Just capturing some of her first interactions...
Monday, July 18, 2011
15 Week Conversation
Mostly I haven't posted because of guilt. Guilt that I haven't filled in every crack of information from the end of my pregnancy until now. 15 weeks after birth. So, I have released that guilt and will just start posting again, filling in information as I go. Here is a video taken this past week. The girls have really started to notice one another, and have started to conversate - 15 week style.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Stationery card
Sweet Cocoa Rose Birth Announcement
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View the entire collection of cards.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Catching Up
For the past month, I have been meaning to post. Seriously, I swear. My wake state is altered these days, and I keep thinking I have to update but never have a moment to spare that I'm not sleeping, half-asleep, or staring at a baby and saying "Please, oh please, go to sleep." I am also torn because I initially intended to have this blog be about our journey to getting pregnant, and then we finally got pregnant, and now we have wonderful children. I have been thinking about starting a new blog since the purpose of this one (my original purpose) has been met.
But, well, I wish to continue our story here. So I will. Because, well, I can. It's my blog.
I have some catching up to do. I will start with the week before labor.
I was scheduled to be induced on April 1st. Seriously - April Fools' Day. Which, apparently, is named after some calendar switch. Google it, as I'm sure they'll do a better job explaining. The whole week before I had been having contractions. Nothing strong, just enough to catch my breath every once in a while. I downloaded a free app to track them - but found that every time they started coming regularly enough to log them into the app - they just magically stopped. While everyone thought that I would go early - those little ladies had a different idea. They hung in there until they were forced to come out.
I can't even explain the anticipation of that week. The anxiety, the excitement. And the wait. Those hours just ticked by. Until, of course, the night before. It was as if time was flying - and that I didn't have anything ready for the big day. We weren't packed (well, we were, but I unpacked and repacked a million times), the camera needed charged, thank you notes needed written, the list went on and on. And I, who had been on seemingly endless bedrest, had it all left to do. Pregnancy Procrastination.
I will catch us up on the delivery and everything after very soon... for now I have to go tend to 2 fussing teeny ones.
But, well, I wish to continue our story here. So I will. Because, well, I can. It's my blog.
I have some catching up to do. I will start with the week before labor.
I was scheduled to be induced on April 1st. Seriously - April Fools' Day. Which, apparently, is named after some calendar switch. Google it, as I'm sure they'll do a better job explaining. The whole week before I had been having contractions. Nothing strong, just enough to catch my breath every once in a while. I downloaded a free app to track them - but found that every time they started coming regularly enough to log them into the app - they just magically stopped. While everyone thought that I would go early - those little ladies had a different idea. They hung in there until they were forced to come out.
I can't even explain the anticipation of that week. The anxiety, the excitement. And the wait. Those hours just ticked by. Until, of course, the night before. It was as if time was flying - and that I didn't have anything ready for the big day. We weren't packed (well, we were, but I unpacked and repacked a million times), the camera needed charged, thank you notes needed written, the list went on and on. And I, who had been on seemingly endless bedrest, had it all left to do. Pregnancy Procrastination.
I will catch us up on the delivery and everything after very soon... for now I have to go tend to 2 fussing teeny ones.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Getting to Be THAT Time
To start worrying about the worriest part of the process... labor.
To be completely honest, I don't think I'm that nervous. I imagine that I will be all shaky and jittery when I'm being prepped for whatever type of labor I'm being prepped for... but for now, I'm not feeling anxious about it at all. I'm excited, which I think shares a nerve with anxious. Both make you feel like you have to pee when you're standing in line at the roller coaster.
But I know it's on my mind. And G's mind as well. The other day I walked in the bedroom and he was peeing with the door open. THAT NEVER HAPPENS.
"Whoa?! What in the world? Why'd you leave the door open?" I shockingly questioned.
Apparently G has been reading some information on labor and delivery. His response was
"Well, if I might have to see you poo during delivery, it's only fair that I let you see me pee."
Oh, yes. I see it now. I see how love changes when you have children. Sacrifices are made and the love between G and myself will evolve. I am excited to embrace even the most intimate of those changes.
