9 months of...

My babies have been alive longer than they’ve been in the womb! Two little peas in a pod have really made me think of the first 9 months as 9 months of…

…Feeling like I’ve got my act together! Seriously, I know I’m not the only working mother out there, and I can’t take all of the credit, but I’ve got twins, working full time, manage to function socially, get out of the house, do fun things with the kiddos. You can argue that I have daycare watching my kids all day so I’m not that overwhelmed but really I pride myself that I wake up at 5:07am and I’m able to get myself ready, two kids fed and ready, 2 dogs fed and ready, and 1 husband ready (not fed) and out the door by 6:45. And then we get home at 5:30 and I’m able to play with, feed twice, bathe, and cuddle with 2 kids by their 7:30 bedtime.

…Feeling like I don’t have my act together! With how routine my kids are (I see their mental checklists of activities we go through), my house is a mess, my hair is in a pony tail, and we’re eating pizza or frozen perogies 3 nights a week. I left my other job because I felt like I couldn’t keep up and what a terrible feeling to feel like you’ve dropped from the top to the bottom. Almost as quickly as I’ve given myself a pat on the back, I have to sit down and re-prioritize because I’m behind again.

…Learning that Disney is in my blood! We didn’t go to Disney for two weekends in a row and I’m having Disney withdrawals! What is it about that place that has reeled me in?? The overpriced popcorn and sodas? The massive amount of whining kids? The crowds that pack you in like sardines? I have no idea but I can’t get enough of that place. We’re not even going for the kids yet…we’re still going for Mom. It’s a great way to get out of the house and get the kids in fresh air and seeing new things but I’m sure I could find a free county park nearby that could do the same thing.

…Seeing raw emotion in the face of a child. When my kids are happy they are the happiest and cutest things on the planet. Emmett’s face lights up, his big blue eyes get even bigger and bluer, and he giggles with glee! There’s no stopping a happy Emmett, he can conquer the world! Olivia’s dimples get so deep when she smiles big and her flat lipped smile reminds me much of the Simonz smile.  Her giggle just melts your heart and it is so innocent. But when my kids are grumpy they are inconsolable with big alligator tears dripping down their faces as if the worst imaginable thing just happened to them. Olivia gets beet red and clenches every last muscle when she is upset and Brother has the poutiest sad face. And if you scream or yell out of frustration you then get to experience the two of them having straight FEAR on their faces! Wide eyes, silent, and still!

…Watching their personalities develop. Although they are twins, they are the most opposite that you could imagine. Olivia is perfectly content playing by herself, sitting up, watching the world happen around her – just taking it all in and analyzing. Emmett needs to be the center of attention, getting into trouble. Now that he’s able to crawl he’s into everything! Emmett will eat anything you put in front of him and is chewing like a champ – Olivia is still fighting the vegetables and avoids textured food. I hate to compare the two against each other and who is doing what but it’s impossible not to. Olivia really enjoys quality time being held when she is plaid with or making eye contact in some way. Emmett just wants you to be rough with him and give him a challenge. I’m so glad they are so different!

…Going through clothes. Before they can even wear the outfit a second time they’ve already outgrown the darn thing. I have 4 bins full of outgrown baby clothes and they are only 9 months?!? I probably went a little nuts purchasing cute outfits on clearance but I cannot believe how many barely worn outfits they have. I just see dollar signs when I think of how great they will be to consign! And then I get to go buy clothes again for their bigger size. Luckily we didn’t get too many matchy-matchy twins things because Emmett would outgrow it well before Olivia can even begin to wear!

…Knowing how cool it is to have twins. They get so excited to see each other and play with each other. Every morning when they wake up they are so excited to see each other, as if the 10 hours sleeping was 10 years of being apart! They play in the bathtub together, they play with toys together, they wrestle, they talk to each other in the car, they giggle at each other when they are eating. It is so much fun to watch them and listen to them interact with each other. Twins are hard but it is really cool to see the bond that they already have. I hope brother and sister always love each other and that brother always takes care of her like he does now.

…Debating if I would want to do this all over again, or if 2 is just the right amount of kids. I think it would be fun to do this journey again and have the possibility of twins again. And then shortly after that thought I think that God gave me 2 hands for a reason, for only 2 babies!

