Our twins have arrived!

Wonderful.  Amazing.  Beautiful.

These are the words that best describe my experience in becoming a mother and parent.

I find myself so incredibly blessed to have these two little angels in my life.

As most of you know, we delivered our twins on October 17th via a scheduled cesarean section (just two days before our 9th anniversary!...talk about an anniversary gift!).

Henry James was born first at 9:04 a.m. and weighed 4 lbs. 4 oz.  He was immediately wrapped and brought over to be by my side.  Two minutes later at 9:06, Kylie Nichole was born and weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz.  She was taken to the nursery to have some skin on skin time with daddy while I was getting stitched up.

The nurses and staff at the hospital were very generous to us, and let us use a deluxe birthing suite as our recovery room.  This was an extra special treat since generally family and friends aren't allowed in the recovery room.  They knew our situation was special because of little Henry's condition, and not knowing how long he would live, allowed the family to come be with us as soon as they were born.  When the family came in to greet us, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.  It was so special to have all the family there to shower love on our new little babies.

There was a large window next to us that provided some beautiful natural light for some professional photographs.  These photographs taken by Terri Fairbanks Photography, which you will get to see....very soon....are absolutely stunning, and beautifully capture our first moments with the babies.  Thanks to my best friend Valerie Tingey for providing the photography as a gift to our family!

Now back to the babies.

Henry James was given a name and a blessing immediately after his birth by his father, uncle Paul, and grandpa Scott.  He was such a sweet and precious little baby.  He had a soft and short cry, usually had his eyes closed, and loved to blow bubbles from his mouth.  He made cute little grunting and cooing noises, and was showered with love by the family, visitors, and the nurses.  We attempted feeding him and giving him as much comfort and nourishment as possible.

Kylie is small, sweet, and just as perfect as I imagined she would be.  She was brought to me with dark, curly, thick hair.  I was surprised that it was curly at first, but after they bathed her, it turned straight.  I was beginning to wonder where the curly part came from!

We were able to have both babies with us during that first night, which was such a special time for our little family.  However, I did find it incredibly conflicting to have to decide which baby to attend to first.  I wanted to take care of them both, but knew that Kylie's needs were more immediate and demanding.  This was the hardest part about that first night in the hospital.  I was able to spend some quality time with  Henry during the night while Kylie slept in her bassinet.  That was a very special time for us.

The next morning, with most of the family present, little Henry's heartbeat became more and more faint.  When we thought we could no longer feel it, we called in the doctor, and they called the time of death at 11:43 a.m.  Even though I knew this moment would come for the last 7 months, nothing could have prepared me for the aching I felt in my heart.  We had a family prayer after his passing, and it helped us cope with the loss of our little son.  The staff at the hospital was so comforting and encouraging, and we had lots of friends and family visit us. The nurses took some cute photographs of the twins, a hand impression of Henry, and put it in a cute keepsake box to take home.

Our experience bringing our sweet babies into the world was perfect, and I wouldn't change a thing.  It was a joyous yet heartbreaking experience, but the best part of it was knowing that these little babies are ours, and they always will be.  Life is good, and we are very, very blessed!

Thank you everyone for your love and support...we will continue to blog on Kylie's progress!

Enjoy some pictures from the hospital!

37 weeks...1 WEEK TO D-DAY!

So the countdown has officially begun!.....OK, who am I kidding, I've been counting down for a while :)

I can hardly believe this pregnancy is coming to a close, the time has truly flown!

I had my last doctor appt. this morning, which lasted a whopping 15 minutes, lol!  I guess that's a good thing....no complications (so far), no new pains (so far), and no contractions (so far)!

Anyway, I am sooooooo ready to welcome my two little ones into the world, it has been a LONG wait.  I know it will be the most special time of my life and I can't wait to savor every minute of it!

We will be delivering via scheduled cesarean this Monday, October 17th at 8:30 a.m. at UC Davis hospital (Tower 3) in Sacramento.  Obviously we'll have our hands full , but we will try to send a text out as soon as we're ready for visitors at the hospital (sorry folks, but family has first dibs on visiting)!

Again, I want to thank everyone for your love and incredible support thus far, and for the support that will be shown to us after the delivery.  We appreciate and love you all, and can't wait to share the news of our newborns in just a few short days!  Muah!  XOXO!

36 weeks...2 weeks from today!

Here is a profile picture of our sweet daughter at 35 weeks at my monthly (and last) growth scan.  The doctor said she is measuring at about 5 lbs. 4 oz., and that hopefully she'll be around 6 or 6 1/2 lbs. by the time she's born.  The perfect little size... imagine how cute and tiny she'll be!!!

Our little son is hard to accurately measure, but the doctor said he's probably around 3 lbs, and he may weigh up to around 4 lbs. at delivery.  So our little kiddos will definitely be on the smaller side...which is normal for twins. 

I have two weeks left from today!  I cannot believe how fast the time has flown.  This has been such a wonderful time I've had to spend with my two little babies, and to be completely honest, I'm sad that the pregnancy is coming to a close, probably more so than most mothers.  Knowing that the last 9 months I've spend carrying my son (and the short time after delivery) is the only time I'll have with him in this earthly life has been bittersweet.  I feel privileged to have had this time with him, but sad that soon I'll have to say goodbye.  

But mostly, I just can't wait to meet them and fall madly in love with them!  I know that raising my little girl will be a sweet reminder to me of the tender mercies of the Lord, and that families can be together forever.

34 weeks...the last month!

So yesterday was my 34 week mark!  Wooo-hoo!  I can tell things are getting close because last week I finally started experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, which is a good thing.  Labor and delivery wanted to see me since they were strong and frequent, but all tests they took seemed to check out fine.

I am starting on the fetal heartbeat monitoring twice a week, and a weekly doctor visit.  The heartbeat monitoring has gone fairly well so far, considering our boy's heartbeat is always a little slower than our girl.  The fluid in our boy's sac has increased a little, which can be a cause for concern for preterm labor, but since I am already at 34 weeks the doctor thinks most of the risk is minimal.

The doctor and I discussed a day for my scheduled cesarean section, which would be at 38 weeks gestation......the date we set is October 17th!!!  I am so excited!  It's only 4 weeks away, so I don't know if these last few weeks will drag, or fly like the wind!  Of course if natural labor begins before that date, then we will have an earlier delivery.  Either way, I only have a max of 4 weeks left!  We will be delivering at UC Davis hospital in Sacramento, and will most likely be there for up to 5 days after the delivery.

I am so blessed to have had the privilege of being pregnant with twins, this truly has been an amazing and special time in my life!  I love my two little ones more than words can say, and I know that love will deepen beyond my wildest dreams when I will finally be able to hold them in my arms.

Thanks for all your love and support!!!

32 weeks...Almost there!

Well...I can't believe I made it this far!  I've heard of so many twins that come early, therefore causing all kinds of problems for their little underdeveloped bodies.  But my doctor said that as long as I can make it to 32 weeks I'll have a fairly good chance of delivering fairly healthy babies.

The main goal in any multiple pregnancy (twins or supertwins), is to stay pregnant for as long as possible.  One doctor in the book I've been reading, "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads", likens a pregnancy to a game of football, each critical phase of pregnancy you can successfully pass gets you closer to achieving your "touchdown".  I really liked that analogy.  Eating healthy, taking the appropriate supplements, and getting some daily exercise are the things the book stresses (among others) in helping achieve a long and healthy (multiple) pregnancy.

This has been a very unique pregnancy than most others.  I began the usual "symptoms" a lot sooner than an singleton pregnancy.  I had to leave work extra early, my feet and legs began swelling extra early, and of course the most common symptom for multiples....gestational diabetes.  I knew as soon as we found out it was twins, there would be more complications and issues than normal.  It was especially hard hearing the news of our son, and the emotional aspect has put an extra strain on my already fatigued body.

I am so grateful to have many close friends and family to help and support me along the way.  You guys are the best.  There have been so many miracles along the way, that I have not felt alone.  There are things that we experience that we can't always explain, but I know that I have had the spirit of the Holy Ghost with me along the way.  It seems that every time I feel too tired or too sad to go on, a little miracle will remind me that I don't have to face these things alone.  And I am so grateful for that comforting presence.  I know that the hardest part is yet to come, and I hope to draw on my relationship with the Savior to get through it all.

Anyway, 'nuf of the mushy stuff.  Here are some new baby pics!

This is a profile of our sweet our daughter, who now weighs approximately 4 pounds.  She is so cute, and stays active by playing soccer with her little brother in her mommy's belly :)

Here is a cute picture of our little son...if you look closely, there is a light colored line in the middle of his picture (that look kind of squiggly).  These are his little fat rolls!  How sweet is that?

If you look close on the upper right, you can see his little profile.  The nose at the top, cute little lips, and chin.  This is probably the best profile picture we've gotten yet!

Thanks for visiting!

30 weeks...A shower to remember!

This weekend many of my dearest friends threw me the most amazing baby shower I could have ever dreamed of! Absolutely STUNNING!

Every detail was thought of, and it didn't go unnoticed. A beautiful array of delicate, tasty mini sandwiches, a plethora of tempting salads, and mini iced baby themed cookies were placed on the beautifully decorated tables for each guest to take home. We ate on beautiful china while listening to soft music in the background. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful, and Kathleen's backyard was the perfect romantic setting for a summertime shower.

The shower couldn't have been more perfect. Period.

I always knew I had some amazingly talented and awesome friends....but this shower just proved it even more.

Thank you to those who made the evening a special one (you know who you are!), I know a lot of work and effort went into the preparations and I can't express enough how much it means to me.

Thank you to all who attended, having you there made the evening extra special! Thank you for the wonderful and tender gifts, they will be cherished always.

I will let the pictures below speak for themselves. Enjoy!

28 weeks...Hello 3rd Trimester!

Here is a picture of our daughter's profile we got at our 27 week growth scan at the hospital. The babies looked as cute as ever, all snuggled up in my womb.

In the picture below, on the left you can see our daughters head, with our sons feet right there in her face!



The picture below was taken by accident by the doc....any guesses on what it is? I'll give you a hint, there's two of them.



So the doctor said our daughter is about 2 lbs 12 ounces....almost 3 lbs! She said she is growing great, and everything looks good! I even started feeling her little hick-ups last week!

Our little sons heartbeat is as strong as ever, and moves and kicks like normal.

I found out last week that I have gestational diabetes. Bummer! Apparently it is very normal in multiple pregnancies, and will likely leave after delivery. It means I have to watch my blood sugar levels, and get more exercise. If I can control it with diet and exercise alone, then meds won't be necessary. I hope I don't have to use meds, because it can create more problems for the babies down the road. I'm supposed to report my sugar levels to the doctor once a week....so that means I can't cheat on my diet! Well, OK, maybe I can have a piece of cake at my shower :)

So I'm super excited that this Friday is my last day at work! FINALLY! I'll now be able to enjoy maternity leave and take care of some things at home; the nursery, find a pediatrician (anyone have any recommendations?), think of more baby names, etc. etc. I am really looking forward to it!

Thanks for reading everyone!

26 weeks...Surprise shower!

Several weeks ago my awesome family threw me a surprise baby shower! To say the least, I was very surprised! Not only were my aunts, cousins, in laws there, but my dear sister Tami and my nephew Isaiah came down all the way from Boise! It was so so so great to have everyone there! The best part was that they had kept it such a secret, I didn't even know it was going to be in my own house! And I'm a hard person to keep secrets from.

Here are some pics of the party.



A group photo...



My two wonderful sisters...



More family and friends...



Opening gifts...



And spending time with those I love...






Another highlight of the past several weeks is that I feel GREAT! My appetite is back...no more nausia for me, I am sleeping fairly well, and the pregnancy in general is going well. I still feel fatigue most of the time, and still have some swelling, but I have been very lucky that this has been such a cool summer!

The babies are now 26 weeks, and our next trip to the doctor is the first week in August. So until then....here are some precious photos of their 23 week mark! Enjoy!

Our daughters face (on the right)...



And a 3D image of her leg!



Our son's feet!



The babies are now the size of eggplants!