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!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
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
Thursday, May 25, 2006
The girls are here!
Just a quick update, I will post a more detailed birth story once I've had some time to put my thoughts together.
I arrived at L&D on Tuesday night about 11:45 after having contractions 5-6 minutes apart since 10:00 p.m. They were unable to slow them down and about 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning we were told to prepare for my c-section (both girls were breech).
Camille was born 5/24/06 at 3:11 a.m.
5 lbs 6 oz.
18 1/2 inches long
Gabrielle was born 5/24/06 at 3:13 a.m.
5 lbs 8 oz.
18 1/2 inches long
They were born at 34 weeks 3 days. A little earlier than we had hoped for and their lungs are immature and underdeveloped. After the pediatrician observed them for several hours and consulted with a neonatologist at the local children's hospital, they decided to transfer both Cami and Brie to the NICU at the children's hospital. They are responding very well to the surfactant and ventilators and Cami will possibly be coming off the vent as early as this morning.
It is terribly difficult to be so far from them. I was exhausted all day yesterday and slept throughout the day but got a call from Aaron as he was leaving the NICU last night giving me an update on their progress. That brought a whole bunch of emotions to the surface. My doctor has already written up orders for a "day pass" for me to leave the maternity ward for a few hours so that we can make the trip up to the other hospital. I am looking forward to spending some time with both babies as I have really only seen them each for a total of 3 minutes.
I do feel incredibly blessed, the birth was amazing and the girls really are doing very well even though they are needing some assistance.
Thank you to everyone for your love and support, thoughts and prayers!
I arrived at L&D on Tuesday night about 11:45 after having contractions 5-6 minutes apart since 10:00 p.m. They were unable to slow them down and about 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning we were told to prepare for my c-section (both girls were breech).
Camille was born 5/24/06 at 3:11 a.m.
5 lbs 6 oz.
18 1/2 inches long
Gabrielle was born 5/24/06 at 3:13 a.m.
5 lbs 8 oz.
18 1/2 inches long
They were born at 34 weeks 3 days. A little earlier than we had hoped for and their lungs are immature and underdeveloped. After the pediatrician observed them for several hours and consulted with a neonatologist at the local children's hospital, they decided to transfer both Cami and Brie to the NICU at the children's hospital. They are responding very well to the surfactant and ventilators and Cami will possibly be coming off the vent as early as this morning.
It is terribly difficult to be so far from them. I was exhausted all day yesterday and slept throughout the day but got a call from Aaron as he was leaving the NICU last night giving me an update on their progress. That brought a whole bunch of emotions to the surface. My doctor has already written up orders for a "day pass" for me to leave the maternity ward for a few hours so that we can make the trip up to the other hospital. I am looking forward to spending some time with both babies as I have really only seen them each for a total of 3 minutes.
I do feel incredibly blessed, the birth was amazing and the girls really are doing very well even though they are needing some assistance.
Thank you to everyone for your love and support, thoughts and prayers!
Friday, May 12, 2006
A picture of us
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Hanging in there
Barely, it seems! I am not sleeping very well, my body just hurts almost everywhere. We've been busy taking Auntie Barbara around town and I am not able to walk for much more than 30 minutes before I am completely uncomfortable. Fortunately every stop we've made has had a seating area that I can hang out at while Auntie Barbara finishes her browsing/shopping.
My latest pregnancy complaint is numbness. My feet and ankles have been swelling up for several weeks now, but the last several days I have noticed that my right thigh is numb - constantly. While we were at the grocery store Aaron had me use the machine at the pharmacy to take my blood pressure. It was high for me but within normal range (136/76). We have some protein test strips here at home and those are coming up negative. Last night I noticed that the right side of my back, abdomen and chest were numb too. I woke up several times throughout the night and both of my hands were asleep - I could blame the left side on the fact that I was sleeping on that arm, but had no explanation for the right side that had no pressure on it. After asking a few friends (some of them mothers of multiples), it seems like it's fairly normal for the last little bit of pregnancy. I will mention it at my next appointment (on Tuesday). I will check my BP and urine protein every day just to keep an eye on it.
Now for some good news...I'm enjoying my SAHM status! It's been really nice to not have to go to work, especially with the new aches and pains. Maddie and I are having a great time together. We've been busy but she's been a lot of fun. This week is different than most of our days will be because Aunt B. is in town and we have a wedding that will take up most of the day on Thursday, so we won't find a "routine" until next week...and that will quickly change once the girls come anyway!
Aaron and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. Actually, because of Aunt B's visit we spent the day and evening with family. We'll go out for a date night later this week. I'll post more about my awesome husband and the last 8 years later this week. I love you, Aaron!