To be completely honest, I don't think I'm that nervous. I imagine that I will be all shaky and jittery when I'm being prepped for whatever type of labor I'm being prepped for... but for now, I'm not feeling anxious about it at all. I'm excited, which I think shares a nerve with anxious. Both make you feel like you have to pee when you're standing in line at the roller coaster.
But I know it's on my mind. And G's mind as well. The other day I walked in the bedroom and he was peeing with the door open. THAT NEVER HAPPENS.
"Whoa?! What in the world? Why'd you leave the door open?" I shockingly questioned.
Apparently G has been reading some information on labor and delivery. His response was
"Well, if I might have to see you poo during delivery, it's only fair that I let you see me pee."
Oh, yes. I see it now. I see how love changes when you have children. Sacrifices are made and the love between G and myself will evolve. I am excited to embrace even the most intimate of those changes.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
34 Weeks and a Few Days
Still hanging on. Those babies are (most likely) hanging from my ribcage. They are enjoying being tucked up in there. The last few days they have been very active. I imagine they are perfecting their skills at the monkey bars.
G and I had an ultrasound appointment on Monday - they don't take measurements every week, but last they measured both girls were right around 4lb 8oz. I assume, since they should be gaining about 1/2 lb a week these days - that they are hitting about 5lbs right now. They will measure again next Monday. This past visit was another biophysical profile - we were able to see both girls practice breathing, they hands and arms and legs moving back and forth, and hear their little heartbeats. We were even able to see the umbilical cord (as they test for the cord resistance).
The past few days have been pretty uncomfortable - I feel as though my pelvic bone is shifting (which, well, it probably is) - and it's so uncomfortable to get up from sitting, to sit, or even sometimes to start walking. Once I get going I can usually get my waddle to propel me where I need to go... but those first few steps are terrible. I'm also up like every hour. I feel like I have to pee, but sometimes I think the girls are just jumping on the bladder. There's really not usually a need to get out of bed if you have to only pee a tablespoon - but these days any drop of liquid needs to come out. No matter what time it is. No matter if I was JUST up to pee 5 minutes prior.
Last night I couldn't get comfy, so I resorted to moving to the couch - my comfy haven. Well, even THAT didn't work. I finally returned to bed when G got up to go to work, and was able to get a few solid hours of sleep.
Everyone says this is my body's way of preparing me for having babies up at all hours. Well, crap - why can't my body let me get rest while I can? Damn body.
Tuesday I went to my ob/gyn appointment. My blood pressure was a little high - and I spilled just a bit of protein in my urine - so they had me give another urine sample to send to the lab. No word back yet. Just need to stay away from the pre-eclampsia trap. So far so good.. and I'm just sooooo close to holding my girls. G and I spend a long time before bed just talking about it. I love those moments. Almost as much as I think I'm going to love those moments shared with our little ladies.
Off to pee.
G and I had an ultrasound appointment on Monday - they don't take measurements every week, but last they measured both girls were right around 4lb 8oz. I assume, since they should be gaining about 1/2 lb a week these days - that they are hitting about 5lbs right now. They will measure again next Monday. This past visit was another biophysical profile - we were able to see both girls practice breathing, they hands and arms and legs moving back and forth, and hear their little heartbeats. We were even able to see the umbilical cord (as they test for the cord resistance).
The past few days have been pretty uncomfortable - I feel as though my pelvic bone is shifting (which, well, it probably is) - and it's so uncomfortable to get up from sitting, to sit, or even sometimes to start walking. Once I get going I can usually get my waddle to propel me where I need to go... but those first few steps are terrible. I'm also up like every hour. I feel like I have to pee, but sometimes I think the girls are just jumping on the bladder. There's really not usually a need to get out of bed if you have to only pee a tablespoon - but these days any drop of liquid needs to come out. No matter what time it is. No matter if I was JUST up to pee 5 minutes prior.
Last night I couldn't get comfy, so I resorted to moving to the couch - my comfy haven. Well, even THAT didn't work. I finally returned to bed when G got up to go to work, and was able to get a few solid hours of sleep.
Everyone says this is my body's way of preparing me for having babies up at all hours. Well, crap - why can't my body let me get rest while I can? Damn body.
