Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Bedtime? Depends on who you ask...
One of them wakes up at least every three hours to eat during the night. Usually the other is sound asleep and I wake him up. But the past few nights we've had additional wake time. Last night Ryan was fussy for the first part of the night and then he calmed down a bit. Then Spencer was fussy for the rest of the night. I think Kevin and I might have slept an hour or two. Hopefully those kind of nights will not be the norm!
Girlfriend
Here are Spencer and Ryan with their girlfriend Julianna. Julianna was born one week before them. They have had a few playdates so far. Check out her hair- how cute is that!
Aunt Darlene and Uncle Chuck
Thanks for a fun visit Aunt Darlene and Uncle Chuck. We hope to see you again very soon!
Thank You
Dear Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Brad, Lindsay, and Bill,
Thank you for my new Handy Manny toy. I love it!
Love,
Eli
Thank you for my new Handy Manny toy. I love it!
Love,
Eli
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
1 Month Old
Wow, it's hard to believe these kiddos are a month old already. I guess it went so fast because the first 16 days of their lives were spent in the NICU. They still seem very newborn-ish to me-- probably because they are still haven't reached their April 16 due date!
Both Ryan and Spencer like to be swaddled and spent much of their days and nights that way. They sleep quite a bit- more soundly during the day than at night (of course). They eat every 3 hours around the clock. During the day I usually have to wake the second one up to eat to keep them on the same schedule. At nighttime, neither one of them sleeps past the 3 hour mark. Their most interactive time is before their 10:00pm-ish feeding. That's when they get baths, get their jammies on, and have some more cuddle time with Mom and Dad.
They had a one month check up today. It had only been 10 days since their initial pediatrician appointment. Their weight gain was great. Ryan is now 5 pounds 5 ounces and Spencer is 5 pounds 3 ounces. That's about a 10 ounce gain in 10 days for both of them. They definitely seem more filled out now and are showing signs of a double chin. :)
Neither one of them enjoys tummy time all that much. Ryan seems to especially dislike it. Spencer really surprised me last night when I put him on his stomach. Within 10 seconds he rolled over onto his belly. I put him back on his tummy and he did it again. It ws funny watching this little 5 pound baby rolling like that.
Contrary to the picture above, the babies don't seem to really even know that the other exists. I try to put them together a couple times a day, but it usually results in Ryan sucking on Spencer's face (and Spencer then crying) or both of them smacking each other in the face (and both of them crying).
We're enjoying them so much and I really wish time would slow down!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Ties
These cute tie onesies were a gift from my friend Pamela. Too funny- especially with those bird legs.
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| Spencer wasn't too thrilled about Ryan trying to nurse on his cheek. |
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Birth Story
The birth story of Ryan and Spencer begins back on January 13. A routine visit with our maternal fetal specialist showed that my cervix had shortened from a normal 3cm to 1cm. I was sent to Shady Grove Hospital for monitoring. After an hour at the hospital, it was confirmed that I was having contractions. I was kept overnight until the next evening. During this time, I was given steroid shots to strengthen the babies' lungs in the event they were born that early. The next evening I was sent home with medication and instructions to remain on horizontal bedrest. I was 26 weeks pregnant.
Bedrest- it's really hard to not sit up for a prolonged amount of time. It was a trying time for our family. I was expecting to have to cut back on my activity level as I neared delivery, but this really caught me off guard. We hadn't even started the nursery and there were lots of little projects that I wanted to do before the babies came. And one big project on the list- potty train Eli. And just a week or two into my bedrest we had a pipe burst in the basement that caused a lot of water damage. My dear husband did everything- took Eli to daycare and picked him up, worked, cleaned the basement, made dinner, did bathtime and bedtime routines, got up with Eli if he woke up in the middle of the night, etc. My parents helped a ton too. They took Eli to Milton for a few days a couple times, so that Kevin could work normal hours without leaving early to pick him up. They also spent time down here helping me get organized. My dad painted the nursery and my mom worked on potty training Eli. They did laundry, cooked, and cleaned. We also had lots of help with meals from Kevin's parents and dear friends. I was allowed to continue to work from the couch, and while it was difficult to deal with my accounts laying down, it was nice to have some structure to my days (and to not have to use leave time). It was just so difficult to not be able to do things for Eli. I couldn't hold him or get him dinner or give him a bath. We did read lots of books together and played "letters" on the computer.
Each Thursday Kevin drove me to my appointments. Each time they checked the length of my cervix and every couple of weeks they checked the babies' growth. For weeks my cervix remained at 1cm which was great news. We'd celebrate each appointment with a trip through the Krispy Kreme drive through for a donut. Then back to the couch I would go until the following Thursday. This routine continued into February until something happened that changed my life.
