1 Month Old!!

(this massively long novel is so we can always remember this crazy and wonderful time in our lives. you may want to just look at the pictures. no, seriously. ha!)

WHAT.A.MONTH.

I can't believe our little ladies are already one month old!! We have had such a whirlwind of a month, but we are so glad our girls are here and part of our family now.

I'm going to try to recap their whole month (the best I can on my sleep deprived memory) so bear with me :)

I want to remember everything about our amazing hospital stay, so I will (at some point) go back and write that, too. ha ;)

 After 3 days in the hospital, we got to come home on Saturday. My parents were keeping Bryson while we were in the hospital, so we had a chance to come home to a quiet house and relax with the girls for a few hours. 

The first night at home was hard. Michael was running a marathon Sunday morning so I didn't want to wake him up to help me (even though he told me to) because I figured if he tried to run 26.2 miles on 3 hours of sleep, he would be sick as a dog or hurt himself. So I manned it alone. I never even closed my eyes to try to go to sleep when Michael's alarm went off at 5:00Am to get ready. He is such an amazing husband; once he found out I hadn't slept a wink, he nixed his marathon that he had trained so hard for and stayed home to help with the girls. Michael's mom also came over early that morning to help me, so they both watched Bryson and the girls while napped. It was so wonderful

I joked that when I was pregnant, I turned nocturnal, and only slept during the day. It's pretty much the same now that the girls are here. I barely sleep at night time and only sleep during the day in between feedings while someone else is watching the girls....

We made it through the first weekend at home. :) Bryson LOVES his sisters. He is so sweet with them, whenever one of the girls fusses, he runs over to them and says, "mommy, maybe they need me?" and runs to get "hanitizer" so he can hold his sister. I love that little man!!

(and here's where it hits the fan...)

We're keeping Bryson in school for a little while so I get a chance to adjust to a schedule with the girls and he gets to keep a normal routine/life for a little bit longer. Michael woke up Monday morning to take him to school and didn't really feel well. I told him not to come back to the house until he sees a doctor-just to be certain everything was ok. Two hours later, he called with a diagnosis of an Upper Respiratory Infection. I balled. He couldn't be around 5 day old babies with a URI :(  So he packed up and headed down to stay at his parent's house for a day or two, or so we hoped.

 Michael and I were completely heartbroken he wasn't going to be able to spend this time with the girls and that he was so sick :(

We had a weight check for the girls that morning and I couldn't go by myself since I couldn't drive, lift their carriers or be trusted not to become an emotional wreck at the drop of a hat. My amazing (and I mean truly super-hero-status-amazing!) mom cancelled  her plans and the repairman that was en route to her house and came up to help me. 

While the girls were in the hospital, they each lost 9% of their body weight, so we were really hoping they had started gaining weight so we didn't have to supplement with formula. 

Thankfully, they are great eaters and were up a couple ounces!!

After my mom realized Michael had to stay at his parent's house for a few days until he kicked his illness, she dropped all of her plans and stayed with us for what ended up being the entire week. I can not even begin to  tell you how amazing and helpful she was to me and the kids. She was truly a lifesaver. I never would have made it without her. She slept in the nursery (thank goodness we put a daybed in there!) and kept the girls in there with her and just brought them to be for feedings. She got hardly any sleep at all the entire week and was still so eager to help. The whole week is a little hazy to both of us. We lived in our sweats and days old makeup and walked around a little zombie-like the entire week.We both woke up several times in the middle of the night having a nightmare thinking that we lost one of the girls inside the sheets with us. haha!! 

I was eternally grateful and appreciative to my mom for spending the entire week with us, but I missed Michael terribly. I wanted so badly for him to be with us and spend these precious first newborn days with the girls.  Bryson missed Daddy SO much. He drew pictures of Daddy so he could pretend like he was home with us. tear.

My mom had to go home and run some errands one day, so Ray and Alicia came over and helped out. They picked up Bryson from school and Bryson and Ray played every sport possible out in the back yard and Alicia helped with the girls. Ray took Bryson back to their house to feed the dogs and pick up dinner. He ate.it.up! He loved it and talked about it for days!! We are so thankful for such amazing friends!!

Michael finally got to come after an entire week of being away! We all missed him so much!!

