Sick Buggle

 My sad, sad, sick little buggle. Miss Adelyn was diagnosed with a double ear infection on Monday. The doctor also said her left ear was perforated. Yikes! I had no idea she had that going on until she woke up with a little fever on Monday afternoon. I would have waited until Tuesday to take her in but after talking to our doctor (not the one she saw Monday night) I decided to have the husband take her in. So, she started on an antibiotic and some ear drops to fix her up. She was her normal silly,  
hamball self Tuesday
morning but by that afternoon I could tell she was feeling really awful. All she wanted was for Mommy to hold her and rock her except for sometimes she didn't but she did. She just didn't know what she wanted and I just didn't know how to make her feel all better. I knew her fever was up but not exceptionally high. I debated whether to treat it or not but since she was so obviously uncomfortable I did. Her little cough also started to get worse. Needless to say Tuesday night was a pretty restless night for my poor baby.

Wednesday morning she woke up jabbering away in her bed just like any other day except that when I went to pick her up she felt like she was on fire. I quickly grabbed a thermometer and plugged it in her ear. 103.2. Yikes! I took it under the arm with the same results. Yikes again! To be honest I don't think any of my kids has ever entered into the 103 territory and only once before have I seen 102. Yes, I know, I've been lucky but it was still kind of scary for me to see. She passed out on me as soon as I sat in the rocking chair. Poor baby was so upset when I had to wake the big kids up to get to pre-school. She actually got to ride in the baby carrier instead of the stroller this morning which she enjoyed. Anything to be closer to Mommy I guess (Mommy didn't mind). I checked her temp again around 10:30 (4 hours after a dose of Tylenol) & sure enough she was up at 103 again.

I got a call from Dr. B (a shout out to her coming soon) while I was loading the kids up after pre-school. She asked about Adelyn & decided she should be seen. To be honest I was glad she made the decision easy. I had been debating & couldn't decide if I was over-reacting or not. So, the kids had lunch in the van while I ran home to get more bottles before we headed in for what turned out to be an eventful doctor visit.

The nurse and I tried to get a rectal temp on Adelyn until she sprayed red poo (red from the antibiotic she's on - don't worry it's normal I guess). We opted for underarm instead which showed a fever that was only slightly elevated. That would explain the fact that she was being a hamball again. Her ears looked ok for being on the meds for 1.5 days but the issue came when Dr. B listened to her. Not too long after I was on my way down to x-ray with the girls. Fortunately we go to the world's best doctor and her & her nurse kept an eye on Elliot & Hadley while I was gone. Having a chest xray done on an infant is a special kind of torture. It took two nurses and me to get her in it and then she gave me those eyes. Oh the eyes. Those sad, sad, 'why are you doing this to me?!?' eyes. Break my heart a little more baby....  Kailyn was freaking out because her sister was freaking out. Luckily it went pretty quick and Adelyn was fine once I was holding her although she had a pretty firm grip on my shirt after that.

X-ray showed that she definitely has something going on in there :( Dr. B also told me that she's pretty confident the fevers and this chest business are a separate issue from the ear infections. Fortunately the meds she was already on don't have to be changed & we don't have to add in anything else. I hope my sweet little buggle starts feeling better soon. I miss my little hamball!

Here's a comparison of the difference in the twins tonight. One is a very happy, energetic baby. The other....is not. And please don't judge the mess in the background. I was too busy rocking a baby to pick anything up!

My happy, funny, crazy little Kailyn.

My sad, sick, exhausted little Adelyn. Big brother was trying to get in on this picture. He has a crazy love affair with cameras.

I'm crying

Hadley, for quite a while now, has been telling us how she's feeling after it's very obvious. For example, "I'm crying" while she's sobbing and dissolving in tears. Or we hear "I sad" or "I'm going back to bed" or "I don't like that" or "That's not vewy nice! but usually "I'm crying". Of course it's said overly dramatically as that seems to sum up my little Hadley.

Here's a picture that sums up her "I'm cryiiiinnnnggggg" phrase:

She's absolutely adorable even when she's crying, no?

Spring Soccer 2012

Elliot finished his second 'season' of soccer over Mother's Day weekend. We actually only made it to 3 out of his 6 games :/ When we signed up we didn't have anything planned and thought we'd be able to make it to a majority of the games. Sorry Green Team! Despite missing half of the games he still LOVED being out there, running around, occasionally kicking the ball and being with his buds. Like in the fall he preferred the practice portion since everyone had their own ball & he always got to kick it. He has improved in the respect of listening to instructions and actually doing what is asked. He also didn't run off the field at random times or need to hold the coach's hand during the whole game. So all in all a grand improvement. We're skipping the summer season but hoping to be back at it in the fall. Little sister will miss the cut-off for Fall soccer but hopefully next spring we'll have her out there kicking some butt I mean ball. ;)

My little Pele on his last day of soccer.

Rambles

I'm a stay at home mom. Some people may hear that and think my day is full of excitement and fun. Some people may hear that and think I am batcrap crazy. Some people may hear that and offer their apologies and still others may hear that and think 'wow, good for you!'. What are my thoughts on the whole stay at home mom topic? It's crazy, chaotic, exhausting, awesome, amazing, infuriating, and wonderful all at the same time. Mostly I feel exhausted which also means my brain isn't operating at it's full potential to put together a complete, coherent thought on that topic right now. That and all the noise going on around me makes it really (REALLY) hard to think.

So, is my day full of excitement? Sometimes. Some days there is a lot of excitement - kids learn something new, discover a new tv show (mom of the year ;), babies reach a new developmental milestone, lots of hugs and kisses are doled out, etc. Those are exciting days and they happen pretty frequently. There are also some really, really NOT exciting things in my day like laundry (neverending vicious cycle), dishes (I LOVE paper plates), laundry, diaper changes, laundry, cleaning, laundry, vacuuming, laundry, sweeping, laundry....you get the idea. The mom job seems to get glorified especially when we're little. What little girl doesn't want to be a mommy and have a house full of kids?!?

So, outside of my kids there is little excitement in my world and really that's ok. I didn't understand it before I had kids and I used to think people who basically gave up everything when they had kids were batcrap crazy but now I kind of get it. You don't give up everything - you find something new, better. It's not that you HAD to give it up and are pining away for it day after day it's that you've found something new, something better that you didn't realize would/could be better. Now, for sure there are things I miss and for sure you don't give up or replace everything. You still have to be you. Now, I know I'm not explaining this as well as I would like to but hopefully it makes a little sense.

Since my kids are basically my life and there aren't too many exciting things that happen away from them I'll leave you with some pictures of the littlest littles :)

Yes, Kailyn is standing and taking a few steps. And, yes, Adelyn loves chewing on diapers. At least this one was clean.

Itching

I am itching to share something big. I may or may not be the only person who reads this and that's ok but I'm still itching to share something big. Hopefully soon that big something will be let out of the box. Ok, whew, got that off my chest.