My Nan wasn't doing well. Although no one knew for sure how much time she had left, family members were making arrangements to travel home to see her. I spent a lot of time with Nan at Christmastime but bedrest had kept me from visiting Milton since then. Kevin and I talked and decided to drive up to Milton to visit. We had an appointment scheduled that coming Thursday and would leave afterwards for an overnight trip. Kevin made arrangements with my doctor to pick up my medical history and we were going to make tentative arrangements with Geisinger in the event I went into labor while I was home. I felt better knowing that I had plans to see her.
On Wednesday, February 23 my mom called me to tell me that Nan was worse. She was home with three of her daughters and the other on her way. It was around 7pm- I was on the couch while Kevin was upstairs giving Eli a bath. My mom held the phone up to Nan's ear while I talked to her. She couldn't answer me, but I know she heard me. I also knew this would be the last time I would speak to her this side of heaven. My dad called around 8:30 to let me know that Nan had passed away. She was one of the most special and most important people in my life. Family was gathering at her house while I laid in bed and cried. I could feel Baby B doing somersaults in my belly. I just wanted to be in Milton with everyone. I kept thinking of a phone conversation with Nan just the week before about the babies. She had told me, like many times prior to that, that she was praying for them.
The next morning Kevin and I went to our usual Thursday appointment. It was day 43 of my bedrest. The tech checked my cervix and called the doctor in. The doctor checked me and told us that I was 3cm dilated. She sent us to Shady Grove to get monitored again and told us that I would be on hospital bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. I had been feeling contractions for weeks- but not that many and they were pretty sporatic. We also learned that Baby B had flipped to head down. Baby A was still breech. On the walk down the hall to my hospital room, I felt contractions pretty regularly- not really painful- but regular. It was then that I thought that maybe I was in labor. Sure enough the monitors showed that I was contracting. They quickly became more painful- but nothing like they were when Eli was born. Dr. Apgar, my OB, came in to check on me after getting the call that I was coming over. He decided to give me magnesium to try to stop the contractions. He also ordered another round of the steroids for the babies' lungs. I was given one shot and was supposed to get the second shot 24 hours later. That first shot would be the last.
Dr. Apgar said that I would stay until I delivered. He thought it would be anywhere from 1-2 days up to a week. I was 32 weeks and 5 days at this point. Then he double checked to see how dilated I was. While checking me, he jumped about a foot and yelled "Whoa, I just got kicked!" He hadn't expected to feel Baby A's foot. I was now 5 cm dialted. He said to prepare for a c-section sooner than later. "How soon?" we asked him. He responded, "In 15 minutes."
I called my brother to let him know since he was in Milton with the rest of my family. My mom was at the funeral home, but she was able to call me before I went back for the delivery. The prep time took about an hour or so and we soon found ourselves on our way to the operating room. I was given a spinal block and checked out the surroundings while nurses continued to prep the area. On the other side of the room were two hospital cribs ready for the babies. Babies. Our two babies were coming today.
I remember thinking that there were a ton of people in there.
I remember hearing Lady Antebellum's "I Need You Now" playing in the background.
I remember thinking it was odd that music was playing.
I remember being thankful that Dr. Apgar was there to deliver my babies.
I remember thinking about Nan and knowing that she was watching this all happen.
I remember praying during most of it.
I remember feeling peaceful.
I remember tears running down my face. Tear of intense happiness and intense sadness all at the same time.
Soon Baby A was born at 1:58pm. He didn't cry, but I wasn't overly alarmed for some reason. Baby B was born a minute later. He cried right away. Baby A let out a small cry shortly after that. Both babies were quiet while the NICU nurses tended to them.
I remember thinking how it was possible for one of the saddest days of my life to also be one of the happiest. I felt guilty for feeling so sad on such a happy day. And I felt guilty for feeling so happy too. Less than 24 hours after one of the most special people in my life left this earth, two of the most special people in my life entered it.
Ryan Robert was born at 1:58pm on February 24. He weighed 4 pounds 4 ounces and was 17.25 inches long. He was breech and had one of his arms twisted around the back of his head. Dr. Apgar said he untwisted it, but was unsure if it was broken in the process. He soon said that it looked like it was fine. Ryan's middle name Robert is in honor of Nan's husband, my pappy, who passed away in 1982. His hair was dark- darker than Spencer's. He was perfect.
Spencer Lee was born at 1:59pm on February 24. He weighed 4 pounds even and was 16.25 inches long. He was head down at delivery. Spencer's middle name Lee is in honor of Kevin's mom's family. Lee is his mom's maiden name. His hair was lighter than Ryan's and he reminded me of Eli when he was born. He was perfect.
