NICU Moments

The boys are doing so great! Today they're at 36 weeks gestation, and they're 6.5 weeks old. They still have a couple more weeks to go. The major thing they need to do is take every feeding from a bottle. A few days ago, we went to the NICU and discovered they didn't have feeding tubes in their noses! They'd taken every feeding that day via bottle. The tubes were put back in, though. Sucking on the nipples just wears them out. They'll get there, though...they're so close! They're about to grow out of their preemie clothes, too. They're already bigger than Arden was when she was born at 36 weeks...amazing!!

Grayson...no feeding tube! He weighs 5 lbs 13 oz.

Rogan...no feeding tube! He weighs 6 lbs 1 oz.

Grayson is red, Rogan in green

Whenever we bring Arden, we inevitably end up in the family room. She loves playing with everything in there!

Arden loves her baby brothers! I hope she feels the same way when they come home.

"Baby!"

They were still in their isolettes here. It feels like so long ago! Grayson is on his tummy, Rogan is on his back.

Big Sister!

I think we're both feeding Grayson.

Family!

A few weeks ago, we got to hold them both at the same time. We haven't done it since. I can't believe they're so much bigger than this now. I can't wait for them to come home. It'll feel like Christmas!

Pool Time!

The pool at our apartment opened a couple of months ago, but we waited until last week to take advantage of it. We went just before lunch. The water was so cold! We got used to it, though. I thought Arden would fuss about how cold it was, but she didn't. We stayed out there for about 30 minutes. It's a good thing, too, because I didn't have any sunscreen on and still ended up with tan lines!

Isn't her swimsuit the cutest?! I got it for $2.50 at Once Upon a Child.

Mother's Day

This year was my second official Mother's Day, and I have 3 kids! Crazy! I'd like to say the day was restful, but it wasn't. I took Arden to church all by my lonesome. I then fed her lunch, put her down for a nap, and arranged flowers for my mom, Mary Bernice, and Mayeth. No nap for me! We did have dinner at my mom's house, so I didn't have to cook....that was nice. Then we visited the boys at the NICU. We held them a long time, but we didn't get any pics. However, the boys (with the help of some nurses) made me the sweet card below. It made my day!

I'm grateful for all the mothers in my life. Happy Mother's Day!

The flowers I arranged for my mom.

A gift from Adam: My babies and their birthstones!

This necklace was made for me by a family support group at the NICU. It has all the birthstones of my kids. So sweet!

We're One Month Old!

I can't believe how quickly time flies...and yet it seems like it's standing still. Our boys are one month old today. Wow! They are doing so well! They've come a long way since the beginning. I'm so proud of them.

I was lucky enough to get to spend lots of time with them today. My lovely maw-in-law watched Arden nearly all day long. Here's how we celebrated: bath time!

The boys get their baths on Thursdays and Sundays. This was their second official bath, as in being placed in water. Fun times!

Grayson got his bath first. He was actually ok with it for the most part, although he seems upset in the upper right pic. He became very calm after I clothed him. I also got to bottle-feed him, but he was tuckered out after 15 mL. He fell sound asleep, sweet boy.

Rogan got his bath a couple hours later. Nurse Cathy actually took pics while I was bathing him. So sweet! Rogan was not thrilled with his bath at all. I think the water cooled down too much before he actually got in it. He was so happy when he was clothed, too. I then bottle-fed him, but he didn't take much at all. He wanted to sleep.

I will add a more detailed update later, but this is all I have time for at the moment. G'night!

Our Beautiful Girl

Our little Arden is 19 months old today and a big sister of twin boys! Considering the boys were born the day after she turned 18 months, I totally slacked in giving an 18-month update...so here it is!

Arden is 19 pounds (still off the chart but getting closer to the third percentile) and 29.75" long (5th percentile.) So she's still petite, but she's growing! The doctor says the rear-facing carseat is still safest, so that's what we'll keep her in until she gets too tall. She has 8 teeth...4 in the front and 4 in the back.

