First and Second Doctor's Appointments

On Tuesday, October 2nd we took the babies to their first doctor appointment.

They were 5 days old.

Hudson weighed 5 lb and 14 oz. He was in the 5th percentile.

His weight had dropped from his birth weight of 6 lb 3 oz.

His length (18 inches) was in the 11th percentile and his head was in the 9th percentile. 

(Clearly the nurses didn't measure him the same way, because at the hospital he was 19 inches long.)

He was looking slightly jaundiced , but not badly.

Harper weighed 6 lb 2 oz.  She was in the 7th percentile. 

Her weight had dropped from her birth weight of 6 lb 5 oz.

Her length was still 19 inches and was in the 31st percentile.

Her head was in the 14th percentile.

They both got blood drawn and were troopers.

Love this picture of Hudson nibbling on Harper. 

Today we took them back to the doctor for their weight checks. 

They both gained 7 oz. since last week.

Hudson now weighs 6 lbs 6 oz.

Hudson's jaundice was gone.

Harper now weighs 6 lbs 9 oz.

We will be back in 2 weeks for their 1 month check up. 

Since we've been home....

Hi friends!

Happy 1 Week! 

Thursday, October 4th 

We have been home a week now and are getting into the groove of having 3 kids under 3. It is pretty crazy. Some moments are calm and peaceful and some I want to sit in a corner and cry.  Reagan has been getting better adjusted every day. He is learning the meaning of an "inside voice", "only having 2 hands", "making milk- aka pumping", "being gentle".  He loves his babies very much but you can tell he doesn't like sharing Mama and Dada.  

We have been incredibly blessed to have our mothers here to help.  Nick's mom and my mom have been here 2 days a week each to help with anything we need.  They are cooking, cleaning, feeding, and diapering babies.  And maybe the most important thing to us right now- watching them so we can nap! We have also been so fortunate to have friends stop by with dinners and cuddles for the babies.  Thank you all! 

(Yes, these sweet  friends even played dress up with Reagan!)

My mom has also kept her regular schedule of watching Reagan Mondays and Tuesdays and he has been going to school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  So Nick and I are really only having the babies during the day.  This weekend was our big test- having all 3 for the whole day. And boy was it rough.  Reagan threw tantrums like we have never seen before. Lord have mercy.  

Here are some random thoughts from this week:

1) Those Fisher Price Newborn Rock and Plays have been amazing.  

The babies sleep in them every night and during naps.  Heaven sent!

2) They weren't kidding when they said newborn twins go through an insane amount of diapers.  

We used around 144 during week 1. 

These 6 lb little peanuts are peeing and pooping machines.

We are so thankful to my mom who bought a package of diapers every week since we found out we were pregnant. These diapers are sure coming in handy! 

3) I am loving the Wubba Nub pacifier attachments. I'm all for pacifiers, especially for little babies who need the sucking practice/soothing. And these little critters have saved us so much.  The babies love to hold on to them while sucking and they help us find the pacifier when we are in a hurry.

4) I have always loved my DVR but I have a new appreciation for it now.  I really only have time to watch TV when I am pumping or feeding the babies and this is a life saver.  I can stay caught up on all my reality TV shows and pause whenever. I've said it before and I will say it again. What did we do before it?

5) My pump has been my savior.  I had all intentions of breast feeding the babies.  But the babies are still struggling to latch on.  I was getting pretty frustrated so I have pretty much only been pumping.  I pump every 3 hours and am producing quite a bit of milk.  We store it in the fridge and this allows Nick and our other helpers to help feed the babies from bottles.  At least the babies are getting breast milk.  I plan on continuing to try breast feeding but for right now, I'm okay with this.

6) Speaking of pumping- this little beauty has been a lifesaver. 

I'm quite a sight. Let me tell you.

7) These Boppy Newborn Loungers have been great too! 

I love being able just to sit the babies in their seats and knowing that they are comfy and safe.

First days in the hospital

Hi!

If you missed the twins' birth story, you can read about it here.

Thank you for all your sweet messages!

Today I will fill you in about our hospital stay!

Enjoy!

Thursday Night:

Happy Birthday Harper and Hudson

After we were brought to our new room we were given some time to adjust. I was still really numb and still hooked up to the catheter and IV so I just chilled in bed.   My sister Meg came by after work to visit and see the babies.  My mom left to pick up Reagan from school, bathe him, and brought him to the hospital to meet his new brother and sister.

Reagan was really excited to meet his new siblings!

We then gave Reagan his present "from the babies".

He was so excited. My favorite was when he said "How did they know I needed a Slinky Dog?" He was quite impressed. Love, love, love!

