Christmas lights!

Bath time!!

Sleep Deprivation!!

Sleep??? What is that?? Well the boys are almost 5 weeks old now, can you believe it?? We can’t!! Time has flown by already! Jonathan and Christopher have each developed their own personalities already. Jonathan is very laid back and curious. He stares at everything!! The best is when we are feeding him and he looks up at us with his big beautiful eyes.  Christopher is our chunky monkey! He loves to eat and always wants to eat before his next feeding time. He also loves to be held by mommy and daddy. Granny came to visit us to help out with the boys which was amazing!! She was such a big help and it gave me time to recover more from my bleeding problems. Plus it was so nice having her here and spending time together. I wish we lived closer so that we could all be together all the time. Of course it was so hard to say goodbye :( The boys have been extremely colicky. Poor things they just scream and scream and you cannot do anything to help them. We have been to the doctor probably 3 times in the past two weeks. They put the boys on some antacid medicine to try and help with the gas. Some days it seems to help and others not so much. Hopefully they will grow out of this stage soon while me and Greg still have some sanity left! It takes about an hour to feed the boys if they are on the same schedule…. If not boy are we in for it! Usually they both do not want to eat at the same time, so we always wake the other up to keep them on the same schedule. Otherwise it takes 2 hours to feed them, then you can maybe go back to sleep for 30 minutes and your up again to start all over. Both of the boys are so strong already they love to lift their heads up and look all around. Having multiples is definitely not a piece of cake but when you look at them into their precious little eyes it makes up for all of it. We love it when they smile at us ( although it’s probably just gas)! Last Friday Christopher weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces. Today I had to bring Jonathan back to the doctor because he had been sneezing and coughing all weekend and it kept getting worse. Poor thing has a cold :( We were told to buy a humidifier and also some saline drops and try and suction the mucus out of his nose. Which we had been doing already over the weekend. Now we are worried that Christopher will catch it too. So we have been frantically cleaning and trying to keep the germs under control. Today Jonathan weighed 9 pounds and 1 ounce. The boys are so precious in every way we are just soaking up every minute with them. The only hard part about having multiples is feeling like you are not giving them both enough love at the same time! So many days do I wish I could hold them both in my arms at the same time. We took our Christmas card pictures yesterday and we can’t wait to send them all out! For now we are trying to nurse our sick baby back to health :( Will keep everyone updated!!

One Month!

Birth Story!

There are soooo many details to this story and I will probably leave lots of them out!! The morning of my c section we were up very early as they had to prep me for my surgery. The night before Greg and I were so anxious I don’t think we really got much sleep. Especially me since they were still monitoring the boys heart beats. The anesthesiologist came in to talk about the surgery and how things were going to go. After that I said my goodbyes to everyone and walked down the hall without Greg :( I didn’t want to go into the OR without him but those were the rules. Walking into the OR was very scary. There were nurses and doctors everywhere. They had a team for the babies and a team for me. They had a very hard time getting my spinal in because I couldn’t not relax my shoulders enough. Getting my spinal was the weirdest feeling, it felt like when you have a knot in your back and you keep pushing on it. As soon as they got it in my legs went numb almost instantly. They laid me down and put a cover in front of my face so I could not see anything. Finally Greg was able to come in and he sat right next to me holding my hand. It felt like only seconds later they said here is Baby A!! Jonathan came out first and it took him a few moments to cry. As soon as I heard him crying I burst into tears :) Christopher came only one minute later. He came out screaming loud and clear. The nurses had both babies in their warmers cleaning them off and also they both needed a little help breathing, which is typically for 36 week babies. It was such a relief to hear them cry and know they were finally here after everything we went through during the pregnancy. Greg was able to cut their cords and the nurse brought both of them to me so I could kiss them on the forehead before they took them to be weighed in recovery. Greg went with the babies to recovery while they finished stitching me up. It was the weirdest feeling I have ever experienced, you are completely numb but you can feel tugging and pushing. After they finished with me they put me in recovery where I met back up with the boys and Greg. They were giving the boys a bath when I got there. One of the side effects of anesthesia is shaking. My whole body shook so bad that I could not hold the babies. Also, I had a very hard time with my blood clotting after my surgery. They had to page the doctor to come in and manually massage my stomach to get blood clots out. It was the most painful thing I think I have ever experienced. Finally after about four hours I got to hold the boys for the first time. That was the best feeling in the world to hold my precious baby boys. Greg was absolutely amazing the whole time in the hospital. He never left my side and showered the boys with enough love for the both of us. We stayed in the hospital for three more days after my c section. After a loongggg week we were so ready to bring the boys home! We came home from the hospital that Saturday. Unfortunately early Saturday morning I woke up around 4am to feed the boys. When I sat up out of bed you could hear a gurgling in my lungs and I could not breath. We rushed backed to triage. When we got there my O2 saturation was 86%. Normal ranged is anything above 90%, however most people are above 95%. The nurses were giving me oxygen and putting an IV in immediately. They started me on Lasik which makes you pee a lot to get rid of fluid. My whole body was so swelled from all the fluid of being pregnant with multiples that it had backed up into my lungs. Needless to say that was a very long day, and I was so depressed that I had to leave my new baby boys. I got to go home from the hospital late that night. It has been a LONG recovery from my c section but I can say to anyone that wants to know it is ALL worth it in the end. We were so happy that the boys were perfectly healthy at 36 weeks and had to spend no time in the NICU. We feel so blessed that we made it that far in the pregnancy because at one point they thought we were going have to deliver at 28 weeks. We have so much support from both of our families and are so happy that they were there to share this special time in our life with us. Now we are enjoying every minute with the boys and making lots and lots of memories!!!