Arden loves spending time with all of her grandparents. Whenever she sees my mom, she says "Nana!" She always has fun at Grandma and Grandpa Lewis' house. She probably wears them out by going up and down the stairs, though. Grandpa Randy's house is fun, too...especially with Auntie Jasmine around! She also loves spending time with all her aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Her personality has definitely begun to shine through. She is a jabber mouth! I think that's hilarious since Adam and I are not big talkers. The phrase she loves to use is "Ahhh nahh!" and she says it very dramatically. I'm not really sure what it means, but my guess is "oh no..?" Since the boys have been born, her favorite word is "baby!" She calls all of her stuffed animals babies. I love to hear her talking to them in her crib. I always kiss her goodnight, and she's picked up on that. She says "Muh! Nigh-nigh...bye-bye!" She even kisses her stuffed animals on the mouth (which is funny, because we do not kiss her on the mouth!) She loves to dance. She shakes her hips from side-to-side. She loves Elmo and calls him "Melmo!" Actually, she calls every character on Sesame Street "Melmo"...too funny! Outdoors is her favorite place to be. If she had her way, she'd stay outside and walk around all day long. She loves nursery at church (thank goodness,) and has no problem going in even when other kids are screaming. She definitely throws fits and can be very loud at home, but it's hard to get mad at her when she shows you her toothy grin.

Here are some random pics in a random order. Enjoy!

Duhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuh....Bat Girl!

Sitting very nicely in the NICU...that didn't last long! The lactation consultant let Arden play with this baby doll.

Arden really wanted on dadoo's lap with Baby Rogan. She was not happy when she didn't get her way.

Pointing at Baby Rogan

Pointing at Baby Grayson

Monkey See....Monkey Do!

My Sweet Pea

Hanging out with Grandpa Lewis

She loves her dadoo! Ever since my hospital stay, she's been calling him "mama!"

Arden really loves going to Grandpa Randy's and playing with her Auntie Jasmine. Jasmine isn't always too thrilled, though.

"He loves me....he loves me not....he loves me!"

She loves going over to the Allen's house and playing with their kids. Since the boys have been born, she calls all kids "baby."

She loves to feed herself and flirt at the dinner table. Batting her eyelashes is her specialty!

One time at Steak-n-Shake, she started dipping her fries in her applesauce. I have no clue where she got that from, but she now loves to dip!

She loves sticking out her tongue!

Little Miss Pebbles

My first and only attempt at pigtails...I will do them again!

Gorgeous Child

She loves riding on her zebra!

It's amazing to me how much she's turned into such a little girl...no longer a baby. I love my girl!

Whirlwind of a Morning!

On Tuesday, April 13th, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. with pain in my abdomen. It felt like gas, so I went to the bathroom. I had a bowel movement, so I thought that was that. However, the pain wouldn`t go away. It started to increase, and it came in waves. At 6 a.m., I texted my husband, Adam, who was in the next room, with this: "!!!!" He came into the room to see what was up. I told him I was in major pain. He laid down next to me and tried to get me to relax. It wasn`t working. I told him I needed to go to the hospital. Our daughter Arden was still asleep, of course, and I thought we could wait until she woke up. I went ahead and took a shower. Afterwards, my husband took a shower. By then it was nearly 7 a.m. I told him we couldn`t wait to wake up Arden, so he got her up. She wasn`t too happy about it, but she soon got over it. He gave her some milk and was taking his time changing her diaper. I was in so much pain. I was literally screaming every few minutes. I told him I couldn`t wait any longer. We had to go now! On the way to the hospital, my husband was trying to talk to me. I couldn`t concentrate on anything he was saying. I was trying to breathe and scream at the same time.

We got to the hospital around 7:30 a.m. I went to admittance and told them I thought I was in preterm labor, and that I was carrying twins. I bent over the desk in pain and screamed. The lady took my drivers` license so she could fill out the paperwork for me. A nurse came and got me and took me to a room. She had me give her a urine sample, which wasn`t the easiest thing to do at that moment. Afterwards, I changed into the hospital gown and got on the bed. She put the monitors on my belly to see how the babies were doing. They were doing just fine...it was I who was in distress! Finally, she checked my cervix. I was at 6 cm with a bulging bag! I wasn`t prepared for such news. All I could say was, "This is not good....this is not good..." My husband and daughter finally made it to the room, and I shared the news with him. He started to call family members. Of course, they were going to try and stop the labor. No one wants to have babies at 29 weeks! A little later, the doctor came in to check my cervix. I was already at 8 cm! This labor was progressing fast! I was in so much pain. I started shaking, because that`s what I do when I`m in shock. They asked how I was planning to give birth to the boys, and I said it depended on their positions. They did a sonogram, and at least one was breech. Emergency c-section it is!