How was our weekend? I'm so glad you asked! ;) We had an absolutely amazing time. Friday we made it to Ames in time to check into our hotel, potty break and head out again for Anthem. It was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

After Anthem we hit up Applebees for some half price apps. Applebees & half price appetizers have a special place in our relationship & no, not because it's a great deal. When we were at school in Minnesota we had pretty strict visiting hours. Boys & girls were only allowed in each other's dorms on Tuesdays & Thursdays for a couple hours & then again on the weekends for a few hours. Needless to say all the common areas filled up really fast. On top of that we lived in two totally different dorms that were not close to one another and Mike worked until 10 or so most nights which meant there was no where left to find privacy and Minnesota is COLD  in the fall/winter/spring which meant no hanging out outside. So, the husband (then fiance) would swing by after work, pick me up & we would hang out at Applebee's (where it was warm) & eat half price apps. It's something special that we try to do whenever we can. Anyway, they were really good! After that we headed back to the hotel, played some games on our phones and crashed. We each got our own bed that night - it was fantastic!

Saturday we were going to take in some Great Plains before heading up to my parent's to get the kids but we ended up meeting them at a new (new to me at least) Chinese place in FD. The kids were actually pretty excited to see us. Mum-Mum & Papa were still in one piece and seemed to be surviving as well. The big kids were able to ride the little rides. As in we actually gave them quarters to make them light up & move. They were in heaven! It makes me so happy to see the little things bring them so much joy. My mom and I did some major shopping after that. We slayed Younkers. I am not used to that kind of shopping anymore though. I'm usually spent after one store with my kiddos. MumMum is unstoppable! I also wore the wrong shoes for a major shopping trip! Saturday night we checked out the progress on the new house & ate pizza. The kids were, once again, in heaven. They're little pizza fiends.

Sunday we packed everyone up and headed back to Ames. We've missed Cornerstone so, so, so much since we moved and rarely get a chance to attend a service there. They're children's programs are top notch. It was awesome to be able to drop each of the kids off & have them all be excited - well mostly anyway. The teaching there is also top notch. I always leave there feeling filled up - both spiritually and intellectually. We were able to catch our friends on our way to pick up the kids. We hit up one of our favorite local establishments for lunch. It was the lunch from h-e-l-l. We've never had any big issues eating out with the four kids until then. The big kids were tired, didn't eat & just laid on the benches. And randomly screamed. Adelyn screamed and shrieked and threw herself all over the whole time even after we changed her dirty patootie. Even sweet, quiet Kailyn got in on the grumpies. We breathed a huge sigh of relief when we left.

Before heading home we met up with some friends at the BK playplace. The kids LOVED that although it took a while before they decided they weren't 'scared' of the slide. Little goofs. It was awesome to catch up and let the kids burn off some energy before we headed home.

All in all a fantastic, fabulous, amazing weekend. We were exhausted when we got home but it was worth it. We miss living there. Maybe someday......

Finally Friday, a day off and random thoughts

It's finally Friday! YIPPEEEEEE! Fridays are usually fantastic days around here. It's the day I know Husband is coming home and won't be going to work the next day. It's the day we usually don't have anything going on except maybe a playdate. This Friday however is different than any other Friday in recent memory. This Friday I slept until I was ready to get up (7:26am to be exact), bummed around, took a looooong, hot shower, made my own breakfast & now I'm watching what *I* want to on TV (Gilmore Girls for those interested).

How is this possible?!? What did I do with my kids?!? Don't worry they're not locked in a room or anything. Last night Husband met my mom and they did a vehicle swap. She took the kids last night and they'll have them again tonight. I know....I can hardly believe it either! The big kids were so over the top excited. This is the girls first overnight trip to MumMum & Papa's without Mom or Dad. I'll admit I miss them. A lot. Those adorable little smiles and those sad dramatic faces when Sister takes a toy. They'll have a blast though & I'll give them lots of love and kisses when I see them tomorrow.

So, today I technically have a 'day off'. The kids aren't here but I have months worth of cleaning to do, laundry to fold and put away, stuff to sort, etc., etc., etc. And what am I doing? Sitting on the couch watching Gilmore Girls and rambling on and on and on on my blog. Nice, huh? I'll admit this is uncharted territory for me. I can't even remember the last time I didn't have any kids with me. It makes  being able to just chill that much more special even though the cleaning and laundry really need to get done. And they will....in a few minutes.

So, what are Husband and I going to do with our free time tonight? I am practically giddy with excitement that we are going to Anthem. We never missed it when we lived in Ames but since leaving we haven't made it back. As much as this feels like our home now and we are pretty settled in our church & are building friendships I still feel homesick for Cornerstone and the friends we were just starting to make there. I miss the teaching & being really filled up with knowledge and encouragement. It's really hard for me to explain. Suffice it to say I can hardly contain the excitement about being back there tonight and hopefully heading there for church this weekend. It seems so funny to me that I'm *that* excited to go to church. I never used to be that way but I'm finding more and more that I need that.

Ok and with this I'll wrap up the most random and rambly (made that word up) blog post in history. I'll leave you with a video of our friend Jesse (better known as Pants to us) singing a song from the newest Anthem cd. Enjoy :)

Four years......

This post is a few days old - should have been posted April 16th but I wasn't able to post here on that day. So, here it is.....

Four years ago....I was scared for my baby's life and for my own.
Four years ago....I was thankful to be pregnant.
Four years ago....I had no idea stuff like this actually happened to people.
Four years ago....I wised up faster than I thought possible.
Four years ago....I prayed. I cried. I prayed while I cried.
Four years ago....I tried my best to put my brave face on.
Four years ago....I realized my dreams for my baby boy had drastically changed.
Four years ago....I still dreamed about the little baby I loved but had never seen.
Four years ago....I had a huge life lesson in the preciousness of life.
Four years ago....I was grateful for everyday I had.
Four years ago....I wondered what God was doing. Didn't he care about me? My baby?
Four years ago....I clung onto Him with everything I had.
Four years ago....

