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.

Happy Easter!

We celebrated Arden's second Easter this year. Adam didn't think it was reasonable to get her anything last year considering she was only 6 months old, so I decided I wouldn't let that happen this year. She was pretty happy when she saw her easter basket...the first thing she went for were the bunny ears. She is such a cutie pie!

Once Adam went to bed, I put Arden in her Easter dress in hopes of getting some cute pics. Let me tell you, it was difficult being the stager/poser and the photographer. As soon as I got here where I wanted her, she'd run away! Most of the pics I got are of her running away from me. Ah well...at least I got a couple of cute pics out of the chaos.

Let me go ahead and give you an Arden update, considering it's been so long since I really posted anything. I took her in for another weight check last week. I was pleasantly surprised to find she had gained nearly 2 pounds in a month! She's now over 17.5 pounds. I guess that Pediasure really does work! If she hadn't gained anymore weight, the doctor would've wanted to take some of Arden's blood and run tests. I went through all that stuff as a child, and I really didn't want Arden to go through it, too. Luckily, all is well!

I can't believe my baby will be 18 months a week from today! That means we get to stick her in the nursery at church. We've already been taking her for half the time and sitting in with her during it. Last week, Adam put her in there and left. She's technically not old enough for that, but she did great. She went and played with the toys while the other kids screamed...ha! The only thing I'm worried about are the older kids (3-year-olds.) Arden is very interested in toys that other kids are playing with. Even if she just wants to watch, the kids will push her away. Sometimes she gets shoved down and cries. She's so little, and the kids just don't care. Mama is not happy about this! I guess it's just something I need to get used to. *Sigh*

Anywho, enjoy the Easter pics below!

Arden's Loot: bunny ears, stuffed bunny, bath squirt toys, fancy socks, hairbands, plastic eggs, and a really cute basket.

Eating breakfast with Dadoo!

Running away from me....

I really love this shot. She fell down and skinned her knees right after I took it...poor thing!

Running away from me...

He is Risen!

Heavenly Father sent his son, Jesus Christ, to this earth for me. Jesus Christ took upon him my sins and died for me. He was resurrected so that I can be resurrected also. He did everything for me....and you! I think upon that this Easter Sunday and everyday. I am so very thankful for this gift. May I never take it for granted.

A Chair for the Gi

I've been looking for a chair for Arden for quite some time. What I noticed was they're all so expensive! Then, I went to Walmart.com and found this cute kid rocking chair. It came in all sorts of colors and fabrics (even animal print!) Looking on eBay, this same exact chair in zebra and cow print was being sold for $100 PLUS $25 shipping! How much was it at Walmart.com, you ask? $50! Oh, and shipping was free with site-to-store. SUCKERS!!

My mom actually bought it for Arden. She's so generous. :)

As soon as I brought it into the apartment, she knew it was for her and couldn't wait to sit in it.

Watching Wonder Pets in her new chair...she loves it!

Bedtime Silliness

Funny how she's fussing and giggling...she's so tired!

A Baby Doll for the Baby Doll

For Valentine's Day, I got Arden a baby doll. She saw some at a friend's house, and she got so excited about them. I knew I had to get her one. She is too cute with it!

No clue why she's sucking on the baby's head. The baby doll does smell like lemon, though, so maybe that has something to do with it!

Just being a silly goose!

Considering Valentine's Day was on a Sunday, we really didn't do much on that exact day. Monday night, we dropped Arden off at Adam's parents house and headed to PF Chang's for dinner. The food was delicious, and I ate way too much.

Anywho, I love you, babe!

Adam did arrive home from work with a single pink rose and a box of chocolates...nice! I gave him a bag of Reese's hearts and sweet & tangy twizzlers...yum!

I failed to take care of my rose right away. It didn't go in water until after church, and even then I forgot to trim the stem. These pics were taken a couple days later, and it was a little wilted. It was a beauty, though!

Arden looked super cute in her Valentine's Day Sunday attire.

Here she is in the kitchen holding the tv remote...haha!

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!

SNOW!

And that's an understatement...at least for this part of NC! Back in January, we got like 8 inches of snow. I haven't seen that much snow here in years. I think school was cancelled everyday except for Thursday, and they went to school 2 hours late that day. I really enjoyed hearing the kids jumping around in the apartment above me...NOT!

Here's a view out our front door.

It had been awhile since I checked the mail, so I had this bright idea to make a sled using a plastic bin and a jump rope to tug Arden along for the ride.

I thought she would love it.

She HATED it and cried when I started pulling her! Everytime I stopped, she tried to climb out.

So, we barely got out the door, and I had to turn around. When we got back to the door, the bin tipped over, and Arden fell face-first into the snow. Poor thing screamed her head off!

She was much more content being in the "sled" when it was inside.

She even enjoyed wearing my gloves.

Adam took these gorgeous pics of the golf course across the street. It was right after he got home from work, so the sun was just starting to rise.

I hope everyone had some fun snow days. I'll be happy if I don't see snow for a long time!

Bubble Baby

Arden loves bubbles! It's even one of her favorite words to say. One evening, I turned on our bubble machine during her bath.

She wasn't too sure about it at first...maybe because it was so loud.

But she eventually got pretty excited!

My sweet girl. I just love her reflection in the fixture.

The Belly

So I figured I should post some pics of my twin belly. I went in for a doctor's appointment today, and the doctor measured my belly. Currently, my 22 week 3 day twin belly is equal to that of a 30-31 week singleton belly. Oy! This pregnancy is going to get rough real fast!

18 Weeks

19 Weeks

20 Weeks

21 Weeks

Big Girl Carseat

As part of Arden's Christmas presents, we ordered her a new carseat. She was definitely too tall for her infant seat. Unfortunately, she's a few pounds away from weighing 20 pounds, so she still has to be rear-facing. I thought for sure we were going to go with a Britax, but after a bit of research and recommendations from friends, we went with a Sunshine Kids seat. You can fit 3 seats side-by-side, and that is definitely not the case with Britax. This particular one is the Radian80. It'll hold a child up to 80 pounds in a 5-point harness. And, no, I am not planning on replacing this seat ever (you're supposed to after 5 years)...as long as it isn't involved in any accidents. Arden's going to be sitting in this thing until she's 8 years old...ha!