Our first big trip with the twins (way too many pictures, sorry)

Since we are in exile in Texas and not willing to travel to California with 3 month old babies, we decided to visit a place that we have wanted to go to ever since we moved to Texas... Big Bend National Park!

The thing about the park is that it truly is out in the middle of freaking nowhere AND most time of the year it would be too warm there to actually enjoy it, especially when I was pregnant. So, very last minute we decided to go. This is the most busy time of year for the park and so we were only able to get a room for 2 nights (23-25 dec) but hey traveling with these little munchkins was a bit of a daunting task anyway.

Chilling at home while Mommy & Daddy
are packing up the entire house to bring.

 So, before leaving, I had asked my fellow MoMs (Moms of Multiples) what they would recommend for travelling with babies. Here is the advice that we chose to follow:

1) You can never pack too much. Take a look around your house. What are the things you have where you think "boy, am I glad we bought/got/have this?" These are the things you want to bring. For us that was bouncer, Rock'N'Play, drying rack for bottles, 2 Bobby pillows, lots of pee pads, blankets, humidifier and 2 strollers. You may feel like it is overkill but you won't regret having too much of the stuff you really need.

2) Find out if there are cribs available before getting there. Bring your own unwashed sheets for the cribs. Some babies are very sensitive to smells - hence unwashed.

3) Humidifier!! Bring a humidifier, just do it. The air where we were was so dry and we would not have survived without it.

4) Be realistic about sleep schedule and feeding schedules. Your baby/babies will tell you what they need - even if it is not their regular schedule. We had to pull of the side of the road many times because babies wanted to eat NOW. Because they were in their car seats they were not really giving us the usual cues that we normally would pick up on. So, just be ready - at all times.

5) Fanny packs/ waist packs may not be stylish but when hiking with a baby carrier it is awesome.

6) Disinfecting wipes are your friend. Now I am not one for using these wipes in general but I used these for wiping down cribs and other surfaces that my babies would touch.

7) Be creative - I did not want to change my babies in public restrooms so pretty much every surface in the car was at some point or another used for diaper changes. I am very fortunate because my babies only poop once a day, so most were just quick changes.

Diaper change on front seat - it was really cold outside. 

Stretching out on the front seat.

Feeding stop in the middle of
nowhere.

Yes, my baby is spitting up in this
picture and yes, she does look a
bit like "Fat Bastard" from the
Austin Powers movie.

Fort Stockton, TX. We just had to
stop there for our annual picture
with the Christmas Roadrunner.

We were surprised to see snow and even more surprised when
the road to the lodge was temporarily closed. Last time I had
checked weather conditions it was in the 50s. Needless to say
I was happy to have packed extra clothes.

First day of hiking.

Beautiful Santa Elena Canyon.

Finally got them to wear the
Christmas hats. 

Their Christmas outfits matched
our beer of choice.

Car seats worked wonderfully as rockers in restaurant. Babies
were quiet for both dinners and breakfasts. 

Boquillas Canyon - temps were in the 70s. Almost overheated
Joshua during hike. 

Chilling by the Rio Grande.

Done hiking and hanging out on the
tailgate for feedings and diaper
 changes.

Really exhausted babies. We had planned to make it home, but decided to stop 2 hours away from home and stay in a hotel. Everyone just needed the rest.

We had a great time and I know we will do something again soon. Travelling with babies, while daunting to think about, doesn't need to stop you from doing the things you love. They will adapt and so will you.

Relax and have fun!!

Diaper-less in bed

Okay, I admit it, we have been bad about doing tummy time today. Instead we did diaper-less time in Mommy and Daddy's bed (pee pad and towels of cause). And the babies loved it and were both really happy this morning.  

What I have learned in 2 months of being a mother twins....

First of all, this has been the ride of a life-time so far. There has been so many ups and downs. The downs have been fueled by exhaustion and sleep deprivation and there have been times where I just wanted to walk out the door or throw baby bottles in my father's face (yup, that last thing did happen). But however frustrating things might be at times, they are a million times better when you step back and allow yourself to be swallowed by the chaos that ensues after you have twins. These tiny little creatures are so amazing and I love them more than anything in the world.  

These are some of the things that we did that worked for us.

Everybody I spoke to prior to having my little munchkins said "get them on a schedule." I could not agree more, but in reality schedules have been hard for us to maintain. We do however try to feed them every 3 hours. This was also the case right after we brought them home from the hospital. We definitely make exceptions to that rule on a daily basis, but it is a good goal to work towards. At this point we go longer stretches at night and will usually only have to get up once a night if we time it right (feed at 10pm, 2am and 6am).

