Life and 8 Months!

The kids turned 8 months on Sunday. This has been the most eventful and fun month so far since they were born. B has been pulling himself up on stuff. He'll crawl (scoot around on his belly) on the floor and get to wherever he's headed and then stand up. It's cute to see him grab my leg or the recliner and then stand. He'll crawl right over to us, hold his arms out, and climb up. The worst part is that he falls and gets hurt. It just breaks my heart. What I've noticed most is that he really pays attention to our expressions. If we look worried and scared, he cries more. If we just say, "uh oh" or "it's okay", he calms down and smiles. He's also been sticking out his tongue and giving us raspberries on our arms or legs (started on March 29th). He has learned to mimic our behaviors. It just goes to show how much kids pay attention to us, even when we're not looking.

They had their 6 month vaccines on March 25th (they waited so long because B has been sick on and off.) The doc has concluded that B probably suffers from allergies.

• B and K are in size 3 diapers (B can still fit into 2's though
• B is still wearing some 0-3 outfits! K is wearing 3-6 and 6-9 month outfits.
• Both are eating solids well - the routine usually consists of an every 3 hour routine of an 8 oz bottle in the morning, fruit with oatmeal, bottle, veggies, bottle, veggies, and another bottle before bed. They usually get water or juice with their solid foods.
• Mom keeps them three days a week, daycare one day, and Grams or Kevin keeps them on Fridays. (Boy, I am so thankful for family!!!! This would be so much harder if I didn't have them.)
• Neither use a pacifier anymore.
• B stands up in his crib now and grabs at the turtle nightlight on his dresser.
• K giggles at everything now, especially animals. She shakes her head like Stevie Wonder, too. Haha. Oh, and she can put her finger in her nose! Silly girl. Still isn't crawling yet. She can do it if she wants to, but she's not usually quite as motivated as B.

This past Sabbath, we went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. (We were originally planning for the zoo but it was packed so, we went to the Botanical Gardens instead since it was right across the street.) We spent time together and got some really cute pictures. We dressed the kids up, put sunblock on their faces, arms, and legs, and put them in hats. They stayed in the stroller for most of the time. B slept for about half the trip. K really enjoys being out in the sun.

Since we were near TCU, we had lunch at Panera. Neither of us have eaten there and we were NOT impressed. Jason's Deli has much better quality food for the same price. The atmosphere is nice, but it's not worth the cost.

PERSONAL RANT:

I cannot even express how much I have changed since the kids were born. I have been given a completely new outlook on life. My family has become the most important thing to me. I have reached the point of watching very little television and being okay with that. I would prefer to spend time with my children and husband. There are days that we don't even turn on the television. I am so thankful for a husband that doesn't need to sit in front of the tv and watch sports for hours on end. He is a compassionate person; one who has a love for nature - plants and animals. He comes home after working a long day and plays the role of Daddy. No complaints - ever. Many times, I don't even have to ask him to do something because he's already done it. He knows me and knows what I would want to be done.

On the topic of my views of life changing, I have been thinking of how I want the kids to be raised. I've mostly been making homemade baby food because I want them to grow up eating "real" food and not jarred. I feel biology taking over and I have this sense of needing to be a wife and mother. When there are nights that I can't cook or I spend as much time with the kids as I want to, I feel like I've let my family down. Sometimes, I feel like work keeps me from performing my biological duties of being a wife and mom. When I bring work home or stay late, I have less time to do the things God has asked me to do - take care of my family. I love teaching. I just think I am mentally and emotionally drained.

I have been thinking about my spirituality, also. I have been out of church for a while now, and I need to get back...soon. I wasn't raised to be a specific religion. I was just raised to be a good person, have good manners, and treat others with respect. When I got to college, I became Seventh-day Adventist. After I graduated, I started working for a Cumberland Presbyterian Church in town and I joined. I met my husband while I was working there (he was not a member, I just met him somewhere else) and eventually, I moved on to teaching and left the church. I have found my true friends. Out of the two churches I attended, the people I knew from the SDA church and college still contact me on a pretty regular basis. I very rarely hear from the people of the church in which I worked and had worship for almost three years straight. My true church home is an SDA one. I want the kids to be raised in the church with strong values and beliefs. This is where I think we need to be. We are having many family discussions so this is still a work in progress. :)

Charla

7 Months Already?

I can't believe that they are already 7 months old! It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant sitting in the living room with my feet in a bucket of cold water because I itched so bad. Hydrocortisone cream, benadryl, lotion...nothing worked and I was ready to meet my babies. A lot has really happened in the most recent weeks so I'm writing as I remember them or as I read them off of a chicken scratch covered sticky note. This is very scatterbrained and well, that's how things have been lately.

I was on Spring Break last week. I took the ESL Supplemental test on the first day of spring break and passed. I really enjoyed spending time with the kids. I was able to get them on a good feeding schedule. When they're at my mom's house, they seem to get a little off schedule so I wanted to make a solid schedule while I had the time off. The past month, we have been alternating feedings. They receive a full 7-ish ounce bottle in the morning, then solids, etc. throughout the day. We usually end up with about 2 or 3 solid feedings and 4-5 bottles during a 24 hour period. They're last meal of the day is usually a bottle, and then they fall asleep between 8:30 and 9:30. Bryce can eat a lot of solid food. He can usually eat 4-5 ounces at one sitting. Per the doctor's suggestion, we've been giving them 2 ounces - half water and half apple juice along with their meals to help with constipation.

My friend from middle school, Holly, came over on March 16th so the kids and I took her to On the Border for an early birthday gift. Bryce and Kayla sat in the highchair and at at the big table for the first time. They did really well. Kayla sat up for the first time for longer than a few seconds on March 14th. Bryce sat up on March 18th during his pictures. I think Bryce likes Oprah. He was talking to the television (more than normal) when I had her on one day last week. On March 19th, Bryce and Kayla went to Sprouts for the first time, Blockbuster, and the doctor to have Bryce's ears checked (for the third time, he had another ear infection.) He's been coughing and wheezing, too, so he was given steroids and antibiotics. We had a birthday party for my Aunt Sheri and my Grams on Sunday, March 20th. When we got home, Bryce crawled to the Bumbo seat and pulled himself to standing! I had tears in my eyes! (Picture below) Kayla has been grabbing on her feet and putting her big toe in her mouth. Silly girl. Bryce keeps mouthing syllables. He's getting closer to "mama". We're trying to do sign language but it's hard to be consistent. I have to work on that. I want them to learn so we can communicate.

So far, they have eaten:

• apples
• bananas
• squash
• sweet potatoes
• carrots
• pears
• green beans
• peas

Kayla seems to prefer the fruits. Bryce seems to like everything except for the green stuff. He gagged today at daycare. He usually does a little better when we mix it with squash or sweet potato. They both seem to really like squash and sweet potato.

They're still in size 2 diapers, 3-6 month clothes, and moving into 6-9 month clothes on some things.

We had 7 month pictures taken at Portrait Innovations on March 18th. Here are a few of the pics:

I love being a mom!

They Grow So Fast

That statement has never been more true. I can hardly keep up with all of their developments! Bryce and Kayla are sitting up for a few seconds at a time. When they start to fall backwards, you can tell they are trying to use their tummy and back muscles to stay up. They stand well with support, too. They both hold up their arms to get us to pick them up. Both are eating solids. So far, they have tried sweet potatoes, squash (both of which they love), peas, green beans, carrots, apples, and pears. They don't seem too fond of the green beans or peas yet. They are still in size 2 diapers and wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes (some 6 month). Bryce is still so skinny that a lot of his pants fall off when he crawls. Ha!

