Twins-3 Months Old

Wow, a fourth of their first year is already over!  Things are really starting to become fun-

Lauren:  You are quite the smiler and have the cutest little closed-mouth grin that shows off your dimples.  You are also starting to coo and talk a lot more.  Your head continues to be on a swivel-you doesn't want to miss a thing.  Because of this, you are sometimes a cat napper during the day.  However, no matter how much or how little sleep you gets during the day, you are almost always in a good mood.  You continue to sleep well during the night-maybe waking up once between 2-3AM, although you have slept 10-11 hours at night before.  You remain our little peanut and don't seem to be gaining weight as quickly as Caleb.  Your acid reflux has acted up a couple times so I have had to increase your meds to help with the symptoms.  You continue to eat 4 ounces every 3-4 hours during the day, and have hardly had any formula your entire life! 

Caleb:  You love to give smiles and talk during the 3AM feeding!  You like to eat and sometimes don't like to wait the 3 hours to have your next meal, especially in the evening.  You are eating anywhere from 4-6 oz every 3-4 hour and has had 7 ounces before.  It is obvious you are gaining weight quickly and you will probably be my Michelin  Baby :).  I can't wait!  You are becoming more observant and your head control is much better now.  You can sit in the Bumbo seat for 10-15 minutes without difficulty. 

Lauren seems the closest to rolling over, but neither twin loves tummy time.  They do continues to love their baths and being read to.  They are not great car riders and often cry in their carseats.   

Alena:  You continue to be such a great big sister.  Now that they are more interactive you love talking to them and trying to calm them down when they are upset.  The twins LOVE smiling at you and watching you.  You are definitely their biggest fan-I know you will continue to entertain them as they get older, which will be SO helpful for mom and dad.  I love how you call Caleb "Buddy" and Lauren "Sister" or "Little Girl."  One evening, we put the babies to bed before you so that we could spend a little time alone with you.  But you weren't really happy that the babies were not downstairs with us and wanted us to get them...you love them so much! 

Decorating for Christmas

It has been our tradition to pick out our Christmas tree at my parent's house.  This year, we let Alena pick out the tree all by herself.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of us by the tree before we cut it down, but I was able to get some while we were decorating it. 

All ready to go pick out the tree

Alena is so excited about Christmas and loves to look at Christmas lights.  Although Justin said he wasn't going to put Christmas lights up this year, I think Alena talked him into it.  Alena is also curious about our little elf, Ernie (or she calls him Bert and Ernie).  She likes to see where he is hiding each morning.

 

It's become an annual tradition to make Christmas cookies at my parent's house.  So we spent a day in Ames decorating cookies.  Alena really got into it this year-I'm sure there were more sprinkles on the floor than on the cookies, but we all had a great time.   

A Thanksgiving to Remember

...or forget!

I definitely enjoyed my last week off of work, especially because Thanksgiving was coming up and that is by far my favorite holiday!

Justin had a "simple" inguinal hernia repar the day before Thanksgiving.  His surgery went great and we were home a little after 12:00.  My mom picked Alena up from daycare and took her to Ames for the night to make things easier on Justin and I.  Late in the afternoon, Justin got sick, but we thought it was from the pain medication. We decided to go ahead and head up to Ames Wednesday night in case Justin wasn't able to help with the twins.  Unfortunately we had a hard time even getting out of Des Moines!  I had to stop at the pharmacy to pick up Lauren's new acid reflux medication and while I was doing that, Caleb was crying in the van.  After getting the medication, we headed for the interstate, but he wouldn't calm down.  We ended up pulling over at a gas station so I could feed him quick before heading up to Ames. 

The Grandmas watched the babies during Justin's surgery

Thanksgiving day was great!  It was just my parents and the five of us, but we still had a whole spread of food (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, the traditional jello salad, homemade rolls, green bean casserole, corn, and two pies!).  Justin was able to eat a little bit, but not much due to a lot of extra gas in his tummy.  The twins napped during our feast. 

                                                                     Making Rolls

Early Friday morning, Justin woke up in a lot of pain.  We called the physician on call and he thought he was constipated and recommend he take Milk of Magnesia.  Of course the bottle my parents had expired in 1999 so Justin had to drive to town to get some in the middle of the night because I was feeding babies.  Later that morning he got sick and was still having pain.  I knew something wasn't right and worried about an ileus or an obstruction. I called his physician again, and told him he still wasn't doing well. I asked if he was concerned about an obstruction and he mentioned that that is quite rare to get after a hernia surgery.  He recommended Justin have clear liquids that day and continue Tylenol as needed.  Unforunately he wasn't able to keep anything down so that next morning (Saturday) he was admitted to Methodist Hospital for dehydration.

An x-ray was completed which showed he was constipated.  He was hooked up to an IV and told to walk as much as possible.  He continued to throw up despite not eating/drinking anything.  An NG tube was placed Sunday evening and a copius amount of icky stuff came out!  Finally, on Monday morning when his surgeon walked in the room and saw the NG tube he knew something was not right.  A CT scan was ordered which showed a small obstruction in his bowel. He was taken to surgery and the bowel obstruction was repaired laproscopically (thanfully!).  To add one more complication to the mix, he had trouble peeing after surgery!  Luckily he was able to go home on Wednesday (a week after his original surgery).  Besides a little discomfort from having two surgeries in 5 days, he is doing well.  Alena missed her daddy and was glad he was home.

Unfortunately the timing of all of this was horrible, as it was my first week back at work.  We had already planned to have the grandparents watch the twins this week so we had a lot of help at the house (sometimes all 4 grandparents were there!).  We are so lucky everyone lives close enough to help out. 

Every one of us, except Alena, has been hospitalized this year!  We are really looking forward to 2013!

Twins-2 Months Old



Wow these past two months have gone by so fast!  Hard to believe I go back to work next week.  It will be an adjustment trying to get three kids ready to go in the morning.  The grandparents will take turns watching them the first week I'm at work and then they will go to an in home day care after that.  There are two providers at the day care and they will be the only infants.  We are hoping it will be a very positive experience.  If not, we will be able to get them into Principal's day care in April (they do not have any spots open until then). 

They continue to be on a good schedule:  The first feeding of the day is usually around 7, and then they eat every three hours until their evening feeding which is around 9:30 or 10:00.  Caleb is now taking 4 oz every three hours (sometimes he wants a little more so he gets a little formula),  and Lauren is drinking 3.5 oz every three hours.  Lauren continues to be my little peanut-Caleb is gaining weight faster than her.  We can really tell a difference when we are holding one twin and need to put that one down to pick up the other.  Lauren continues to struggle with some acid reflux (arching her back and crying during some feedings-we're going to try a different medication).  Caleb is VERY gassy so we're trying to figure out the culprit.  He doesn't get much formula but it may be the formula making him more gassy and a little fussy so we may need to switch to a different one.  If that doesn't help, I will need to eliminate dairy from my diet to see if that helps (I have had to make a lot of sacrafices for these babies! :)).

They had their 2 month check up today and I'm pleased to say that both babies are now on the growth chart-woo hoo!  Caleb weighs an even 10 pounds (12%) and is 22.8 inches long (39%).   Lauren weighs 8 pounds 10 oz (5%), and is 21.5 inches long (16%).  Every doctor visit has lasted nearly 2 hours long and I can't imagine doing the trip by myself!  Thankfully Grandma Joyce came this time.  They handled their shots great (it's always much harder on the mom). 

Visit from the Wray's

My brother Jason and his family were in town for 6 days during the middle of October.  As usual, Alena and Addie had a great time playing together.  Kelsey tried to keep up, but for the most part she had fun playing with grandpa and grandma. 

 

Uncle Jason and Aunt Jessica

Best Buds!

The twins had their first road trip while they were here. We took the family truckster (aka our new mini van!) up to Ames for the afternoon and then to the Center Grove Orchard/Pumpkin Patch in Cambridge, IA.  It was a beautiful day and the girls had a fun time.  We just wished they lived closer so we could see them more often. It will be fun watching all of the kids as they grow up...

Grandma and Papa with their 5 grandkids (the twins are in the stroller :))

               Kelsey wasn't too excited about her baby (oops, looks like Lauren lost a sock)

                                                     Addie wanted to "switch babies"

Twins - 1 Month

It's hard to believe the twins are one month old already!  So far, we have been blessed with two really good babies.  Thanks to the NICU, they have been on a nice three hour schedule during the day and at night we usually get one 4 hour stretch.  We have also been lucky that they go right back to sleep after their nighttime feedings.  I know many moms do the night feedings alone, but I'm so lucky that Justin helps with the midnight feeding. I do the 4:00 feeding by myself so he can get some sleep before work. It takes about 40 minutes to change, feed, and pump (we save the cleaning up for the morning).  I've become pretty good at feeding two babies bottles and pumping!  Sometimes I feel like I have triplets because I have to pay so much attention to my friend, Medela (my pump).  At times I think about how much easier it would be to just give them formula, but then I remember the many, many benefits of breastmilk (and the cost of formula!) and I remember why I'm doing this.  Plus it is the best weight loss plan ever! 

The twins are starting to have more awake time and their personality differences are already becoming evident.  Lauren has a sassy, "you won't sleep through this," cry, while Caleb's cry starts out as more of a whimper and then escalates.  Lauren is so observant when she is awake and doesn't miss a thing.  I rememeber one of the neonatologists in the NICU noticing this and speculated that she would make a good journalist one day.  Caleb is more of a snuggler and is very laid back.  However, before they were even born, I knew Caleb would be the calmer of the two-Lauren spent the last two months kicking my left ribs (I swear she bruised them!). 

We haven't ventured out too much with the exception of a doctor's appointment to check their weights.  With them being preemies we are trying to keep them out of public as much as possible with flu and RSV season here.  Our double stroller will work great when we do decide to go for a walk or hit the grocery store or mall. 

Alena's 3rd Birthday

Wow, it's hard to believe we became parents for the first time three years ago and now we are a family of 5.  October 5th, 2009 was definitely a special day...

Alena Jane-10/5/2009

For her birthday, Alena took popsicles to school.  Daddy picked her up early in the afternoon and we all went to Monkey Joes for a little fun. She had a great time.  We celebrated her birthday the following weekend when my brother and his family were in town from Colorado.  Alena specifically asked for a green tractor and a small ambulance for her birthday.  We had a great party and were glad so many people could help us celebrate. 

10/5/2012

Dear Alena,
    You have grown into a beautiful little girl!  You have so much energy and love to run.  We will be surprised if you do not follow in your mom and dad's footprints and become a runner (hopefully a hurdler).  You love all sports, and are especially good at dribbling a basketball.  Your teachers comment on how athletic you are.  They also comment on how bright you are-by now you nearly know all of the letters of the alphabet and can spell your first name.  You can count to 20 easily and can sometimes count higher-you are so excited to start preschool next month.  Lately, your new favorite word is "actually," and you know exactly when to use it.  Unfortunately you are a picky eater, like your mom was, and meal times can be challenging sometimes.  You love to read and have memorized many parts of books.  You continue to love music, probably because we have listened to music since the day you were born.  You know so many songs!  We love listening to you sing at night after we have put you to bed.  Sometimes these singing sessions can last up to 45 minutes!  One of our favorites is "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."  You have become a great big sister and have adjusted well to having two new infants in the house.  You are fascinated when they poop and help entertain them when they cry.  You've even helped with a couple 4 AM feedings!  We know you love your brother and sister very much and are always excited to see them when you get home from school (especially Caleb :)).  Happy 3rd Birthday!
                                                                                         Love, Mom and Dad


20 Birthday Questions:
1.  What is your favorite color?  Purple
2.  What is your favorite toy?  Elmo
3.  What is your favorite fruit?  Applesauce
4.  What is your favorite movie?  Tinkerbell
5.  What is your favorite TV show?  Blue's Clues
6.  What is your favorite thing to wear?  A dress
7.  What is your favorite animal?  Giraffe
8.  What is your favorite song? ABC's
9.  What is your favorite book? Cliffords First Valentine's Day
10.  Who is your best friend? Gavin
11.  What is your favorite snack?  Fruit Snacks
12.  What is your favorite drink?  Milk
13.  What is your favorite breakfast?  Toast with peanut butter
14.  What is your favorite dinner?  Cheeseburger
15.   Where is your favorite place to go?  Papa's house
16.  What is your favorite game?  Candy Land
17.  What is your favorite thing to play outside?  Ride tricycle
18.  What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas
19.  What do you sleep with at night?  Eeyore and Piggy
20.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  A teacher



