4 Month Old, Dr appointment

They're both doing excellent & growing like Crazy!!
Talen's pushing further & further ahead of Kaden (weight wise.)

Kaden weighed 11lb 15oz & was 24 inches long.

Talen weighed 12lb 13oz & was 23 3/4 inches long.

They're in the 5th percentile for weight and 15th for length.

Pictures.......Birth to now!!!!

Well, here it goes. I know it's been a long time but here's a backlog of pics....Birth to 4 months old!! HOPEFULLY I can start making this a more regular event (updating with news & pics!!)EVERYONE is doing great now!! Growing & learning new things all the time.



Talen's Birthday











Kaden's Birthday












Took a Trip 2 DC 2 visit my granparents.....Grandad with Kaden, Talen, & Cadence (my cousin's little girl who is 1 month younger than the boys.)









Nan with the group













Hailey, learning to help change diapers













Up close & personal....3 months old












Learning to play with toys & to sit up in our highchairs











1st bumbo experience













Turning into little men













Halloween pictures w/ Big Sister Movie Star!

Kaden's Jaundice Story

The day we left the hospital Kaden weighed 4lb 11oz & his Bilirubin was @ 15 (high.)

We got it rechecked the next day (Tuesday July 1) @ his 1st Dr appointment....he weighed 4lb 11oz & his billirubin had risen to 17.

He started the @ home lights Tuesday night.....45 minutes under the lights, 15 minutes out.....24/7!!

Wednesday July 2 he weighed 4lb 12oz and his Bilirubin had dropped to 13....good but not good enough to stop the lights.

Thursday July 3 his Bilirubin dropped even more, down to 10, so he was able to stop the lights (FINALLY!!)

Saturday July 5 he weighed 4lb6oz....weight loss & loss of appetite are side effects of the lights & can continue for up to 2 weeks after the lights but they weren't happt he had lost SO MUCH. His Bilirubin was still only 11 so they were pleased with that.

Monday July 7 he weighed 4lb 12oz, again so they were a little happier.

Friday July 11 he had dropped back down to 4lb 11oz SO they told me to stop breastfeeding him, pump & feed him out of a bottle so we can 'force' him to eat the 'normal' amount (1-2oz every 2-3 hours.)

Tuesday July 15th he was back up to 5lb 3oz.....great but he was still only eating when 'forced' so I have to continue the pump & feed until he seems to eat the 'normal' amount without us 'reminding' him he needs to......which seems like it will be NEVER!!!!

So, as you can see all is getting better but if between Dr visits, sleepless nights, & FEEDING (feed Talen, pump, feed Kaden...about a 2hr process...REPEAT) it's been very hard to find time to get on here & update everyone!!

I hope my next post will be just pictures (soon, hopefully!)

Birth Story (part 2, about mom)

Sorry this has taken so long....the next post will tell you WHY we've been too busy to update but for now, let me backtrack & tell you about my not so wonderful post-birth scare.

After seeing Talen in the NICU, for the 1st time, around 2 or so in the afternoon, I told Jeff I felt wierd, like I was bleeding or something. We went back to my room & that is the last thing I remember for the rest of that day (& talking to people after the fact, I realize there are things I've forgeten even before this point).......actually my memories don't come back until Saturday.

From what everyone's told me, here's the story:
My nurse came in & realized I was bleeding MUCH more than normal. She called in 1 nurse for a 2nd opinion.....eventually 5 nurses were in the room, trying to see what could possibly be wrong. They finally called my Dr to come in & soon after he got there I was being wheeled to the OR so he could stop my hemoraging. He ended up doing only a D&C but said he was close to doing a hysterectomy if the D&C didn't work. I ended up loosing so much blood that I needed blood transfusions. I didn't leave the recovery room (finish getting my blood) until 5 a.m.!!! Talk about a scary day, for me & everyone that thought I there waiting to hear a 'good' outcome.

Friday I was on Demerol (straight thru my IV) so I was out of it & don't remember much. Jeff filled me in on who visited & some of those visitors have filled me in on some very funny stories about things I said (& some not so nice things I said or did!!)