Surprise!!! November 9, 2011 :)

Greetings from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital! Major change in plans! Greg had drill all weekend and of course on Sunday I was not feeling the babies move as much and also I was feeling very lightheaded so Greg thought it would be best to go to triage when he got home. We got to triage and my blood pressure was very high 149/89. Also Baby A’s heart rate was staying above 180 which is not good. Luckily our regular doctor was on call so he stopped by to discuss things with us. He was very concerned about my blood pressure, all of my swelling, and the babies heart rates so he decided to keep us overnight and monitor the babies and I all night. He also said that our fetal medicine specialist that we used to see here in Tallahassee would stop by our room in the morning just to check on the babies. They did lots of blood work Sunday night and also wanted to check my urine for 24 hours to check for excess protein which is considered preeclampsia.  They monitored us all night which was not fun! Greg and I barely got any sleep because the boys were jumping all around and kept falling off the monitors so the nurse would have to come in LOTS of times to find them again. This morning our regular doctor came in and said that our specialist would be in soon and that the babies were looking better on the monitors. Also he said that if our specialist said everything was fine we would more than likely get to go home on Tuesday.  When our specialist got here he did an ultrasound and discovered that Baby B is now breech, and also that the placenta is calcifying which could be a clue for upcoming potential placental failure. Which basically means the placenta would stop functioning properly and not supply enough nutrients for each baby. Both of our doctors took into consideration the high blood pressure, all of our past twin to twin transfusion problems, babies heart rates,  and the calcifying placenta and decided that they were going to play it safe and go ahead and take the babies out on Wednesday November 9^th. We were expecting to have a week left as most of you know so I was in a state of shock when he said the babies will be born Wednesday! I will be a little over 36 weeks prego and the doctors assure us that especially with twins it is a major accomplishment to make it this far. Of course Greg and I feel very lucky to make it this far because a few months ago we didn’t think it would be possible. Also because of the high blood pressure they are making me stay in the hospital until Wednesday which I am not thrilled about but I know it is the best thing for me and the boys. We are extremely excited to be welcoming our little angels on Wednesday and can’t wait to overload everyone with pictures!!!!

14 days to go!!

Wow! Are we really this close?? Every night I am dreaming about the boy’s birth and holding them in our arms. I just know they are going to steal mine and Greg’s hearts instantly.  I had another sonogram and doctor’s appointment today and it went great!! Baby A is 5Ib 12 oz., and Baby B is 5Ib 13 oz. We are SOOO HAPPY that the boys reached 5 pounds! The requirements for them to come home with us are to be at least 5 pounds, breath on their own, be able to regulate their own body temperature, and be able to eat and gain weight.  Our doctor thinks that we have over an 85% chance that they will be perfectly fine and be able to come home with us on the 18^th. Greg and I are keeping our fingers crossed for our precious angels to be perfectly healthy! As for me, heartburn still takes over my body every day and it’s getting harder for me to walk with all the pressure of the round ligament pain and also their heads are dropping.  Next week will be our last doctor’s appointment before the big day! We are going to go over everything we need to know for the c section and also do all of our paper work for the hospital. The boys looked perfect today on ultrasound and they were moving around constantly like usual! We have some last minute laundry to do, set up the car seats in the car, and also some last minute cleaning to do because no matter how clean things are I still think they could be cleaner! So depending on how I feel that will be my mission this weekend while Greg is at drill. At this point we are counting down the days and feel so blessed that the boys are doing so great now. I know they are strong and fighters like their daddy after all the health problems they have gotten through. 14 more days!!!

Two more weeks!

I have really been slacking on my blogging!! The day is getting so close and will be here before we know it. Two more weeks until we hold our precious little boys in our arms. November 15^th at 11:00 am!!  After all of our twin to twin transfusion scares the boys are looking excellent! Monday was our last appointment at Shands Hospital in Gainesville.  As many of you know we were contemplating coming back to Tallahassee for the delivery. We love our doctor here and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital makes us feel a lot more at home than the chaos at Shands. I have two more office visits with our doctor before the big day, also I go weekly for non-stress tests to monitor the babies heart beats and my contractions.  On Monday my belly was measuring at a whopping 43 weeks!! None of my clothes completely cover my belly anymore and just walking to the kitchen and to the bathroom is getting difficult and painful these days. Getting in/out of the car takes a LONG time, and if it weren’t for my boppy pillow I would never get a wink of sleep. We found out that TMH does not have a nursery anymore so the babies will be right next to us in our room! I know Greg is going to win daddy of the year award because he is so ready to take on the challenge of taking care of the boys while I’m recovering from my C section in the hospital. Now that our shock of having twins has worn off we could not imagine it any other way. We feel so lucky and blessed that God has placed these two little boys in our lives. Hopefully these last two weeks do not feel like an eternity! Tuesday we got some really great profile pictures of the boys. Their little faces look so adorable :) Also they found a lot of hair on their heads!! So on that note to my precious little boy’s mommy and daddy are waiting for you so we can shower you with loving hugs and kisses!!

Hello 33 Weeks!!!!

