 2 healthy girls is enough to turn my frown upside down. Usually it's enough, but I have my moments. Like tonight, when Brady said, "Mommy, you come home too." That's tough.
We had another ultrasound today. Everything looks great! Baby A is measuring 26 weeks, 3 days and weighs about 2 lbs, 5 oz. Baby B is measuring 26 weeks and weighs about 2 lbs, 1 oz. We are so thankful they're growing normally. We'll have another ultrasound Friday.
So I talked to the dietitian today about the white bagels. She looked a little horrified and said, "Yeah...we don't have any control over what they order. Just try to eat half of it if you eat it." "Nutrition," as food services is known at Northside, is not getting my seal of approval. Sigh.
Anyway, all is well here. Trying to keep the TV off and keep my mind busy, which seems to be helping.
More updates soon!
Sorry I was all negative Nellie last post-- I just get frustrated sometimes, and not even the thought of 2 healthy girls is enough to turn my frown upside down. Usually it's enough, but I have my moments. Like tonight, when Brady said, "Mommy, you come home too." That's tough.
We had another ultrasound today. Everything looks great! Baby A is measuring 26 weeks, 3 days and weighs about 2 lbs, 5 oz. Baby B is measuring 26 weeks and weighs about 2 lbs, 1 oz. We are so thankful they're growing normally. We'll have another ultrasound Friday.
So I talked to the dietitian today about the white bagels. She looked a little horrified and said, "Yeah...we don't have any control over what they order. Just try to eat half of it if you eat it." "Nutrition," as food services is known at Northside, is not getting my seal of approval. Sigh.
Anyway, all is well here. Trying to keep the TV off and keep my mind busy, which seems to be helping.
More updates soon!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, Feb,. 22
Happy Monday! I've now been in the hospital for 4 weeks. Gheesh.
It was a pretty uneventful weekend, except I had to start on insulin shots. My blood sugar is just a little high in the morning and after dinner (although not all the the time), and they've found that tight control over blood sugar levels leads to fewer problems with the babies. I'm on board for fewer problems. There is an oral medication that would have avoided the insulin, but I have a drug allergy that prevented me from taking it. SO-- straight to the insulin. Once the doctor told me I'd have to go on the insulin, I had my first big breakdown since we were told I'd have to go on bed rest.
It's not that I have to go on insulin-- again, on board with controlling my blood sugar -- it's the fact that I am SO TIRED of being poked and prodded, monitored and evaluated. I should install a freaking revolving door to make it easier for everyone who has to come in and out of my room 1,000 times a day. I miss my husband and son, I miss my life, I miss walking around, and I miss having any control over what's going on with me (including managing what I eat-- it's hard to keep your blood sugar down when the dietitian-approved snacks include white bagels). It's very frustrating, and it's very difficult. The first few weeks I was here, there was so much anxiety about whether or not the babies would be born, but it's dragging on and on, and my personality patterns are coming back. (This is disappointing mainly for my husband, who most certainly enjoyed a more laid-back Becky.)
When you're pregnant, your body is leased out for about 10 months, and this is just kind of making it all tougher. When people say to me that they'd like to have twins, I'm going to show them the hospital bills and this blog. Don't mistake any of this venting and think that I'm not grateful the girls are still cooking, but this is an incredibly difficult experience and a lot to ask of anyone.
On a happier note, Bonnie came up this weekend to help, and Shawn and I got to have a date night here in my hospital room while she watched Brady. Not the most romantic locale, but at least we got to enjoy a yummy dinner and a movie together. We are so thankful for Bonnie and everything she's done to help us out.
We are also continually grateful for our neighbors, who are providing meals for Shawn and Brady a few times a week. It really helps them out, and it truly gives me peace of mind to know that things are a little easier for them. If you'd like to provide a meal for them, visit carecalendar.org (id 32090; sec code 3540). Our immediate neighbor Stephanie Runge is coordinating everything, and we can't thank her enough.
So that's all the news. We have another ultrasound tomorrow, and I'll report back with the results. More updates soon!
It was a pretty uneventful weekend, except I had to start on insulin shots. My blood sugar is just a little high in the morning and after dinner (although not all the the time), and they've found that tight control over blood sugar levels leads to fewer problems with the babies. I'm on board for fewer problems. There is an oral medication that would have avoided the insulin, but I have a drug allergy that prevented me from taking it. SO-- straight to the insulin. Once the doctor told me I'd have to go on the insulin, I had my first big breakdown since we were told I'd have to go on bed rest.
