New Pictures

I've started to discover the joys of dressing babies in cute outfits, so here are a few new pictures of them in the outfit that my Aunt Patti sent.

Kate


Maya


And here's Kate in her carseat looking a little annoyed

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a very nice Thanksgiving. My parents and brother came over to our house and then we all went over to my uncle and aunt's house for dinner. We all got dressed up, including the girls.

Here are a few pictures of the girls in their fancy outfits that their Grammy.

Kate in her special outfit (note the socks that look like little shoes)


Kate and Maya


Uncle Jason and Grandma with the girls

Spit up scare

This morning, the girls were snoozing in their baskets and I was answering emails on my computer when I looked over and saw that Maya's face was covered with spit up and she didn't seem to be breathing. I picked her up and held her head slightly down and rubbed her back and she eventually cleared out her nose and started breathing and crying again. When she started crying it was a very soft cry as she didn't have much air to cry with. This was obviously kind of terrifying - especially since I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't noticed that she was choking. I called the pediatrician and she said that she's never heard of an infant choking to death on spit up, but we could try to put her to sleep on her side so it's easier her to clear her airway if she does spit up in her sleep again.

Here's a picture from Saturday of Granddad (aka Grumps) feeding both babies at the same time. I'd say that's an advanced grandparent move if I ever saw one.


And, here's where the babies hung out this morning while I got dressed. I always said I wouldn't have the babies in our bed as it seems to be a hard habit to break later. However, I decided it's okay to bring them in in the mornings for a little bit - yeah, I know, it's a slippery slope.

One month old

This time last month, I was lying in a hospital bed with inflatable leg stockings on and just starting to be able to feel my toes and holding the only thing I had from the girls - two cards with their birth weights and measurements on it. The girls were in the Level 3 NICU being evaluated and I had only seen them for a brief moment in the OR before they were whisked away. I didn't see them until 14 hours later when an angelic nurse named Susie helped me into a wheel chair and rolled me down to the NICU catheter, IV and all. Thinking about the whole thing still makes me very sad. I know it doesn't really matter how the girls got here, it only matters that they are home with us now and we're all healthy and happy. Somehow, though, I still feel kind of cheated out of the whole birth experience. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch "The Baby Story" on TLC again as it just reminds me of what I missed out on...

In happier news, I took the girls out this morning solo for the first time. It was very exciting to go to the tire store, a quilting store, and a furniture store. The girls do attract a lot of attention - the bright pink car seats and the double long stroller doesn't help. They did awesome - they slept through the whole thing, even when I was struggling with figuring out the stroller on my own.

I forgot to post weights last week - as of Thursday last week, Maya weighed 6lb6oz and Kate weighed 6lb. They are gaining about an ounce a day - so, if all goes okay, Maya should be at 7lb by the end of the week. They are now in newborn diapers instead of premie diapers and are fitting into their little newborn outfits much better. It's so nice to pick them up and actually feel their weight - when they were first born they were so light that when we picked them up, it didn't feel like there was anything inside the bundle of blankets and clothes.

Over the river, through the woods...

We spent the night at Grandmom and Granddad's house last night. It was very nice to get out of the house and have someone else do the 6 AM feeding!

Here's the whole family doing baby care. Rosie is standing by in case we need an extra paw...


Here's one of me with both babies.

Twins holding twins

Our friends, twin sisters, Shea and Ariah, holding the twins...

An armful of babies

We still haven't figured out how to get both babies positioned in one lap without assistance from another person. Once they are positioned in one lap, though, they are very happy.


My Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Maury visited last night and fed Kate and Maya their bottles. It's handy to have two babies when there are two people visiting who each want to cuddle a baby!

Out and about

It's a beautiful day here today, so we took advantage of it and the whole family, dog included, went on a walk around the neighborhood. The girls seem to like the stroller - they fell asleep almost immediately and stayed asleep long enough when we got back for me to make an apple pie!

Kate meets the bouncy chair

I broke out the bouncy chair for the first time this morning and Kate got first dibs. She seemed to really like it - even though it's out of batteries, so I have to rock it manually. Maybe we'll try a swing later today!