Wow we never thought we would make it this far! Last week went very well at Shands the babies are doing great! We are now on weekly ultrasound and NST schedules. NST is where they monitor my contractions and the babies heart beats for 20 min just to make sure they are not in distress. Baby A is 3 pounds 14oz, and baby B is 4 pounds 3oz. We are a little bummed that they are 5oz. apart but the doctors say it is completely normal and happens more towards the end of the pregnancy. Everything is going so well that we are seriously considering switching back here to the Tallahassee doctors for delivery. I am trying to eat a lot to fatten Baby A up. We met with Tallahassee Pediatrics last week and loved them. We are going to try and meet with a few more pediatricians just to make sure we want to go with them. Our insurance is very tricky! I am still 1cm and 70% effaced. Also I am still having contractions off and on but I have my medicine that usually stops them. Hopefully next week I can start doing all my baby monitoring here in Tallahassee twice a week until the big day! We go back to Shands tomorrow and then back to my OB here is Tally on Tuesday. My belly is huge! I am now measuring at 42 weeks prego!!! I am still trying to finish all the thank you cards for the shower. I have been sleeping a lot! I am back to my mint chocolate chip ice cream cravings, and still hooked on pumpkin pie.  Everything for the babies is finished so we are just anxiously awaiting their arrival! I have been having dreams about them every night. We are also still reading our books for helpful hints on how to take care of the twins in the most efficient way possible. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some more good news to post!

Night at the Hospital

This week on Monday we meet with our OB here in Tally. He was very supportive and had no problem with continuing to see us here so we had a doctor here just in case I go into pre term labor. Pre term labor is very common in twin pregnancies. I am very lucky that we are almost to 32 weeks. He also discussed delivery options with us in more detail. We feel very comfortable with our decision to have a C section. It is the safest delivery for the twins. However both a vaginal delivery and a C section have their pros and cons. Most of the time in a vaginal delivery you can only get one baby out safely, usually the other baby turns transverse  (which means horizontal) and they have to go in and do an emergency c section to get him out. This could potentially cause major problems with the heart functioning properly with this baby. Also you could deliver the umbilical cord first which is not safe either. With a C section it is a major surgery. There is risk of blood loss and infection for me in addition to a few other problems, but for the babies it is the safest. The babies will be out in a matter of minutes and into the hands of neonatologists if they have any respiratory problems. Tuesday we went back to Shands for an ultrasound appointment. Tuesday morning I was having contractions when we woke up at 5am but I just figured they were braxton hicks. When they still had not stopped by 10 and were getting stronger we discussed it with the nurse. They were very worried about how swollen my feet were ( which didn’t make sense they were swollen because I had not been walking on them at all) so they got the Doctor. When he found out about the contractions he called Triage and had them ready and waiting for me. I made the biggest mistake by not eating at all that morning and man did I regret it!!!! Greg asked the doctor if I could eat and he said no just in case they could not stop the contractions and they needed to do an emergency c section.  We got to triage around 11, they hooked the babies up to the monitors and monitored my contractions ,bp, and pulse. I was only 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced and my cervix was getting soft. When I was in triage a few weeks ago here in Tally I was not dilated at all and my cervix was still hard. They monitored me all day and kept checking my cervix every few hours. They were going to  see if labor progressed anymore on its own before they gave me any meds. Our doctor at Shands is comfortable delivering twins after 32 weeks. Around 6pm I was still having contractions but I had not dilated anymore. The nurse explained to me that labor was like a marathon and since this is my first pregnancy I could be dilated 1 cm for weeks. They gave me some medicine and decided we should stay in the hospital just in case it didn’t work and labor progressed. Also I finally got to eat! My amazing husband got me olive garden take out! All I wanted was pasta! He made me feel like a princess in the hospital and didn’t leave my side.  Wednesday morning they checked me again and I was still 1 cm. They monitored me and babies for a little while longer and then finally we were discharged and they sent me home with some meds to stop the contractions again if they started back up. We are so happy they were able to stop labor because we want our angels to stay in the womb a little while longer so they will be healthy and strong when they are born. However, after everything that has happened with the twins we feel very blessed they have been able to stay in the womb this long because there was a point when they thought they would have to be delivered at 28 weeks. Getting to 32 weeks is a major accomplishment! The boys are getting much bigger now! On Tuesday the fluid levels had gone back up so now we have been put back on a weekly ultrasound schedule till the end. We have a follow up appointment at Shands on Monday so we will see what the Doctor has planned. Hopefully it will be a few more weeks before we welcome our boys! It has been a stressful few days so I slept a lot today. Other than that I have only felt a few contractions. My new obsession and pregnancy craving is pumpkin pie!! I have gained 4 more pounds :( My whole body aches during the night and I can pretty much barley walk ( well waddle I call it). At least at the most we have 6 weeks left. I am still reading up on what to expect the first year with the babies. Next Tuesday we have an appointment with Tallahassee Pediatrics here in town to pick a pediatrician. So hopefully I will have lots of updates for everyone next week!!!

We have a date!