Bryce is now crawling...it's an army crawl, but it's a crawl. He follows us around the room and he almost made it to the kitchen a couple of days ago. The baby gates went up last night. I picked them up at my mom's house after work today and he crawled to me. I love that. We had some books and PS games in the bottom shelves of our entertainment center and he has been pulling them out. So we moved those up and put their toys on the bottom shelves instead. He is extremely strong. He reaches for the Play Station and the stereo all the time and moves it. We find the volume knob on the stereo turned up. Silly boy.

     
He usually eats pretty well. We try to feed them formula for their first and last meals of the day and then alternate throughout the rest of the day. He started coughing more yesterday morning so we started the nebulizer treatments again. He now grabs our faces, pulls us towards him, and kisses us (or opens his mouth anyway). *Bryce, you silly boy. As I am typing this, you put your hand behind your head like you were modeling. You are an adorable little man. :)

Kayla found her feet on February 28th. She hasn't put them in her mouth yet but she's getting closer. The past week, she has been so much happier. She has been laughing and smiling a lot more than she used to. She doesn't eat as well as Bryce because she's usually so hungry by the time we try to feed her that she won't eat or she's too interested in her hands, thumbs, and spoon. She takes more patience. She rolls over from her tummy to her back pretty well. She loves the bendy ball and a set of keys. She loves to sit up in my recliner and she still loves the swing. When she's fussy, she prefers sitting in her highchair to watch me in the kitchen. She loves watching me use the food processer and mixer, all while I make funny faces to make her laugh. Sometimes, that seems to be all she needs. Certain faces that we make at her can really make her give us a belly laugh. Especially when Daddy plays hide and seek with her (like now) or Mommy holds her up in the air and gives her raspberries on her tummy! *Kayla, missy girl, you are chewing on the stuffed gecko that we got you from Ikea and trying to help me type. Yes, you've hit the space bar quite a lot. My, you sure do know how to multitask!  Thanks for helping Mommy. :)

Our life is hectic but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being a mom, a wife, and a teacher. Although, all three have their moments. :)

6th Month Check-up

The kids went in for their six month check up on Monday. Bryce had been coughing that morning and I figured he was getting bronchitis again. The doctor said he had RSV, which is a highly contagious lower respiratory viral infection. We have to give him breathing treatments using the nebulizer every four hours. He doesn't particularly care for them when he's awake so we've been trying to do it when he's asleep. He's been pretty needly lately and sleeps most of the day...definitely not normal for him. Kayla looks like she's getting it too. She's not as bad as he is but we're keeping an eye on her.

As far as growth is concerned:

Bryce: 25" long, 14 lbs. 0.5 oz., head is 16.75"
Kayla: 24" long, 14 lbs. 7.0 oz., head is 16.50"

Foods:

They both like sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. We usually buy a couple of jars of a new vegetable to see if they like it and to check on allergic reactions before we make our own. So far, I've made sweet potatoes and squash. I think I need more containers! Bryce can eat between four and five ounces of solid food at one feeding. Kayla doesn't eat the solid foods as well. She probably eats between a third and a half of a container. She prefers the bottle. I bought sippy cups with handles at the store the other day. They are the Tommee Tippee brand so the nipple can be traded out with the TT bottle nipples that we already have. I put the nipple on the end of it so they can learn to just hold the cups first. Kayla tries to hold the cup but she doesn't hold it up high enough to really get much out of it. We haven't tried with Bryce as much since he's been sick.

That's all for now. Good night.

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Bryce and Kayla are 6 months old today! We made it halfway through the first year with twins. Hooray! We have one more day before a three day weekend. Kevin and I are talking about going to the Museum for Engineers' week. Hopefully we can find some time to do that.

Bryce:

• In size 2 diapers
• Wears mostly 3-6 month clothes, but some 0-3 month and newborn (the 3-6 month pants are really big. 0-3 month fits better around the waist but they're too short. We can't find a happy medium.)
• While on his tummy, he reached up and pushed the swing yesterday.
• He's rolling around all over the living room floor. He's grabbed the sheets on the couch and our pant legs and tugged on them.
• He grabbed some ads out of the recycle box under our side table and started ripping it up.
• Reached up to touch the light and the toys on the mobile above the swing yesterday.
• Loves the jumperoo and grabs the toys to chew on them. He moves the roller toy around on the jumperoo.
• Said "da-da" several times and everyone swears that he says "hi".
• Grabs rattles and keys with his hands and brings them to his mouth.
• Has a little bit of a tooth showing on his lower left gum!
• Sleeps through the night. Goes to bed around 9 or 9:30 and wakes up at 6:00.
• Loves sweet potatoes and rice cereal; hates carrots.
• Loves going on walks - sat in the stroller without the car seats on Feb. 13
• Loves baths - kicking and splashing the water!
• Recognizes Mommy, Daddy, Grandma Joni, and Grandpa Brian

Kayla:

• In size 2 diapers
• Wears mostly 3-6 month clothes, but some 0-3 month and a couple of newborn outfits. 
• Has rolled over from her tummy to her back. We think she can do more, but she doesn't care to.
• Plays with the toys in the jumperoo - she loves it!
• Smiles and laughs when she sees one of the cats or dogs.
• Yells and babbles - we haven't heard her try to form words, though.
• Grabs rattles and keys with his hands and brings them to her mouth.
• Drooling a lot and "chewing" on toys but we don't see any teeth coming in.
• Sleeps through the night. Goes to bed around 9 or 9:30 and wakes up at 6:00.
• Loves sweet potatoes and carrots but could care less about rice cereal.
• Loves going on walks - sat in the stroller without car seats on Feb. 13
• Doesn't scream when she gets baths anymore. She kicks her legs in the water now.
• Recognizes Mommy, Daddy, Grandma Joni, and Grandpa Brian - glared at Mommy (boy, if looks could kill...) yesterday when dropped off at daycare.

That concludes our day for now. I'll probably edit this later and write letters to Bryce and Kayla for their half birthday. (Kayla, my dear, you are squirming in my arms and yelling at me as I write this. I think you are tired. Bryce, you are asleep in Daddy's arms.)

The End of Silence

After four days stranded at home because of snow and ice, we went back to work today. As we were getting the kids in their car seats, Bryce said "da-da". Kevin and I turned towards each other to see if the other one had heard the same thing. Kevin asked, "Did he...?" Yep...he sure did. I am almost positive that he has said "hi" and "i love" in the past but maybe I'm just getting too far ahead of myself. I was a little bummed that his first "word" wasn't "ma-ma" but "da-da" will work too.

Kayla has been sick for the past three days. She has had a runny nose, a cough, and extremely fussy. We gave her some Tylenol for the first time tonight to see if that would help with her irritability. On the other hand, she is starting to play more with her toys.

Bryce still hasn't learned to crawl, but he does roll around all over the floor. He has discovered a new toy - the "Chime Garden" that has five flowers and they each play either a different tune or a part of a whole song. He was rolling it around on the floor and pressing on the flowers to get them to play. So cute!

Babies' First Snow Day

As the title implies, we had our first snow day together as a family. I woke up to Kevin poking me in the arm with his finger saying, "Burleson is closed, so do you want to sleep more or what?" Hmmm...hard decision.