Tuesday I went to my ob/gyn appointment. My blood pressure was a little high - and I spilled just a bit of protein in my urine - so they had me give another urine sample to send to the lab. No word back yet. Just need to stay away from the pre-eclampsia trap. So far so good.. and I'm just sooooo close to holding my girls. G and I spend a long time before bed just talking about it. I love those moments. Almost as much as I think I'm going to love those moments shared with our little ladies.
Off to pee.
Friday, February 18, 2011
The Shocking Exit
In my last post I spoke about being concerned about exactly how long I could stay working - since most muscles in my body seemed to be malfunctioning. Well, cue story:
February 5th was the date picked for my baby shower. We picked something early so that I could be there, because, well, really - at 29.5 weeks, it seemed early enough to be "safe." My wonderful in-laws flew into town on Thursday night, and Friday I had off of work because we had a Dr. appointment. Before my Dr. appointment I decided to run off and get my hair cut (much-needed!!). I arrived around 10am at the local salon. Hair cut was going well - but all of the sudden, in the middle of it - I started feeling very hot, sweaty, nauseous, and like I might just pass out. So, I asked to get up to use the restroom, thinking I was just becoming overheated. I splashed some water on my face, took my time, and finished the haircut up with no problems.
On my way home I planned on stopping by the mall to replace the batteries in 2 of G's watches. I parked outside the nearest anchor store to the watch repair, scored a close spot - and started to walk in.
No sooner than hearing the door close behind me at the Macy's did I feel a common pregnancy feeling - a little "bubble" of discharge. No big deal. But then it kept going. One "bubble" after another. I took a few more steps forward, and immediately turned around to go back to my car. By this time I could feel that my pants were very wet. I covered myself with my coat and went back to the car.
When I got to the car, I looked down and saw that it was all blood. Bright. Red. Blood. I'm pretty sure this isn't a good sign - so I drove straight home. On my way I called my Dr. (my appointment was in 2 hours), and by the time I got off the phone I was home. She told me to come right in. It was 11:20. I went inside, as calm as I could muster, told my husband what happened, changed clothes, and we rushed off to see the doc. I'm sure we freaked out my poor in-laws as we rushed out - but we didn't want to panic anyone while we were trying not to panic ourselves.
So, we get to the doctor - she immediately sees us and then promptly sends us off to labor and delivery (her office is in a wing of the hospital). While we were leaving, I could hear her on the phone with L & D. It's not a good feeling when your Dr. uses the term "hemorrhaging" in reference to you. At 29 weeks pregnant. Oh, and I forgot to mention - I was feeling completely fine. No cramping, no pain, nothing out of the ordinary other than the bleeding. (Oh, and as a quick side note: G finally got to see - live and in person - the elusive speculum in a whole new way. Lovely.)
We arrive in L&D and after a short wait (at one point my Dr. came out to see why I was waiting) we were taken back to a room.
They ordered ultrasounds, the doctor did one in the room but wanted a more in-depth one. They hooked me up to an IV and 3 monitors - one for each baby and one for contractions (which, at this point, I wasn't having). We spent forever down in ultrasound - where they measured our girls and said everything looked great. They were moving around, and we were even able to see one of them blinking!
I returned to my room just in time to start having contractions. They checked my cervix, and I was about 1cm, which was 1cm more than an hour before in the dr.'s office. The on-call doctor came in with my usual doctor and they told me all about the dangers of magnesium - the drug they were thinking of putting me on to stop the contractions. With a lot of thought - they put me on it (through the IV), and then just kept up with the monitoring. The poor nurse had to just hang out with us to monitor the heartbeats - the babies were moving around so much she had to constantly move the little monitor pads!
I was put on a clear liquid diet. I was put on magnesium. I was given a steroid shot to help mature their lungs. The doctors were hoping that I could hold them in for at least 24 more hours - so that the steroid shot had a chance to work (even a bit).
They then had the NICU doctor come down and explain to us what would happen when I delivered.
Okay, this was getting scary. How could they be ready? They're not - I can feel them rolling around in there having a grand time - they're not ready. I'm not ready. We're not ready.
They never figured out what the bleed was from. They thought placental abruption - but I wasn't in any pain and the placentas looked intact and fine! Tear? None found.
