A week of many firsts

It's hard to believe Lucas and Olivia are already 1 week old. Technically, one week and one day, but who's counting! From their first day in the world, first time leaving the hospital, first car ride, first time coming home to join our family, first trip to the pediatrician...too many to list. Even though we are tired, we loving every minute! Sleep is SO overrated! I wish I could freeze time and their little faces forever! There is a special bond to having twins for us as parents and them as siblings, and it brings tears to my eyes to see how comforted they are by being so close to one another. I wonder how long we'll be able to swaddle them up and lay them beside each other in their pack and play before they learn how to break free!

Today will be our first full day on our own without family visitors or doctors appointments. Just us and our house all day, and I can't wait! I think things will go a little smoother since we don't have to rush out of the house for an appointment. It is so nice that Dan works from home because he can help me out sometimes, but I am already dreading his first trip away in January. I don't know who it will be harder for...him, me, or the babies! For now, we are taking it one minute at a time and loving our perfect family.



Here are some pics from their first baths:

First Trip to the Pediatrician

Lucas and Olivia had their first visit with Dr. Mona at Kennesaw Pediatrics yesterday. Dr. Mona mainly wanted to check on their weight progress, and answer any questions we had. Lucas has gained 1 ounce since we were discharged on Friday, and now weighs 6.1 lbs. She was pleased with this and said it was still within the 7% loss variance she likes to see after birth (5%). Olivia lost 2 ounces and now weighs 4.10 lbs, still within the variance (6%). We will follow up next Monday to see if they are putting weight on steadily.

I am trying to nurse and supplement with formula as needed. It takes a lot of milk to feed two babies! Right now we have to set an alarm for every 3 hrs, and eventually they'll wake themselves up hungry once they put on some weight. We feed at midnight, 3am, 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, 9m, and start over again. The feedings take about an hour from start to finish, and then I have to pump for 20 minutes, which leaves about 1 1/2 hours between feedings to sleep or get anything else done! Not a lot of time, but we are enjoying the time with them because we know it will be over so quickly.

We are meeting with the lactation consultant today because Olivia is what we have deemed a lazy eater. She wants the instant gratification of the bottle, but she is also small and I think she'll get it eventually. They have already changed so much over the past week, and it's hard to believe they are one week old today!

Welcome Home!

We came home from the hospital on Friday, December 4th with Lucas and Olivia. Our goal the entire pregnancy was to do whatever we could to ensure we came home as a family, and we are so happy our dreams came true. All those weeks and weeks of bedrest was worth every single second and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Dan has been the best daddy and biggest help ever. He has changed almost every single dirty diaper, and he is a swaddling pro! The nurses were so impressed they said he should teach a class. I am still healing from the c-section and trying to learn to nurse as well, and his help has been invaluable. The real test will come tonight when we are on our own for the first time without the help of the nurses and nursery if we need it. We took advantage of the nursery for about 5 hours the second and third night to get some much needed rest (we only got 2 hrs the first night). It was the hardest thing ever to see them leave the room, but Dan and I knew we should get some rest while we can.

We were delayed leaving the hospital for a couple of hours because Olivia's umbilical cord tore a little right before we left. She was bleeding some and the pediatrician wanted to make sure all was well. Luckily all was well (our first scare of many, I'm sure) and we left the hospital at rush hour on a Friday. Not good planning!

It took us awhile to get home, and we had to stop and get some prescriptions filled as well. By the time we finally made it home, it was about an hour past their feeding, so it was a bit of a hectic homecoming. We came into the house (after our wonderful neighbors Jerry and Sally took some pics for us) and went straight to feeding. Piper didn't know what to think when two little screaming people came into his fortress of solitude! Once we finally got them settled, we got the basics we needed from the car and crashed, for a few hours anyway! We are feeding them every 2-3 hours right now to help them get their weight up, and each feeding takes about an hour right now. That doesn't leave much time for sleep, but we know it will only get easier from here. We are trying to enjoy every minute we can because we know it will go by all too quickly.

It is surreal to see these two little people sleeping beside each other in their pack and play. We have looked at it empty for weeks, and imagined them being there, but now it is real! No amount of planning and nothing you read in books compares to reality, but Dan and I are in it together and we are learning as we go. We have such an even stronger bond now, and we are so happy to be a family of four. I just sit and stare at them all the time, and never get tired of seeing their little faces. We love them so much!

Happy Birthday, Lucas and Olivia!

On December 1st, Dan and I held our beautiful babies for the first time and it was the most wonderful experience in the entire world! Lucas Cole Bartlett was born at 11:13am weighing 6.5 lbs and 18 inches long. Olivia Rae followed one minute later (feet first!) at 11:14am weighing 4.15 lbs and 17 inches long. Both babies were perfect and have not left our side since they were born. Lucas had to go on oxygen for about 5-10 minutes, but other than that, we were beyond blessed that there were no other complications. Little Olivia was smaller than they had predicted, but she is one strong girl. Her sugars were a little low for awhile, and they had to stick her foot every 3 hours until midnnight. The levels have to be about 40, and the lowest she got to was 45 and then they started going up. I'm sure she's relieved to no longer have her foot pricked all the time!

We are already learning their different cries and sounds, and they LOVE to be together. They have not left the same isolet since their birth. They are so used to us talking to them in my belly, and it is great to be able to comfort them when they are upset when no one else can.

Our first night Lucas was really fussy, and we later learned that it was because he was hungry. I am trying to nurse, but needed to supplement in the meantime. We got so many conflicting suggestions from the pediatrician and nurses. Finally, about 4am, our wonderful night nurse Alice (a mother to 3 yr old twins herself) strongly suggested they go to the nursery for 2 hours so we could get some rest. It broke my heart to have them leave the room (I may have even cried), but I knew we would be no good to them if we didn't have any rest.

The day was a whirlwind, and it is amazing how quickly time passes now. It is hard to believe they are finally here, and how much you can love two little people so instantly. We hope to get some pictures posted soon.

The Big Day is TOMORROW!

It is so hard to believe, but this time tomorrow Dan and I will be parents to our wonderful little babies! We had our last round of labwork at the hospital today, so now all we have to do is wait, wait, wait!

My dad and stepmom will be here tonight, along with Dan's folks, and they'll be at the hospital with us tomorrow. It will be nice to have them there supporting us as our world completely changes. We have to be at the hospital around 9am, which makes us happy. No 5am wake up call for us! We'll have plenty of those over the next several months anyway!

We are scheduled to begin the c-section around 10:30am, which means at least 11am in hospital time! We are hopeful things will go well, and we'll be holding our babies by mid-day. We'll be sure to post pics and finally announce their names as soon as we can.

Thanks to everyone who has followed our journey and supported us along the way. It seems like it was just Easter Sunday, and we were announcing that we were finally pregnant. Soon our family will be complete, and we just couldn't feel more excited or blessed!

A New Due Date

Friday was filled with doctors appointments once again, and the babies were very restless by the end of the day! I think they were ready to be left alone!

We started out at the perinatologist's office and got very good news...the babies are growing great and there is a small chance they'll have to spend any extended time in the NICU! Dr. Nathan was very happy with our progress. Baby girl weighs around 5.15 lbs and baby boy weighs around 6.3 lbs. That's 12 pounds of baby...whew! He also wants to move my due date up 1 week because of the cholestatis and the fact they are already a good size. So depending on the doctor and hospital schedule, it will be Nov 30th or Dec 1st. Ten days or less!!! We will go back next Wed. to make sure things still look good. He seems to think I'll go into labor on my own before the new date, but only God knows the answer to that.

Then it was off to the OB's office for a quick check. I'm am still showing signs of early labor, but that's to be expected. I'm now measuring around 41 weeks. They agreed with Dr. Nathan to the new due date, and we should know for sure once we speak with their scheduler on Monday. We have a pre-op appt on Tues and once last check before delivery.

Now that the time is near, I'm getting a little anxious about the delivery itself. We talked with Dr. Alarcon about what the c-section involves and what we should expect. Thank goodness Dan will be by my side every step of the way, because he will help keep me calm and focused on the ultimate gift ever...hearing our babies cry for the very first time!

So many appointments!

We met with Dr. Bauer on Friday and we are officially scheduled for delivery on Monday, Dec 7th. That is only 3 1/2 weeks away! However, he seems to think I'll go into labor on my own before that date. I am measuring around 40 weeks now, and it's ALL belly! I can't bend forward or I'll just topple over! He said everything else looks good for now, and to continue to monitor the babies movements frequently. They are pretty active, and I can feel every movement, as they have to be getting tight on space now! It's so funny to see Dan's face when my stomach starts moving. He said it looks like the movie "Aliens!"

We will also discuss the cholestatis condition with our perinatologist next Friday and see if we will need to deliver sooner. Anything scheduled before 37 weeks will probably require an amnio, which we would like to avoid if possible. However, it's all in mother nature's hands now, and the babies will come when they are good and ready!

It's interesting how being pregnant already prepares you for parenthood. Your time (or your body!) is no longer yours, things happen according to their schedule, and you constantly worry about their well being. The list goes on and on. But we are SO ready, and we cannot wait to be parents!

Also, congratulations to our good friends Lisa and Dan Paul. They welcomed their first baby, Anderson Hanger Paul, into the world Friday afternoon. He is such a cutie, and it'll be fun to share baby stories with one another since our babies will be so close in age.

A new development

Well, it looks like it's not PUPPS afterall. I tried the benadryl as Dr. Bauer suggested last Friday, and it did nothing. Neither did the oatmeal bath, Aveeno lotions and body wash, cool showers...pretty much nothing worked. So I called the on-call doc on Sunday and she prescribed me something called vistaril. It really didn't seem to help either, so this past Monday I went in for some bloodwork. They were concerned I may have a rare condition called cholestasis, which is present in only about 1% of pregnancies, but most common with twins. It is a liver disorder in which my body doesn't process the bile, which backs up in my system, and therefore causes the itching.

I just got the results and they confirmed what Dr. Bauer suspected. Normal bile salts should be between 0-19, and mine were 63. He gave me another prescription that makes the itching somewhat tolerable, but unfortunately the only real cure is delivery. In rare cases this condition can cause distress to our babies, which has us very concerned. I am seeing my OB tomorrow and they are talking with the perinatologist to see what our next steps should be. I can manage the itching and anything else I have to, but I am concerned for our little ones right now. Please say an extra prayer for them. We have come too far and we are so close to seeing their tiny, beautiful faces!

Our Temporary Nursery

Here are a few pics of the "nursery" we have put together for when our babies come home. While it would be nice to have all of their furniture in their own rooms in our new house, they really won't know the difference between a pack-n-play and their cribs for the first few weeks anyway. At least that's what I keep telling myself! We are so ready to be settled, but at least this process has taught me some patience, which I will be needing lots of in the future!

Another OB Appointment

We had our weekly check up with the OB today and things are progressing well. I am measuring 38 weeks, my BP was 110/70 and my iron still slightly low at 11.8. I will continue on the iron supplement until delivery, which will be scheduled as of now for sometime during the week of Dec 7th. However, the doctor doesn't seem to think I'll make it that long since my cervix has thinned and I am already dilating.

I have also developed a condition known as PUPPS, which is nothing serious and more annoying than anything. It simply means my entire body itches 24/7, and nothing seems to help. I have these little red dots on my skin, which is considered a rash of some sort. Ah, the little known facts of pregnancy! It is nearly impossible to sleep or rest comfortably (as if it weren't already difficult!). He told me I could try benadryl, and if it doesn't work he will send me to a dermatologist. The only real cure is delivery. Darn sensitive skin!

We go back next Friday for another check-up. It won't be long now!

Dan vs the Double Stroller

Since we are going to be delivering our babies in GA (and hopefully moving soon afterwards; we hope to get a closing date this Thursday), we decided it was time to get some of the basics we were previously waiting to purchase. These things included, first and foremost, the stroller and car seats. It is amazing how much space these 3 items alone take up in a car! We are certainly going to have to change our method of packing when traveling in the future!

The car seats come pretty much ready for use out of the box, but the stroller took a little more effort. I took some pics of Dan while he was putting the stroller together, including proof that he actually referenced the instruction manual (which made me breathe a sigh of relief it was put together correctly!) We also put our temporary nursery together as well, including washing 5 loads of clothes, blankets, burp cloths, etc. I have to give most of the credit to Dan for the work, as I was only able to supervise! Pics to follow soon of our temporary nursery. In the meantime, here are some pictures of Dan and stroller...with a little help from our cat, Piper, as well!

OB/Peri update

Last week we had two doctor appointments, and we are getting excited that we'll get to meet our babies in just a few weeks! Monday we went to the OB for a basic check-up. My BP, iron and weight all look good. The babies are still measuring around 37-38weeks. We spoke with Dr. Alarcon regarding possible delivery options and time-lines. He said they won't schedule me to deliver until 38 weeks because they want their lungs to be as developed as possible. While it seems like forever, I can deal with the discomforts as long as they are healthy. I will go back next Friday and we will begin to look at the calendar and try to schedule a date if possible. Unless baby girl turns, it looks like I will be a scheduled C-section.

Then we went to the perinatologist on Friday, and my friend Karen was able to come to the appointment with us. How often do you get to see twins on an ultrasound? The good news is they are both right on track from a growth perspective. Baby girl has really hit a growth spurt, and unbelievably they are both weighing the same...4.6 lbs each! His heartrate was around 156 and hers was around 150. Their measurments were right on track and Dr. Nathan is pleased with their progress. Baby boy is still laying head down oblique across my abdomen and baby girl is transverse across my abdomen, which means almost certain c-section.

I will go back in 3 weeks, and he said they could probably schedule me for delivery sometime during the 37th week. He will discuss the options with my OB as his concern is that my uterus can only stretch so far, and I am vertically challenged to begin with! So it looks like we'll be delivering sometime between Thanksgiving and the first of Dec (unless the babies have plans of their own!) That is only 3-5 weeks away, and I am counting every second! I can't wait to feel "normal" again, and even more, I can't wait to finally hold our little boy and little girl!