We're home!!

Natalie Danielle


Kaitlyn Renee



Kaitlyn & Natalie

___________________________

The girls arrived on May 26!

Kaitlyn Renee - born at 5:31pm, 7lbs 1oz
Natalie Danielle - born at 5:41pm, 6 lbs 7 oz

I was induced that morning and had my water broken around 12:30pm. I was about 4cm dilated when my water was broken. By 5pm I was being wheeled back to the OR (where twins are delivered naturally or via c-section). It all happened so fast. I pushed 3 times for Kaitlyn and only twice for Natalie. It was all such a blur. My mom stayed over both nights with me in the hospital since Adam ended up coming down with a cold. Thankfully he was there with me in the delivery room and got some great pictures.

Recovery went well. I did have to be stitched up a little bit, but it doesn't bother me much at all. I stayed two nights in the hospital and came home on Friday morning. I don't think I've gotten more than 3 hours of sleep in a row, but thankfully I can take several naps throughout the day with the grandma's at the house to help.

We've had my mom here during the nights and Adam's mom here during the day. It has been such a blessing. Adam still is feeling under the weather so he's not able to be around much, but has changed his first diaper (which he put on backward - lol) and loves cuddling and feeding the girls.

They are such sweet girls. They definitely look and act different already. Kaitlyn has been the most alert and loves her pacifier. Natalie is more laid back and is a good sleeper. They both are up to about 3oz at a feeding already. Little piggies.

Well they are stirring, so I'm off. Enjoy the pics!

Tomorrow is birth day!!

Holy cow, sorry I didn't realize it's been about a month since I last posted. There really hasn't been much to report other than the normal pregnancy aches and pains.

I had a NST (non-stress test - when they monitor the heart beats and my contractions) at St. Pete's, and a doctor appointment today. The NST was pretty normal. Poor baby A had to be buzzed again because she just wouldn't wake up. After she was buzzed though, she was upset for a long time. It took her a while to settle down. Poor widdle girl! Of course baby B is a show off and she passed the test in less than 10 minutes. I'll be curious if their temperament inside will be the same outside. My blood pressure was high when was having the test done. I think it was 155/90.

Then I went to my doctor appointment. BP was still up there, but it was better. I think it was 140/??. The doc had me lay down for a bit and tried it again. I think it went down to 136/??. I can never remember the lower number.

The babies were measured and my fluid was checked. Baby A was about 7 lbs 12oz, up from 7 lbs 3oz two weeks ago. Baby B actually measured less than two weeks ago. I think she was 7 lbs 5oz before and today she was like 6 lbs 14oz or something. Fluid looked good. I still had some good sized pockets.

Because of my bp and the growth issue with baby B, the doc decided to induce me. When I was at the hospital earlier for the NST I was talking to the nurse about induction and she checked the schedule for me and said tomorrow was a good day. I told the doc that, so he called and scheduled me to come in tomorrow.

He also checked my cervix. I'm 3cm dilated, 60% effaced and a +1. Nobody told me how uncomfortable being "checked" is. Ouch and holy crap!

The plan tomorrow is to hook me up to some pitocin in the morning. The doc said he'll probably see me around noon to break my water then we'll go from there. I'm planning to do a vaginal delivery since both babies are head down. I'm don't have my heart set on it, so I'm up for a c-section if it comes to it. I'd just rather recover from a vaginal one instead of the surgery, and obviously I'll do whatever is best for the babes.

I do have to say though, after the doc checked my cervix around 2pm or so today I've been having a lot of menstrual cramps and some bleeding (he told me that would happen). It's now 5pm and I'm still cramping and still having some bleeding. I wonder if him checking me and messing around in my biz-ness set anything off. I guess we'll see!

Bags are packed, car seats and stroller are in the car. I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be. I can't wait to see them tomorrow. I can't even imagine what they will look like. Eeek!!

I'll leave you with one last belly pic I just took...37w5d.

