Pictures with Santa

We decided to venture out with Luke and Olivia to have their pictures taken with Santa. We got very lucky in that there wasn't a line at all, so we were able to get in and out pretty quickly. They both did great as we took them after a feeding so they were nice and relaxed. It was funny how everyone ooh'd and ahh'd over them!

And talk about a small world. There was a lady in front of us with a tiny baby as well. We started chatting and realized our babies were all born on the same day, in the same hospital, and in fact, she was next to me in the recovery room! She said she heard one of the nurses mention there were twins waiting next curtain over, and we figured out that they were talking about Luke and Olivia. You never know who you'll meet!

Weight Check

We went to the pediatrician today for a weight check, especially for little Olivia, to make sure they were gaining weight appropriately. If not, we would have to go to 2 hour feedings. The goal is they should be back to or over their birth weight by now. I know they have to grow up, but part of me is sad with each ounce they gain because it reminds me how quickly they are growing up already!

The good news is Olivia and Luke both gained a good amount of weight. Olivia weighs 5.6 pounds now, and Luke is 6.13 pounds. Dr. Mona was very pleased with their progress, and said hopefully by their 1 month check up we can go to 4 hours feedings (as long as they don't wake up beforehand). Right now, 4 hour feedings sounds like heaven!

Wish us luck for a restful night between feedings...we need it!

Finding a routine

The new feeding schedule seems to be working out, but the babies have been very restless at night. We have tried to imitate the day feedings as much as possible (natural light, etc) and it seems to be getting better. For a couple of nights in a row, it seemed like every time Luke would fall asleep, Olivia would wake up, and the cycle would start again. We were managing about 45 minutes of sleep between feedings. Now we keep the lamp on all night and prop them up in their boppies (one of the greatest inventions every, by the way!) for about 10-15 minutes until they start to doze off. The 2am feeding is still the most difficult, but slowly improving. We figured once we get a routine that works for them, they will change it on us anyway!

A new feeding schedule

We are trying to change our feeding times today (moving from 9am, noon, etc to 8am, 11am etc), so it will be another day of transition. We tried to stretch one feeding time out 4 hours to get on track, but little Luke was having nothing of it! So we will ease them into it throughout the day. It will probably mean one less feeding today, and maybe a little more rest for us! Wish us luck!

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!