Brandon and Jennifer: August 2011

Welcome Home Girls

Day 3 in the hospital... we just need to wait for the Pediatrician to come check on the twins and give the okay to head home.

Brandon and I packed up while we waited and took pictures of the girls. I still can't believe they're twins! They look so different!

I was holding Paisley... Brandon took pictures of Emmy while she was on his lap and holding his thumb.

Her cheeks are so big it makes her mouth crooked while she's on her side. haha

Dr. Church came around 1 o'clock and we left the hospital about an hour later. A ton of strangers made comments to us while we walked out of the hospital... "WOW, Two?"... "Twins?!"

Shannon & Mythanne made this cute "Welcome Home" sign for our front window.

Paisley & Emmy in their car seats minutes after arriving home... Here we go... let the fun begin!

Mary brought Kalyssa and William home soon after. Makayla meets her cousin for the first time. Kids under 13 years old weren't aloud to visit us in the hospital if they're not siblings.

Taylee & Emmy

Aug 31, 2011

As an extra precaution with twins, the hospital wants us to stay the full 48 hours after birth. When William was born I went home after 24 hours, but I thought it was better to stay this time and be on the safe side. My nurse brought in the twins every 3 hours to eat, so today my eyes were burning tired. I got in the shower this morning and feel as refreshed as I can after having TWO babies.

Mythanne and Shannon came by around noon, and brought us candy to snack on.

Story:

Later on, Brandon left to run a few errands and to pick up the kids after school to bring them back to the hospital to see the twins. I was left alone for the first time. The twins were sleeping in their separate little push beds. I was in the bathroom and heard one of the babies let out a little scream... then silence. I figured she was starting to wake up and just in the restless in-and-out of sleep stage, and that I had a few more minutes before a full blown cry would start. About 30 seconds later, I heard another screech noise from her... this time I went out to check on her... In complete HORROR, I saw that Paisley was choking! She was lying on her back with a puddle of vomit bubbling in her mouth and out her nose. I immediately ran over, scooped her upright in my arms, patting her hard on the back in a panic... OMGosh! It wasn't helping!!! I was yelling in my mind over and over... NO! NO! BREATHE! BREATHE! I couldn't believe this was happening! I grabbed the blue suction bulb from her bed and tried sucking out the fluid from the back of her throat. It seemed to make her choke worse! By this time I noticed her whole body was blue and that she still hadn't taken a breath. Tears were flowing down my face and that terrible feeling of panic turned to desperation and it filled my body from head to toe.

Not one breath in probably 2 minutes or longer! I don't know how long she was chocking before I saw her. Now totally desperate, I ran to my bed and pushed the nurse call button. A nurse answered through the speaker, "Can I help you?" I yelled back at her, " I need help! My baby isn't breathing!" She ran in the room a few seconds later. When she saw Paisley, she panicked too and said, "Oh my gosh! I have to take her!" She grabbed her from me, put Paisley in her push bed and ran her down the hall.

I stayed in my room with Emmy. I couldn't hold back the tears, and I noticed my body was trembling while I paced around the room. My mind was racing with questions of wondering how Paisley was doing and what they were doing to help her. I needed comfort. I needed Brandon here with me. I tried to dry my cheeks with tissue. I picked up Emmy and squeezed her close, kissing her head and wishing Paisley was sleeping peacefully in my arms too. This had to be a dream.

Five minutes later, the same nurse came in and I was still sobbing. She had a relieved look on her face, and said, "She's okay. As soon as I got her to the nursery, her color was back to normal. But we're going to keep her in the nursery for awhile longer to monitor her and keep her on oxygen." I was trying to hold back the tears (without success) as I listened, but I was still in shock and trembling. The nurse continued, " I'm sorry to scare you, but when I saw that her lips were blue, I had to take her to the nursery right away." I was just nodding through my tears, and trying to wipe my face with the back of my hands. She reassured me again that Paisley was fine now and that everything was okay. I got out the words, "Okay, Thank You" before she left again.

I called Brandon to calm my nerves. I said Hi and he could tell I was upset. He said,"What's wrong?" I told him everything that happened with my chin quivering as I talked. I was so relieved, but it was going to take awhile for my nerves and body to relax and return back to normal. Brandon said calmly, "Holy Sh**"... while shaking his head I'm sure. He being relieved as well and understanding how bad things could have turned out. "Alright, I'm on my way to pick up the kids now... I'll be there shortly", he said, "Love you..."