It's not that I have to go on insulin-- again, on board with controlling my blood sugar -- it's the fact that I am SO TIRED of being poked and prodded, monitored and evaluated. I should install a freaking revolving door to make it easier for everyone who has to come in and out of my room 1,000 times a day. I miss my husband and son, I miss my life, I miss walking around, and I miss having any control over what's going on with me (including managing what I eat-- it's hard to keep your blood sugar down when the dietitian-approved snacks include white bagels). It's very frustrating, and it's very difficult. The first few weeks I was here, there was so much anxiety about whether or not the babies would be born, but it's dragging on and on, and my personality patterns are coming back. (This is disappointing mainly for my husband, who most certainly enjoyed a more laid-back Becky.)
When you're pregnant, your body is leased out for about 10 months, and this is just kind of making it all tougher. When people say to me that they'd like to have twins, I'm going to show them the hospital bills and this blog. Don't mistake any of this venting and think that I'm not grateful the girls are still cooking, but this is an incredibly difficult experience and a lot to ask of anyone.
On a happier note, Bonnie came up this weekend to help, and Shawn and I got to have a date night here in my hospital room while she watched Brady. Not the most romantic locale, but at least we got to enjoy a yummy dinner and a movie together. We are so thankful for Bonnie and everything she's done to help us out.
We are also continually grateful for our neighbors, who are providing meals for Shawn and Brady a few times a week. It really helps them out, and it truly gives me peace of mind to know that things are a little easier for them. If you'd like to provide a meal for them, visit carecalendar.org (id 32090; sec code 3540). Our immediate neighbor Stephanie Runge is coordinating everything, and we can't thank her enough.
So that's all the news. We have another ultrasound tomorrow, and I'll report back with the results. More updates soon!
Friday, February 19, 2010
26 weeks: Next milestone reached!
Yesterday marked the start of my 26th week of pregnancy. Another milestone reached!
Today marks 4 weeks since Baby A's water broke. Amazing. So far, so good...
Had another ultrasound this morning, and both girls continue to do great. Their chests, hearts, and lungs are measuring exactly the same in spite of Baby A's very low fluid levels. Our perinatologist is absolutely convinced that having a Baby B has allowed Baby A to do so well (see the very first blog post for more info on this phenomenon). Whatever the reason, we'll take it!
No news with me-- temp stable, blood pressure good, blood sugar good, no contractions. I'm allowing myself to get hopeful and even did some online shopping for girls' bedding yesterday. :)
All doctors agree that the next milestone is really 28 weeks, which isn't to say that 27 weeks wouldn't be significant.
So that's all that's going on. Thankfully, not much is happening except the girls and I are all getting bigger.
More updates soon!
Today marks 4 weeks since Baby A's water broke. Amazing. So far, so good...
Had another ultrasound this morning, and both girls continue to do great. Their chests, hearts, and lungs are measuring exactly the same in spite of Baby A's very low fluid levels. Our perinatologist is absolutely convinced that having a Baby B has allowed Baby A to do so well (see the very first blog post for more info on this phenomenon). Whatever the reason, we'll take it!
No news with me-- temp stable, blood pressure good, blood sugar good, no contractions. I'm allowing myself to get hopeful and even did some online shopping for girls' bedding yesterday. :)
All doctors agree that the next milestone is really 28 weeks, which isn't to say that 27 weeks wouldn't be significant.
So that's all that's going on. Thankfully, not much is happening except the girls and I are all getting bigger.
More updates soon!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wednesday, Feb. 17
Sorry I didn't do an update yesterday-- I get so tired of the computer some nights!
Everything went well with yesterday's ultrasound. Girls are both doing great-- no changes with them or with me. We'll have another ultrasound Friday for another look. I really need to get a scanner so you can see the photos we're seeing. Baby A is head down, face down, so we don't get great looks at her face or torso, but her spine looks great. :) Baby B is quite the ham, and not so modest... she's going to be trouble. ;)
Tomorrow marks 26 weeks-- another milestone! We've been hearing anecdotally that 26 is where you really want to be because the odds are so good at that point. So we're happy to be here. We'll be happier if we make it to 27 weeks...28 weeks...29 weeks...you get the picture. We're taking every day as it comes, although it's hard not to look ahead.