33w5d appointment

I had my appointment this morning. I got to drink the lovely glucola again, since my babies are large, he wants to double check there is no insulin issues. I should hear the results in a few days.

He did a quick ultrasound to look at the heartbeats this morning and they are still going strong!He also checked my cervix via u/s, still long and closed! I don't know why I'm so surprised, but I really am. For some reason I thought there would be a big change and I'd be sent to the hospital or be put on strict bed rest or something. Nope. My body is holding up really well! It's about time it does what it's supposed to!

While he was doing the u/s we got to see the heads of both babies side by side. They are still both head down. It was cute and he printed the pic for me. I'll see if I can get it posted soon.It is looking like these babies might stay head down. I wondered if they were still in that position (they were at my last appointment), because they have been moving like crazy lately. I guess that is just four knees and feet pummeling my diaphram, lungs and ribs :0)

Dr. M asked if I was still working. I told him I was still working 4 hours a day. He was really surprised. He said I am doing really, really well. I don't know if he was in a particularly good mood this morning or if I am really that amazing (ha!), but he was so happy for me that I'm doing so well.I can't believe 34 weeks is Thursday already! I get to stay in town to deliver - yay!!!

Thursday I'm also trekking back up to Seattle to the bp doc. I know I'm having a NST done, but I'm not sure what else. I'm planning not to work that day since sitting in the car and at the appointment will be enough for my pelvis that day I think.

I had all kinds of questions for the doc today, but it was kind of crazy at his office. Normally after my u/s's I meet him in his office to discuss the results. Today, since I had to have my blood drawn exactly an hour after I drank the gunk I had to go from my u/s to the nurses station. I thought I'd go back to his office when I was done, but he met me out there. He was talking, the nurse was poking me, the receptionist was telling him he had a call on line 1...it was very distracting. The next thing I know he's on the phone, I'm at the reception desk scheduling my next appointment and then that's it.

None of the questions were too important, but more curiosity questions. I guess it's nothing I can't ask about at my next appointment...if I get there :0)

Next appointment in two weeks - I'll be two days shy of 36 - yahoo!! Oh and he said that if I get to 36 then the babies will probably be able to come home with me right away and not have to stay longer!!

Play the baby pool

Someone suggested I start a pool, so I set one up online. If you wanna take a guess at when the babies will arrive click on the ExpectNet button on the left. The name of the game is ladybugs.

Have fun!

32w5d

Sorry I've been bad at blogging lately.

Things are going as smooth as they can. I've reached our big goal of getting to 32 weeks! The doctor said if I got to 32 weeks we've "won the game". He said babies born after 32 weeks generally don't have any problems. Yay!

Our next goal is getting to 34 weeks so I can deliver in town. I only have 9 days left! If I deliver before then I'll have to go up to Tac.oma Gen.eral to deliver since they are better equipped to handle preemies.

Not much new to report. I still don't sleep well and my pelvis hurts all the time, but that is nothing new. I've had a few comments from people that it looks like I've dropped. I haven't noticed, I just feel big :0)

Sorry for the short boring post, but I guess that is a good thing if there isn't anything to report. The babies are continuing to bake away in my industrial sized oven! :0)

31 week belly/1st outfit pics

I always have a heck of a time writing between the pics, and I can't seem to arrange them in the order I want. Today, I don't have the energy to fight with it, so I am taking the easy route...

The first few pics are of the outfits I think we'll bring the girls home from the hospital in. I love the little bunny feet and ruffle-y bottoms. Super cute.

The other pics obviously are of my belly. I don't really feel much bigger since I took pics last time, but Hubby says I am. I know for sure my belly is heavier and it's harder to stand for very long these days.

I have a doc appointment tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!

The end of the name game

Finally it's been decided. After months, and months...and months of discussion, we've finalized agreed on first and middle names for the girls.

...drum roll...