By this time, family was on the way, but they had no clue that I was actually going to deliver the boys this morning. A nurse had to take Arden since family hadn`t arrived yet, and Adam went to the OR with me. I got a spinal, and went numb really quickly. They laid me down and put the sheet up so I couldn`t see anything. By that time, Adam came in the room. The doctors did a couple checks to make sure I was numb. I was told I`d feel pressure and pulling. I felt nothing. I literally laid there thinking "are they doing anything?" as they were pulling my insides out. That was fine with me! Grayson came out rear-first, and I heard him cry. Rogan came out feet-first. He was up so high, they really had to tug on his little feet and legs. He had quite the bruising afterwards...poor guy. I threw up after that. I didn`t get to see them. They were sent directly to the NICU. Adam went with them, and I stayed to get sewn up. The incision itself was stapled up. I then got pushed to the recovery room.

I was trying to take everything in, but it was hard. I just wanted to sleep. After an hour in recovery, the nurse actually pushed my bed to the NICU to see my boys before going to my room. I was so glad I got to see them. I found out they both weighed at or around 3.5 lbs, which is amazing for 29 week twins! I was so happy the nurses and doctors in the NICU were pleasantly surprised by how big they were. I then got wheeled to my room where I stayed for 3 nights and 4 days. I went to the NICU whenever I wanted to see my boys. I`m amazed by how many milestones they`ve already overcome. I was discharged on my birthday. On our way out, I stopped by the NICU and actually got to hold Rogan while Adam held Grayson. It was the best birthday gift I`ve ever received.

I love my boys! They truly are a blessing. It was hard leaving them at the hospital, but I know there`s no better place for them right now. They`ll come home when they`re ready, and I`ll be here waiting for them.

Grayson Lear
April 13, 2010
8:33 a.m.
3 lbs 8 oz
15.5"

Rogan Emerson

April 13, 2010

8:34 a.m.

3 lbs 10 oz

16.5"

The photos below were taken Saturday, April 17th.

Daddy and baby Rogan.

Rogan the little cutie!

Mommy and baby Grayson.

Grayson the little cutie!

He's no longer wearing the oxygen tubing on his nose!

Baby Boys Update

I'm 28 weeks in this pic.

Time for an update! The boys are doing great! Every time I have an ultrasound, they always measure at least a week ahead. They are constantly moving around. Sometimes it feels like my pelvic bone is going to explode...not too comfy! I'm 29 weeks along and already bigger than I was right before Arden made her entrance into the world. I feel beyond pregnant. My feet and ankles just started to swell a couple of days ago. As I'm typing this, they're huge! Not sure why thought I was going to get lucky with this pregnancy. Ah well...now I just need to put my feet up and chillax.

I failed my 1-hour glucose test a couple weeks ago and found out my iron was slightly low, which means I'm slightly anemic (I'm now taking an iron supplement every other day.) I had to go in for the 3-hour glucose test the following week. It was not fun! The nurse draws blood before I drink the sugary stuff, then she draws it 3 more times...once every hour. I had to pass 3 out of 4 tests...and that's exactly what I did. I ended up failing the very last one! Since I failed one, the doctor told me I had an intolerance to glucose and to avoid foods with high concentrations of sugar...like dessert! I will try...but I'm not sure how often I'll succeed. Oh, and I felt like crap for at least the first 1.5 hours of the test. I kind of felt like a zombie ready to puke. It's a wonder I didn't faint. Since it was April Fool's Day, I decided to play a little prank on my facebook friends. I said I felt so terrible during my glucose test that the doctor decided I needed an ultrasound. During the ultrasound, the tech realized I was having twin girls instead of twins boys. There were quite a few people who fell for it...hilarious!

Oh, and since I'm having twin boys, two of my friends are throwing me a baby shower. It'll be May 1st. Hopefully I'll still be able to move around by then! Goodness...these boys will be here before I know it!

Baby Boy A at 24 weeks 5 days weighing in at 1 lb 13 oz!

Baby Boy B at 24 weeks 5 days weighing in at 1 lb 9 oz!

Baby Boy A at 28 weeks 5 days weighing in at 3 lbs 1 oz!

Baby Boy B at 28 weeks 5 days weighing in at 3 lbs 1 oz! He caught up to his brother.