We eagerly waited for our appointment at Shands on Monday to get our scheduled C-Section date. We left very early in the morning, as we do every week. We got up at 5:00am and left the house by 5:30. I look forward to Shands days because Greg always gets me Starbucks! YUM! However, I do not look forward to waking up at the crack of dawn when I have had to get up to pee 10 times the night before. I have gained 5 more pounds which puts my total weight gain at 30 pounds! Ahhh depressing, but I know that it is a good thing because it means the boys are gaining too which is the most important thing. My blood pressure was great but I was still concerned about the problems I have been having with my heart racing. The Doctor seemed concerned as well and he ordered a 24 hour heart monitor for me to wear. It was just like a 24hour EKG test. That was an experience wearing all those wires. We will not get those results back for probably 2 weeks but hopefully sooner. The Doctor still thinks everything with the boys is looking great and the twin to twin transfusion is not presenting itself anymore. He thinks it is possible for me to go to 37 weeks ( amazing) depending on the results of the heart monitoring tests and how the boys continue to look on ultrasound. He scheduled our C-Section for November 15th. Yay! There is a light at the end of this LONG tunnel. Everyone who see's my belly does not think I’m going to make it that far. We will just continue to wait and see. I will be happy if we can at least make it to 35 weeks. Lately Greg and I have been thinking that since the boys are doing fantastic we might want to switch back to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital so we can deliver here. It is definitely a lot to go to Shands weekly and we are not so happy about having to deliver there. However, we want to do whatever is best for the boys. We have an appointment to meet back with our original doctor here in Tally on Monday, and then back to Shands Tuesday. So I will keep everyone updated! I am still having heartburn daily, and my belly is getting even bigger although I really didn’t think it was possible for it to get any bigger. Everywhere we go strangers make comments about how I look like I’m about to pop! The most common comments I get are "Any day now?" Ahhh it’s frustrating to explain to everyone " I’m pregnant with Twins!". Greg and I are trying to research everything we can about parenting twins, breastfeeding twins, how to tell our twins apart, and any other information and tips we can get our hands on that will make our journey with the boys a little easier. Next week will be 31 weeks so I’m hoping the time keeps flying by! I’m going to get my hospital bag ready this week just in case I were to go into pre-term labor (which happens a lot with twin pregnancies). Well I just indulged in some pumpkin pie and my belly is full so time to say night night!

Pregnancy Pics!

30 Weeks :)

Our appointment went extremely well last week!! Both of the babies fluids are in the normal range now which is fantastic! Baby A weighs 3 pounds 1 ounce, and Baby B weighs 3 pounds! We are so happy that the boys are strong and healthy and there is no sign of twin to twin transfusion anymore. Our doctor said that he is going to schedule our c-section 3-4 weeks from now.  We go back to Shands on Monday which is the day he is going to schedule the date! We are so excited that we are getting close! Things have been going pretty well until last weekend the day of the big game! I was feeling a lot of pressure and sharp pains so I finally decided we should go to Triage. I could not even get up into Greg’s truck which was awful so we ended up taking the car. The pain was so bad I could not walk so Greg got me a wheel chair. When we got to the room they hooked me and the babies up to the monitors. I was having lots of contractions and my blood pressure was very high, and so was my pulse. The babies heart beats were very strong and they were squirming all around. I don’t think they liked the loud noise of the heart monitors. After a while of monitoring the babies were perfectly fine, but my blood pressure was still really high, my pulse,  and I was still contracting. The doctor decided to give me a pre term labor shot to stop the contractions, however my pulse was so high they couldn’t give it to me so they went to plan B which was an oral medication. It worked for a while but then I was still contracting. They decided to try a different oral medication to help with my blood pressure and contractions. Also, they did some blood work to rule out preeclampsia and they did a fibronection test which detects pre term labor. Both came back negative which was great. After a little while longer of monitoring they decided that I was having severe round ligament pain and that I would probably be ok to rest at home instead of staying the night in the hospital. I was sure I was going into labor the pain was soooo bad! Thank God it was just round ligament pain because the boys need a little bit more time before they make their grand entrance.  Needless to say it was a very scary trip!! We are really excited to go to Shands tomorrow to find out what day the boys will be born! In other news heartburn has recently taken over my life once again and I have figured out each night I get up to pee every two hours. Bed rest is still soooo boring, and my belly is getting so big we cant believe it! We are so ready to hold our little boys in our arms! I am finally posting some pics today that we took at Maclay Gardens! Yes I know im supposed to be in the bed but I couldn’t resist getting up for a while to take some pregnancy pictures!

28 Weeks

So we met with our specialist on Monday and everyone is amazed as to how well the babies and I are doing. The fluid levels are getting so much better and both babies hearts are strong. Also, the babies are extremely active which is another good sign! The doctor thinks that if things continue to go this well I could carry them to 37 weeks. He will not let me go past that. I’m so miserable these days I’m not sure if I’m going to make it that long. My belly is measuring at 37 weeks prego!! Its amazing because I’m 28 weeks! Those boys are going to take after their daddy, I just know it! Next week is going to be exciting because on Tuesday they are measuring their weights again. We are hoping and praying that they are over 3 pounds, although by the looks of my belly I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Well each week we get more and more excited. We are so happy that the problems have subsided and twin to twin transfusion is not looking like its going to develop anymore. It has been extremely stressful and scary the past few months. We just can’t wait to hold them in our arms! Bed rest is extremely boring but I think it is working! Now we just have to watch out for preterm labor because of all the pressure.  This weekend we are hoping to take some maternity pictures! I think Greg has gotten everything ready for their arrival and we finally tracked down two baby books to bring to the hospital. The only thing we have not bought yet is a playard.  So I will be trying to keep myself busy searching the internet for good reviews on them. Every day I watch making room for multiples on TLC to try and pick up any helpful hints we might need! It’s definitely going to be an adventure with the twins, but I know we are ready! I will definitely be posting our pictures this weekend :)

Beyond Boredom!