The Birthday Girl

Best Attempt at a Cousin Picture

                                          

First Picture as a Family of 5

                                   

Alena Enjoying her Paint Set

                                                  

Homecoming

On October 1st, I was rounding at one of the dialysis centers when I got a call in the morning.  Caleb was being released that day!  I didn't even have his car seat base so I drove home quick and then went straight to the hospital before they could change their mind!  His nurse, Dianna, who had been caring for the twins over the last 4 days was amazing!  She showed us a different way to feed them which seemed to make it easier for them to finish their bottles.  Dianna walked us to our car and wished us good luck.  It was difficult leaving Lauren at the hospital, but I knew she wouldn't be far behind.  While I was busy taking care of Caleb at home, Justin would visit Lauren at least daily and my mom also spent an afternoon in the NICU with her.  It made it a lot easier knowing she would at least see a couple familiar faces.

Caleb's first night home

Lauren must have gotten lonely being in that "twin" room all by herself, because two days later I received the call that she could come home too!

                                                                      Proud Big Sister

We celebrated by taking the twins on their first stroller ride to the park!

Our NICU Journey

Alena called her sister Jelly and her brother Peanut Butter during my pregnancy, so those were their names until mom and dad officially named them

We were initially told that our babies would be in the NICU for 1-2 weeks.  They were on "room air" oxygen for less than 24 hours per protocol and also started on IV antibiotics as a precaution. Once their blood cultures came back negative, the antibiotics were stopped (I have no idea how they put an IV in those little veins!).  I was able to see them in the NICU a couple hours after delivery.  I was so shocked at how small they looked.  After being able to really see them for the first time, we decided on our names:  Baby B was going to be Caleb William no matter what, but we were between two names for Baby A.  After seeing her, we decided that she looked like a Lauren.  I really wanted to use my maiden name as one of the middle names and we thought it worked best with Lauren.  We chose William for Caleb's middle name after Justin's dad.  At first Alena wasn't too happy when we told her that their names were not going to be Peanut Butter and Jelly! 

After my two nights in the hospital I was discharged.  It was very hard leaving my babies in the hospital.  I picked up Alena from daycare (which I hadn't done in 10 weeks) and then went back to the hospital later that evening just in time for their first bath. 

The next week I spent about 10 hours a day at the hospital.  The babies continued to do great.  Their only complication was their bilirubin levels kept increasing.  Unfortunately, this caused them to be sleepy so they were not great eaters.  They both had to have a feeding tube placed so they could receive nutrition.  Every three hours, we would try to feed them a specific amount of breast milk from a bottle, but if they were too tired to finish it, it would be given down their feeding tube.  Finally after 5 days, they were placed under the bili lights to help decrease their bilirubin.  They spent two days soaking up the sun.  They both enjoyed their little Caribbean vacation under the lights (and that is as close as they will ever get to sun tanning!).  The next week they spent trying to finish all of their milk from the bottles.  It took a number of days before they finally figured it out and had enough stamina to drink everything that was required of them.  Caleb came home on day #15 and Lauren followed two days later. 




Grandma S and Caleb

                                                            Grandma Joyce and Papa

Those two weeks were very difficult for me and every day I left the hospital was hard. It was as if I had given birth to two babies and placed them up for adoption-they didn't feel like my children.  In fact, I ended up working during the second week because sitting in the NICU all day long was draining.  I would have done another 10 weeks of bed rest if it would have prevented them from having to stay in the NICU.  However, I had to keep reminding myself that we were blessed that they were healthy and had a relatively short stay in the NICU. 

A few pics from our NICU stay:

Lauren

Caleb

                                                                      
                                                                

Car seat test-almost ready to go home!