Logan and Riley's birth day

Ok, this is going to be slow going to catch up, but here we go, from the beginning.

March 21^st began for us at 4am when I got up to eat. I was concerned about the “no eating after midnight” rule because my appointment was at 1 and in the last two weeks of pregnancy when I got hungry I got very very nauseated. My doctor said I could eat and drink at 4, so I did. It was a good thing, because the next time I would get so much as water was nearly 5pm! We got to the hospital at our directed time, 11:30am. We saw a woman in labor just outside the labor and delivery unit and were directed to wait in the family room. We waited….. and waited…. And waited.  About 45 min later, a woman finally came in and asked if anyone had spoken to us. When we said no, she went to go find out what was going on. She told us it had been a very busy morning – they had 2 unexpected c-sections and seven or so other births, so it was going to be another 45 minutes before going to the prep room.

I know you’ve seen Steve in scrubs, but here it is again!

     Once I went to the prep room, they strapped on some nst monitors and started up an IV. My dr. came in and did an ultrasound to check position – she said they were breech and transverse, as usual. After talking with the anesthesiologist, we were off! They did a spinal block, and the worst part was so not the needle. I had to hunch forward and he took forever! He had to try two different locations, and the hunching made it difficult to breathe and made me feel sick.

     When the anesthesia was in, they laid me back and put up a giant curtain so I couldn’t see anything. Steve joined me, and I kept asking the anesthesiologist what they were doing. It was quick! They definitely had Logan out within the first 10 minutes, and Riley 3 minutes later.  I guess Riley decided to make one last movement, because at the point, they were both breech! They called over Steve to see the boys and he keeps saying he is glad they were on top of things, because they had to tell him to take pictures! After I got to see my boys briefly, they were whisked away with Steve to the nursery. I couldn’t believe the size difference! The sonographer was off on each boy by 9 oz, but in opposite directions! She had said 5lb11 for Logan and he was 6lb3, and she said 5lb8 for Riley and he was 4lb15. On the Apgar test, Logan scored an 8 and then a 9, and Riley scored 9 and 9, which is pretty great.

     In the recovery room, they weren’t able to get ahold of the nursery right away, so I requested my mom, who had insisted on waiting in the hospital the whole time. She told me about the other 2 families  waiting and how when they heard the two lullabies (they get played every time a baby is born) they thought both of their grandchildren had arrived. My mom smiled proudly and said no, I think that’s my twins!

It was totally weird not being able to move my legs. It’s like I didn’t know what muscle to use! I thought it was pretty funny a bit later when the nurse asked if I could move them and I said no, to which she replied “You just did!” I didn’t have any feeling back for quite some time.

     Logan and Steve joined us in the recovery room and I got to hold him for the first time. Riley was having blood sugar issues and was unable to join us. They wheeled me up to my room (we got the spacy corner room! Good timing because they ended up running out of rooms shortly after!) and the visitors started flowing in.

In came Mammy, Steve’s mom and Dad, my mom and dad, and Anthony.

     Riley came in and joined us, but they constantly had to check his blood sugar. The level they want is at minimum 45, and he kept giving a 43. They had to force feed him formula all day/night and said if he had so many low levels within the 1^st 24 hours, he would have to go to the NICU. Our little stinker really pushed the limit. On the last check, if he was under 45, it was off to the NICU with him…. But he got a 60! He really didn’t want to leave Mommy, Daddy, and Logan. His weight still is a concern though. We have to supplement and because he’s little, and kind of lazy because drinking from a bottle is easy, he is making breastfeeding a real challenge! (Logan, on the other hand, is a champ!)

One week!

The boys are a week old today!

I have lots to say about Logan and Riley's birth day and all the visitors we have had since then, but having newborn twins is HARD! You'd think with the amount they sleep, I'd have some time to myself... but feeding both of them takes an hour, and they aren't supposed to go more than 3 hrs between feedings. Then I need to pump because of Riley issues, and then there is all the in between diaper changes, and the fact that I only sleep 3-4 hours a night. Add in eating and showering and forget it! I have like 30 minutes a day to do what I'd like!

Here are pictures of the boys at a week old:

                      How haggard do I look? Probably something to do with there being two of them...

Happy Birth Day!!

They're here! After a bit of a delay with getting the c-section started, Carrie was ready to have one of the biggest instant weight losses ever.

 Nothing says fashionable like paper pants:

Thankfully, the nurses and doctors kept reminding me to use the camera I had in my pocket. Otherwise, Carrie would probably be a little mad at me. So, here they are! Big brother Logan was born at 2:49pm, weighing in at 6lbs 3.5oz and 19in long.

Little brother Riley was born 3 minutes later, weighing in at 4lbs 15oz and 18in long.

At least it's easy to tell who is who!

Carrie absolutely wanted a picture of me in full OR garb. I'm impressed with the quality of picture she took while on morphine and strapped down to the operating table.

So Carrie finally got to meet the little boys who had been kicking the crap out of her bladder, lungs, and hips.