I know that I should not be complaining about bed rest because we are very lucky that our little angels are cooperating to stay in the womb a little longer. However, I am beyond bored these days! This is what my day consists of… waking up, make some breakfast, back to bed, watch food network till lunch, make some lunch, back to bed, watch food network till Greg gets home, try to make dinner but I get scalded by the wardens ( a.k.a Greg & Mom), back to bed. AHHH who knew that relaxing all day would make you want to pull your hair out! Although I must say Bella absolutely loves me being home every day all day. She curls up right next to me on Greg’s side of the bed and sleeps ALL day! She leads a hard life haha. Well the boys roll around all day in my belly :) I love when I see a little hump stick out because I know it’s one of their little butts :) I do not think that my tummy can grow anymore! It is huge! Sleeping is practically impossible these days, not to mention I feel like I need an oxygen tank because I am really having trouble breathing! We are counting down the days! I cannot wait to hold them in my arms. Well time to get back to food network and wish I could get up and cook something yummy! Enormous belly pics coming soon!

27 Weeks :)

Great news from our appointment at Shands this morning!! The babies fluids are equaling out and the fluid levels are in the median range now. We were extremely excited to learn this news! It’s very complicated but basically the babies are not showing signs of twin to twin transfusion this week which is fantastic! They think the Ensures I have been drinking and the bed rest is helping the fluid levels. It hasn’t been three weeks yet so they could not measure their weights again. The doctor was so pleased with the way their hearts, and fluid levels were looking that we do not have to go back for another ultrasound until September 20^th. However, we still have to go back next week for our office visit with the doctor. Both boys had good strong heart beats and they were squirming all over the place J Baby B has now flipped back to being head down again so both boys heads are next to each other. It’s so adorable! We are saying our prayers that things continue to stay this way for a little bit longer. We are very optimistic that we will make it to at least 30 weeks, and anything after that will be a blessing J My hubby has been absolutely amazing! He has gotten all of the baby clothes washed and organized in the nursery and he has been so supportive and caring towards my rollercoaster of emotions so far. If I even try to get up to get something I get scalded! Hehe. I must say, bed rest has become extremely boring! I was so upset to have to leave my job at the capitol after four years. Although I know listening to doctors orders is the best thing for our buns in the oven. A few things that I would like to share with everyone are exactly how I am feeling at 27 weeks pregnant with twins!! I am finding it next to impossible to breath these days, I can’t sleep without getting up to pee at least 5 times a night (no joke!), TUMS are still a major part of my daily diet, and I am hungry all the time! Last night at midnight I indulged in a whole bag of popcorn after eating dinner and a chocolate milkshake with an ensure of course for dessert!! Also, lately I have been feeling a little nauseas again just like in the first trimester. Lord please no!! Anyway I am trying to stay optimistic and I can put up with being uncomfortable for a little while longer as long as Jonathan and Christopher are happily growing and doing well J Also, I promise I will post some new baby belly pics this week (If I do not forget due to mush brain)!!

Embracing the world of bed rest!

Lots of updates for everyone from Shands. We felt very comfortable with the new doctor. We had an amazing ultrasound tech and she took her time and looked each baby over thoroughly. She also checked the fluids from each baby. Baby B still had more fluid than baby A. Our doctor at Shands does not think that going to Miami to have the laser procedure would be beneficial to us right now because we are so far along in the pregnancy. The laser procedure can sometimes fix the problems of twin to twin transfusion and give some more time in the womb for the babies to grow stronger, but sometimes when you are as far along as me it cannot correct the problem completely. Since the laser procedure can only get to the larger blood vessels in the placenta to cauterize, it still leaves the smaller blood vessels to continue supplying more nutrients to one baby instead of equal distributing to each. We are being completely transferred over to the specialist at Shands , he is the director of the Fetal Medicine Department of Shands hospital in Gainesville. We feel very comfortable and confident in our new doctor. We will be going to Shands every week for the rest of the pregnancy for them to monitor the fluids of the babies. Our Doctor has informed us to bring a bag each week because there could be a chance of them admitting me to the hospital for the rest of the pregnancy or taking the babies out earlier than expected. Tuesday I got steroid shots to help produce the babies lungs faster and also help fight infection just in case they have to take the babies out earlier.  Right now we are hoping and praying to get at least four more weeks which would put us at 30 weeks. Some great news is that the boys are now 2 pounds each!!! Baby B was 2 pounds 1 ounce and Baby A was 2 pounds! It is amazing how they are so close in weight and it is a really good sign J The doctors have got me doubling my protein intake, and also I have been put on drinking two ensure protein shakes a day. There has been some research supporting increased protein intake can help fluid levels in identical twins. We toured the NICU while we were in the hospital this week and we felt very comforted by the nurses. They also gave us lots of information to read over and they stressed how important it is for us to feed the babies breast milk since it is so helpful to preemies. Also, I have now officially been put on complete bed rest. My cervix has been shortening so they think its best for me to be on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. So I’m sure I will have lots of time to blog and tell funny stories! Greg has been washing all the babies clothes and trying to get the nursery very organized just in case we end up staying at Shands. Our next appointment is Tuesday. The boys kick and roll ALL the time! We love sitting in bed at night watching them J Well I think I’m going to read up on my twins book and try to keep myself from not going crazy on bed rest!!

