I'd post pictures of our Christmas, but our house is a gift disaster right now. The amount of empty boxes and garbage bags full of wrapping paper is unreal. We'll have to make a trip to the dump...literally. That was the nice thing about living in an apartment, having a dumpster that was emptied several times a week. We're hosting the New Year's Eve party this year so I guess I better get busy!
Now that Christmas is over I can focus on some things that haven't had top priority on my blog. I had an MRI last Thursday and the results came back on Friday. I have three herniated discs; L4, L5 and S1. Not good. I called today to schedule an appointment with a specialist and I'm a little disenchanted with the whole thing. I don't want surgery until every other possible conservative treatment is tried. The lady who took my call was telling me surgery would be necessary (who was she, anyways...a receptionist? Give me a break!). I know that she has probably been instructed to say some things, but she does not have a med school background, or I don't think she would be answering the phone to schedule my appointment. The place I called came highly recommended, too. I just feel a little lost about the whole thing. I have an appointment there next Tuesday. I am also calling two other places tomorrow, it is something worth getting a few different opinions on. I want things fixed, but surgery just seems next to impossible. Recovering while taking care of my girls would just be a nightmare, I am sure!
I received some awesome Christmas gifts! I think some of my friends and family must be reading my blog. Thanks Mom and Chels for the awesome package at the spa. I also got a gift certificate to the same spa from Aaron and my brother-in-law. Yay...some alone time - with pampering included! Aaron got me a new digital camera with lots of fun features that I have no idea how to use. I'll figure it out. I also got an external hard drive for all of our media files, Adobe Photoshop Elements 5, a few gift certificates to the movie theatre and local restaurants we like. Aaron had to work yesterday and my mom offered to watch the babies while I took Maddie home for a nap. That was great! We slept for 2 1/2 hours. Maddie needed it as much as I did. The babies actually slept through the night last night, too. Merry Christmas to me! :)
I am meeting up with some friends for lunch tomorrow, I'm looking forward to that. I also have a friend from high school who is in town (from Iowa) for the holidays, we're getting together later this week. We had breakfast with a bunch of our friends this morning. It's a somewhat unique group of friends - most of us grew up in the same neighborhood together. We have a lot of childhood memories in common and know many of the same people. It's really fun. They are like family to us and we love them so much! I love that this time of year allows so many opportunities to spend time with the special people in our lives.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas!
It was a great day - weekend, actually. I am so grateful for what we have been blessed with - amazing family and friends. It' s been nice to spend time with so many of them the last little bit.
Maddie has been so excited about Santa Claus this year, it's been a lot of fun. She was thrilled this morning! The babies had a lot of fun with the boxes and wrapping paper, they were even amused by some of the toys they received.
I hope everyone had a wonderful day!
Maddie has been so excited about Santa Claus this year, it's been a lot of fun. She was thrilled this morning! The babies had a lot of fun with the boxes and wrapping paper, they were even amused by some of the toys they received.
I hope everyone had a wonderful day!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Our Christmas Tradition
Each Christmas, starting with our first, we have purchased a Christmas book. We use the books as a sort of advent, this year is our our 9th Christmas since we were married and so we have 9 nights of books to read. Some are traditional Christmas stories like The Polar Express and The Night Before Christmas. Others are more religious in nature like When Jesus Was Born In Bethlehem and my favorite, The Last Straw.
Tonight Maddie chose The Last Straw as her bedtime story. I just love this book. I can't read it without getting emotional. I would love to be able to give this book to everyone who has made my journey a little easier this year. Since that is not possible, please take a minute to read this book if you ever come across it. I'm sure it will become a favorite for you, too!
Tonight Maddie chose The Last Straw as her bedtime story. I just love this book. I can't read it without getting emotional. I would love to be able to give this book to everyone who has made my journey a little easier this year. Since that is not possible, please take a minute to read this book if you ever come across it. I'm sure it will become a favorite for you, too!
Monday, December 18, 2006
The children were nestled all snug in their bed
This sentence baffles me as a new mom to more than one child, multiples even. When is it, exactly, that all three children will be nestled at the same time? The girls all share a room. This is problem number one. All of the tricks I tried with Maddie won't work with Cami and Brie because they will wake each other up. It's just a rough situation. When I ask other moms with twins, I have found very little comfort. "Mine were sleeping through the night around 15 mos." Oh, and then there's the lucky ones that had twins who slept through the night by the time they were 12 weeks old. What's the most frustrating is the fact that I know my girls can do it because they have. They just choose not to.
Right now, it's 10:25 p.m. Maddie went to bed at 8:00 and has actually stayed there tonight. Brie and Cami went down at 8:30, but Cami woke up at 9:45. I am watching her roll around on the living room floor as we speak. If I were to put her in her crib she would laugh at me. Literally -- it's happened before!
The good news is that I got a nap yesterday, even after getting a solid block of sleep on Saturday night. The babies slept from 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and I went to bed at 11 that night. Sunday afternoon I told Aaron he was on baby duty and I was getting a nap. Maddie even took one with me. We slept for about 2 1/2 hours. It was great! Someone is looking out for my sanity. It was back to the every 3 hours on Sunday night. Of course!
I can't bribe the babies with the "nice or naughty list" like I can Maddie. There is hope though, it works for 4 year olds. I only have 3 years and 5 months to go. Who am I kidding?
Right now, it's 10:25 p.m. Maddie went to bed at 8:00 and has actually stayed there tonight. Brie and Cami went down at 8:30, but Cami woke up at 9:45. I am watching her roll around on the living room floor as we speak. If I were to put her in her crib she would laugh at me. Literally -- it's happened before!
The good news is that I got a nap yesterday, even after getting a solid block of sleep on Saturday night. The babies slept from 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and I went to bed at 11 that night. Sunday afternoon I told Aaron he was on baby duty and I was getting a nap. Maddie even took one with me. We slept for about 2 1/2 hours. It was great! Someone is looking out for my sanity. It was back to the every 3 hours on Sunday night. Of course!
I can't bribe the babies with the "nice or naughty list" like I can Maddie. There is hope though, it works for 4 year olds. I only have 3 years and 5 months to go. Who am I kidding?
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Monster Maddie
My sweet girl has been possessed by a monster. We call her Monster Maddie. It started a couple of months ago, she had more nasty moments than pleasant ones for quite a while. I was at a loss. She is very aware that Monster Mommy is forced to come out of hiding when Monster Maddie is around. I don't know what happened, but about 3 weeks ago Monster Maddie started coming around less, and my happy sweet girl returned. To quote her: "Amn't I such a good girl?" (and yes, I've tried to teach her the correct grammar for that sentence and she just won't correct it). It's been such a relief! Sunday night, however, Monster Maddie returned with a vengence. She was sent to bed. Monster Maddie woke up Monday morning and stuck around most of the day. She had a royal fit on Monday night unlike anything I have ever seen. Wow. Tuesday was a little bit better. I could tell Monster Maddie was getting restless. This morning Maddie got up, cooperated and she didn't talk back. It was so nice! We make a HUGE deal about the positive behavior, of course! Tonight I told her it was so nice to see her being kind and sweet and happy. She said "I used my super powers to make Monster Maddie go away."
Whatever works!
Whatever works!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
My Grown Up Christmas List
This is all incredibly simple...yet seemingly unattainable! I just looked at it again, it's all free!
- A good solid night of sleep. Preferrably starting around 10:30 p.m. and ending...whenever I wake up!
- A nap that lasts for more than 10 minutes.
- A date night with my husband.
- All of the laundry done: washed, folded, put away!
- The kitchen: floor swept and mopped, dishes done, fridge cleaned out, everything in it's place.
- A nap.
- A day to myself to do whatever I please.
- A night out with some girlfriends.
- A nap.
I think that's about it. I really would take any one of the things listed above. I'm not terribly picky, and my priorities are right...I'm one sleep-deprived mommy!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Christmas time is here!
Saturday night I went to the Glenn Beck Christmas Show with my mom. It was one of the most incredible programs I have ever seen. He related several personal stories to different things associated with Christmas: family, shopping, gifts, snow, peace, etc. There was a lot of humor, a lot of reminiscing and some tears. I actually cried through a lot of the second half of the program.
He told a very touching story about the last Christmas before his mom committed suicide. He said that he was a stupid 12 year old kid and didn't know how poor his family was or how much they were struggling. He recalled going to the tree and finding one gift, it was a sweater. He said his mom kept asking him things like "Do you like it?" and "Does it fit?" He remembered her holding it up to him to see how it would fit, and could almost feel her hands on his shoulders. Two months after Christmas he was in his room and his mom came in to talk to me. She saw the sweater lying on the floor and said "Is that the sweater I gave you for Christmas?" It was then that he kind of realized what a gift that was. She searched for the most perfect gift she could give him with the last $20 she had.
He said that his mom never understood something, that we have the opportunity to find peace and ultimately, redemption. He used that as a way to lead into the true meaning of Christmas. It's not the birth of Christ, it's the gift that He has given us as our Savior and Redeemer. He talked about what it will be like to meet the Savior and how we will be accountable for what we have done with His gift. He mentioned the sweater again. He said that our lives are Christ's gift to us (and I'm paraphrasing this); "This was my gift to you, and what have you done with it?" He had so much emotion and passion in the message he was giving, it was very powerful. It really touched me and has given me some things to think about the last several days. The line that stuck with me the most was "Become the person you were meant to be and stop being the person you've allowed yourself to become."
Wow. It really was a great way to remind me of what the Christmas season is about, and I have thought so much about it the last few days. I also appreciated his willingness to share his story about his conversion to the LDS church. It was really neat to hear.
He told a very touching story about the last Christmas before his mom committed suicide. He said that he was a stupid 12 year old kid and didn't know how poor his family was or how much they were struggling. He recalled going to the tree and finding one gift, it was a sweater. He said his mom kept asking him things like "Do you like it?" and "Does it fit?" He remembered her holding it up to him to see how it would fit, and could almost feel her hands on his shoulders. Two months after Christmas he was in his room and his mom came in to talk to me. She saw the sweater lying on the floor and said "Is that the sweater I gave you for Christmas?" It was then that he kind of realized what a gift that was. She searched for the most perfect gift she could give him with the last $20 she had.
He said that his mom never understood something, that we have the opportunity to find peace and ultimately, redemption. He used that as a way to lead into the true meaning of Christmas. It's not the birth of Christ, it's the gift that He has given us as our Savior and Redeemer. He talked about what it will be like to meet the Savior and how we will be accountable for what we have done with His gift. He mentioned the sweater again. He said that our lives are Christ's gift to us (and I'm paraphrasing this); "This was my gift to you, and what have you done with it?" He had so much emotion and passion in the message he was giving, it was very powerful. It really touched me and has given me some things to think about the last several days. The line that stuck with me the most was "Become the person you were meant to be and stop being the person you've allowed yourself to become."
Wow. It really was a great way to remind me of what the Christmas season is about, and I have thought so much about it the last few days. I also appreciated his willingness to share his story about his conversion to the LDS church. It was really neat to hear.
My Festival of Trees Experience
It's that time of year again. We got off to a great start with a visit to the Festival of Trees on Saturday. However, I wasn't prepared for getting hit with all of the emotions I've had this year. Each year we go I am reminded of several friends and loved ones that have passed away, but this year I had a few extra experiences to be mindful of.
One of the first trees we walked by was done to thank the NICU at Primary Children's Medical Center for the care they'd given an infant that was premature and is doing great. My heart was so thankful for the health of our twins, and I was reminded of the fabulous care we all received at PCMC. A few trees later was a tree that was done in memory of a premature infant that hadn't made it. My heart ached for that family and the families of the infants that struggle and fight to survive but don't pull through. I was also reminded of my friend who lost her daughter earlier this year, the baby had ancephaly. I just couldn't keep my composure.
A couple of rows down was a tree titled "Grandma's Angels." It was done in memory of an older woman who had passed away this year. My thoughts turned to my mother-in-law, she would just be thrilled to be here with her granddaughters. I am missing her so much right now.
The last tree that really triggered my emotions was dedicated to the staff and volunteers at PCMC. There was a television with a slide presentation set to the song "Angels Among Us." It had several pictures of the staff with words of appreciation that scrolled by. Our experience at Primary's was a positive one. I knew that our girls were going to be fine, they just needed a little jumpstart. I never had to worry about what the outcome would be. Everyone we dealt with was amazing! We had some extraordinary circumstances going on because Pam was so ill while our girls were there, and everyone was so incredibly supportive. It really was exceptional care.
I am so thankful for the knowledge of eternal families, and knowing that this life isn't the all there is. I am also thankful that while we will always miss those who have died before us, that the pain lessens over time.
One of the first trees we walked by was done to thank the NICU at Primary Children's Medical Center for the care they'd given an infant that was premature and is doing great. My heart was so thankful for the health of our twins, and I was reminded of the fabulous care we all received at PCMC. A few trees later was a tree that was done in memory of a premature infant that hadn't made it. My heart ached for that family and the families of the infants that struggle and fight to survive but don't pull through. I was also reminded of my friend who lost her daughter earlier this year, the baby had ancephaly. I just couldn't keep my composure.