We also let Reagan hold his new babies.

He definitely felt like a big brother then!

After everyone left, it was time for the babies' first bath.

Harper was up first.

Then it was Hudson's turn.

Such clean babies!

We had a pretty good first night. I relied on Nick a lot this night because I was still hooked up to all the machines. Every time a baby cried or needed a diaper change he shot out of his make-shift bed in the corner to take care of the babies.  Every 3 hours when it was time to nurse and feed he would bring the babies over to me. He was amazing! :) I forgot how crazy nights in the hospital are.  The nurses are in your room very often doing checks on you and the baby, giving you meds, and checking in.  There is not a whole lot of sleep going on! Not to mention it was my first night with the babies, so I was slept with one eye open! My pain wasn't too bad this night because I still had the medicine from the spinal in my system. 

Friday:

1 day old

I woke up this morning ready to get out of bed. I begged the nurses to let me get unhooked from the catheter and the IV drip. I so badly wanted to go to the bathroom to freshen up. You girls feel me, right? I need to wash my face, brush my teeth, and just feel better about life.  They were pleased with how well I was able to move around and I definitely felt better getting out of bed!

We were visited by a pediatrician from the babies' Dr. office in the morning.  He checked the babies.  They both had lost weight since birth (normal) and Hudson was a bit jaundiced. Then some nurses came in to test the babies' hearing.  They both passed this test.

Hudson was also circumcised this morning which made for a very cuddly baby. He was a champ though. 

We spent the day feeding, changing diapers, and resting.  It was definitely our "get in the groove of twins" day!  I also had homework to walk around the floor a few times. 

But let me tell you. That night was a rough one.  The babies were not very good sleepers and would fuss every time their pacifiers fell out.  Nick and I were exhausted. My medicine from the spinal had completely run out by now and I wasn't staying up on my pain meds very well at all. At around midnight I had a full on panic attack.I was in really bad pain- both from the surgery but also from the gas bubbles. Let me tell you about these gas bubbles. I had never even thought about it, but yikes- it sucked.  I guess if you think about a c-section, they are opening you up and lots of air is getting in.  When the doctor is pushing on your uterus, you are getting a ton of gas pushed into your body.  Thus creating bubbles all throughout your chest and stomach.  It felt like I couldn't breathe.  I was hysterically crying which made it 10x worse.  So the nurses brought me more medicine and offered to take the babies for a few hours. Oh my word. It was a life saver.  Nick and I got 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep while they keep the babies at the nurses station. I woke up feeling so much better. Gas bubbles were still there, but the exhaustion was gone.

Saturday:

Two days old

We woke up and got ready for a day of visitors.

Reagan and my mom came first.

He was clearly quite excited! Want to know another reason he was so excited? If you have been following my blog for awhile you know that Reagan was a rock star when it came to going pee pee in the potty.  But poo is another story.  The kid will hold it for days to avoid going.  And when he does finally "let go" it will be in his sleep when he is wearing a pull it.  But this morning he really had to go.  It was quite a battle but he finally went on the hospital toilet in my room.  It was a HUGE celebration and my mom took him out to Target after to get a new toy.

Then my sister Meg and Charlotte came.

Then my sister Jocelyn and her kids came to visit.

I love this shot of all the grand-kids.

My dad has been calling them "The Six-Pack". Pretty cute, huh?

Speaking of my dad. He was at the Ryder Cup so wasn't able to be at the hospital. We missed him but as soon as he came home he came straight over to meet the babies!

My sister made the babies the cutest blankets!

After that group left, one of my best friends Holly came by to meet the twins. I think she may have been more excited than us this entire pregnancy to meet them! She is such a sweet friend.

She also brought the babies their first pair of shoes and Harper cute new bows.

So sweet!

After Holly left, my mother and father in law came to visit.

I didn't capture any pics because by this point I was pretty exhausted! It was nice for them to love on the babies and just to sit still!

We also took our first family photo all together.

Later that afternoon I met with the Lactation Consultant. She was really pleased that my milk had come in this early. (She thinks it was because it was my second time.) Both of the babies were having the transition-poop (the yellow,seedy kind) and they were trying to latch on.  Unfortunately their mouths were still a little too small to get a good latch, so she recommended me to continue pumping to bottle feed like I had been doing.

This night was much better from the night before.  I was keeping up on my medicine and getting into the groove of how far I could push my body before it was too far.