Tomorrow is also a bittersweet day for me personally. It would have been my mother's 62nd birthday. I miss her every day, but I miss her so much more now that we're going through all this. I'm so thankful for the 26 years I had with her, and for all the love she gave me. I hope I'm half as good a mother to my kids as she was to my brother and me. I'm just so sad that she never knew any of her grandchildren, and I can only hope that she's watching over them now, seeing them for the beautiful, smart, sweet, wonderful children they are. And I hope she's there for the girls when they're born too.
So that's it-- more updates soon!
Everything went well with yesterday's ultrasound. Girls are both doing great-- no changes with them or with me. We'll have another ultrasound Friday for another look. I really need to get a scanner so you can see the photos we're seeing. Baby A is head down, face down, so we don't get great looks at her face or torso, but her spine looks great. :) Baby B is quite the ham, and not so modest... she's going to be trouble. ;)
Tomorrow marks 26 weeks-- another milestone! We've been hearing anecdotally that 26 is where you really want to be because the odds are so good at that point. So we're happy to be here. We'll be happier if we make it to 27 weeks...28 weeks...29 weeks...you get the picture. We're taking every day as it comes, although it's hard not to look ahead.
Tomorrow is also a bittersweet day for me personally. It would have been my mother's 62nd birthday. I miss her every day, but I miss her so much more now that we're going through all this. I'm so thankful for the 26 years I had with her, and for all the love she gave me. I hope I'm half as good a mother to my kids as she was to my brother and me. I'm just so sad that she never knew any of her grandchildren, and I can only hope that she's watching over them now, seeing them for the beautiful, smart, sweet, wonderful children they are. And I hope she's there for the girls when they're born too.
So that's it-- more updates soon!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, Feb. 15
Today marks 3 weeks in the hospital. I think. It could also be 3 years-- I'm not sure.
Everything is well! We're heading to the 26th week, which begins Thursday. The girls are extremely active, and I've been watching them do strange things to my abdomen all day.
I'm working to get the hang of this gestational diabetes thing. I could do without the finger pokes, and I wish I could have some apple juice, but I'll survive. I do wish I was at home though-- I think I'd be able to manage it better, or at least tastier (have you had hospital food lately??). But all in all, it's no big deal, and so far everything is being managed through my diet. I'm hoping not to have to go on any meds. I have never wanted a Snickers bar so badly ...
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, so I'll report back. More updates soon!
Everything is well! We're heading to the 26th week, which begins Thursday. The girls are extremely active, and I've been watching them do strange things to my abdomen all day.
I'm working to get the hang of this gestational diabetes thing. I could do without the finger pokes, and I wish I could have some apple juice, but I'll survive. I do wish I was at home though-- I think I'd be able to manage it better, or at least tastier (have you had hospital food lately??). But all in all, it's no big deal, and so far everything is being managed through my diet. I'm hoping not to have to go on any meds. I have never wanted a Snickers bar so badly ...
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, so I'll report back. More updates soon!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday, Feb. 13: Too, too sweet
We had an ultrasound yesterday, and everything still looks good. The girls are active, blood flow is good, and while the fluid level is low on Baby A as expected, both girls seem happy and healthy for this stage of pregnancy.
This morning I had my 3-hr glucose screen, and boy did I fail miserably. If you're going to do it, I guess you gotta do it big, right? I had a feeling this would be the result and probably could have saved myself 4 vials of blood, but so it goes. So now that I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, we'll be cutting back on carbs and sugar and closely monitoring my blood sugar levels. Pretty awesome. (I want to send a big shout-out to my fellow gestational diabetic Amanda Dobbs for bringing me some sugar-free candy. It's pretty good, actually.) This condition should go away once the girls are born, so I look forward to eating cake at some point.
Speaking of cake, yesterday was my nephew Ben's first birthday, and I was Skyped in for most of his party today. Technology is amazing. I felt like I was more or less there, and even if I had been, I couldn't have had the cake and ice cream anyway!
So everything is still status quo, thank goodness. More updates soon!
This morning I had my 3-hr glucose screen, and boy did I fail miserably. If you're going to do it, I guess you gotta do it big, right? I had a feeling this would be the result and probably could have saved myself 4 vials of blood, but so it goes. So now that I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, we'll be cutting back on carbs and sugar and closely monitoring my blood sugar levels. Pretty awesome. (I want to send a big shout-out to my fellow gestational diabetic Amanda Dobbs for bringing me some sugar-free candy. It's pretty good, actually.) This condition should go away once the girls are born, so I look forward to eating cake at some point.
