Saturday's Visitors

So here was the line up of Saturday's visitors and just some other pictures.


I think this is my favorite picture of them so far. This is what we got to wake up to Saturday morning. Their noses were actually touching when we first looked at them but they moved a little by the time we got our camera.

Scott's brother Michael and Sister-in-law Marne came in the morning with their kids Kate and Sophia.

Sophia didn't really get what was going on. Again, she now seems huge like how Sonja did compared to the babies.

Kate had fun meeting her new cousins!!! I am sure that Addison and Caroline liked meeting her too :) Many fun days ahead with these four little ladies.

During the day my parents and Linnea came over just to help us out. Linnea was running around getting some stuff done for me that was on my to-do list. At one point I asked her if she was in a rush because she had to leave and she said that she wasn't and just wanted to get as much done in the couple hours she was there as she could. I didn't get it then but now I do. I now find myself rushing around in the gaps of time that I have to get as much done as possible when I have a chance. Even though we are on an every 3 hour feeding schedule the girls are getting better at eating faster and they sleep great in between feedings. So we actually have decent chunks of time throughout the day and night.

Late afternoon my friends Leah and Annie came over to meet the girls.

Leah trying her hand at both of them

Annie holding both of them

They got the girls these stuffed animals that are the same size as them!! If you have seen these animals in person you know that they are not that big.

Here is Caroline with hers but apparently she did not want any part of posing for a picture.

Addison was a bit more cooperative. It probably was because she was swaddled. Side note: we call them our Addison and Caroline burritos when we swaddle them.

And here I am with both of them. Right now it is easy to hold both of them but I am waiting for when that will get harder as their weights get higher. What Scott and I have already learned is, like when anyone becomes a parent, there is a lot of trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn't. Having twins is just a matter of different trial and error. We're getting there.

Another side note that I am very happy about: I am writing this post on Thursday, day 9 after they were born. I am happy to report that I have officially lost more than the pregnancy weight that I gained. Only by one pound but still, I'm excited!! I am sure that mostly has to do with the fact that I was losing weight during the pregnancy and I am nursing 2 babies. Secondly, I am off my pain meds. I have not had to take one for the last 24 hours so I would say I am off of them. I am very happy about both these changes.

Quick Addison Update

Scott just called me and she gained 1.5 ounces which is great for her! So now the plan is nursing for a few minutes just to keep that established and supplement every 3 hours again. Thank goodness they are on the same schedule again! We are supposed to view her as a preemie now (even though she isn't) and make life as easy on her as possible. That means trying to keep her warm at all times so that she does not have to use her energy to do it herself, keep her from crying and make feedings easy which means more bottle feeding.

If you are keeping track we have a follow-up for Addison on Saturday now and a follow-up for Caroline on Monday. I thought my pregnancy appointments were frequent.

Dr. Appointments

Well, the girls are now just over a week old and we have already had 3 pediatrician appointments and Scott is on his way with Addison for another one right now. The reason, their weight and the complications that come with that.

Friday was our first one since we left the hospital on Thursday. Our pediatrician wanted to do a check-up, specifically on weight, since she had not seen them since the day they were born. We had seen her partner the other 2 days in the hospital. Addison weighed 4 lbs 2 oz which was a birth weight loss of 3.5 ounces. Caroline was 4 lbs, 13 oz which was a birth weight loss of 6 ounces. So we made a plan of nursing and supplementing over the weekend with a follow-up on Monday to see what their weight gain was.

Monday's appointment was not great but not horrible. Addison gained half an ounce and Caroline gained 1 ounce. A typical weight gain is 2-3 ounces a day so obviously either one of them did well considering that was over a 3 day period. So we made the plan of putting the sleep schedule on the back burner and feeding both of them every 3 hours. Additionally, I only nurse them for no more than 10 minutes since that takes a lot of effort on their part and then we switch to a bottle which is easier and is less work for them. One feeding tends to take 45 to 60 minutes to accomplish the milliliters that the Dr wants us to get to each feeding. So obviously, not a ton of time to sleep. It is not as bad as I thought it was going to be though. We made a follow-up appointment for the next day on Tuesday.

Tuesday's appt. was good and bad. Caroline did great and gained 4 ounces over a 24 hour period!! So we are sticking with this plan for the next couple weeks for her and will have a follow-up for Caroline next Tuesday. Addison is a different story but we are told by the Dr that one twin generally lags behind so I guess that Addison is the one for us. Addison did not gain any weight in a 24 hour period. The pediatrician decided to test her for severe jaundice as a precaution. We switched her game plan to feed every 2 to 2.5 hours and completely skip any nursing. Also, we switched to a higher calorie formula especially made for low birth weight babies. After the appt. we went to the lab to have her blood tested for jaundice. We got the results an hour later and the test showed her levels were normal!! Scott and I both felt like parents the most in that moment when we found out her levels were normal as we were both so relieved to hear that she is fine. We did not want her to have sever jaundice and have to spend a few days in the hospital.

You would think that having one baby on a 2.5 hour feeding schedule and one on a 3 hour schedule would have resulted in both of us not getting any sleep. It ended up working out because Scott fed Addison all night and I did Caroline since she is still nursing a little. When I got up in the morning I took care of both girls and let Scott sleep for several hours. Now he is on the way to the pediatrician with Addison and I am staying home with Caroline. No point in making Caroline go out in the cold since Scott can handle Addison. on his own. Plus, it gives me time to get some stuff done or sleep if I need to.

So we are hoping and praying that this time Addison has gained some weight. Her color is looking better but I was going over the numbers and she did eat slightly more but I don't think force feeding her every 2.5 hours is working. I went over the numbers with the Dr. this morning over the phone and he seemed to think she was getting a good amount. He also mentioned making the time between feedings a little longer so she aggressively feeds more which would be great if they were back to every 3 hours again because it would be easier for Scott and I throughout the night.

So that is the girls update. My update is that I am doing great!! I am moving and walking around a lot without feeling my incision which seems great to me considering the c-section was just a week ago. It makes things so much easier being able to help out more and run around to get things done in the random 30 minute periods of time I have sporadically throughout the day. I even ran an errand last night and left Scott with the girls!

So if you could pray for Caroline that she continues to do well and for Addison that she puts on some weight before any other complications happen. I don't want her to become dehydrated which would also result in a hospital stay but she does not appear to be.

Friday's Visitors

Here are our visitors from last Friday....this is a quick post because I need to feed Caroline!!

Scott's Grandparents

My Grandparents....2 out of the 4 names are actually on my Grandma's side (Caroline and Sere)


Our first family picture!!!

As my mom says this is a picture of the "modern mom"

Scott's dad and wife....Grandpa Bill and Grandma Mary

Thursday's Visitors....finally!!!

Yay, we're home!!! I was released from the hospital very quickly considering I had major abdominal surgery 48 hours before discharge. I was encouraged by many people before the c-section to take advantage of being in the hospital and to stay as long as possible since the nurses are there to help you. Honestly, I found the nurses to be more of an annoyance and disruption than help. They actually did not help us with the babies at all which was nice for Scott and I because it allowed us to be really hands on. As Scott and I learned how to be parents it was comforting to know the nurses and doctors were there if we needed them but since we were able to do it on our own we felt good and comfortable about going home after just 2 days.

Here is where the girls spend their time sleeping during the day in their bassinet. Thank you Michael and Marne for letting us use it!!!

Now that we are home we are finally able to introduce these cuties to their family and friends. Here are all the visitors they had on their first day home.

Aunt Linnea

Sonja using my pain meds as rattles. How cute is she in this jacket :) Also, she seems so big to us now compared to the babies.

Gwen meeting her cousin Addison and Linnea checking out her small legs and feet. Seriously, so small!

An attempt to show just how small her legs and feet are. I am not sure if this really gives you a good sense of how small.

Gwen holding Addison. She was so great with the girls and was so genuinely excited to meet her cousins. She would say things like "they are so cute," "they are so adorable," "I would be a good mother to Caroline." There are more things that she would say but I can't remember all of them.

Here she is with Caroline which at one point she said was her favorite but was quickly followed by saying that she liked both of them. She also at one point put a burp cloth on her shoulder and wanted to hold them like she saw my mom burping one of them. Gwen could seriously not be more cute and great with these girls but I don't think anyone would be surprised to hear this.

I love Gwen's little smile in the picture. She would also get upset if she was not able to hold one of them. This is funny to me because I remember being the same way when she was born but not as vocal about it :) People didn't know this but when Gwen was born I could not stand being with her and not being able to hold her. It was almost heart breaking to me. I was always jealous when others were holding her and not me. It melts my heart that she is now that way with my daughters.

My parents meeting their new granddaughters. My family just keeps popping out girls. Again, no one would be surprised to hear this.

They were over yesterday again and were trying to help us find some distinction between them so that we are able to tell them apart by some feature instead of what they look like when they are next to each other. We have yet to find something.

We told Gwen that she could not touch their faces or give them kisses just because we want to try and keep germs away. Gwen had the hardest time sticking to these rules.

Proud and happy mommy. It is so weird and surreal when people call me their mommy. The blanket in my lap is also something we got at the hospital made by volunteers. Of course, we got two :) If you are someone who makes these blankets and hats or know someone who is a part of this we just want to thank you! We really appreciate them and I know other parents who receive these gifts do too!!

Happy Mor Mor. Honestly, I could not tell you who she is holding. Sorry girls, there are going to be many pictures that I am not sure who is who. Their identical, give me a break! Also, I decided I am not going to feel guilty about not always knowing who is who in pictures. It is inevitable especially at an angle like this.

And finally, the hats that I made them fit! I love that they come to a point at the top :)

So those are Thursday's visitors. My uncle Scott and Aunt Nancy came today too but I am realizing that we didn't take any pictures with them. I am bummed. Sorry about that!! More pics and visitors to come!

In the Hospital

Here we are at the hospital. At this point I was just trying to not think about what was going to happen. I knew I needed to keep my blood pressure down and thinking about becoming a parent in just minutes would have put my nerves over the edge. I was surprisingly calm throughout the prepping process.

At the hospital ready and excited to become parents!!

Getting ready for the C-section to begin

Tiny hands

Caroline - Addison

The girls in their new hats made from volunteers

Caroline - Addison

I tried to get these pictures higher in the post but I could not move them. Not sure why. Anyways, the girls are finally here!!!!

The first picture of Addison Marie (baby A)

12/8/09 - Born at 8:37am - 4 lbs, 6 oz - 17 inches

The first picture of Caroline Sere (baby B)

12/8/09 - Born at 8:38 am - 5 lbs 3 oz - 18 inches

by the way, you pronounce her middle name seer-ee. It is my Grandma, on my dad's side, middle name

Proud and happy Daddy!!

They have a little blonde fuzz for hair and pretty blue eyes. It will be interesting to see if their eyes get lighter.

You can see how small Addison is here next to Scott's hand.

The girls first visitor, Uncle Cam! By the way, that is a preemie outfit and Addison is swimming in it!

All ready to go home :)

More pictures to come......