I've been feeling a bit 'off' the last few days. It's not something I've vocalized to anyone but it's been there nonetheless. This time of year always makes me edgy and emotional. It's hard to think about the events that led up to me being in the hospital - those long hard weeks, the ups and downs and scary moments. It is still hard for me to accept the fact my body failed both me and Elliot. I hate that he had such a rough start to his life. I know his start wasn't as rough as it could have been had he come that crazy day in April. Mostly this time of year is emotional because I know it very well could have been the time we said good-bye to Elliot before even getting to know him. At 25 weeks it's kind of a toss up on whether or not you have a good outcome. I'm grateful the nurses, doctors and staff at United/Children's were up front and honest with us about the road ahead. As hard as it was to be in that hospital I'm grateful for every single day my body was able to help Elliot develop. Granted, my body was a bit of a hostile place for him but still better than a lonely little isolette. Four years ago I took pregnancy for granted. We hadn't planned on getting pregnant when we did so obviously the actually conceiving part wasn't hard for us. I was finishing up school and getting ready to graduate. I wasn't thinking that much about being a mom yet. That was something for me to think about after the middle of May. After graduation. After we moved. I went from student mode to full on Mommy mode immediately. It took awhile for the seriousness of April 16 to sink in but as it did the gravity of the situation we were in weighed down. As I've watched Elliot grow and blossom I've always reflected back on what could have been. I know. I know. I should just let it go and be thankful he is who he is today & that we didn't have a micro-preemie. But, thinking about 'what could have been' always brings me back to place of thankfulness. A place of contentment. My baby boy is here. He is alive. He is growing. He is thriving. He is hilarious. He drives me nuts. He is so sweet. He is my Elliot and I wouldn't change him for the world.

So, April 16 is always a hard day for me and I think it probably always will be. It doesn't seem like it could possible be four years already. It feels like yesterday & I can recall moments from that day so vividly it is frightening. I actually checked the calendar and counted on my fingers to make sure I had calculated right. But, yes, it has been four years. My first baby will be four in eight short weeks which also means my youngest babies will be one nine days prior. Whoa......that's a whole different brand of emotional!

John Deere

At the beginning of the year Mike made the decision to begin pursuing a job at John Deere. It was a hard decision for us to make as we loved the company he was working for but our family grew much faster than we had anticipated and our bank account was running dry. The decision was made solely because of money. It was one aspect but not the cause. As much as we loved & believed in the company he was working with we were feeling led to at least check out what John Deere had to offer. It has since become a little clearer as to why God was leading us this way but I'll save that for another post and another time.

The interview and hiring process was super fast and efficient and they were very, very interested in him which, I think, was a great confidence boost for him. He started February 27. Adjusting to a new place and a new schedule has been interesting but we're getting into the groove. The biggest adjustment for me has been having to take Elliot to pre-school and pick him up. Everytime. This is probably old hat to most other moms but I was super spoiled with Husband's old job since he was able to set his own schedule & come and go when he needed to. This was great for me since he would take him to school on his way to work, then pick him up & meet me somewhere so I didn't have to unbuckle, unload, load, unbuckle all the girls each time. We've gotten into a pretty good groove now but we're still kind of a circus. Elliot is usually bouncing off the walls excited, Hadley is usually being a drama queen & 75% of the time she's throwing a fit on our way in in the morning. I wear one of the girls in the Baby K'tan & push the other one in an umbrella stroller. I've recently started bribing Hadley with treats just so she'll get out of the van and come with us. After having her almost get run over by a van in the parking lot I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep her from going into full fledged drama queen mode in the middle of the parking lot. Yesterday Mrs. J told us we only have 8 classes left. WHAT?!?!?!? Last night I signed Elliot up for a couple summer programs to help keep him busy :)

Anyway, back to John Deere. It's been a good move and one that we believe was in the best interest of our family. Hopefully soon we can elaborate on why we believe it was divine leading. I know. I know you're all probably sitting on the edge of your seat ;) But until then you can enjoy a picture of the kidlets in their John Deere get-up.

Easter 2012

Easter was a bit strange for us this year. We kept it very, very low key and didn't overload on places to be and stuff to do. Husband played bass at church for the five services we had at our main campus which meant he was gone all of Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. We did manage to get a few eggs colored, an egg hunt done, 'baskets' opened and attend church. We didn't have a huge spread out Easter dinner but grilled out instead. It was actually really nice to keep it super simple and just be. I felt really wiped out - probably from getting up in the middle of the night with K several times the week before. I'm not sure what has been up with her but she seems to hate sleeping in the middle of the night. She doesn't even want to sleep on Mommy! Crazy girl.

A couple weeks before Easter I took the kids to a local photog for some Easter pictures. I LOVED them. She's taken other holiday pictures of the kids and they always turn out great. This time they were outside so Mum-Mum & Papa came along with us to help corral. She had live baby chicks and bunnies! E was really into the bunnies while they were in the cage. As soon as it was loose he freaked. A, however, was a grumpy-puss when we got there (& you can tell in the pictures) but as soon as that bunny was set down in front of her she was EXCITED. Poor bunny :( She desperately wanted the fur off that rabbit (it was super, super soft) and she kept reaching down and touching and grabbing and pulling. H & K just looked at it but as soon as it made one move E was up and crouched into the fetal position behind his sisters. One of the funniest things I have ever seen! It was awesome. So....without any further ado I'll share some pictures of the kiddos from their Easter session. I think they're all pretty darn adorable - not that I'm biased or anything.

This was seconds before E freaked out about the bunny. A is reaching for it - she apparently loves animals. Or bunnies at least.

My first two babies caught in a rare moment.

E - 3 years old

H - 2 years old

My littlest loves

K & A - 10 months old

Where Have We Been??

If any of my "followers" still check in once in awhile they're probably wondering where we've been the last few months. Obviously we've been busy ;) Life with twins and four kids 3 and under has been quite the adjustment. Now that the twins are 8 months old I feel like I'm finally getting a better handle on all of this - better late than never, right?! The house could always stand to be cleaner but now that the girls are sleeping a little more at night I feel like I have a bit more energy most days to devote to that.

Our last update was in October. Here's a look at what we've been up to since then!

October 20 our little Hadley turned two! It's hard to believe she's that old already but at the same time she seems so much older than that. She's been speaking in clear, complete sentences for such a long time and has no problem telling you exactly what she's thinking or what she wants. We celebrated her birthday with a Minnie Mouse party - Minnie is a BIG deal around here!

This is one of the shots from her two year photo shoot. She had a great time being on her own with just Mommy & Rachel. Her little attitude really came out when she was all alone!

In October Elliot finished his first season of soccer. He played every Saturday morning for 6 weeks and LOVED it. He especially enjoyed the practices since everyone got to have a ball. He usually lost interest toward the end of the game. He loved to hold the coaches hand, lay down in the grass and flirt with the ladies from the women's soccer teams that came in to help coach. He did learn a lot though and is looking forward to playing again! Mommy had so much fun watching her little man play!

Halloween was a ton of fun this year! The big kids had a good time helping pick out pumpkins and digging the 'guts' out of them. The little girls got to have their turn inside a pumpkin. Adelyn thought it was the most hilarious thing EVER. Kailyn wasn't so sure and freaked out the first few times we tried. After she was able to lay a hand on her sister she liked it better!

(Kailyn is on the left, Adelyn on the right)

Hadley had her first Trick or Treating experience this year. She took her firsts on Halloween 2010 - this year she was running from house to house as soon as she realized they were filling her bucket with candy! My little pirates had such a great time although we learned the hard way that we should have brought the wagon with us! We were only going to do our block but they were so into it we did at least half of our subdivision & were gone for over 2 hours. They were quite the little troopers and collected over 5lbs of candy!!!