38 weeks today

Today I would have been 38 weeks pregnant and I was planning on delivering the babies this week. I even put it in my Outlook calendar and it popped up today reminding me - like I would have forgotten!

Josh worked all day today on site, but luckily my mom came over and helped me take care of the babies all day. My mom has the magic touch when it comes to burping the babies - Josh and I don't have much luck with it. We need to figure out her secret!

Maya and Kate are getting bigger every day (though we're not sure how big yet - they don't get weighed again until Friday) and are starting to be awake a little more than before. I put the mobile up in the nursery in case they decide they want to see something more interesting when they are lying in their cribs. They are still extremely pokey eaters and it can be frustrating trying to keep them awake long enough to eat a meager 2 oz of formula. It'll be nice when they start eating better.

I am not going to dress the girls the same very often, but just for fun and photo ops, I did buy a few matching outfits before they were born. Here are a few pics of the girls in their matching outfits. When they are dressed alike it gets kind of hard to tell them apart...

Three babies!

We had brunch this morning with our good friends who had a baby girl shortly before our girls and got this photo of all three of them hanging out in their Moses baskets. Hopefully they'll grow up to be great friends.

From the left - Maya, Kate and Talia


Also, here are a few shots of their tiny little feet.

Maya's little feet


Kate's little feet

Getting bigger

We took Maya and Kate back to the doctor to be weighed again and when they put Kate on the scale, I thought there was something wrong with it because she had gained 8 ounces in three days. Kate is now up to 5lb9oz and Maya is 5lb15oz!

Also, we figured out how one person can feed both babies at the same time - which is a huge sanity saver in the middle of the night. I was desperate last night after several nights of two + hour feedings one baby at a time while the other one wailed to get fed, too. We basically just prop them up in boppies on the floor, sit in between them and then hold a bottle in each of their mouths. No, it's not rocket science, but it seemed like genius at 4 AM last night.

Kate passed out after her bottle

Pictures

Josh feeding Kate


Maya during "tummy time"

Third day home

Well, we've made it through the first three nights with the girls. We've been trying to switch off getting up in the middle of the night so we each can get at least six hours of uninterrupted sleep. This works out pretty well, but it can get hairy sometimes when one baby is being fed and the other one wakes up crying. This happened to me last night and it's heart rending to hear your baby crying and not be able to do anything about it. I guess twins just have to learn to be patient sometimes.

I did finally figure out how to pick both of them up at the same time last night - I was nervous about doing this, but when both of them were fussy and crying at the same time, I didn't really have a choice. I managed to pick them up and get them to the chair, but wasn't able to position them properly, so Maya was kind of sitting on top of Kate's legs in a big pile of babies. They both seemed to love this and they fell fast asleep almost instantly - which was a relief after the fussiness. I've started putting them to sleep right next to each (instead of separated by a foot or so as I had been doing) and they seem to like this a lot, too.

Oh, and we had our first outing yesterday - going to the pediatrician. They did awesome in the car - feel right asleep as soon as we strapped them in their carseats. They continue to gain weight - Kate is now 4lb15oz (almost 5 lbs!) and Maya is 5lb9oz.

I don't have any new pictures because I can't find the charger for the camera and the battery is dead. I'll try to find that today and post some new pictures.

Pictures

I finally found the camera, so here are a few new pics.

Last day in the hospital!


All ready to go home





Finally at home


Kate's first bath

First night at home

We survived the first night at home with both girls! It was very stressful for me to come home and try to unpack and get everything organized while also trying to take care of the girls. I feel much better this morning after spending several hours last night and this morning while they were sleeping putting things away and getting the nursery more organized. And, luckily my parents were here with a lovely meal, so at least we got to eat.

It is going to be challenging to take care of two babies. They need to eat every three hours now and the feedings (including changing and cuddling) take at least an hour and a half, so that only leaves about an hour or so to sleep at a time. Luckily there are two of us, so we can pretty much switch off every other feeding when it works.

Last night both of them woke up to be fed at the same time and were both howling. I had to wake Josh up to feed one while I fed one, too. I guess twins have to get used to waiting their turn, but it's hard to listen to them crying when I can't do anything about it.