The kids stayed with my parents last night because Kevin and I needed a break. We had a tough week and little sleep. I have spent the last two Saturdays at a professional development workshop to get my hours for work. Waking up to a snow dune on our front porch was a blessing. Kevin wanted to drive around to see how bad the roads were and how good the Pilot drove on them. So we drove around for about ten minutes in the development, came back inside, and slept until noon. The neighbor behind us called Kevin to let him know that the dogs were in his backyard so Kevin spent a while helping the neighbor put the fence back up. We decided that it was a good time to pick the kids up from my parents' house since the roads were probably melted a little since the sun was out. We made it there and back without any problems.

We all spent the rest of the evening together. Bryce is still trying hard to crawl. He is pushing himself forward so much that he flips himself over. He really gets frustrated.

We have been feeding them both rice cereal and they do well as long as they aren't too hungry. Bryce usually does better than Kayla. We started feeding them sweet potatoes on Friday, January 28th. They both loved it. My mom tried feeding them cereal and sweet potatoes yesterday and today. Bryce did well on both. Kayla, on the other hand, would not let my mom feed her cereal. She did, however, take the sweet potatoes just fine. She lunged forward and grunted as she took a bite. Funny girl. We fed Bryce carrots tonight. He took a few bites and then wrinkled up his face with a look of disgust the next few times I tried to feed him carrots. He didn't wrinkle up his face, though, when I switched back to cereal. Kayla was too mad to eat anything except for her bottle.

Bryce is starting to pull himself up to a sitting position. He has been trying for about a week now but tonight, he did it really well in my lap. He grabbed my pen tonight and held it for a while.

They are:

• in size two diapers
• in size 0-3 month clothes, one or two newborn outfits, and starting to fit into 3-6 month clothes
• over 13 lbs. now (exact measurement not known since they were weighed with diapers and clothes)

Babies' First Wedding

We went to our first wedding as a family today. We were able to sit through all of about 20 minutes of it before Kayla started fussing. I didn't want to ruin Ashley's wedding, so we went out into the lobby to feed her. They told us that a nursery was available so we went in there to feed them. By the time we finished feeding the babies, the wedding was over. I had a chance to walk up to the doors to see them kiss and start walking back down the isle. We got in the car to head to the reception venue and Bryce screamed the whole way there so we decided to just go home. I was exhausted anyway because I had a professional development class at 8:30 in the morning and I hadn't had a break all day.

Our friends Melissa and Sanal stopped by to visit and see the babies tonight too. :)

Getting So Big

I love, love, love coming home after a rough day and seeing my kids. They definitely make a bad day better. Motherhood is such a blessing and I am so thankful for having this gift.

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I heard Kevin start laughing out in the living room. Apparently, Bryce found out that he could put his feet in his mouth!

Bryce and Kayla are still eating their cereal once in the evenings.

They've been sleeping pretty well through the night, too. Kayla hasn't been waking us up the past three nights. Bryce, on the other hand, has been. I think it's mostly because he doesn't feel well. We'll put him in bed with us and he'll go right back to sleep. Kayla was the one doing that for a while. Here's Bryce at bedtime:

I was holding Kayla tonight and she kept trying to stand so I stood her up on the floor. I leaned her up against my legs and she stood up for a few seconds!

Bryce is still trying to crawl. In the meantime, he's rolling all over the living room floor. At one point, I looked over and he was pulling on the sheet covering the couch.

Another time, he was pulling on my laptop stand.

Kayla was wearing her K-State onesie with her new pants so I had to take a picture of that too.

Love,
C, K, B, and K2

Many Visits to the Doctor

We saw Dr. Readinger on Monday to check on Bryce's cold and ear infection. His cough was getting better and his ear infection had cleared up. He was diagnosed with bronchitis - most cases are caused by viruses and get better with time. Nevertheless, the doctor said to call back on Thursday if it hadn't gotten better. Bryce's cough didn't get better. In fact, it got worse. We called and got him in today at 10:00. Kevin took him since I had to work. His ear infection is coming back so he's getting more antibiotics. They drew blood make sure he didn't have anything serious. They drew blood from his heel but they weren't able to get enough so they had to get it from his thumb. The thought of them hurting my baby sickens me! I wish I had been there to comfort him. He has a bad virus in his lungs; the doctor didn't tell us which one. I feel helpless not knowing what virus his little body is fighting.

Kayla has been having a rough few days also. She has been fussy and crying about 90% of the time. She's been throwing up, too, so he prescribed her some Prevacid. We're halfing a pill and putting it in her rice cereal in the evenings.

We got Bryce's high chair in yesterday so they were both able to eat their cereal simultaneously for the first time tonight! Bryce ate most of his portion and Kayla started crying after about five bites.

I have been pondering some things. I have thought about raising the kids as vegetarians but Kevin is opposed to the idea. According to him, it's "not good for them." He can't tell me why though. I want to find an SDA church home and start going with the kids. Kevin isn't a Christian, so he won't be going. Bryce is fussing so I have to go.

Good night :)

5 Months!

Bryce and Kayla are 5 months old today. :) We spent the morning at the pediatrician's office following up on Bryce's ear infection and cough. He did well on the amoxicillin...no allergic reactions! His ear infection has cleared up but now he has bronchitis. Most bronchitis infections are viral so the doctor wanted to see if it would run its course. If not, I need to call him back to get antibiotics. Kayla has been really fussy so I had him check her out, too, to make sure she didn't have an ear infection as well. She got a good bill of health.

Rough weight (with clothes and diapers on):

Bryce: 13 lbs. 1 oz.
Kayla: 12 lbs. 15 oz.

The babies got their first real bites of rice cereal last night...SUCCESS! (We tried again tonight and they didn't do as well, but I'll take what I can get.) They seemed a little shocked at first but then they both started opening up their mouths for more. I split 1 T. cereal with ~3 T. formula between the two of them and they almost polished off the whole amount.

By the way...the "junk" in the background is stuff that needs to be taken to be recycled. We bought this space saver high chair to try it out and we just ordered another one for Bryce tonight. These high chairs convert to booster seats, so they are more practical and will save us money in the long run. Besides, they will be easier to transport on trips than a full high chair.

Bryce

Kayla

Bryce has become a rolly polly. He can't crawl yet (although he's trying hard) so he rolls around. I looked away for a second and I found him all the way over by the fireplace. It has since been padded with foam!

Kayla is so strong. She is great at sitting and lately, she's been putting a lot of weight on her legs.

Bryce is now wiggling himself out of his own clothes! Silly boy.

Work starts back tomorrow so I better get a little sleep.

Three Day Weekend

A three day weekend is coming up for the kids and I for Martin Luther King Day. Kevin still has to work. Bryce has a follow up doctor appointment on Monday to check on his ear infection and cough. The doctor wanted to check to make sure it was going away because if not, it could be asthma.

Kayla update - Kayla belly laughed last night. She's been laughing when we hold her up over our heads but last night, Kevin had her in his lap watching tv and she was full blown belly laughing at something for a while. It was so cute! We never could figure out what she was laughing at. She has been in size 2 diapers for about a week now. She can still fit into a newborn outfit (green and pink), but the pants have turned into shorts.

Bryce update - Bryce is a little in between size 1 and size 2 so we're trying to finish up the size 1. He is so skinny! We have several pairs of 0-3 size pants but they still fall off of him. He still has a couple of newborn outfits (the "center of mommy's universe" and "homegrown perfection" that he can still wear but the pants look like shorts now. I love the outfits though. :)

They are still having a little trouble sleeping through the night. Kayla wakes up four to five hours after her last feeding. Normally, we're able to lay her next to me on her side and she goes back to sleep for another three hours. Bryce falls asleep that way too. I love snuggling with my babies. :)

Rhino Virus Attacks Again!