At the beginning of November my friend Jen's house was inundated with little kids. Imagine four mommies and 10 little kids 3 and under. Mr. Elliot was the only little guy there & he soaked up every moment of that. He loves any chance to see his "girlfriend" Lauren & is always asking about his other friends. It was crazy but it was so much fun to spend time together.

From left: Peyton, Maddie, Kyliee, Kenzie, Kailyn, Elliot, Leah, Lauren, Adelyn & Hadley.

The weather here was absolutely beautiful this fall - even into November! So, we took advantage when Mum-Mum & Papa were here for a weekend & did some family pictures. The kids LOVE going to the Riverwalk & seeing the Mississippi River (one of their favorite things to talk about).

                My little people!!

On November 11 Elliot fell while he was playing with Papa. He cried when it happened and then went on his merry way & played some more. When we all sat down for supper he started freaking out, screaming and favoring his arm. After some deliberation Petey & I decided to take him into the after hours pediatric clinic. Dr. Callahan took great care of him! They sent us for some x-rays but couldn't tell for sure if it was broken or not. They put him a splint for the weekend (picture right). He did get a cast the next week that he wore for a few weeks. It seems to have healed nicely at the very least! I know it was a pretty minor break but it still freaked mommy out to see him like that.

Elliot with some of his artwork from pre-school. We really, really love this pre-school. I love seeing all the fun things he makes at school! His box of artwork is quickly filling up!

Elliot had his first big kid program at school. The 3/4 year olds did a Thanksgiving chapel for their families. They sang songs and shared pictures they've made in class. It was so much fun!

Thanksgiving Day got off to a loud start. The night before all of us (including Mum-Mum & Papa) headed out for Schaumburg, IL. Our plan was to get up & head to the Museum of Science & Industry for Thanksgiving day but those plans were thwarted when the fire alarms went off at our hotel. Elliot was so scared of the noise! Thankfully it wasn't a big deal & the big kids got a chance to sit in a real fire truck for the first time! 

All of us in front of the enormous Christmas tree! MSI does a Christmas Around the World celebration  every year that is very neat. If you've never been I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. We were there ALL day & still didn't get to spend the time we wanted on a lot of things & had to completely skip some parts. There are so many fun things for the kids although Petey & I have enjoyed our solo trips here as well. It was such a fun day spent with our little family! We went back to the hotel after & enjoyed a yummy meal together.

Adelyn & Kailyn - my little santa babies the day after Thanksgiving. They were all dressed up and ready to meet Santa at the Woodfield Mall for the first time!!

The family waiting to meet Santa! The Woodfield Mall has an Ice Palace we got to go through first before seeing Santa. Inside a huge globe it actually "snows". Elliot thought that was absolutely fantastic!!

The kids Christmas picture. I had high hopes of getting a Christmas card out this year but it just didn't happen :/

Halloween Pictures 2011

 This year I have four little pirates plundering my house ;) At least they're four of the cutest pirates you'll ever see. I picked up Elliot & Hadley's costumes last year on super clearance after Halloween and fortunately they LOVE them. They've even worn them around the house to play on a few different occasions. I found the girls skirts on one of my favorite websites: haloheaven.com

We don't usually use the portrait place in town since I have a photographer that I really love and that does well with my kids. But, this was a last minute sort of thing so it worked. We were pleasantly surprised at how well the kids did and at how quickly it went. I think we were in and out of there with 4 kids faster than we were when it was just Elliot and Hadley!

I didn't edit any of these images so you'll have to deal with them in their raw form but I still think they're pretty cute.

Adelyn (left) is my little ham & Kailyn (right) is my smiley little baby! In the picture of the two of them together Adelyn is the one with her big toenails painted.

Life with Twins

Life with twins is, as I'm sure anyone can imagine, busy. Add a couple rambunctious, independent (yet needy),  opinionated toddlers on top of that and it gets really BUSY. This is by far the hardest thing I've ever done but it's all so worth it. I have a friend with twins who keeps telling me she would love another set and for awhile I thought she was nuts (sorry JZ) but I'm starting to understand what she means. If we were ever blessed with more kids I would gladly welcome twins again. Alas, there will be no more little re-Peats in this house so that's all just wishful thinking.

The most common question I get from people is "Are they twins?" This question always cracks me up. Of course they're twins - I don't wander around in public with a double stroller & 2 toddlers because I think it's fun.

The next question is "Boys or girls?" Again funny. I have two PINK carseats and two PINK blankets. Odds are they're both dressed in matching girly outfits. YES, they're girls - I wouldn't do that to a little boy of mine.

After that people move on to "Are they identical or fraternal?" As soon as I say identical people are scanning them intently for any sign of difference. It's been amazing to me the number of people that have glanced at them for 10 seconds & then declared them fraternal. Laughable. There have been more instances than I care to remember where I'm not even sure which one is which and I'm their MOTHER who spends all day every day with them. Trust me when I say they're IDENTICAL.

Then we move onto "Do twins run in your family?" No, actually they don't. I usually just leave it at that instead of launching into a biology lesson. The girls are identical (reference question above) which means it doesn't matter if there are no sets of twins in our family or if there are 50. Identical twins are not a genetic thing. Fraternal twins are. However, the fact the father may or may not have twins in his family has no bearing on whether or not his wife will have twins unless there's some inbreeding going on and then you have a whole other set of issues that I won't go into here.

Next we get "Were you just shocked when you found out?!?" Honestly, not really. I mean, yes, it was a bit of a jolt to see two little hearts and babies wiggling around on the ultrasound screen but I knew something was different with this pregnancy. I'd been through it twice before & this time was just.....different. For awhile I thought that hunch meant something was wrong with the baby then I started having dreams and all those dreams had two babies. So, when I saw it on the screen I was a little shocked it was actually true but not drop on the floor in shock shocked.

After that line of questioning people usually move on to my other kids and ask their ages and then I get the "Wow, you're hands are full." PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! If you are reading this STOP using that line. It's  to the point of nails on a chalkboard. Trust me when I saw I know well enough my hands are full without a stranger playing Captain Obvious and letting me know. I try to make my speedy exit while people are digesting the shock and awe of 4 kids in 3 years :)

5 Years - September 5, 2006

Yesterday marked 5 years since Petey and I started dating. I'm really not sure how that can be but the calendar doesn't lie.

Five years ago we said good-bye to each other after the end of an awesome, but sometimes awkward, summer. We left knowing we'd see each other again in 10 days. We left with lots of unanswered questions - was there something going on between us? Did he feel the same way I did? Camp was abuzz with lots of theories about us but no one had any concrete answers.

