April 29, 2011

Happy Birthday!

Addison Grace & Elle McKinley

Getting ready to meet our girls!

Heading to the NICU

The girls made their arrival at 11:02 & 11:03 pm on April 29, 2011. That morning at 4 a.m. while watching the Royal Wedding on tv, I had absolutely no idea that it would be the day we've been waiting so long for. Apparently neither did my doctor! More on that later. The day before, Miss Elle decided to turn breach (after 3 months head down!) & I had been having moderte tail bone pain ever since. Later that evening right before shift change, I asked my nurse to put me on the monitor because the tail bone pain was a little different than it had been throughout the day. When she did, we quickly saw that I was contracting very frequently. I had dilated to 6 cm & didn't feel a single contraction, just slight tail bone pain! My night shift nurse continued to monitor me & about 8 pm she told me to go ahead & tell Cody to come, that this was true labor. The Lord had this planned out perfectly, as it was a Friday night & he was home with Luke. No worries about him making it in time or being on the job when the girls made their arrival as I had worried so much about! He brought Luke to Fort Worth where his parents were playing tennis & could meet him. He was able to make it in plenty of time before they brought me into surgery. Yes, after three months planning & hoping for a vaginal birth of the twins, with Elle flipped breach now, it was too risky. I was prepped for a C-section.

The nurse taking care of me in Antipartum seemed more excited & nervous than I was. She was one of my very favorites & I was so at ease knowing she was there making decisions. Sadly, my doctor was not on-call that night & the on-call doctor was called in. They all knew how much I wanted my doctor there, so they went ahead & paged her. She called in & reported that she was at a social function & was unable to get there in time (she later told me that she cried at her table that she wasn't able to be there & the other doctors there with her gave her a hard time!) I'll say it again, she is fabulous! I loved the on-call doctor & was completely at peace with her delivering the girls. The surgery was very quick & the girls both arrived pink & screaming, calming our nerves. Their Apgar scores were 9/9, perfect! The nurses & doctors (2 teams, total of about 12 people) cheered as they swaddled the girls & put them in my face to kiss & snuggle before sending them to the NICU. Since they were still considerably premature, we knew they would spend some time in the NICU before coming home.

After recoving a bit, they wheeled my entire bed up the NICU for me to see & hold the girls. It was about 2 a.m. at this point so my memories of those moments are a blur. Addison was laying on her tummy to help with her breathing (she was "squeaking" a little & breathing fast) and Elle was doing just fine. I was allowed to hold her that night. The following four days I spent every waking moment with the girls in the NICU. I was forced to stay an extra day because I hadn't controlled my pain well enough to go home since I was in the NICU so often & forgetting to take my meds on time. I hated the thought of leaving without them so that was fine with me. I had one day at home just Luke & I before we were able to bring Elle home. It all worked out just perfectly.

Thank you again to everyone for the prayers throughout this journey. I can't imagine going through it without the support of loved ones & the guidance of our Savior. We are truly blessed & will never forget it or take it for granted. What a story these precious girls have to tell.

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.  Job 9:9-11

Easter Sunday makes 34 Weeks!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

What a huge milestone on one of the most special days of the year. I'm so thankful to have made it this far. Not much longer! (let's hope!)

Here are a few photos from this Friday when Luke came to visit. I'm so sad to be missing an Easter with my baby, but trying to stay positive & not dwell on it too much. Hopefully this will be the only one I ever miss with him.

33 Weeks!

After 10 long weeks of being here & meeting short term goals one by one, we've finally made it to my long term goal of 33 weeks! I'm a little unsure why I chose 33 weeks as the goal initially, but after reading over my journal entries the first week here, I realized it yesterday. What a blessing!

I read that it was going to get harder & harder to gain weight toward the end of a multiple pregnancy, however I guess this rule doesn't apply when you get absolutely no exercise & live for the next meal. I've gained 5 lbs a week for the past 3 weeks in a row! I'm happy about it though, because I know this means the girls are growing as well. I'm sure I'll have no trouble losing the weight after chasing 3 kiddos around very soon! I'll have another sonogram Tuesday to assess growth/weights! Everything has been good the past week, so as of now it's a waiting game. Dr Bradford will take me off Procardia next week & we will see if I start contracting. She won't induce unless the sonogram shows too little amniotic fluid, which would mean that the placenta can't provide enough blood/nutrients for the babies. This sometimes happens toward the end of a multiple pregnancy with one placenta. We shall see!