We usually have a very healthy family. Bryson gets an occasional runny nose or something from school, but nothing big. Of all the weeks to get sick, Bryson definitely came home with a cold on Friday. UUUGH the house is becoming infested with germs. My parents kept him Friday Night to try to keep the germs away from the girls. He had a blast decorating cookies  and squishing his muffins so he could eat it like pop corn. He is a hoot!

He spent Saturday and Sunday with Grandma and Papa. They went out to lunch and played at Chuck E Cheese and had so so much fun with them!

But, unfortunately, Emily started to get sick on Sunday. Our poor little 13 day old little girl had the most heart breaking cough and stuffy nose. I stared at her all night long making sure she wasn't going to get choked up on her snot, which happened a couple times. We took her to the doctor (not her regular Pediatrician)  Monday morning to check her out. He said she was fine and it would pass soon. woohoo!!  Well, the week went on and she didn't get better at all. Fortunately, they had their 2 week well appointment on Friday. 

(yes, if you're keeping track, we have been to the doctor 3 times in 11 days.)

The second their doctor walked in and heard her cough, he had the nurses run several tests, take her vitals, check her oxygen levels and several other things. Turns out she had RSV :( It broke my heart :(  I know RSV is terrible for babies to get so I immediately began to panic, but he assured Michael and I that she had a very mild case of it and would not need to be hospitalized (thank you, Lord!!) she looked good, was eating great and still having lots of wet/poopie diapers. We just needed to watch her, suction her nose and do a breathing treatment for her if she started coughing. 

break this momma's heart :(

The team of nurses (yes, we get a team of everything with twins! ha!) finished both of their stats and Dr. Burton checked the girls. Even though Em had RSV, everything else checked out well and Madelynn got a clean bill of health. Both girls had well passed their birth weight and were growing great!!

2 Week Stats:

Emily:

Birth: 6 lbs 7oz,  height- 19in,  head-

Discharge (3days): 5lbs 14oz

Weight Check (5dys):  6lbs

2 weeks: 6lbs 15oz, height- 19.75in,  head- 13cm 

Madelynn:

Birth: 5lbs 15,  height- 18.75in,  head-

Discharge (3days): 5lbs 4oz

Weight Check (5days): 5lbs 6oz

2 weeks: 6lbs 7oz,  height- 19.5in,  head- 13cm

The girls are both rock stars at tummy time! :)

madelynn

 

emily

Michael and I spent lots of time lounging in bed, cuddling with the girls and watching tv over the next week. 

Emily finally kicked all of her symptoms and we had a healthy house again!! 

 ....momentarily....

Even with all the hand washing, sanitizer, individual blankets, separate burp rags, and wiping myself down between each feeding, Madelynn still ended up getting it, too.:( Hers didn't last as long, but she was muuch fussier than Em.

 Both of the girls still have a bit of a snotty nose though. I, sadly, have turned into one of 'those" moms this time around. I've become paranoid of germs and other people touching or breathing on the girls without washing their hands. We still get out of the house every once in a while, but their seats are completely covered the whole time we're out. Maybe one day I'll get back to normal ;)

With all of the sickness and such, the girls and I have established absolutely no schedule what-so-ever! haha!

I started feeding them tandem in the hospital, which was a lifesaver, but I stopped a while after we got home because Em was a stronger eater and left Madey gulping down air trying to keep up. Fortunately, they are both very efficient eaters and it only takes 10-15 minutes for each of them the eat.  They usually go 2-2.5 hours between feedings during the day and 3-4 hours at night. (but that does not mean I get 3-4 hours of sleeep at a time! I wish!! By the time I change diapers, feed, change diapers again and burp, I'm lucky to get and hour and a half between feedings. ;)  The girls have been sleeping in their bouncer chairs to keep them elevated to help with their congestion.

Michael has been AMAZING with helping me. I feel bed waking him up often in the middle of the night when I know he has to go to work the next morning. He practically begs (ok, he actually does beg!) me to wake him up to help with the girls. I've finally gotten to the point that I realize I really can't do it all on my own sometimes and he is so sweet and helpful. After I nudge him a little to wake him up, he pops up so happy to help. I am so thankful for him.

Bryson seriously is the BEST big brother! He wants to help us do everything. He gets diapers, holds their hands, sings to them and *ahem* even wants to try to help me feed them. Haha We've talked about how that's only a Mommy job for now :) He even helped me give the girls a bath one night. After the girls were done, I looked up and he was soaked from neck to knee!!