Five years ago I packed up my stuff and moved to another state for the first time. My third college in as many years. It was a big step of faith for me and one that seems to have panned out pretty well.

Five years ago I got those butterflies in my stomach every single time I saw him on campus. Since there were so many unanswered questions I was a little hesitant and unsure how to initiate contact or whether he even wanted contact with me.

Five years ago we agreed to go to a wedding for two of our very good camp friends. It was a 14 hour drive. I was both excited and terrified. That was a loooong time to be in a car with someone especially someone with whom I needed to still have the D.T.R. with. (DTR = define the relationship talk)

Five years ago we celebrated a beautiful wedding with many of our friends. Both of us were bombarded that day by people urging us to figure out what the heck was going on. They could all see where we were headed and apparently needed us to figure that out, too.

Five years ago the two of us had the longest 2+ hour drive EVER back to his parents house. So much was said to each of us that day and we both needed to process that.

Five years ago we started our long trek back to Minnesota. Two hours into our drive we finally started talking to each other. We finally both admitted that we should start officially dating. Whew...that only took a few months to figure out! ;)

I think both of us knew where we were headed once we made that decision to start dating. At least for me I knew, without a doubt, we would eventually be married. It didn't take us long at all to start discussing that possibility. You see we had worked and lived together at camp for four years. We knew each other very well. Two weeks into 'dating' we had our first serious discussion about getting married. Just three months after we embarked on the relationship venture together he had a ring although I wouldn't know that for awhile. Four months (January 7, 2007) later he proposed to me at camp, by the lake, under the stars. It was perfect.

On that September day we both, in a way, knew what would come next. We knew we'd get married. We knew we'd both finish school and work. We knew we'd have kids eventually. We knew we would buy a house somewhere, someday. Neither of us could have imagined that day that five years later we'd be living in little town Iowa, in a house we own with four (holy moly!!) kids.

September 4, 2006 @ our friends wedding

August 2011 - before heading to another wedding

Life definitely has not followed the well thought out plan we came up with and talked about five years ago. Life, as we've learned well, has a way of doing things it's own way and in it's own time. There have been very high highs and very low lows. There are days we would call each other our best friends in a heartbeat and there are days that we barely talk to each other but at the end of the day we both know we are where we are called to be. We both know we're together for a purpose - one that is bigger than we could ever imagine. We're thankful for our friends that saw what we couldn't and pushed us to figure things out. We're thankful that we serve a God who loves us, who provides for us (we've seen this over and over and over), and who has a plan for us. 

Perspective

It's all about perspective, right? Ok, maybe it's not ALL about perspective but I've been noticing a lot lately how much my perspective has changed.

For example: Elliot and Hadley were with my mom at my grandparents last weekend. Petey and I were thrilled to be able to go out to eat because we only had two children. Before Adelyn & Kailyn the thought of going out to eat with two kids would seem totally daunting and not enjoyable. My how things change quickly ;)

When Elliot was born we were so incredibly thrilled to have made it to 33 weeks. Most people balk when they hear he was born 7 weeks early & act like it's a HUGE deal. I'm not denying that it's a big deal - it was for sure. It used to bother me that people would go all ga-ga over him coming early. It finally dawned on me that I was looking at it from a different perspective. I knew that he very well could have come at 25 weeks so making it to 33 weeks was a HUGE thing. Most other people didn't realize or couldn't fathom what the 8 weeks in the hospital was like for us and didn't realize how exciting 33 weeks was. For us 33 weeks was phenomenal. For others that was awful. In this case it was all about perspective.

Piggy-backing with another Elliot tidbit. He was such a little thing his first couple months (really he still is a little thing). I used to get so annoyed with all the 'he's soooooo little' comments we'd get every time we went anywhere. Yes, he was little but it bothered me that people seemed so focused on that because I knew how far he had come. I would look at him and think 'No, he's a BIG boy. He's come soooo far!'

The girls are just over 4 weeks old right now. It still never ceases to amaze me how much easier it is for me to get around and get out and about. I'm talking about me personally and not about trying to get out with all four kids. That's just a circus!! Anyway, I didn't realize how swollen and just how miserable I was when I was pregnant until I wasn't. I remember not being able to bend my ankles or my knees which made going up and down stairs really hard. Lifting my leg to get into bed was a joke. I slept reclined on pillows for months since I couldn't get comfortable laying down & if I did manage to get comfortable there was no way I was going to be able to roll! And, getting up off the floor? All but impossible. Now, I can go up & down the stairs several times in just a few minutes. A month ago that never would have been possible. I can hop in & out of bed, the car, the couch. It's fantastic.

Those are just a few examples of how my perspective has changed. Nothing too profound but it's been on my mind lately.

I want to remember....

It seems the time is flying by sooooo fast. Elliot is already THREE which still blows my mind especially since it seems like yesterday HE was the baby. There are so many things I want to make sure I remember and stow away in my mind but I'm afraid that's getting harder and harder. So, here is my random list of things I want to remember from this snippet of time in our lives. I'm hoping these 'I want to remember posts' will happen fairly frequently so I know some of those precious little details of our lives are captured somewhere!

So, I want to remember:

-the silly way Hadley moves her lips when she's not happy with something I tell her.

-how sweet and gentle Elliot is with Adelyn & Kailyn. He can be ALL boy one second and completely loving and gentle the next as he rubs their heads and gives sweet kisses.

-the newborn noises Adelyn & Kailyn make. All those grunts and moans they make can drive you nuts when they keep you up at night but they're oh so sweet and disappear too soon.

-I wish I could capture that feeling of a tiny little baby curled up on your chest. For this reason alone I want Adelyn and Kailyn to stay little itty bitties forever!!! Mommy enjoys cuddling at least one of them every night.

-Hadley counting '1,2,3,4' at 20 months old. She busted that one out of the blue one day. She amazes me with how much she understands.

-Elliot LOVES his Cars shoes. If he had a choice he would wear nothing else on his feet. We, however, make him wear sandals at least some of the time - it is summer in Iowa!

-Mickey Mouse is the ultimate bribe.

-Elliot loves to build tents. I need to remember to do this with him more often.

-Elliot loves to 'hide' under blankets.

-how much Hadley loves to read and look at books. Her favorite by far is Farmer Jones - in her world nothing compares.

-Elliot's prayers he insists on saying every night. It melts my heart to hear him pray and especially to hear him thank Jesus for all the people (and his home) that are special to him.

-the 'special book' is one of Elliot's favorite things. (It's a photo album with various pictures in it)

-Elliot and Hadley LOVE to 'chase' around the kitchen. Add in the little school bus (E) and shopping cart (H) and it's sooooo much better.

-Elliot LOVES eating nutella toast. He would have that every morning for breakfast if I let him.

-if it's not nutella toast he loves 'Mommy tarts' (poptarts) or certain cereals.