The wonderful human being who discovers the cure for the common cold is going to be filthy rich! Since the kids were born, the kids have had two colds, and Kevin and I have had one every month (or so it seems.) It's rough taking care of two infants when both of the parents are sick. I missed my friend's wedding shower tonight because we're all sick. Bummer. :(

B update: Bryce is still trying to crawl. He has gotten to the point where he grabs the blanket (he's laying on) and pulls himself forward. He gets so frustrated that he rolls himself around. B wants to move so bad! He is starting to put weight on his legs! He sits well in the recliners but is a little off balance and falls over. As he was rolling around on the floor last night, he grabbed one of his socks and tried to crawl with it. He seems to pronounce vowels in the form of words.

K update: Kayla still hasn't rolled over yet or tried to crawl. She seems to need more attention than B and she'll cry and fuss until we pick her up. Then she's all smiles. She sits very well when we sit her in our recliners. She doesn't tend to fall over quite like Bryce. She babbles in undistinguishable words. It's more babbling or cooing still.

A New Milestone for Bryce

Bryce started lifting his legs up in the air and grabbing his feet last night...so cute! He's hilarious.

Kayla sometimes sleeps with her hand over her face.

First Day Back to Work

Bryce was up most of the night crying so we put him in the co-sleeper bed in between us. He was still up every hour. This made for a rough day at work, even though we had no students there and I wasn't even there all day. When I got to work, I called Dr. Readinger's office about Bryce's runny nose and sleeping a lot so they scheduled an appointment for 1:40. I took him in and the doctor had to take a curette to clean the wax out of his ears so he could see the ear canal. His right ear had fluid in it. Nice...his first ear infection at four months old. Poor guy; no wonder he's been miserable. We got a prescription for amoxicillin so we'll start that tonight.

I talked to the doctor a little more about solid foods while I was there. We've tried giving them rice cereal three different times now and they started to cry everytime. He thought maybe they didn't like it, so he suggested getting them started on vegetables. I'm still hesitant about starting them this early since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting solid foods closer to six months because their digestive systems are more equipped to digest the food better. I plan on making our own baby food because it will be healthier, and hopefully smell better than the junk in the jars. I still haven't decided whether or not I want the kids to be meat-eaters or vegetarians. Vegetarianism is a healthier lifestyle and I want them to be healthier than I am. Kevin and I are still debating so we'll see.

The Break is Over...

Well, after a very quick two weeks off for Christmas, I go back to work tomorrow. The kids don't go back until Tuesday, but nevertheless, I'm still away from my own. This seems to get more difficult after every long break.

Here are a few updates: Kayla started sucking on her bottom lip yesterday, like I did when I was younger. Maybe she's just teething. She is drooling a lot and sticking her fingers/fists into her mouth. The picture below is of her sucking on her bottom lip.

Bryce is sticking his fingers/fists into his mouth, also, so he is probably in the early stages of teething as well. Bryce slept a lot today, more than normal. I'm hoping this is just a teething symptom and not illness. He has a runny nose, but no fever. I'll keep an eye on him. He discovered his feet yesterday, also. He's been grabbing them when we sit him up. It's so cute. He and Kayla laugh when we hold them up above us. They are both drinking about six ounces of water, with less than half being formula. We give them a little extra water to help with constipation. I prefer this over juice as long as it helps. They are still on Similac Sensitive - concentrated liquid and powder, and using Huggies and Pampers diapers. Pampers worked better at first, but Huggies has become the new favorite, at least for now.

We finally got the nursery put together since they've been sleeping in our room until this month. Pictures are below:

The kids had a nice nap with Daddy today. They all looked so cute so I had to take a picture:

Charla

Happy New Year!

My new year's resolutions are: 1) keep up with this blog on a regular basis, 2) simplify and get rid of "unnecessary" things cluttering up our lives, 3) focus more on relationships with people and less on money and tangible things, 4) be more positive, 5) become more healthy, and 6) save money so we can get our new house built and have more room for the kids and dogs.

I have been seriously thinking about being a stay at home mom after the end of this school year. Since Bryce and Kayla are probably going to be the only two kids we are ever going to have, I want to spend as much time with them as possible. On the down side, I bring in about 1/3 of our household income so a job loss would be a huge blow. We would have to really cut back on a lot of things. I do like my job. I enjoy that no day is ever the same and that I have a break from being at home. However, by the time I get off work, pick up the kids, drive home, eat dinner, get them ready for bed, I have had no time to spend with Kevin or them. My working seems to take away time from our family and it has started to take a toll on all of us. We will have to do a lot of praying about this before a decision is made.

Bryce and Kayla are still doing well. We all made our first family trip yesterday to our favorite restaurant...Taste of Asia on Bryant Irvin. We found a good place for them while we eat. Their car seats fit perfectly in between the booth and the table.

Daddy with Kayla

Mommy with Bryce

They both seem to be sleeping a lot more than they used to. Bryce acts like he's got a cold. He's coughing a lot and he has a runny nose. He still has a lot of energy, though, when he's awake.

The doctor and my mom have both recommended that we try rice cereal with Bryce and Kayla. We've tried it a few times and they strongly protest through crying and screaming. We still have until six months to get them started so no rush. I ordered a space saver high chair through Amazon yesterday. We were going to try it out before we got another one. Having twins is expensive so we try to only get one of something and let them share, until we decide that they both need one. For now, we only have one Bumbo seat, one jumperoo, and one swing. We have done pretty well with switching them out.

I'll update more soon.

Four Months

Bryce and Kayla turned four months old on December 17th. Our wedding anniversary was on the same day so my parents kept them for the weekend. Kevin surprised me with a trip to the Center for Animal Research and Education in Bridgeport, Texas. It was an awesome surprise and a nice change from the same ol' same ol' dinner and movie dates we've had in the past.

The twins are doing well. They have been in size one diapers for about two months are still in 0-3 month clothing for the most part. Most 3-6 month outfits are still too long for them. Bryce has some 0-3 month blue jeans that are still way too big for him and they fall off with every kick. We have a dresser with one side for Kayla and the other side for Bryce. One drawer is for 0-3 month, the next is 3-6, and then 6-9 month.

They started sleeping in their own room on December 7th and sleeping 5-6 hours a night. On Christmas Eve and Christmas, they slept throughout the night! They haven't done it since then. Kayla seems to wake up because mom and dad aren't with her and then Bryce wakes up because he's alone. The past couple of nights, we've put them in the co-sleepers in our bed and they were able to sleep a little longer.

Our last doctor visit was on December 20th and Bryce was 23.5 inches long, 11 lbs., 9 oz. and Kayla was 22.75 inches long, 11 lbs., 10 oz. They are both in the 5th percentile, approximately for height and weight. Bryce did pretty well with his shots. He cried for a couple of seconds, saw Daddy and then started smiling. Kayla cried and held her breath for a while. She continued crying until we started walking out with them. The doctor suggested starting them on rice cereal. We tried it a couple of times but neither of them were ready. Everything that I have read said to wait on feeding them cereal until closer to six months.