Monday, before I left the hospital, my blood count had dropped, again but it has gradually come back up on it's own. I am finally feeling like myself again.

Birth Story (part I).....2 Wonderful Healthy Boys....

I figured I would update you in 2 parts.....1st the good news, 2 wondfully healthy boys being born & 2nd the scary news, my post delivery near death experience!

Kaden was born @ 9:08 a.m., weighed 5lb 9.9oz, & was 19 inches long
He was sent to the Nicu for a few hours, just to monitor that his temperature remained stable. He was in our room by around 2 pm'ish the same day. He has been fine since.
He weighed 4lb 11oz when we were discharged from the hospital (Monday June 30.) He had a touch of jaundice & we're still waiting to see IF we'll have to have some home lights but hopefully not.

Talen was born @ 9:09 a.m., weighed 5lb 6.6oz, & was 18 inches long
He was sent to the Nicu overnight because he needed help maintaining his temp + he needed some oxygen. He was taken off oxygen @ midnight but didn't get to join us in our room until Friday morning @ 7 a.m.
He weighed 4lb 10oz when we were discharged from the hospital & is 100% healthy.

BOTH boys have thier days & nights mixed up right now......hopefully that will be a quick transition!!!

Kaden & Talen will be born Tomorrow....

I went in for my doctors appointment today. I had an ultrasound & Kaden was estimated to weigh 6lb 4oz and Talen was estimated to weigh 5lb 13oz. EXCELENT weights.

I've been having tons of intense contractions the last few days & come to find out, I actually dilated some so the Dr said if I was ready, they were ready (literally, probably wouldn't make it till Tuesday's original 'scheduled' arrival)

After he explained that he thought they would be fine to deliver w/ less than a 10% chance of ANY Nicu time (probably none though), I jumped on the opportunity to meet my boys tomorrow!!!!

I have to be @ the hospital (Medical Center) at 6a.m. & my C-sec is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.!!!!!!!

Hailey seems to be as excited as anyone.....has her 'big sister to twins' shirt ready for tomorrow & her presents to her brother's wrapped. She was even excited to move the position of her car seat because sitting in the third row is the 'big sister' row:)

Had an overnight hospital stay

Thursday evening I noticed what I thought was a liquid filled sac type thing, forming below my belly button that seemed to be swelling or getting a little bigger.

I called the Dr on call (my dr was out of town) & he told me to go to L&D, to get it checked out. The nurses there recommended he come it because they'd never seen anything like it. He did an u/s & said he couldn't realy diagnose it but it could be that my facia (sp? basically my belly wall) had spread so thin that it just felt wierd & soft compared to the rest of my stomach....or it could be early signs of a uterus abrubtion.....or it could be a hernia but if it is, my 'big' uterus is in the way of bowels or intestines from coming thru & it would just have to be repaired during my C-sec (nothing could be done now.) The only immediate BIG worry is if it was a uterus abruption....then I would need to deliver ASAP.

He admitted me overnight & recommended that the Dr. Body (a perientologist)come in 1st thing in the morning & do a more thorough u/s so, I stayed (on nothing to eat after midnight orders, in case they had to deliver after my u/s in the morning if it was a uterine abruption.)

5pm the next day they FINALLY came & did my u/s. It was just one of Dr. Body's techs, not actually Dr. Body, as the on call Dr had said it would be......he had already gone home & wasn't going to check the u/s or me until Sat morning.

Pretty much, needless to say my 19hr starved pg self wasn't very happy that I had waited that long for what seemed like nothing & neither was the on call dr......he let me go on the basis of the u/s tech's report & basically appologized to me, all the while making it clear how upset he was with how Dr. Body had told him he would personally do the u/s & do it that day but instead sent a tech & went home. He also made it clear he would NEVER ask Dr. Body for a consult for another one of his patients & would inform my dr, when he gets back on monday, of how horribly he thought Dr. Body had treated me & ask that he too never use him for any of his patients in the future.