And here I am - 2 weeks later - on bedrest at home and still pregnant. No more work for me - which explains my "shocking exit" from the workforce. I missed my baby shower, and spent the whole weekend in the hospital - but my girls are still safe and sound in utero.
That was our 29 week scare. Never a dull moment.
February 5th was the date picked for my baby shower. We picked something early so that I could be there, because, well, really - at 29.5 weeks, it seemed early enough to be "safe." My wonderful in-laws flew into town on Thursday night, and Friday I had off of work because we had a Dr. appointment. Before my Dr. appointment I decided to run off and get my hair cut (much-needed!!). I arrived around 10am at the local salon. Hair cut was going well - but all of the sudden, in the middle of it - I started feeling very hot, sweaty, nauseous, and like I might just pass out. So, I asked to get up to use the restroom, thinking I was just becoming overheated. I splashed some water on my face, took my time, and finished the haircut up with no problems.
On my way home I planned on stopping by the mall to replace the batteries in 2 of G's watches. I parked outside the nearest anchor store to the watch repair, scored a close spot - and started to walk in.
No sooner than hearing the door close behind me at the Macy's did I feel a common pregnancy feeling - a little "bubble" of discharge. No big deal. But then it kept going. One "bubble" after another. I took a few more steps forward, and immediately turned around to go back to my car. By this time I could feel that my pants were very wet. I covered myself with my coat and went back to the car.
When I got to the car, I looked down and saw that it was all blood. Bright. Red. Blood. I'm pretty sure this isn't a good sign - so I drove straight home. On my way I called my Dr. (my appointment was in 2 hours), and by the time I got off the phone I was home. She told me to come right in. It was 11:20. I went inside, as calm as I could muster, told my husband what happened, changed clothes, and we rushed off to see the doc. I'm sure we freaked out my poor in-laws as we rushed out - but we didn't want to panic anyone while we were trying not to panic ourselves.
So, we get to the doctor - she immediately sees us and then promptly sends us off to labor and delivery (her office is in a wing of the hospital). While we were leaving, I could hear her on the phone with L & D. It's not a good feeling when your Dr. uses the term "hemorrhaging" in reference to you. At 29 weeks pregnant. Oh, and I forgot to mention - I was feeling completely fine. No cramping, no pain, nothing out of the ordinary other than the bleeding. (Oh, and as a quick side note: G finally got to see - live and in person - the elusive speculum in a whole new way. Lovely.)
We arrive in L&D and after a short wait (at one point my Dr. came out to see why I was waiting) we were taken back to a room.
They ordered ultrasounds, the doctor did one in the room but wanted a more in-depth one. They hooked me up to an IV and 3 monitors - one for each baby and one for contractions (which, at this point, I wasn't having). We spent forever down in ultrasound - where they measured our girls and said everything looked great. They were moving around, and we were even able to see one of them blinking!
I returned to my room just in time to start having contractions. They checked my cervix, and I was about 1cm, which was 1cm more than an hour before in the dr.'s office. The on-call doctor came in with my usual doctor and they told me all about the dangers of magnesium - the drug they were thinking of putting me on to stop the contractions. With a lot of thought - they put me on it (through the IV), and then just kept up with the monitoring. The poor nurse had to just hang out with us to monitor the heartbeats - the babies were moving around so much she had to constantly move the little monitor pads!
I was put on a clear liquid diet. I was put on magnesium. I was given a steroid shot to help mature their lungs. The doctors were hoping that I could hold them in for at least 24 more hours - so that the steroid shot had a chance to work (even a bit).
They then had the NICU doctor come down and explain to us what would happen when I delivered.
Okay, this was getting scary. How could they be ready? They're not - I can feel them rolling around in there having a grand time - they're not ready. I'm not ready. We're not ready.
They never figured out what the bleed was from. They thought placental abruption - but I wasn't in any pain and the placentas looked intact and fine! Tear? None found.
And here I am - 2 weeks later - on bedrest at home and still pregnant. No more work for me - which explains my "shocking exit" from the workforce. I missed my baby shower, and spent the whole weekend in the hospital - but my girls are still safe and sound in utero.
That was our 29 week scare. Never a dull moment.
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