Number of Diapers I changed in a 25 minute time period: 5
Consecutive hours of sleep I usually get at night (with babies at 5 months old): 4-5
Number of bottles I make in a day: 12-15
How much formula we go through: One can a day :0(
Number of strangers who want to see/touch/talk about our twins when we go to the store: 4-5
Weeks spent pregnant: 34
Days spent in the NICU: 11
How much weight I gained during pregnancy: about 50 pounds (eek!)
Number of times I've been asked "How do you do it?!": 1,192 times (just a rough guesstimate) :0)
Number of burp cloths we go through in a day: 5 on a good day, 8-10 on a bad day
How many times I do baby laundry during the week: 4-5
How heavy they feel while carrying them in their car seats: 250 pounds
How long it takes me to get everyone ready before we actually walk out the door: 20-30 minutes
Number of smiles I see during the day: 20-50
How much we love these babies: how do you make an infinity symbol on the computer?! :0)
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
So VERY true
I found this funny video on another twin mom's blog. Maybe you have to be a mom of multiples to appreciate this video. I can SO relate to this conversation.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Life is Crazy...I mean, Beautiful
I have fully intended to keep this blog alive. I really want to write about life with twins. I remember when I was pregnant with twins, I wanted to read all about other twin moms' experiences. I promise that I WILL keep up with this blog...but let's face it: life with twins is CRAZY! Incredible, but definitely crazy.
So please forgive the few and far between posts. Most of my free time is taken up by napping, lying down, and doing my best to keep my sanity in tact. I love my babies and I refuse to give up baby-snuggling time for computer time. I will do my best to get on here and write about life with twins!
In the meantime, feast your eyes on these beauties:
Broken Water
Our Twin Birth Story
Okay, it's time to share the birth story! Life has been a whirlwind but I finally have a few minutes to sit down and share this.
It all started at about 5:00am on June 30, 2010. I woke up because my water had broken! I jumped out of bed and told Daniel, "My water broke!" Being half asleep, Daniel reached over to my nightstand and was checking to see where I had "spilled" my glass of water. After a minute or two, he finally realized what I was saying.
I grabbed my cell phone and ran to the bathroom. I texted my sister and told her that my water broke and I needed her to come over to sit with Hayley so we could go to the hospital. Thankfully, she headed right over. My mom was away at girl's camp, but she still had her cell phone with her. I tried to call her and she didn't answer. My mom has a silly habit of turning her phone off at night, or not having it by her at all. Here I was, doomed to have my babies and I couldn't get ahold of my mom! I called my dad at home and my other sister and told them what was going on. They worked hard to get ahold of my mom.
In the meantime, my sister and her husband showed up to watch Hayley and we rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, we live virtually right across the street from the hospital. I had called ahead to Labor & Delivery to let them know we were coming. When we got there, they were all prepped for a premature twin delivery. They had called in extra employees.
After my water broke the contractions started coming like crazy. Due to previous pregnancy complications, I was scheduled to have a repeat cesarean. I was not excited about having to experience contractions and labor pains knowing that I'd be having a c-section. Why should I have to suffer through both?! I was hoping they would hurry and start the process.
I knew that since my water had broken I would definitely be delivering the twins that day. I was scared and nervous since I was only 34 weeks and 1 day along. Technically my local hospital can deliver a baby as soon as you hit 34 weeks. However, I knew that there was still a very strong possibility that my babies would need breathing help that my hospital could not provide.
The nurses started the admittance process and the doctor rushed to the hospital. When my doctor arrived, he checked me and said I was dilated to a 1. When he checked me twenty minutes later I was just about a 3. The contractions were coming like crazy and were sending labor spiraling out of control. My doctor sat down and gave me the option of delivering at my local hospital or transferring me to a better hospital 50 minutes away. I could attempt to deliver at my local hospital, but if either of the twins needed extra breathing help, they would be transferred to the other hospital anyway. And I would be stuck at my hospital until I was discharged 2-4 days later. I couldn't bare the thought of not being where my babies were. I also wanted the babies to be right where the necessary help was available if they needed it. I didn't want them to suffer having to wait to be transported to the other hospital.
So although I was nervous about delivering in an unfamiliar place and with unfamiliar doctors, I knew it was the best for the babies. Nervously, I decided to be transferred to the better hospital.