Milestones for Bryce this month: coos, smiles and giggles, rolls over from tummy to back and back to tummy, kicks his feet in an effort to crawl, pushes up on his hands and elbows when on his tummy, puts EVERYTHING in his mouth (even tried sucking on Daddy's nose once), holds his head up even with his body, smiles when Mommy sings, loves baths, loves being held up above us, and grabs toys/pacifiers. He is a happy and laid back baby. He seems to only get mad when he's hungry or wet. He gets bored VERY easily. He has to be moving or doing something constantly.

Milestones for Kayla this month: babbles a lot, smiles and giggles when Mommy says "I love you", loves "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Silent Night", holds head up even with her body, pushes up on elbows and hands when on her tummy, loves to sit up next to Mommy and Daddy or in the Bumbo seat, is fascinated by the lights on tv, loves the swing, watches when Mommy or Daddy walk by her, turns her head towards sounds (vacuum in particular), reaches out to be picked up, could care less about getting baths, points at everything, and sucks on her fingers. She sleeps and fusses a lot when not being held.

We went over to my parents' house for Christmas. The kids had more gifts than I was expecting. I didn't even think about having to open presents for two babies. They got a jumperoo and baby laptops from us. They love the jumperoo, even though they don't reach the floor just yet on the lowest setting. The box we put underneath works great. My grandmother gave them piggy banks and we put some money in there for them. They got a couple of lullaby CDs and a sea turtle night light that they seem to like.

Here are Christmas pictures:

Nearly 4 Months

I know, I know. I haven't been good about updating the blog. In the past month, we've all been sick twice and still are. We took the kids to the hospital for a stomach virus last month and this past Sunday, we took Kayla to the doctor to make sure she didn't have an ear infection. She's been really fussy and stopped up. Luckily, she just has an upper respiratory infection, which should clear up on its own.

Bryce has started rolling over. He has rolled over from back to tummy and tummy to back. Kayla hasn't yet. They're both "talking" a lot, though. We went to Kansas right before Thanksgiving and Kayla discovered the Braums sign. She nearly broke her neck trying to look at it. She loved it. Bryce and Kayla are both holding their heads up pretty well. Bryce seems like he's getting annoyed that he can't move around. They're both eating between four and five ounces. We switched to Similac Sensitive and they're not constipated anymore. Bryce is now pushing himself off the ground with his arms...funny boy. They've been going between five and six hours between feedings at night now. Bryce can usually go a little longer than Kayla. They're still sleeping in the bedroom with me on co-sleepers and Kevin sleeps in the nursery on an air mattress. We'll probably put them in their nursery in the next few days.

Work has been hectic to say the least. There is so much to be done and not enough time. We have been strongly encouraged to get ESL certified before the end of the year. I'm still behind on professional development that I missed out on while I was in the hospital having Bryce and Kayla. I have to get this done before my next days off so I don't get docked those days.

Kevin put up the Christmas tree the weekend of Thanksgiving and I decorated it. We haven't put up Christmas decorations since we've been together. That's all I have for now. I'll try to make time to update more often.

Back to the Grind...

I started back to work on October 13th. I thought it would be harder than it actually was. I was happy to be back. Staying at home with Kayla and Bryce for 18 hours a day had taken its toll after the second week so I needed a break. I love them, of course, but I also need time for myself. Sadly, work is my "me" time. I am happy to be back, though. My mom is keeping them during the day while I am at work and I'll take them to daycare on the days that she can't take them or needs a break, and then my Grandmother takes them on Fridays. I feel very blessed to have family nearby who can help out.

Things at home seem to be getting easier. It has taken a while but we're finally fitting into some sort of routine that works. The babies are still eating about every 3 hours during the day and about every 4 hours at night. I'm learning to multitask and manage my time better. I haven't had to bring anything home to grade, which is nice. All of my extra time at work is devoted to getting grades done, contacting parents, and making assignments so that I don't have to do any of it at home. I have made a "work stays at work" rule this year so that I can enjoy being at home with the kids.

Since I last wrote, the kids had their 2 month checkup. They did great and they had their vaccines, which apparently they weren't so fond of. Kevin took them to the doctor that day since it was on October 18th, only a few days after I started back to work. Part of me is glad that I wasn't there because it tears me up to see them cry. At their 2 month check up, Bryce was at 9 lbs and Kayla was at 8 lbs 11 oz without their diapers. Kevin took them back to the doctor on Friday because they're still constipated. Their weights were up to 9 lbs 12 oz for Bryce and 9 lbs 4 oz for Kayla, with diaper. Kayla has seemed to lag behind Bryce more than she did at first. The doctor told us to stop doing the Karo syrup and start them on 2 oz of apple juice twice a day in between feedings and then he changed their formula to Similac Sensitive. We'll see if it helps. So far, I haven't seen much of a change. I know that I shouldn't, but I do feel guilty and like a bad mother for not being able to breastfeed and give them the nutrients they need to help their stomach. This just kills me knowing that they're going through all of this and I am at the mercy of the doctor. Both of them have been really fussy lately and Bryce will scream at the top of his longs for an hour straight. Kayla spits up a lot. It has been better, though, since we changed the formula. Hopefully things start turning around for them.

Charla

At last we have a smile!

Kayla has smiled before but it was in her sleep. Today, I smiled at her and she smiled back!!! I have waited so long for this. My heart melted when she did that!

Daycare

I will be going back to work on October 13th. My mom is watching them a couple of days a week so I need someone to keep them for the rest of the week. Kevin will most likely watch them on Fridays. For the other part of the week, they will go to daycare. I enrolled the kids in the BISD District Daycare, Site 1 and they had a trial run yesterday while I cleaned house and took a nap. I must be stronger than I thought because I didn't cry. Maybe because the daycare is part of my school district or because everybody that I work with who uses them raves about how good they are. The kids are still so young that they don't totally know what is going on so they don't cry or reach for me when I turn to leave. It is still difficult leaving them with anyone and every second they are away from me, I miss them. Going back to work and being away from them all day everyday will be the hard part. I don't want to miss their important milestones...first smile, laugh, etc.

Milestone since my last post...Bryce rolled over from his tummy to his back on September 25th. He kicks those legs so hard! He and Kayla both are incredibly strong. No wonder it hurt so much when they kicked me while I was pregnant.

Kayla has been a little fussy the past three days. She cries until we pick her up or give her a pacifier. She never did that much before. Luckily, Bryce was the fussy one for a while and he has gotten better which makes me more available for Kayla when she needs me to hold her. Things seem to be settling down a little more here at home. We are figuring out a routine that works for us and I am actually getting some things done around here. Although, they are done in little segments of time, they still get done and that is all that matters. It is still rough not getting more than four to five hours of sleep a night. I am looking forward to the nights when they can sleep more than two or three hours at a time. It will be another month or two before that happens because they were so tiny when they were born.

Kevin has been at a training for work in Richardson yesterday and today so he isn't getting home until 7 or so. I hate that he has to spend three plus hours a day driving, and on very little sleep. I've been trying to let him sleep in as late as possible but still allow me a couple of hours of sleep before he leaves. Luckily, this is the last day to go. Next week should be back to "normal" if we even know what normalcy is anymore.

I have to say...this parenting thing is nothing like I had ever imagined. Your meals, showers, bathroom breaks, and everything else about your daily life revolves around your child/children's schedule. You know you're a parent when you can do all of this and be perfectly content. I never understood this all until now. I would do anything in the world for them. Indeed...it is the hardest, but most rewarding job in the world; one that I would choose again in a heartbeat!