The boys were taken to the NICU where they stayed for 2 weeks and 2 days. They were good size for being almost 2 months premature. And most importantly, they never needed oxygen or assistance breathing. My Nan had prayed for them- for their safe delivery. And I like to think that God took her breath and breathed it into these babies.
Bedrest- it's really hard to not sit up for a prolonged amount of time. It was a trying time for our family. I was expecting to have to cut back on my activity level as I neared delivery, but this really caught me off guard. We hadn't even started the nursery and there were lots of little projects that I wanted to do before the babies came. And one big project on the list- potty train Eli. And just a week or two into my bedrest we had a pipe burst in the basement that caused a lot of water damage. My dear husband did everything- took Eli to daycare and picked him up, worked, cleaned the basement, made dinner, did bathtime and bedtime routines, got up with Eli if he woke up in the middle of the night, etc. My parents helped a ton too. They took Eli to Milton for a few days a couple times, so that Kevin could work normal hours without leaving early to pick him up. They also spent time down here helping me get organized. My dad painted the nursery and my mom worked on potty training Eli. They did laundry, cooked, and cleaned. We also had lots of help with meals from Kevin's parents and dear friends. I was allowed to continue to work from the couch, and while it was difficult to deal with my accounts laying down, it was nice to have some structure to my days (and to not have to use leave time). It was just so difficult to not be able to do things for Eli. I couldn't hold him or get him dinner or give him a bath. We did read lots of books together and played "letters" on the computer.
Each Thursday Kevin drove me to my appointments. Each time they checked the length of my cervix and every couple of weeks they checked the babies' growth. For weeks my cervix remained at 1cm which was great news. We'd celebrate each appointment with a trip through the Krispy Kreme drive through for a donut. Then back to the couch I would go until the following Thursday. This routine continued into February until something happened that changed my life.
My Nan wasn't doing well. Although no one knew for sure how much time she had left, family members were making arrangements to travel home to see her. I spent a lot of time with Nan at Christmastime but bedrest had kept me from visiting Milton since then. Kevin and I talked and decided to drive up to Milton to visit. We had an appointment scheduled that coming Thursday and would leave afterwards for an overnight trip. Kevin made arrangements with my doctor to pick up my medical history and we were going to make tentative arrangements with Geisinger in the event I went into labor while I was home. I felt better knowing that I had plans to see her.
On Wednesday, February 23 my mom called me to tell me that Nan was worse. She was home with three of her daughters and the other on her way. It was around 7pm- I was on the couch while Kevin was upstairs giving Eli a bath. My mom held the phone up to Nan's ear while I talked to her. She couldn't answer me, but I know she heard me. I also knew this would be the last time I would speak to her this side of heaven. My dad called around 8:30 to let me know that Nan had passed away. She was one of the most special and most important people in my life. Family was gathering at her house while I laid in bed and cried. I could feel Baby B doing somersaults in my belly. I just wanted to be in Milton with everyone. I kept thinking of a phone conversation with Nan just the week before about the babies. She had told me, like many times prior to that, that she was praying for them.
The next morning Kevin and I went to our usual Thursday appointment. It was day 43 of my bedrest. The tech checked my cervix and called the doctor in. The doctor checked me and told us that I was 3cm dilated. She sent us to Shady Grove to get monitored again and told us that I would be on hospital bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. I had been feeling contractions for weeks- but not that many and they were pretty sporatic. We also learned that Baby B had flipped to head down. Baby A was still breech. On the walk down the hall to my hospital room, I felt contractions pretty regularly- not really painful- but regular. It was then that I thought that maybe I was in labor. Sure enough the monitors showed that I was contracting. They quickly became more painful- but nothing like they were when Eli was born. Dr. Apgar, my OB, came in to check on me after getting the call that I was coming over. He decided to give me magnesium to try to stop the contractions. He also ordered another round of the steroids for the babies' lungs. I was given one shot and was supposed to get the second shot 24 hours later. That first shot would be the last.
Dr. Apgar said that I would stay until I delivered. He thought it would be anywhere from 1-2 days up to a week. I was 32 weeks and 5 days at this point. Then he double checked to see how dilated I was. While checking me, he jumped about a foot and yelled "Whoa, I just got kicked!" He hadn't expected to feel Baby A's foot. I was now 5 cm dialted. He said to prepare for a c-section sooner than later. "How soon?" we asked him. He responded, "In 15 minutes."
I called my brother to let him know since he was in Milton with the rest of my family. My mom was at the funeral home, but she was able to call me before I went back for the delivery. The prep time took about an hour or so and we soon found ourselves on our way to the operating room. I was given a spinal block and checked out the surroundings while nurses continued to prep the area. On the other side of the room were two hospital cribs ready for the babies. Babies. Our two babies were coming today.
I remember thinking that there were a ton of people in there.