The babies are getting to be so much fun. It is so rewarding to wake up and see their smiling faces, have them recognize their mommy, and crawl and reach up to me. Every night is a challenge because they are so tired from such a wonderful and fun day at daycare (or Disney) but I forget all about that when I see two precious little babies sleeping soundly in their cribs, and their happy morning faces when mommy is the first thing they see when they get up, and their twin is the second thing they see. How wonderful it is to be a Burchell baby and a Burchell mommy!

For My 6 Month Old Babies

I can’t believe it’s already been 6 months, 6 crazy months of watching you grow, learn, and take in the new world around you. I wish I hadn’t spent so much time worrying about all of the “things” you’ll need or things I need to do – I wish I just took it all in and marveled in you just being here because you really are doing very well and are thriving. Everyday you surprise me with what you do – I’m not keen enough in “babyisms” to know if you are ahead, behind, or just right and really I don’t care at this point. You’re healthy, you’re happy, and you make your daddy and me smile.

I won’t pretend that having you both doesn’t have its difficult moments. No less than three times per week I cry inconsolably out of exhaustion and being overwhelmed. It’s not pleasant having two 6 month olds staring you in the eyes and crying from the top of their lungs. And what’s worse is you both are too big for me to safely pick up at one time and hold to comfort and console – it breaks my heart to know that I have to “choose” one of you in a particular moment.  But after mommy has her pity party and “woe is me” moments, I think back to how badly we wanted you both, how daddy had his manhood carved and mommy’s body went through turmoil just so we could have you both in our lives.

I want you to know at 6 months, regardless of what I might say out of frustration to your crying, that you are loved. Your daddy is beaming every time he sees you and talks about you. Grandpa Wally and Granny Sue send text messages every other day requesting a picture for their “baby fix” and schemes of ways to make it down to Florida every other week.  Aunt Becky STILL has your picture as her Facebook page and brags about how cute you both are. Our friends are excited to see you and buy you things and spend time with you. And most importantly, God loves you. At no point ever in your life should you feel that you are not surrounded by a network of love because at some point during the day everyone that knows you is thinking about you.

 I’m not sure when it will really hit me that I’m a mother, as I still feel like I’m going through the motions. It was very surreal at your first doctor’s appointment while filling out the paperwork and I signed as “Guardian”. What an impressive term! I am excited at the little bond we’ll  have forever. For the rest of your lives you will only know me as “Mommy”, and only you will know me as that(OK besides our dogs). Everyone else in the world knows me in another capacity whether it’s co-worker, friend, wife, sister, daughter, KB, Simonz. But you, my babies, the ones that were kicking me in my belly for 37 weeks, will only ever know me as your mother. Hopefully that’s something to be proud of, and hopefully I do a good job.

They say mothers don’t remember the hard times, the first 2 months of sleepless nights and days. While I was in those times I thought I would never forget how hard it was having two helpless babies and going through the motions sleepwalking. Now that you’re 6 months old, I’m a little sad to say I really don’t remember the 3am feedings, the sleepless nights, not knowing what your cries meant, and not having you smile and interact. Looking at pictures just from Thanksgiving 2 months ago I don’t remember you both being so bald! God has a way of making mothers forget the hard times and soak in the good times so we would want to do it all over again. I had an opportunity to give myself a pat on the back when Mrs. L had her baby. I received a text message from her “I’ve been meaning to tell you, that I have no idea how you did this with two…I feel bad for not being more available to you after the twins got here. I guess it’s one of those things you don’t understand until you go through it yourself.”  Babies, I don’t remember it being difficult, surprisingly enough, even though I know it was.

I love how you both are growing into your own little personalities and people. Even at 6 months old you are distinct people, look different, act different, and have different temperaments.  Olivia, while you are affectionately known as “the diva” both at home and at daycare you have the sweetest smile and giggle that melts my heart. Since you are “the diva” when you smile and giggle I know you mean it. I love how when mommy dresses you in a dress you know you look cute and you bat your eyes at anyone that will look at you. I love how you love your Macy pup and how you eagerly watch her move around the house and smile at her. You love to pet her and pull her hair, and because Macy loves you too she lets you. Everything has to be “just perfect” for my little girl whether it’s your outfit, your bottle temperature, or how I hold you. You’ll turn out to be just like me one day – just a little bit weary of everyone else because you know it could be done better your way.