I've found it so so much easier to get out of the house and run errands with the girls. Michael and I went to Target to pick up a few things after my doctor appointment. We hadn't practiced with the Snap and Go stroller and our car seats, and couldn't figure it out right away, so we improvised. Haha! Whatever works, right!?

The girls have had several visitors (and lots I forgot to take a picture of. oops.)

This past year has definitely put me out of my comfort zone. I've realized I'm not good at asking for help. In my head I feel like I have to and need to do everything on my own  and feel guilty when I don't. After months of sweet friends offering to help, I finally (kind of) learned to just say yes. It's still a learning process, but I'm working on it ;)

When Michael went back to work, my mom started coming over again daily to help. Most of the time, she watches the girls or does laundry or dishes and I run to take a quick cat nap between feedings. It helps so much to get in a few naps during the day. Steph and Beth, a sweet family friend, came over on separate afternoons to help me with the girls. Even when the girls are on their A-game and not fussy or sick, it still helps SO much to have someone there to hold one or change a diaper while I'm feeding the other, or to switch off to burp one after eating.

Another huuuuge blessing is having the sweetest friends drop off dinner for us. It is SO nice not have to worry about finding something to fix for dinner. I am so thankful for our ABF. Plus, it's been really great to finally get to see them after not being able to go to church for the last few months. :)

The girls don't go to the doctor for their one month check up until Monday, but I'm hoping they'll check out just fine :)

It has been a wild wild month, but our family is so abundantly blessed with our lovely ladies in it. I thank the Lord for them every day and can't imagine life without them. I can't wait to watch the girls grow and see what they'll be up to next month!!

We love you so so much, Emily and Madelynn!!

The Girls' Birthday

What a wild and crazy week and a half! Which means this will be a wild and crazy post {read: long...i don't want to forget anything!}

Everything started Wednesday morning, Feb 20th (37 1/2 weeks). I had a routine NST scheduled with Dr. Peters, our Perinatologist that morning. Everything looked great with their heart beats, so we went to the next room for the quick sonogram to check position, fluid, blood flow, etc. The tech commented on how amazed she was with all the fluid in there for the girls and how wonderful everything looked. My doctor came in and said the exact same thing. He was so pleased with how wonderful everything looked. Then he asked when my c-section was scheduled. When he found out it wasn't for another 8 days, he started getting a little huffy and claimed that isn't what he recommends, even with them being so healthy. The type of twins I was carrying was the 2nd highest risk type and he didn't plan on taking any risks. He started throwing out things that "could" happen to the girls if we waited that long and it scared me to death. I couldn't think of anything but those horrible words he uttered for the next several hours....

Fortunately, I had an Ob appointment already scheduled for that afternoon. My mom insisted on taking me since Michael was at work and she knew I was a little on edge. We expressed our concerns to the doctor and she completely agreed that we shouldn't wait any longer. That, with my slightly elevated blood pressure that afternoon (139/91) warranted her suggestion of sending me to the hospital to be monitored...and most likely would suggest delivering the girls that night or the next morning!!!  

Whoa nelly!! today!!? Thank goodness my mom was there...this is when it started getting real...

We called and sent texts out to all of our family letting them know what was going on, but to not rush up here or get too excited because it could still be the next day...

We went straight to the hospital around 3:30 and everything happened SO SO fast. I hadn't even finished answering the nurse's questions before the on-call doctor told me she wanted to deliver the girls tonight! And probably in about an hour. Holy smokes! 

A second round of calls and texts went out that said come NOW...it's happening soon!!!

Michael got to the hospital around this time and we got a chance to freak out together :)

There were doctors and nurses in and out of the room strapping bracelets on my arm, taking vials upon vials of blood, letting me know the process of the c-section, etc...My brain was spinning

In the middle of the whirlwind, I realized  my camera was sitting in my car. In the garage. All the pictures of the girls I had planned in my head weren't going to happen :(   So iPhone pictures it is...

Fortunately, there was another lady waiting for the OR before me, so that gave all of our family an extra hour to get to the hospital.

      

My time finally came. I couldn't stop shaking. Uncontrollable shaking.  
I was SO nervous!

(how attractive are we!?) 