Sunday:

Three days old

We had the option of leaving Sunday or Monday and we decided to leave on Sunday.  We were ready to be at our own home with our babies. So we just needed our daily visits from the doctors to give us the final okays.  (The doctor on call from my doctor's office visited me daily to check my stomach and  such and the pediatrician came by every day to check on the babies). Both doctors gave their okays. 

At around 1:45 pm  we were discharged from the hospital.

I have to say that we were really blessed during this hospital stay.  We had some fabulous nurses who took such good care of us.  I often felt guilty because the nurses and I got along so well that they would hang out in my room an awful lot.  Everyone adored the twins and would stop in to hold them and love on them.  I am really thankful for everyone at the hospital! :)

Welcome home sweet babies!

The Birth Story

Thanks for being patient everyone!

As I sit here pumping, I thought I would write about the twins' birth.

So as you know, my little munchkins were happy as clams being in my tummy and had no desire to come out.  I hadn't had contractions for weeks and the babies heart rates were good.  I made it to my 37 week appointments with no issues so the doctors decided to schedule a c-section for the following week (the day I hit 38 weeks- September 27th). I knew I wanted a c-section from the get-go.  I had Reagan vaginally and lets just say I wasn't any fun.  I "gave up" about half way through and decided I would rather keep him in then keep pushing. No such luck. But anyway. I knew one time delivering vaginally was enough for me and if I had the choice with the twins I'd rather not do it again.  (And for all you preggo mommies out there who are planning on delivering vaginally- I'm sure you will be awesome. I just have a ZERO pain tolerance and I am a huge wimp.) Turned out Harper was breech for most of my pregnancy anyway- so c-section was good.

Thursday morning the 27th we got up, kissed Reagan goodbye as he went to preschool, and got ready.  We arrived at the hospital at 11:30 for check-in.  There they hooked me up to monitors and told me about the procedure.  I was starving and very thirsty at this point. I hadn't eaten since 5 pm the night before and hadn't had anything to drink since 11 pm the night before.  Torture for someone who was used to drinking enough water throughout the day and night to fill an ocean. But that was the hospital's orders. I had my IV put in (twice actually- the nurse struggled with the vein the first time- awesome, right?) Holy ouch.  I still think the IV hurts more than anything else. My doctor arrived, I met her surgical assistant and the team that would be in my operating room. I kid you not when I say team. There were 12 people in there working on me and the babies.  Most of them for the babies! 

At 1:20 they wheeled me into the OR. It was time for the spinal.  The anesthesiologist had me sit criss-cross on the table and curl up into a ball.  He struggled to find a good spot (which had happened with my epidural with Reagan too-- I guess my back is too tight/tense, no surprise there!)  But finally he got it and boy was that feeling amazing. I literally felt my lower body go numb so fast.  They got Nick from the waiting area and he came in to stand by me.  I was totally awake and felt pressure on my tummy but definitely no pain.  I remember them all commenting on seeing Hudson's hand and then out it popped through the water sack. So funny. Then at 2:01 pm,  out came Hudson!  The doctors couldn't believe how big he was!  They handed him off to the nursery nurses who cleaned him up and got his stats.  

Hudson Brooks - 6 lbs 3 oz and 19 inches long

Then it was time for Harper. She came out at 2:02 pm and was handed off.  

Harper Grace - 6 lb, 5 oz and 19 inches long

My doctor then tied my tubes. Yes. I am done with kids! Last, they stitched me up and cleaned me up.  Nick watched the whole thing and was pretty intrigued by the process.   He snapped pictures throughout but I will save you those gory pics. They are even too graphic for me and I went through it! 

Our family was reunited shortly after and we had our first birthday picture with the twins.

Next I was wheeled off to my original room for some recovery.  

I will still numb as can be and feeling no pain.  

My mom was in there waiting with Nick's mom and dad. Not 5 minutes in the room the nurses put the babies to my breast. I was kind of shocked. 1) I couldn't feel my body- how was I to hold my babies. 2) I had never nursed 2 babies at the same time before. Overwhelming much? So my mom and mother in law quickly stepped in and each held a baby to my breasts. Pretty crazy. 

Not long after, I was wheeled with my babies to my new room.  

So that was the twins' birth story!

I will be back with more about our hospital stay and our first days home!

Thanks so much for all of your well wishes and sweet comments.

The twins are here!

You may have noticed I haven't blogged in awhile.

You may have guessed it.

Yep.

We had the twins!

As you can imagine I don't have a lot of time to write a blog post this evening with a toddler and twin newborns, but I will post a few pictures.  We are absolutely in love with Harper and Hudson and feel very blessed. As things get more into a groove I will post about the delivery and our first days at home. 

But for now- enjoy: