Just a general update on The Green Gang:
We were able to take Benjamin and Alexander with us from the hospital when we were discharged Sunday night (7/11/10), which was a fantastic blessing for us all. I never imagined that we would be able to take home babies that were born at week 35.
We got home that night and Ethan was still awake to greet us. He was very excited to see us and I was very excited to see him. I missed him like crazy!! He waved at his new brothers and smiled and shrieked, running throughout the house in excitement.
We had the bassinet pack-n-play in the front room, so I took the babies and put them in there. Ethan was all excited to see them as he peered over the side. He was waving and got very excited and happy when Benjamin raised his arm as if to wave back!
That first night was crazy hectic. There was very little sleep the first night. Alexander seemed to think that nighttime was the right time to be awake. I guess I was under the mistaken impression that preemies slept a lot. HA!
On Monday, Ethan was rubbing Benjamin's head while we were feeding the babies. It was very cute. He also touched Alexander and just seemed very excited about the prospect of having two younger brothers (if he really even understands that is who they are!).
I starting feeling bad Sunday night after getting home and that continued into Monday. I was having some big time swelling in the lower extremities and having shortness of breath and a tightening feeling in my chest. I went to the ER after calling my OB.
I am in the cardiology wing of the hospital and had tests done. While there is no official word from my doctors yet, at the last visit they felt that I was experiencing a back up of fluid from the pregnancy. They told me my heart looked fine and there are no blood clots (which were two of the things they were concerned about). I am experiencing high blood pressure and my pulse goes from the 80s to the 40s, so I am waiting to hear about what to do with those issues. I am hoping to get back home either to day or tomorrow.
In the meantime, Rob is Super Daddy, even taking Benjamin and Alexander to their first pediatrician visit. My Mom and Mother-in-Law have really become quite invaluable to the functioning of the Green household, and I am beyond grateful to them both.
I cannot believe how blessed and fortunate I am to have such a fantastic family. I have my three beautiful boys who are the lights of my life. I have an amazing husband who loves his sons and does his best to support us all in many different ways. My family is always there if you need them and I love them very much. I am also blessed with friends (old and new) who continue to brighten my life in ways almost unimaginable.
Thank you everyone!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Day Two for the babies!
Today was a big day for the babies!
Both are off oxygen and are breathing room air. Their belly button IVs were removed earlier and standard IVs were placed. The nurses said that they believe that they will both be off the IVs tomorrow.
They were moved to a different section of the NICU (or the Special Care Nursery, as our hospital likes to call it!) so they are no longer under the heat lights and are in standard "beds" now.
They are also eating formula and evidently gobbling it down with gusto! At their last feeding tonight, they both had 1 ounce. They are ROCK STARS!!
I was also told initially that it looked like Benjamin had curly hair, but... It is thick, dark, and straight. Alexander had a complete bath today and his hair is straight and light brown.
Big brother Ethan got to see the boys through the window while Mommy held them earlier. I think he gets it that those are our babies.
Both are off oxygen and are breathing room air. Their belly button IVs were removed earlier and standard IVs were placed. The nurses said that they believe that they will both be off the IVs tomorrow.
They were moved to a different section of the NICU (or the Special Care Nursery, as our hospital likes to call it!) so they are no longer under the heat lights and are in standard "beds" now.
They are also eating formula and evidently gobbling it down with gusto! At their last feeding tonight, they both had 1 ounce. They are ROCK STARS!!
I was also told initially that it looked like Benjamin had curly hair, but... It is thick, dark, and straight. Alexander had a complete bath today and his hair is straight and light brown.
Big brother Ethan got to see the boys through the window while Mommy held them earlier. I think he gets it that those are our babies.
(Grandma Gayle, Ethan, and Grandma)
Benjamin doing what he evidently loves best at this point: Sleeping!
Alexander: Mommy's Little Spitfire!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Newest Arrivals!!
So, the boys are here, which was a HUGE surprise for me. I did not think that they would be coming today, but as long as they were ready... I was not going to complain. =)
Benjamin was born at 11.14am and weighed in at 6#10oz and was 20" long.
His little brother, Alexander, was born at 11.15a and weighed in at 6#14 oz and was 19.5" long
I am 35 weeks and 2 days today, so everyone was very happy about the sizes!
I was having contractions during my non stress test this morning. I think they were only the braxton hicks ones, but my perinatologist did the ultrasound afterwards and said, "ok, since you are having contractions, we are sending you to L & D." They called my OB and told me that they were either going to continue monitoring and give me fluids OR the babies would be born today. When I got to L & D, they moved me from an exam room to a real room, so I had a feeling... Sure enough, every nurse that entered my room was saying, "so I hear we are having babies today!"
I guess they were concerned that if the contractions got strong enough, it *might* rip open the scar on the uterus from the first c-section, so why take any chances since they are a good gestational age.
I was by myself while all this news was being thrown at me and so shocked/scared/unprepared. Rob, my Mom, and mother in law managed to get here before I was taken to the OR, so that was good. It all happened SO fast that I almost think it was a dream, you know?
They have me sitting up in the rocking chair at the moment and I am on some good pain meds. I am tired, but still wired from the excitement of it all.
Benjamin is now off the ventilator and both boys (I believe!) are still getting a low dose of oxygen through the nasal tube thing. They have IVs in their belly button/umbilical cord area to get blood from and to feed them sugar water as their veins were still too immature to attempt to put in an IV anywhere else. When they were born, they both had the same blood sugar level, which I take it from the nurses' reactions that was an odd thing... They were both 31 and needed to be 50 or over, but they rebounded alot faster than Ethan did with that issue, and now are both in the 70s, which is really good.
I have not been able to go to the NICU yet to see them myself, so I only got to see them while I was in the OR and now through pictures. Hopefully tomorrow... =)
I do not know yet how long they will have to be in the NICU... I will, of course, update with more information as I get it!
I am SOOOOOOO excited and am feeling really, really good at the moment. I think this is the best I have physically felt in a few months. Of course after the drugs wear off... Lol~
Benjamin was born at 11.14am and weighed in at 6#10oz and was 20" long.
His little brother, Alexander, was born at 11.15a and weighed in at 6#14 oz and was 19.5" long
I am 35 weeks and 2 days today, so everyone was very happy about the sizes!
I was having contractions during my non stress test this morning. I think they were only the braxton hicks ones, but my perinatologist did the ultrasound afterwards and said, "ok, since you are having contractions, we are sending you to L & D." They called my OB and told me that they were either going to continue monitoring and give me fluids OR the babies would be born today. When I got to L & D, they moved me from an exam room to a real room, so I had a feeling... Sure enough, every nurse that entered my room was saying, "so I hear we are having babies today!"
I guess they were concerned that if the contractions got strong enough, it *might* rip open the scar on the uterus from the first c-section, so why take any chances since they are a good gestational age.
I was by myself while all this news was being thrown at me and so shocked/scared/unprepared. Rob, my Mom, and mother in law managed to get here before I was taken to the OR, so that was good. It all happened SO fast that I almost think it was a dream, you know?
They have me sitting up in the rocking chair at the moment and I am on some good pain meds. I am tired, but still wired from the excitement of it all.
Benjamin is now off the ventilator and both boys (I believe!) are still getting a low dose of oxygen through the nasal tube thing. They have IVs in their belly button/umbilical cord area to get blood from and to feed them sugar water as their veins were still too immature to attempt to put in an IV anywhere else. When they were born, they both had the same blood sugar level, which I take it from the nurses' reactions that was an odd thing... They were both 31 and needed to be 50 or over, but they rebounded alot faster than Ethan did with that issue, and now are both in the 70s, which is really good.
I have not been able to go to the NICU yet to see them myself, so I only got to see them while I was in the OR and now through pictures. Hopefully tomorrow... =)
I do not know yet how long they will have to be in the NICU... I will, of course, update with more information as I get it!
I am SOOOOOOO excited and am feeling really, really good at the moment. I think this is the best I have physically felt in a few months. Of course after the drugs wear off... Lol~
Saturday, June 19, 2010
First Haircut!