We are officially moved back into our old house as of this afternoon! Our precious friends gathered their life group to clean our house, paint the nursery & move us in this week. It was such a huge blessing to us during this difficult time, especially now that Cody can't lift anything! We will soon be home with our babies though & I'm so ready!

Here are some pictures of Luke's first Easter egg hunt here at the hospital this weekend. Gigi had the great idea & it was a great memory, even if Luke was a little confused in the process. He was too funny, walking right over the eggs paying more attention to the cars driving past & waving to the people passing by! He knows how to make us smile.

Harris Hospital Beauty Shop

My wonderful friends April, Lindsi & baby Jack Chandler came to spend the day with me here in the hospital. Not only did they come to have girl talk & lots of laughs, but they happily agreed to highlight my desperate hair! It has been over 4 months since I've had my hair done, plus taking prenatal vitamins had increased the speed of the growth. Boy did it need some attention!

We somehow lost the needle that pulls the hair through the cap halfway through the process, so they both finished the job with earring backs & bobby pins! Whey were troupers, very determined to get it done, trading off holding & rocking Jack Chandler throughout the afternoon. Here is April pulling hair through the cap. Notice the GIGANTIC belly (like you can miss it!)

Then, Lindsi blow dried my hair while laying in bed. Didn't know this was a possible feat, but she got it done!

 Here is an "after" picture. Too bad I didn't get a "before" picture, although it was not necessarily something I would be proud to post! After worrying my hair was going to turn out pink, yellow & green, it surprised us when it came out looking quite good! My nurse came in tonight & said I looked like a "California blond" now, but I'll take that as a compliment over the 4 inches of dark brown roots I had hours before! Thanks sweet friends for a fun day full of laughter. I sure did need it! Love you both so much!



32 Weeks & counting

I never thought I'd be posting belly pictures, but I have to say I've never been so proud to show it off! We've almost hit our initial LONG term goal of 33 weeks! And boy are these babies growing!

Well, as most of you know by now, Cody attempted to steal the show this week! It was quite the night to say the least..

Sunday evening I began feeling tinges of pain in my lower back, so the nurse put me on the monitor to check for contractions. Within the hour, I was feeling pressure & contractions in my lower abdomen & back, however they were about 4 minutes apart & somewhat inconsistent. I told Cody to keep his phone on when he went to bed, but didn't really feel like it was the real deal. An hour or so later, the contractions were 2 minutes apart & the nurse recommended that I call Cody & have him come. When I called him, he was on the phone with his boss already, however for different reasons. He was calling in because he thought he had a hernia & was in a lot of pain. He immediately headed to the hospital.

 

When he arrived to the hospital room, he was doubled over in pain, stating he was not going to be able to even walk to the OR if I had the babies. He needed to be seen by a doctor. I can't say I was the most empathetic at that moment, secretly wishing he would "suck it up" & stay for the birth no matter what.. We were also both very concerned because his insurance is a few days from being started with his new company. My tech came in & took him in a wheelchair to the ER, where they immediately triaged him & got him in for a CT scan. He called to let me know they were calling a surgeon to take out his appendix immediately. Guess I should've been a little more empathetic..

 

The doctor gave me some pain medication to hopefully relax me & slow the contractions to hopefully hold of labor until Cody was able to be there. It didn't work right away, but a few hours later they calmed down & became more irregular. The chief of surgery came in at 6 am to let me know that Cody's surgery went well & he would be recovering for the next few hours, but would go home that morning. Sure enough, he was wheeled back into my room about 8 am & slept on the couch in my room until his mom came to get him.