6 Weeks (on 9-28-10)

I can't believe Kayla and Bryce are already six weeks old! It seems like just yesterday Kevin and I were walking into the hospital alone for our cesarean. This has been such a life changing experience for us. Things are crazy most of the time but I wouldn't change it for the world. Both babies are drinking about three ounces every two and a half to three hours. Last Monday Kevin's mom and brother came down from Kansas to visit and help out with the babies. On Monday night, Bryce cried nearly the whole night. I called the doctor and made an appointment. One of the other doctors diagnosed Bryce with reflux and prescribed him Zantac liquid twice a day. Kayla was spitting up a lot too so we took her in a few days later. Our normal doctor gave Kayla some Prevacid to be dissolved in water. They have both been constipated for a couple of weeks, too, so we started giving them Karo syrup in their bottles a couple of times a day. That, along with the reflux medication, seems to be helping.

Kayla and Bryce both lost their umbilical cords within the first two weeks of us being home. Bryce rolled over from his belly to his back on Saturday. Everyone says the babies aren't supposed to sleep on their tummies but that seems to be the only position they prefer, especially Kayla. I will not let them sleep on their tummies without me being awake and watching them though. We got a new play yard this week! Kevin's mom brought it down with her so we're using it out in the living room. Kevin and I are sleeping in shifts now. Otherwise, we don't get much sleep. Right now, Kevin sleeps from about 6 or 7 until midnight or 1 a.m. and I sleep from then until about 6 or 7. It seems to be the only thing that allows us to get a decent amount of rest. The hard part is spending time together and getting things done around the house. When you're by yourself, it takes an hour to feed, burp, and change both of them. If you're able to get them to go directly back to sleep, you have an hour and a half to two hours to do something around the house. It takes hours to watch a one hour tv show because we have to keep pausing it if they start crying (mainly Bryce who screams at the top of his lungs.)

Before we figured out the constipation issue, we had been having a rough week. Bryce and Kayla both were fussy and crying quite a bit. I started taking Reglan to increase my milk production on September 14th. By the 16th, I was jittery, anxious, and starting to feel depressed. I was completely exhausted, too, and I felt like I couldn't hold the babies without dropping them. I called the doctor and they called in an antidepressant and ordered a lot of sleep. I called Amie, my cousin, to take them for the weekend so Kevin and I both could get some sleep. Luckily she was willing to help out and drove the hour to come get them. I thought the sleep would help but it didn't. It seemed to get worse. On the way to pick up Kayla and Bryce, I thought about the Reglan. I wondered if what I was feeling was side effects of the medication. I looked them up on the internet and sure enough, everything I was feeling was indeed a side effect of the medication. I stopped taking the Reglan and the Lexapro (antidepressant) and within 24 hours, I was back to normal!

We had our first professional pictures of the kids done on Friday. They look adorable.

Love,
Charla, Kevin, Kayla, and Bryce

Kayla and Bryce: 2 Weeks!

Kayla and Bryce are two weeks old today. It's hard to believe. They had their check up with Dr. Readinger and both of them exceeded their weight goals! Bryce now weighs 5 lbs. 7 oz. and Kayla weighs 5 lbs. 5 oz. They gained 7 oz. since Thursday and they are now 2 oz. above their birth weights. Bryce's umbilical cord fell off yesterday. Kayla's fell off on the 25th and Bryce's circumcsion ring fell off on the 24th. They had their 2nd newborn screening today. I hate seeing them in pain. Kayla did a little better than Bryce. She stopped crying at the last blood spot. Bryce, on the other hand, cried for a while after he was done. The technician had to prick his heel twice because he wasn't bleeding very well. Poor baby. It broke my heart. His whole heel is now bruised because the tech squeezed so hard. :(

I picked up my FMLA paperwork from Dr. Bradford today and she gave me 8 weeks to heal before going back to work. I know it's less money for us, but it's more time I get to spend with Kayla and Bryce.

Feeding them every 3 hours is exhausting. It seems to bother Kevin a little more than it bothers me. He went to work one day last week and he's planning on going in a few days here and there. This week, he'll go in on Wednesday and Thursday. We're still not sure what we're going to when I return to work but we're looking at options. My mom offered to take them 3-4 days a week and Kevin can take them on Fridays and another day if he needs to. Luckily, the district daycare offers drop ins at $35 a day. It's not cheap, but it is an option if something comes up and my mom or Kevin can't watch them.

Being on bed rest for the last two months of my pregnancy took its toll on us. There are so many things that need to be done around the house. By the time we take care of their needs, we're too exhausted to do anything else. We're even too exhausted to make food or even eat for that matter. I called and asked my mom yesterday if she could come over and help out this week while Kevin was at work. I also asked if she would bring over food. She said yes, thankfully. Hopefully, I will have a chance to straighten up and clean around here a little bit.

I am healing pretty well. I had an enormous amount of swelling in my lower abdomen for the last 3-4 months of pregnancy. To allow for drainage, Dr. Bradford used staples instead of stitches. The staples were removed on Saturday, August 21st, the day before I went home. It didn't hurt near as bad as I thought it would. At least until the staple remover got caught on one of the staples. The nurse had to get another staple remover to remove the one that got stuck. Then, she put steri strips over the incision as a precautionary measure. I peeled those off this previous Saturday, August 28th. The burning in my abdomen isn't as bad as it was at first. I haven't had to take the harder pain medications since I've been home. Ibuprofen 800 mg seems to work just fine, and even those I haven't had in a couple of days. My abdominal muscles are coming back, too! I wasn't allowed to use those for a while. I had to use only my arms to get up out of bed. For the first week, I couldn't roll over on either side so I just basically twirled myself around on my back and oozed myself out of bed. Finally, when I got back home, I was able to lay on my side again.

The swelling in my abdomen and face have gone down considerably. It looks like I lost 10 pounds out of my face alone. As of yesterday, I am officially back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I still have some swelling to lose, but once I lose that, I will end up weighing less than I was when I got pregnant. I still have congestion but I can't take anything because decongestants raise blood pressure. I can't get my allergy shots, either, because I'm taking beta blockers to lower my crazy blood pressure.

The diabetes is completely gone! I was switched to solid foods after two days in the hospital and my blood sugar was checked throughout the day. I wasn't on insulin the entire time I was there but they had to monitor me to make sure I didn't need any. My blood pressure was normal for the first couple of days, too, so we thought that had resolved also. Unfortunately, on Thursday night and Friday, it started creeping back up. That was when Dr. Bradford ordered the blood pressure meds. My blood pressure was in the normal range when I saw Dr. Bradford last Thursday. Hopefully, we can stay this low so she can take me off the meds.

That's all for now,
Charla

First Week Home

The first few days home have been rough to say the least. It has been tough adjusting to the concept of being a mom and a partner in a larger family. This was my opportunity to bond with Kayla and Bryce, and to settle into a routine. As usual, things didn't go as planned. Kevin's mom had been staying at the house since the day they were born. We were butting heads back when I was in the hospital and it progressed when I came home. It has made this transition even more difficult.

On Monday, we were at the pediatrician's office because Bryce had pus coming out of his circumcision site. The doctor said everthing looked fine and he had actually started healing sooner than expected. His plastic ring fell off on Tuesday! On Wednesday, Kevin's mom went to a hotel and Kevin went to work, which left the kids and I alone. Everything went well and I felt like I bonded with them, as I had wanted to. Kayla's umbilical cord fell off! I love them so much. Going back to work is going to be hard. I wish I didn't have to go back. Kevin said he missed them, too, while he was at work.

Today, Thursday, I had another check up with the OB. My blood pressure is staying low and I have a follow up in about two weeks. The kids went to the pedatrician to have a weight check. Bryce is back up to 5 lbs. and Kayla is up to 4 lbs. 14 oz. so they gained 3 oz. since Monday. They are right on track with where the doctor wanted them to be!

That's all for now. I'll post more later.

Birth Day and First Few Days in Hospital

WOW! What a week! Our cesarean was originally planned for Friday, August 20th. On Sunday, August 15th, I noticed that I wasn't urinating as much. I had an appointment with Dr. Howard on Monday so I figured I would just let him know. When I told him about it, he said that I needed to contact my doctor and let her know. His suggestion was to go ahead and deliver them. When I got home, I called Dr. Bradford. She said that her first inclination was to go ahead and deliver them but she wanted to talk to Dr. Howard first. After she called Dr. Howard, she called me back and said to pack my bags because we were delivering at 7:15 on Tuesday morning.

We made it to the hospital at 4:30 a.m. and they attempted to hook me up to the monitors. The nurses had trouble getting the babies on the monitors so they called Dr. Bradford at home. She came up to the hospital and hooked me up to the monitors herself. It took, overall, about an hour and a half to get the monitors to pick up their heartbeats. A nurse anethesist came by the room about half an hour before the surgery and got information from me. At promptly 7:15, the nurses wheeled me into the operating room for surgery. I moved myself onto the cart and I was told to sit on the side and put my legs up on a stool so they could do the spinal block. I leaned on the nurse's shoulders while they gave me a topical anisthetic. There was more discomfort than pain. I was expecting more. It felt like I was having acupuncture because it felt like electricity shooting down my spine and legs.

When she was finished, they had me quickly lay down on my back. I felt nauseated so they gave me some medication to help soothe me. The curtain was put up and the nurses asked what the babies' names were. I said, "Kayla and Bryce". When I looked to my left, I saw Kevin and my mom enter the room. Kevin sat down beside me and grabbed my hand. I was shaking from the medicine. I started feeling nauseated so the nurse gave me more meds. I felt the lifting of my belly as they prepared me. Then they used tape to hold it in place. The nurse next to me let me know when they made the incision. I was so nervous, but excited. It seemed like time flew. The next thing I know, one of the surgical team said, "here's Bryce" and held him up above the curtain. He was screaming and flailing about. I had tears in my eyes and it became hard to breathe. I was so happy. Then I heard everyone in the room say "awwwww". When I asked what happened, the nurse said Bryce had crossed one of his legs over the other.

Only a minute later, at 8:05 a.m., I heard another loud cry. It was Kayla and she wasn't even fully out of the womb yet. I looked up at my mom and saw that her eyes were red. It was nice to know I wasn't the only emotional one in the room. I sent Kevin over to look at the babies to make sure they both were healthy. He came back over and said they looked great. I was relieved. While Kevin and my mom were looking at the babies, I threw up. This was one of my fears but the nurse stuck a suction tube in my mouth to take care of it. My blood pressure had gotten low in the meantime. I was still shaking and my teeth were chattering throughout the whole surgery. It felt like the room was freezing. I had two blankets on my chest but they didn't help. Finally, the doctor closed up the incision and the drape was taken down.

The nurses used a board to move me from the operating table back to my hospital bed. I still couldn't move my legs at this point. Kayla and Bryce were placed in between my legs and we were wheeled back to the labor and delivery room where I started. My dad was waiting in the room. The nurses tested Kayla and Bryce's blood sugar. Bryce's was a little low but not too bad. Kayla's was in the 40's so the nurse had to bottle feed her immediately to get her sugar up. One of the nurses asked if I was able to breastfeed but my teeth were still chattering and I was exhausted so I said no. Over the next couple of hours, I was in and out of sleep. I could still hear some things going on around me at the same time. When I finally woke up, I had stopped shaking. The first thing I saw was Kevin holding one of the babies. He seemed to be mesmerized by them. I fell in love with him all over again. Since I was awake, my mom handed me one of the babies, and then the other one. I loved them immediately.

After a couple of hours, the nursing staff wheeled me up to the postpartum floor. I was still falling asleep but I remember the nurse saying that Kayla was cold so they rushed her off to the warmer. Poor Kayla. She had low blood sugar and now she was cold. I felt so bad for her. While Kayla was in the warmer, the lactation consultant came by and worked with me on getting Bryce to latch on. I was still so exhausted that I was falling asleep throughout the whole feeding.

I had a total of an hour and a half sleep the night before the surgery and maybe another hour throughout the rest of the day. That night, Kevin stayed with me at the hospital and we both took care of them. It was exhausting. I probably got another hour of sleep, along with Kevin. The next night, I didn't sleep at all. These first couple of days, my blood pressure had seemed to drop. On Thursday, my blood pressure started to creep up. By Friday, it was in the 150's over 90's. On Friday night and Saturday, it had elevated to 180/110. I was dizzy, nauseated, and I had a headache. The doctor started me on blood pressure medication again. On Sunday, we finally got to go home. Kayla had explosive vomiting as we were getting ready so we thought we would end up staying another day.

We have been so blessed!

36 weeks: We have a date!

I saw Dr. Bradford yesterday. Everything looks great with the babies. I have had itching just about on every part of my body since Tuesday. Showers and baths seem to help but of course, I'm not a fish so I can't stay in the water all day. I've drowned myself in baby oil and every kind of lotion I can find but nothing lasts long. My eyelids even itch! Because of the itching, the doc ordered a blood test to check on my liver function. Everything came back normal. The only conclusion now is either dry skin, allergies, or hormones. I guess it could be a combination of all three. It isn't pleasant at all, though. Stretch marks have spread in a week! My whole stomach is nearly covered in them and boy do they itch. Once again, nothing helps for more than five minutes. The doctor just said I'll have to deal with it until the birth. I'm going to go crazy.

Speaking of birth, we planned a cesarean date. Since 37 weeks is considered full term, we set up the cesarean for Friday, August 20th at 7:15 a.m. We have to be there at 4:15 and we can't be late. I can't eat, drink, or chew gum for at least 8 hours prior to the surgery. Urgh...that is going to be a rough morning. Maybe I'll be too nervous to notice the hunger and thirst. The doctor gave me a rundown of everything to expect. I will check in, hooked up to an IV and monitors, I'll meet the anesthesiologist and nurses, and they will go over my medical history. Then, they'll take me to the operating room and prep me for surgery. The doc will put tape over my belly to lift it up so she can make an incision in the right spot and a nurse will put a sheet below my neck to separate me from the surgery. I am allowed to have two support people there, so my mom and Kevin will both be in the room with me. Mom will be taking video and Kevin will be taking pictures. If the babies are taken out of the room, I asked Kevin to go with them. Mom will probably stay behind to support me unless the babies go to different places. There is going to be an army of medical personnel in the room! Without the actual baby team, there will be 9 people there, including me and my support people. Each baby team includes 3 medical people, so add 6 to that 9. There will be a total of 15 people in the room! Wow! It's going to be a party in there. I have to say that I am excited.

I can't wait to meet these mysterious little creatures who have been moving around in and distorting my belly for several months now. It's amazing that I haven't even met them yet and I already love them more than anything. I am a little nervous that these little tiny people are going to be ours and will rely on us for everything for a while. It's incredible to think that one week from today, our family will go from two to four! We are going to be parents in a mere 7 days. Wow!!!!!

