The Girls' Birth Day - A Review in Pictures....

So, I know that some people (like my husband) are squeemish and don't appreciate "realistic" photographs. So, I've done 2 things to share the photos of the babies' birth day. I created one photo album for the squeemish that has absolutely ZERO surgery or naked baby pictures. We'll call this the "G-rated" version. There's also the "R-rated" version where you'll see all the blood and violence of the surgery - for those who dare - as well as a few naked baby bodies (in completely a non-suggestive environment).

The pictures show everything from getting monitored in the OB Emergency Registration to the post-pardom room where we stayed for 4 days.

For the "R-rated" version, click here.

For the "G-rated" version, click here.

Enjoy!

We're Going Home!

Celebration Dinner

The hospital sends us a fancy celebration dinner for our last night's stay. We get to celebrate taking home our girls (based on weight gain, vital signs, and feeding) as well as mom recovering from her surgery (they have some funny benchmarks for this - farts and other BMs!).

We enjoy filet mignon with merlot sauce, mixed greens with a champagne dressing, and sparkling cider served in fancy glasses. The table is set with white linens and a grand chocolate torte is for dessert. We are excited and bring the girls over tableside to help us celebrate. There is much to be grateful for - we have two beautiful babies that we get to take home with us, despite their pre-mature births.

Girl Time

Girl Time

Allison likes it when Paul has to move the car for parking -- she gets to cuddle BOTH!

Good Morning! Day 4

Good Morning!

We can't help ourselves... each morning, Paul and I take one girl each for some quality Kangaroo Care - skin-to-skin cuddling! Paul and Tina greet the morning on Day 4.

Twins Close Up

Ava and Tina

Here are close-ups of the twins so you can see their faces. Ava's on the left and Tina's on the right with the hallmark eyebrows!

They prefer to co-sleep and share a bassinette when Daddy and I aren't cuddling them ourselves!

The First Family Photo

Our New Family!

Mommy and Daddy with our precious gifts, Ava Angelina and Bettina "Tina" Louise. The twins are 1 day, actually less than 24 hours, old in this photo.

Mom's First Look

Mom's first look at her babies

Mom becomes "chopped liver" immediately after the twins' birth. Everyone follows the babies down the hall to the nursery while she gets stitched up and placed in the recovery room. Two hours after they're born, she finally gets to see them side-by-side and hold them for herself. Bettina comes first as Ava's blood-sugar was so low she needed an immediate formula feeding. You can see this gave her enough energy to scream and complain!

Mom is still numb from the chest down from the spinal block. She actually got 2 blocks because the 1st one didn't hit the right area in the spine, thus causing her to stay numb up until 3 o'clock am - much longer than usual! What a weird feeling and a scary, but safe, way to feel like a parapaligic.

They're Here!

New Mommy Sleeping

Ava Angelina (formerly "Baby A") and Bettina Louise (formerly "Baby B") arrived on Saturday evening, May 21st, via C-section delivery at 7:04 and 7:05 pm respectively.

Ava was 5 pounds 6 ounces and 18 3/4 inches and Tina was an ounce lighter and a quarter inch longer. Pictures will be forthcoming (the dial-up in the hospital takes forever!).

Both babies were perfectly healthy but had slight problems with blood-sugar levels that require they be on formula first. They are adjusting to breastfeeding, but get very sleepy, as most pre-mature babies do, making supplementation necessary until their strenght is up. We are blessed that they never had to see the NICU and have stayed in the Well-Baby nursery instead when they're not with us.

Ava has Paul's coloring with lots of dark, thick hair. Tina has tinier features and really long fingers and legs like her mom. Even her 2nd toe is longer than her big toe, just like mom!

We will continue to stay in the hospital until Wednesday while mom continues to heal up and babies grow their strenght. We are appreciative of the assistance while we're here. The food, services and staff are excellent and give us a little break in our recooperation as well as a few hours of sleep!! It's like a free night-nanny and we will use it as long as we can! Paul and I wake up and can't wait to see our girls. We get anxious to cuddle skin-to-skin (called "kangaroo care") with them - each of us gets our own to cuddle, too! It's very fun!