The doctor immediately called the other hospital to prepare them for my arrival. He called for the ambulance and also ordered shots to stop my contractions so we'd actually make it to the other hospital without delivering in transit. I was grateful because those contractions were hurting like crazy!
The ambulance arrived a few minutes later and loaded me up for transport. The doctor told them to take me "lights and sirens". I was nervous, but I knew we were making the right decision, no matter how scary the situation was. The EMTs were given a handful of shots to give me to slow my contractions. The shots worked well, but only for a few minutes. After about 10-15 minutes, the contractions would start up again and I'd need another shot.
Daniel was able to ride in the ambulance, but he had to ride up front. I hated being away from him. At first he said he just wanted to drive our vehicle down and not ride with me. I freaked out a little because I was nervous he wouldn't make it in time for the delivery. I knew everything was going to be rushed from here on out. Thankfully, Daniel finally agreed to ride in the ambulance.
The ambulance ride down was incredibly uncomfortable. I was laying on a tiny gurney, my belly was huge and uncomfortable, and I badly needed to use the bathroom (something about two babies pressing on my bladder). The road was bumpy and I felt like I was getting thrown around like crazy, with nothing to hold onto. It felt like it took an eternity to get to the other hospital.
After the long ride down, we finally arrived at the other hospital. The entire situation was surreal. I felt like I was watching someone else's life or a movie or something. It was hard to believe this was all happening to me. I was SO not ready to have these babies yet.
Once I arrived in Labor & Delivery, they immediately prepped me for surgery. I was miserable at this point and was ready for them to hurry the process along. They were amazingly fast at prepping me and before I knew it, I was walking to the O.R.
The room was smaller and less intimidating than the O.R. at my local hospital. The doctors were very kind and friendly. The anesthesiologist was a great guy who offered a lot of comfort and I was very grateful for how amazing he was. Everything was happening very quickly and it was difficult to take it all in.
Once I was finally laying on the operation table, they brought Daniel in. I expected to feel nervous and rushed and worried and scared. However, I was overcome with this incredibly comforting feeling. I didn't feel nervous at all. I felt calm. Incredibly calm. Amazingly calm.
I quietly prayed for the well-being of my babies. Before I knew it, the doctor said, "Here's little Wyatt!" I heard the sweetest little cry ever. The doctor then said, "Oh yeah, what a little stud . . . OH WAIT! That's not Wyatt, that's Ava!!" The doctors were shocked that she had managed to slip out first since she was the baby higher up. She was Baby B and was expected to be born second. The doctors joked that Wyatt was a gentleman and so he let her come out first. Either that, or they said Ava must've been very competitive.
They brought Ava around the curtain and held her up for me to see. She was beautiful.
One minute later, I heard another perfect little cry. They held Wyatt up for me to see. Just like his sister, he was beautiful.
Ava Grace was born at 9:11am, weighed 4 lb 15 oz and was 18 in. long.
Wyatt Jacob was born at 9:12am, weighed 5 lb 8 oz and was 18 in. long.
The babies were immediately taken to another room and I told Daniel to go with them. I could still hear them crying in the room next door so I knew they were doing well. In that moment, I felt so blessed. It was hard to believe that these two beautiful babies came out of me. I was overcome with emotion and I cried tears of immense joy. It had been a long and difficult pregnancy and I had finally seen my reward: two amazing babies.
The next little while in the O.R. was horrible. The medicine started creeping up to my chest and head and I felt horrible. I was nauseous, sick, and miserable. Not fun at all. The doctors noticed my tummy muscles had spread apart (which is normal for a multiple pregnancy) so they sewed them back together before finally closing my incision. It felt like an eternity before I was in recovery.
After quite some time in recovery, Daniel finally came to the room. He informed me that both babies were well, but having some breathing problems. Wyatt was doing much better than his sister, but still needed the assistance of high-flow to help assist his breathing. Ava needed the assistance of the CPAP to breathe. These babies, especially Ava, would definitely have needed to be transferred to this hospital so I'm glad we'd made the decision to deliver there.
The babies were surprisingly resilient. It was difficult to see my babies in the NICU and in isolettes with wires and IVs all over, but I knew they were here safe and would be healthy soon. I had done everything I could to get them here safely, and I am grateful that we at least made it as far as we did in the pregnancy. Wyatt recovered quickly and just needed to learn how to eat on his own. Ava was slower to recover, but soon caught up with her brother.
After 11 long days in the NICU, we were able to bring our sweet babies home. It was a great day!
Both babies are doing well. Due to the change in elevation from where we delivered to our home, the babies had to come home on oxygen. Wyatt only needed it for about two days and Ava came off at about six days.
They are great babies. Tiny babies, but great babies. Right now I feel grateful that I've been able to nurse them. It takes some getting used to, but I'm able to manage both at once.
I feel so grateful to be blessed with twins. The pregnancy was a nightmare that I soon hope to forget, but I feel so lucky to have been given these sweet babies. How lucky am I? I am so grateful for the prayers of our families and friends. I have felt the power of those prayers and I know they have made a difference.
My babies are here safe and I can't wait to watch them grow! I love them like crazy!!!
Okay, it's time to share the birth story! Life has been a whirlwind but I finally have a few minutes to sit down and share this.
It all started at about 5:00am on June 30, 2010. I woke up because my water had broken! I jumped out of bed and told Daniel, "My water broke!" Being half asleep, Daniel reached over to my nightstand and was checking to see where I had "spilled" my glass of water. After a minute or two, he finally realized what I was saying.
I grabbed my cell phone and ran to the bathroom. I texted my sister and told her that my water broke and I needed her to come over to sit with Hayley so we could go to the hospital. Thankfully, she headed right over. My mom was away at girl's camp, but she still had her cell phone with her. I tried to call her and she didn't answer. My mom has a silly habit of turning her phone off at night, or not having it by her at all. Here I was, doomed to have my babies and I couldn't get ahold of my mom! I called my dad at home and my other sister and told them what was going on. They worked hard to get ahold of my mom.
In the meantime, my sister and her husband showed up to watch Hayley and we rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, we live virtually right across the street from the hospital. I had called ahead to Labor & Delivery to let them know we were coming. When we got there, they were all prepped for a premature twin delivery. They had called in extra employees.
After my water broke the contractions started coming like crazy. Due to previous pregnancy complications, I was scheduled to have a repeat cesarean. I was not excited about having to experience contractions and labor pains knowing that I'd be having a c-section. Why should I have to suffer through both?! I was hoping they would hurry and start the process.
I knew that since my water had broken I would definitely be delivering the twins that day. I was scared and nervous since I was only 34 weeks and 1 day along. Technically my local hospital can deliver a baby as soon as you hit 34 weeks. However, I knew that there was still a very strong possibility that my babies would need breathing help that my hospital could not provide.
The nurses started the admittance process and the doctor rushed to the hospital. When my doctor arrived, he checked me and said I was dilated to a 1. When he checked me twenty minutes later I was just about a 3. The contractions were coming like crazy and were sending labor spiraling out of control. My doctor sat down and gave me the option of delivering at my local hospital or transferring me to a better hospital 50 minutes away. I could attempt to deliver at my local hospital, but if either of the twins needed extra breathing help, they would be transferred to the other hospital anyway. And I would be stuck at my hospital until I was discharged 2-4 days later. I couldn't bare the thought of not being where my babies were. I also wanted the babies to be right where the necessary help was available if they needed it. I didn't want them to suffer having to wait to be transported to the other hospital.
So although I was nervous about delivering in an unfamiliar place and with unfamiliar doctors, I knew it was the best for the babies. Nervously, I decided to be transferred to the better hospital.
The doctor immediately called the other hospital to prepare them for my arrival. He called for the ambulance and also ordered shots to stop my contractions so we'd actually make it to the other hospital without delivering in transit. I was grateful because those contractions were hurting like crazy!
The ambulance arrived a few minutes later and loaded me up for transport. The doctor told them to take me "lights and sirens". I was nervous, but I knew we were making the right decision, no matter how scary the situation was. The EMTs were given a handful of shots to give me to slow my contractions. The shots worked well, but only for a few minutes. After about 10-15 minutes, the contractions would start up again and I'd need another shot.
Daniel was able to ride in the ambulance, but he had to ride up front. I hated being away from him. At first he said he just wanted to drive our vehicle down and not ride with me. I freaked out a little because I was nervous he wouldn't make it in time for the delivery. I knew everything was going to be rushed from here on out. Thankfully, Daniel finally agreed to ride in the ambulance.
The ambulance ride down was incredibly uncomfortable. I was laying on a tiny gurney, my belly was huge and uncomfortable, and I badly needed to use the bathroom (something about two babies pressing on my bladder). The road was bumpy and I felt like I was getting thrown around like crazy, with nothing to hold onto. It felt like it took an eternity to get to the other hospital.
After the long ride down, we finally arrived at the other hospital. The entire situation was surreal. I felt like I was watching someone else's life or a movie or something. It was hard to believe this was all happening to me. I was SO not ready to have these babies yet.
Once I arrived in Labor & Delivery, they immediately prepped me for surgery. I was miserable at this point and was ready for them to hurry the process along. They were amazingly fast at prepping me and before I knew it, I was walking to the O.R.
The room was smaller and less intimidating than the O.R. at my local hospital. The doctors were very kind and friendly. The anesthesiologist was a great guy who offered a lot of comfort and I was very grateful for how amazing he was. Everything was happening very quickly and it was difficult to take it all in.
Once I was finally laying on the operation table, they brought Daniel in. I expected to feel nervous and rushed and worried and scared. However, I was overcome with this incredibly comforting feeling. I didn't feel nervous at all. I felt calm. Incredibly calm. Amazingly calm.
I quietly prayed for the well-being of my babies. Before I knew it, the doctor said, "Here's little Wyatt!" I heard the sweetest little cry ever. The doctor then said, "Oh yeah, what a little stud . . . OH WAIT! That's not Wyatt, that's Ava!!" The doctors were shocked that she had managed to slip out first since she was the baby higher up. She was Baby B and was expected to be born second. The doctors joked that Wyatt was a gentleman and so he let her come out first. Either that, or they said Ava must've been very competitive.
They brought Ava around the curtain and held her up for me to see. She was beautiful.
One minute later, I heard another perfect little cry. They held Wyatt up for me to see. Just like his sister, he was beautiful.
Ava Grace was born at 9:11am, weighed 4 lb 15 oz and was 18 in. long.
Wyatt Jacob was born at 9:12am, weighed 5 lb 8 oz and was 18 in. long.
The babies were immediately taken to another room and I told Daniel to go with them. I could still hear them crying in the room next door so I knew they were doing well. In that moment, I felt so blessed. It was hard to believe that these two beautiful babies came out of me. I was overcome with emotion and I cried tears of immense joy. It had been a long and difficult pregnancy and I had finally seen my reward: two amazing babies.
The next little while in the O.R. was horrible. The medicine started creeping up to my chest and head and I felt horrible. I was nauseous, sick, and miserable. Not fun at all. The doctors noticed my tummy muscles had spread apart (which is normal for a multiple pregnancy) so they sewed them back together before finally closing my incision. It felt like an eternity before I was in recovery.
After quite some time in recovery, Daniel finally came to the room. He informed me that both babies were well, but having some breathing problems. Wyatt was doing much better than his sister, but still needed the assistance of high-flow to help assist his breathing. Ava needed the assistance of the CPAP to breathe. These babies, especially Ava, would definitely have needed to be transferred to this hospital so I'm glad we'd made the decision to deliver there.
The babies were surprisingly resilient. It was difficult to see my babies in the NICU and in isolettes with wires and IVs all over, but I knew they were here safe and would be healthy soon. I had done everything I could to get them here safely, and I am grateful that we at least made it as far as we did in the pregnancy. Wyatt recovered quickly and just needed to learn how to eat on his own. Ava was slower to recover, but soon caught up with her brother.
After 11 long days in the NICU, we were able to bring our sweet babies home. It was a great day!
Both babies are doing well. Due to the change in elevation from where we delivered to our home, the babies had to come home on oxygen. Wyatt only needed it for about two days and Ava came off at about six days.
They are great babies. Tiny babies, but great babies. Right now I feel grateful that I've been able to nurse them. It takes some getting used to, but I'm able to manage both at once.
I feel so grateful to be blessed with twins. The pregnancy was a nightmare that I soon hope to forget, but I feel so lucky to have been given these sweet babies. How lucky am I? I am so grateful for the prayers of our families and friends. I have felt the power of those prayers and I know they have made a difference.
My babies are here safe and I can't wait to watch them grow! I love them like crazy!!!
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