From the moment we brought them home, I always kept in mind that I would eventually have to do this on my own at sometime. We were very fortunate to have my parents here to help us for 2 1/2 months (and my in-laws were here more than a month prior to the babies birth.) I will say, take all the help you can get. I believe this is rule #1, when having twins. But that doesn't mean that you should not think ahead. I knew from the beginning that I wanted our babies to sleep in their crib, so for every nap, we tried (with emphasis on tried.) That meant putting them in their cribs while they were still awake but drowsy.

After a particularly rough night in the beginning. Notice what a crib should look like in the handout.

These were the early days. Look at how much space is around them.

Just a few days before transitioning to separate cribs. Notice pee pads and washcloths. 

I knew that I would not have the luxury of cuddling with each baby for hours on end. To this day I still try to get them to go down for naps in the crib, but there are several times where a) they sleep in RockNPlays, bouncy chair or swing or b) it takes me 1 1/2 hr to get them to sleep. At night time they always sleep in their cribs and only every now and then, will one of them transition to the RNP over the course of the night. Our babies shared a crib for the first 2 months and only 2 night ago did they move into separate cribs. Because they were in the same crib and because I did not want to change sheet in the middle of the night because of leaky diapers, we took pee pads from Ikea and cut them into smaller pieces. The babies sleep with a pee pad section under their bottoms (on top of sheet - yes, I know that is frowned upon) and they also have a flannel covered washcloth under their heads (even more frowned upon.) This is what worked for us and I have loved our system.

Night time routine is one of my favorite things. We shower the babies each night and it gives them cues that there is a difference between night and day. We take my old pregnancy pillow (Snoogle) and form a circle. Then lay down those wonderful cut up pee pads from Ikea and a big towel. We call it "Thunderdome" and ask the babies if they are ready for Thunderdome. I think repeating the same words and sentences help them know what is going to happen and they like it. Babies are showered put in the circle and given their bottle. Another ritual is once their diapers are changed, they are "swallowed by Oogly Eyes" - their bath towel. After our night time routine they are put in their crib and will fall asleep quickly while enjoying the sound of white noise. Love the White Noise App, especially the heavy rain. They will be completely calm and there is no fussing at all (hasn't been since the very early days.)

My dad helping with Thunderdome

Babies with their bath towels. 

Simple toys are the most fascinating. Since the babies are now really alert and aware of surroundings around them, it has been interesting to see the things that they really love. Currently the favorites are the ceiling fan and a cowhide draped over our couch. Although there are other favorites too, like "the elephant that picks your nose" and the "monkey with a donut."

Nothing beats beating your sibling in the head - oh, wait I only added the cute pictures!

Do not buy too much or open too many boxes. Although I was breastfeeding in the beginning (that is another post altogether) we are now solely bottle feeding formula. Since I had not planned on bottle feeding, I didn't buy a whole bunch, which I am happy about. This is because we went through 3 different brands, before settling on Dr Browns bottles. In terms of chairs and sitting devices, we quickly found out that our babies had favorites and two of everything was not needed. Joshua liked the bouncer and Caroline the RockNPlay. Most of the other chairs (3 or 4 others - I forget) are just stashed away in another room. In the feeding department, I must also recommend the Babybrezza Formula Pro. It is like a Keurig but for babies. There is nothing better than just pushing a button and having nice warm formula, when you have two babies screaming their heads off. But do remember to do the maintenance on it, or you will have clumpy formula. For a drying rack, we inherited a two-tiered rack that spins which is great since our kitchen is the size of most  people's closet.

Birth Story

Okay, I don't really have time to proofread this - I wrote it a while back, but I just always seem to be running out of time to post things here.

Sunday night I was noticing that my contractions (which I had been having on and off since week 18) were coming about every 8-10 minutes apart. They were painless but I also had a dull backache. I called OB around 9pm and she was not convinced that this was it. She wanted me to try and rest and see if they became harder to breathe through. So I went to bed and slept for a while. Around 2-3am I woke up and my abdomen just felt like it was locked up in a contraction and I just had this fear that something wasn't right with the babies. I called my OB and she agreed that I might as well just swing by the hospital. I took a shower, ate a little bit and brought a nutella sandwich (and boy am I glad I did).

We arrived at L&D around 4-4:30am and I was put on monitors. As the technician was adjusting machine, I had one of my contractions and right after, the girl's heart rate went down really low. The contractions were starting to feel a bit different. Following the stronger contractions girl's HR would dip really low. OB decided to keep me for further monitoring. As contractions got stronger boy's HR started acting up too. I can't remember how low they both went, but every single time an episode happened several nurses would come rushing in. It was decided that the babies likely would not do well under the stress of birth and that we would be having our babies by c-section later on in the day. 

 After hearing this and recognizing that I would be having c-section, my body all of a sudden decided to slow down labor on its own. Contractions got further spread out, which was good because it was scary to watch the monitors during every episode. The various Drs spent a while deciding who was doing the c-section. Around 3pm I was wheeled into the OR and my OB delivered the twins at 3:24pm and 3:25pm. The spinal block was the craziest sensation ever and everything went really fast and before I knew it, I was a mother of two. The room was very busy with 2 NICU teams and who knows how many other people. Spinal block made me so loopy, but hearing those babies screaming for the first time was just amazing. 

Both babies were rushed to assessment. Joshua needed some assistance breathing, while Caroline came out tiny but perfect. Both were brought to me for just a bit before going to nursery and NICU respectively (Josh had some fluids in his lungs). Hubby went with Josh and I just laid there listening to the team work, as they finished stitching me up. It was all very quick, without complications. 

Josh ended up spending 8 days in NICU for a severe case of "being lazy" (my term) and jaundice. He refused to feed and one of the first times I saw him, he was hooked up to IV, feeding tube, 4 different kinds of monitors and a nasal cannula to help him breathe. Things got pretty complicated when Caroline and I were released after 3 days. Fortunately our hospital offered us to room in on a different floor. Days were crazy Caroline was with me in the room and hubby was with Joshua in NICU. I had a really bad case of engorgement in the hospital, but since coming home, my supply has been a constant battle. Caroline is feeding with the aid of a nipple shield and Joshua has finally figured out the whole boob thing. 

The reason for my absence

As you may have guessed, I had my babies!!! And let me tell you, they were not kidding when they said that having twins completely changes your life. First off, I never knew that I could have so much love for someone I just met. These precious little munchkins just fills my heart with joy!!

I will get my act together and post their birth story. But for now I will leave you with these pictures.

34 Weeks

How far along? Picture was taken at 34 weeks exactly.
Total weight gain: This fluctuates like crazy due to water retention. After last week's steroid injection, I gained a whole bunch of weight. Managed to get up to 186 lbs one night (which would put me at 51 lbs weight gain). However the next morning I had lost 4 lbs, just from water that I peed out. At yesterday's appointment the Dr "yelled" at me for loosing weight. My best guess for current weight gain is 43 lbs. 
Maternity clothes? I pretty much just wear loose skirts, maternity tops and sexy compression socks. 
Sleep? Last couple of days sleep has been surprisingly good. I mean besides getting up every hour to pee. I guess my gauge of good sleep has slowly changed - body getting ready for those night-time feeds. I really love my Snoogle pillow. It allows me to go back to sleep instantly. 
Best moment of the week: Hubby's surprise shower at work. Technically that was last week, but since I couldn't mention it then, I will mention it now. I cannot believe I was able to keep a secret, but he had absolutely not idea!!

Miss anything? Being able to do stuff and reach things on the ground. Picking things up from the ground is off limits, unless I want contractions. 
Movements? Tons of movements all the time. Baby girl even managed to flip and is now head down along with her brother. 
Food cravings: Not really terribly interested in food, but need to eat all the time. 
Labor signs: None, except Braxton Hicks. Those babies better stay put for a while still. 
Symptoms: I am a hot swelly mess most of the time. My feet tend to look like balloons at the end of the day. Heartburn, definitely heartburn. And numb fingers and hands. 
Looking forward to: Getting to see my sweet babies, when they are ready. 

A somewhat unexpected turn

So, the end of my 33rd week brought some unexpected events. I went in for my Friday appointment with my high-risk doctor. Thus far, my cervix hard been really long and closed, measuring at 4cm. Well, Friday it had changed to ~2.5cm. My doctor diagnosed me with Threatened Pre-Term Labor and ordered steroid injections to help mature the babies' lungs, just in case. Off we went to the hospital for injections, fetal and contraction monitoring (NST) and some wonderful IV fluids.

This was my very first trip to the hospital EVER. Nothing too stressful and I was happy that I was not in the same situation as some of the other ladies arriving in the triage area of L&D. One lady had fallen on her belly, others were in active labor and screaming left and right. Needless to say I was not their highest concern. Four hours later, we were good to go and got to come back the next day for round 2.

This was Saturday and the triage area was closed, so they put me in an actual Labor and Delivery room. My husband and parents were there, so it was almost like a dry-run for what is to come. While in the room, I heard the lady next door give birth. The baby had a really good set of lungs!!

As we are getting closer and closer to the end of this pregnancy, I can't help but think back. It has been a crazy ride, albeit not as crazy as I thought it would be. With our challenges getting pregnant, I somehow thought that it would follow us in pregnancy, especially considering that I am carrying not just one miracle, but two. Going into this, these scenarios played in my head:

• I was going to loose them prior to viability. We have made it to Week 32, where the babies have close to 100% of surviving. 
• I was definitely going to be on bed rest - perhaps even really early, like 24 weeks or so. Unable to drive, cook, or get ready for babies. Hmm, still out running errands, although I am incredibly slow and have no qualms about finding various places to sit down in the department stores or in grocery stores for that matter. 
• Gestational diabetes was inevitable - not quite sure why I thought I would get it, but I was convinced that my 28 week check-up would have me forced to change diet and perhaps even be on insulin. So far, so good. The office never called me back with my results and I just assumed that everything was normal - I did confirm it a month later. 
• Pre-eclampsia - that darned pregnancy induced hypertension would catch me by surprise and I would end up delivering my precious little babies sooner than expected, perhaps even prior to 32 weeks. This is a fear that will not go away until I hold my precious babies. I have heard of so many women, to whom this happened out of the blue. I have had really good blood pressure so far and check it every time I go to the grocery store. Hubby does keep reminding me to pack my hospital bag, just in case. 
• Babies would not grow enough and would be taken from the womb early to save their lives.So far I think we are in the 40th percentile, so babies are growing and looking good at every scan.
• I definitely expected to be the size of a house by this point in time, unable to do anything on my own. There is no denying that I am big. Every day I venture out of the house, I get these strange looks and comments. Especially the "Any day now","shouldn't you be at home with your feet up?" or "you look like you need a ride to the hospital" Hubby and I measured the belly this weekend and I am measuring at 40 1/2 weeks, so there is that....
• Babies would both be breached and my dream of delivering vaginally would be impossible. We have actually nicknamed the babies. Baby boy is now lovingly called the Gatekeeper - he has been head down right at the exit since we found out the sex of the babies. Baby girl is called Pretzel, as she is always bent in the funniest shapes and forms. At last scan she was transverse, so if all stays as it is, vaginal delivery should be possible. 

I am sure that a ton of other scenarios has come and gone, I just don't remember them right now. Some of these scenarios, of cause, remains a possibility. However, I am embracing the fact, that I have really had a pretty amazing experience being pregnant. Of cause there has been ups and downs, but really the downs have been so few and far in between. I have been incredibly fortunate both in terms of what my body has been able to do and accomplish so far, but also in terms of the support that I have gotten from my wonderful hubby, family, friends, and medical staff. 

Hold on - we are in the home stretch!!!

Weekly update with pictures to come - sorry!!

Oops, i swallowed a watermelon

Well, the weeks are just flying by. Today is 30 weeks + 4 days and I haven't updated this blog for a while. Lots of stuff has happened since last - bulletin style:

• We moved...which I am sooo happy about.

• I have scheduled all my OB appointments until mid September.

• My in-laws came here all the way from California to help us out, for which I am sooo grateful. Even though it is hard for me to sit back and accept the help, I am getting better at kicking my feet up and taking daily naps. MIL and I are about to tackle the laundry. That will be fun to go through the cute baby stuff.

• I have gained a total of 37 lbs, which is just absolutely crazy to me. Most of which is right in the belly area.

• Babies are moving like crazy and sometimes painfully so.

• Additional symptoms include: constant hunger replaced by uncomfortable fullness, replaced by hunger REPEAT!! Numbness in hands at all times if the day.

• Got crib set up in bedroom, complete with mattress - big accomplishment!

And that's all I've got for now!! Enjoy your weekend!

Undulating belly!

So, babies have been very active lately. Here is a short video of them having a party in my belly.

 http://youtu.be/YayvWhqn0lY

http://youtu.be/YayvWhqn0lY

Today I also got to experience some rather painful movements from the girl. I am hoping that she was turning herself head down for tomorrow's appointment. She was really bulging out to the side, all while causing pain in ribs, back and right around belly button. Can't wait to hear what Dr has to say tomorrow!!!

28 weeks

My bird, Eileen, decided to join me for this week's picture. It has been a busy week of packing and getting ready for the move. Time really has just flown by and the heat has definitely kicked in here in TX. I have caved in and now run the A/C almost constantly. 

Oh, and I got to meet a wonderful set of 3 week old twins. I was dropping up something for a fellow MoM (Mother of Multiples) and while I was there, her twin daughters woke up from their nap. They looked so tiny and fragile, despite being born at 37 weeks and good weight (no NICU). Seriously, they scared me more than a teeny, tiny newly hatched baby bird. I know how to deal with those. I didn't even ask to hold the babies, I was just paralyzed with fear and was in awe at the comfort and ease with which she and her husband handled them. I know, I know, it will all come naturally. And I have to say that both hubby and I are getting increasingly more excited about welcoming our little wonders into the world - however they still need to cook for another 7-9 weeks!

How far along? Picture taken at 28 weeks.
Total weight gain: 33 lbs. 
Maternity clothes? All of the tank tops that I venture out into the world with are maternity, but I still wear "normal" skirts and jogging pants. I really need to buy some long dresses because my short dresses are really getting WAY to short. 
Sleep? Continues to be an issue. A few days back I was "allowed" to sleep for a little over 4 hours straight...I woke up in a panic, thinking that something was wrong with the babies. But now we are back on the 2-3 hour schedule. And the last few days I wake up at 3AM and can't sleep until 5:30AM. 
Best moment of the week: Hmmm, I actually have no idea where this week went. I have spent a lot of time staring at the belly and it's undulations. That always makes me very happy.
Miss anything? Again my answer is, being able to reach things with ease. Not being out of breath?!?
Movements? These babies just crack me up. They move all the time. Especially night time and right after hubby get's home. 
Food cravings: Anything that requires no effort on my part!
Labor signs: None, thankfully.
Symptoms: The usual: RLP, especially in the pelvic area. Braxton hicks, foot swelling galore - now I wear compression socks all the times. Lower back pain and tiredness. And the belly button is now mostly an outie!!
Looking forward to: Moving - we get the keys tomorrow, which could not come soon enough. This morning we were laying in bed just waking up, and I feel something crawling on my butt....I pinch the critter under the sheet and hubby immediately says that he thought he felt something hit the pillow seconds prior but didn't see anything. He tells my to get up and leave the room - he'll take care of it. Did I mention that I LOVE my husband!! Of cause it was a giant cockroach!!! A going-away present from this house, I guess.

Have a great weekend!

Week 27

Third trimester...wow, how did we get here?? This just seems like such a big milestone and it just seems so unreal that the babies will be here in less than 2 1/2 months. There is still so much to do. I'm sure we'll get there, regardless of whether we are ready or not. I just thought I would share some pictures from earlier this month. 

 The above picture was from our 4th of July trip.

Our friend from California came to visit. We had a great time,
weather was great, so we decided to go tubing.

6 1/2 month pregnant and a bit skeptical about getting into the tube.
Water was pretty shallow in places and the boys ended up having to
drag me through the shallow places, the said something about
clumsy pregnant ladies not being allowed to get out of their tube.. 

How far along? 27 weeks + 3 days.
Total weight gain: 32 lbs, weight gain seems to have slowed down a bit, despite almost constant hunger. But belly just doesn't hold much at a time these days. 
Maternity clothes? All of the tank tops that I venture out into the world with are maternity, but I still wear "normal" skirts and jogging pants. 
Sleep? Hmm, what?!? Waking up a lot to pee. One of them seem to have a knack for pressing on my bladder. Last night I think I was up 4 times. 
Best moment of the week: Preparation-wise, probably finding out that we will be moving into a bigger place with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A duplex on the other side of town that doesn't include faulty electrical wiring, outlets protruding from the wall or the potential for lead paint. Just a regular boring dwelling.
Miss anything? Being able to reach things with ease. I was re-doing the shelf lining in the kitchen and I have to say that sitting on the floor trying to reach the lower corner cabinets was darn near impossible. 
Movements? TONS. They are both so active at night around bedtime. 
Food cravings: I am loving ice cream, but who doesn't??
Labor signs: None, thankfully.
Symptoms: RLP, especially in the pelvic area. Braxton hicks, foot swelling galore - now I wear compression socks all the times. Lower back pain and tiredness. And apparently insanely high cholesterol (normal for pregnancy). I had my annual physical with my MD, I almost passed out when I saw my numbers. Of cause I get a pass because I'm pregnant, but still.  
Looking forward to: Moving, but not packing. My next appointments in a little more than a week. 

Okay, before I show this week's belly picture, I will preface this and say that I AM wearing shorts, but that the giant belly is obscuring the shorts. This is pretty much what the belly looks like every night, when we play a game we call "Twin Peaks"

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