Daddy Business

Setting Up Shop

Paul sets up the girls' sleeping quarters - the posh top-of-the-line Pack 'n Play. This thing comes complete with changing table, vibrating floor, sound (music and nature sounds) and lights, and rotating moblie. The girls will be co-sleeping and with living in Gigi's house, it is compact with everything that they should need.

Of course, all dad's need to try to set it up without reading the directions first. This strategy appears to work up until near the end. Lucky for us, he won't ask for directions when lost either -- we never get lost.

Week 35 - Almost Clean & Sober

This week’s meeting with the doctor gives me some comfort from last week’s frustration. The doctor decides that the babies and I are big and healthy enough for delivery. She tells me that, come Saturday, the end of week 35, I can stop taking the terbutaline and wait for the impending labor to start. This is wonderful news to me, especially since it means I no longer need to fantasize over rebellious ways to get it all started! All without even having to admit my conspiracy theories to her – I can rest assured that it was her idea and not my rebellious nature.

So, what should I expect on Saturday when I become “clean & sober?” Well, sometimes labor comes within a couple hours after coming off the drugs; it may also take a week or more. There is no way to really predict, however, from the reaction and the couple of trips to the hospital after some late pills, I’m guessing I’ll learn earlier rather than later. Or maybe that’s just my hope. Regardless, I am glad for the news and become anxious instead thinking about meeting our babies. What color eyes will they have – brown like Daddy's or green like mine? I’m guessing they will have brown hair (since we both have that), but will they also inherit our eyebrows? Will their personalities reflect some of the movements I’ve been feeling throughout this pregnancy with “Baby A” seemingly much more assertive than “Baby B?” And, of course, what in the heck will we finally call them (this is still up in the air and continues to be the main topic and question with dinner guests and visitors)?

Two more days and perhaps we can start answering these questions. Still, a C-section seems to be in order so, when it happens, it will all fall into place quickly. Perhaps my chronicle for Week 36 will be birth announcements!

Oh, the latest stats: Babies' weight is about 6 pounds each. Total weight gain to date for mommy: 51.5 pounds; total girth: 48 inches, just under 20 inches bigger than pre-pregnancy!! (Yeah - it's time!)

Week 34 - The Great Escape!

The Great Escape

The Zoo
We're almost at the end of week 34 now and not a whole lot has changed. My stomach is stretched to the point where it has diminished feeling and sensitivity, giving me insight as to why some never feel an episiotomy when it happens. I hit a wall of frustration Thursday when I was instructed by my stand-in doctor to renew my prescription of the terbutaline for 2 more weeks. Based on conversations with my usual doctor, I was expecting to only have to continue a few more days. I realized just how closely I was counting down those days when I got home and became upset about the difference. I am getting anxious for the next phase of this process (as crazy as it sounds). I've now been on bed-rest for 5 weeks and it's becoming a bore even knowing the chaos that will happen once the two little girls are here.


Poor Paul comes home and, upon asking how my day was, proceeds to watch me fall to tears. Lucky for me, he’s entirely sympathetic and devises a plan to give me some sort of relief - a feeling of getting out and rebelling without really breaking all the rules: a trip to San Francisco Zoo, provided that they have a wheelchair that we can rent to keep me off my feet. His idea encourages me and gives me some “homework” to do the following day (Friday). So, Saturday, we wake up early and I get to take an outing that has nothing to do with doctor appointments or preparing for babies; it was all about me and my sanity – as well as my need to be “naughty.”


It was a nice day with slightly overcast skies, but nice enough to get a little sun and certainly to clear the blues I’d had earlier. We spent a total of 4 hours there, with Paul pushing me around the park, and saw virtually everything there we could. I drank my “freedom” deeply and was grateful for my resourceful wheelchair-chauffer of a husband!
To see more pictures of the zoo outing, click here

What's in a Name?

We'd be interested to hear what you all think... It was the topic of much discussion on Mother's Day.

What names are your favorites for the girls?

What's in a Name?

What are your favorites names for the girls?

Bettina (Tina) Louise - after Allison's Grandma and her twin sister Isabella (Bella) Allyne Mirella (Ella) Allyne - after Paul's mother and Allison's Grandmother Ava Allyne

View Result

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Belly Comparison

Just for fun, I thought it would be interesting to watch the changes in my belly via photos since we first learned of our impending arrivals. Remember, I started off at Week 4 somewhere between 29 and 30 inches at my waist. This week, I'm at 47 inches!! An eighteen-inch difference and still growing!!
Belly Study - Comparison (click week number to view photo)

Week 4
Week 15
Week 18
Week 22
Week 27
Week 32
Week 34

Happy Mothers'-To-Be Day!

One of the sweetest things to happen to me lately was receiving a letter in the mail from a colleague from work. The letter contained a card that read “For the Mother-To-Be” and was my first greeting for a Mothers’ Day. I’m almost there and next year it will be “official.” However, to be fair, I realize that I haven’t experienced the real hard-work part of motherhood. The twins, at this point, are pretty much on cruise control and auto-pilot. There have been some unique lessons and experiences, however, and with this Mothers’-To-Be Day, here are a couple examples that come to mind…
You know you’re a Mother-To-Be when:

1. you only have 2 sleep position options left: the left side and the right side. Both make you sore and are very tiresome!
2. you sleep in 2-hour cycles with a trip to the bathroom in between each one and a trip to the kitchen between every other
3. you feel there’s an anchor pulling you at a 45-degree angle towards the ground
4. you can no longer sit like a lady and skirts are no longer an option unless they reach the ground
5. your entire stomach moves on it’s own and beyond your control
6. your husband can no longer watch you dress without covering his eyes and saying, “Ouch!”
7. you can no longer cut or paint your own toenails
8. your husband has to shave your legs for you
9. it takes strategic planning to get out of the bathtub or out of bed
10. you can no longer reach when you “wipe from the front”
11. you enjoy being barefoot and having your stomach rubbed with lotion
12. you spend most of your internet time searching for deals on baby supplies and preparations
13. when stretch marks make your belly look more like a tortoise shell than actual skin
14. your girth is broader than your husband’s shoulders
15. you’re thankful for sympathy weight because it means you don’t actually catch up to your husband’s weight!
16. you start enjoying the color pink and buy the frilly dresses you swore you’d never consider
17. you’re supposedly at the height of your “femininity,” but nothing you do nor any sound you make seems anything close to feminine.

Happy Mother’s Day to all who are actually mothers and for all the Mothers-To-Be, like me!

Friends of ours who will be celebrating a Mothers’ Day with a new child since Paul and I discovered our pregnancy:
Manny and Mary – Cheyenne born in November
Brad and Holly Ficarra – Jake Bradley born in November
Ken and Kristen Baber – Sonya Chanel born in February
Cameron and Lisa Gallaway – Brynn Bassett born in February
Jon and Melissa Mitchell – Cadence born in March
Ralph and Tiffany Lopez – Dean Walter born in March
Dave and Jill Berg - Spencer born in March
Dave and Becky Cingolani – Ava Margaret born in May
Todd and Suzanne Whyte – Shannon Kathryn born in May (on actual Mothers' Day!)

And the co-Mothers-To-Be celebrants:
Teresa Moss expecting a boy in July
Jennifer Kipp expecting a girl in July
Lois Silva expecting a girl in October
Yahna Boston expecting a baby in November

Week 33 - Some Close Calls

This week brought more activity than usual - a clear sign that my body has been adapting to the terbutiline, making the drug less effective at controlling or softening my contractions. Last week, I only had a handful of contractions per day; now a get a couple dozen.