25 weeks and counting!!!!

24 Weeks!!

Well we are slowly climbing our way closer to the day! Sorry I have not blogged in forever, we have had a death in our family, and also we have been going through a few obstacles with the babies. As everyone knows our precious little angels are identical, which means they are sharing one placenta. This can cause some problems as my pregnancy progresses. We saw our specialist three weeks ago and he noticed a difference between Baby A and Baby B’s amniotic fluids. Baby A had less fluid than normal, and Baby B had more fluid than normal. This is a sign of twin to twin transfusion which is a condition that happens only with identical twins. It basically means sometimes one baby gets greedy and hogs all the nutrients from the other. The good thing is that both babies are still growing at equal rates which is a perfect sign! When one baby starts to slow down their growing that is another key point in diagnosing twin to twin transfusion. We went to the specialist Dr. Hume this Tuesday and we got some good/bad news. Baby A’s fluid has gotten back to normal, however baby B’s fluid has increased a little more than the last appointment. There is a medical procedure that they can do to try and stop this process from progressing. However, it has to be done in Miami with world renowned Dr. Rubin Quinterro.  Right now Dr. Hume our regular specialist says that we are not to the point where we need that procedure. He is sending us to Shands Hospital next Wednesday to see another Fetal Medicine Specialist. He is going to analyze their weights and fluid volumes to see if it would be safer to go ahead and have the procedure in Miami or monitor me weekly and take the babies out early. So as you can tell we have been very pre occupied and anxious to find out how our little ones are. The good news is that all the couples here in Tallahassee who have had the procedure done in Miami, their babies have all made it to at least 35 weeks and are very healthy! I’m trying not to worry myself to much, I know that we have some pretty great and precious angels watching over us from heaven :) On some brighter news I feel the boys move ALL the time!! It’s so exciting to sit and watch my tummy move, and to feel them squirming around! I wonder what they are doing all the time when they punch me J My belly has grown even more!! Random people stop me and think I’m to my due date because I literally look like I’m going to pop! Sleeping has become impossible, between the waves of heart burn all night, the hip cramps from laying on one side to long, and having to pee at least three times a night it has become next to impossible!  Also, I eat everything all the time! I am constantly hungry!  Poor Greg, I have the best husband in the world because he puts up with my mood swings and gets me everything I ask for J One night I dropped my water bottle in the middle of the night, and there was no way possible I could bend down and pick it up! He heard my struggling and I asked him to come get it and he graciously saved me from dying of thirst. We have been doing a lot to get the nursery ready so Im going to post some pictures :) Well I am loving him being home now that he is done with training! Next week will definitely be cram packed but that’s ok! I’m so looking forward to seeing family and friends, hopefully it will lift our spirits some after everything that has been going on! I will keep everyone updated on the news from our Shands appointment next week :) RIP Aunt BJ you will always hold a special place in my heart <3

The Nursery!

21 Weeks :)

Well Greg came home Saturday!! Hallelujah!! My belly is growing so fast we can’t believe it. Things are getting increasingly more difficult for me to do by myself. I cannot bend down to pick up anything off the floor, and everyday my ankles swell up the size of baseballs. The boys are kicking and punching me all the time lately :) Today was very productive, we went to Babies R Us to try and finish up decorating the nursery before the shower. I had ordered the other crib last weekend while Greg was gone, and it came in today! Also so did the stroller that Granny ordered for us  J We got both crib sets today, as well as the mattresses! I have really learned how to coupon at Babies R Us, and also we love getting an extra 10% off on top of our coupons because we are having multiples. I’m so glad we are getting most of the nursery done now because I cannot stand for very long without my feet swelling like balloons!! Work is getting increasingly more difficult, when I get home all I want to do is go to bed! Good thing I finally finished with school last week! I have officially finished my AA, along with all of my pre requisites to prepare me for my dream of a career as a physician assistant. My hubby is very good at putting all of the baby stuff together! I’m so glad he is home, it has been a long month without him! Well I’m exhausted after such a long day!! So I think I’m going to talk Greg into getting me some ice cream, and then calling it a night! I am posting pics of the nursery!!

19 Weeks :)

19 Weeks!!

Lately all I have been doing is being exhausted! I spent one amazing week with Greg before he left again on Saturday for his next set of training. I have to say I have been way more emotional about this, it’s getting a little pathetic actually. Every night we Skype and when we have to say goodbye I cry. But if anything it is good practice for what life will be like while Greg is deployed. I can’t even believe we are at 19 weeks already! It seems like time is flying by. I’m hoping it continues this way.  A few things I can think of to share are 1. My belly is practically growing overnight! 2. Tums have become my absolute best friend,  3. I can’t sleep comfortably anymore, I flip flop around all night, and 4. As soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning they are already swollen and I am finding it painful to walk. Last Friday was an exciting day, we had two doctors’ appointments. Everything is looking great! The boys are on track with strong heart beats and their growing, Baby A is 8oz. and Baby B is at 9oz. Dr. Hume says it is perfectly normal for one baby to be a tad smaller. Also, good news I do not have gestational diabetes! My total weight gain so far is 9 pounds! Which they also said is perfectly normal, and that I will go through spurts where I gain a lot. We go back to the doctor on August 1^st, and again on August 8^th and we can’t wait! Greg was especially excited last week to be able to see the boys on the ultrasound since he missed the last appointment while he was training. I’m proud to say that we have officially decided on both boys first names! Jonathan and Christopher! However, the hard part will be deciding which little one gets which name.  Some other exciting news is I am feeling them move like crazy!! I think they think the inside of my belly is a trampoline J We are still waiting anxiously till Greg can feel them on the outside.  With Greg gone for these next two weeks Bella has made herself extra comfortable sleeping right next to me on Greg’s pillow with her head next to mine! I’m pretty sure she thinks she’s human haha.  We have also decided on a baby shower date August 27^th. I think the shock has worn off, but we still have our days of disbelief that we are having twins. Its unbelievable but one thing we know for sure is how blessed we are to have such supportive family and friends. For now that’s all I have, if your reading this Greg I love you <3

17 Weeks!!!

Well let’s see let me try and sort through my mush brain and see what new news I have for everyone! I literally forget everything these days, it’s getting a little ridiculous. I wish my husband was here to laugh at me! I forget where I leave my keys, purse, and cell phone. I forget to return phone calls, do homework, and lately I think of a million things to tell Greg when he calls me at night and by the time  I get my nightly phone call literally all my information has disappeared out of my head!! So because of all this I find a million post it notes all over our room with daily chores I need to complete, and new info to tell Greg at night. We are now entering the 17^th week of pregnancy!! My belly is growing faster and faster, and my hunger has really set in as I am hungry ALL the time! I am felling stronger movements lately and Greg is so excited and can’t wait to feel the babies kick on the outside! Today after I ate lunch at work it felt like they were jumping on trampolines! I’m wondering if this is a sign of some two hyper little ones! Saturday I went  to do a gestational diabetes test, which was not fun at all! My mom went with my since  Greg is still away for training. Basically I had to drink this “fruit punch””” flavored glucose drink and wait for 1 hour in the waiting room. Then they drew my blood. However it was not a good experience because I told the phlebotomist that they usually have trouble finding my veins, ( she did not listen). She pricked me and no blood came out so she proceeded to push the needle in more which felt like someone was stabbing me. My mom gets very queasy when she sees needles and blood so she waited In the waiting room ( I laugh at her constantly because of this hah). I really missed Greg holding my hand while she was pricking me :(, so the end result was a bruised arm and exhaustion. I think I slept 4 hours when we got home. We will not get the results until our next Dr. appointment on July 8^th.  We actually have 2 doctor appointments on that day. One with our regular OBGYN and also with our specialist Dr. Hume.  Dr. Hume was a MD in the military for 25 years, so he was very willing to make a little room for me and Greg a few days earlier before Greg leaves again for Kentucky for another two weeks for more training.  So I know I have been promising everyone baby belly  pics and as soon as I can find the adaptor to upload them I promise I will do so! However, I will gladly take reminders since I will more than likely continue to forget with my mush brain! Well I think that is about as exciting as tonight’s news is going to get. I am anxiously awaiting Greg’s arrival home on Saturday! I miss him so much!! I’m  praying these little bumpkins will kick so that daddy to be can feel them  on the outside!! Anyways until next time everyone! And I love you honey so excited for you to come home Saturday!!

Updates!!

The past week has been exhausting for me! Greg left on Friday and I have been extra emotional about him being gone lately. Today was our big Dr. appointment with Dr. Hume the specialist to confirm what the babies are going to be. My mom came with me since Greg is gone. Greg had us prepared to video the appointment and the ultrasound so that it would almost be like he was there when we got the conformation of what our little ones are! However, we were not allowed to video that appointment the Dr. said so Greg was really disappointed. But we are extremely excited to announce the conformation of two little BOYS in the oven!!!! We could not be happier, we are ecstatic and can’t wait to hold them in our arms! The appointment went very well both Baby A & Baby B are growing and thankfully Baby A caught up with Baby B this week and they now both weigh five ounces! Dr. Hume says they both look normal, and that there is nothing to worry about. From now on we will be seeing Dr.Hume every two weeks so they can monitor their growth and amniotic fluid. I was able to schedule our next appointment while Greg will be home on his break before he leaves again for his second round of training :) Lately I have just been really tired and craving mexican food ALL the time! Well that’s about all I can think of tonight and I’m so tired so I think I’m going to sign off. Maybe I will have more energy to blog tomorrow!!

Exciting News!!

This weekend was a lazy weekend! Greg and I went to Babies R' Us to register which was fun, exciting, and overwhelming all at the same time!! Greg also took me to get mexican food! My FAVORITE that I want all the time lately!! Greg is leaving on Friday which I am becoming sadder about by the day :(
Sunday was extremely lazy because we laid in bed all day and watched movies because I was feeling really tired. I also got woken up around 5 am this morning from cramping which really scared me, so I called the doctor when they opened and they told me to come in to check everything out and make sure everything was ok. Greg and I were scared out of our mind, but as she rubbed the ultrasound wand over my tummy we heard little heart beats :) The Dr. reassured us that everything was ok. Baby A weighs 4 ounces, and Baby B is just a tiny bit behind. Both babies were squirming all around and the Dr. said everything looked great. The way they explained my cramping to us was that the way the twins move in the womb can sometimes be very uncomfortable to me. They also noticed that Baby A was laying right on my bladder! ( Lucky me, that explains a lot haha).  Greg and I felt 100 % better leaving the doctors office today, and were really glad we went in to make sure everything was ok with the little ones. Besides getting to see and hear our little angels, we got some more excting news today! Since Greg is leaving on Friday, after the doctor reassured us that the babies were ok I asked if he could possibly tell a little earlier than next Tuesday what their sex might be!! It was determined that they are almost positive they are BOYS!! I am happy with whatever God blesses us with as long as they are healthy! Now to only think of some good strong names!! Next tuesday I go to see Dr. Hume ( the specialist) and he will be able to tell 100% what they are. Greg has made me and my mom promise that we are going to video the ultrasound and Dr. Hume telling us for sure what they are. Im still sad he will not be there for us to hear together, but today was a nice little suprise (minus the scare) :) We are very excited and can not wait for our bundles of joy to come into this world. We posted some pictures that we got today at the doctors, we can't figure out how to rotate them on here yet. Anyways im exauhsted so Im going to go to bed! Goodnight everyone!