When they brought Paisley back to me. I couldn't wait to see her... and hold her. I wanted to see that her skin was normal again, and to watch her breathe for myself. I'm not one of those Mothers that has an instantaneous, consuming love right from birth. I feel more like we're strangers, and it takes me several weeks to feel a bonding connection with my baby. I've never admitted that to anyone, cause I feel guilty, but this experience brought my love for the twins to the surface in seconds. Already, I can't imagine life without either one of them.

Probably 30 minutes after it all, Katie came to visit when she got off work. I had calmed down by then and it was so nice to have a friend there to talk to.

Soon after... Samantha and Tony showed up. Then Brandon with our 4 kids... they were all excited to see their new sisters again and pass them around. :)

Baylee and Paisley

And others in the family came... Kent & Lana...

Lorenzo & my Mom

Brandon's Dad and Kathy...

We needed a bigger room for our visitors. :)

We're proud parents of healthy twins.

Aug 30, 2011

Happy Birthday To Our Twins

I woke up at 6am this morning to get ready to go to the hospital. I had an induction appointment at 8:00. My doctor gave me an ultrasound to check the position of the twins. Baby "A" was still head down and ready for delivery, and Baby "B" was head down too!... we could plan on a traditional delivery! She started me on pitocin meds about 9:30 to get my labor going. I was still dilated to 4cm and 80% thinned. My contractions started and didn't hurt too bad. I asked for my epidural around 11:30 anyway to get confomfy and wait it out while my labor progressed. Brandon and I watched daytime TV, and he brought his laptop to email our friend Shawn Saunders that's on his mission in Scotland. I was feeling good and numb!

By 1:30pm I hadn't dilated any further and was barely 4 1/2 centimeters, so they sent a doctor in to break Baby "A's" water. After that my contractions were so intense that they hurt badly even with my epidural that had me numb. I had to brace myself with each one! At 2:30, my nurse came in to say "Hi"... I told her I was in a lot of pain and to check my dilation. She did and was shocked that I was already 10 centimeters! She called to the surgery room and told them to get it ready for delivery. They wanted me to be in there in case I needed an emergency C-section.

Me and Dr. Brandon in the surgery room waiting for Dr. Wood to arrive so I could start pushing. We did another quick ultrasound to check their position again, and Baby "B" had flipped and was now breech. My doctor said it's still okay and to start pushing.

ONE push and Paisley Ann was born at 3:00 pm...

screaming loudly like a hurt cat! She weighed 5 lbs. 7 oz. and was 17 1/2 inches long. The cord was too short for Brandon to cut it, and we didn't get to hold her. We did get this picture right after she was born and before the nurses zipped her away down the hall to another room. They wanted the room clear in case trouble with Baby "B" arises.

We had a few minutes before I started pushing again, so Brandon went to see her and take this picture. I could still hear her screaming from the other room... haha... she was healthy!

Another ultrasound check and Baby "B" had flipped AGAIN and was head down... and just in time. :) She was still far up in my rib area. I pushed for awhile to try to get her down. After several pushes everyone in the room was worried and Brandon could tell something was wrong, but no one said anything. After 10 more minutes of pushing, the doctor finally said to me, "Her heart rate has been dangerously low for too long now. If we don't get her out in the next 2 minutes we'll have to do an emergency c-section. So give it all you got, and PUSH!" When she said that I was flooded with fear and worry. I had no idea Baby "B" was under so much stress. What if she dies of lack of oxygen? Or what if she has brain damage? I had so many thoughts rush through my head at that point. Mostly because I didn't know what the risks of a low heart rate could be to my unborn baby, but the doctor and nurses knew and it was serious. Plus, delivering one baby vaginally and then having an emergency c-section would be the worse case scenario. All I could do was pray and push like h*ll.

During those crucial 2 minutes of the hardest pushes (I think, cause I was numb) I ever gave, the epidural doctor came in and injected more medicine through my tube. Once he did that, Baby "B's" heart rate climbed back to normal and you could feel the tension leave the room. The medicine made me and the baby relax so I could continue pushing and not rush. With every contraction I would push as hard as I could, and she gradually got lower and lower...