This afternoon Josh needs to go run some errands, so I'll be alone with the babies for the first time. Also, we'll need to give them a bath for the first time at home sometime today. There will be lots of firsts happening from now on, I think!

Well, it's almost time for the next feeding. When I find the camera, I'll post some new pictures.

Going home

We "roomed in" with Maya last night and it went pretty well. She woke up to eat on schedule and ate really well. The last feeding didn't go so well, but hopefully she'll make up for it next time.

And, the exciting news is that Kate will get to come home with us today, too! They're going to bring her over to "room in" for the morning and then we'll all be discharged aften noon!

We're in the "rooming in" room at the hospital waiting for the nurse to bring Maya in. She should be here in about an hour. I'm very nervous about having to take care of her all by ourselves, but I'm excited, too. We're finally going to really be parents!

The doctor thinks Kate will go home on Monday if all goes well. She ate well today and didn't need any tube feedings. Both girls seem to be turning into snackers - they'll eat a little bit, take a quick nap and then eat a little bit more. I've tried to explain to them that this won't work very well with our schedule, but they seem to be ignoring me.

Weight update: Kate is now 4lb10oz and Maya is 5lb4oz. They're gaining an ounce or two every day - hopefully they'll keep it up.

Tomorrow's the day for Maya!

We enjoyed one last full night of sleep last night as it appears it might be the last in a long time. We called the hospital this morning and Maya is cleared for going home tomorrow. We're going to spend the day packing up from the Ronald McDonald house and running last minute errands and then will spend tonight at the hospital.

Maya's going home?

When we got to the hospital this morning, the nurse told us that if Maya ate all her meals today and this evening that the doctor would be releasing her on Sunday. They took her feeding tube out yesterday and she was eating like a champ all day. We'll see how she does tonight, but she wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. Kate is trying to keep up, but had to have part of a few meals gavaged (fed through the tube) today as she got tuckered out half way through. She's eating better, though, so, hopefully she can come home soon, too.

If they decide Maya is ready to go home, we'll get to "room in" with her tomorrow night in the hospital to make sure we're all doing okay. It's a bit terrifying to think of being fully responsible for such a tiny little creature (and soon two little creatures).

We're very sad to have to leave Kate behind. It's going to be difficult to visit her often in the hospital once Maya is home and we'll miss her. Hopefully it will only be for a short time.

We gave Maya a bath today for the first time (not her first bath, the first time we've given her a bath). The nurse bathed Kate because she still has her feeding tube. Both girls seemed happy to be in hot water, but Kate was shivering by the time she got out and was ready to be re-wrapped. Maya seemed content through the whole process - despite my inexperience with bathing a tiny infant.

Oh, and Maya gained 2 ounces yesterday and is now 5lb2oz and Kate is up to 4lb7oz.

Quick update

Not much new to report today. Maya hit five pounds last night, but little Kate is still just at 4lb6.5oz. They are both gaining weight every day, but Maya seems to be gaining faster than her sister. I'm hoping that Kate will start to gain quickly as well.

More pictures

Here are a few pictures from the operating room when the girls were just a minute or so old.






And, here's a picture of me and the girls the night before the c-section.

Nine days old

Kate and Maya are now nine days old and are getting bigger and stronger. As of last night, Maya weighed 4 lb 14 oz (almost 5 lbs!) and little Kate is back to her birth weight of 4 lb 6 oz.

This afternoon, they switched to regular newborn bottle nipples (they were using premie nipples) because they were taking their bottles so well. The newborn nipples take more strength to suck and they ran out of energy before finishing their whole bottles, so had to take half through their nasal feeding tubes. However, I'm sure they'll catch on quickly.

Kate still has occasional episodes of "periodic breathing" where she stops breathing for a few seconds and her oxygen saturation drops temporarily. I guess this is a common occurence with premature babies and she should stop doing this as she gets bigger. She does already seems to be getting these episodes less frequently.

We're still not sure when we we'll be going home. If they continue on the track they're on, I'm guessing they could be home in two weeks. No one at the hospital will tell us their opinion except to say that we should expect to take them home by their due date, which would be December 3rd. We'll just have to wait and see.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday.