R+K+2

Time Flies....

2010-07-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

So the twins are now 19 months old!

They are so much fun at this age and are becoming little 'people.' It amazes me every day how much they learn and grow. They are such little sponges right now. They typically are each other's best friends, however that's not to say that they get along 100% of the time! Typically it's been Kai pushing Katherine, or giving her a whack on the head, or stealing her toy....but lately little miss "Kat Kat," as they both call her, has been fighting back. She's much more determined to keep her own toys and not let her brother bully her around. And of course, anything Kai can do, Katherine can do too!

They have both generally been really good sleepers at night for the past few months. We have even been able to lay them down completely awake and they'll fall asleep on their own 95% of the time. And if they wake in the middle of the night, we rarely have to go in their room. They've been sleeping from 7pm-ish to 7am-ish. Sooo nice and sooo appreciated! They still nap twice a day, and they usually only take cat-naps, anywhere from 30 min to an hour. I'm thinking they'll transition to one nap a day soon...and hopefully it will be for a longer duration of time, also. Mama needs time to get some things done around the house!!

Kai is around 23 pounds. At his 18 month checkup he was in the 10th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height! (true age scale!) Katherine was 20 pounds, 4 ounces yesterday with her diaper, clothes, and shoes on. At 18 months she was in the 5th percentile for height and weight, true age scale. I think that's pretty darn good!

We just got home from our first trip to Wisconsin! The plane rides were interesting, to say the least. They actually did quite well - better than I expected. They rode on our laps for 3 of the 4 flights, and one of the shorter flights they had empty seats which allowed us to bring their carseats on. It was all about distraction, new toys, new books, more distraction, snacks, walking the aisle, and more distraction. Not too many melt-downs. And we were very thankful the people around us were so understanding. Traveling with two toddlers is not an easy feat!

While we were in Wisconsin we went to two waterparks (they are both water kiddo's, that's for sure!), went to Rich's cousin's wedding, spent a few nights at Rich's parent's house, spent a few nights at my parent's trailer, spent a couple nights in hotel rooms....the most difficult part of the trip was packing and repacking every day or every couple days. The twins went on their first boat rides, jet ski's, a tractor, four wheelers, ate a popsicle for the first time, got their first mosquito bites....all in all they had a blast. They met an overwhelmingly amount of people, and Kai was attached to his daddy like you'd not believe! In a way, it made it easier on me...Rich had one and I had one. We finally met my niece Grace who is 10 months old and such a cutie. Unfortunately the twins are now super attached to their binkies, as they really wanted them as a comfort measure. So I gave in while we were in Wisconsin for 10 days. Now it's been torture trying to get the binkies to 'live in their cribs' again.

When we arrived back in San Diego, both of them were acting a little 'off.' Kai refused to sleep in his crib, his classic ear infection sign...but part of me wondered if he just wasn't used to his crib after being away for so long. After a couple sleepless nights, I took them to the pediatrician (alone, by the way, which is really not an easy task these days as they're afraid of the doctor now!). Sure enough, Kai has another ear infection. Katherine's ears looked okay, but her throat was red and swollen, she's had diarrhea, a low-grade fever, a rash, and hasn't been feeling well. Just a virus...which will inevitably turn into an ear infection...

So we're not quite back to normalcy yet. I have a crabby little boy who clings to his daddy at any chance he gets and I have a little girl who wants nothing more than to suck on her binkie all day long. Unfortunately her top teeth are coming in a little crooked, so I'm really trying to stay strong and keep that binkie in the crib for 'night night' only. She has been doing such a great job of telling me when she has to go 'poo poo' though - and both of them have gone on their potty a few times already! They are fascinated by the potty, which is both good and bad...but certainly makes me keep a clean bathroom!!

While I had a few moments of peacefulness with Katherine dozing on my chest on the airplane ride home from Wisconsin, I gazed out the window and thought about Kai running around my parent's yard following his older cousins everywhere. He looked like such a big kid, hanging out and admiring all the older boys. At one point they were climbing around the fence and Kai's shirt got stuck on it. Pretty funny to see him hanging there, almost helpless, until his older cousin stepped in and got him off. Never a peep from him. Just a look of 'thanks, man.'

Gosh, they have come such a long way! Such a big boy he's becoming...and such a big girl my princess is becoming....and as I gazed out the airplane window I got a little tear in my eye thinking about how fast time flies.

Where has time gone?

2010-03-10T10:34:00.001-08:00

My goodness, it's been awhile! I am long overdue for an update!

The twins are 16 months old! They are beginning to walk...and they are everywhere! They seldomly crawl now, as I think they've realized it hurts their knees. So stinkin' cute to watch them both on their feet at the same time!

Katherine is my mellow girl now. She is very patient and she is able to entertain herself quietly with toys or books. She likes to share everything she has, including sharing with her brother. She loves her baby dolls, and her nana has recently spoiled her with a baby buggy, which she adores. She loves to rock her babies and give them kisses. She is a very smart girl and loves to imitate and make signs. Both babies are learning sign language, and she really seems to pick up on it quickly. She still adores her brother like crazy, and I think her favorite word is "Kai." She is a bit of a taddle-tale and likes to point at him when he's doing something naughty and say "Kai, Kai." They are both on the true-age scale now and Katherine is in the 5th percentile and Kai is in the 10th percentile for 15 month olds! Hooray babies!

Kai is my little boy who is now giving me a run for my money! He is ALL boy! He is very rambunctious and full of energy. My parents have nick-named him "Bam Bam" which is very, very fitting. He has a short fuse and an even shorter attention span! He keeps me super busy and needs a lot of entertainment from mama. When he is teething, he is in a terrible mood, and unfortunately they both seem to be teething a lot these days. I still wish they could go to sleep and wake up with a full mouth of teeth. His favorite thing to do is steal toys from his sister...and he also loves to climb stairs and has absolutely NO fear! His gaze is still so enchanting and he has the cutest smile with a huge gap between his front teeth. Even though he keeps me on my toes, I don't know what I'd do without my little boy! He adores his daddy and always wants to be outside with him - anything to get dirty! He is hystarical in the sand and I think both babies will definitely be beach babies this summer!!

My parents were just visiting with my neice Madeline for 10 days. My dad built us another deck around our new hot-tub, and it extends off/goes around our toy room. The kids already love it out there!! We bought them little life jackets to go in the hot tub with us (at just a warm temperature)...they've been in once and had a blast! The twins really miss their nana, and they crawl around the room and say "Na Na, Na Na, Na Na" and look for her. It breaks my heart! Madeline was such a great little helper and it made me realize how much easier my life would be with a 10 year old around the house! My sister has certainly done something right with raising that girl because she was absolutely an angel while she was here. I need some parenting tips from Kathy!!

We are looking forward to our visit to Wisconsin this June. I'm not looking forward to traveling on the airplane with the twins...that will be interesting, to say the least. But I can't wait for our extended families to finally meet them! I think they get cuter and cuter as each day passes!

Grown up babies!

2009-11-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

With their signs from their incubators! Kai 2 pounds, 7 ounces. Katherine 1 pound, 15 ounces

Kai and Katherine are one year old!!

My parents and my grandmother came to visit over their birthdays. They were amazed at how much they've grown! It was great to have their help, as the babies are now very mobile and into everything! They like to go in opposite directions, just to make it fun for mama to chase after them. :) We had a big birthday party at Kate Sessions Park and it was so much fun. Thank you so much to everyone for coming and for all of the wonderful gifts!

Kai's surgery went well and he did great with the anesthesia. His recovery, however, was absolutely terrible. It was the hardest 2 weeks since bringing the babies home from the NICU, for sure. He was bandaged and had a stent in place for a week, which caused severe bladder spasms that you could do nothing about. He was miserable and in pain all the time. After a week, the bandage and stent were removed and I thought things would get easier, but they only got harder. He had a severe reaction to the bandage and was red, swollen, and blistered everywhere. Each time he pee'd he would scream bloody murder for days and days. One night we spent 5 hours in the ER at Children's (with both babies) because everything had turned purple...it was miserable there but we are thankful we went because they diagnosed him with a yeast infection and gave us some nystatin cream for the pussy blisters...and a day later he was already feeling better.

They are still teething like crazy, especially Kai. He has 4 that are poked through on the bottom and one coming in on top. And let me tell you, he is not very happy about it! (And neither are mom and dad). He isn't sleeping well at all these days and has been waking up screaming around 5 or 5:30am. Coming from my boy who used to sleep til 7:30 or 8:00, it's pretty rough for him to be up that early. The first couple hours of our days are spent with him crying or whining, then it gets a little better after his first nap...which is happening earlier and earlier. :)

Oh, this too shall pass, right? I wish they could go to sleep and wake up the next morning with a full mouth of teeth. It's funny how different two babies can be - most of the time you'd never even know Katherine is teething. Thank goodness for that!

They are crawling like champions and can roam the whole house. Fast little buggers! They pull up on anything and everything, but their favorite is the coffee table. We finally put a gate around the TV in their toy room since Katherine is obsessed with the DVD buttons. They aren't too fond of the gate. In physical therapy, they are now working on 'cruising' along furniture. Ummm...I'm not sure I'm ready for that!!!

Each day they are even more grown up, and it's all happening so fast!

Milestones...

2009-10-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by so quickly now, and soon the babies will be one year old!! Oh my gosh! It's so incredible to me how much they've grown and everything they have overcome in this past year.

Five weeks after the first ear infections, they had another round of ear infections. This time they were even sicker, and it lasted much longer. More sleepless nights for us. Now they are both teething. Katherine has her two front bottom teeth almost completely in, and Kai's bottom two teeth are just poking through now. Needless to say, Katherine has proven, once again, to be our little 'toughie.' Kai has been much more grumpy about getting his teeth...typical boy, right? Gosh, does he ever remind me of Rich! he he :)

We went to the Wild Animal Park and a pumpkin patch a couple weekends ago and the babies did great. It was an adventurous day! Katherine liked the hay more than the pumpkins, and Kai didn't really like the crowds of people. It takes him a little longer to warm up to other people. But we all had fun and got some good pictures.

Next Wednesday Kai will be having his surgery. He will be under general anesthesia for 2 hours and I am so incredibly anxious and scared. He didn't do well with anesthesia with his first surgery...and the memories of him being on a ventilator for 24 hours and then under a hooded tent and not being able to even touch him for another 24 hours is still very fresh on my mind. My heart absolutely aches just thinking about it. I'm sure his recovery process will be interesting as well, since he's my 'sensitive' boy. I have a feeling I'll have a little boy attached to me for a few days. Good thing Katherine is pretty independent.

But I know he'll do fine and soon this will be another milestone that we have accomplished....

Double Babies, Double Ear Infections...

2009-08-12T16:36:00.001-07:00

Katherine and Kai both have double ear infections. Two nights ago Rich and I had about 1/2 hour to an hour of sleep all night. Kai would not let me put him down, literally, and I had to lie with him on my chest most of the night through. Thankfully we had a much better night last night, as I've only been awake since 4am today. It's amazing how you can still function on such little sleep...am I functioning?

It's so sad to watch your little babies while they are sick. And it's super hard when they both want to be cuddled at the same time, but you've only got room for one at a time! I had to call in sick to work yesterday, and Rich did the same, so I was so thankful there were another set of arms here to cuddle!

Katherine is obsessed with putting her toes in her mouth lately. She also does something that melts my heart every night - she gets a little silly when she is really tired before bed. She started doing it while my mom was here visiting for the month. She will drink a little bit, then you look down at her and she'll give you the biggest smile ever, and sometimes a little giggle. She'll do it every time you look at her. So cute.

Kai is going to follow in daddy's footsteps and be an engineer I think. It's amazing how much he studies his toys. He will grab a rattle and look at it in every direction possible. He is certainly going to be on the move soon. Today he was lying on his blanket on his tummy with some toys, and I left to wash bottle for a couple minutes. When I came back he was on the wood floor smacking it with his hands. He loves to do that.

At the pediatrician today, Kai was 18 pounds, 3 ounces and Katherine was 14 pounds, 13 ounces. Gosh, they are getting so big! Kai is doing fantastic on his new Alimentum Formula. Who knows if he'll be lactose or soy intolerant. Oh I sure hope not! The pediatrician chatted a bit about trying to give up the binkies in a few weeks when they are over their ear infections. Oh boy - what are we going to do in the middle of the night when one wakes up and cries....it's too hard to do the 'cry it out' method when you've got another baby in the room who will certainly wake up! There should be a different set of guidelines how to get twins who share a room to both sleep through the night! Trust me, I've done my research and found nothin'!

For now, we just have to get through the ear infections. I feel very lucky that this is the first time they've gotten ear infections. Poor little things!

Don't wish time away...

2009-07-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you fellow blog-followers, my apologies for not writing an update sooner! Where does the time go? Oh, I know....most of it goes into feeding my fussy eater Kai!

We have had battles with Kai's eating for months now. He was diagnosed with reflux, as many preemie babies have some sort of reflux. Although he doesn't fit the classic symtoms, he's been on zantac and prevacid for quite some time, and for months we thickened his formula as well. We've seen a GI specialist who wasn't all that concerned because he hasn't lost weight, and she increased his prevacid to the maximum dose. So much, in fact, that our pediatrician was surprised as he has never had a baby on that much prevacid. Not to mention, it doesn't even work...

He doesn't spit up a lot, and you can lie him flat on his back after feedings and he'll be just fine. He just absolutely hates it when you put the bottle in his mouth and make him eat. If it was up to him, he wouldn't eat a thing all day. Instead, we pretty much do circus acts to get him to drink 5 oz four times a day. Yes, that's all he eats in 24 hours, with a tablespoon of solids here and there. We stand the majority of the time (my upper body is stronger than it's been since I was a gymnast!), it usually takes an hour per feeding, and we have to walk around the house or outside, let him listen to cars driving by, and if we're desperate to sit down for a break we turn the vacuum cleaner on. (Thx Julie for the discovery!)

He's been seen by an occupational therapist in case it is an actual oral-feeding problem, which it of course isn't. For the past week we have changed his formula from the all-important Neosure to a hypo-allergenic formula called Alimentum. At just $28 for a small can, it is completely dairy free and soy free. Apparently 30% of kids with a dairy sensitivity also have a sensitivity to soy, so the GI specialist recommended cutting out everything. *Maybe* it's helping a little bit. He still requires the standing and bouncing and walking around and singing and severe distraction, but at least he isn't screaming bloody murder. We don't thicken it anymore, as the cereal has soy in it, but he does pretty well at keeping it down. An occasional projectile vomit here and there, but nothing unmanagable. So, I thought he might be hungrier and start eating more than 5 ounces at a time since it's not thickened anymore...but nope! 5 is just fine in his book. Well, 3 is ideal in his book, but mama doesn't let that happen. If we don't see a huge change in another week of the Alimentum formula, he might need an endoscopy and a biopsy of his esophogus. We're hoping to avoid this, but we need to do what's best for him. Oh, Mr. Kai. I hope you grow out of this soon! I know, someday he will come home from school and eat my entire refrigerator, and I will say 'remember when...'

As you could only imagine, life has been busier than ever because of our little eating challenges. Thankfully Katherine is quite the little eater now (drinking 5 ounces 5 times a day with solids at dinner time). When we finish with her bottle, we begin the feeding extravaganza with Kai, and poor little Katherine waits an hour for some attention. Thankfully she's really into her toys and playing with her feet. (She's figured out how to suck on her toes now, mmm). Usually she is patient, but there are many days when I am feeding Kai, singing to and bouncing him, standing on one foot with a toy between the toes in my other foot, shaking the toy in front of Katherine's face who is lying on the floor looking up at us. Oh, to be a fly on my walls, huh?

Both babies are rolling over now. Kai is rolling very often and will play with toys while on his tummy for quite awhile. We are now working on the beginning stages of crawling during physical therapy sessions. (Ugh!! Am I ready for that?) Katherine doesn't mind being on her tummy anymore, but only on her own time. She will roll over only when she really wants to. Nobody is gonna make her do something she doesn't want to, that's for sure. Kai sleeps through the night most of the time, but now that he's rolling over, he'll get onto his tummy in his sleep and then wake up because he's not used to it yet. So we just flip him over and back asleep he goes. I think he forgets how to get back onto his back while he's so sleepy. I'm sure he'll get used to sleeping on his tummy if he lands that way eventually. You never know where you'll find him in the crib when he wakes up. He's hysterical. Katherine wakes up about once or twice a night now, only for her binkie. We were climbing up and down the stairs up to 10 times a night a few weeks ago, so we're quite pleased right now. Every now and then she will even sleep all the way through the night! Those are some joyous mornings!

Grandma and Grandpa Eichhorn came to visit the babies last weekend. They were here over Christmas while the babies were still in the NICU, Katherine just over 3 pounds and Kai just under 4 pounds. Needless to say, they were very surprised to see how big they are now! Katherine weighs around 14 1/2 pounds and Kai weighs around 18 pounds! My chunky monkey! The babies were also baptised on Sun, July 19th at St. Brigid Catholic Church. Katherine was adorable in her princess dress and Kai was very handsome in his little white suit. Both babies did extremely well throughout the entire baptism ceremony. Thank you so much to Heidi Dobbs and Carrie & Joe Schaefer for being the twins' godparents! Afterwards we hosted a little BBQ on our new deck that dad built when he was here. We are putting it to very good use this summer.

A few weeks ago we went to Josh and Heather's house for our first trip away. They babies did great in the car and slept well in the basinette portion of the pack-n-play. They loved swimming and we can't wait to take them again. We've also gone swimming at the YMCA while Julie and Michaela were visiting/helping to babysit the twins. They are definitely water babies and love taking baths. They are obsessed with their little bath toys. They are almost sitting by themselves, so they'll have lots more fun in the tub soon.

We found a new nanny named Sabrina who is wonderful with the babies. She is very patient through all of Kai's eating dilemas and we are so thankful to have found her. She is also a teacher who recently moved to San Diego with her husband, but the job market for teachers in San Diego is pretty tough right now so she is nannying for us until she finds a job. I'm selfishly hoping that won't be for awhile!

The past couple months have proven to be quite stressful and super busy. As a mom, I'm just so worried that we're missing something with Kai, and I just want him to be okay and actually enjoy eating like a baby should do. I hate to see him so upset, but I am determined to not allow him to lose weight and I must keep going no matter how much my arms ache and how much my back hurts! I know this is just a phase. Nothing is as stressful as our 3 month NICU stay, but these past couple months have ranked right up there. As much as I can't wait for him to outgrow this phase, I don't want to wish any time away...

Childcare stresses

2009-06-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am so sad to write that we have lost our wonderful nanny, Kalli. Her boyfriend was in a tragic pool accident after they both attended a friend's wedding last weekend in Wisconsin. He fractured vertabrae in his neck and bruised his spinal cord, and his recovery process will be a long journey. She does not know when/if she will ever return to San Diego. Please keep them both in your prayers for a full recovery.

So our adventure in finding a new nanny has begun. What an incredibly stressful time right now. Not only am I concerned about Kalli and her boyfriend, but I am obviously very concerned for my own family as well. It was difficult finding our first nanny - she has got to be the perfect fit, and Kalli was absolutely that. We are now pressured to find someone in a hurry, as I cannot continue to call in sick to work. Thankfully Emily, one of their NICU nurses, will be watching the babies for a few hours tomorrow while I'm working. However, next week we have no back-up plan. Who has a back-up plan for terrible tragedies like this?

We will certainly miss Kalli, and I know the babies will also. I can only pray that we find someone as wonderful as she is. Who ever thought child-care would be so stressful?

Little adjustments...

2009-05-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm a ham for the camera!

What are you lookin' at?

Happy Easter!

Mama's little man

Sweet little baby doll

Papa and Katherine

We kept nana very busy!

Silly babies

Can you believe the twins are 6 months old?! Where has the time gone?!

Kai and Katherine are doing fantastic. They are just growing like little weeds now. Kai weighs almost 15 pounds and Katherine is around 12 pounds. They are so much fun right now. It seems as if they have 're-discovered' each other. They will play in their Bumbo chairs facing each other, and they will make noises and laugh at each other. It's so adorable to watch. I don't know who loves Baby Einstein more - the twins or their mama! That silly movie has allowed me the freedom to prepare their bottles and medications each morning, and even allows me to shower and get ready on occasion! Daddy watched them alone for the first time for 13 hours last Sunday while I was at work, and they were great for Daddy! They even both rolled over from their tummies to their backs for the very first time!

Kai battled some issues with reflux but has been doing so much better now that he's on Previcid. For a few weeks he could only eat 2 ounces at a time, and then he would scream in pain. He's now back to drinking 5 ounces each bottle. He's my marathon eater - slow but steady. Katherine-bug has decided that she's finally hungry enough to finish most of her bottles (which is 3 1/2 ounces these days. Seems crazy that they are 6 months old and only eat that much, but their adjusted age is truly just over 3 months.

Nana was here for the month of April and I can't explain how much of a help she was to us. From feeding and rocking babies to preparing meals and doing dishes - oh my gosh, do we ever miss her! I think the babies miss smiling and laughing at her while they drank their bottles. Papa was here for two weeks, and boy was he ever busy for those two weeks! He moved the closet door in the nursery, built a door into the nursery, installed a dishwasher, did some electrical work, and built a deck and railings...all in two weeks! Of course there was some baby-holding time in there too! We miss them both so much and it was terribly difficult saying good-bye. We're not sure when we'll travel to Wisconsin again, nor do we know when they'll be back to San Diego to see us. Hopefully sooner than later!

I've been back to work for a month. My first few shifts, Nana was here to babysit. Our nanny started in May, and she is so fantastic with the twins. I have complete trust in her and I feel so comfortable having her at our house with the babies. We are so blessed to have found her! I am working every Tues and Thurs, and every other Sunday. 13 hours away from the babies is soooooo long and I miss them sooooo much by the end of the day. Thankfully they're still awake when I get home and I'm able to feed them their last bottle and put them down to sleep.

They are still sleeping in the twin bassinette in our bedroom, but the time is near that we are making the transition to their cribs in their nursery. Each side of the bassinette only holds 15 pounds, and Kai is just about there! For the most part, Kai sleeps through the night, only waking on occasion for his binkie. Katherine has been waking up quite a few times a night from 3am on for the past few weeks. She'll take her binkie, reposition, and fall back asleep quickly, but only to wake up a short time later. She doesn't need to eat anymore in the middle of the night, but I'm really hoping she's able to sleep more soundly through the night soon. Or else we will be making a lot of trips up and down the stairs. (Our bedroom is directly above their bedroom). I've considered the idea of moving Kai to his crib and keeping Katherine upstair in the bassinette, but I really hate to separate them, so I think we're just going to dive in and move them both....

It's so hard to remember what life was like without Kai and Katherine. I just love every little ounce of them so much. We have had such great help lately, from my sister and family visiting, my parents visiting, and our friend Heidi visiting, and now it's back to life with just the four of us. We have some adjusting periods ahead of us, but they are such fun adjustments! I wouldn't give any of this up for the world...

The Little Things

2009-03-19T16:08:00.001-07:00

Who said we're little? Check out our cheeks!

Mama keeping two babies happy

Smile, Kai!

Practicing in her big-girl crib!

Sleepy Heads

4 Months Old and ready for a walk in the baby bjorns!

I can certainly relate to the old saying 'the little things are what mean the most.' It's amazing how a little smile and an enchanting stare can absolutely melt my heart. These tiny babies are growing so quickly, and each day they amaze me more and more.

Kai and Katherine just had their 4 month check-up at the pediatrician! Kai weighs 10 pounds, 7 ounces and Katherine weighs 7 pounds, 10 ounces. Notice how the numbers are just reversed? My twins don't want to be too different from each other! Our pediatrician couldn't be happier with their progress. We've had some difficult lab-draws in the last couple weeks. Let me tell you - watching your babies give 5 vials of blood via a heel-stick is not fun in the least bit. And what's worse is when you hear the news that you need to do it all over again. Most of their labs are perfectly normal, however they still have a high alk-phos level. At this time we are not going to put them back on that medication, and we will recheck labs in a month.

Life as a mom of twins is definitely busy, but things seem to get easier and easier each day. We've established somewhat of a 'routine,' and I think this helps both me and the babies. They love to lie under their activity mats, especially together. They also love their vibrating chairs, and when they won't sleep in their bassinettes they will fall fast asleep in their chairs. Those chairs have been a life-saver in helping mom and dad get some sleep! As for their sleeping habits, they are outstanding! They have only been waking up once a night for the past two weeks! During the day, Kai is a great little napper. He even takes naps in his big boy crib quite easily. Katherine, on the other hand, is just too busy checking out the world to have time for a nap during the day! Some days it takes leaps and bounds of rocking and cuddling to get her to take a day-time nap...and we make sure to practice going in her big girl crib at least once a day. She usually spends more time 'talking' to her monkey stuffed animal than anything else. She is going to give me a run for my money... So that means no napping for the mama! I'm awake around 6am when they drink their early morning bottles, and I'm going nonstop until the last binkie is popped in the mouth around 10pm. Then again when they wake up in the night, but usually only for an hour or so. No complaints on this end! I think that's pretty darn good.

The weeks of maternity leave are dwindling down, and it makes me very anxious that I will be returning to work soon. I am thankful that my mom will be watching them the first few shifts, as she will be here for the month of April. I return to work April 14th, and I will be working Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Sunday. (pending adequate staffing). We found a nanny who is originally from Wisconsin, and actually graduated from UW-Milwaukee where we went to school. She has a degree in teaching, but she hasn't been able to find a teaching job in SD. Instead, she is focusing on nannying for us and another family until the job market picks up. I never imagined that I would ever want to be a stay-at-home mom....but something drastically changed in me since having these little monkeys. Juggling two babies at the same time can prove to be challenging at times, and it will be a huge task for me to give up all control while I go back to work. I know they will be okay, and the nanny will be okay, and I will be okay. It's hard, though. I'm sure every mom goes through the same thing. Although I do think it's 'twice' as hard for me!

In the meantime, I am trying to enjoy each and every moment with these babies. They are interacting more and more each day. They are full of smiles in the mornings, and Katherine will even chuckle every now and then. Kai has the most incredible, enchanting gaze and he could win any staring contest hands down. They definitely recognize their mom and dad and will look in our direction when we're talking. Katherine likes to make grunting noises when she is waking up or trying to reach her binkie, and I laugh when she makes noises like a baby elephant. Kai is fascinated by their Baby Einstein DVD, and he'll let you know when he's done watching it by rubbing his little eyes. The hard thing about twins is that you constantly feel like you're bouncing between babies, and you don't get a whole lot of quality one-on-one time if you're alone with them. So I look forward to Rich coming home from work each night so I can spend alone time with each baby.

They are so perfect. I have looked forward to becoming a mom for awhile, but I never could have imagined how truly wonderful it is. And I am doubly blessed to enjoy the little things that matter most.

Home Sweet Home!!!

2009-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

We are finally all home together!!

Kai came home from the NICU on Jan 16th, and Katherine came home Feb 1st. It was a very long 2 1/2 weeks while she was still in the NICU....she missed her brother terribly, and we had an extremely difficult time leaving her alone each night. She was having a hard time finishing all of her feedings, and then finally we changed bottles and the light bulb clicked on.

Being at home as a family is so incredibly wonderful. Yes, I'm quite busy. But we're all home, where we belong. And that part is so peaceful. We don't have monitors dinging and bright lights everywhere and people chattering about us. We have a sense of normalcy, and I can't express how great that feels. We cherish these babies more than anything else in this world, and they have done an amazing job so far in their little lives.

Both babies sleep remarkably well at night, and sometimes even go for 4-5 hour stretches! We have them in a twin bassinette in our bedroom, and most of the time they are so happy sleeping next to each other. When one wakes up, we wake the other one up to eat as well...otherwise we would be awake all night feeding! Kai now weighs 8 pounds, 3 ounces and Katherine weighs 6 pounds, 1 ounce. I remember the day I congratulated Katherine in joining the '2 Pound Club.' Wow, what a long way we have come.

Rich was officially off work for one whole day with me so far. Although I am bummed out that he hasn't been able to take more time off work, I'm thankful that he's at least able to take off for all of our doctor's appointments. We've had plenty of them so far! Our babies are pro's at riding in the car already. They also love to go on walks in their stroller, especially along the boardwalk. Beach babies already.

We are so thankful to finally be home....sweet home!

On the Homestretch...

2009-01-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

Needless to say I haven't upheld my promise for more pictures. Soon, I hope. It seems like such an easy task, but where does the time go? I know - the NICU!

The babies are doing so well, and mostly just working on their feedings now. Kai is 5 pounds, 1 ounce and Katherine is 4 pounds 6 ounces. We have come a looooonnng way. They are 9 weeks old today. I look back at 9 weeks ago and the time has gone fairly fast, but yet has taken forever. We've been through a lot these last few months. But my little monkey's are some tough babies, that's for sure!

Kai had his surgery to repair his inguinal hernia a week ago. I didn't sleep a wink the night before, and arrived just as soon as they'd let me through those doors the morning of the surgery. As I walked towards their bed, I realized only Katherine was in it, and tears came to my eyes immediately. He was already over in the intensive care side, and she was alone in the step-down unit. I hated seeing them apart. I snuggled with her for a little while, then made my way over to Kai. His little IV was already started, and I saw a poke in his other hand where they must have missed the first attempt. I thought he would be quite angry since he wasn't allowed to eat anything, but he was perfectly content in my arms. Rich arrived a couple hours later, and we spoke with both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. They were running an hour late, but it was okay by me because I wasn't quite ready to let go of him.

They put him in a little transport bed, and he was happy as could be sucking on his binkie. He had no idea what was to come. It was pretty emotional, to say the least. Rich and I had a quick lunch in the cafeteria while he was in the O.R., then came back and stayed with Katherine. When he got back from surgery, he was still intubated. His nurse Emily (we love Emily!)told us that they were thinking of extubating him back in the O.R. cuz he was breathing so well over top of the ventilator. Thank goodness they didn't. As time went on, he stopped breathing less and less on his own and depended on the ventilator. Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like watching your baby boy just lie there, unresponsive, not opening his eyes, not moving, letting a machine take mechanical breaths for him. Ugh, I can't even think about it right now. We waited and waited for him to wake up so they could take the tube out of his throat, and we waited and waited some more. We were running back and forth between the two nurseries from Kai to Katherine. And soon it was 2am and we were struggling with whether to stay all night, or if we should go home and try to sleep for a few hours and come back right away in the morning.

We ended up going home for a few hours, although I can't say that I slept. We had the phone nearby in case the nurse called saying they extubated him. But it didn't ring all night. Their night nurse Louise called at 6:30am for an update, and he was still intubated. We were at the door before 8am, and then they let us inside. It was another 4 1/2 hours until they decided to pull the tube out. We decided it might be best for us not to watch him get the tube out, so we stayed with Katherine. After 15 minutes or so, they let us come see him. It was just as heartbreaking. He was struggling to breathe and the muscles in his little chest were retracting in a way I've never seen any other baby do. It was scary and horrible to watch. I'll never forget it. There were talks of reintubating him or putting him back on CPAP. My heart sank at the thought of either of these, but I wanted something done quickly. He couldn't struggle like that. They ended up giving him two breathing treatments to try to loosen up his swollen airway, then put him inside a 'tent' and blew in cool moist air. We couldn't touch him for 24 hours. It was so difficult to watch him struggle to breathe, inside his tent, touching his feet with the plastic barrier in the way.

During all this time, Katherine missed her brother so much that she stopped eating well, stopped sleeping well, and stopped gaining weight. The 'twin bond' is absolutely true with my little twins. She just couldn't figure out where her brother was, and it made her very upset. My mellow little girl found a voice in her and cried more in 3 days than she has her whole life. I have to admit that those 3 days were some of the toughest emotional days so far in this NICU ordeal.

Friday Kai was breathing better and we were finally able to hold him. Unfortunately the two days after Kai's surgery we didn't have 'primary nurses' taking care of either baby. We have 7 primary nurses who take care of them each shift they work, so the continuity of care is wonderful. The two days it mattered most, none of them were there. That was very difficult also. Katherine had a huge event where she dropped her oxygen saturation and heart rate for 3 1/3 minutes, and Rich had the pleasure of observing this (I was in the other side of the nursery with Kai). The nurse froze, and never even gave her oxygen. Needless to say, I was livid that she let my baby girl have a lack in oxygen for that long. Friday night, after much persuasion on our part, Kai and Katherine were back together.

It's now a week after his surgery and this is all behind us. I still get emotional when I think about the stress we went through during those 3 days. What makes me very emotional also is the fact that Kai is coming home in 2 days!!!! Yup, he's ready to come home! I am thrilled to have him finally home with us, but I'm so torn over the fact that Katherine will need to stay in the NICU for another 2-3 weeks. How do I leave one baby behind at the NICU? How is that possible? We've tried everything to prolong Kai's stay, for Katherine's sake, however the insurance company will no longer pay for Kai past Friday. They say he's ready to go, so he's gotta go. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate insurance companies? They have no idea what it will do to my little baby girl.

We got the approval from the manager and one of the docs to bring Kai along with us when we visit. However, he won't be able to be in the same bed as Katherine due to infection control. So I guess I will have to hold them close to each other as much as possible. It's going to be tough toting Kai back and forth to and from the NICU to see Katherine, and the poor boy is going to spend many hours in his carseat. But I'm mostly concerned over Katherine, because she just loves her brother so much. You'd be absolutely amazed.

I also went back to work 1 1/2 weeks ago, temporarily, until the babies come home. I have decided to continue working while Kai is home, and will take my 6 weeks of paid family leave once they are both home with us. It's going to be terribly difficult, but Rich and I will take turns going to work, and thankfully my schedule is very flexible during this time as I am not doing direct patient care. I have to keep thinking that it is only temporary. This is all only temporary, and it will be over soon. We are on the homestretch...

In due time...

2008-12-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

Who could have imagined that life as a NICU mom would be so busy? My days are consumed with waking up, pumping, showering, pumping, going to the NICU, pumping, holding the babies, pumping, feeding the babies, pumping, maybe eating in there somewhere, and maybe a little more pumping. Thankfully I have a hospital-grade pump at home and I can use the NICU's pumps while sitting at the babies' bedside. It's still so difficult to leave their bedside, even to run to the cafeteria for lunch. I don't spend many waking hours at home, so I apologize for not putting more pictures up recently. We will download a few more pictures and I will get them on here soon.

Kai and Katherine are doing amazing, as always. Over the past couple weeks, we have been working mostly on eating, sleeping, and growing. They have not had many 'events' in the past few days, and we are in the clear of ever needing CPAP again! Well, never say never, right? But they are doing so well with their breathing, and they only have an occasional drop in heart-rate or oxygen saturation while eating.

Kai is just over 4 pounds and Katherine is around 3 pounds, 4 ounces! My little oinkers! They are learning how to breastfeed and bottlefeed now, and they eat every 3 hours. We breastfeed once a day and they bottlefeed once or twice a day. The other feedings go through their NG tube so that they can conserve their energy. Feeding is a lot of work for them and it is literally exhausting for them. They sleep very easily after eating, which is good because preterm babies grow when they sleep.

They are 35 weeks now, and have been delivered for 6 weeks! It seems like just yesterday that they were born, yet these past 6 weeks have taken forever. We are hoping to have them home by their due date, and the thought of another 5 weeks in the NICU is hard on the heart. Being a labor and delivery nurse, I know what 35 weekers do, how they eat, etc, and I'm finding it very difficult in the last couple days when comparing Katherine and Kai to a 35 weeker who was just born. I never really thought much about preterm babies who need to physically learn how to eat. Both breast and bottle feeding are taking some time, whereas a typical 35 weeker would know just what to do. I cannot do this to myself, nor to my beautiful babies. There is absolutely no comparison to the type of growth and development that takes place in the uterus vs. in the outside world. They say that for every 1 week in the womb, it's like 2 weeks in the NICU. I know my babies will learn how to eat and will do wonderful with it soon. And I need to keep my patience, because they have come so far, really....so incredibly far from where we were 6 weeks ago. I can't help but want to push them and get them home in my arms. But they will get there, in 'due' time.

So Much to Be Thankful For

2008-12-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Our First Thanksgiving Together

Miniature Rich

Big Yawns for Kai

Reading Time

Snuggling with My Little Monkeys

Eskimo Kisses for Daddy and Katherine

Our Sweet Baby Girl

This was by far the best Thanksgiving we have ever had. We spent most of the day with our babies in the NICU, and it couldn't have been more perfect. Both Katherine and Kai were off CPAP and doing very well. Katherine was put back on just a few days earlier, but proved herself to once again be the tough little girl and kept taking it off herself. The doctors concluded that if she was feisty enough to take it off by herself, she must not really need it. Smart girl. (She must have her mama's brains! :) Kai was taken off the same day, and of course couldn't let his sister show him up. They have been breathing on their own ever since!

Katherine will still have her occasional 'event' where she drops her heart-rate, oxygen saturation, and turns a lovely dusky color. She typically comes back up with a little stimulation, although she sometimes needs some oxygen to help her out. The doctors threatened CPAP again to give her a break from working so hard to breathe on her own, but that very same night she didn't have a single event. She must have really hated that CPAP!

Kai has both an umbilical hernia and an inguinal (groin) hernia. Apparently it is common with preemie boys, as their stomach muscles are not mature enough to hold the intestines in place. The inguinal hernia will need to be operated on, however they do not want to do surgery until he is over 2 kilo's (around 4.4 pounds). Anesthesia is too risky if they weigh less than that. It's risky enough as it is! I hate the thought of my poor little boy needing surgery, and I dread that day so much. But it has to be done and the doctors say that if he needs to have surgery at all, this is the best kind of surgery to need. It's still not easy as the mom, though.

Both babies are not absorbing calcium from their nutrition properly, and are instead taking the calcium away from their bones. If they continue to do so, they will have very brittle bones. So they are currently on the highest dose of medication to supplement their calcium, and have also started on multivitamins. The doctors are a little confused why their levels are not getting better, but hopefully things will look better on their next lab draw on Monday.

Back to the good news: The babies are now co-bedding! Meaning, they are in the same bed together! Studies have shown that preemies do amazingly well with stabalizing their heart-rates and breathing when they are co-bedding. So far it seems to be working pretty well. They are absolutely adorable together. It's so incredible to watch them interact. My favorite time is when they are facing each other, both wide awake, just staring at one another. You've got to wonder what they are thinking! (So you're the one who was kicking me all the time in mama's tummy...) A couple days ago they were holding each other's hands, all on their own. Katherine also likes to put her hands in Kai's face, or even in his mouth. Today the nurse told me that Katherine was trying to suck on Kai's nose before I arrived. She might be little, but she sure has a mind of her own.

We have certainly been on quite the rollercoaster ride over the past few weeks. Just when we think things couldn't get any better, the next day we take a few steps back. I am cautious to get too excited at how well they are doing because I don't want my emotions to completely fall off that rollercoaster. I have to just keep on riding.

We are so incredibly thankful to have the best medical care possible, to have family and friends that support us and love us and encourage us, to be given the chance to become parents, for each and every day and the new milestones they meet, and of course for our sweet little Katherine and adorable little Kai.

Kai Michael and Katherine Elizabeth...my precious little miracles

2008-11-23T19:17:00.001-08:00

Our first family photo

Sweet Katherine, so alert and comfy in her incubator

Kai cuddling with daddy

Together again on mama's chest

Our precious little miracles have arrived!
November 12th, 2008
3:35 pm
Kai Michael: 2 pounds, 7 ounces
Katherine Elizabeth: 1 pound, 15 ounces

So it turns out that I still don't know what heartburn feels like, but I do know what it feels like to have my liver breaking down and my kidneys stop perfusing...
Those dreaded night-time hours of pain that I wrote about in two previous entries turned out to be pre-eclampsia, otherwise known as toxemia or pregnancy induced hypertension. Maybe it was the nurse in me being a bad patient, or maybe it was a bit of denial...probably both.

On Tuesday, November 11th I was admitted to my hospital because my labs were abnormal. My blood pressures were elevated, my liver enzymes were quite high, and my platelets were dropping. My urine output began declining, and soon a plan was made for me to deliver the next day by c-section. The only cure for pre-eclampsia is delivery. I couldn't believe this was happening and I just wanted to fast forward time to 34 or even 32 weeks. I didn't sleep a wink, not even 30 seconds that night. Rich fell fast asleep to the sound of our babies' heartbeats while I layed there wide awake, thinking of each and every scenario possible. It was definitely a moment where ignorance is bliss, and I just knew too much.

In the morning, my doctor came in and we talked about transferring to UCSD where they have a Level 3 NICU. La Jolla only has a Level 2 NICU, and even though UCSD is not known for their stellar L&D/post-partum nursing care, the NICU is wonderful at UCSD. We wanted to do what was best for the babies, even if it was scary going to a hospital where I didn't know anyone. This wasn't about me though. It was about these babies, and soon I was loaded into an ambulance and on my way to the U. I had medication called Magnesium Sulfate that makes you feel like you're on fire (even my eyeballs felt hot!) and very loopy.

My parents arrived shortly after I was transferred to UCSD. Heather came down as well, and my friend Jamie was also by my side, who just happened to be my L&D nurse at La Jolla and was allowed to leave work to be there with us. I am so thankful she was there. A nurse practitioner spoke with us about all of the possible complications and what to expect of our tiny 29 weekers in the NICU. It was impossible to focus on her (partly from the magnesium) and everything she was saying, and I felt like bursting into tears but had to swallow hard and keep my composure.

Soon Rich, Heather and I were in the OR, and within minutes of cutting our beautiful babies were born. Kai was born first, and gave a little squeal as he arrived into this world. Katherine was immediately to follow, (both born at 3:35pm) but we didn't hear a peep out of her. That was incredibly nervewracking. Both babies were quickly wisked away by the team of doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists. Things all seemed to run together at this point, and my thoughts were consumed with 'why didn't Katherine cry?' and 'why did Kai stop crying.' My arms began to jerk uncontrollably off of the armboards, part of the hyper-reflexia from the pre-eclampsia. I was trying so hard to stop shaking and jerking around, and kept thinking, 'just don't have a seizure in front of Rich.'

Back in the recovery room I was given some medication to help the jerking and shaking, which worked really well. My blood pressures were almost completely normal again. I was still very hazy and hot from the magnesium, but I was with it enough to wonder why nobody was telling us how our babies were doing. Two incredibly long hours later, Rich was allowed to go into the NICU. I wanted so badly to be there with him, but I was stuck in my bed, barely being able to move my legs. I was so determined to get in there that I encouraged my nurse that I was just fine and began trying like crazy to start moving. Thankfully she gave in and they pushed me on the gurney into the NICU, Jamie at the head of my bed.

I am finding it impossible to explain my emotions and first thoughts when I met my baby girl Katherine for the first time. In fact, I am flooded with tears just thinking about it. She was so tiny, but so perfect. So many wires and tubes. I was instantly in love and wanted to scoop her up and hold her tight. But all I could do was reach out and touch her gently. Kai had a privacy shield around his radiant warmer and the doctors were performing a sterile procedure on him to place his lines, so I was not able to see him immediately. But soon they wheeled my bed over to see my precious little boy. He was still covered with the sterile field, but I was able to reach out and touch his little hands. So perfect. My perfect, tiny little babies that I have been waiting so long to meet. I'm not sure how I kept my composure, to be honest. Nurses were explaining things to me, but I don't remember a word anyone said. I could barely focus on their faces, let alone listen to their conversation. I just wanted to scoop my babies up and run out of there, to fast-forward time to when they are absolutely healthy and strong. It was incredibly overwhelming to think about the road ahead.

My post-partum experience was interesting, to say the least. Let's just say that I'm thankful I'm an L&D nurse and know what 'should' be going on with my care. I tracked my own urine output, which was slow to get back to normal, and made the CNA's double check or triple check my blood pressures when they were high. I dictated my own medication schedule, as some nurses would completely forget to give me some of my meds. Heather stayed with me the first night and Rich went home with my parents. Rich stayed with me the next three nights. On Saturday, my sisters and brother-in-law showed up at the hospital and completely surprised me. I was so happy to see their faces and couldn't wait for them to meet our babies.

Rich and I are each allowed to bring one visitor at a time into the NICU. It was so amazing to watch the interaction between my parents and my sisters with Kai and Katherine. In a way it made me feel very lonely though. Being 2000 miles away from your family during times like these is pretty tough. During our hospital stay, we were flooded with gorgeous flowers and many voicemails of support, well wishes, and encouragement. Thank you to everyone for all of your support.

The first two weeks of life have been a whirlwind for the babies, and for us as parents. I think we've felt every single emotion under the sun. Initially after birth, both babies were breathing only with the assistance of CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure. Basically there are 2 little tubes that go inside of their nostrils that blow continous air into their lungs to keep them inflated. They didn't require oxygen with the cpap, only the pressure to help them breathe. Through the first night, they must have gotten tired and they were both intubated, which is a mechanical device that breathes for them. That was very short-lived, and the next day they were both back on CPAP. The PICC-line team attempted twice to insert a PICC line into Kai, but were unsuccessful. A PICC line is somewhat like an IV, but it goes all the way into their hearts and can stay in place for months. Through this is where they get their fluids, nutrition, and medications. A few days after they were born, Kai's nurse from the Ukraine named Borus was taking care of him, who also just happens to be on the 'PICC team.' He has a very thick accent and is terribly difficult to understand at times, but he is an encyclopedia worth of knowledge and I trusted him instantly with my precious boy. Borus was finally able to get Kai's PICC line in! It's a huge feat, as the procedure itself really takes a toll on the baby. Katherine was able to get her PICC line placed the very same night, on the first attempt.

Both babies had open PDA's, which is a valve in the heart that should close after delivery. They both recieved one round of medication which successfully closed both of their PDA's. If the PDA doesn't close after three rounds of meds, then it requires surgery, so needless to say we were ecstatic to hear they both closed after only one dose. Kai was neutropenic (very prone for infection) and needed a dose of medication to stimulate his bone marrow to produce more white blood cells, and it also worked after only one dose. Katherine began breathing on her own on day 3 of life! Strong little peanut! Kai has been on CPAP the majority of the past two weeks, with a couple trials off of it here and there. His poor little nose was getting really swollen and bloody, so I am so thankful to say that he has now been off of it and breathing on his own for the past two days. Both babies had fluid in their lungs, which is common with preemies, and both were given a diuretic to pull the fluid out. A few days ago Katherine was getting a little tired of breathing and would 'forget' every now and then, so she had to go back on CPAP for a day and half. Her nose starting getting very sore and bloody also, and she kept fighting it and taking it off herself. So they decided to let her try to breathe on her own again, and so far so good! It makes me so happy to see them both breathing all on their own.

After each dropping a few ounces (which is quite a bit when you weigh less than 2 pounds!), both babies are now just over their birth weights. Katherine joined the 2 pound club two days ago! We think Kai is going to look more like his Daddy. He certainly already has Daddy's personality. It's hard to say who Katherine looks like right now because she is just so tiny and needs to grow into her features still. We think she will have my eyes. She is a very mellow little girl and nothing much bothers her. She doesn't even cry when she's bare naked on the scale. However, if she doesn't like something, she certainly can speak her mind. Maybe her personality will be more like her mama's.

Rich went back to work last week, and I basically spent each waking moment at their bedside. It is incredibly difficult to be at home. I have this overwhelming sense of guilt if I'm not there, and I think about them 24/7. I already know them better than any nurse there, so I just like to be there 'just in case.' They are in wonderful hands though, and we couldn't be happier with the NICU care. I am pumping literally every 2-3 hours for them, even at night. I don't sleep much, but I have absolutely no complaints over it. I'm not a typical mom who can 'sleep when they sleep.' No napping for me. The only thing I do at home is eat, pump, and sleep. Maybe once the babies are a little bigger and stronger I'll be able to spend enough time at home to at least clean a little bit. We'll see.

We've certainly had a rocky road into parenthood, but Rich and I couldn't be happier right now. I think this has brought us even closer together. We balance each other out, and when one is feeling down, the other tries to bring them up. We love these babies more than anything else. I never knew this kind of love existed.

My two beautiful, perfect, tiny monkeys...

A Poem to Share

2008-11-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

My friend and coworker wrote this incredible poem and framed it with a beautiful background, and I will cherish it always. It brought me to tears within the first few lines, and continues to do so each time I read it. I couldn't help but share...Thank you so much Ashlee!

A little girl, a little boy,
Will fill your heart with so much joy.

The pitter patter of four little feet,
Will fill your home a sound so sweet.

A journey so long the end is near,
Two babies crying a blessing to hear.

Open your arms and take them in,
Being mommy and daddy is about to begin.

You'll hold sweet Katherine and cute little Kai,
Imagining your future this you will try.

You'll bring them home and love them so true,
Thankful to have them in everything you do.

Each new moment a miracle to see,
Surrounded by love this they will be.

Cherish your days and night times too,
Your beautiful angels will be looking at you.

A precious bond's been made right from the start,
Each one loving you back with their own sweet heart.

Dreading the Darkness

2008-11-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

Let me first just start out by saying how much I love being pregnant...during the day! But I find myself dreading the night-time hours more and more lately.

We're not quite sure what the problem is yet...either it's severe heartburn (common especially in a twin pregnancy) or just that my organs are shifting so much because there's not much room left in there for two babies and everything else! Either way, it's extremely uncomfortable. When the pain hits, it feels like a knife is being jabbed into my stomach, and it radiates in a band around my abdomen and into my back. There is no comfortable position that I can get into, and it's hard to sit still for more than 10 seconds at a time. At times I will pace the living room, but then I find myself contracting too much, so then I need to take my terbutaline. So I'm left with a racing heart, difficulty taking a deep breath, a knife in my stomach, a back that begins to spasm, and contractions every couple of minutes. This typically continues for 5-6 hours in the middle of the night. I'm barely eating during the day, especially at dinner, as I'm fearful of the lack of digestion, but at the same time I know I need to be eating more than this right now. I throw up a few times a night now also, even despite the bland food, small amounts, water-only diet...and a carton of tums, tasty cherry Mylanta, and Zantac.

I had some labs drawn today, just to make sure there is nothing going on with my liver. I'm confident those labs will be normal. And I know this is all temporary and will soon pass. And each time I feel these two little monkey's moving around, I am reminded that all of these crazy pregnancy woe's are more than worth it. In the meantime, I guess it's preparing me for the lack of sleep to come in our future...

Laughter is the Best Medicine!!

2008-11-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

Let the laughter begin!

"Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe"

Rich took the ladies to Orfila Winery

The patio at Orfila

Aunt Judy with Val Kilmer on Halloween!

"I Met Him at the Candy Store..."

A family who wears silly hats stays together!

So they always say that laughter is the best medicine, and I must agree with this! My family from Wisconsin and Illinois came to visit for a few days, and while they were here they had a baby shower for me. Rich and I recently had been dealt some more rocky news, so having them here put my mind at ease and did wonders on lifting my spirits. They couldn't have come at a more perfect time!

Our babies have once again dropped in growth percentiles - they are now only in the 2nd percentile. The doc's are concerned that each time we do a growth scan, they are dropping more and more off that normal curve. Their placentas are both small, thus contributing to their slow growth. We will begin weekly testing, and if they don't meet certain criteria, we will have to deliver them early. There comes a point when babies do better on the outside than they do on the inside, especially if their placentas aren't giving them the nourishment they need to grow. Now it's a battle of which will come first: me going into labor too soon, or needing to deliver the babies early because of their growth issues. The phrase 'double trouble' seems to be pretty accurate lately.

As far as the contractions go, I still have them and I still need to take my terbutaline. It takes a little longer than it used to for the medication to kick in, but all in all, it's still working for me. My cervix is staying strong in there, even with more frequent contractions. So that's the good news!

With all of this on our minds, the past few days could have been very long. But as I've said, my family was here to keep me company and provide me with the best medicine of all. From toe games and sippy cups to Halloween hats and Hansy-poo stories, I don't think I've laughed that much in quite some time! But what made the visit even better was being able to watch the smiles on my family's faces and know that they, too, were having a great time.

We could all use a little more laughter in our lives!

To My Family: How Can I Thank You Enough?

2008-11-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Heather went above and beyond!

Katherine and Kai cookies !!

Safari Cupcakes!

Heather helping me with my plate

Could this preemie hat get any cuter?

Adorable giggling toys from Papa!

Rocking Surfin' Elmo from Nana!

How can I thank you enough?

I had so much to say to my family on the day of my baby shower, but the tears and emotions kept them from coming out of my mouth! So I will do my best here to say the thanks that I meant to tell you on that day. I was thankful that I wrote out a letter for Heather to thank her for hosting the shower for me, and I wish I had done the same for you all. You can be sure that the tears are already flowing from my eyes as I write this...

So many things, where to start? You know that I have looked forward to this moment for so long and for so many different reasons. You've listened to my times of heartache and have always been there with words of encouragement and support, no matter what obstacle I had just encountered. I was bummed early in the pregnancy when I was told I wouldn't be able to fly home for a shower. But what bummed me out even more was the fact that I wouldn't be able to really 'share' my pregnancy with you...to show off my baby bump and have you feel the babies move in there. When I ruined the surprise that you were planning on flying to Heather's for a shower for me, I instantly had tears and felt so ecstatic and so honored.

And then we had a few glitches recently, and you didn't hesitate to change your plans and bring the shower down to me in San Diego. You rolled with the punches and kept my spirits high - and gave me some added determination to keep these babies inside of me. The past few weeks of bedrest have been long and boring, but I really had something to look forward to with your visit. It couldn't come soon enough!

I was so giddy with excitement for you to see my growing bump and feel these babies moving inside of me. This is definitely a time that I miss you guys more than ever. And my heart aches when I begin to think about the things in our future that I won't be able to physically share with you. Thank goodness for emails and digital cameras and video cameras, and hopefully some cheaper airplane tickets in the future.

As if flying across the country to see me wasn't enough, you were all so extremely generous with the gifts for the twins. I was overwhelmed with all of the presents - you certainly went above and beyond. I can't thank you enough for all of the wonderful presents. These babies are already spoiled! Wish you could (again) help me put everything away in the nursery, mom.

It wasn't easy saying good-bye to you all. I wanted to lock you inside my house. (Hmm, against your will, or not against your will..not sure?) I think part of saying good-bye just made it so much more 'real' that these babies could come any time now. Silly, but I just thought there was no way they would come until after your visit for the baby shower. Well, that's come and gone...so the next step will be babies. Let's just hope that it's later rather than sooner. And the next time you see me, I will be a mom.

I am finally going to be a mom...

Baby Shower, Friends, and Fresh Air!

2008-10-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

Adorable Cake!

The girls are quite serious with this game!

Opening gifts from my lounge chair...doctor's orders

Love the ballons!

So many wonderful gifts!

The babies' cribs!

This was a great weekend! Saturday our friends Jen and James came over to help Rich put the cribs together. We are very pleased with them and I can't wait to get the rest of their bedding to see the finished product! We'll have to recruit another friend to help Rich rearrange the furniture in the nursery since they're a bit bigger than we first imagined. They are lifetime cribs, so they will convert into toddler beds and then eventually into twin beds. I find myself wanting to sneak peeks at the cribs at any chance I'm up on my feet.

Sunday was my baby shower! Dayna did an amazing job at planning and organizing everything, and the decorations were adorable. I followed doctor's orders and made sure to stay put in my lounge chair. Before all the guests arrived, I had a chance to reflect a little...I have waited for this day for quite some time and it was surreal to look around and know that it was all for me, all for my babies. It was my baby shower! I felt so incredibly lucky as my friends began to gather around. There haven't been very many 'easy' moments for us and this whole pregnancy thing, and I was reminded of that as I had a few contractions and took my terbutaline. But as I opened all of the wonderful gifts from my friends, I had this sense that these babies are going to be absolutely fine and they will be just as lucky as Rich and I are to have such great people in our lives.

After the shower, Rich loaded the presents into the Murano and I reclined back in the passenger's seat. I was a little sad to be going back to my bed, but something about being around my friends in the fresh air made me refreshed and ready to tackle a few more weeks of bedrest. We went through the drive-thru at In-N-Out for vanilla shakes, and then Rich drove me past a house down the road from ours that is decorated with huge spiders for Halloween. The little things that I take pleasure in these days...

More of the same...

2008-10-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today's verdict: More of the same.
Our interpretation: Great news!!

We saw the perinatologist again today. I have to admit that I was quite nervous for today's appointment. I layed awake most of the night, wondering if I would need to be re-admitted to the hospital.

Rich and I were both quiet on the drive there. Both with busy minds, I suppose. It was nice to get a change of scenery though, after 9 straight days of being cooped up. The ultrasound tech began with the growth measurements on the babies, and it was so great to peek at them again on the 'big screen.' (The images are displayed on a huge plasma TV screen for us to watch as they do the ultrasound). Both babies weigh around 1 pound, 7 ounces, and both are in the 5th percentile for growth. Tiny little monkeys! But the doc's are not overly concerned at this point because there is no evidence of something being 'wrong' to contribute to their low percentiles. They have healthy placentas, good blood flow through their umbilical cords, plenty of fluid surrounding them, and they meet every other criteria they should be. So they're just small. And obviously Rich and I are not big people, so it would be a little strange to have two giants in there. Personally, I think they're absolutely perfect.

Then Dr. Kelly collected a Fetal Fibronectin sample, which basically would indicate if I was at high risk of delivering in the next two weeks. We don't know the results yet, but whether the results are positive or negative, we are not changing the management plan: Bedrest, and of course my friend Terbutaline.

Next was the cervix check, which was generally the same as it was a week ago. It's still short, and it's still funneled...but it hasn't gotten any worse. Which is great news!!!

I can do more of the same...

It's Too Soon!!!!

2008-10-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

In the hospital...

24 weeks

Tuesday, October 7th we 'turned' 24 weeks. I woke up feeling so accomplished, so proud to have made it to this milestone. Little did I realize how quickly my feelings of accomplishment would turn into fear and desperation.

I was thankful to be doing administrative work that day, and ran up to the perinatology department for my 'quick cervix check.' Be back in about 15 minutes. Well, an hour and a half later, I came back down to the L&D floor, but this time as a patient. My cervix has shortened significantly with signs of what they call 'funneling,' basically meaning it's preparing for delivery...much too early. I was put on the monitors and found that I was contracting quite frequently, with a lot of uterine irritability in between the contractions. The doc's chose the aggressive route with two different kinds of medications to control the contractions, and thankfully my body responded well. IV, antibiotics, continuous monitoring, and steroids to help the babies' lungs mature sooner. All the things I do for patients on a routine basis...only this time I was the patient, and these were my own babies I was concerned about. We talked briefly about the possibility of transferring me to UCSD because they have a higher level NICU, and I think that's when it really hit home that all this was really happening to me, to us, to my precious little babies.

I didn't sleep a wink the first night in the hospital. I sent Rich home to sleep, because I knew he wouldn't sleep at all if he was there, and I could call him if I needed him and he could be there in 10 minutes. I just didn't want him stressing out too much, and wanted him to know that I was okay, and that we were all going to be okay. Once I was left alone, my thoughts began to get the best of me and my mind went into overdrive. After all we've been through, I just couldn't believe this was happening. Only 24 weeks. I knew enough to keep my emotions in check because my body simply could not handle any more stress. I began contracting quite a bit more that night and recieved more medication - and soon I could feel my heart pounding through my chest and my hands shook uncontrollably, a few of the side effects of my new-found friend Terbutaline.

Heather arrived that morning, and as soon as I saw her face I felt like I could breathe again. For some reason, I knew nothing was going to happen to me, to us, as long as she was by my side. Kind of crazy, because what control does she have over my body, right? But her presence eased my mind and kept me busy, and she brought tons of snacks and chocolate and books and magazines and movies and more...along with a good luck Bamboo plant. The bamboo did prove to be good luck because I had very few contractions the rest of that day. We hung out and watched movies and drank chocolate shakes. Bedrest with Heather is the best. Dayna and Charles stopped by to visit with Brayden, and that little guy can put a smile on anyone's face. During times like these, it really makes you appreciate the friends you have in your life - especially when your family is 2000 miles away. Heather spent that night with me on a cot next to my bed, and layed awake with me while I contracted again at 3am and recieved more terbutaline.

Thursday I had another scan in perinatology, and thank goodness my cervix hadn't gotten any shorter than Tuesday's scan. So the perinatologist consulted with my OB doctor, and soon my IV was coming out and Rich was headed in from work to pick me up! Yea, I got to go home! On strict bedrest of course, and taking the terbutaline to keep the contractions away if they're more than 6 an hour...but there's nothing like your own bed.

My day is consumed with lying either in bed or on the couch, literally counting contractions all day long to see when I need another dose of terbutaline. I've found that I have the most contractions in the afternoon and around 3am, so typically I need my friend 'Terb' twice a day right now. Rich has been such an amazing support. If I'm on my feet or sitting upright more than a few minutes at a time, I begin contracting. So he's been an absolute godsend to me and these babies, making my meals and making sure I'm comfortable and not contracting. He has a lot on his shoulders now - literally everything around the house is on him. As guilty as I feel when he's rushing around doing chores or making me dinner, I know that my job is more important than his right now...keeping these babies inside of me is the biggest job I've ever had in my life. But I am so appreciative and feel so incredibly lucky to have Rich as my husband. I don't know if I could do this without him.

When hearing the news, some people respond with, 'wow, you're lucky - all you have to do is lie around all day.' But truly, bedrest is quite difficult, especially on your mind. Of course the little aches and pains, especially on the back and neck. But the hardest part is the emotional aspect of all of this. There is a sense of terrible guilt that you're failing them, that you're not doing your best, that you're not being a good mom...even though I feel no control over my body and what is happening right now. These babies mean the world to us, and they have to be okay. There are no guarantees in life - we've certainly learned this. But I wish someone would guarantee me that they will be okay, that I can do this, that they will stay inside of there and keep growing bigger and stronger.

On Thursday we have another appointment with the perinatologist to recheck the babies' growth as well as another cervix check. Hopefully my cervix will stay strong with this week of bedrest and terbutaline and I will be able to come home. If I need to be re-admitted to the hospital, I'm okay with that too - whatever is best for the babies. The girls at work will take phenomenal care of me, as they did last week. But for now I'm enjoying my ocean view from my bed!

I used to say I was hoping for two 5 pounders. Now I'm just hoping for each new day, for each new week. For nothing but two healthy babies. Time for a consultation with my friend 'Terb'...

Could they be hiccups?

2008-09-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

Nice catch, Rich!

Catamaran Cruise with Dayna and Charles

Watch out Brayden...he might steal your chainsaw!

Opening Gifts

Brayden's 1st Birthday Cake!

23 weeks, 3 days! And I think someone in there might be getting the hiccups...

For the past few days, I feel rythmic movements for a few minutes, and then it goes away. You can even watch my belly button rise and fall every few seconds. I know babies get hiccups all the time while in-utero, but it's amazing to feel them already at 23 1/2 weeks.

The babies are both doing well. Our little girl is now the smaller twin, and we will continue to keep an eye on their growth. For now, I'm still working on chowin' down as much as I can...the goal is two 5 pounders, and so far they're right around a pound each.

Last weekend we helped our friends Dayna and Charles celebrate their son Brayden's first birthday party. I was fortunate enough to take care of Dayna during her labor and delivery, and I was even the first person to physically touch him. I'm bummed that I'll still be on maternity leave when she delivers her next baby this March, but I'll make sure she's in good hands and I'm hoping to be there as a visitor this time. The weekend before that, the four of us went on a catamaran dinner cruise. Our financial advisor invited us on the cruise as a client appreciation gift.

Rich also got in his first lobster dive of the year last Sunday. He went with Michael, and they each came back with one good-sized lobster. Apparently there were tons of lobsters around, but none that were big enough to keep. One thing is for sure, you certainly would never find me down there grabbing for lobsters in the middle of the night! Crazy husband of mine...

I've had a few busy days at work lately, which my uterus hasn't been so appreciative of. Wednesday I found myself contracting every 5 minutes for awhile, and they even started to get a little uncomfortable. I had to sit down, put my feet up, and hydrate like crazy. They did eventually go away. But they were certainly a reminder that this 5'2" frame is under a lot of stress carrying twins, and I need to focus on what's best for them. If I plan on keeping them in there for the long haul, I must slow down.

And keep on eating....time for a snack!

Bring on Fall!

2008-09-17T17:27:00.001-07:00

Our Pumpkin!

Carrying on Grandpa's tradition

Rich picking up more stones...they're everywhere!

Rich with Nala and Raja...the nightly ritual

21 weeks, and very vein-y!

For the first time in many years, I am actually ready for summer to end. (Although when does summer officially 'end' in San Diego?) I guess it just means that I'm that much closer to my due date, and holding my precious babies in my arms. One day at a time...

Most of our pumpkins are orange, and the engraved names turned out perfectly. Now we need to drop them off for the kids. Not many people in San Diego have heard of 'personalizing' a pumpkin! I've discovered a new favorite...hot apple cider. I can't wait to take a trip up to the little mountain town, Julian, where it feels more like fall. Like a good ol' Wisconsin Fall, with changing leaves and crisp air, complete with festivities in the apple orchards and pumpkin patches...and of course, the famous apple pie.

We can now physically watch both babies' movements just under my skin. Our baby boy has officially found my right rib-cage...He apparently likes to stretch and poke his little foot out where we can see it right under my ribs! And that's just the beginning...there are 8 growing limbs moving around in there!!!!

Attack of the Dots!

2008-09-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

So I've always had a few 'Strawberry Marks' here and there...I guess it comes along with the fair skin. But in the last few weeks, each morning I wake up I have a few more red marks on my chest or arms. Apparently it's caused from an increase in estrogen. A friend of mine asked if my cat scratched my chest. "Nope, they're just my dots." And they're everywhere! Wonder if they'll stick around when my estrogen calms down once the babies are born..??

Both of my recent doctor's appointments went well. (I'm officially 20 weeks and 2 days today.) It was fun to watch the babies moving on the ultrasound and actually feel them moving at the same time. Our little girl is quite the mover now - she recently kicked Rich's hand so hard that she made my bellybutton move! She must be squishing her little brother down there, as I don't feel him as often as I feel her. She also had her cute little tush right in her poor brother's face at the last ultrasound appointment. Brotherly and sisterly love, already.

Rich had his first experience at Babies'R'Us last night - and did quite well! We met after work to finish registering for a few bigger items. Thankfully I had a list of only 6 things we needed to look at, and he was happy to be in charge of the little scanner-gun. Give him a 'toy' and he can be busy for hours. :) I've had lots of practice already. Ha! We then went to dinner at PF Changs, which by the way has been my only real craving so far this pregnancy. We shared a giant bowl of soup and the chicken lo mein...and for the first time in 12 years, we managed to finish an entire meal. Well, there were four of us eating, after all!

Good Times, Good Friends

2008-09-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Heidi was visiting from Wisconsin over the long holiday weekend. We had such a great time and it was so good to see her and show her our new house and my newly expanding wasteline.

Rich is cousins of Heidi's cousin (confusing, I know) and has known her since preschool. Almost like family, but sharing no blood. I officially met Heidi about 4 years ago when she moved to San Diego. It was one of those friendships that you didn't see coming. She has become one of the closest friends in my life, and has remained that way even with moving back to Wisconsin to the cranberry marsh 2 years ago. Being a twin herself, she is so excited for us and for our twins. She is definitely part of our 'family' now, and I just know that 'auntie Heidi' will be part of our lives forever.

Update on the babies: I'm feeling great and the babies are moving more and more each day. Rich tries to feel them when they're the most active, but they still seem a little shy to give their dad's hand a good kick. Soon enough! I can distinctively tell who is who in there, and since our little girl is a bit bigger at this point, I can feel her the most. He occupies the 'bottom bunk' and she occupies the 'top bunk.' We have an appointment with my OB-doctor this Friday, and another appointment with the perinatologist next Tuesday. They're growing quite well in there, as evidenced by the pictures I'll post of our fun weekend with Heidi...

One Boy....One Girl

2008-08-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Baby Boy on top, Baby Girl on bottom

3-D Picture of Baby Girl..with her hands by her face

One perfect little boy, one perfect little girl...

Before reading on, scroll down to the bottom of the page to our music selection. Then click on the song by Collin Raye. Listen carefully, all the way through to the end of the song. (I know I know, not everyone likes country music, but just listen to it anyway).

Rich and I met 12 years ago as freshman in college, and my cousin and best friend in the world Heather was my room-mate at the time. Heather had this CD, and we used to play it over and over and over again, and I liked to call it 'mine and Rich's song.' Rich and I had an instant connection, even though we were only 18 years old. And I was such a dreamer.... Rich and I grew together over the years, and eventually Heather was by my side as I crossed a bridge to marry the man of my dreams. During our wedding reception, she surprised us with a movie of pictures of Rich and I...and one of the songs it played to was One Boy, One Girl. Perfect.

Rich and I have always shared many hopes and aspirations with each other, and one of them was to have children and raise a family. We had many crossroads along that path, and Heather was by our side to keep us strong and focused on our dreams...to help us cross our bridges. I cannot thank her enough for being such an important person in our lives.

Little did I know how much this song would mean to me 12 years later. To this very day, my heart still beats wildly for my husband, the best husband in the world. And it is so amazing that I now have two hearts beating wildly inside of my belly....one boy, one girl.

Growing and growing and growing...

2008-08-20T19:00:00.001-07:00

17 weeks, one day. I'm definitely feeling these babies move! I don't feel the typical 'butterly' sensation that most people talk about. Instead I feel like someone is lightly poking at my stomach every now and then. And I just know it's my two little monkeys in there!

No news on the bathroom remodel. We're exactly where we were last time I wrote....

Here's some new pictures! Enjoy!

You've gotta see the potential

2008-08-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Maybe next time he'll come back with a fish...

Rich out to sea with his spear-gun

16 weeks, 1 day

Priming the ceiling

Priming the newly textured walls

Slate shower

Installing the slate floor

Framing the shower

Gutted Bathroom

'The Before' Bathroom

Naming our Pumpkins

Our garden

Brewers vs. Padres Game

More pictures, as promised. They show in random order...sorry about that.

Our pumpkins are growing nicely. We're keeping up with Rich's grandpa's tradition of engraving names into the pumpkins as they are growing. Soon we'll have a ton of ripe tomatoes, and we've had a few cucumbers as well. Not too bad for our first garden. Now we can't wait for the lemon and avocado tree to produce!

We had another great weekend in San Diego. Saturday was spent doing house stuff...our plumbers were busy underneath the house all day. Rich was able to clear another section of the backyard. Someday we'll have nice green grass... We painted the bathroom this morning and the color turned out much better than our first choice. Tomorrow the plumbers 'should' be finishing, and we'll have a running toilet and the vanity should be installed. Next will be picking out and installing the granite counters and building a little make-up vanity for me. Maybe on Tuesday we'll be able to take a shower in the full-sized shower!

Every now and then we still have that 'overwhelmed' feeling when it comes to our house. There is still so much that we would like to get done. But we have to remember, one step at a time. We plan to be here for a very long time. Many people thought we were crazy when we bought this house - but we saw the potential and we take great pride in making it our own. Now those same friends that thought we were crazy can't believe it's the same house! You've always gotta see the potential in things, right?

We went to the beach for a few hours today with our good friends Dayna and Charles and their 10 1/2 month-old little boy Brayden. He is such a riot in the sand - and isn't afraid of the waves at all. It's amazing to think that we'll have two little ones to chase after soon. We can't wait! While we were there, I realized that today I did not take any anti-nausea medication, and I also haven't gagged a single time. First time since 6 weeks. Yay!

Looking forward to the good times ahead...

Rich is a TV star!

2008-08-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

We went to the Padres vs. Brewers baseball game last night, and apparently Rich was on fox sports network standing up and cheering when the Brewers hit a home run! He was recognized by a few people back home - even an old friend from high school. Such a celebrity. While we were watching the game, for a brief moment I felt like someone was poking at my stomach softly. Could that have been the babies??!! I think I felt the same thing while driving today...but maybe I want to feel them so bad that I'm imagining it.

I'm 16 weeks, 2 days today. I had my appointment with Dr. Barile, and I'm happy to say that I'm finally 2 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. My appetite is slowly getting better and I'm not throwing up as much these days. She listened to their heartbeats via the doppler, and found them both right away. They sounded perfect! My next appointment will be with the perinatologist (high risk OB doc) in 2 weeks. Boys...girls...one of each...??

Our bathroom remodel project has been temporarily put on hold while we sort out a plumbing issue that we didn't anticipate. I'm getting a little annoyed living in hardy-backer and tile dust, but it'll be well worth it. We also need to repaint the bathroom because the color we chose looks terrible on the walls, even though the same color looks great elsewhere in the house. Oh well. It'll look great in a matter of time.

Tonight we are going to Wind'an'Sea Beach when Rich gets home from work. I'll veg out in a beach chair and read a book while Rich goes snorkeling with his spear-gun. He thinks he's bringing home dinner for himself. We shall see!

I'll post more pictures of the belly bump and bathroom soon...and Rich's 'dinner' if all goes well tonight!

Getting Started...

2008-08-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd start my new blogging experience by thanking my friends and coworkers for giving me the idea. Hopefully this will be a good way to keep family and friends updated on the new additions in our lives!

I'm 15 weeks, 4 days now, and our little twinkies are growing quite well. A little more height could prove to be beneficial right now - I don't have much room to fit them in there, so they're apparently going straight out! That's okay, they'll find a way to fit. I'm still battling with my nausea enemy, and my poor husband is getting used to me gagging out of nowhere and running to the bathroom. Good thing for my zofran medication. Hopefully it'll pass soon, but if not, we're still so incredibly thankful for these little babies. We'll find out their genders in a couple weeks!

We're very busy remodeling our house. I'm not sure if the remodeling projects will ever end....we have some big dreams for this house! Rich is so handy and sometimes surprises me that he knows how to do all of this stuff - must be the good ol' midwest upbringing and guidance from his dad. The major project at the time is a bathroom remodel. Soon my belly won't fit into the tiny shower in the other bathroom we've been using (seriously!). We can't wait for everyone to visit!

I'm back to work as a nurse/charge nurse in Labor and Delivery. It feels great to get back into my normal routine, but spending 12 hours on my feet is a little nerve-wracking. There are times that it gets so busy that you don't have time to eat or pee all day...but I can't do that anymore. I can barely go 2 hours without needing a little snack or I'll be throwing up. I know my limits, and these babies are more important than the world itself. I'll do the best I can at work, for as long as I can. But it's more important to keep them inside for as long as I can!

I've included a belly-shot of the twins at 14 weeks and another of our house - I'll try to keep them coming. Enjoy watching our growth!