My latest pregnancy complaint is numbness. My feet and ankles have been swelling up for several weeks now, but the last several days I have noticed that my right thigh is numb - constantly. While we were at the grocery store Aaron had me use the machine at the pharmacy to take my blood pressure. It was high for me but within normal range (136/76). We have some protein test strips here at home and those are coming up negative. Last night I noticed that the right side of my back, abdomen and chest were numb too. I woke up several times throughout the night and both of my hands were asleep - I could blame the left side on the fact that I was sleeping on that arm, but had no explanation for the right side that had no pressure on it. After asking a few friends (some of them mothers of multiples), it seems like it's fairly normal for the last little bit of pregnancy. I will mention it at my next appointment (on Tuesday). I will check my BP and urine protein every day just to keep an eye on it.
Now for some good news...I'm enjoying my SAHM status! It's been really nice to not have to go to work, especially with the new aches and pains. Maddie and I are having a great time together. We've been busy but she's been a lot of fun. This week is different than most of our days will be because Aunt B. is in town and we have a wedding that will take up most of the day on Thursday, so we won't find a "routine" until next week...and that will quickly change once the girls come anyway!
Aaron and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. Actually, because of Aunt B's visit we spent the day and evening with family. We'll go out for a date night later this week. I'll post more about my awesome husband and the last 8 years later this week. I love you, Aaron!
Friday, May 05, 2006
I made it!
My last day of work was yesterday. It was a great day, too! My co-workers took me out to breakfast at Johanna's Kitchen and gave me a very generous giftcard to Target. It was unexpected and much appreciated! Thank you to all of you! Work was relatively quiet so most of the day was spent chatting and killing time. I don't think it has hit me that it was my last day just yet.
I had a level II ultrasound this morning to check the babies growth. They are doing so well! Baby A is measuring 4 lbs 3 oz. and Baby B is measuring 4 lbs 7 oz. That is right about where a singleton would be at 32 weeks, so they are thriving! I am really happy about that. I am now carrying more baby than I did when I was pregnant with Maddie, she was 8 lbs. 4 oz. at birth. There is some suspense and a lot excitement knowing that the girls are so close to arriving, knowing that we don't have much control over when it happens! My next doctor's appointment is on the 16th.
Today was my first day as a SAHM. I think it will take me a bit to realize that I'll be home every day and I don't need to take care of everything at once! I spent a good part of the morning picking up my room, scrubbing the shower and doing laundry. After doing that I made Maddie and I some lunch and spent an hour and a half resting on the bed. I talked Maddie into a nap as well, so I spent about 4 hours taking it easy today.
Auntie Barbara is in town from San Francisco, she comes every year for BYU's Women's Conference. Maddie and I joined Auntie Barbara and my family for dinner tonight at Ruby Tuesday's. Maddie was a delight, very well behaved! She warmed up to Auntie Barbara very quickly - she remembered her from her visit last year. It was nice to visit with her for a couple hours tonight. She'll be in town until Wednesday so the next several days we'll be spending together running around the town (slowly though, Aunt B had foot surgery recently and we're both walking at about the same pace!).
I had a level II ultrasound this morning to check the babies growth. They are doing so well! Baby A is measuring 4 lbs 3 oz. and Baby B is measuring 4 lbs 7 oz. That is right about where a singleton would be at 32 weeks, so they are thriving! I am really happy about that. I am now carrying more baby than I did when I was pregnant with Maddie, she was 8 lbs. 4 oz. at birth. There is some suspense and a lot excitement knowing that the girls are so close to arriving, knowing that we don't have much control over when it happens! My next doctor's appointment is on the 16th.
Today was my first day as a SAHM. I think it will take me a bit to realize that I'll be home every day and I don't need to take care of everything at once! I spent a good part of the morning picking up my room, scrubbing the shower and doing laundry. After doing that I made Maddie and I some lunch and spent an hour and a half resting on the bed. I talked Maddie into a nap as well, so I spent about 4 hours taking it easy today.
Auntie Barbara is in town from San Francisco, she comes every year for BYU's Women's Conference. Maddie and I joined Auntie Barbara and my family for dinner tonight at Ruby Tuesday's. Maddie was a delight, very well behaved! She warmed up to Auntie Barbara very quickly - she remembered her from her visit last year. It was nice to visit with her for a couple hours tonight. She'll be in town until Wednesday so the next several days we'll be spending together running around the town (slowly though, Aunt B had foot surgery recently and we're both walking at about the same pace!).
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