4 weeks old!

I can't believe my sweet babies are 4 weeks old today! They are both doing great! They were weighed on Monday when we went for a visit to the lactation consultant and Emma weighed in at 7lbs 3oz and Max was up to 6lbs 14oz! Emma LOVES to eat and Max loves to sleep :) They have both been on a 3 hour feeding schedule since we were in the hospital and it really seems to be working well for all of us. Breastfeeding is going ok - I'm still a little behind on my milk production, but the LC seemed confident that I would be able to catch up in a few more weeks and may be able to drop the formula supplements - luckily neither of them have any latching issues, so fingers crossed it will work out - we shall see. Max is still very laid bad and doesn't seemed to be bothered by much, but he does have some reflux because of his flappy larynx which causes him to eat VERY SLOWLY - which is a pain in the butt at midnight and 3am when you just want to get it over with and go back to bed! Emma on the other hand will gulp it all down and still want more. She really likes her "wake time" and loves looking at her self in the mirror - such a girl! Both babies are so good - we are very blessed!

Here are some pics from the last couple weeks:

Max and Emma meet their great Papa

Max and Emma with their Na-nah (my mom)

My sweet sleeping beauty

Uncle Omar and Max

Emma loves to look at herself in the mirror

Had to throw this one in - gotta love a Lucy snarl :)

Max rockin his Aggie gear - I guess it helped 'cause they won - whoop (strickly for Jason's sake)

Too bad the same luck didn't work for Emma and her Longhorn gear, but we still love 'em - Hook 'em Horns!

Cutie pies

Our little butterball princess kickin it in the bouncy seat

Max and Emma meet Aunt Marcia and their other great Papa

Firsts for Max & Emma

Well... the babies are a little over 2 weeks old now! They had their 2 week check up on Tuesday and both Max and Emma are growing like little weeds! Here are their stats:
Emma
Weight: 6lbs 3.4oz (5% percentile)
Height/Length: 20in (50% percentile)
Head Circumference: 35cm (30% percentile)


Max
Weight: 5lbs 15oz (3% percentile)


Height/Length: 20in (25% percentile)
Head Circumference: 34cm (10% percentile)


*keep in mind that they should still be in the womb - they will not be "term" until Nov. 11th - that's why their percentages are lower.


Emma is doing fabulous and does not need to go back until her 2 month check up! Max on the other hand will need to go back next week to check on his breathing - they suspect he may have Laryngomalacia - which means that his larynx is a little flappy, but it's not a big deal and he will grow out of it - it just makes his breathing sound a little raspy. Other than that, he's doing great!


Both babies are nursing really well! I just wish I had enough milk to feed them both without having to supplement with formula :( Hopefully more will come in with time as my body continues to heal and adjust. We even attempted tandem nursing the other day and it went really well! I'm not confident enough to try it all by myself - so for now we only try it when daddy is home. I also had a check up this week and my incision is healing perfectly - it's still a little sore and I am reluctant to have anything apply pressure on it - so I am continuing to wear the super sexy granny panties and either really high waisted pants or really low waisted pants (mostly Jason's baggy cotton pajama pants). I have about 4 or 5 pounds to loose before I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight - pretty unbelievable!


Here are some pics from Emma and Max's first bath, first dr's visit, and first Halloween :)



First car ride



 
First Dr. Appt

 
Max's first bath

he really liked getting his hair washed

all clean :)

Emma's first bath - she hated it!

she is quite vocal and will gladly let you know if she doesn't like something!

She did seem to enjoy getting her hair washed - but who doesn't!

All clean!

Max and Emma chillin on the couch

Max's first Halloween - my precious little owl

 

Emma's first Halloween - momma's little ladybug

does it get any cuter than this?!

look at me I'm "0" months old!

 Look at me I'm "0" months old!

Happy Birthday Max and Emma!

Well Max and Emma have arrived! They came out kicking and screaming and absolutely perfect on Wednesday, 10/20/2010 :) Max Austin was born first at 8:07am weighing 5 pounds and 6 ounces and about 18 inches long and an apgar score of 8 (no nicu needed) and Emma Ryan was second at 8:08am weighing 5 pounds and 15 ounces (almost 6 pounds!) and she was 18 and a half inches long and her apgar score was a 9 (no nicu needed). I just cried and cried I was so happy when the nurses said that they were perfectly healthy! I am so very thankful and blessed that everything went so well with them.

Unfortunately, things didn't go so well with me after their delivery. After they were delivered, Jason went with them to the nursery while the doctors finished with me, but when removing one of my placentas I began to hemorrhage and was quickly loosing a lot of blood. I began to feel really lightheaded and nauseas, so they gave me a sedative which all but knocked me out (I could still hear things going on around me but I was out of it). Apparently my uterus would not contract despite the Dr. G doing everything he could, and I was loosing too much blood, so they had no choice but to remove my uterus to stop the hemorrhaging. By the time they sewed me up, an hour had passed and I had lost half my blood volume. They were on the fence about whether or not to give me a blood transfusion, as I was right on the cusp where I could go either way, but they decided not to do one. The nurse had ran out to tell Jason about what was going on in the OR, but they wouldn't allow him to come back in, so I can only imagine what kind of rollercoaster of emotions he was going through. Once everything was all finished, they took the sedative off and I was able to go to the recovery room and join Jason and our precious babies. 

Dr. G had sent my placenta and uterus off to the lab for testing and he called yesterday to let me know why all this had occurred... and apparently I had what they call placenta accrita - which means that the placenta attached itself too deeply to my uterus and there was nothing they could do but to remove it. My doctor went on to say that I did not fit the rule book for this condition as I never had any of the signs like bleeding during my pregnancy nor had  I ever had any uterine surgeries or previous c-section(s). So in light of this, I feel that much more blessed that the Lord has given us two beautiful, healthy, and perfect babies. I guess He really knows what He's doing and he really does have a plan for us all even if we can't see it or understand it. I have certainly had my moments in the last few days when I get very sad and cry thinking about how I will never get to experience being pregnant again. It's alot to deal with especially after everything I and we have been through to get to this point. It also doesn't help that I had the most wonderful pregnancy anyone could ever ask for - bedrest and all. I just really, really LOVED being pregnant. My advice to anyone out there that is pregnant - I know about 5 or 6 of you are (you know who you are) - take the time to really experience your pregnancy and embrace it and take the time to acknowledge the awesome power God has given you to grow a life within yourself - you'll be so glad you did - and you never know what can happen or when it might be the last time you are given this awesome opportunity.  



So...
Since I had lost so much blood, I am now anemic, which is making my recovery a little slower. I was finally able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom and even take a 5 min shower (sitting of course) on Friday (2 days later) and was allowed to eat solid food again. After that, each day was a little easier and I was able to actually get out of bed, go to the bathroom, walk the hall and shower unassisted by Sunday morning. I was released on Sunday and things have been going relatively well since we've been home. The incision is still pretty sore and my body is still adjusting to its recent lack of blood, but thankfully my mom is here helping us, so we've just been trying to stay with our little 3,6,9,12 feeding routine and so far so good. I've really been trying to sleep any time they are sleeping - as I get tired out pretty easily. Nursing is also going pretty well considering all that is stacked against me with the twins being early and my anemia. I am nursing the babies, pumping, and supplementing with formula until my milk really starts to come in and until the babies reach term (Nov. 11th) - but it's all learning by fire for these first timers :) 

On a lighter note, Mr. Max loves to pee on his daddy! Jason has been so amazing - he is such an amazing, amazing man and father - I honestly don't know what I did to get so lucky! Jason has been on diaper duty all day everyday since the babies were born, I just recently have been able to get around enough to change a few here and there - but Jason completely got thrown into everything and has handled it with such grace, never once complaining - in fact he seems to take pride in his awesome diaper changing techniques and master swaddler title :) My heart just swells with all the love I have for these little miracles and for my best friend, husband, and father of our babies. Well, it looks like it's feeding time again, but here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure...


Last belly pic - 37 weeks :)




Last picture as a family of 2

 
Jason all geared up ready for the OR
 
First time holding my little angels

 
My perfect and beautiful babies (Emma on the left, Max on the right)
 
Emma (left) and Max (right)
 
Sweet babies Emma (left) Max (right)
 
Happy Birthday! Emma (left) Max (right)

34 weeks and home at last!

Gosh, where to start... well, as I mentioned before, I was put back on hospital bedrest at our Sept. 7th appointment when my cervix shrunk from 14 mm to 8mm - yikes! I was really scared - but I knew that I was in good hands. They gave me a shot of turb again which stopped the contractions. I knew that I was likely going to be in for the long haul this time -  but I was ok with that because I knew that I was in the best place possible. Unfortunetly, the menu did not change :( After three weeks of no contractions or further shortening of my cervix - Dr. G said I would get to go home! My release date wasn't free of its fair share of drama though! After our sono, in which the babies were measuring about 4 and a half+ pounds each, the sonographer detected membranes in my cervix (not exactly sure what that means) - so Dr. G did a pelvic exam to check and see if I was dialting - in which case we would be having a birthday party! All the blood rushed from my face, I felt light headed and though I was going to be sick - I look over and Jason just dropped his head and started praying - you don't really want to hear at 33 and a half weeks that you might be delivering your babies! This was the first time I've had a pelvic exam - but luckily Dr. G said that at most I was 1/2 cm dialated and that I was fine to go home. Whew! To add to the drama, Dr. G informs us that he is going on vacation next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday - not really the news you want to hear after being told you may be delivering your babies. I have had dr. appt's with Dr. G either every week or every two weeks since March - never once has he not bene there - so these babies better not even think about making their arrival next week!
In the mean time, Jason has hooked me up at home - he is very concerned that I not have to lift a finger! He has taken almost everything out of the pantry and put it on the table so I would not have to reach for anything! He has also set up a cooler by the bed and a giant jug of water in the bathroom so I can fill up on my way to and from the bathroom! He is going to be such a great daddy! We are really starting to try and wrap our heads around the fact that we will have two babies in like 2 weeks! I will finally get to hold and love on these two little miracles that have been kicking and squirming around in there for so long!
We also finally settled on a new car after going back and forth and not finding what we wanted, blah, blah, blah... we ened up getting a 2010 Acura MDX - I'm so excited and can't wait to be able to drive it! (pic below)
The past couple sono pics weren't great  - but the sono tech always loves to take pics of the babies heads - apparently it's not very common to get a good picture of both heads - who knew?! I posted some belly pics too - warning it's a big one! I've gained a whole 29 pounds so far and I'm pretty sure it's all in the belly cause that sucker is big!

Super pumped about wheel chair shopping this weekend and finally getting all the little things we need!

Here are some pics for your enjoyment:


31 weeks


32 weeks


32 weeks


33 weeks

33 weeks


The new ride :)

Sono Pics - 31 weeks

I forgot to mention that baby girl is now head down with her brother - yay! Here are some sono pics from Tuesday's appt - there are some good ones of both babies in 3d:

Baby boy with his hand in his mouth

Baby Boy

Baby Boy

Baby Boy



Baby Girl

Baby Girl


Baby girl

baby boy

both head down