Kaitlyn Rene'

and

Natalie Danielle

Rene is my middle name, and Hubby's is Daniel so it works for both kids. :0)

Seriously we have talked about names so much it is such a relief to be done. Now let's just hope one of these girls doesn't come out a boy! Ha!

28 weeks!

I'm 28 weeks today. Officially in the third trimester. I can't believe how fast time is flying! I'm so thankful that we have reached this major milestone. The doc mentioned way back when I was probably 14 weeks that 28 weeks was our first goal to get to. I made it - yay!

I had my follow up appointment at the UW Medical Center this morning for my blood pressure. I guess the pills I've been popping are doing their job. My bp was about 114/63. Not too shabby! According to their chart I'm finally where I'm supposed to be, as far as heart rate/bp, etc, for as far along as I am. Last time I was off the chart - yikes! They didn't do a new u/s but they looked at the last u/s I had two weeks ago from my other doctor and they said things are looking good. The girls were measuring a little above average. I knew that already, but it was good to hear again. I know one of the possibilities from taking the Antenolol (sp?) is that it can hinder the baby's growth. Thankfully that isn't the case for me.

Over all, I'm pretty impressed with my body. It's finally giving me a break. It was such a struggle to get pregnant, I figured I'd have all kinds of issues once I got pregnant too. Thankfully (fingers crossed & knock on wood), I have had no big issues at all. My belly measured at 34 weeks today, which is a little bigger than is "should" be, but since the girls are a little bigger too, I'm guessing it's no big deal.

In other news, poor Hubby is STILL in the hospital. When he had his surgery last Thursday we anticipated him being discharged on Monday or Tuesday. Due to an infection he got in one of his wounds, he's still there. They thought he might be able to come home today, but it's now 4:30pm and still no word if that is going to happen. I'm guessing it will be tomorrow. Poor guy has had nothing but trouble his whole stay at the hospital. If you ask me, they are all a bunch of idiots and I'm reconsidering my loyalty to that hospital and thinking delivering up north doesn't sounds like such a bad idea after all. If you're the praying type, send one up for him. He's in a lot of pain and his body is working really hard to heal itself. :0(

Well, I think that about wraps it up. I have a baby stuff consignment sale to go to on Saturday, my baby shower on Sunday and my work shower next Thursday. I can't wait to start setting up the nursery and putting everything away!

Me at work

One of my supervisors thought it'd be funny to take a pic of me at my desk and send it to one of my coworkers who works out of state. Like I've said before my office has been really accomodating to me whether it be for my doctor appointments...or my desk set up. Since I've been experiencing all this pelvic pain, they have tried to make me more comfortable while I'm here.

26 week belly pics

I'm going to be brave and show the world my belly. Here are a couple of pics I took tonight. Enjoy!

26 weeks!

Wow, I can't believe how quickly I arrived here! Some weeks seem to go faster or slower than others, but over all this has been a fast 6 1/2 months!

I had a doctor appointment this morning. He took time to measure the girls...and confirm that they are really girls. They are both weighing 2 lbs 3 oz already! They are in the 80th percentile. I'm so happy that they are weighing well, because I was really worried about small little babies. Hopefully they keep up with the pace and are healthy weights when they arrive. They are both about 13 inches long too. That's a lot of bebeh!

My cervix still looks good. He didn't say how it compared to my last measurement, but if he thinks its fine then I'm not going to worry.

I talked to him about my pelvic pain and all the BH contractions that I've been having. I showed him my list I've been keeping of the daily tally of contractions and there is definitely a difference when I'm at work and when I'm home. To remedy the problem I'm going on half days now at work. Financially, this sucks, but I am really looking forward to relaxing a bit more and enjoying our last couple of months of freedom (and quiet) around the house! :0)

My office has been very understanding and supportive. They've rearranged my desk area and even bought a stand/tray thingy that hold my keyboard so I can recline in my chair, put my feet up and still work. This has helped take the pressure off my pubic bone, which has helped in the pain department. We've worked out coverage already, so me going to half days is not a big deal.

