they have arrived!

i will post a full update later with my birth story and more pics, but wanted to share a few while i had a spare moment.

jeffry and sadie arrived on 10/21/09! jeffry was born at 1235pm and weighed in at 4 pounds, 3 ounces. sadie was born at 1236pm and weighed in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces.

sadie came up to the room with me and was discharged home with me yesterday. jeffry is in the special care nursery, where he will stay until he puts on a little more weight and gets better coordination of his sucking/feedings.

we are so thankful that neither of them required any type of resuscitation or oxygen/ventilators. jeffry came out screaming loud and clear, and the only reason he is still in SCN is because of his weight - babies under 2000 grams automatically are admitted there, and his weight converted at right around 1800 grams.

we are able to visit him any time of day or night, and are praying that he is able to join us at home very soon.

here are a few pics of sadie at home last night... more to come of jeffry today. =)

5 days to go!

How far along? 35 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: + 11 pounds

Stretch marks? i have one on my right side that's itty-bitty, but i have a feeling that a ton more will pop up after i deliver.
Sleep: better, since i've been taking two Benadryl every night to knock myself out. =)
Best moment this week: actually having a date and time set to meet these two!
Movement: oh. my. god. these two will not be still AT ALL. when they are older, i'm going to wrap them both up in the same blanket and let them wrestle with each other, just so they can know what it was like before they were born.
Food cravings: Mary Lee donuts.
Labor signs: at yesterday's appt. i was 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and jeffry was at -1 station.

Belly Button: i can't see it anymore!

What I miss: taking a bath and having the water actually cover my whole stomach.

What I’m NOT looking forward to: i added the "NOT" in this week. i am terrified of getting an epidural.

Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.
Milestones: i can't believe there's only 5 days left. 5 DAYS!!!!

another update - things change!

yesterday's appointments went pretty good, with a few minor changes. =)

i had my OB appt. first - my cervix hasn't changed at all, so my OB seems to think I'll make it through till the end without actually going into active labor. he went ahead and scheduled me for a section on 10/28, and said he wanted to see me back in one week.

fast forward to my MFM appt. - totally different story! the babies looked great on the ultrasound - both were moving, doing their practice breathing, and the tech even said that sadie has a head full of hair. the blood flow through their umbilical cords were both great. sadie weighed in at 3 lbs, 15 oz, and jeffry weighed in at 3 lbs, 8 oz.

dr. s. came in the ultrasound room after the tech left, and started to do his scans. i knew something was up when he was silent the whole time - he's usually very chit-chatty and explaining as he goes ("here's both heads, spinal cords, heartbeats, etc.), but this time, he kept flipping the screen back to the measurements and calculations.

he said that the babies looked good, they just aren't growing as much as they should at this point. he said i have what's called intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which means that since i'm having twins, and both placentas are having to share my one uterus, they may not be providing the babies with everything they need to grow. they are getting plenty of blood flow and oxygen, but just aren't packing on the pounds like they are supposed to be doing at this point.

dr. s.'s recommendation to my OB is to deliver them a week earlier, which would be the week of 10/21. he said at this point there isn't much concern from a respiratory / breathing standpoint, but they just may grow better outside than inside this late in the game. i am going back to dr. s. next week to check weights and fluid levels again.

so, instead of the three weeks i thought i had left, we're now down to two! we're praying that these two are able to hit the four pound mark before delivery.... sadie should have no problem getting there, since she's only an ounce away, but jeffry has a half a pound to go before he gets there. we're getting all the last-minute stuff in place, and are so ready to meet these two!

bigger by the week! 33 week belly pics

How far along? 33 weeks, 5 days in the pics above

Total weight gain/loss: + 10 pounds
Stretch marks? i have one on my right side that's itty-bitty, but i have a feeling that a ton more will pop up after i deliver.

Sleep: better, since i've been taking two Benadryl every night to knock myself out. =)

Best moment this week: seeing the babies on ultrasound again. the tech said she could see that sadie has a ton of hair - i'm excited to find out if it's dark brown and curly like her daddy's, or red. =)

Movement: it hasn't slowed down any, but it's more limb stretching and rolling rather than kicks and punches.

Food cravings: chocolate milk!

Labor signs: at yesterday's appt. i was still just a fingertip dilated, so no real progress.
Belly Button: i can't see it anymore!
What I miss: taking a bath and having the water actually cover my whole stomach.
What I’m looking forward to: actually meeting these two!
Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.

Milestones: i go next week to fill out my registration paperwork at the hospital and sign consent forms. once i'm there signing off on an epidural and circumcision, it will feel real!

our itty-bitty nursery!

it's 95% complete - hubby just needs to hang the valances.

baby jeffry's side:



baby sadie's side:




bouncy chairs (only took me two hours to put 'em together):



standing in the doorway (dresser to my right):



think we have enough diapers and sleep-n-plays?



the "too big" side:

32 week belly pics

How far along? 32 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: + 9 pounds

Stretch marks? sadly, yes.... i feel like my skin is going to just tear open. i can't see them yet, but i'm 99% sure they are on their way to making an appearance.

Sleep: horrible. i've gotten to where i'm waking on my own before my alarm goes off to take my 4am procardia dose.

Best moment this week: going to the dr. on wednesday and having no changes. yay!

Movement: they do not like me lying on my side. if i lay on my left side, jeffry starts kicking and wiggling because sadie's squishing him. vice versa if i lay on my right side.
Food cravings: apple juice.... which makes me sad, because i can't drink it anymore. makes my heartburn flare like mad.
Labor signs: contractions have lessened significantly since being home and on the procardia - thank god. still had the + fetal fibronectin, which makes me nervous, but we're just taking it one day at a time.

Belly Button: more an outie than an innie now.

What I miss: getting in and out of the tub easily. i think i had my last soak in the tub last night... jeff had to come in and heave me out. it's shower city from now on.

What I’m looking forward to: actually meeting these two!

Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.
Milestones: 4 weeks and 3 days left!

the date is set!

after my appointment today (in which there was no change, just a one pound weight gain - yay!), i asked dr. e. about delivery options.

i came to the conclusion that if i go into active labor on my own (water breaks, dilated, contracting), and if both babies are head down, that i would attempt a vaginal birth. however, if i have had no progress by the cut-off time of 36-37 weeks, then i would opt for a scheduled c-section. i would much rather have a scheduled, coordinated, organized delivery than be induced with pitocin and run the risk of having to have an emergent c-section many hours later.

so, for now, we have a date set of october 27th, which is on a tuesday. i will be 36 weeks and 5 days. dr. e. is confident that i'm going to "go all the way" and not have anything happen early, although anything can change.

eek!!!!! four and a half weeks!!!!