15 Weeks!!

Baby A

Baby B

Eating, Eating , Eating

Well, I just got home from class. I have class Tuesday's & Thursday's from 7:45-9:45 and by the time I get home it’s around 10:15 :( . Usually after working all day going to class is the last thing I want to do because I’m exhausted! Tonight I had to stop and make a detour on the way home because I had a spontaneous craving for tacos!!! YUMMY!! Eating almost a jar of pickles today probably was not a substantial enough of a meal (ha-ha). Lately I am hungry all day every day ( which Greg finds hilarious). He sees me eat so many pickles that now I think he is having pickle cravings as well!! Both of us go for the pickle jar at the same time!! For some reason whenever I’m in class the babies decide to squirm all around !! Maybe tonight it’s because they were hungry. However, Tuesday they were very active! I felt a lot of kicking just on one side and it was the longest I have ever felt them move which was very exciting! Greg and I can’t wait till he is able to feel them move from the outside of my tummy! We are also anxiously waiting for June 21st which is the day we get to find out the sex of our little angels! Sadly Greg won’t be home, he is leaving for training next Friday. With my emotions going hay wire I am extra sad about him leaving this time :( But we decided that I would video Dr. Hume telling us the big news so it’s almost like him being there :) Now that my tummy is full on Taco Bell I think I’m going to indulge in some mint chocolate chip ice cream ( another one of my favorites recently) and then go to bed because I’m exhausted!! Hopefully I will have some more exciting stories for everyone soon! Goodnight!

Our journey so far!

Well the past three and a half months have been very interesting and an adventure as well I must say! It all started on April fools day (ironically) as me and greg anxiously awaited the results of a home pregnancy test. When I noticed the two pink lines I started to shake and could not get the words out to tell Greg. I was in complete shock and shaking, and my sweet husband calmed me down with that huge smile on his face symbolizing everything was going to be ok. All I can say is it was in God's plan to be blessed with a baby at this point in our life ( as well as shocking) ! Telling my mom on April fool's day was also a pretty funny story. When she walked in the door from work she could tell I had an uneasy look on my face. As I proceeded to break down in tears she said " What happened? Did you crash the car?" I responded "No" However I must say the remark I had in my head was " No but you will wish I had". She was overjoyed with the news and she also gave me a huge hug a gave me even more reassurance. At our first ultrasound appointment Greg and I were so nervous but Dr. Dixion reassured us with hearing the heart beat of our little growing peanut. Also he reassured us that there was only one bun in the oven (hahah). We scheduled an appointment with the Fetal Medicine Specalist upstairs to do some routine down syndrome screening without knowing it would be the most shocking day of our lives! As the nurse proceeded to do the ultrasound, she looked at us and asked " Have you had an ultrasound before today" I responded " Yes, at 8 weeks." she then went on to say " Oh so you know that you are having twins then right?". The look on our faces had to be priceless! We both burst out into laughter. We thought for sure she was playing a joke on us, being first time parents.Come to find out she was not! She showed both Baby A & Baby B, along with hearing there little heartbearts. They were moving all around like they were jumping on a trampoline. Everytime she would try and measure one, they would move. Walking out of the Dr's office that day was intersting, I felt soo sick with the news. However, after we calmed down we were both very excited! Telling our families was intersting and hilarious, we had just gotten home from a visit to Greg's parents in Fort Campbell the day before our appointment. Over that weekend we had joked about having twins! Little did we know we had two cooking in the oven! It was hilarious to hear everyone's reaction on the phone! Now that the news is settling in we could not be happier to be blessed with two! We found out last week that both babies are in their own amniotic sac which is great news! The doctors say everything looks great and we should not be worried! We will be making more frequent visits to both my OBGYN and also our Fetal Medicine Specialist Dr. Hume every three weeks ( as is routine in a pregnancy with twins). So far I have gotten over most of my nausea. During the first few weeks around week 6 & 7 the smell of fish made me want to run to the bathroom. Just recently I have become fixated with pickeles! I keep trying to persuade Greg to leave work and bring me pickles ( knowing im being dramatic about it ). One other thing that Greg has found hilarious lately is everytime I sneeze I pee. I know it sounds gross but, pregnancy isnt always beautiful! But at least Greg and my mom get good laughs out of it! My baby bump is growing faster than normal! I will put weekly pictures up soon! So now that everyone knows the story until now I guess I will sign off, and continue blogging about the funny stories from day to day. Have a great day everyone!