A couple of rows down was a tree titled "Grandma's Angels." It was done in memory of an older woman who had passed away this year. My thoughts turned to my mother-in-law, she would just be thrilled to be here with her granddaughters. I am missing her so much right now.
The last tree that really triggered my emotions was dedicated to the staff and volunteers at PCMC. There was a television with a slide presentation set to the song "Angels Among Us." It had several pictures of the staff with words of appreciation that scrolled by. Our experience at Primary's was a positive one. I knew that our girls were going to be fine, they just needed a little jumpstart. I never had to worry about what the outcome would be. Everyone we dealt with was amazing! We had some extraordinary circumstances going on because Pam was so ill while our girls were there, and everyone was so incredibly supportive. It really was exceptional care.
I am so thankful for the knowledge of eternal families, and knowing that this life isn't the all there is. I am also thankful that while we will always miss those who have died before us, that the pain lessens over time.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
I thought I would have free time!
I haven't found any yet!!! Life is still crazy, but it's great. I am so happy to be home with my girls. It's nice to be settled in one place instead of bouncing back and forth between the apartment and the house. I use the term "settled" loosely, the house is still not completely put together and we're in a little bit of chaos but we're working on it. I injured my back during the move and have not been able to move ahead at full speed like I want to. I finally got in to see my chiropractor today and I'm hopeful that I'll be on the mend soon.
Thanksgiving was our first big holiday without Pam. We started out with a visit to Aaron's grandma's house. The first thing everyone commented on was the absence of Pam's homemade rolls, they were replaced by Rhode's. We visited with the family for a bit and then headed to my grandparents' house. We didn't eat too much at either house because we ended the day with Aaron's brothers and sister-in-law at Mimi's Cafe. It was good to spend time with them, it's the first time we've all gotten together since July.
My heart was really full on Thanksgiving. I couldn't help but think of the major events this year. I was mostly focused on the babies, how fortunate we are to have them here and healthy. I also thought of the last several months of Pam's life and her passing. I have been missing her more lately and my heart aches for her sons' and granddaughters' grief. The other day Maddie asked me if we could buy a new Grandma Pam. She misses her so much. Her absence is noticed every day. I don't know where she picked it up but Maddie doesn't end a prayer without saying "Please help heal our hearts as we are missing Grandma Pam." Aaron is starting to really feel the loss of his mom and it is hard. The holidays really bring the emotions to the surface. I hope that they are healing in some ways.
Here's some pictures of my girls!
The girls on Thanksgiving day (from left to right: Cami, Maddie, Brie)
Brie and Cami, they lock arms or hold hands every time they're next to each other. It's so sweet!
Maddie and Aaron on their way to the Daddy-Daughter Princess Ball
Maddie helping me out while we were staying in Park City at the end of October
Thanksgiving was our first big holiday without Pam. We started out with a visit to Aaron's grandma's house. The first thing everyone commented on was the absence of Pam's homemade rolls, they were replaced by Rhode's. We visited with the family for a bit and then headed to my grandparents' house. We didn't eat too much at either house because we ended the day with Aaron's brothers and sister-in-law at Mimi's Cafe. It was good to spend time with them, it's the first time we've all gotten together since July.
My heart was really full on Thanksgiving. I couldn't help but think of the major events this year. I was mostly focused on the babies, how fortunate we are to have them here and healthy. I also thought of the last several months of Pam's life and her passing. I have been missing her more lately and my heart aches for her sons' and granddaughters' grief. The other day Maddie asked me if we could buy a new Grandma Pam. She misses her so much. Her absence is noticed every day. I don't know where she picked it up but Maddie doesn't end a prayer without saying "Please help heal our hearts as we are missing Grandma Pam." Aaron is starting to really feel the loss of his mom and it is hard. The holidays really bring the emotions to the surface. I hope that they are healing in some ways.
Here's some pictures of my girls!
The girls on Thanksgiving day (from left to right: Cami, Maddie, Brie)
Brie and Cami, they lock arms or hold hands every time they're next to each other. It's so sweet!
Maddie and Aaron on their way to the Daddy-Daughter Princess Ball
Maddie helping me out while we were staying in Park City at the end of October
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Stealing a minute
The last few weeks have been so busy! We were in a race to get the house cleared out, patched up and painted in time for the new carpet to be installed. We spent countless hours there, some of them more productive than others (blame this on my sweet baby girls that STILL aren't sleeping through the night). We made it though. New baseboards (thanks, Dad!), freshly painted walls, and new carpet throughout the house. My grandpa also did some minor demolition and restructure in the bathrooms, something I hadn't expected to happen until after we moved in. I'm so happy it was done before! The carpet was installed on Monday and Tuesday of this week. I am now frantically trying to pack up our apartment. Not an easy task with the girls around. I hadn't made great progress until today. I called my mom this morning and she was able to get away from work for the day. She spent a little over 5 hours here keeping the kids happy while I packed. I got through the pantry and the kitchen. We took a load out to the house and my sister came home with me so that I could get more done while she took care of the girls. I got through our computer desk and my walk-in closet. Tomorrow I'm taking Maddie to her great-grandma's house so that I can pack up her room and closet. It will be easier and less of a mess if I do it when she's not here.
That's about all that is going on at the moment. Soon we will be done with the house consuming our lives and we'll have other things to talk about.
Cami and Brie have started giggling. It's the cutest thing! One of the greatest joys in life comes from walking in to your baby's line of sight and getting the biggest grin - like nothing will ever make them happier than seeing you. I love it! They also chatter all day long, they love to hear themselves talk. Maddie sings and dances for them to get them to laugh, I'm not supposed to know that though!
Maddie is so much fun. She's a big help and great company most of the time. She's learning so much, too. She's been able to write her name for months and she's working on several other letters of the alphabet. She can recognize letters and is close to recognizing familiar words. I'm very proud of her!
The five of us all have a miserable fall cold. There should be a law against that. If everyone is going to be sick, moms should be immune. I am hoping it goes away quickly, we are headed up to Park City on Sunday for a few days away. It would be nice to have everyone healthy!
That's about all that is going on at the moment. Soon we will be done with the house consuming our lives and we'll have other things to talk about.
Cami and Brie have started giggling. It's the cutest thing! One of the greatest joys in life comes from walking in to your baby's line of sight and getting the biggest grin - like nothing will ever make them happier than seeing you. I love it! They also chatter all day long, they love to hear themselves talk. Maddie sings and dances for them to get them to laugh, I'm not supposed to know that though!
Maddie is so much fun. She's a big help and great company most of the time. She's learning so much, too. She's been able to write her name for months and she's working on several other letters of the alphabet. She can recognize letters and is close to recognizing familiar words. I'm very proud of her!
The five of us all have a miserable fall cold. There should be a law against that. If everyone is going to be sick, moms should be immune. I am hoping it goes away quickly, we are headed up to Park City on Sunday for a few days away. It would be nice to have everyone healthy!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Still busy, what is normal?
Honestly, I keep wondering when life will get back to normal, but I still don't know what that is! The last several months have been filled with extraordinary events that won't happen all the time - thank heavens! Because all of this happened right when the twins were born, it will be interesting to see how we adjust to our new normal once we're done taking care of the current major project. We have spent the last 3 1/2 months going through all of MIL's belongings, sorting, tossing, donating, etc. We have finally finished that task and are now working on patching, painting, pulling carpet, and getting ready to move in. We have given notice for November 1st so I guess this will be happening soon. We have 9 days before the new carpet is going to be installed, there is still a good amount of work to be done in order to be ready for that, but we can do it. Mostly because my parents have been very helpful in making sure we get this done. I'm fairly certain that is because they are worried I will fall apart at any moment. This might be true, but I am too busy and sleep deprived to notice! The basement, where my BIL will be living, is finished, the new carpet is in and his room is painted. The carpet looks awesome! I'm very happy with what we selected. I can't wait to see what the rest of the house looks like when it's done.
Now for an update on my girls. They are all so wonderful! Maddie is so delightful, we really have fun together. Preschool has helped her define something of her own, which has directly affected her temper, she is doing so well! Cami and Brie are doing great. They had their 4 month check-up 2 weeks ago and they're growing beyond expectations. Their growth is right in line with where 4 month olds should be, without taking into account their prematurity. They are full of grins and starting to giggle, and occassionally they will see each other and coo and grin for several minutes. The little stinkers aren't sleeping very well at night, but I might be partly to blame for that. We are so busy during the day that I don't monitor their naps very well, and they are still sleeping quite a bit throughout the day. The pediatrician told me to keep their naps to 2 or 2 1/2 hours at a time, so I've been working on that a little bit. I have to admit it's been nice to have them sleep so much during the day when we've been busy at the house. I do need to get them on a loose schedule to see if that will help. I would like to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time, preferrably before they're 2!
Thanks to everyone that visits my blog! Sorry I'm not around to update more often. That might change once we get settled next month. I'll be back soon.
Now for an update on my girls. They are all so wonderful! Maddie is so delightful, we really have fun together. Preschool has helped her define something of her own, which has directly affected her temper, she is doing so well! Cami and Brie are doing great. They had their 4 month check-up 2 weeks ago and they're growing beyond expectations. Their growth is right in line with where 4 month olds should be, without taking into account their prematurity. They are full of grins and starting to giggle, and occassionally they will see each other and coo and grin for several minutes. The little stinkers aren't sleeping very well at night, but I might be partly to blame for that. We are so busy during the day that I don't monitor their naps very well, and they are still sleeping quite a bit throughout the day. The pediatrician told me to keep their naps to 2 or 2 1/2 hours at a time, so I've been working on that a little bit. I have to admit it's been nice to have them sleep so much during the day when we've been busy at the house. I do need to get them on a loose schedule to see if that will help. I would like to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time, preferrably before they're 2!
Thanks to everyone that visits my blog! Sorry I'm not around to update more often. That might change once we get settled next month. I'll be back soon.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
A hot computer, grandma in town and a house to fix up
I won't be around for awhile. Ha! Like I'm here much anyways. Life is just too busy!
We are having problems with our laptop, the charger won't stay plugged in to the back of the computer without it being positioned just so. When it does stay plugged in for a long period of time, the computer and the cord heat up really hot. I finally called Best Buy today to check on our warranty and we'll be taking the computer in tomorrow. I don't know how long it will be gone.
My grandma is flying in from Phoenix on Monday, she'll be here for 2 weeks. It will be great to have some time with her, she hasn't seen the babies yet and we haven't seen her since Thanksgiving last year.
We are in the process of cleaning up MIL's house and getting it ready for us to move in. What a project! I always knew it would be a big job but I really had no idea. We have found a few treasures in the midst of a lot of, well, junk really. We picked out carpet earlier this week and we're taking a check by the store tomorrow so that they will order the carpet. They're installing the downstairs bedroom first, where my brother-in-law will be living, so we are doing this in baby steps. We do have quite a bit of work to do so that the carpet can be installed when it gets in on the 27th. We stopped by the county sanitation department yesterday to reserve a dumpster so that we can get rid of everything without having to make multiple trips to the dump. That will be at the house the 12th-17th of October. Needless to say, we'll be at the house a lot!
We are having problems with our laptop, the charger won't stay plugged in to the back of the computer without it being positioned just so. When it does stay plugged in for a long period of time, the computer and the cord heat up really hot. I finally called Best Buy today to check on our warranty and we'll be taking the computer in tomorrow. I don't know how long it will be gone.
My grandma is flying in from Phoenix on Monday, she'll be here for 2 weeks. It will be great to have some time with her, she hasn't seen the babies yet and we haven't seen her since Thanksgiving last year.
We are in the process of cleaning up MIL's house and getting it ready for us to move in. What a project! I always knew it would be a big job but I really had no idea. We have found a few treasures in the midst of a lot of, well, junk really. We picked out carpet earlier this week and we're taking a check by the store tomorrow so that they will order the carpet. They're installing the downstairs bedroom first, where my brother-in-law will be living, so we are doing this in baby steps. We do have quite a bit of work to do so that the carpet can be installed when it gets in on the 27th. We stopped by the county sanitation department yesterday to reserve a dumpster so that we can get rid of everything without having to make multiple trips to the dump. That will be at the house the 12th-17th of October. Needless to say, we'll be at the house a lot!
Ever After
One of Maddie's favorite things to do is cuddle up with us for a movie night. Last Friday Aaron was at work and it was just the girls at home. We went through our movies together and she picked Ever After. We put on our jammies, popped some popcorn and got under the covers in my bed. At one point during the movie, I was holding Brie and Maddie had Cami in the crook of her arm. That moment for me was so precious, and it seemed to foreshadow the mommy/daughter nights that are in store for us. How lucky am I to have three beautiful daughters to share simple pleasures with?
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Celebrating life
I have never written about my mother-in-law's health problems on my blog. I think it was out of respect for her privacy, and to avoid her seeing my thoughts and feelings about what was going on. I don't know that she ever visited my blog, but there was always the possibility.
My mother-in-law was diagnosed with dermatomyositis in 2002. It's a rare degenerative skin and muscle disease. In 2003, she found out she had breast cancer. The dermatomyositis had masked the disease, a mastectomy was not an option for her. The cancer was in her lymphnodes as well, but seemed to be slow progressing. She's endured several different treatments and a lot of physical pain and suffering the last several years. In November of last year, Pam was having difficulty breathing and was hospitalized at the Huntsman Cancer Institute the week of Thanksgiving. The cancer had spread to her lungs. She began more aggressive treatment right away.