Speaking of cake, yesterday was my nephew Ben's first birthday, and I was Skyped in for most of his party today. Technology is amazing. I felt like I was more or less there, and even if I had been, I couldn't have had the cake and ice cream anyway!
So everything is still status quo, thank goodness. More updates soon!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
25 Weeks and Counting!
So we've made another milestone: 25 weeks! The babies have better odds today than they did yesterday. :)
Two notable things happened today, and everything else is status quo:
1. I took my first stretcher ride to a class for more info on the NICU. Verdict: I'd rather walk. (no such luck)
2. I flunked my 1-hr glucose test. 3-hr test to follow Saturday. (Here's hoping)
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, just to check on the babies and make sure they're doing well generally. My dad will also be in town, assuming he can make it through the 1-2 in. of snow that's forecasted. Hope you're stocked up on bread, milk, and beer!
More updates soon!
Two notable things happened today, and everything else is status quo:
1. I took my first stretcher ride to a class for more info on the NICU. Verdict: I'd rather walk. (no such luck)
2. I flunked my 1-hr glucose test. 3-hr test to follow Saturday. (Here's hoping)
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, just to check on the babies and make sure they're doing well generally. My dad will also be in town, assuming he can make it through the 1-2 in. of snow that's forecasted. Hope you're stocked up on bread, milk, and beer!
More updates soon!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Ultrasound # 8,437,236
We had another ultrasound this morning, and things are looking good. The girls are measuring well, right on target. Baby A weighs about 1 lb, 9 oz., and Baby B is tipping the scales at about 1 lb, 11 oz. Notably, the doctor was very encouraged that Baby A's lung tissue volume looks great. He said that when there's a rupture before 24 weeks, they're concerned that the lungs won't develop properly, but at least for now Baby A's lungs are totally normal. What a welcome relief. Baby A's amniotic fluid is still very low, but as mentioned before, as long as she and I are continuing to produce it, it's not that big of a concern. Or at least, not as big a concern as infection or spontaneous labor.
If you're interested, Baby A is head down, and Baby B is hanging out sideways, with her head under my belly button and her feet somewhere around my ribs. Both babies continue to be VERY active. When I wake up in the middle of the night, one or both are usually kicking, and I just lay there smiling, thinking about the possibilities and allowing myself to be hopeful.
So speaking of waking up in the middle of the night, MAN am I tired. The bed isn't the most comfy, and naturally I have to wake up to use the restroom, but my main complaint is that I can't get back to sleep. I was taking Ambien, but it makes me so groggy in the morning, I don't think it's worth it. My doctor is taking pity on me and has written an order for an air mattress since it looks like I'm in for the long haul. Here's hoping it helps! I'll try the Ambien again, b/c something has to give. As everyone knows, there's no sleeping in a hospital, but this is ridiculous. I can't even take a nap b/c people are in and out all day. But honestly, if this is my biggest complaint, I'll deal with it.
On a very sad note for me, Brady has come down with a cold and can't visit. It's not so much the risk of infection, but we don't want me sneezing or coughing and losing more fluid, or getting congested and having an emergency that would require general anesthesia, etc. Stupid rhinovirus. I hope it clears soon, because I'm already missing him so much.
So that's all the news that's fit to print today. More updates soon!
If you're interested, Baby A is head down, and Baby B is hanging out sideways, with her head under my belly button and her feet somewhere around my ribs. Both babies continue to be VERY active. When I wake up in the middle of the night, one or both are usually kicking, and I just lay there smiling, thinking about the possibilities and allowing myself to be hopeful.
So speaking of waking up in the middle of the night, MAN am I tired. The bed isn't the most comfy, and naturally I have to wake up to use the restroom, but my main complaint is that I can't get back to sleep. I was taking Ambien, but it makes me so groggy in the morning, I don't think it's worth it. My doctor is taking pity on me and has written an order for an air mattress since it looks like I'm in for the long haul. Here's hoping it helps! I'll try the Ambien again, b/c something has to give. As everyone knows, there's no sleeping in a hospital, but this is ridiculous. I can't even take a nap b/c people are in and out all day. But honestly, if this is my biggest complaint, I'll deal with it.
On a very sad note for me, Brady has come down with a cold and can't visit. It's not so much the risk of infection, but we don't want me sneezing or coughing and losing more fluid, or getting congested and having an emergency that would require general anesthesia, etc. Stupid rhinovirus. I hope it clears soon, because I'm already missing him so much.