At 3:32 pm, Emmy Lou was born and was only quietly whimpering. She was laid on my stomach and Brandon cut the cord. I cried a little feeling relieved that it was over and our sweet babies were okay. She weighed 5 lbs. 14 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long.

Emmy is 11 minutes old and Brandon gets to hold her for the first time.

I was wheeled back into my room to recover. The twins had their baths and I got to cuddle them both for the first time. My nurse took our picture. Brandon had gone to pick up our other kids to bring them to the hospital the meet their new sisters.

Baylee held one first, then it was Kalyssa and Abbee's turn.

William is a big brother now! He was excited to hold Emmy, but got bored fast.

Our first family-of-8 photo!

I never would have imagined that in almost 3 years time, I would go from only having 1 child to having 6! Haha... It's awesome!!!

A new father of twins... still can't believe it. Paisley looks just like Brandon and Emmy looks just like me. It's safe to say they are fraternal twins because not one feature about them is the same... and I love it.

Twins with their Grandma Mitzi. She came to see them later in the evening. I love this picture. You can see how happy grandchildren make your parents. :)

Happy Birthday

Paisley Ann & Emmy Lou

Aug 29, 2011

36 1/2 Weeks

Here is a side profile of Baby "B"

I had my last big ultrasound appointment today. I only get them every 4 weeks and I didn't think I'd make it to this apptointment, but these twins aren't here yet! :/ It's Wednesday today... I just saw my doctor on Monday, she thought I should keep this appointment to find out the weight of the twins to make sure one wasn't tons bigger than the other and that everything was still okay. And they are okay! Baby "A" is still head down and weighs 5lbs 10oz. Baby "B" is transverse again (sideways) and weighs 5lbs 13oz. Her heartbeat is always a little slower than Baby "A"s, but still in the normal range. There is plenty of amniotic fluid around each baby which makes it real easy for Baby "B" to be flipping around like she does. We're going to check the position of both babies next Monday morning to see if I'll need a c-section or not before I'm induced. Only 5 more days of being pregnant! Woot! Woot! Carrying 12 pounds of baby is something I'm not use to... and it's tough! :)

Aug 24, 2011

Will's Favorite

Will went to work with Brandon today... they came home for a minute and saw that our backyard was being watered. Brandon took his pants off to let him play in it...

Aug 26, 2011

Raw Mother Instinct

I don't know what it is... but whenever my kids are at this toddler stage and they sit drinking from their sippy cup with a blanket... it makes me want to snatch them up, rock them, cover them in kisses, inhale the scent of their skin, and savor the moment! One of my absolute favorite things!

Aug 25, 2011

1st Day of School

Summer break is over! It's the first day of school today. We went to back to school night yesterday for Kalyssa to meet her teacher, and she wasn't able to sleep last night she was so excited. She has Mrs. Martini and is in 2nd grade now. Mrs. Martini came to mine and Brandon's wedding in 2008, cause she was Baylee's teacher at the time, and we know the Martini family pretty well cause they have a dairy close by us and they are very involved in Farm Bureau with us too. Plus, her son has twins, so she wants Kalyssa to bring in her sisters for show and tell sometime this year. Kalyssa would LOVE to bring them to class, I'm sure. :)

These are pictures of Kalyssa's class that are on her school's blog.

Baylee and Abbee aren't ever with us for the first day of school, so I don't have any pictures of them. :(

Aug 23, 2011

36 Weeks

After staying overnight in the hospital last friday, my doctor said she wanted to see me on Monday. So I went in today, and she gave me an ultrasound and both babies are head down now! Totally shocked and it's a miracle! You can see the two circles side by side in this picture. They haven't both been head down this whole pregnancy and now all the sudden they're ready. Which means I don't need a c-section at this point, unless they move again, or complications arise during labor & delivery. I had a non-stress test, where they monitor the babies heartbeats and any contractions I'm having for 20 minutes. Both babies are doing great and don't seem to be under any stress. Doctor said they're really happy in there.

I felt a lot of peace leaving the doctors office today. It was a good reminder that the Lord has his hand in all things and that everything is going to be okay.

How's Mama? I feel pretty good. I still walk 2 miles a day, 6 days a week... at 4 mph. I'm so blessed to be able to do that at this point. I have contractions ALL the time lately, but nothing too intense that I need to go to the hospital. I'm dilated to a 4 now and 80% thinned out. My doctor just wanted me to wait until I'm 37 weeks pregnant to be induced. I'm 37 weeks on Saturday, so we scheduled my induction appointment for Monday, August 29th at 8am. I'm so excited!!!

Aug 22, 2011

Goodbye Arrow

We got William a new puppy for his birthday... a female and one that can grow with Willie. We got Arrow when he was 1 year old. Arrow is not much of a "companion" type dog and LOVES to chase tractors and trucks with trailers ALL DAY LONG!!! He escapes from the yard if we let him free back there, and we've gotten lots of complaints cause he'll run right out in the road to chase... so not good! So we've had to chain him up which is so sad! Brandon took Arrow to work with him to cut straw and Arrow could run around in the fields. Some farm kid liked Arrow and Brandon asked him if he wanted Arrow. The kid was excited and took him home. Now Arrow can run in those fields all he wants and is away from the busy road we live on. There's more country in Corrine for him to play safely. We'll miss him, but it's a better life for Arrow.

Aug 21, 2011

Big Sand Pile

The sand we had in our sand box was soft beach sand, so over the past year, a lot has blown out. Brandon got some sand from the river bank below the farm... its more dense, but still soft.

He just dumped it there with the loader and left it in a pile. Will likes to climb it and play on top. :)

Aug 20, 2011

35 Weeks

I saw a Nurse Practitioner this week because my Dr wasn't in the office Friday. The receptionist made a scheduling error and messed it up for me this week, so it wasn't my normal Wednesday visit. Oh well. Anyhow, I'm dilated almost to 4cm, 70% thinned out, so she sent me to Labor & Delivery for 2 hours to monitor my contractions and make sure I wasn't in active labor before I went home. They were sporadic... anywhere from 1 minute to 8 minutes apart. Nothing consistent with labor or too painful. 3 hours later, my doctor came to see me and check the positions of the twins. We saw on the ultrasound that Baby "A" is head down and more in the center (ready to go!), and Baby "B" is transverse (position sideways) up top. This is the worse case scenario, to deliver the 1st baby vaginally, and then need an emergency c-section on the 2nd. It's very risky for the twins, but with a c-section the risks are dangerous for me. I called Brandon, and we decided that a c-section was the safest option and that's what we'll do when the time comes. Brandon was on his way to the hospital, and about 8pm, they said that I needed to stay overnight to be monitored further, even though I wasn't dilating any further. They were worried that I would sometime soon and didn't feel comfortable sending me home.

Mary had William, and the girls were already away for the weekend. Brandon and I stayed overnight, with a ton of nurse interruptions every hour to monitor my contractions and the babies heartbeats. We didn't sleep very well. Brandon slept on an uncomfortable hospital recliner that made his back hurt. I felt bad, and figured nothing was gonna happen throughout the night and suggested he go home to sleep. He was so sweet and quick to say, No, that he was staying with me... he's such a good husband. At 6:30 the next morning, my doctor came in to say that my contractions have mellowed throughout the night and that I can go home. She didn't want to check if I was further dilated because that was making my contractions harder yesterday. She wants me to wait 1 more week before having them to make sure they can go home with us and not have to stay in NICU for any reason. I'll see her Monday and we'll schedule the date for my c-section.

This is me bright and early... so happy to hear that I can go home and finally get some food and a BIG glass of water! I couldn't have anything in case I needed a c-section I have to have an empty stomach for 6 to 8 hours. Brandon took me to Moore's for an omelet. Yummy!

I'm healthy and the babies are totally healthy too! At the end of the day, the Lord is in charge and has a plan for everything. He says it's just not time yet.

Aug 19, 2011

My Baby Shower

Because we're having twins, Lana and everyone else thought it was appropriate to throw me a shower. I'm so grateful! We needed lots of clothes and diapers... and that's just what we ended up with!

Me and Mom

Shannon was taking pictures with my camera. When I got it back I saw that she took cute pictures of her and Ryder... haha.

He's so sweet! He sat on what lap I have left, and wrapped his arms around my belly.

Whoa! Lots of adorable clothes... and that wasn't all of it.

Grandma Mary Ann, Lana, Shannon, Mythanne, Katie & maybe a few others made my shower so cute. It was so fun! I'm so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life... I love you gals!!!

Aug 16, 2011