-Elliot developed a love of soccer somewhere. He would play with his soccer ball all.day.long. if I let him. I hope he keeps this love and enjoys playing.

-Elliot and Hadley love 'Ring Around the Rosie' - especially the fall down part.

-E & H also love dancing. It's always better on the tile floor in front of the front door. It's even better when they use Mommy's old Muppet piano to play the music. Elliot always starts out by counting '5,8,9, GO!'

-Hadley LOVES to cook for people and have them 'sample' her creations. Stirring imaginary food in her pots or cups is one of her favorite things to do.

-Hadley calling her sippy cup her 'duppie'.

-Hadley blowing kisses every night, saying 'I love you' and 'Night-night'. She's such a sweetheart.

Sweat Pea(t)s

Our little Sweet Peats are here!! This post was supposed to happen weeks ago but as many people know life kind of got in the way of that happening!!

On May 31 I hit 36 weeks which was my goal all along. I joked with Petey the night before about going in for my NST and getting to stay. Little did I know that was going to actually be the case!! I picked Petey up at work around 12:30 just like every other Tuesday and he dropped me off at the hospital. I contemplated skipping the registration desk & just going upstairs since I was sick of having to explain to them what an NST was. But, I'm glad I stayed since I got to see Carol again. Carol is one of the registration ladies that I had really enjoyed talking to the last several weeks.

Upstairs, Lori got me hooked up and got the girls tracing well. Just like the last several times my uterus was showing irritability. This time they seemed to be a lot more consistent but there wasn't anything too painful going on. The NST actually went really, really quickly but when she took my blood pressure things got interesting. It was way higher than it usually was. Since I had an appointment at the clinic in just a little bit she advised me to just lay down and relax until I had to head over. So, I lounged and played on my phone until it was time to see the doctor.

I told the nurse when I got there that my blood pressure had been up quite a bit when I was in labor and delivery. Sure enough it was up a LOT in the office. I'd also put on another 5lb. in the past week which wasn't a good sign. They had me lay down on the exam table which, for the record, is NOT a comfortable place to lay down especially when 36 weeks pregnant with twins! When the nurse came back my blood pressure had only gone up - 196/100. Dr. Witthoeft came in to talk to me and told me what I had already figured: they were sending me back to labor and delivery. I had an inkling that this was baby day so I told my mom that she better head this way & I told Petey to come up to L&D with the kids.

They got me situated in room 311 and started monitoring the girls again. This time the contractions were definitely coming regularly and eventually they did get painful. Most of the pain was in my back and it was intense. Dr. Labeau came in and talked to us about delivery. Petey and I were both on board with delivery and getting the girls out before my blood pressure went really crazy. If only we knew...... So, we decided 6:30 would be the time. Petey ended up taking the kids to a friends house in case my mom didn't make it in time.

Around 6 o'clock a LOT of activity started happening. They prepped me for surgery. Gave Petey his new duds to wear in the O.R. I signed a bunch of papers and they talked to me about what to expect and what would happen. Just before 6:30 they wheeled me back to the operating room. Surprisingly I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. I'll admit I was excited the pregnancy was about to be over and that I was going to get to see the girls finally. I was proud of myself for having made it to 36 weeks and felt pretty confident the girls wouldn't have too many issues to deal with.

The anesthiologist that I had was fantastic! She talked me through everything and was very, very upbeat. One of the warmer beds kept alarming before we got things started which delayed things a bit. There was a whirlwind of activity going on and a bunch of people introducing themselves to me. To be honest I don't really remember anyone I hadn't already met before that. Oh well.

Being awake while you know you're being sliced open but not being able to feel it is a strange thing. I'm very glad the nurse and doctors were telling me what was going on and what they were doing or I would have had no idea they had even started!!!

Adelyn Grace Peat was born at 7:09pm. She weighed 6lb. 3oz. and was 18.5 inches long. Kailyn Elyse Peat was born at 7:11pm weighing 5lb. 8oz. and was also 18.5 inches long. They both gave good cries when they were born which was reassuring to Mommy! The biggest surprise for me came when they were taking the girls to the nursery. They brought each of them to me and showed me they had HAIR. LOTS of it and it was dark. I was shocked and in awe and in love.

Petey was able to go with them to the nursery while the doctors put me back together. The c-section was something I stressed about quite a bit while I was pregnant but it went really smoothly. There were a few moments that I felt kind of yucky while they were working on me but all in all I can't complain. I think I would still choose to have them naturally if that choice was available but the c-section turned out to be just fine too and the spinal - WOW - way stronger than either epidural!!

Petey took a TON of pictures (I'll share some here soon hopefully) of the girls. I was able to look at several of them after I got back to my room and was recovering. They were absolutely precious! Both of them were doing well although Adelyn ended up needing a little bit of oxygen support so she had the hood over her. I remember Petey telling me he thought they were very identical. He was very correct!!

We were both so glad and excited that the girls were here and they were doing relatively well. It wasn't necessarily how we planned or expected them to come but we are glad they decided to come when they did. We definitely felt very, very blessed that night to have four healthy beautiful children :)

Pressure Cooker

The week after the girls was born was one of the biggest whirlwinds of my life. I had every intention of documenting the girls first few days in detail so that none of us would forget those little precious details. I especially wanted to do this since we are pretty sure they are our last little itty babies. Unfortunately some medical issues of my own have taken over and I haven't accomplished what I really wanted to.

At the end of the pregnancy my blood pressure kept creeping up a little bit more but was in a 'normal' range for pregnancy. The day the girls were born it got really high and just stayed that way. The doctors termed it gestational hypertension since I wasn't spilling protein into my urine before delivery it wasn't considered pre-eclampsia. Normally a day or two after delivery blood pressure should start to return to normal. In this case I am not normal. I'm one of the lucky few people who has developed postpartum hypertension. My blood pressure has done nothing but go up. In fact I believe it's now higher than it was when I was still pregnant and when I was having the girls. From the limited info I've been able to find it peaks for most people around 3-6 days after delivery. By the time the girls were 6 days old my blood pressure was still high even with some meds.

Thursday night, June 2, was one of the scariest nights of my life. While we were feeding the girls my nurse came in to check my blood pressure and it was 200+/110 - NOT GOOD. The next several readings stayed the same. At it's highest it reached 209/120. At that moment it didn't sink in just how dangerous that was. Petey finished feeding the girls and got them back to nursery. In those few minutes one of the nurses moved me to a bigger room, started a catheter for a urine sample, got an IV in me & started pushing drugs, took 3 blood pressure readings and had the lab up there drawing blood. They also put padding on the side of the bed in case I started having a seizure. They were concerned I had developed postpartum pre-eclampsia which would be a very bad thing. The one piece of good news was that all my labs came back negative for pre-eclampsia which meant that I indeed had horrible hypertension. The IV meds & lasix they pushed that night did help bring my numbers down and I slept fantastic thanks to some Ambien. However, the next day my numbers came back up. I also felt awful but I attribute a lot of that to my milk coming in.