Last Thursday was our first close call. I awoke in the middle of the night unsure why I was awakened (surprisingly, I didn't have to pee). It didn’t take long before a decently sized contraction came along…and then another, and another. Within 10 minutes, I realized I’d had 4 contractions. A thought left over from my Understanding Preterm Labor class suddenly clicked in: “Hum… maybe I should be timing these.” So, at 2 o’clock in the morning, I turned on the light and started to journal the contractions. I had 12 contractions or so within an hour!! And, they started at 2 minutes apart! Giant red flag (you should call the doctor if you have more than 6/hour and you should go to the hospital if they are regularly 5 minutes apart)! The good news was that sometime in the middle of my tracking, it was time for another pill. About 15-minutes after I took my pill, the contractions visibly started to subside. Soon, I only had one within 20 minutes – totally acceptable and no longer the need to wake up poor Paul and head to the emergency room.

As time continues, the contractions get stronger and last longer; a couple of them actually hurt. I’m beginning to think that these babies are going to come anytime. Sometime on Saturday, I realize that I’ve lost my mucus plug (also called bloody show) – another sign that labor is expected soon. I know I’m seeing the doctor on Monday, so I don’t panic. I’m thinking that 33 weeks is pretty good. So what if the babies come now – it’s not the goal the perintologist had (of 34 weeks), but it’s pretty darned close. I hear all the time of how babies born at this stage are just fine. I go to the doctor’s almost hoping that this week’s the week.

The doctor is not happy with the observations I bring. She’s thinking I’ll need more drugs and is contemplating throwing me into hospitalized bed-rest for a week or so. It’s clear she’s taking this much more seriously than I am and I am shocked at the possible hospital stay! No way do I want to sit in a hospital bed for 2 weeks! No naps in sunspots in the backyard or easy interaction with family and friends. Mint-chip ice cream sandwiches are also hard to come by there.

I’m somehow saved. Her physical exam shows that I’m only 70% effaced and not yet dilating. She thinks I’ll last another week as long as I stay on the drugs and continue the bed-rest at home. If I last a week beyond that (week 35), she’ll take me off the drugs and see what happens – let the babies come if they want to.

Meanwhile, it seems I’ll have to endure a number more of these days. Sleeping in snatches (I can never go more than 2 hours at a time) with my sore sides and hips (from holding my weight during sleep), a bunch of midnight and daytime snacking, struggling to move positions while laying down, and sadly watching the stretch marks grow longer along my belly. I am nearly ready with all the nursery things: the strollers and diaper pails are set up. All the bottles are sterilized and the baby clothes and blankets washed. I’ve pre-ordered the baby announcement card envelopes so they can be addressed and stamped and only need to wait for the details and a picture. Paul is driving around with 2 infant car seats in the back and plans to visit the fire station to ensure they are properly installed (90% of them are not), and Mom is finally taking her cell phone with her – and turning it on! – when she leaves the house. We’re poised and ready, even if we have to wait another 2 weeks.

Oh, the latest stats:
I've gained another 2 pounds, bringing the total gain to 48 pounds.
I've also gained another 2 inches in the belly (as the doctor measures) making it 40. Most full-term moms never get to 36!
"Baby A" is still head down on my left side and "Baby B" has kick-turned so that her head is at "A's" feet and is still transverse.
A C-section birth is still expected.

Week 32 - Still Pregnant!

Week 32

The weekly doctor’s visit proved once again that we’re still on target and doing the right things for the babies. They have shifted a little – with “Baby A” seemingly making her way toward the birth canal. This means that they are no longer nose-to-nose with both heads laying the same direction across my belly. I’ve gained 4 ½ pounds in the last week (a little self-conscious, I reminded the nurse that I had just finished eating lunch and drinking a large lemonade) and my belly is officially larger than most full-term ladies’.

Each baby should be a little over 4 ½ pounds each and about 17”-18”, although those measurements are guesses until the next ultrasound in 2 weeks. We measured my girth again and found that I’ve gained another 1 ½ inches there making it a total of 45 ½” – 16 ½” bigger than I was last September when we started counting. I am now broader in my waist than my husband is in his shoulders! (Scary!)