Anyway, the tech said the u/s didn't show anything concerning & the babies looked great so I guess it's just some water retention in that area or at the very worse, maybe a hernia.

Kaden was 5lb1oz & Talen was 4lb13oz (both gained exactly the same.....5oz in 9 days.)

Jeff's Surgery & my weekly appointment

Jeff had surgery on his thumb, yesterday. All went well. They were able to repair Both ligaments that were torn in his joint & anchored the bone chip back in place. He was REALLY out of it when we left the hospital & was in no pain until about 11 or 12 last night. Then his pain became very bad. He's gradually feeling better, today but he'll be a few days. He can't return to work until Monday.

I had my weekly DR appointment, today. I'm still measuring good. The boys both still have good heartbeats (Hailey came & loved to hear them, as always!) And I'm still not dilated.......so it looks like we have 20 more days (or 2w6d, however you want to look at it) until we meet those boys! They aren't like 'most' twins who get in a hurry to come out, but that is a GREAT thing....this means they will be 'done' cooking & healthy when they arrive.

33 week Ultrasound & Dr appointment

SO, I had what I thought was going to be my very last ultrasound today. Kaden weighs a nice & big 4lb 12oz and Talen wieghs a healthy 4lb 8oz.

My Dr. informed me that twins gain between 1/4 & 1/2 a lb per week from now on SO he estimates that both will be at least 6lbs at birth if not more! That's excellent news......& he decided to do another ultrasound on June 25 (the wednesday before my scheduled C-section) to get a better estimate for thier birth weights. Any way you look at it, they're going to be very big, healthy weights for twins!!

All else still looked good with me & the babies so all in all it was a very good appointment.

Our trip to the GA Aquarium....

Hailey loves fish so we decided to have 1 more small 'family' vacation for Hailey before the twins arrive. We decided to take her to the GA Aquarium in Atlanta (about 1.5 hours away.)

1st we watched the animated 3D movie. Hailey LOVED this! She was holding our hands & we could feel her jump everytime a character 'seemed' like it was jumping out at her.....but she was laughing the whole time. There was even real bubbles blown down on us when the movie had the fish blowing bubbles.



Next we went to the shark / deep sea exibit. Hailey really liked this one.







Hailey's favorite exibit was the seals & penguins......



& here are a few more good pics......

Hailey's new pool

Hailey had a small plastic pool but she really wanted to 'swim like a guppie' so we got her a 120" rectangular pool, a beach ball, floaties, a ring, & a toddler size float. She loves it.......see how much fun she had for her 1st time......

Baby Shower, Saturday May 31......

We got tons of great stuff, especially a lot of clothes! The boys got monogramed blankets, blue plaid diaper bag, & small teddy bear heads on silky small blankets. Mom got some good milk storage organizers & milk bags:) And they got several other good items......swing, toys, towels, crib sheets, etc.......

Once again, Hailey was a huge helper. Bringing me all the gifts, unwrapping them before I could even read the cards, & then showing off the presents. She also got a few things, a carebear movie, the game candyland, & a princess book.

Hailey's 1st Time Fishing

Hailey got a new Dora fishing pole. She practiced in the living room with the rubber fish for about an hour & seemed ready to go. We went to her pa-pa's pond (Jeff's dad.) She could real in all by herself & she caught 5 fish! I had to help her not get her pole pulled in & her daddy helped her get the fish off but she did the rest herself.

31week Dr appointment.....

So, I've been very uncomfortable this week because I had a little stomach bug. I went for my 31 week doctor appointment, yesterday & everything still looked good but I'de lost 5 lbs since last week (probably water weight from loosing fluids.)



I was instructed to call back if things hadn't improved by noon today & today I feel MUCH better!! I hate being sick, especially when I'm pregnant because it makes everything miserable. Everyone's happier, when I'm feeling better:)



I went for my weekly steroid shot today & heard both of our healthy boys' heartbeats, again. So, our boys are another week stronger / healthier........hoping for another 5.5 weeks of time in my belly!!

Pre-Term Labor Scare......all's well, now

This is kind of long but here it goes.......on Monday I got a Rhogam shot.

Tuesday all day I progressively felt worse....muscle achyness, not functioning very well, so I called my dr & they said take a warm bath & some Tylenol to see if it helped, that it may have just been a reaction to the Rhogam. I took their advice & felt somewhat better but by morning I was going back downhill.

Wednesday my intuition was telling me 'somethings just not right but I can't place my finger on it.' I'm glad I listened to my intuition!!!!!! I got a sharp pain across my lower abdomen & still couldn't function due to muscle achyness all over. I called the doctor, again. They asked if the babies were moving, I said, I didn't know......I couldn't place that I'd felt them BUT it could be I was concentrating on the sharp pain. They sent me L&D for a NST, just in case (neither of us thought it was a big deal.) When I got there @ 10am, I was 0 dilated, & the babies looked good BUT I started contracting.....about every 2 minutes apart & they started intensifying. After 2-3 hrs of consistent contractions, they decided to start Terbutaline (a drug to stop contractions.) I got 2 shots, 1hr apart. The 1st just made me feel horrible but did nothing to slow contractions......the 2nd slowed them & made the intense ones become further apart (never completely stopped.) They decided to give me steroid shots, to help develop the babies lungs, just in case. I got 1 @ 5pm & after an exam @ 7 (still not dilated), I was allowed to go home on strict bed rest. I could only get up to use the rest room, take a quick shower 1X day, & sit up to eat

Thursday I had to go back to the hospital for a 2nd steroid shot (the 1st 2 have to be given 24 hrs apart, then once a week until you're 32 weeks, if you have a pre-term labor 'scare'.)

Friday morning I had to go into my doctors office for a follow up. My contractions are much further apart & less intense. I was still not dilated. So, he told me to be on light bedrest. I can sit up, eat, get up to do light things but I'm supposed to be off my feet more than I'm on them, taking it VERY easy. He took me out of work, so I'm home until these boys arrive which we HOPE isn't for, at the very least, another 1w2d...when I'm 32 weeks BUT WE REALLY HOPE it's not until I'm 35 weeks (June 16th), or even better yet, July 1, their scheduled arrival date!!

Hailey, practicing to be a Big Sister to Boys!

Hailey got a gift card to Babies R Us at my baby shower. We went online & found a book called 'Brother's are good for making Mud Pies,' about everything brothers are good for & ordered that with her gift card. It hasn't arrived, yet, but she remembers the title & the NEXT day she told her Gramma that she wanted to make mud pies!! So, here she is, practicing to show her brother's how to make mud pies. Notice, she starts off in a sun dress, just playing with her hands, & then.......

Ultrasound Today went Good.

Kaden is now 3lb 1oz & Talen is now 2lb 13oz.......both EXCELLENT weights for this stage!!

We are so glad both babies are such good weights & thriving so well together.

They're getting so compacted in there that it's VERY hard to get any 'recognizable' pictures, so I don't really have any pictures worth sharing.

Mom is still doing incredibly well for a twin pregnancy. Uncomfortable, yes, but no real complications at this moment......& looking forward to being able to take a MUCH NEEDED break from work, starting in 2 weeks. (I will be out of work from May 26 until the end of August sometime!!)

Hailey's 1st Dentist Appointment

Hailey did WONDERFUL @ her 1st Dentist appointment. She shocked everyone with how well she did. She never made a peep & did EXACTLY as she was instructed!! The employees there were SO impressed, they named her the patient of the month(usually a drawing but they said she made the choice too easy) & she 'won' a $20 gift card to Wal-Mart to get a prize!! These pics are off my phone, so they may not be great but it's all I had.






Here she's getting her floride treatment.....what a good girl!!

Nursery Update.....

We now have 2 cribs & the furniture 'arranged' how we think it will stay. It still seems a little cluttered but we're still storing car seats & strollers in there until a little closter to thier arrival date.