So that's all the news that's fit to print today. More updates soon!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Two whole weeks in: Monday, Feb. 8
So I've now been in the hospital 2 whole weeks, and I'm slightly less anxious than I was 2 weeks ago. The babies are still cooking, which is a good thing. But I miss Brady and Shawn more, which is a bad thing. Now Brady has come down with a cold, and I'm not sure I'll be able to see him for a few days. I'll find out more when I talk to the doc in the morning.
All the things I'm missing are becoming more real to me now. If all goes well, I'll be in here many more weeks, and I'll miss my nephew's first birthday, my niece's third birthday, Brady's third birthday, some good friends' wedding, and, if this goes on into April, my nephew's second birthday. Not to mention the day-to-day cuteness that is our son learning how to use the potty, try new things, run around in crazy circles, and so much more. It's a lot to ask of someone. Shawn reminds me this is all for the greater good, and I'm trying to keep that in mind.
So anyway, nothing new to report-- another day of needed/wanted status quo. We have an ultrasound in the morning, so I'll report on that tomorrow.
Thanks, everyone!
All the things I'm missing are becoming more real to me now. If all goes well, I'll be in here many more weeks, and I'll miss my nephew's first birthday, my niece's third birthday, Brady's third birthday, some good friends' wedding, and, if this goes on into April, my nephew's second birthday. Not to mention the day-to-day cuteness that is our son learning how to use the potty, try new things, run around in crazy circles, and so much more. It's a lot to ask of someone. Shawn reminds me this is all for the greater good, and I'm trying to keep that in mind.
So anyway, nothing new to report-- another day of needed/wanted status quo. We have an ultrasound in the morning, so I'll report on that tomorrow.
Thanks, everyone!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sunday, Feb. 7
No baby news from this weekend, which is great! Starting week 3 on bedrest, and I have now tired of hospital food and HGTV.
On a more personal note, I had some really amazing visits this weekend. My friend Heather came in from Philly, followed by a surprise visit from Stacey from Savannah! Heather, Stacey, Sara, and I have known each other forever, and it was great fun to just sit around and talk all day, even in a hospital. I'm also happy to report that they found me some nightgowns. :) Our cousins Teri and Alan also came to visit from Ellijay (and brought awesome cookies), and my friends Brittany (with matzah ball soup!) and Erin (with chocolate covered pretzels!) rounded out the weekend. I can't tell you how loved I feel. Thank you again for all your visits, calls, thoughts, and prayers.
Shawn and Brady just left after a visit, and it's always hard when they leave. I miss my little family and just plain 'ol snuggle time so much. It's unnatural to be away from my men while I bake the girls, but so it must be.
Anyway, nothing really to report, but wanted to give an update. More updates soon!
On a more personal note, I had some really amazing visits this weekend. My friend Heather came in from Philly, followed by a surprise visit from Stacey from Savannah! Heather, Stacey, Sara, and I have known each other forever, and it was great fun to just sit around and talk all day, even in a hospital. I'm also happy to report that they found me some nightgowns. :) Our cousins Teri and Alan also came to visit from Ellijay (and brought awesome cookies), and my friends Brittany (with matzah ball soup!) and Erin (with chocolate covered pretzels!) rounded out the weekend. I can't tell you how loved I feel. Thank you again for all your visits, calls, thoughts, and prayers.
Shawn and Brady just left after a visit, and it's always hard when they leave. I miss my little family and just plain 'ol snuggle time so much. It's unnatural to be away from my men while I bake the girls, but so it must be.
Anyway, nothing really to report, but wanted to give an update. More updates soon!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday, Feb. 5
Second Friday in the hospital. It's been 2 weeks since Baby A's water broke, and at first, we didn't think we could possibly last this long. But here we are.
We had another ultrasound this morning, and thankfully, everything remains the same. Babies are both looking good, there's no sign of infection, and there's been no sign of any kind of spontaneous labor starting. We'll have another ultrasound Tuesday, and they'll do measurements at that time to see how big the girls are. It's pretty obvious to us that I'm growing, so it'll be nice to have some numbers to back that up.
So we're in kind of a strange, tentative place with the pregnancy. Because of the not-so-great viability odds right now, we're still having to think about what to do if they're born now. Two weeks ago, there was no question, and 2 weeks from now there will be no question, but at 24 weeks it's all still up in the air. The doctor said this morning that if they should be born, the NICU staff would be very honest with us about how they're doing, and we can make a decision about how much work to do on them at that time. It's heartbreaking to think that we're going through all this and might not have 2 healthy girls to show for it, but we're thinking positive. The doctor also said that, even though anything could happen, he doesn't think anything will progress this week. Crossing fingers, toes, and legs!