 

They took me back to prep me while Michael stayed in the room with the family. They laid me down after the spinal block. If you remember, I can't lay on my back for more than a few minutes without passing out. And I did. Maybe twice; can't really remember. The room was spinning. I was sweating. I could over hear them preforming the tool count while I was looking  over my shoulder waiting for Michael to appear.

He came and everything was better. Then we waited....for what seemed like an hour. Michael stood up and watched most of the c-section and I got the play by play from behind the curtain. All of a sudden everyone at the same time commented on all the fluid in their sacs and just couldn't believe how much there was. :)

Finally, they pulled out Baby A, Emily, at 6:53 PM. I couldn't hear a single noise from her. I was frantically asking if she was ok through streams of tears. Everyone assured me she was, but I couldn't believe them until I heard her sweet whimper with my own ears. The most perfect little whimper!

A minute later, Baby B, Madelynn, was born at 6:54 PM! Again, the most perfect little whimper filled the air. 

They were the most beautiful baby girls I had ever seen :)

   

Michael went with the girls to the nursery while they finished up with me. 

{my doctor delivered the placenta and apparently, it was enormous! I have no clue how big it was or how big it's supposed to be, but They were all amazed. She said it almost wrapped around my whole uterus! ha! Another reason the girls were so big and healthy.  ;)  }

          

Emily was 6 lbs 7oz and 19 inches long

Madelynn was 5 lbs 12oz and 18.75 inches long

and both got a 9/9 APGAR score :)

The girls were passed around and everyone got a chance to love on our little angels :)

Michael and I just love holding and cuddling each little girl admiring each perfectly formed tiny body part. 

God is so good! He kept our girls safe and healthy and we are so thankful for these blessings. We're so undeserving, but so thankful to be their parents and take on the responsibility of growing the girls into strong Christian ladies that chase after the Lord.

{stay tuned for more of our little ladies}

Miss Ellie

We had a little photo shoot with Miss Ellie at my parent's house a while back.

She was about 4 weeks old and just adorable!! 

I love my little niece to pieces and can't wait for our girls to all grow up being best friends :)

I think she looks just like her pretty momma!

Bryson wanted SO badly to be in a picture with her. Can you tell how excited he is!?
He is really ready for Emily and Madelynn to be here :)

  /

I just love her :) 

 

35 Weeks

35 Weeks!!

     

{I forgot to take a picture on doctor appointment day (aka- only day with make up) so out of compassion to all of you, I cropped myself at the neck. Next week, you might be subjected to my huge puffy face;) }

Thank you for all your sweet comments and emails. Y'all are so SO sweet and encouraging and it means so much to me. Especially when I feel like a whale that swallowed a house! Aaand that you let me be completely honest {read: a whiney complainey baby} about this pregnancy.

I just watched What To Expect this past week and thought it was great! I completely related to Wendy's pregnancy this time around. I especially loved her dead honest monologue towards the end of her pregnancy ;)  And it's really funny because when I was pregnant with Bryson, I would have completely related to Skyler's 100% perfect pregnancy. It's funny how things can be so different! ;) 

I feel like I'm really starting to hit a wall. I've had a bad cough all week. Normally, it wouldn't phase me, but my "ab" muscles have been stretched thinner than saran-wrap and it is ridiculously painful. Michael was a saint and got me some medicine yesterday and it's been a life saver. :)

I'm pretty sure I stopped having Braxton Hicks contractions and am starting the big time ones. Not nearly as frequent, but they sure as heck are a lot more painful :(

We went to the perinatal specialist  and had another growth scan. Both girls were weighing in around 5 pounds 8 ounces!! I absolutely can't believe how big they're getting!! Praise the Lord!! Folks, that means I have 11 pounds of baby girls hanging out in my belly. Goodness gracious!! We're going back again next week and I'm (always) so anxious to see how big they'll be :)

I saw a different OB this week and she said that after reviewing all the info and stats from my pregnancy and all the sonograms and seeing that the placenta is still healthy and the girls are thriving, she would be perfectly happy letting me keep these girls cooking until 39 weeks. 39!! I seriously almost cried. All along, I had been told 37...maaaybe 38 weeks at the latest. And then she throws 39 out there!

We ended up scheduling a c-section (or induction if little Em decides to pull a Gabby Douglas and flip around) for February 28th at 2:30. Aaah, that is SOO far away. If for some crazy nutso reason I make it that long, I will be 2 days shy of 39 weeks. I told Michael that we might as well just wait until the Summer at that point! ;)  But, on the positive side, there is an end in sight.