On Monday (when I orginally started writing this) there was not a ton of improvement. Thursday (6/2) I was started on 100mg of Labetolol which was upped to 200mg Friday. Sunday I finally consulted with a doctor from internal medicine who upped my Labetolol to 200mg three times a day and added in apresoline three times a day as well. When that didn't help to bring down the numbers significantly overnight he upped my apresoline to 25mg from 10mg. Today my blood pressure has been on a crazy roller coaster. My bottom number has consistently stayed around 90-100 which is way too high for my comfort and my top number has gone from the 160's to the 190's which is again too high.

I kept riding this roller coaster and getting more and more discouraged for the next day or so. It got to the point that I would break down and cry every time they took my blood pressure because I was so frustrated with my body. No one had any answers as to why this was happening and the meds didn't seem to be doing much of anything. I had several breakdowns in front of the nurses and even more when it was just me and Petey. I never dreamed it would be ME keeping us in the hospital and not the girls. They were discharged on June 6 and 'guested' in my room with Petey. Elliot's birthday was on my mind and, again, I never dreamed that I would miss it because I was stuck in the hospital but as the days drug on that seemed more and more a real possibility and that REALLY brought me down. Every single time I even tried to mention it to the nurses and doctors I would end up a blubbering mess. It really tore me up to think about missing his birthday especially since at that point it had been nearly a week since I'd even seen them. Mommy guilt was setting in pretty deep and I didn't think I was going to be able to handle missing that big day. Yes, odds are he wouldn't have known the difference but *I* would have!

So, Tuesday (6/7) I had finally had enough. I had one of the nurses I really liked (Barb) and that I felt really comfortable talking to. Dr. Witthoeft also was aware of how badly I wanted to be home by Thursday & promised she would do what she could to make that happen. They were able to get Dr. Johnson from Internal Medicine to come in and talk to me. I told him how frustrated and discouraged I was and how I *needed* to be home by Thursday. I kept trying to explain to everyone that the girls weren't my only kids and that I desperately needed to get back to being Mommy to my other two. He seemed to understand I wasn't doing well and decided to be much more aggressive. We ended up doubling the two meds I was on. The result was like magic. It brought my blood pressure down to a range I hadn't seen it in for months which was fantastic! This time it was happy tears that I was crying. For the first time in what felt like an enternity I felt hopeful that I might finally get to go home!!

Wednesday things continued to look good but I refused to get my hopes up too high. Finally I got word from Dr. Labeau (the OB on call) that I was good to go home from her point of view. Dr. Barsch from internal medicine came to talk to me and agreed as well that I was at a good enough point to go home. All of a sudden Petey and I were packing like crazy people and he was taking stuff out to load up. It seemed a bit surreal as I had begun to feel like I was going to be stuck in that little room f.o.r.e.v.e.r. We had to make a couple stops to pick up a blood pressure monitor and some prescriptions but we made it home late that afternoon.

Home was a feeling I don't really know how to describe. It was fantastic. And CLEAN. Our parents left the house almost sparkling which was so nice to come home too. It was also very quiet. Too quiet. The big kids weren't coming back until the next day so I enjoyed the quiet as much as I could. My bed slept really, really that night ;)

35 Weeks

Another week down. No idea how many more times I'll be posting weekly updates. To be honest I would be ok with this being the last one before introducing our newest little girls. While talking to Petey last night I commented on how many people have told me 'oh just a few more weeks!' and how I can only shake my head and chuckle - or mutter expletives under my breath depending on the day. I sometimes wonder if people have any idea what they're saying to me. They might as well be saying 'oh you're just going to be pregnant and incredibly huge and uncomfortable for the rest of eternity.' Ok, not really. I do know there's an end in sight and I do know that it's coming sooner rather later. And, I do know I've complained a lot on this blog about how uncomfortable I am but I can't help it. It's true. This is a place for me to recount this pregnancy (most likely my last) and I want to remember it for all the good and the bad and lately I've not felt very good. I am proud to have made it this far and it's a bit crazy to think my original due date is only a few weeks away!!!

Yesterday was another NST and appointment day. I had the NST first which is always a fun time. I have really enjoyed the nurses I've worked with in Labor and Delivery. Getting up there is a pain in the rear sometimes though. I have to check in at the registration desk every time and be checked in as an outpatient before being escorted upstairs. There are really nice elderly volunteers that help get people to registration & I know they mean well but sometimes I just don't have the patience to explain to them every.single.time. that my name is not on their sheet, they need to write it down, call the registration lady, and then send me on my way. And it never fails that I have to explain what an NST is because they claim they've never heard of it even though I explained it to them the last time I was there (two days ago).

Anyway, the first 20 minutes or so we had a fantastic reading. The problem: we could only find one baby so we couldn't count it since we didn't know for sure who it was. For the next hour plus it took me and two or three other nurses to get what we needed on the monitor. It was definitely an interesting adventure and these girls must be in some crazy positions!

After the NST debacle I was a little late for my appointment which turned out to be all right since they weren't super busy. Dr. Andersen and I talked about the swelling in my feet (unfortunately a normal side effect of pregnancy & warmer weather) and I told him I had been feeling crampy and having contractions off and on but since nothing has been consistent there wasn't much to talk about there. My blood pressure was a little high but still pretty normal for this pregnancy (140/86). I put on a few more pounds which I imagine is mostly water weight from the swelling and I'm measuring 46 according to Dr. Andersen.

One of the babies has flipped to head down and the other one is still kind of transverse with her butt in the wrong place. It was unclear on the little ultrasound who was closest to the cervix but he did say a natural delivery looks like it's back on the radar if the baby that is head down is indeed closer. So, now I pray and cross my fingers that her sister decides to do a big flip so I have two vertex babies!! We checked and the cervix is still closed as well which is awesome but kind of a bummer for someone who would like to have babies soon! ;)

All in all it was a good day. There were lots of laughs up in L&D during the NST and my appointment went well. Both girls seem to be doing well and are healthy and I can't ask for much more than that!