Emmett, my little cheeks, you are an extremist. You can be the happiest baby and giggle out loud as daddy “nom nom nomns” on your belly. You’re so smart that you know what’s coming and you anticipate the tickles! You love bath time and kicking and splashing mommy as you swim in the tub. It’s our own special time where we can look each other in the eyes and just make each other smile. You also are extremely moody when you are tired. You enjoy playing so much that once you get tired there is no chance in consoling you. I’m excited that you want to spend so much time awake with mommy but I wish you would know what’s best for you like I do. It’s best for you to snuggle with your granny blanket, stick your fingers through the crochet holes, and go to sleep.

There will be a day, probably in the near future, that you both will not be as happy to see me. You will make friends, be playing intensely, or just having a good time without me that you will choose a toy over mommy. I will try not to take it personally and I will put on my brave face as it’s a stage of life. To see you happy and smiling is a wonderful moment. I cannot wait until you are happy and smiling at each other and seeing what special bonds you will have as brother and sister. Few in the world can say they have the twin bond. Daycare tells me on your daily report cards that you seek each other out, that you sit or play side by side and hold hands, and that when one of you is fussing the other one looks around to make sure you are OK. It warms my heart to hear of this love, I hope it continues and you take care of each other for the rest of your lives.

As you turn 6 months old remember this: you are loved, you are cherished, and I’m so happy you are mine. Happy milestone half birthday!

Happy Olivia

1 day old in the hospital 7/30/12

Happy Emmett

1 Year Later...

Ok it’s been quite a long time since my last post – time has certainly slipped away from me now that these kiddos are born! Where I had free time to write and post now has been filled with bouncing babies or poop-filled diapers.  Why write today, November 28, 2012? Because exactly one year ago today Todd and I were at Tampa General having the first procedure done and having these babies conceived in their little test tubes!  While it definitely feels like a lot has happened over the year, the year seems like such a long time ago! Since it’s been awhile I thought I’d share some big milestones and things I’ve learned now that my babies are 4 months old already!

USF has already contacted us to make decisions on keeping or disposing of the remaining semen and embryos. Tough decision to make. We decided to dispose the semen since we have 5 embryos left and I’m not going to go through the whole IVF extraction again. But we need to decide whether or not to keep the embryos (i.e. do we only want 2 kids or will we want more in the future?) If we dispose of them and decide later we want more kids we’d need to go through the WHOLE procedure again at $15,000 a pop. Annual storage is $600 so there’s a financial factor, and there’s also the mental factor of knowing that my 2 beautiful babies were once frozen embryos. While I don’t want 5 more kids, these are 5 embryos that could lead into 5 more beautiful babies! I now understand why embryonic testing is such a huge debate – these could be little lives in those test tubes! It’s too early to say we don’t want more kids so this year’s tax return will go towards keeping those suckers on ice.

 Too much reading can ruin a good thing. I had oodles of baby books and web-pages saved with information. First, reading takes time away from the babies so I don’t have time to read unless I can do it without hands. Secondly, too much reading gets me paranoid that my kids aren’t developing correctly, or that I’m not doing things “by the book”. My kids are fine, they are growing, they are hitting little developmental milestones. Who really cares what the book says right now.

Emmett: His unofficial weight yesterday was 17 pounds! That means he’s gained 10 pounds since he was born, holy cow! He’s wearing 3 month clothes solidly, but is really moving into his 6 month clothes now and size 3 diapers. Emmett is the chatterbox, always wanting to talk and smile and make eye contact. He’s got a good grip too so when I’m holding him he almost feels like he’s hugging back. He’s a great little cuddle bug and always wants to play. The guy hates anything on his tummy though (except playing “airplane” with daddy) so I don’t know if he’ll ever be a crawler of even try to roll over. He’s got a favorite mobile toy that he can sit under for a good hour just giggling and talking to it. Sometimes when he gets really excited he flails his arms and legs and just goes wild over it. I regularly wonder what he can possibly be thinking about as the same 8 mobile shapes make the same round-and-round trek around his head.