So in the spirit of thinking positive, I've created a quick list of good things about being on hospital bedrest. I'm not including not having to cook and clean, because let me tell you, I would do anything to be able to cook for my family and give my kid a bath.
So, here's what I got:
1. Not having to walk 2 miles to go to the bathroom at work
2. Having to wear anti-embolism stockings that cover my legs, thus eliminating the need to shave them.
3. Not being expected to wear makeup
4. Getting to watch "Jeopardy" every night
5. Due to overviewing of HGTV, getting design ideas for our kitchen (sorry, honey!)
6. Not having to watch "Dragon Tales" every night, thank the good Lord
7. Getting to see friends and family
8. Being reminded how much we are loved and how fortunate we are, thanks to awesome friends and family
9. Having time to cook up half-assed business ideas, like a maternity line for multiples pregnancies (WITH NIGHTGOWNS)
So it's not all bad. I am hoping the weeks continue to go by quickly! I miss my husband, son, and dog, and my "outside" life. Not to mention just "outside."
More updates soon!
We had another ultrasound this morning, and thankfully, everything remains the same. Babies are both looking good, there's no sign of infection, and there's been no sign of any kind of spontaneous labor starting. We'll have another ultrasound Tuesday, and they'll do measurements at that time to see how big the girls are. It's pretty obvious to us that I'm growing, so it'll be nice to have some numbers to back that up.
So we're in kind of a strange, tentative place with the pregnancy. Because of the not-so-great viability odds right now, we're still having to think about what to do if they're born now. Two weeks ago, there was no question, and 2 weeks from now there will be no question, but at 24 weeks it's all still up in the air. The doctor said this morning that if they should be born, the NICU staff would be very honest with us about how they're doing, and we can make a decision about how much work to do on them at that time. It's heartbreaking to think that we're going through all this and might not have 2 healthy girls to show for it, but we're thinking positive. The doctor also said that, even though anything could happen, he doesn't think anything will progress this week. Crossing fingers, toes, and legs!
So in the spirit of thinking positive, I've created a quick list of good things about being on hospital bedrest. I'm not including not having to cook and clean, because let me tell you, I would do anything to be able to cook for my family and give my kid a bath.
So, here's what I got:
1. Not having to walk 2 miles to go to the bathroom at work
2. Having to wear anti-embolism stockings that cover my legs, thus eliminating the need to shave them.
3. Not being expected to wear makeup
4. Getting to watch "Jeopardy" every night
5. Due to overviewing of HGTV, getting design ideas for our kitchen (sorry, honey!)
6. Not having to watch "Dragon Tales" every night, thank the good Lord
7. Getting to see friends and family
8. Being reminded how much we are loved and how fortunate we are, thanks to awesome friends and family
9. Having time to cook up half-assed business ideas, like a maternity line for multiples pregnancies (WITH NIGHTGOWNS)
So it's not all bad. I am hoping the weeks continue to go by quickly! I miss my husband, son, and dog, and my "outside" life. Not to mention just "outside."
More updates soon!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
First milestone: 24 weeks
We made it to the first milestone! We had a lengthy conversation with a NICU doctor last night now that we've entered this new stage in the pregnancy. Obviously, we want to keep them baking as long as possible. He indicated that things could change very quickly with me, so every day means so much, and every week is an unbelievable blessing.
The babies are now at the earliest point of viability, which is to say that if they were born, their odds would be 50/50. Believe it or not, that's way better than if they were born last week. With every passing week, their odds get better and better, and by 28 weeks they'll have a 95% chance of survival. Of course, the other scary thing is that even if they live, they have a very high risk of lifelong developmental and/or physical disabilities. If they were born during the next week, they'd only have a 1 in 4 chance of being totally healthy.
I've now had my 2 injections of steroids to help develop the babies' lungs and other systems, but these are most effective within a week of delivery. Of course, we don't want me to deliver for a while, so I may have a repeat dose in a few weeks if we make it that long.
The babies are continuing to kick the heck out of me, and their heart rates are strong and steady, so I'm enjoying them as long as I can. Shawn and Brady are visiting as often as possible, and Skype is helping us stay more connected.
I've had lots of visitors, calls, texts, and messages, and my friend Heather is now in from Philadelphia to keep me company and translate medical jargon. ;) I can't tell you how thankful we are for your thoughts, prayers, and love.
