About US

Ten Thoughts

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:12:17 -0400

Just a few thoughts that have been rolling around in my tired brain lately:

1) Why aren’t there more drive thrus? I don’t always want to haul both the kids out of the car because they are so heavy in their car seats now that I also have to get the stroller out too but I would love to pop in a get a slurpee or a bagel. My only local drive thru choice is McDonalds which I can only take so much of. My local Panera and Einstein's would do booming business if they just put a drive thru in.
2) Why do people park so crooked? I have to have enough room to open both my rear doors wide enough to take out and put in car seats and it drives me crazy when I get back to my car and I can’t open the door more then an inch without hitting their car.
3) Speaking of parking lots, why do people insist on backing into parking spots? Do they really need that quick of a get away? Most people are not skilled enough to back into a predefined space without three or four attempts and it bothers me to wait for them to get it right while I have two screaming babies in the back seat. And inevitably they will park crookedly (see above!).
4) Why can’t I force myself to nap when my babies are napping? I am chronically fatigued but when I get them down at the same time I insist on cramming in all sorts of projects instead of taking a snooze myself. I always end up regretting it by the evening no matter how accomplished I feel by whatever project I got done.
5) Speaking of sleep, why are these babies sleep patterns still so unpredictable? I’m sure in fifteen years I’ll be lamenting that they are lazy teenagers for sleeping in until 11 but boy would I love it if they did it now!
6) I want to get a haircut but I’m scared of not being able to pull it back since that’s all I do with it now.
7) On the topic of hair, I’m worried I won’t have any left to bother with a cut. It is falling out by the handful and daily clogging up my shower.
8) I am obsessed with playing scrabble and wonder if it makes me a bad mother that I sometimes take my turn before soothing a crying baby!
9) I want a new hobby but doubt I have the time or energy to commit to something right now.
10) I can’t wait for my Lake Anna vacation but secretly fear that it’s going to be a disaster with the kids this year.

It Gets Better

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 13:53:25 -0400

This seems to be the twin mom mantra. Anytime I run into another mom with twins that is always her parting words, “It gets better, I promise!”

Work It Girl

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 13:23:58 -0400

Well I had been dreading this day since the moment I went out on leave but it came and went and we survived! I had been off for six months between my modified bed rest and then maternity leave. I was honestly afraid that I had forgotten how to be a nurse but it all came back to me very quickly. I forgot about all the nice things about working night shift...less annoying family members, less phone calls, less doctors, less orders, less meds, and some of the patients actually sleep!

Some lady had told me a few weeks ago that she cried for hours the first time she went back to work and had to leave her baby. I figured I’d be sad but there was no way I would cry about it. Ha, I totally bawled and Robert had to kick me out the door after the third time I came back in for kisses! I can’t imagine what I’ll be like when we finally arrange daycare and I have to leave them with someone other then Robert.

Robert did a great job with them over night and the next day so I was able to get some sleep. I’m glad the first night is over so I won’t dread work each week. For right now I will just be working one night a week and surprisingly I actually enjoyed using my brain in a different capacity then I have in the past six months.

Six Hours

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:31:55 -0400

Well I don’t want to jinx ourselves but these kids have recently improved our lives drastically by sleeping six hour stretches at night and napping during the day! We’ve been able to slowly inch back bedtime and they are currently going down by about 9:15 pm. They are also making it easier for me to resist the temptation to stay up late by taking two short and one long nap during the day. So I can get things done during the day and go to sleep at 915 with them. I am feeling much more normal these days so I’ve managed to get the camera out a time or two so here are some recent and not so recent photos....

Seems like it’s easier for me to get the camera out when they are sleeping but doesn’t she just look angelic when she’s asleep? Plus I love her chunky legs!

Best friends at times and twinemies at other times....

Strangers

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:12:54 -0400

I have this conversation with strangers at least ten times a day:

Stranger: Twins?
Me: Yep.
Stranger: A boy and a girl?
Me: Yep. (didn’t fool them with the pink and green car seats)
Stranger: Are they identical?
Me: Nope. (I spare them a genetics and anatomy lesson but maybe I shouldn’t so the next boy/girl twin mom they encounter won’t be forced to answer this question!)

And then we stare at my babies until I feel uncomfortable and announce that I better finish my errands while they are still sleeping.

These cutie pies definitely get me more attention in public then I’m used to. Everywhere we go people want to talk to us. I even had a construction worker chase me down on my walk in my neighborhood this morning to tell me that he was a twin, which was actually a pretty cute conversation with a grown man. Other twin parents had warned us of this public attention and they weren’t kidding!

Milestones

Sat, 8 May 2010 08:45:27 -0400

Last night I got hit with the thought that as I was recording Rob and Edie’s milestones that I needed to celebrate Robert and I’s milestones as parents! It has certainly been a transition for us into the sleepless, poopy, pukey, crying, screaming, smiling, cuddling, cooing life called parenthood.

I am so lucky to have a husband who wanted children as badly as I did and who is so involved in their care. He loves playing with them, bathing them, and rocking them to sleep as much as I do. He pops up out of bed in the middle of the night when both are up at the same time and I need some help. He goes to work almost as tired as I am but never complains about the fatigue.

But back to milestones....we’ve taken them out to eat multiple times without totally disrupting everyone else’s dining experience. We’ve taken them to a Nationals game and they slept through their first few innings of major league baseball and first two home runs before it started raining and we had to call it quits. We’ve had friends over to watch a movie. We’ve taken them out on the boat. We’ve left them with our parents to steal a few minutes to ourselves. I took them on a weekend vacation to Virginia Beach. I realize these are sort of dumb milestones but I can’t tell you how liberating it is each time we complete one of the above tasks and realize that life does go on and we can function in this world with newborn twins!

Happy One Month

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:47:20 -0400

Four weeks flew by. I imagined myself saying at some milestone down the road, “I can’t believe me babies are 18 years old” but I never thought I would say that at one month. They are growing so quickly. Stats from their four week check up:

Rob2 --- 21 inches (30%), 7 pounds 13.4 ounces (9%), head 37 cm (25%)

Edie --- 20 inches (13%), 7pounds 13.6 ounces (14%), head 36 cm (31%)

They are perfectly healthy and becoming more alert everyday. Edie loves tummy time and can roll over from her tummy to her back. Rob isn’t quite as enamored with tummy time but he tolerates it for a little bit.

Brunch Bunch

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:11:47 -0400

We are trying to take advantage of going out while Rob and Edie are still young enough to stay strapped into their car seats quietly and not terrorize the restaurant. We took my parents and Robert’s mom out to brunch at Trummer’s on Main as a thank you for all their help over the past few weeks. We’d be in big trouble if we didn’t have such supportive and loving parents that adore their newest grandchildren. Trummer’s opened about a year ago on historic Main Street in Clifton Virginia. The main dinning room is a large glass atrium. We were lucky enough to be there on a gorgeous sunny spring day so the atrium was filled with light and the doors were open to the outdoor seating area. They offer a three course brunch menu for $32. The first course is an assortment of breads and baked goods. We argued over who had the best second course because they were all so delicious. The contenders were fried green tomatoes, mango soup, salmon tartare, and oatmeal brulee. The food was perfect from presentation to taste. The service was a bit slow but not enough to deter us from making a return trip sometime in the near future.

The following week we met friends at Art and Soul downtown. Robert has been wanting to go here for a long time because he loves Southern inspired cuisine and because of the renowned chef. Again the twins snoozed through brunch and we got to visit with friends and enjoy another spectacular meal. We started with the pantry hoecake and I definitely ate more then my fair share of it. Robert had Chicken and Waffles (which not being from the south I had no idea this was a real thing) but Robert declared it was the best fried chicken he has ever had. I enjoyed the Eggs Benedict. We rounded the meal out with a brush in with the owner/chef Art Smith when he sat down at the table next to us and commented on our babies.

Hard to say which place was better, Trummers on Main or Art and Soul, so try them both!

Easter Bunnies

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:14:59 -0400

Rob and Edie had no interest in posing for their first holiday pictures so that is the best one we have of them in their bunny and chick outfits. The Easter Bunny knew how anxious their parents were for boating season and brought Rob and Edie buckets with sunglasses and swimming suits. We had Easter dinner with my parents, Robert’s mom and my sister. A few pictures from our pre dinner photo shoot (so hard to narrow them down when I think every picture with Rob and Edie in it is cute!)....

On The Go Go

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:14:58 -0400

When it comes to double strollers the options are a bit limited and you have to decide if you’re going to be the proud owner of a double wide or a double long. Fear of not fitting through standard doorways led me to decide on the double long. Everyone knows Robert has to have the latest and greatest when it comes to electronics but who would have thought that desire would spill over into baby items? The stroller we decided on was the 2010 Baby Jogger City Select but it’s back ordered and won’t arrive until the end of April. Check out all the different configurations here and tell me it’s not worth the wait. Side note, the chance I will ever be seen jogging with this stroller are minimal.

So in the meantime I needed some wheels to get around in so we purchased Baby Trend’s Double Snap and Go off Craigslist. It has been the best $40 I’ve ever spent! You just snap the car seats in the metal frame and you’re off. Maneuvering in tight spaces is kind of hard but it’s perfect for walks and getting around in the meantime if you don’t mind feeling like a daycare lady. Below are pictures from when we went on a walk with my mom and my sister when she was in town.

Sweet Edie

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:54:51 -0400

Poor Edie had a bit of a rough start and spent her first week in the NICU.

As a nurse I had irrational thoughts and often feared the worst of her situation but we really had such a big and healthy girl compared to most of the other babies in there. It was hard to see her with all her lines but again she had relatively few lines compared to her other roommates. For the first few visits we could only stick our hands through the holes in the isolette to touch her because they weren’t sure she would be able to regulate her own body temperature if we took her out and they didn’t want us to pull out any of her lines accidentally.

Robert and I getting to hold her for the first time.....

I realize I look totally haggard in this picture to quote a good friend of ours but it was exhausting running back and forth to the hospital and leaving Rob at home even though I knew he was in good hands with my mom, grandma and sister.

Edie has the sweetest facial expressions and gorgeous golden hair.....

Things were looking good for her as her labs stabilized, her neuro checks were intact, and her head ultrasound was negative for a bleed so we were optimistic we’d be bringing her home sooner then later. But because of the lack of oxygen at birth they had to start her on feedings very slowly since what oxygen she did have went to the most important organs (the heart and brain) and not her stomach. She was being fed intravenously and we got to slowly start her on oral feedings.

Edie got up to her goal feedings and started putting weight back on. She passed her hearing test and car seat challenge and we got to take her home exactly a week from the date she was born. It is so nice (and exhausting) to have them both home!

Home Sweet Home

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:59:13 -0400

We left the hospital late Monday evening with mixed feelings as we got to take Rob home with us but had to leave Edie behind in the NICU. Weighing under 5.5 pounds Rob had to take a car seat challenge before being discharged. He looks so miniature in his car seat but thankfully he passed the test.

We were welcomed home with a house full of pink and green balloons thanks to my mom and sister and a treasure hunt made by my nephews.

Our first night home was pretty terrifying. We put Rob down in his crib and turned the monitor on even though his room is a mere ten feet from ours. I laid down in my bed for about two seconds before I popped up and announced “I can’t do this!” I begged Robert to bring the cradle up to our room but he didn’t think it would fit so I grabbed a blanket and pillow and slept on the couch next to the cradle. I don’t think I slept longer then two minutes at a time because I woke up with every little squeak to check and make sure he was still breathing. The second night I was so tired I had to put him back in the crib but then as we laid down Robert admitted to having to fight the urge to get up and make sure he was still breathing.

We had lots of visitors and lots of delicious meals provided. Here are a few of Rob’s first visitors....

Grandma Prosek

Great Grandma Davenport

Cousins Nick, Ryan, and Gavin

Aunt Andrea

Uncle Web

Then we had Rob’s first bath which of course he screamed the entire time and Robert and I were in a panic to hurry and get it over with.

And here’s Rob praying for his sister to come home and join him......

Better Late Then Never

Fri, 9 Apr 2010 14:33:34 -0400

Since I don’t really journal anywhere else I wanted to capture the highlights of the past three weeks so I don’t forget how wonderful (and completely exhausting) it’s been. I’m going to break it up into a couple of posts but please skip reading if you don’t want all the gory details ....

Originally I had been told by my OB that I would not be allowed to go past 38 weeks and that as long as they were both head down I had the option of which type of delivery I wanted. The perinatologist also recommended a 38 week delivery. At 36 and 37 weeks I had non stress tests and ultrasounds that showed good heart rate activity, lots of contractions, and growth right on target with an estimated weight of 6 lbs 1 oz per baby. So I was fully planning on a vaginal delivery on March 24th but the doctor I saw at my 37 week appointment had different plans. Based on a new recommendation by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist released just 2 weeks prior I had to wait till 39 weeks if I wanted to deliver vaginally. Plus he was totally pushing a cesarean and even went as far as saying that if I were his daughter that’s what he would recommend. So I spent the next few days in tears and praying to know what I should do. I ended up scheduling an induction for 39 weeks but all the tears and turmoil turned out to be unnecessary.

I had spent the past few weeks worried that I wouldn’t know I was in labor. My doctors kept reassuring me that if I had to think about it, I wasn’t in labor, that I would definitely know. But for some reason I was paranoid about not knowing the difference between the contractions I’d been having and the “real thing”. Late Friday night into early Saturday morning I kept waking up thinking I’d been a little incontinent until around 6am when I got out of bed and gushed realizing my water must have been leaking. I calmly woke Robert up and paged my doctor. Robert took a shower and I finished packing my bag. We snapped a few pictures and headed to the hospital.

As a nurse I couldn’t have timed my arrival any poorer. We walked into L&D at 6:50 am, right at change of shift. The poor nurse who got stuck admitting me ended up leaving an hour and a half late. The doctor who was on was luckily one who was supportive of a vaginal delivery and she even told me I was lucky she was the one on.

We started off in the triage area since there were no open labor rooms. On the monitor I was having contractions about five minutes apart but they really didn’t feel any different then what I had been experiencing all along so I am so glad I had the water gush or I really may not have known I was in labor! I was only dilated to a 1 on my initial exam. Even though I wasn’t having any pain my doctor wanted me to get the epidural right away since they were planning on starting pitocin. So the anesthesiologist came in right away and I had my epidural up and running by 9 am. The pitocin moved my contractions up to 2 minutes apart but at 1pm I was still only dilated to a 1. They slowed the pitocin down because my contractions were right on top of each other but I really still didn’t have any pain. I was uncomfortable and tired of lying in bed but little did I know I was only half way through. I vomited several times and was feeling frustrated that I wasn’t progressing. I was starting to wonder if after all this I was going to end up with a c section anyway. My doctor finally came back in at 530pm and all of a sudden I was fully dilated and engaged!

I was ready to get this show on the road but it was still another hour and a half before they rolled me back to the OR to start pushing. They decided to have me deliver in there in case a last minute c section became necessary. Robert got dressed up in his space suit and joined me and five hundred other people in the OR.

My doctor told me to start pushing but then after two pushes told me to wait because we wanted the NICU doctor to be there. He came in and I pushed once more and out popped Robert Edward Freeman II at 7:27 pm weighing 5 pounds 7 ounces.

It was amazing and scary and I couldn’t believe that was all there was to it. They handed Robert the scissors to cut the cord and he later told me he had no idea what that was all about and for a second he thought they wanted him to do the circumcision. Lucky for little Rob they pointed out where to cut and he didn’t do any damage!

The second baby was still pretty high up so they cranked up the pitocin hoping to force her down without having to reach up there and break the second bag of water and drag her down. My epidural cartridge ran out and the anesthesiologist asked how much longer, if we could do without putting up a new one. Luckily the medicine hung on for the remainder of the process and it was nice to have it already wearing off when I got back to my labor room. I pushed a few more times and eventually broke the second bag of water. However she was stubborn about moving on out and her heart rate started decelerating with the contractions. I kept pushing but I was a total wimp and said I was tired even though it hadn’t been that long. She was kicking but they kept going back and forth about her heart rate. The doctor looked at me and told me she was either going to come out very angry or very shocky. I was scared and just kept pushing away and she finally came out at 8:12 pm, weighing 5 pounds 14 ounces, 45 minutes after little Robert. But she was unresponsive and limp and just so scary looking. They hurried and whisked her over to the corner and I could just barely see them quietly but quickly working on her. It was only a minute but it felt like forever as I prayed to hear her cry. They intubated her and bagged her but then she started spontaneously breathing so they immediately extubated her. They kept lifting up her little arms and they would drop limply back down. It was awful to watch. Her breathing, tone and color started to improve but her blood gas came back abnormal. They let me hold her and kiss her real quick before they took her up to the NICU.

We went back to the labor room with only one baby which was unsettling. My parents and my older sister were there to meet Rob. Then the neonatologist came in to talk to us. He was this grandfatherly santa claus looking man and explained the news very gently. Our sweet little girl had been without oxygen for a short time and had an abnormal pH level. If the repeat level didn’t improve the plan would be to transport her to Childrens Hospital in DC where they could put her in the cooler, normalize her blood gas and prevent any brain damage. Robert and Andrea and my dad went up to see her. She was screaming away as they were putting in lines and working on her which was hard for them to watch. I got to stop in and see her with my mom on the way up to my postpartum room. The L&D nurse was in a hurry and only gave me a minute in there and wouldn’t rearrange things so I could even see her, all I could see was the back of her head. Thankfully her lab values started trending in the right direction overnight and they didn’t end up needing to transfer her.