Olivia: Her unofficial weight is 13 pounds, which is a good 8 pound gain. She’s still a little lady but is getting bigger and looks healthy. Olivia always has a very pensive look about her, I like to think she’s doing calculus in her little brain and that’s why she always looks so serious. But since she’s so serious all of the time when she does smile it just melts your heart because you know she really means it if she took the energy to smile! Olivia loves to have things in her hands and really likes the standard playmat with dangling things. She can lay on that thing kicking her legs and rolling around for a good amount of time. She is so close to rolling over and really enjoys sleeping on her side now. Olivia will most definitely skip the crawling stage and move straight into walking, she LOVES to stand and dance and she has really really great leg strength to hold herself up. Last night I put her in an exersaucer to test her legs out and she seemed to enjoy the new sitting up toy.

People also tell us we are so brave for taking our babies out and that they didn’t take them out until 4 months. Well, I’m proud to say that my kids have been to Disney about 8 times, they’ve stayed overnight in hotels, they drove a 2000 mile roundtrip holiday, they get out of the house nearly everyday, and go to restaurants once a week. I think people get scared of babies and think their lives need to change dramatically and they can’t do anything…not true. Just takes a lot of planning and preparation but it’s worth it to get out of the house!

The most important thing I’ve learned as a mother so far is that my kids really do know me and I know so much more than I thought I would. I was in a panic that I wouldn’t know what to do or my kids wouldn’t respond to my touch – completely false. I think I have that magical mother’s touch that makes them smile, or calms them down. I don’t know if what I’m doing is right or wrong (since I’ve given up on books) but it works and I feel good knowing that I’m sustaining two little lives. The best thing a mother can hear is “you’re doing a great job” because there are a lot of times I doubt myself but for someone to say out loud unsolicited that we’re doing well is a great feeling.

So, a little recommendation for any readers out there who know of a new mother – PLEASE tell them they are doing a good job and point out something specific that makes them know that you mean it! Affirmation goes a long way for renewing the spirit and encouraging people on a hard day where babies are crying and aren’t leaving momma feeling good.

8 weeks and NOT Crazy yet!

Wow I can hardly believe it’s been 8 weeks since Emmett and Olivia were born. A lot has happened in 8 weeks. Here’s the summary of what I can remember:

1.  They’ve both been growing very well. I “weigh” them at home (meaning I get on the scale and weigh the two of us, then put a baby down and subtract my single weight). Babies gain weight, mommy loses weight! By my calculation, Emmett is now about 12 pounds (double from his lowest weight) and Olivia is 9.5 (double from her lowest weight). Emmett is the perfect “chunkiness” now as well, he fits perfectly over my shoulder and is comfortable to hold. Olivia is still a little bony, but plump enough to where I don’t feel like I’ll break her when I burp her.
2. The babies have been to Disney twice! I know there’s a lot of debate on how long to wait to take babies out in public, exposure to germs and whatnot. Well, the way I see it is that my dogs are licking the babies, rolling on the floor, and I don’t clean my house very often so if the babies are going to get germy and dirty they’re probably cleaner in their stroller at Disney than on the floor at home. We used the baby back-packs at Disney and they both really enjoyed looking at the scenery and being outside. Babies in the baby back-packs get 2x more the attention than babies in strollers.
3.  I went to the Tampa Mothers of Multiples meeting and my first “play date”. Odd to think there was a play date with babies <6 months old but it was nice to get out and see other mothers and other babies. Of course I left thinking my babies were the cutest, but I also left seeing how close we are to other milestones and how babies will “play” in just a few short weeks. I’m really excited for them to interact more. There are definitely a lot of dedicated moms out there and there are plenty of tricks of the trade that I’m learning from them.
4. We’ve seen some smiles! I’m not convinced these are smiles directed at me, probably more just a great fart coming out, but it’s still heart-melting to see them smile and happy. Emmett smiles at Disney Jr when it’s on TV, he really enjoys Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Hot dog, hot dog hot diggity dog…
5.  Babies are consistently sleeping 7-8 hours per night, and it’s been that way for probably 2 weeks. No joke! We didn’t even “sleep train” formally, I just got the book last week and started thinking about it. They seem to be doing fine themselves! We’ve got them eating at 4 hour increments, the last bottle is between 8:30-9:00pm,then they go in their crib and they wake up 4:30-5:00ish. At that point Emmett doesn’t want to be in his crib, but Olivia is content laying in her crib (not even sleeping) until 8 or so. It’s really pretty awesome.
6. The dogs are amazing with the babies.Mac has finally started warming up to them and now he’s protective, attentive when they cry, and will give kisses if we ask him to. The pups will be so happy when the babies are starting to move around and eventually throw the tennis ball for them!
7. Best baby shower gift is the enormous diaper stash. It’s so nice to not have to worry about purchasing diapers or running out of diapers in the middle of the night. We are consistently going through 20-25 each day but it doesn’t look like we’ve even made a dent in our diaper stash! Emmett is in size 2 diapers now so again it was nice to have those in the stash and just move up on size and not have to stock up.
8. I still can’t decide which diapers I like best – Huggies or Pampers. Each have their benefits and limitations. Huggies have cute outsides but their elastic isn’t as flexible…Pampers are boring and ugly which you wouldn’t think is a big deal but when there’s poop in the diaper you can see through it and see all of the dirty in the diaper! Gross! It’s a very secure diaper and not leaky but if a baby is wearing a white outfit you’d see the poop through the outfit. Also, the rewards points and prizes for Huggies are considerably better than Pampers! The products have comparable “point values” for each brand but Huggies rewards catalog has toys and fun products starting around 400 points…Pampers you need about 2,000! Not cool, Pampers.
9. Even though I weigh LESS than I did on implantation date, my clothes don’t fit. I now understand why MOM JEANS exist…skin and muscles don’t fall back the same way so I will be wearing dresses and elastic skirts since my work pants don’t fit. Also, since my boobs are gigantic (comparable to Pamela Anderson) my shirts don’t fit right either so I don’t really know what I’m going to wear. It will feel nice to dress up again at work, wear something other than flip flops, and feel pretty doing make up. I must still have some excess fluid because my wedding rings don’t fit yet L
10. My husband is the greatest. I think he actually enjoys changing diapers – the dirtier the happier he is! What a great partner to have in this adventure, a great leader in our family to show how important it is to take care of each other and share in responsibilities. The mom’s groups I’m in on Facebook there is always a post complaining about husbands and how they don’t help, don’t appreciate, etc…I read those and have a little smile to myself knowing I don’t have that to complain about. I know who’s getting a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug for Christmas…

Almost at the 2 month mark and it’s been really great. Yes my life has changed but not completely. I’ve never been a great sleeper, I like having a “purpose”, we still go out to dinner, we still make it to Disney. We’ll see how I handle my first day of work tomorrow though…

Baby carriers = lots of attention!

Olivia, getting plumpy

Emmett, getting plumpy

Macy watching over the babies

Labor, Delivery, and Coming Home

Who would have thought that only 4 days after my last post these two little buggers would be here! I feel very fortunate that everything with the pregnancy went so well - we were very fortunate to be healthy, continue to work, and be blessed with supportive people. Something had to be dramatic...and it ended up being the twins arrival!

At the last doctor appointment check up my blood pressure had risen to a new level; never had any blood pressure issues before (and it "rose" but not to a crazy level) so that was a new sign for preeclampsia. Which looking back now makes sense -  I had a bunch of other signs too such as intense heartburn, the crazy swelling all over. So due to the high blood pressure I was required to do a 24-hour pee analysis which meant peeing into a jug for 24 hours to measure the protein levels in my urine. I proudly carried my jug of pee into the hospital around noon on 7/28 so it would be analyzed that day. We continued to go about our day, I went into work for a bit, ran some errands, rested a bit. Around 11pm there was a call from the doctor on call at the hospital and she said "Hi Kelly, I have your results back. Any protein level higher than 300 we consider high for preeclampsia, your levels were in the thousands so I'd like you to come in, get monitored, and you'll be having your babies tomorrow". WHAT! Not the call I was expecting at 11pm so I got in the shower, shaved my legs, triple checked what we've packed for the hospital, and was admitted in the hospital about 12:45am on 7/29. Funny enough, I said my goal was to work until the day I delivered...and I went into work on Saturday 7/28 to finish up some things! So I literally worked until the day I delivered :) I'm proud to say that.

7/29 - 65 pound weight gain and stretch mark battle wounds

Headed for the operating room

Proud pappa

Fast forward a bit...didn't get much sleep being that I had a catheter, blood pressure monitor, two IVs, and hourly blood work.Babies hadn't turned so we were still 1 vertex,1 transverse which meant C-Section. Turns out my platelet counts were below 100, which meant anesthesia could not be administered in the spine (too risky that there would be bleeding and hemoraging and you don't want to mess with your spinal cord) so I was required to be completely out under general anesthesia. Which unfortunately meant that Todd was not able to be there, and I was not awake so neither of us were "present" for the birth of our children. I went to sleep, woke up 3 hours later with two babies next to my bed and a beaming husband. A c-section under full anesthesia is a highly organized event - to prevent the babies from being affected by the medicine, within seconds of being out the babies both had to be delivered. So I had three anesthesiologists there, 2 doctors, probably at least 3 nurses, and then a nurse for each baby once they came out. Todd paced outside of the operating room door just waiting to hear the first cries of our little babies. I can only imagine what he felt during that time.

Recovery on their birth day was rough,unfortunately I don't remember much of that day at all. I just remember being really thirsty and they would only give me ice chips. Todd was a great dad, trooper talking to the doctors, nurses, making all of the phone calls...as I slept and said some funny stuff while I was under.

Overall I think it was a blessing in disguise to have a c-section versus trying a vaginal delivery. The scar is AMAZING, I don't see how they got two babies out of it. 3 days afterwards I was walking around. It hurt to get out of bed, but once I was up and around it wasn't so bad. I just passed the 2 week mark and the stitches have dissolved, really no pain, I'm lifting and doing everything I think I want to be doing at this time. I honestly think I would have had more pain or complications with a vaginal delivery. The only thing I regret about this process is I didn't really experience anything of the "miracle of birth" that I was so jazzed about after the labor and delivery class. I didn't have my water break, no contractions, no pushing, no hearing my babies first cries...I went to sleep and woke up with babies. Some may say I'm lucky for that, but I still think that's missing out on a piece of the whole motherhood process.

Now that we're home we're settling into our routine. I've gained a team mate in the parenting process - Todd is extremely involved and thoughtful. We've each gotten into our "roles" in the house, who is better in the morning or night or 3am. As much as I wanted to breastfeed and nurse, twins adds an added level of stress that changed my nursing plans. I was successful in the hospital, and the first few days at home but Olivia had a latching problem (pre-mature babies tend to) and they were both up at different times so my boobs never had a break. Instead after some reading and some advice from other mothers of multiples I am exclusively pumping and feeding breast milk through the bottle. So babies are still getting the benefits of breast milk but I'm able to time it better, feed both at once, and also others can help feeding the babies too which is REALLY great. I pump either during their feeding or right afterwards so I'm always at least one or two feedings ahead and the bottles are ready in the fridge. If worse comes to worse I can supplement with formula but for the most part I've been able to keep up with them.I just finished a feeding and it only took 40 minutes to bottle feed, burp, and change the twins. If I was nursing it would take 40 minutes just to nurse, and Emmett is such a little piggie he could be 40 minutes on his own!

I'm excited to finally be able to use some of the baby gear we have - it's funny I was so worried about not having socks or gloves for the babies - and they've worn them maybe twice? But the few things I cannot live without at this point: wipes warmer, swaddle sacks, burp cloths, boppy pillows and swings. We also tried having the babies in our room the first few nights...after 3 nights of that they went into the nursery and are sleeping in cribs with a monitor.Babies make so much noise coo-ing and fake crying that we were up all night just wondering if it was a "real need" or a "fake cry". Now we just wait for the monitor that only plays for "real cries" and we are sleeping otherwise which is really nice.

So far two weeks in this new adventure has been great, it's amazing to think it all started in a test tube with a prayer :)

Our new family

36 Week Update

Good news, we’ve made it to the point where the babies are fully cooked, now getting their extra oven time to plump up! Last week’s appointment was frustrating, but I may have had my expectations too high. I didn’t have a measurement sonogram so I don’t know how big they are compared to their size on July 3…I didn’t have a pelvic exam so I don’t have any reassuring signs that these babies are on their way out…I saw another doctor in the group who seemed overly casual about this whole labor and delivery thing. I think she sensed how frustrated I was and appeased me by setting a c-Section date so I at least had something to look forward to.

What we do know is this: baby girl did her gymnastics and moved to be head down! This is a good thing since she’s “Baby A” and will be the first to come out. I could have the option of a normal child birth with her positioning. Baby boy did not want to be a male gymnast or a swimmer and continues to be transverse(horizontal). This presents an interesting predicament to the labor and delivery. If Baby A is head down and delivered normally, a few things could happen to get Baby B out:

1. Baby B could thrive in all of that space, do his gymnastics, and also be delivered head first normally. Ideal situation.
2. Baby B can continue to be stubborn and not move, but the doctors could go in and pull him out  breech. Not as ideal.
3. Baby B can continue to be stubborn and transverse and require a C-Section to get him out. Not making momma happy with pushing AND surgery. One or the other, kiddos!
4. Baby B can go nuts without his sister in there, have a change in vitals, and require and emergency C-Section to get him out.

 

Unfortunately, there’s no indication of what can or will happen. And it doesn’t help the situation that Baby B is slightly larger than Baby A. If B was the smaller one, it wouldn’t be such a challenge to deliver, turn, or pull him out breech. Since he’s bigger (as of July 3 anyway…) it would make a second delivery difficult. What really vexed me from the last appointment was that we are scheduled for another appointment this Thursday but there’s no sonogram. So there’s no confirmation that baby boy is/isn’t moving into position, no confirmation on if he’s still bigger or by how much…what is the doctor going to do when I am there? If she starts the conversation with “so, what questions do you have”…I’m going to lose it. I don’t have anymore questions except when and how are these babies going to come out! Although they do have their eviction notice so they'll be coming out next week regardless of position or size!

Outside of OB appointments, we’ve been making progress on other pieces too. We met with the USF pediatrician group – seemed very nice, knowledgeable, and very experienced with twins (makes sense since they are part of the doctors group that does reproductive medicine). We’ll stick with her and if we want something closer to home or in a different place we can always switch. Only downside to them is that they are based in Tampa General or on Davis Island, so the annoying-ness of the parking garage and hustle/bustle of TGH may get old pretty quickly. Unless they’re fine and healthy babies, then we hopefully won’t be at the doctor very much.

We also started looking at child care for starting in January. I seriously don’t know how we are going to afford this or where we’re going to place them. I looked at a listing of care centers and then did a Google Street Map view…I’m NOT sending my kids to some dirt bag places, and even those cost over $160 per week! There is a FANTASTIC place in downtown but it’s over $1,000/month per infant. I also asked my neighbor with twins and she said she uses an in-home nanny and pays $12/hour plus bonus for 40 hours per week, which would still be the $2,000 per month! If I had an extra $2,000 per month I wouldn’t be living in the suburban ghetto of Seffner.  The other places I liked and we’re looking into are around the $185-$200 mark per child per week . Really hefty, but these are reputable, clean, and actual establishments, not hole in the wall houses or ghetto. I've asked around the Mothers of Multiples (MoM) group and most MoMs there are stay at home MoMs or use an in-house nanny. I’m starting to see how it will be difficult to balance finances with wanting the best for our kids. So shout out and THANK YOU to my fabulous parents who never made it look like there was a choice between finance or wanting what's best (even though I'm sure there always was one)...you found the best that you were able to afford and we were none-the-wiser on the financial piece.

It’s going to be a significant life change for Todd and I to make child care work. We’ve reviewed the budget over and over to see if it makes more financial sense for him to be a stay at home/work from home parent but he loves his job too much and has been there so long (and we get 75% off Outback…) it’s a really tough decision. Luckily we’re in the situation where one of our paychecks won’t go entirely to child care so it is still on the positive $$ side to continue working. Please pray for us as we start narrowing down these choices and reeling in our budget and spending; it will not be easy. I’m still secretly hoping that a little old lady (or young lady, no preference) will come up to me in church and say “I’m so bored during the day I would love to come to your house and watch your kids for $500/month”. Hey, God does miracles, this could happen?!

Overall I’m still feeling pretty good – still going into work everyday for the full 8 hours (although wearing the same outfits 2x per week or wearing Todd’s shirts), generally tired but not unable to function. My upper back has started hurting and I’m getting terrible heartburn but nothing that some Tylenol and Tums aren’t helping me cope through. Still can’t complain about the journey we’ve been on and wouldn’t change a thing about our process. And we’re very excited that there’s 1 week left before we jump off the pregnancy tram and move onto the parenthood jet. :)

 

And I know that friends and family are excited to finally know what their names will be in 1 week! I’ll narrow it down…it’s not “Frank and Bea”, “Bonnie and Clyde”, “Jack and Jill”, “Edward and Bella”, “Wally and Sue”,  or “Luke and Lea”. 

33 Week Update

We’re in the final stretch, with stretch-marks to prove it!  I was in dire need of “mommy” time; for the past 2 weeks I’d been a nervous wreck, coming home from work and just crying. I think it’s just the waiting process that is overwhelming at this point and the uncertainty of when they’ll come, where I’ll be, and what it’s going to be like. I guess Todd was sick of trying to console me in my hormonal tear-fest so he called my mom and asked her to come down for the weekend and spend time with me. It was wonderful – we didn’t do a lot, and I think mom was bored because she cleaned, dusted, swept, washed my dishes, vacuumed, did laundry, etc. I felt helpless but it kept her busy. We left the weekend very clear that we have more than everything we need to bring the babies home – we just need the babies to come home so we stop being stir-crazy. It’s amazing how quickly the room fills up with silly baby gear…

Pictures from Mommy time: 

Me and Todd

Family photo (Mac is behind Macy)

Granny Sue and me

My boobs look pretty small even though they've grown 2 sizes

Not my best, but puts into perspective

 

So after washing the newborn clothes, assuming that my twins will be born at a small size (the average weight of twins at term of 36 weeks is 5.5lbs) we went in for an ultrasound and what do you know, the babies are already at 5 pounds!  I’m glad they are healthy and growing steadily but now all of these newborn clothes that I took tags off of and washed may not be able to be used! Just my luck! The last thing I want to do is more laundry and have wasted tiny little clothes…

Other updates from the ultrasound :

•  no reason to be concerned about my excessive swelling. Blood pressure is normal, no other symptoms that should cause me worry regarding my huge feet and sausage fingers.
• Both babies are not vertex and as they run out of room to move I’ll be having a c-section to get them out. If Baby A would be vertex I could try normal delivery but as long as she’s sitting sideways there isn’t any other option. Baby A (girl) is laying in a “C” shape with her head on the left side of my abdomen and her butt on the cervix and she’s facing my back.  Baby B (boy) is laying sideways with his head under my left ribcage facing outward toward my stomach. So unless there’s some major gymnastics this week I’ll be going under the knife. I guess I deserve that – pregnancy just seemed too easy  so I guess delivery/recovery will have to be the difficult part. It’ll be good to have it planned though, I like a good schedule and that can allow time for my parents to get tickets to fly down if they want, get the dogs situated at their temporary home, and allow us a non-dramatic trip to the hospital.
• Baby boy’s head is the size of a 35 week baby…lots of brain in that big Burchell head!
• Baby boy’s size in general  (5lb 3oz) is on the 75^th percentile on the growth charts…of a singleton! That’s right, he’s bigger than most SINGLE babies at this same time!
• Baby girl’s size (4 lb 11oz) is in the 54^th percentile on the growth charts. So combined we’re talking 10 pounds of baby in there right now. No wonder my stomach feels crazy heavy.
• Babies were of such superior weight that they had me do the glucose screening test again to check for gestational diabetes to see if there is a reason they’re growing so quickly. Hopefully the results are OK so I can 1) be correct and rub it in Todd's face and 2) so I don't have to cut out sweets!
• Doctor told a funny joke about c-sections: “selling a c-section to a woman in labor is like selling ice cream to someone in the desert”.

Some fun Twins Facts:

• Twin pregnancy is considered full term at 36 weeks and 3 days
• 22% of twins are left handed; only 10% of singletons are left handed
• 40% of twins invent their own languages
• Twin fetuses start bonding at just 14 weeks and can appear to socially interact with each other just hours after birth. Friends for life!
• Moms of twins tend to live longer than moms without twins