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, but hopefully we won't get any "new" news-- more of the same is what we want. More updates soon!
The babies are now at the earliest point of viability, which is to say that if they were born, their odds would be 50/50. Believe it or not, that's way better than if they were born last week. With every passing week, their odds get better and better, and by 28 weeks they'll have a 95% chance of survival. Of course, the other scary thing is that even if they live, they have a very high risk of lifelong developmental and/or physical disabilities. If they were born during the next week, they'd only have a 1 in 4 chance of being totally healthy.
I've now had my 2 injections of steroids to help develop the babies' lungs and other systems, but these are most effective within a week of delivery. Of course, we don't want me to deliver for a while, so I may have a repeat dose in a few weeks if we make it that long.
The babies are continuing to kick the heck out of me, and their heart rates are strong and steady, so I'm enjoying them as long as I can. Shawn and Brady are visiting as often as possible, and Skype is helping us stay more connected.
I've had lots of visitors, calls, texts, and messages, and my friend Heather is now in from Philadelphia to keep me company and translate medical jargon. ;) I can't tell you how thankful we are for your thoughts, prayers, and love.
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, but hopefully we won't get any "new" news-- more of the same is what we want. More updates soon!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 9: No changes, ready for steroids
Today is Day 9 in the hospital. We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything remains the same. Both babies have good blood flow and steady heart rates. Baby A is of course low on fluid, but all other signs are good.
The doctor told me that my risk of infection is much lower than before-- but it's still a very real risk. As much a risk now is spontaneous labor, which seems unlikely today, but anything could change at any minute, which is why I'm still in the hospital. Tomorrow I get a shot of steroids in my tushie, followed by another one on Thursday, which, sadly, ends of my chances of playing professional baseball. Although I guess wrestling is still an option. :)
If for some reason I go into labor in the next couple days, they'd try to stop delivery long enough for the steroids to take effect. If I have an infection and go into labor at any other time, they will not stop labor-- these babies will be delivered and cared for in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).
If you're not familiar with Northside Hospital, you should know that neither I nor the babies could be in better hands. The NICU here is second to none-- the staff and technology are amazing. I feel very grateful to be here.
So that's the news for Tuesday, Feb. 2. More updates tomorrow!
The doctor told me that my risk of infection is much lower than before-- but it's still a very real risk. As much a risk now is spontaneous labor, which seems unlikely today, but anything could change at any minute, which is why I'm still in the hospital. Tomorrow I get a shot of steroids in my tushie, followed by another one on Thursday, which, sadly, ends of my chances of playing professional baseball. Although I guess wrestling is still an option. :)
If for some reason I go into labor in the next couple days, they'd try to stop delivery long enough for the steroids to take effect. If I have an infection and go into labor at any other time, they will not stop labor-- these babies will be delivered and cared for in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).
If you're not familiar with Northside Hospital, you should know that neither I nor the babies could be in better hands. The NICU here is second to none-- the staff and technology are amazing. I feel very grateful to be here.
So that's the news for Tuesday, Feb. 2. More updates tomorrow!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday: Day 8
Today was another day of the same. I continue to have some fluid loss, but my understanding is that this could go on for weeks and weeks with no ill effects. The biggest threat remains infection.
We got back to work today, although it certainly wasn't like it used to be. I think we were both glad to have something to take our minds off everything.
I'm still trying to take it easy, and to take things one day at a time. If you know me, you know how hard that is for me! Shawn is handling things much better, as would be expected. :)
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, so I'll share any news that comes our way. Thanks again for your messages, calls, love, support, and prayers!
We got back to work today, although it certainly wasn't like it used to be. I think we were both glad to have something to take our minds off everything.
I'm still trying to take it easy, and to take things one day at a time. If you know me, you know how hard that is for me! Shawn is handling things much better, as would be expected. :)
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, so I'll share any news that comes our way. Thanks again for your messages, calls, love, support, and prayers!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
7 Days Down...
Today is Sunday, and not a lot was going on. Shawn and Brady visited this morning, complete with a new dump truck from Bonnie and 1,000 other trucks inside. It's pretty cute. My cell phone is currently out of batteries and we can't find the charger, so I'm a little out of touch. Messaging me or calling the direct line (404 459 1121) is the best way to reach me if you need me.