I have to say the next day was quite stressful & I was doubting for the first time in many weeks. Primarily about money & the frustration of being just days away from the insurance kicking in... (I can't lie, I'm also SO tired of being here flat on my back.) However, after talking with many here at the hospital & praying for peace about it, I truly do have a peace. Cody told me the following day that he was the happiest he's ever been in his life. This was puzzling to me, but I am so grateful to have a husband who is strong when I am weak. He repeated all of the positives that have put us where we are today. God has given us two babies that were not supposed to be here 9 weeks ago. HE has provided financially for us in these months when we didn't know how we'd survive. HE's given Cody a job where he feels secure & content. HE's taken care of our child when we didn't know who was going to care for him while I was here. Surely our God can provide for this. This is small stuff in the big picture. Pretty soon we will return home with three healthy children to a nice home with all of our needs provided for. I hate that my nature is to worry. Especially when God's provisions are SO evident.

You Know You're on Bedrest When...

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  The nurses act as if you've won a contest due to being here the longest of the current patients


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  Having a sonogram is the highlight of the week (just to see the outside of the hospital doorway)


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  People/nurses come in & say "wow you look nice with makeup on!" (umm, thanks?)


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  You have to flip the pillows/mattress topper often because you're wearing a groove in them


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  You know who is entering the room by the way they knock (or don't)


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  You know every nurse, custodian, & hostess by name along with many of their personal histories


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  The most exciting daily event is marking another day off the calendar


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  It no longer bothers you to have to pee every hour (just to be able to get out of bed)


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  You've become very picky about detergent b/c it's all you smell (preferably lavender Downy)


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  Your eyebrows cannot be plucked again or there won't be anything left of them

I just had to post something upbeat & off from the usual updates since there's not much else going on around here! It's been a lovely, boring two weeks & for that I am grateful! We will get an update on weights on Saturday & I'll post once we know. Just a week & a half until 32 weeks! I was able to see my girlfriend's twin boys in the NICU today (now 33 wks) & it made me even more excited to see our girls. They were so tiny! I still can't believe there are two in there! Goodnight friends!

29 Weeks!

We made it past our first big milestone & are a week away from the big 3-0 weeks! It's been a quiet week thankfully, with little updates around here. The babies have hit a growth spurt for sure, now filling up my tummy with their little legs & bottoms sticking out all over. I do love being pregnant & feeling the closeness with my babies. I'm trying to really cherish this time knowing it's most likely the last time I will feel it. Yes, we have decided our family is perfect & complete with three! I'm getting anxious to meet these little girls, however know that each day in the womb continues to be a huge step in their growth & development & will miss having them safe inside of me.

Thursday I had a sonogram to assess growth & the girls weighed 2.10 lbs & 2.14 lbs! My MFM was surprised, stating that whatever I'm eating is working, because they are weighing in at a week ahead of average. Their weights at birth really impact their risk of problems after birth. Praise the Lord for big babies!!

Cody stayed the weekend with me after a long 80+ hour work week & we enjoyed just spending time together, napping most of our time across the room from one another. Just to have him here is so comforting. He is truly my best friend & I'm so thankful for every moment we have together. We were able to spend quite a bit of time with Luke this weekend too & boy is he changing quick. He's so sweet & just comes up to give me kisses & stroke my face out of no where when playing. It melts my heart. I'm longing for the day when I can rock him again & play with him in his room. Sunday, my doctor gave me "wheelchair privileges" where I'm allowed to go out in a wheelchair for up to an hour a couple times a week! Cody took me on a ride around the hospitals & it was wonderful to say the least! Let me say, we truly take the little things for granted. Fresh air & sunshine was all I needed to improve my spirits & prepare me emotionally for another week. It was pretty hard after the boys left last night, but I just remind myself this is only for a season, & we will all be together soon.

My precious doctor came back from vacation today & let me know she called to check on us every day on her trip, along with praying for us daily. I can't explain what that means to have a doctor that truly cares. Whose job is more than a job, it's a calling. I don't know that she'll ever really know what she means to me & my family.

That's it for last week! Hopefully the next post will be equally as boring! Here's my verse for the day & daily reading. It made me smile!

"I am the Lord, the God of every person on the earth. Nothing is impossible for me." Jer 32:27

We need to hear that God is still in control.

We need to hear that it's not over until he says so.

We need to hear that life's mishaps & tragedies are not a reason to bail out.

They are simply a reason to sit tight.