On December 2nd, the day we found out we were expecting twins, we went to her house to share the news. Pam had a tendency to not take care of herself like she should and Aaron decided to take advantage of the opportunity to tell her to listen to her doctors so that she could be around for the twins. The cancer in her lungs miraculously cleared up within a couple of months. Her health was not good though and we watched as more and more problems and complications popped up. I often wondered if she would make it to see the babies. She was determined to be here for there birth. She fought a good fight!
Pam was hospitalized for several days at a time on four separate occassions in the month of May. She was home when the babies were born, but was having a very difficult time getting around. She was unable to drive herself, and the twins were in the NICU. My first visit with the girls was Thursday afternoon, May 25th. We arranged for Pam to come up to the hospital with her mom that same afternoon. Pam was able to see Cami and Brie for about half an hour before her fatigue caught up to her. She didn't get up to the NICU again before she was hospitalized on Tuesday, May 30th. I had been home from the hospital 2 days and the babies were in the middle of their stay at the NICU. Fortunately the hospital that Pam was at was just minutes from where the girls were. We found out on Wednesday, May 31st, that she only had a short time left. The cancer had spread to several organs and she wasn't going to be able to pull out of it this time. Our hearts were so heavy.
The following days were hectic, finding sitters for Maddie so that I could spend several hours with the girls at the NICU while Aaron spent time with his mom. Pam was heavily medicated to ease her pain but that left her incoherent and a little loopy at times. She was fighting so hard to have the opportunity to hold the twins. We tried to coordinate a visit to the NICU, both hospitals were willing to accomodate that but Pam's health just wasn't good enough for it to happen. Cami and Brie seemed to be well enough to be released from the hospital but there were a few hiccups. We were hoping they could be discharged so that we could take them to see Pam. It seems that everything that Pam had gone through treatment wise the last 5 months of her life was to allow her to be here to see the babies. It's amazing how much that determination allowed her to triumph. Cami was finally discharged on Monday, June 5th, the same day that Pam was taken to her mom's house for hospice care. What a bittersweet day that was. Because of all the things we had to do at the NICU to take Cami home, we decided to wait until Tuesday morning to take Cami to see Pam.
Tuesday morning we took Cami to see her. She seemed to be coherent and was thrilled beyond words to be able to finally hold her. She showered Cami with kisses and sweet "grandma" adorations. My heart aches as I think about that encounter. It's the last time that I remember being with Pam. I thought at that moment of all the things that she would miss and all of the things my girls would miss out on with their grandma being gone. I do have to say that it was an incredibly sweet, spiritual moment, seeing two lives so fragile together like that. The promise of what lies in store for my sweet baby and the quiet peace that I saw in Pam as she was finishing up a life well lived.
Brie was finally strong enough to come home on June 8th. Aaron got a phone call that morning that his mom's breathing pattern had changed and he should get to the house as soon as possible. He headed to his grandma's while I made arrangements for Maddie so that I could get up to the NICU to pick up Brie. We were hopeful that Pam would hold on long enough to hold Brie. My mom came with me to the hospital. As I was pulling into the parking lot I got the phone call from Aaron that his mom had passed away.
The next several days are a bit of a blur. We were not only adjusting to having the twins at home, we were making funeral arrangements, tracking down estate documents, and grieving. Nothing in my life had prepared me for how to deal with all of it. We are so very blessed to be surrounded with a huge support network of family and friends. It made everything a little easier to swallow. We put one foot in front of the other and did what had to be done. In many ways, almost three months later, we are still doing this. I suppose that's how you get through many of life's events. I just hope that when I look back at this time that I will remember more than just going through the motions.
My mother-in-law was diagnosed with dermatomyositis in 2002. It's a rare degenerative skin and muscle disease. In 2003, she found out she had breast cancer. The dermatomyositis had masked the disease, a mastectomy was not an option for her. The cancer was in her lymphnodes as well, but seemed to be slow progressing. She's endured several different treatments and a lot of physical pain and suffering the last several years. In November of last year, Pam was having difficulty breathing and was hospitalized at the Huntsman Cancer Institute the week of Thanksgiving. The cancer had spread to her lungs. She began more aggressive treatment right away.
On December 2nd, the day we found out we were expecting twins, we went to her house to share the news. Pam had a tendency to not take care of herself like she should and Aaron decided to take advantage of the opportunity to tell her to listen to her doctors so that she could be around for the twins. The cancer in her lungs miraculously cleared up within a couple of months. Her health was not good though and we watched as more and more problems and complications popped up. I often wondered if she would make it to see the babies. She was determined to be here for there birth. She fought a good fight!
Pam was hospitalized for several days at a time on four separate occassions in the month of May. She was home when the babies were born, but was having a very difficult time getting around. She was unable to drive herself, and the twins were in the NICU. My first visit with the girls was Thursday afternoon, May 25th. We arranged for Pam to come up to the hospital with her mom that same afternoon. Pam was able to see Cami and Brie for about half an hour before her fatigue caught up to her. She didn't get up to the NICU again before she was hospitalized on Tuesday, May 30th. I had been home from the hospital 2 days and the babies were in the middle of their stay at the NICU. Fortunately the hospital that Pam was at was just minutes from where the girls were. We found out on Wednesday, May 31st, that she only had a short time left. The cancer had spread to several organs and she wasn't going to be able to pull out of it this time. Our hearts were so heavy.
The following days were hectic, finding sitters for Maddie so that I could spend several hours with the girls at the NICU while Aaron spent time with his mom. Pam was heavily medicated to ease her pain but that left her incoherent and a little loopy at times. She was fighting so hard to have the opportunity to hold the twins. We tried to coordinate a visit to the NICU, both hospitals were willing to accomodate that but Pam's health just wasn't good enough for it to happen. Cami and Brie seemed to be well enough to be released from the hospital but there were a few hiccups. We were hoping they could be discharged so that we could take them to see Pam. It seems that everything that Pam had gone through treatment wise the last 5 months of her life was to allow her to be here to see the babies. It's amazing how much that determination allowed her to triumph. Cami was finally discharged on Monday, June 5th, the same day that Pam was taken to her mom's house for hospice care. What a bittersweet day that was. Because of all the things we had to do at the NICU to take Cami home, we decided to wait until Tuesday morning to take Cami to see Pam.
Tuesday morning we took Cami to see her. She seemed to be coherent and was thrilled beyond words to be able to finally hold her. She showered Cami with kisses and sweet "grandma" adorations. My heart aches as I think about that encounter. It's the last time that I remember being with Pam. I thought at that moment of all the things that she would miss and all of the things my girls would miss out on with their grandma being gone. I do have to say that it was an incredibly sweet, spiritual moment, seeing two lives so fragile together like that. The promise of what lies in store for my sweet baby and the quiet peace that I saw in Pam as she was finishing up a life well lived.