Today, Grandma and I took Ethan to KidSnips in Naperville for his first haircut.
He was scared and cried, but sat in Mommy's lap during the haircut. It was SO hard on Mommy to see the transformation from my "baby" to my "little man," but he still looks super adorable, only less slightly hippy-ish.
Here is a before from this morning:
And during (poor baby!):
And the end result:
"Hello, Ladies..."
The next stop will be the cover of Baby GQ...
He was scared and cried, but sat in Mommy's lap during the haircut. It was SO hard on Mommy to see the transformation from my "baby" to my "little man," but he still looks super adorable, only less slightly hippy-ish.
Here is a before from this morning:
And during (poor baby!):
And the end result:
The next stop will be the cover of Baby GQ...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
32 weeks and counting...
I am officially at the 32 week mark for this twin pregnancy.
It really seems to have flown by all too quickly.
My OB said that if I go into labor before 34 weeks, they will do everything they can to stop it, but after 34 weeks, they will proceed with delivery.
It feels surreal to me to think that in as little as 2 weeks or as much as 7 weeks (for my scheduled 39 week c-section), I will have Benjamin and Alexander.
I have known I was carrying twins since before Christmas, but I find I am still in disbelief over that fact. I would like to think that by now I would have come to grips with it, but I find I am still having trouble wrapping my brain around this.
Of course, the thought of preterm labor really frightens me. Every little twinge of pain or anything that seems odd has me running through my mental list of preterm labor symptoms. I then clear my mind and sort of hold my breath as if I am going to get some official, "IT'S TIME!!!!" message from my body. Lol~
The pain and discomfort is getting even worse than I thought it could. I am fairly certain it will continue to get worse from here on out. I have such a hard time walking even! I am certain it is a comical sight to see me attempting to get up out of bed or from a seated position. And the times that I actually do get down on the floor to play with Ethan? I am grateful that I have been able to still get up each and every time.
The one thing I forgot about from my first (singleton) pregnancy? Not realizing how far my belly sticks out. My OB told me I am measuring past the 40 week mark and not looking back! Lol...
Despite the fact that this has been going on for several weeks now, I still am momentarily perplexed when I open doors and they hit my stomach; I thought for certain that I left enough room for clearance~!
The kicker was what happened last night... I put my full cup of ice water on the foot board of my bed, which makes that at belly height... and I turned to reach for the phone and knocked water down everywhere. hahaha....
It really seems to have flown by all too quickly.
My OB said that if I go into labor before 34 weeks, they will do everything they can to stop it, but after 34 weeks, they will proceed with delivery.
It feels surreal to me to think that in as little as 2 weeks or as much as 7 weeks (for my scheduled 39 week c-section), I will have Benjamin and Alexander.
I have known I was carrying twins since before Christmas, but I find I am still in disbelief over that fact. I would like to think that by now I would have come to grips with it, but I find I am still having trouble wrapping my brain around this.
Of course, the thought of preterm labor really frightens me. Every little twinge of pain or anything that seems odd has me running through my mental list of preterm labor symptoms. I then clear my mind and sort of hold my breath as if I am going to get some official, "IT'S TIME!!!!" message from my body. Lol~
The pain and discomfort is getting even worse than I thought it could. I am fairly certain it will continue to get worse from here on out. I have such a hard time walking even! I am certain it is a comical sight to see me attempting to get up out of bed or from a seated position. And the times that I actually do get down on the floor to play with Ethan? I am grateful that I have been able to still get up each and every time.
The one thing I forgot about from my first (singleton) pregnancy? Not realizing how far my belly sticks out. My OB told me I am measuring past the 40 week mark and not looking back! Lol...
Despite the fact that this has been going on for several weeks now, I still am momentarily perplexed when I open doors and they hit my stomach; I thought for certain that I left enough room for clearance~!
The kicker was what happened last night... I put my full cup of ice water on the foot board of my bed, which makes that at belly height... and I turned to reach for the phone and knocked water down everywhere. hahaha....
Monday, June 14, 2010
New Blog Address and Direction!
I have been hemming and hawing over a new blog that would incorporate many different things in my life as it is now. I currently have one blog for my son, Ethan. I also have another personal blog (since way before Ethan!) that I have long since given up on updating.
With the new changes on the horizon (such as the impending arrival of twins!), I wanted to have a blog that could be an all encompassing one... I want to be able to update about my children, my family, my life, and my thoughts or other things that are going on in my life and the world around me.
I imported my Eagmommy.blogspot.com posts to this location as I do not want to lose that to the dead space in the internet.
Hopefully, I will find the time to update this regularly!
With the new changes on the horizon (such as the impending arrival of twins!), I wanted to have a blog that could be an all encompassing one... I want to be able to update about my children, my family, my life, and my thoughts or other things that are going on in my life and the world around me.
I imported my Eagmommy.blogspot.com posts to this location as I do not want to lose that to the dead space in the internet.
Hopefully, I will find the time to update this regularly!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
New Accomplishments for June!
Well, Ethan has been off to a busy start this month!
He is working on his artistic abilities by drawing on...
- Walls
- His baby dolls' heads and faces
- Paper pad
- Coloring Book
- Toys
Guess which of the above are the only two genuine "accepted" drawing outlets for a young tot in the Green household?
Yeah... you got it.
In addition to expanding his artistic abilities, Ethan is also working on his vocalization. In May, he said "Mama" and "No," (and no, not together, thank you!), however he really does not feel like repeating himself. He must think I am so dense when I keep asking him, "Who am I? Who am I? Am I 'Mama?'" Lol~
He loves doing his ear-splitting high pitch screaming. My guess is he is trying to communicate with his brothers in utero. I have no idea what message he is trying to relay, but I am thinking it is something along the lines of, "I can't wait to draw on you two when you get out!!!"
He has mastered the fine art of opening and closing the doors in our house, thanks to our usage of levers instead of round knobs as door handles. Guess which Grandma was surprised yesterday when she was in the bathroom...
He also started holding his index finger up now when you ask him how old he is. He doesn't do it every single time, though. I guess he decided that he had better start keeping track of the important stuff like his age and all, given his Mommy's lack of identity retention. Sheesh. He does have to grow up fast, doesn't he?
Ethan is busy working on his gymnastic skills as well. He loves attempting a head stand. He hasn't quite gotten the idea that the legs need to go straight in the air, but soon enough he will be proficient at it and giving Mommy all sorts of scares...
Finally, Ethan is working on his mad dance skills because all the ladies love a dancer.
What a busy 17-month old... and the month is JUST getting started!
He is working on his artistic abilities by drawing on...
- Walls
- His baby dolls' heads and faces
- Paper pad
- Coloring Book
- Toys
Guess which of the above are the only two genuine "accepted" drawing outlets for a young tot in the Green household?
Yeah... you got it.
In addition to expanding his artistic abilities, Ethan is also working on his vocalization. In May, he said "Mama" and "No," (and no, not together, thank you!), however he really does not feel like repeating himself. He must think I am so dense when I keep asking him, "Who am I? Who am I? Am I 'Mama?'" Lol~
He loves doing his ear-splitting high pitch screaming. My guess is he is trying to communicate with his brothers in utero. I have no idea what message he is trying to relay, but I am thinking it is something along the lines of, "I can't wait to draw on you two when you get out!!!"
He has mastered the fine art of opening and closing the doors in our house, thanks to our usage of levers instead of round knobs as door handles. Guess which Grandma was surprised yesterday when she was in the bathroom...
He also started holding his index finger up now when you ask him how old he is. He doesn't do it every single time, though. I guess he decided that he had better start keeping track of the important stuff like his age and all, given his Mommy's lack of identity retention. Sheesh. He does have to grow up fast, doesn't he?
Ethan is busy working on his gymnastic skills as well. He loves attempting a head stand. He hasn't quite gotten the idea that the legs need to go straight in the air, but soon enough he will be proficient at it and giving Mommy all sorts of scares...
Finally, Ethan is working on his mad dance skills because all the ladies love a dancer.
What a busy 17-month old... and the month is JUST getting started!
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