This week marks the end of our scheduled education classes. The second-half of “Parenting Newborns” is over on Wednesday and is my last excuse to venture into the outside world other than the weekly doctor visits. We are getting more and more serious (I hope) about deciding on names for the girls. As I mentioned before, I am steadfast in naming the younger one “Bettina” but calling her “Tina” for my grandmother – also a twin. This naming process, however, seems to be an on-going battle of wits.

The "Godfather" Shower

Saturday I got another chance to participate in “the outside world” again. I was thrilled not only to be able to get out of the house, but to be in attendance for the wonderful celebration Paul’s sisters had prepared for our babies’ anticipated arrival. It was a typical “Italian” style party – large (about 45 people attended) and with emphasis on family and food. All guests were encouraged to bring their family. An inflatable jump house kept most of the kids active while “too much” beer, wine and food kept the “adult” guests content and busy. Since I was still on bed-rest, I was required to sit in my glider chair, strategically placed next to the presents and cake, with my feet up. It made me feel like The Godfather. People would come in, cross the room to my “Godfather” chair, drop off their gift, give me a hug or a kiss on the cheek, and chat a little bit before moving on to get a glass of wine and some anti-pasta, grilled veggies, or a plate full of other great foods. The only thing missing was the giant gold ring!

This shower was more than a shower – it was a tsunami - a marathon of present-unwrapping where the kids were more than happy to help with the larger ones too big for my lap. The hostesses had arranged an alternative group gift for those who didn’t quite know what to give. It ended up being a huge success. Fifteen or so guests decided to opt into the group gift and were able, with their combined purchasing power, to get nearly all the large ticket items left on our registry – a car seat, 2 extra bases, both our indoor and our outdoor Pack n’ Plays, the breast pump and 12 bottles - a huge help to Paul and me!!

As with most of “Italian”-styled parties, there was no designated end-time. Paul and I finally packed the car, and ourselves, for home shortly after 8pm – 6 hours after the party started - a very full day. It will take me at least 2 days of my upcoming bed-rest and the rest of my stationery to thank everyone! If you’re interested, pictures from that party are available to view clicking here.

Week 31 - Continued Bed-Rest

So, bed-rest is not very glamorous. You would think that being given orders not to do anything but sit in bed and sleep would be a luxury – a sort of exposure to lifestyles of the rich and famous. However, that illusion quickly fades a few hours after your only companion, your husband, leaves for the day. My days were filled on the internet, trying to do something productive: finding christening gowns for the girls, birth announcements, updating my address list, reading my breastfeeding book or checking to make sure my registry was complete. When all that was done, I’d take out a pad of paper and start making lists of things I couldn’t do, but needed to get done so that Paul could do them when he got home. Things he could bring me from around the house to keep me occupied, chores around the house, things with the car, plants that needed watering, checks he should cash, items to fax, etc., etc. So engulfed and satisfied with how productive I was, I was completely surprised that when he did come home from his already long day and had no interest in first making me dinner (I was always starving!) and then immediately jumping into my sometimes 2-3 page “Honey-Do” list. The frustration level on both our ends was very apparent!!

By Day 4 of bed rest, I started noticing fruit flies in the bedroom (I figured they’d come from the bag of lemons my father-in-law brought from his tree 3 days prior that have yet to be unloaded or washed by Paul), an overflowing and ignored laundry pile, a neglected grocery list, bed sheets that needed changing and floors that needed vacuuming among other sure signs of household neglect. With frustration mounting, I ordered the evacuation. Paul’s full-time job plus all the other responsibilities of the house were too much to attend to. Good friend Lisa answered the call and brought the car over, helped me pack myself, some laundry, and the dog, and delivered me to my mother’s.