I don't seem to have any problem packing on the pounds now; I've gained a little over 40lbs. blah. And, my uterus is also measuring 43 weeks for a singleton! HA!!!

While I was there, a new nurse was checking the girls' heart beats. She said Madelynn's heartbeat was bouncing back and forth between 141 and 90. The doctor came in and checked again and she was getting a very consistent hb in the 140's. Phew! She also checked me and I haven't started dilating at all yet. She said that's pretty rare for a twin mom. I reeeally hope that doesn't mean it's looking more like the 28th. Also, since there could have been an inconsistency in Madelynn's hb (or operator error), she wanted to send me to the hospital to get monitored. After a little begging, she let me just stay there and have an NST in the office. Everything was perfectly fine :)

       

After seeing the doctor, scheduling the c-section, having an NST, I left THREE hours later. Longest Ob appointment ever!!

One thing is for certain. My stomach will never see the light of day again. It looks like I was thrown into a cage with a very very angry tiger. 

I'm about to start a "tummy tuck for Kristin" fund ;)

The girls are still moving quite often. But recently, they have been having the hiccups all.day.long! It's really fun to feel Emily have hiccups way far down on the right side and Madelynn have hiccups way up on the left side at the same time :)

Anyway, good news!!! I am 36 weeks now and FULL TERM for twins!! Praise!!!

I really never thought I'd make it this far, but I am so SO thankful I have. I know I'm quite the whiney baby about most of this pregnancy, but I really feel so blessed to be able to carry these girls as long as I have. 

We'll see how much longer they get to keep cooking!! ;)

33 & 34 Weeks

You think I would be better about these posts...

I'm not sure how in the world I forgot to mention it in the last preggo update, but at 32 weeks, after the short stint in the hospital for contractions, my doctor put me on modified bed rest. I can still get up and do a few things here and there, but for the most part, he wants me to just take it easy, try to lay down as much as possible, and limit activity (which is usually what seems to make me have more contractions). 

A lot of people have been asking me how I've been doing with bed rest. the last 4 weeks. And honestly, it hasn't been bad at all. If I could actually get up and do other things or go run errands without my whole body hurting, it would be totally different. But I am perfectly content laying in bed or on the sofa during the day. It's kinda crazy. I've made quite the crevice on my side of the bed watching countless episodes of Castle and Psych and eating mountains of food.

We have kept Bryson in school this whole time, but since Michael has been super busy at work, I go pick him up at the end of the day and poor kid, all he wants to do is play soccer, basketball or baseball with Mommy. He really is SOO understanding about me not being able to do things. He usually says, "oh yeah. Mommy, you have to lay down or sit down because your tummy is so big and those are the doctor's rules." And then he waits on bended knee for Michael to get home to play sports with him. He really is so sweet about everything. :)

33 Weeks

We went over to a friend's house from church that have twins almost a year old and their older son is a little older than Bryson. It was really great getting to pick their brain and ask a million questions about "twin life" and how they have managed. It was really good for both Michael and I to hear this stuff first hand :) Plus, Bryson had fun playing with the boys :)

34 Weeks

I had another NST (non stress test) this week. Everything looked good with the girls! They were quite active, so their heart beats were all over the place, which is what they wanted to see. I had a quick sonogram to measure blood flow, fluid levels and position of the girls. Everything looked good on the sono. Emily (baby A) is still breech, which means there's a 97% chance that I'll have a c-section unless she miraculously flips in he itty bitty space. Not my first choice, so I'm trying to prepare myself for it mentally. :)

I still have contractions quite often, but nothing consistent. Some of them are getting more painful than just Braxton Hicks. These girls are also killing my pelvic bones. Pretty much anytime I move my legs or get up from laying down it is so painful. 

We have been blessed with the most amazing friends and family. We haven't cooked a meal in almost 2 weeks! We've had friends order food and have it sent to our house, bring over home cooked meals, and my mom has sufficiently stocked our freezer and fridge with all sorts of great meals. It is such a blessing :)

I really probably should save this and add week 35 to the bottom of here in a couple days since I'm so late!  Ha! I'll be back in a couple days with 2 doctor updates :)

     

34 weeks and Ellie at 2 weeks :)