Brie was finally strong enough to come home on June 8th. Aaron got a phone call that morning that his mom's breathing pattern had changed and he should get to the house as soon as possible. He headed to his grandma's while I made arrangements for Maddie so that I could get up to the NICU to pick up Brie. We were hopeful that Pam would hold on long enough to hold Brie. My mom came with me to the hospital. As I was pulling into the parking lot I got the phone call from Aaron that his mom had passed away.
The next several days are a bit of a blur. We were not only adjusting to having the twins at home, we were making funeral arrangements, tracking down estate documents, and grieving. Nothing in my life had prepared me for how to deal with all of it. We are so very blessed to be surrounded with a huge support network of family and friends. It made everything a little easier to swallow. We put one foot in front of the other and did what had to be done. In many ways, almost three months later, we are still doing this. I suppose that's how you get through many of life's events. I just hope that when I look back at this time that I will remember more than just going through the motions.
I can't seem to find the time!
Life is busy and I'm getting nothing done! That's not completely true, I'm taking care of my girls, and it requires so much time! I'm trying not to let the messy house get to me, but it does. I do take the time to get the kitchen cleaned up every night, but the rest of the mess seems to accumulate so quickly! That's not what's important right now. If I have a few minutes where the babies don't need me, I try to spend them giving Maddie my full attention.
Maddie started preschool again on the 24th. I know this will help her - she's done really well with all of the big changes in our lives but she's struggling none the less. She really enjoys school and having time of her own. Apparently that's very important to her because she's not sharing anything about preschool with anyone. When I ask her what she did she says she knows but she doesn't want to tell me. Too funny.
Cami and Brie are doing so well! They are BIG!!! Both of them are over 12 pounds, possibly close to 13 at this point. They are full of gummy grins and they're trying hard to giggle. Cami seems to have a personality somewhat similar to Maddie. She's ready to go places and do things. She's not real patient (I know, what baby is?) in comparison to Brie. She does aim to please though, she's full of smiles and will interact with anyone who givers her some attention. Brie is mellow, content and peaceful. I often catching her staring at me with a smile on her face, she tries to get my attention with a sweet coo. They are such good babies. They don't fuss or cry unless they're hungry.
Going out is a bit of a challenge. I'm on my own 3 or 4 days of the week while Aaron works his 12 hour shifts. It's just not possible to save errands for the times when he is home, we usually end up leaving the house once a day. It is becoming increasingly difficult to haul the girls up and down the stairs in their carseats at the same time! I'm glad we'll be moving before they get too much bigger. No more counting 19 stairs each trip!
Grocery shopping is an adventure in and of itself. I put the babies in their stroller
and pull Maddie in a cart along side of me. It's almost funny how many sympathetic looks I get when we're out. As long as I can keep Maddie happy and the babies have full tummies, going out with them by myself isn't too bad. It's just become the new normal!
I'm still up with them several times a night. Because of Aaron's work schedule, I often don't go to bed until after 1 a.m. I could change this if I went to bed after the babies 9:00 (approx) feeding, but it would leave me with next to no "quiet time" without Maddie up and running about. Most nights I'm lucky and the girls wake up at about the same time. Other nights they're off just enough that it totally messes up my night. Last night I didn't get to sleep until almost 2, Cami woke up at 3, Brie woke up at 4, Cami woke up at 6 and Brie woke up at 7. I look like death warmed over today! Nights like that happen about once a week.
The biggest challenge so far has been breastfeeding. With as chaotic as the first several weeks with twins was, I became accustomed to pumping and giving the babies bottles. This was nice because I could get help with the kids when I needed it, I wasn't attached at the hip to them. Not to mention that nursing two very small babies at once was very difficult. I was determined to make it work and made myself nurse during the day and still gave bottles at night (while I pumped). I don't always get enough milk during a pumping session to give both babies a full 4 oz. bottle so I have been supplementing with formula a bit. Not the best, but for us it works. I look at it as the way that I'm making breastfeeding work for us. Overall I'm satisfied with how it's turned out. The babies are 3 months old and they are getting the majority of their nourishment from mom's milk. That's a big accomplishment for me!
I will try to update my blog more often. Thanks for reading!
Maddie started preschool again on the 24th. I know this will help her - she's done really well with all of the big changes in our lives but she's struggling none the less. She really enjoys school and having time of her own. Apparently that's very important to her because she's not sharing anything about preschool with anyone. When I ask her what she did she says she knows but she doesn't want to tell me. Too funny.
Cami and Brie are doing so well! They are BIG!!! Both of them are over 12 pounds, possibly close to 13 at this point. They are full of gummy grins and they're trying hard to giggle. Cami seems to have a personality somewhat similar to Maddie. She's ready to go places and do things. She's not real patient (I know, what baby is?) in comparison to Brie. She does aim to please though, she's full of smiles and will interact with anyone who givers her some attention. Brie is mellow, content and peaceful. I often catching her staring at me with a smile on her face, she tries to get my attention with a sweet coo. They are such good babies. They don't fuss or cry unless they're hungry.
Going out is a bit of a challenge. I'm on my own 3 or 4 days of the week while Aaron works his 12 hour shifts. It's just not possible to save errands for the times when he is home, we usually end up leaving the house once a day. It is becoming increasingly difficult to haul the girls up and down the stairs in their carseats at the same time! I'm glad we'll be moving before they get too much bigger. No more counting 19 stairs each trip!
Grocery shopping is an adventure in and of itself. I put the babies in their stroller
and pull Maddie in a cart along side of me. It's almost funny how many sympathetic looks I get when we're out. As long as I can keep Maddie happy and the babies have full tummies, going out with them by myself isn't too bad. It's just become the new normal!
I'm still up with them several times a night. Because of Aaron's work schedule, I often don't go to bed until after 1 a.m. I could change this if I went to bed after the babies 9:00 (approx) feeding, but it would leave me with next to no "quiet time" without Maddie up and running about. Most nights I'm lucky and the girls wake up at about the same time. Other nights they're off just enough that it totally messes up my night. Last night I didn't get to sleep until almost 2, Cami woke up at 3, Brie woke up at 4, Cami woke up at 6 and Brie woke up at 7. I look like death warmed over today! Nights like that happen about once a week.