What would we do without the innate sense of nurturing that mother’s have? She’s been proactive in ensuring I’m hydrated, fed, the laundry’s done by the end of the day and she even goes out to fetch mint chip ice cream sandwiches and string cheese! She’s helped me organize my mail, care for the dog (to which she’s allergic!), and solicits help from neighbors to rearrange furniture for the expected twins. Now Paul’s short list is much shorter and, although he doesn’t get to sleep in his own bed, he does get to relax when he gets home and enjoy some dinner that he didn’t have to make himself. We didn’t expect to move out here this early, but it was clear that bed rest on my own wasn’t the best for me, the babies, or Paul.

So, what do I do with my time? I’ve now figured out how to hook up my computer to the internet here, so that’s still an outlet. BillPay and Netflicks are good new friends. I’ve brought a big blanket out here that I’ll have my mother lie out in the backyard in a sun spot so that I can take a nap with my “C” pillow or throw the ball for Hayden. Friends come by to visit for an hour or so which also helps to break up the day. I also have brought my scrap booking supplies and hope to get through last year’s Australia photos. There are also calls and emails from friends which help me feel more connected to the life I “used to have.”

The good news is that the babies are still growing (along with me – I gained that pound back so I’m at 40 pounds gained again and 44” along the girth). The contractions are still coming, but not like before; only 4/day rather than 6-10/hour. The drugs continue to work, although, since my body is getting used to them, I need to start tapering so that they’ll be more effective. The doctor says I’m still at the same place I was last week, so this coming week will be more of the same. I did, however, get permission for 2 outings: I can attend our “Caring for Newborns” class with Paul (provided he drops me off/picks me up in front so I don’t have to walk much and I prop my feet up on a chair the whole time) and the party that Paul’s sisters are throwing for the girls on Saturday (same stipulations apply). No walking or driving around – just laying down, sitting with feet propped up, unless I’m using the restroom or shower. If we can get away with doing this for another 3 weeks, we reach our goal. And, to use the perintologist’s words, anything beyond that “is gravy!” If we make it longer, we have a scheduled C-section at 10:00 am on June 3rd. Both babies are still transverse making a vaginal delivery unlikely.

Week 30 - Paul Earns Brownie Points

Since I was not allowed out of bed, I couldn’t attend the “Breastfeeding for Multiples” class that I was very much looking forward to attending. I figured if I could get a grip on that whole challenge, it would save me upwards of 6 hours a day once the babies arrived and we both learned the trick to this whole tandem feeding thing. The next best thing to me and Paul attending, I thought, was to have my mother go in my place. After all, she would be with me the majority of the day when Paul wasn’t. So, without argument, Paul picked up his mother-in-law and drove her to the 2 ½ hour class where they talked about mammary glands and milk production and how multiple babies fit into the scene. While my mom took copious notes, I’m sure Paul was daydreaming away, but at least he was there. ‘Atta boy!

And, the Vertict is... Bed-rest

Last day of freedom - at nephew Elio's birthday party

We heard from my OB late last night. The fetal fibronectin test I took yesterday came back positive which means that they did find some of the proteins indicative of pre-term labor. The chance that I would deliver within the next 2 weeks is 25%. That still means there's a 75% chance I won't, but since they still want me pregnant at least another 2 weeks, its drugs and strict bed-rest for me.

Strict bed-rest is much different than the modified bed-rest I was anticipating for the later part of my pregnancy. Whereas with modified you can get out of bed and shower when you want to, make something to eat when you want to, visit with people or drive somewhere, with strict bed-rest, you're not allowed to go anywhere but the bathroom. If the doorbell rings, you're not supposed to answer it. You run out of food or need some more water? You're supposed to ask someone to get it for you even though the kitchen's right there. It's hard to plan for everything you think you're going to want to do for the next 10 hours and have it next to you when your husband leaves for work in the morning.

I do have a book called "The Multiples Manual" that has a whole chapter with ideas of things you can do while on strict bed-rest, since it is more common in twin pregnancies. I hope that their list will keep me busy and productive for at least a little while! (Why didn't I take up knitting??)

I will be tested again on Monday, in week 31 to see if there's any change. Until then, we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that I'll be pregnant for at least a little while longer.