Back to my appointment...I also did that one-hour glucose test today. I have to say that syrupy drink wasn't so bad. It helped a lot that it was ice cold and I could chug it all down with out coming up for air. I got my blood drawn an hour later, now we just have to wait for the results. Hopefully we'll know by Monday or Tuesday.

Blood pressure was good today too. I think is was 120/63 or 68. Also I'm up about 9 lbs since my last appointment. That's about 16lbs total. Not too shabby!

Good appointment overall. I go back to Seattle to the heart place for a follow up in two weeks, then the following week I'll have my cervix checked again.

We're getting close!!

24 weeks

I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted.

Let's see, what's new...not a whole lot. My belly is getting bigger and bigger. I REALLY miss sleeping on my back. Sometimes I'll lay on my back for a minute or two just to savor it before I roll over and try to go to sleep. Although, really, I can only handle a minute or two because being flat on my back makes it hard to breathe. The body pillow I got from my parents for Christmas has been a lifesaver. Rolling over in bed is a challenge. I find myself getting up every two hours or so to go to the bathroom at night.

The babies are super active these days. I am feeling them on the outside pretty often, but their movement is still so sporadic Hubby hasn't been able to feel them yet.

I don't know if I've announced the names yet, but we've decided on Natalie and Kaitlyn. No middle names yet, we're still working on it.

I was supposed to have a doctor appointment this week, but they had to reschedule, so now it its next Thursday. I'll have to do that fun glucose test where you drink the sugary drink and wait and hour...that should be fun. I am really hoping I pass, because I don't to have to try even harder to watch what I eat. I already am trying to avoid salty foods (trying is the key word), also I can't have anything with too much spice/acidity. I can get heartburn by just looking at a tomato. Having to watch my sugar too would just be a pain.

Next week we'll also get a good look at the babies. The doc will measure them and make sure they are growing well. We'll also be able to confirm that they are girls. I really hope he's not wrong now that I have my mind set on girls.

Well, I think that about wraps it up. Until next time...

22 weeks

I had my "cervix check" appointment this morning. Cervix still looks good, although it is shorter than it was two weeks ago. Dr. M said he wasn't concerned at this point.

He checked the babies heartbeats and they are still pounding away good and strong. I got some pics of their heads/faces. One of them turned out really good and clear. The others are kind hard to decipher.

I told Dr. M about my pelvic pain, and he said that was pretty common and there isn't much to do about it. He said just do whatever makes me the most comfortable...which is for the most part, sitting. He suggested a support belt, but said it may or may not help. I think I'll pass.

Another thing we talked about was bed rest. He anticipates I'll cut my hours down to half days when I get to 28 weeks. Of course we'll see how things go, but I did talk to my boss about it today. That is only about 5 weeks away...

Well I think that's about it. It was a pretty short and sweet appointment. Speaking of sweet, at my next appointment in two weeks, I get to drink the lovely, sugary glucose drink. Yippee skippy. Oh, and he decided I needed to do that because my belly is measuring at 32, which is big even for twins at this time. I should only be about 26-27cm right now.

Okay, now I really think that's it.

Ta ta for now!

Gender scan

Drum roll....

the

doc

is

80%

sure

they

are

both

g

i

r

l

s
!
!
!
!

He did a thorough u/s today measuring all sorts of things and they look great! My cervix is holding up well too! I'll have another u/s in two weeks to check my cervix, then we'll look at the babies again two week after that to confirm their genders.

Two girls! I can't believe it!! :0)

Blood Pressure Appointment

This morning I got up at 4:50am to get ready to head to Seattle for some testing at the Univ. of WA Medical Center. You may remember from my last OB appointment that my blood pressure was high once. I laid down for about 10 mins, and it came back down to normal. From that appointment, Dr. M decided to send me to the UW to have a specialist check me out.

I got up there a little early and they actually brought me back 15 mins before my scheduled appointment! That never happens! Anyway, I was brought back to a room where I laid on a bed and the nurse performed an ultrasound of my aorta and something else at the base of my neck. With some calculations she figured out that my blood pressure it high because I have so much fluid trying to get through. She compared it to a garden hose hooked to a fire hydrant.

Last week I collected my urine for 24 hours in a jug. From that they determined I already have protein in my urine. That is because the fire hydrant is pushing so much through the garden hose that it is causing small holes in my kidneys for proteins to spill out - or something like that.

I was sitting in a chair in the room and the doc had me move up to the table. I climbed up and he put his fingers on either side of my neck. He asked if I ever noticed throbbing in my neck when I stand up. I said sometimes. He said that is not normal. I could feel while his fingers were there that my pulse was pounding hard. He prescribed a low dose of Atenol (25mg twice a day) to help my bp. He said one possible side effect (of a regular dose) is a slow growth rate for the babies. So he will get the results from the u/s I'm scheduled to have on Monday and then I'll have another u/s before I go back to see him in 8 weeks and they'll compare the growth rate and determine what to do next.

My ankles have been swollen almost everyday in the last couple of weeks (it started when Hubs went to the hospital). It generally goes down overnight, but not always all the way. I need to make sure I'm not consuming too much salt, like canned soup, and prepackaged food, etc. I'm to stay on the perimeter of the grocery store when I shop. I generally do anyway, but I'll have to make more of an effort. I've also been told to lay down a couple of times a day to help my bp stay lower.

Of course I'm supposed to watch for warning signs like sudden swelling of my face, or ankles and fingers that don't go down at all over night. I'm also to call my doc if I see stars while sitting or standing (not necessarily when standing up from bending or sitting).

If things get worse, I'm assuming the next step is bed rest. If that doesn't work the only cure from preeclampsia/toxemia is delivery of the babes. I'm guessing I'm not in too much trouble at the moment since the UW doc doesn't want to see me again for 8 weeks. I just hope it stays that way.

Good news from the appointment, my glucose was fine. I got my finger pricked and it came back at 87 (I think we were looking for something below 100). I had eaten some yogurt and a banana in the car that morning. The nurse said that was plenty of sugar to raise it if I had a problem. I'm so glad it was fine.

My office has been really flexible with me. We have a couch in our break room and I can go down there whenever I want to lay down. We have an event coming up in a couple of weeks. I generally work about 16 hours that day. My boss told me she doesn't want me there this year. She'd rather I just stay at the office so I don't have to be on my feet or stress or lift anything unnecessary. Excellent!

Well I think that about wraps up my appointment. In other news my round ligament pain seems to have calmed down some. Although, I did get a baaaad charlie horse in my calf at about 1am this morning. It hurt so bad, and it even made my calf sore all day. I've also been feeling the babies more. I think *maybe* once I felt someone move on the outside. Everytime I feel strong movement I reach on my belly to try to feel something. Hubby is so jealous that I get to feel them all the time and he can't. I know it won't be too much longer until he can though.

My next OB appointment is on Monday. I'm crossing my fingers the babies won't be shy and we can see what gender they are. I can't wait to see them again!

Aight, that's enough blogging for now. I'll keep you posted on my appointment on Monday!!

18 week appointment

Sorry for the long hiatus. For those who don't know, my Hubby ended up in the ER on New Year's Eve and had to have emergency surgery. He's doing better now and came home last Friday. Until now I haven't been much of a blogger. Anyway, on to my appointment...

I just went in to have my cervix checked, but it turned out my blood pressure was really high. I had to lay down for a while and it came back down. Since it was high though the doc wants me to go to the UW to have some hypertension tests done. I'm at higher risk since I'm pregnant with multiples and I'm overweight. I made my appointment for next week.

Since I've been having some cramping we took a quick look at the babies. They look good and are growing like weeds. No pics this time though :0(

My cervix looked good too and I'm scheduled to go back in two weeks.

Until then...