The biggest challenge so far has been breastfeeding. With as chaotic as the first several weeks with twins was, I became accustomed to pumping and giving the babies bottles. This was nice because I could get help with the kids when I needed it, I wasn't attached at the hip to them. Not to mention that nursing two very small babies at once was very difficult. I was determined to make it work and made myself nurse during the day and still gave bottles at night (while I pumped). I don't always get enough milk during a pumping session to give both babies a full 4 oz. bottle so I have been supplementing with formula a bit. Not the best, but for us it works. I look at it as the way that I'm making breastfeeding work for us. Overall I'm satisfied with how it's turned out. The babies are 3 months old and they are getting the majority of their nourishment from mom's milk. That's a big accomplishment for me!
I will try to update my blog more often. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Two months!
Cami and Brie are 2 months old today. I am writing this when I should be sleeping...I will never learn to go to bed as soon as they finish their last feeding of the day. I like the quiet time once everyone is in bed.
I haven't posted an update because I honestly haven't turned the computer on that often, let alone have a few minutes to put my thoughts together. My days are filled with trying to keep Maddie happy and entertained while feeding and caring for the babies. Not an easy task. Preschool starts a month from today and I know we are all looking forward to that!
Last week my parents and I took the girls to my family reunion in Capitol Reef. It was a nice break from the normal routine, but I learned it is crucial to my sanity to not have anywhere I have to be by 9:00 a.m. on a regular basis. We had a great time visiting with family and enjoying the scenery. I have a couple pictures of me with the girls - I went to get the camera to upload them so that I could post them here but it is not where I left it. I think Maddie moved it while she was "helping" me clean earlier today.
We have been working slowly at cleaning out my mother-in-law's home. We'll be moving in by the end of September if we can get things together. I am looking forward to the move for a lot of reasons but I'm hesitant about it for a few reasons. Hopefully it works out!
I haven't posted an update because I honestly haven't turned the computer on that often, let alone have a few minutes to put my thoughts together. My days are filled with trying to keep Maddie happy and entertained while feeding and caring for the babies. Not an easy task. Preschool starts a month from today and I know we are all looking forward to that!
Last week my parents and I took the girls to my family reunion in Capitol Reef. It was a nice break from the normal routine, but I learned it is crucial to my sanity to not have anywhere I have to be by 9:00 a.m. on a regular basis. We had a great time visiting with family and enjoying the scenery. I have a couple pictures of me with the girls - I went to get the camera to upload them so that I could post them here but it is not where I left it. I think Maddie moved it while she was "helping" me clean earlier today.
We have been working slowly at cleaning out my mother-in-law's home. We'll be moving in by the end of September if we can get things together. I am looking forward to the move for a lot of reasons but I'm hesitant about it for a few reasons. Hopefully it works out!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Cami and Brie's birth story
I think this all started on Monday night, May 22nd. Aaron and I turned on the season finale of 24 that we had TIVO’d about 11:00. I started having painful contractions about 5 minutes apart while we were watching the show, after 5 of them in a row we decided to get ready to head to the hospital. While Aaron was showering and I was tossing some clothes in a bag for Maddie, the contractions spaced further apart and then stopped completely. 45 minutes after they had started they disappeared completely. We stayed up for another hour and a half to be sure they didn’t come back and then went to bed.
Tuesday I had a couple of contractions throughout the day but they weren’t consistent. Maddie and I spent the afternoon and evening at my parent’s house, Chelsey helped keep Maddie entertained while I got some rest. We headed home after dinner at about 7:45. I got Maddie to bed by 8:30, straightened up the living room and then laid down to watch TV. I started having contractions again about 10:00. I started timing them right away. They were coming every 5-6 minutes but they weren’t very painful. I called Aaron at 10:35 to let him know and he said he thought we should go in and get me checked out. He made arrangements to leave work while I called my parents so that they could meet us to get Maddie. Aaron got home about 11:10 and we arrived at the hospital at 11:40 p.m. My contractions were still consistent but not terribly painful. My parents decided to wait until we knew a little more about what was going on. They ended up leaving with Maddie at about 12:45 once they realized it would be quite some time before we knew what was going to happen.
They had me give a urine sample so that they could check for a UTI, then got me hooked up to the monitors. My contractions were about 6 ½ minutes apart and both babies heart rates were doing very well. The nurse gave me some brethine to try and stop the contractions, my first dose of that was about 12:20 a.m. She also checked me and I was dilated to almost a 4. The brethine worked temporarily but the contractions came back and were more painful. We let my parents know that we’d be there for awhile, we still didn’t know what was going on. I had two more doses of brethine with no permanent success. The lab results on my urine sample came back, I did have an infection (which was probably the cause of the contractions). The doctor on call came in to talk to us about 1:30 a.m., he checked me and did a quick ultrasound to check the position of the girls, they were both breech. He said that after reviewing my chart from my first delivery (only 4 hours long) he wasn’t comfortable with how things were going and that they’d have me in the OR for a c-section within an hour. I didn’t think that was what we were going to hear that night!
After the doctor and nurse left the room I broke down a little bit. I made it to 34 weeks 3 days, which is great, but I was hoping to make it to at least 36 weeks. We were very aware of the possible complications that our girls might have. We asked the nurse to please find an LDS Elder so that I could have a priesthood blessing before going in for the delivery. The surgical tech that was assigned to my c-section was the one who came in to assist Aaron with the blessing. It was a blessing of comfort and peace of mind and I was assured that we would all be okay.
They took me into the operating room and prepared me for surgery. Aaron came in and sat by my side. Doctor Barton came to do the c-section and the on-call doctor stayed to assist him. Things happened so quickly once we were in the operating room! The pediatrician on call came in and was there during the delivery. I opted not to watch them make the incision on the overhead mirror but I did watch as they pulled the babies out. Camille was born first at 3:11 a.m. and Gabrielle (after some prodding, she was reluctant to come out!) was born at 3:13 a.m. I only caught a brief glimpse of both of them before the pediatrician and nurses started working on them right away, they were struggling with their breathing quite a bit. We heard them call out the measurements on the girls, Camille weighed 5 lbs 6 oz. and was 18 ½ inches long, Gabrielle weighed 5 lbs 8 oz. and was also 18 ½ inches long. Their weights were really good for their gestation.
An interesting sidenote, as the doctor was checking everything before stitching me up he said “Have you had an ovary removed?” I answered “No, why? Are you missing one?” He replied “No, but you are!” He mentioned there’s a possibility I had both at one time and the missing ovary may have amputated itself. It’s odd that this has never been discovered after numerous exams and an ultrasound a couple of years ago when I had a cyst on my right ovary.
The next several hours are a bit of a blur. Aaron stayed with me while I was in recovery until they took me to my room. Once we had me settled at about 5:30 a.m., Aaron went to the nursery to check on the girls. I tried to sleep but I was very anxious. Aaron returned to my room with the pediatrician to give me an update at about 6:45. They were working on finding a NICU bed for Brie, Cami seemed to be doing okay and might not need to go to a NICU. They ended up looking for 2 NICU beds, deciding to play it safe. There was a shortage of beds in the valley and the possibility of having one baby at Primary Children’s Medical Center and one at Utah Valley Medical Center was very real. When they found two beds at PCMC they decided to send both girls up there. We had to wait for the Life Flight teams to come via ambulance to prepare the girls for their trip. Brie’s team arrived at about 8:15. Once they had her ready for transport they brought her to my room so that I could touch her and get a couple of pictures with her. She left for PCMC at about 10:30 a.m. Cami’s team arrived at about 9:30 and they brought her to me for a minute as well, she left for PCMC at about 11:15 a.m.
I will post the events and my thoughts/feelings of the following days over the next several days. I still need to pull all of that together! Thanks for reading.
Tuesday I had a couple of contractions throughout the day but they weren’t consistent. Maddie and I spent the afternoon and evening at my parent’s house, Chelsey helped keep Maddie entertained while I got some rest. We headed home after dinner at about 7:45. I got Maddie to bed by 8:30, straightened up the living room and then laid down to watch TV. I started having contractions again about 10:00. I started timing them right away. They were coming every 5-6 minutes but they weren’t very painful. I called Aaron at 10:35 to let him know and he said he thought we should go in and get me checked out. He made arrangements to leave work while I called my parents so that they could meet us to get Maddie. Aaron got home about 11:10 and we arrived at the hospital at 11:40 p.m. My contractions were still consistent but not terribly painful. My parents decided to wait until we knew a little more about what was going on. They ended up leaving with Maddie at about 12:45 once they realized it would be quite some time before we knew what was going to happen.
They had me give a urine sample so that they could check for a UTI, then got me hooked up to the monitors. My contractions were about 6 ½ minutes apart and both babies heart rates were doing very well. The nurse gave me some brethine to try and stop the contractions, my first dose of that was about 12:20 a.m. She also checked me and I was dilated to almost a 4. The brethine worked temporarily but the contractions came back and were more painful. We let my parents know that we’d be there for awhile, we still didn’t know what was going on. I had two more doses of brethine with no permanent success. The lab results on my urine sample came back, I did have an infection (which was probably the cause of the contractions). The doctor on call came in to talk to us about 1:30 a.m., he checked me and did a quick ultrasound to check the position of the girls, they were both breech. He said that after reviewing my chart from my first delivery (only 4 hours long) he wasn’t comfortable with how things were going and that they’d have me in the OR for a c-section within an hour. I didn’t think that was what we were going to hear that night!
After the doctor and nurse left the room I broke down a little bit. I made it to 34 weeks 3 days, which is great, but I was hoping to make it to at least 36 weeks. We were very aware of the possible complications that our girls might have. We asked the nurse to please find an LDS Elder so that I could have a priesthood blessing before going in for the delivery. The surgical tech that was assigned to my c-section was the one who came in to assist Aaron with the blessing. It was a blessing of comfort and peace of mind and I was assured that we would all be okay.
They took me into the operating room and prepared me for surgery. Aaron came in and sat by my side. Doctor Barton came to do the c-section and the on-call doctor stayed to assist him. Things happened so quickly once we were in the operating room! The pediatrician on call came in and was there during the delivery. I opted not to watch them make the incision on the overhead mirror but I did watch as they pulled the babies out. Camille was born first at 3:11 a.m. and Gabrielle (after some prodding, she was reluctant to come out!) was born at 3:13 a.m. I only caught a brief glimpse of both of them before the pediatrician and nurses started working on them right away, they were struggling with their breathing quite a bit. We heard them call out the measurements on the girls, Camille weighed 5 lbs 6 oz. and was 18 ½ inches long, Gabrielle weighed 5 lbs 8 oz. and was also 18 ½ inches long. Their weights were really good for their gestation.
An interesting sidenote, as the doctor was checking everything before stitching me up he said “Have you had an ovary removed?” I answered “No, why? Are you missing one?” He replied “No, but you are!” He mentioned there’s a possibility I had both at one time and the missing ovary may have amputated itself. It’s odd that this has never been discovered after numerous exams and an ultrasound a couple of years ago when I had a cyst on my right ovary.
The next several hours are a bit of a blur. Aaron stayed with me while I was in recovery until they took me to my room. Once we had me settled at about 5:30 a.m., Aaron went to the nursery to check on the girls. I tried to sleep but I was very anxious. Aaron returned to my room with the pediatrician to give me an update at about 6:45. They were working on finding a NICU bed for Brie, Cami seemed to be doing okay and might not need to go to a NICU. They ended up looking for 2 NICU beds, deciding to play it safe. There was a shortage of beds in the valley and the possibility of having one baby at Primary Children’s Medical Center and one at Utah Valley Medical Center was very real. When they found two beds at PCMC they decided to send both girls up there. We had to wait for the Life Flight teams to come via ambulance to prepare the girls for their trip. Brie’s team arrived at about 8:15. Once they had her ready for transport they brought her to my room so that I could touch her and get a couple of pictures with her. She left for PCMC at about 10:30 a.m. Cami’s team arrived at about 9:30 and they brought her to me for a minute as well, she left for PCMC at about 11:15 a.m.
I will post the events and my thoughts/feelings of the following days over the next several days. I still need to pull all of that together! Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Life is back to a new kind of normal
Hi again! I know it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I last updated this. Some friends have mentioned they were impressed that I had updated my blog so quickly after giving birth. I will just remind you that I was in the hospital for 5 days with no babies and, as a result, very few visitors. Thank heavens for my laptop and the wireless internet access provided by the hospital.
I don't want to get into all of the events of the last 4 weeks tonight, it is late and I am not sure I have my wits about me enough to make any sense right now! I have been working on my birth story a little bit at a time, which is turning into a miniature novel. The problem is that the last several weeks have been SO eventful that I'm having a hard time separating the birth story from a journal of everything that happened afterwards.
After the events of the last several weeks we are finally able to have some "down time" at home enjoying our new babies. They are sweet, adorable, precious little girls and we're just in love with them! Maddie is a very proud big sister and just adores them.
I will be back soon with a detailed update! :)
I don't want to get into all of the events of the last 4 weeks tonight, it is late and I am not sure I have my wits about me enough to make any sense right now! I have been working on my birth story a little bit at a time, which is turning into a miniature novel. The problem is that the last several weeks have been SO eventful that I'm having a hard time separating the birth story from a journal of everything that happened afterwards.
After the events of the last several weeks we are finally able to have some "down time" at home enjoying our new babies. They are sweet, adorable, precious little girls and we're just in love with them! Maddie is a very proud big sister and just adores them.
I will be back soon with a detailed update! :)
Friday, May 26, 2006
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