There'll be more to come later!
- Steve

36 Week Growth Scan (with baby bump)

Yesterday was my final growth scan at Maternal Fetal Medicine as well as my routine appointments at my regular OBGYN. My mom came with me, and we headed off to Lehigh Valley Hospital. I did not have Kristin today as my sonographer because it was her day off, but the woman I did have was extremely nice and talked through exactly what she was measuring, just like Kristin does. They get an approximate weight for the boys by taking a series of measurements – their leg bones, their heads, their chests, etc.  Believe it or not, they told me that the weight measurements are actually less accurate closer to the due date than they were before. It’s because at this point, the positions the babies are in make their bones more difficult to measure, and being slightly off has a bigger impact on their weight. Anyways, this was their disclaimer before telling me their estimated weights, which were Logan – 5lbs 11oz, and Riley – 5 lbs 8 oz.  I can’t believe how big they got! When the doctor asked me if I had any questions, of course I had to ask – if they are born next Wednesday as scheduled,  in his opinion, what are their chances of needing to spend time in the NICU? The MFM doctor said that it was pretty low – he said that there was maybe a 20% chance that one of them would spend time in the NICU, meaning there was an 80% chance neither of them would.

Oh, the sonographer got us a halfway decent “4D” photo of Riley's face! Logan was in no way going to let us take his picture (as usual).

Carrie said there will be no pinching of cheeks.
But look at my son! What a cutie! - Steve

Next I went over to my other appointment and had my non stress test, which looked good. When I met with the doctor, I asked him the same question I asked the MFM doctor, and believe it or not, he gave the same answer – 80% chance that neither would visit the NICU. I realize there are many unforeseen reasons a baby – any baby – would have to go to the NICU, but it was reassuring that they both gave the same answer.  Knowing that was based off of next week, I asked what if they were born last night. The doctor still said he would not think the chance of either of them going to the NICU was above 30%. Both doctors agreed that it would be unlikely for me to have to go home without them.

In case you were wondering, I am huge. I have probably gained about 44 lbs. Here is me at 36 weeks, 2 days:

T-minus a week and a half!

Its funny how much a bad nights sleep can affect you. Thursday night I had one of the worst nights sleep I've had all pregnancy. I was so exhausted, achy, and miserable Friday that I had the attitude that I did not care how unprepared I felt, I wanted these babies here and I wanted them here now. Friday and Saturday nights were infinitely better for me, so I have returned to freak out mode. Yesterday was the "Oh my God, I know nothing about babies" kind of panic. Steve wanted to set up the temporary sleeping arrangements in our room for the babies which put me in more of a panic than it should have! We ultimately came up with a solution we were happy with, but man oh man was I stressing. Today the babies have been on their best behavior and I'm feeling pretty good, so my attitude has been if they are happy cooking, I am happy to wait! (Mostly because its finally sinking in what a tremendous change this is going to be!) Plus it will give me time to reread the book from the class we took, watch happiest baby on the block, and read the last baby book that we purchased but never touched.

So what is new in baby land? Well, apparently someone forgot to inform Riley that he's not supposed to have room to move anymore. Lack of room to move, after all, is the reason they scheduled a c-section. The date given to me, by the way, was Wednesday, March 21st at 1pm. Wasn't my first or second choice, but hey, I wasn't about to complain! As you know, Riley was curled up in a ball, transverse on my right side, and had been  for a while. Then on my March 2nd appt, Riley had moved to a diagonal position with his head by my ribs. Then at my March 6th appoinment, Riley was head down. At the beginning of the ultrasound, Logan was standing up. The sonographer, Karen, was so surprised, saying that she thought they might switch positions, which she had never seen before, because Logan appeared to be getting out of the way. Only his feet were blocking the way out and Riley's head was right next to them. She got really excited about it, saying that it might not have to be a c-section, but then Logan sat down (just as he had been before) while she was still doing the measurements. By my appointment on 3/9, Riley was back in his original transverse ball position, only a bit higher up than he had first started. Funny to think that he moved so much, but if I hadn't had a the 3/2 and 3/6 appointments, we would not have known he moved at all!

Tuesday is my last growth scan. I am super sad for Steve to go back to work tomorrow (it was spring break this week) because it is very boring at home without him, but at least I have that to look forward to. Steve and I made guesses on their weights. He said 4lbs 14 oz and 5lbs 0 oz. My guess is 5lbs 4 oz and 5lbs 5 oz. We will find out who is closer soon enough!

The Nursery

It's finished!

We went with jungle animals for the theme, and Carrie's mom came and painted some scenes on the walls. There are scenes above the cribs, the window, and the closet. Oh, and if you're wondering what that black furry thing is at the bottom of the picture? That would be Penguin, keeping tabs on the babies' room.

Here's the dresser/changing table, and the vine and monkeys around the closet.

We're still looking for a frame we like for the signed matte from the baby shower. Eventually, it will be hung up on the wall just above the dresser. Here's a close up of the lamp:

For now, the couch is in there for Carrie (and Penguin) to relax on while keeping an eye on things.

The puzzle piece initials from Maureen have taken up residence above the bookshelf, which we've already gotten a good start on filling with books purchased with several of the gift cards from the showers. Thanks to all of you for helping to start Riley and Logan off right.
 

Waiting picture frames, a container full of toys, and an adorable
plaid dog from Lisa and Mike. Oh, and the books!

I'll leave you with close ups of Carrie's and my favorite animals from the set:

My favorite. And yes, those are some pretty tall weeds.

Carrie's favorite, with some special touches (no face wrinkles,
plus some saucy bangs) by her mom.

Baby Bump Pic - Week 35

The day is drawing near! Carrie's definitely just about ready to pop. 

Anyway, we've both been in full-out cleaning and organizing mode trying to get everything ready. Most of the evening, I was moving furniture around to get the last of the nursery ready to go.

- Steve