34 Weeks

We did it! We made it to 34 weeks. We made it past the 33 week mark when Elliot was born and I nearly had a nervous breakdown when pregnant with Hadley because I was so worried about her coming early. It's funny how perspective changes from pregnancy to pregnancy. With Elliot we were so thrilled to have made it to 33 weeks and viewed it as a huge accomplishment. With Hadley it would have felt like a total failure to have her at 33 weeks. This time, again, we viewed it as an accomplishment to make it to 33 weeks. For some reason I had in my head that these girls were going to come so early and so far they've definitely proven me wrong. I'll admit I'm glad they have stayed put but at the same time I just feel so done with being pregnant. It is truly miserable right now. I try not to complain too much and I don't want to seem ungrateful or like I take these kids for granted because I definitely do not but I've reached a point where there's just no denying how uncomfortable and miserable it is. And, yes, I do realize this is a blessing and special and precious and whatever other descriptors you want to throw out there. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I can't sit on the floor with my kids, I can hardly walk most days from my feet being so swollen, I can't lay down in bed with feeling intense pain or like I'm suffocating, I can hardly fit behind the wheel of the car, I can hardly wash dishes or do any of the other domestic tasks I'm used to doing. I hurt. There is pain - intense pain - in places I didn't know could feel such pain. I've stretched out to a size that just seems comical. Because of said stretching it's not hard to walk up stairs since Miss Baby A is hanging so low - my legs hit her bum when I walk up the stairs and I have to lift her out of the way to sit down. So, yes, I am blessed beyond belief and lucky but still in lots of pain and looking forward to these girls being on the outside!

Now, with all that being said I want to document my whirlwind of appointments from yesterday. It started out with a meeting at the diabetes center . My fasting blood sugars are now in the target range after increasing the amount of insulin I give myself at night. I was so hoping to avoid insulin but it's become a necessary thing. Surprisingly, sticking myself with a needle every night is easier than I expected it to be. With the exception of a few bad food choices my blood sugars are doing really well and they are all pleased with how I'm doing. We went over my postpartum instructions in case I don't make it to my next appointment. It's scheduled on June 7 & I honestly hope I do not make it to that appointment!!

Next, Petey met me at the OB office for what will hopefully be our last growth scan. It's kind of comforting to walk in and have the staff know you by name and just pull out your chart. Of course that means I'm there all.the.time. as well ;) I've really, really loved the ultrasound tech - she's personable and just fun to talk to. Our kids are pretty close in age so we have that to talk about as well. She commented on how chipper I seemed & that some of the twins moms she deals with at this stage are just plain witchy. When we got started she chuckled at how lopsided my stomach appeared. I will give here that one - it is funny! It's getting harder and harder to tell what is what on the screen since they are so much bigger. Both babies are breech and will likely remain that way which will mean a c-section for me. I'm not excited about that but it is what it is at this point. She had to actually stand up and lift Baby A out of the way to be able to see what she needed to see. Both babies are measuring a little small - about 32w5d but they're consistent with each other and have grown since last time. We estimated their weights at about 4lb. 9oz - give or take a half pound either way. It sounds so little but Elliot came home from the hospital at 4lb. 8oz. so it is a familiar size for us. Both babies had a good amount of fluid and were moving around. My cervix is measuring awesome at 5.45cm STILL. I was amazed since it was never that long to begin with when I was pregnant with Hadley.

My regular check up went well. My blood pressure was pretty low - 124/72. I've gained nearly 40 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy. Here's to hoping it comes off as easy as it seems to have gone on. I don't feel like I've made any effort to gain that much weight - it's just sort of happened. I'm measuring in at 48cm. which would equate to 48 weeks pregnant with a single baby. (aka OUCH!) At this point babies are free to come whenever they want. So, if I go into labor they won't stop it. I'm so excited to have reached this point! Of course they would still require hospitalization at this point but it would hopefully just be for growing and not anything too life threatening.

After Petey and I had lunch together I headed back to the hospital for an NST in Labor and Delivery. For the first time the nurse was able to find the babies, hook up the monitors and leave. She gave me some apple juice to get them active and they actually stayed on the monitors the whole time! I was incredibly impressed at how easy that was. There were several contractions that showed up on there & they asked if I was feeling them which I definitely was. They weren't consistent or strong enough to jump into action though.

After all that I was very, very sore so I came home and napped. The little people had been at my parent's house for a few days and my dad brought them back yesterday afternoon. I missed them like crazy but enjoyed the silence that came with no children ;) Still, it was good to see them and have them excited to be home. Of course this morning they were already asking to go BACK to Mum-Mum & Papa's house. I guess I know where I rate...... ;)

Catch Up!!

32 Weeks

Not too much to report from this week. Feeling large and in charge. Appointment went well and there was nothing of concern. Discussed starting NST's with the doctor and scheduled my first one for Friday of that week. Apparently they don't routinely do them for twins anymore but since I have gestational diabetes as well as twins I earned twice a week NST's. For these I head up to Labor and Delivery twice a week and have babies heartrates monitored. They also place a contraction monitor on me to see if there's any action happening there. At my first one it took two nurses and the doctor almost two hours to get the reading they wanted. It was quite the adventure! Dr. Page and I also discussed where delivery would take place. At this point I should not have to go to Iowa City which is a relief. He did tell me if they came before 34 weeks they would most likely be born at Mercy since they are certified to take babies down to 32 weeks but if I made it another 2 weeks I should be able to deliver at Finley. Apparently both hospitals have a NICU with the same equipment and doctors and at 34 weeks hopefully there wouldn't be any super serious things to worry about.

33 Weeks

I can't even describe how excited I was to make it to this point. Elliot was born at 33 weeks and for both of my pregnancies after him I've sort of held my breath until that 25 week point when everything went downhill and then finally let out a big breath after 33 weeks. Petey and I feel like we're in familiar territory now should the girls decide to come. Of course we would like to avoid NICU time if it's possible but at least we have an idea what we might be dealing with if it were to happen and it doesn't stress us out the same way it did three years ago. Our goal is still another 2-3 weeks though!!

My appointment this week went fairly well. Fundal height was measuring 47cm - which is just WOW. My blood pressure is creeping back up into a not so good range so we'll definitely be keeping an eye on that. Cervix was still long and closed which was comforting. I've been feeling a lot more contractions - some of them fall into a pattern but don't stay regular. The ones that are coming lately are actually starting to get kind of painful and I've had to breathe in and out deeply until they're over. Still, I know they're nothing compared to actual contractions in labor. Both babies were butt down which is the WRONG way!! I've been holding out hope for a natural delivery (natural meaning no surgery - I'm a-ok with pain meds!) but if both butts are toward the exit that makes it pretty darn hard. Still, I'm holding out hope Baby A manages to turn herself. One of them has wedged a head or a butt down really low and is pushing my stomach out in a very funny way. My big ol' belly kind of resembles a big 'V' when I look at it straight on in the mirror which is so not attractive.

I'm really starting to slow down and get really worn out. I've been very lucky and blessed to have my mom come here the past couple weekends and help get some stuff ready and entertain the kids. I feel awful that I'm not able to keep up with them the way I'd like to or do fun stuff with them now that it's getting nicer out. Fortunately for them they have fun grandparents!! Petey and I packed our hospital bag the other night after a day full of off and on contractions. I've been meaning to get it packed for weeks but haven't been able to do it for one reason or another. Now, it's (mostly) done and it feels good to have that checked off the list. We've been picking up those last few little baby things we want or need to have around here with newbies & we're feeling really ready!!