I've spent most of my day watching "True Blood" and HGTV, and the night looks like more of the same. Things are obviously deteriorating a bit at home, as evidenced by Brady's dinner request this evening: "Mommmy, I want beer and coke." :) Please don't call DFACS on us. ;)
We continue to hear stories about miracle babies whose mommies were in the same situation as we are now, and everything seemed to turn out okay. We can only hope and pray that we have a happy story of our own one day.
Tomorrow is the last day of my antibiotics, then Tuesday I'll get a dose of steroids to help develop the babies' lungs and other systems. If I make it 3 more weeks, we'll get more steroids for more development. Other than that, my meds are limited to the normal stuff (thankfully).
Our awesome neighbors now know our news and are mobilizing with meals, playdates for Brady, and doughnuts. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts, and we continue to thank you for your thoughts and prayers and visits and love.
More updates tomorrow...
Love,
Becky, Shawn, and Brady
I've spent most of my day watching "True Blood" and HGTV, and the night looks like more of the same. Things are obviously deteriorating a bit at home, as evidenced by Brady's dinner request this evening: "Mommmy, I want beer and coke." :) Please don't call DFACS on us. ;)
We continue to hear stories about miracle babies whose mommies were in the same situation as we are now, and everything seemed to turn out okay. We can only hope and pray that we have a happy story of our own one day.
Tomorrow is the last day of my antibiotics, then Tuesday I'll get a dose of steroids to help develop the babies' lungs and other systems. If I make it 3 more weeks, we'll get more steroids for more development. Other than that, my meds are limited to the normal stuff (thankfully).
Our awesome neighbors now know our news and are mobilizing with meals, playdates for Brady, and doughnuts. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts, and we continue to thank you for your thoughts and prayers and visits and love.
More updates tomorrow...
Love,
Becky, Shawn, and Brady
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Day 6: First Saturday, no changes
Today was a pretty low-key day. Nasty weather in Atlanta and several different illnesses seem to be taking a toll on the outside world, but so far, so good here at Northside Hospital. The girls are continuing to kick the heck out of me, and their heart rates are steady and strong. No changes today, and that's what we want for a long long time.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Ultrasound Update
Becky had an ultrasound to see where we stand this morning. The good news is that everything looks the same as it did on Monday. Baby A's sac is still low on fluid, but her heartbeat is strong and the blood flow is good.
We did learn an interesting fact. Having a Baby B there is actually gives Baby A more room to move and learn to breathe. Typically, if there is one baby and the fluid levels get low there becomes less and less room for the baby to move because the sac deflates. With Baby B there, there actually ends up being more room for Baby A to move. The reason being is that the membrane that is between them is soft and there is little resistance (unlike the surrounding organs). This allows Baby A to stretch and have more freedom of movement. This will help with lung development. Baby B is happy to help. It will be good practice for sharing a room later.
Everything else is status quo at the moment. Again the biggest risk is infection. With a tear in the sac, it allows bacteria in that would not be able to normally get there. If something gets in that causes an infection then it would cause labor. We are going to be looking into a large plastic bubble for Becky to live in for the next 10 weeks. I am actually shocked that Human Plastic Bubble had no matches on Craigslist.
On a personal note, Becky and I would like to thank everyone for the unbelievable support and love that we have received. We feel humbled, grateful and touched by every note, call, prayer and thought. I do not think there is any way that we will ever be able to truly express how much each and everyone of you means to us. In the meantime we love each and every one of you and thank you.
More updates soon!
We did learn an interesting fact. Having a Baby B there is actually gives Baby A more room to move and learn to breathe. Typically, if there is one baby and the fluid levels get low there becomes less and less room for the baby to move because the sac deflates. With Baby B there, there actually ends up being more room for Baby A to move. The reason being is that the membrane that is between them is soft and there is little resistance (unlike the surrounding organs). This allows Baby A to stretch and have more freedom of movement. This will help with lung development. Baby B is happy to help. It will be good practice for sharing a room later.
Everything else is status quo at the moment. Again the biggest risk is infection. With a tear in the sac, it allows bacteria in that would not be able to normally get there. If something gets in that causes an infection then it would cause labor. We are going to be looking into a large plastic bubble for Becky to live in for the next 10 weeks. I am actually shocked that Human Plastic Bubble had no matches on Craigslist.
On a personal note, Becky and I would like to thank everyone for the unbelievable support and love that we have received. We feel humbled, grateful and touched by every note, call, prayer and thought. I do not think there is any way that we will ever be able to truly express how much each and everyone of you means to us. In the meantime we love each and every one of you and thank you.
More updates soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