Here are some of my last pregnancy shots at 35 weeks:

Love,
Charla, Kevin, and Babies

Progress

I saw the Nurse Practitioner on Thursday. Everything looks good. She did a cervical exam and I'm already 75% effaced (thinning of the cervix) and 2 cm dilated. She asked what I was at the last exam but I hadn't had an exam before that. The doctor performed an FFN test about 4 weeks ago and my cervix was closed. I know that some women, at 2 cm, can go weeks without delivering. I don't know how long I've been this way so it could be days or two weeks before I deliver. Since the boy is already head down, we're waiting on the girl to turn. If she doesn't turn around, we'll have to do a cesarean. It's all up to her now.

Sunday, August 8th - I had a rough weekend. The pain in my pelvis and back are a lot more intense. I've been nauseated for about the past week and I've had some cramping on and off too. I haven't really felt conractions yet. I have had some tightening of my belly, though, but it seems to occur when the babies change position and "ball  up" to one side. This morning I woke up and did not feel the babies move at all. They usually move when I wake up and at night before I go to bed. I hadn't felt anything in about 14 hours. Since these guys normally move a lot, I was worried, in addition to the increase in pelvic and back pain. We went up to Maternal Observation to make sure. As soon as the nurse put the monitors on, they started moving...a lot. They didn't pick up any contractions, which is good. She did another cervical exam. I was holding Kevin's hand at one point and it hurt so bad that I dug into his skin with my nails. I had no idea it was going to hurt that bad. It didn't hurt when the NP did it. Uncomfortable, yes, but painful, no. I refuse to let anyone else do an exam like that on me. The odd part is that when the nurse knew it hurt, she seemed to be even more forceful. This nurse said that my "outer cervix" was dilated a little but the "inner cervix" was still closed. That's not what the NP told me yesterday so I'll have to verify it with Dr. Bradford the next time I see her.

I am completely miserable at this point. I've been congested since the middle of July and it's hard to hear anything. Unfortunately, I can't get a decongestant because they increase blood pressure. Just my luck! I'm in pain too. It hurts to walk, sit, and lay down. I can't get comfortable anywhere. I have an appointment with Dr. Howard on Tuesday and I see Dr. Bradford on Thursday. I am tempted to call Dr. Bradford to schedule a c-section. The baby girl still isn't head down, so it's not advisable to do a vaginal delivery in case she still doesn't turn after the boy is delivered. I'm praying that God gives me patience here. I only have a week and a half left. Hopefully I can make it.

XOXO,
Charla, Kevin and babies

34 Weeks 6 Days

Yesterday was Kevin's 34th birthday. He was a mere 28 when we met. To celebrate, we had a coupon for The Keg Steakhouse, so we ordered some food from there. I love their steaks and mushrooms! Kevin took the day off because I was having what seemed like round ligament and lower back pain, along with contractions. Kevin drew me a bath and the pain subsided. He was afraid I was going to go into labor while he was at work, so he just stayed home. I haven't had any pain or contractions since then.

I am definitely at the miserable point now, or past it anyway. Since the doctor put me on blood pressure medication, I had to stop taking my allergy shots. I'm paying for it now. I've been congested for about two weeks now and my hearing is muffled. I don't know what medication I can take but I need to find something because I would like to be able to hear the babies' first cries when they arrive. Since the doctor won't let me go for longer than 37 weeks, we have, at most, 15 days left. I don't know whether to be excited or scared.

People have told me that the babies don't move as much the further along you get. These guys haven't backed down much. The past few days have been very eventful for them. They are transforming my tummy into all sorts of shapes. The girl is gearing up for a career in the circus and the boy is shooting to be a soccer player. I called Dr. Bradford's office yesterday to make an appointment and they told me that she was on vacation. Hopefully the babies will hang on until she gets back. I'm sure they will. They seemed quite content inside my belly at our last appointment.

NAMES!
We have our names...well, first names anyway. We're still debating on middle names. My aunt Sheri and uncle Kevin were smart about this one. They didn't tell anyone Connor's name until he was born. Good idea. I started out mentioning the names we liked to people. Since people felt the need to give their opinions on every name I mentioned, I just stopped. I'm not going to let someone ruin the names we really like. For example, I loved the name Allison for a middle name. I mentioned it to my cousin Jodi and she nearly had a cow! Her twin sister and my cousin, Codi, has the same middle name so she was completely against it. I was bummed because Kevin and I both really liked the name and her reaction ruined it for me. So now when people ask, we tell them we don't know. On that note, I will not say what names we have picked out. I will just say that we have them picked out, or at least first names anyway. :)

That's all for now.
Charla and babies

Home Sweet Home: 34 weeks +

Dr. Bradford released me from jail the hospital at 11 p.m. on Friday. She was supposed to come by my room after lunch but by 9:30, we still hadn't seen or heard from her. I started to worry so I had one of the nurses page her. They updated me every few minutes, saying they still hadn't heard back from her and that Labor and Delivery couldn't get ahold of her either. Finallly, around 10:00, Dr. Bradford called the nurse back. She was in the middle of surgery so she was relaying messages through a surgical nurse. She said I could go home and that I needed to follow up with Dr. Howard (high risk doctor) on Monday and I should see her on Thursday. I called today to schedule my appointment with her but I was told she is on vacation this week. Gasp! What did she just say? My doctor is on vacation this close to me giving birth? Then, the nervousness set in. I hope the babies can hang in there for another week so a strange doctor doesn't have to deliver them.

I saw Dr. Howard today and both babies look WONDERFUL! Kevin has missed the past few of these BPP sonograms so I was happy when he said he could make it to this appointment. Both babies were moving like crazy. They were breathing well and hiccuping, which is a good exercise for their diaphragms. The boy is still in the cephalic, or head down, position with his body kind of flopped over hers. His arms were all over the place until he finally rested his left arm on top of his head. When the sonographer pushed on my belly, he did manage to push back at her. :) When it was time to see sister, he couldn't handle the fact that she was getting attention and not him. He put his bottom, male parts and all, and legs on top of her body and in her face. You could see her trying to push him out of the way. It was so hilarious. They're getting so big that we can see lips, eye sockets, noses, and even the chubby outlines of arms and legs. How awesome! We're almost there but I am so excited to see them. The good Lord sure is trying to teach me patience.

As far as my health goes, I am doing better. My blood pressure was below 130/80 at the doc's office today. Whew! I dodged going back into the hospital. Blood sugars and everything else are doing great. I threw up four times yesterday in about a half an hour's time. It worried me because it seemed like I wasn't keeping anything down. Kevin called the doctor's office and they told us to go to the hospital. Ironically, after they called back, the vomitting stopped. So I stayed home. I threw up again today...twice. My conclusion is that I started taking my meds in the morning instead of the evening. Prenatal vitamins are bad about causing nausea. Being congested doesn't help either. My ears have been stuffed up for the past two weeks. Kevin bought me some Benadryl to act as a decongestant. Hopefully this will work.

Babies should be here no later than August 19th, which will put me at 37 weeks. Hopefully they come a little sooner so I don't have to miss as much work. They seem to be doing quite well in there, though. He is ready to show himself but she seems to want to stay for a while longer. It doesn't look like she's planning on changing position anytime soon. If that is the case, we will have to have a cesarian. It's not ideal, but if that is what is best, I will do it.

Love,
Charla and babies