I remember hearing Lady Antebellum's "I Need You Now" playing in the background.
I remember thinking it was odd that music was playing.
I remember being thankful that Dr. Apgar was there to deliver my babies.
I remember thinking about Nan and knowing that she was watching this all happen.
I remember praying during most of it.
I remember feeling peaceful.
I remember tears running down my face. Tear of intense happiness and intense sadness all at the same time.
Soon Baby A was born at 1:58pm. He didn't cry, but I wasn't overly alarmed for some reason. Baby B was born a minute later. He cried right away. Baby A let out a small cry shortly after that. Both babies were quiet while the NICU nurses tended to them.
I remember thinking how it was possible for one of the saddest days of my life to also be one of the happiest. I felt guilty for feeling so sad on such a happy day. And I felt guilty for feeling so happy too. Less than 24 hours after one of the most special people in my life left this earth, two of the most special people in my life entered it.
Ryan Robert was born at 1:58pm on February 24. He weighed 4 pounds 4 ounces and was 17.25 inches long. He was breech and had one of his arms twisted around the back of his head. Dr. Apgar said he untwisted it, but was unsure if it was broken in the process. He soon said that it looked like it was fine. Ryan's middle name Robert is in honor of Nan's husband, my pappy, who passed away in 1982. His hair was dark- darker than Spencer's. He was perfect.
Spencer Lee was born at 1:59pm on February 24. He weighed 4 pounds even and was 16.25 inches long. He was head down at delivery. Spencer's middle name Lee is in honor of Kevin's mom's family. Lee is his mom's maiden name. His hair was lighter than Ryan's and he reminded me of Eli when he was born. He was perfect.
The boys were taken to the NICU where they stayed for 2 weeks and 2 days. They were good size for being almost 2 months premature. And most importantly, they never needed oxygen or assistance breathing. My Nan had prayed for them- for their safe delivery. And I like to think that God took her breath and breathed it into these babies.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Welcome Home
What an adventure it's been so far. We definitely have a full house! We're enjoying getting to know Ryan and Spencer and seeing their little personalities start to emerge. So far Ryan seems to be the more laid back and mellow one. He's also a better sleeper. Spencer is always the first one awake and likes to be held. If we hear one of them crying, more often than not it's Spencer. And Spencer is a pooping machine. He's projectile pooped on me twice so far. But both are lovey little guys. Eli is getting to know them too. He likes to watch them sleep and eat.
Nights. Well, we're two nights in and they have been interesting. The first night we decided to do the same routine throughout the night that we did during the day- nursing one at a time or both if they'd cooperate. That really wasn't the best plan. Kevin and I were both up pretty much the entire night. One would be too sleepy to nurse well. Both wet through their clothes and blankets- twice. The vaseline that we use when changing them (because of their circumcision) makes the diaper non-absorbent. And each had fussy moments- and of course not at the same time. So it was constant. Each feeding session took an hour.
Last night we decided to go a different route. I pumped before the feeding time and divided into two bottles. Kevin and I each changed one and fed one. It cut the time in half. But the fussiness continued- Spencer more than Ryan. They definitely sleep better between feedings during the day. I think I'll continue nursing them and pumping at night- at least until they get a little better at nursing at the same time. Once that happens, it'll probably be quicker to nurse them together at night.
The boys had their first pediatrician appointment today. Ryan is now 4 pounds 9 ounces and Spencer is now 4 pounds 7 ounces. Ryan is 17.5 inches long and Spencer is 17.25 inches long- a full inch longer than birth for Spencer. He's been busy catching up... signs of sibling rivalry?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
My boys are home
More pictures coming soon.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
First Week- the NICU
The boys are a week old today. What a week it has been. I have a lot that I would like to record on this blog, but until then, here's an update on the babies. They are both doing really well. As of yesterday they are out of their isolettes and into open air cribs. This means they are maintaining their temperatures by themselves. It also means that we can hold them a lot more. They still have feeding tubes and are still learning how to take a bottle/nurse. Both passed their hearing tests yesterday.
Kevin and I have been spending about 6 hours a day with them. We get to take their temperature, change diapers, feed them, and cuddle with them. They are both so sweet- I stare at them and wonder about their personalities. My first thought is that Ryan is the serious one, but I guess time will tell.
We're hoping to bring them home a week from this Saturday. That would make them "35 weeks" and would be the earliest they'd get to leave.
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| Ryan |
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| Spencer |
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| Smiley Ryan |
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| We were allowed to bring in some clothes for them, and this morning we noticed that they finally had put this cute shirt on Ryan. It's a preemie shirt and looks like a little dress on him! |
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| Here's Spencer in his cute shirt holding his daddy's finger |
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| Spencer piggies |
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| Aunt Katie |
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