Dad Update

Dad came home today from the hospital. Yay!!!! He is getting all settled in at home. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers for him. I think he will still need to take it easy for a little while and he is going to be on Coumadin for at least a year (if I remember correctly) but we are all happy to have him out of the hospital for sure. Welcome back home Dad! 

It's official..

Sitting with my nose pressed to the screen in the door to inhale the smell of the rain and wet earth

... as I was saying.. it's official. I am looking at a post-it note stuck to the computer screen that says "C-Section - Rex 8/6 @ 10:25 am (be at hospital by 8:25 am)".... surreal. There you have it, the girls official birthday... that is if they choose to stay put until that date arrives. Please pray that they do. I still feel so far from ready for them to be here. We are meeting with the pediatricians office on June 30th for our prenatal consult and we have our hospital tour on July 1st.. I have all the clothes and gifts sorted awaiting their first washing in baby detergent... awaiting the arrival of the cribs and dresser on July 10th so they can be organized in drawers and baskets..I still need a few things for the layette.. so that means a little more shopping.. have my nursing cover.. have my baby sling.. one of them.. still working on the other since I will need 2 for when they get too big to fit into one (yes, they will actually fit into one sling in the early weeks.. how cute is that going to be ?!?) ... slowly but surely we are getting a schedule solidified for help in the first weeks after their arrival.. I am trying so hard to get all ready so that I can relax and enjoy the last few weeks of this process... but it's not working out so well. 

The last few days I have been having a lot of Braxton Hicks, perfectly normal for this time in the pregnancy. I thought I had been having them for awhile now but.. these feel different. I did some more in depth research and these are definitely the real Braxton Hicks thing, the other thing I must have been feeling was just my poor skin and body stretching and tightening.. something I have been feeling for a few months. This new thing scares me a little. Don't worry, I am paying very close attention to their frequency and duration. I have been told to call my doctor if I have more than 6 in an hour. So far that has not happened because every time I feel one I rush to lay down and drink gallons of water.. and subsequently it goes away. Still, feeling my body prepare to deliver these babies is nerve wracking for me. I am so nervous they will come early. So, I feel paralyzed. I am afraid to do too much, but I have so much that I need to get done so that I can relax.. at least it feels like so much to get done.. it's not really that much.. one or two afternoons would knock it right out. I hate being unproductive. I sort of hate having to sleep late after my breakfast and being in my PJs until lunch time. I am much happier when I am getting things accomplished and not feeling like a breakable egg tiptoeing around the house. I wonder if all new moms feel this way towards the end..? Unprepared.. nervous about the baby(s) coming early..? I am so used to feel uncomfortable by now that part doesn't really even bother me. Sigh. All I can do is be super careful and do what is best for these girls which right now is to lay on the couch and drink enormous amounts of H2O. This morning I have had a headache since I woke up so.. there's that too :(

Enough wining.. just please pray that they stay put until 8/6...I really want them to be as fully developed as possible..

In other news.. David stayed with us last night on his way from Tallahassee back to Cleveland. He is headed out to Colorado to seek his fortune out west. I got all teary watching him drive away this morning. We are so excited for and proud of him for taking this adventurous step into his future. Somehow I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I have no idea when we might see him again .. hopefully at Christmas. Colorado seems so far away. Still, I know most of those tears were hormonal. Can't wait to see where he lands out there. 

Alright, it seems I have sat upright long enough so back to the couch I go. I promise I am being careful and paying close attention to these things so no worrying out there ok ? :) 

Oliver's favorite afternoon nap spot.. sometimes I think he is part cat. 

Sweetness

Don't these make your mouth water? These are the last twosome from the foursome that our friends Matt and Kristen brought back for us from Magnolia's. That's right, the Magnolia's in the city (the newly opened branch which is a little further uptown than the original). They were in the city this past week for a vacation and we sent them along with our best wishes/advice, a mini-map of the subway, and a very heavily marked Zagat guide. They even ate at our favorite spot in Brooklyn Heights, Henry's End, which I hope was as much fun for them as it always was for us. 

My Dad is doing well, though still in the hospital. They are weaning him onto Coumadin and he is now allowed to get up and walk around, which is a huge improvement. We went home Friday night to visit. Hung out all day on Saturday. A good time was had by all. Thank you everyone for your prayers for him. 

We woke up this morning to the most glorious weather. It was cool so we got to open all the windows. It rained last night so the breeze wafting through the screens smelled of cool, moist earth. When I closed my eyes, it almost smelled salty ... like being at the beach. That is one thing I have started noticing a lot lately. The smell of dirt and how it has been absent from my life for the last four years. I almost want to bury my nose in the ground and just breathe it all in. I actually considered bringing a bowl of dirt in the house and leaving sitting on the kitchen table, like a bouquet. 

The traveling this weekend wore me out, as usual, and I woke up exhausted today with more pain in my hip than usual. Determined not to sleep the day away, however, I made myself get a shower (yes, I can still shave my legs... yet another benefit of being double jointed it seems) and we took a short trip to the North Carolina Museum of Art to see a piece from their collection by Michael Rovner. We saw a show of his in Chelsea while we were still living in Bloomfield and it was one of those shows I will never forget. It was nice to see those familiar little hieroglyphics bowing in unison under the florescent light of their case. I must admit, it was rather nice to be able to just stop by Food Lion on the way home to pick up a few items. I had forgotten how convenient a car can be at times. Soon we are heading over to the park for the first in a series of weekly Sunday evening picnics with Fellowship Raleigh. It's a bring your own food situation so Stephen grilled out chicken breasts and we are having grilled chicken over salad with walnuts and cranberries, a summer staple around our house. 

Open Windows

This is Oliver's favorite napping/snuggling position these days. He loves to cuddle on and put his "arms" around the babies. The funny part is that every time he is up there, the girls start kicking and punching at him. His head bumps around with their movement, but he never blinks an eye. I like to imagine that the three of them are getting to know each other even now. 

The weather is actually cool today so we have all the windows open. I tried to do this yesterday but once the temperature in the house got above 80 I had to break down and turn on the old air recycler. Pre-pregnancy me could handle a wider range of temperatures, but now if I get too hot I feel like I might faint and that could be trouble when I am home alone. One of the perks of living in a first floor dwelling (for the first time.. ever..) is that you can open the door and go straight outside, skipping all those stairs. The downside is that you can't leave the windows open when you are away, or even when you are asleep at night. Our neighborhood is pretty much one of the nicest in Raleigh so I bet I could leave them open at night and be just fine.. but .. I felt much better when I left them open all the time on the 3rd floor. At least if someone was in the mood to do us harm they would really have to work for the "privilege". 

In other news, Dad is holding steady, doing well though still in a lot of pain. Mom said the doctors assured her it's not the most extreme case they have seen. Everyone is very optimistic that this will all be over soon and he can go home. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. 

I myself am feeling marginal today. Hardly slept last night and have been super drowsy and nauseous all morning. I have a doctor's appointment today so that means I have to get it together, shower and shave, so that I can feel presentable at the office. Also, Stephen and I have "our" breastfeeding class tonight at the hospital. Wish us luck!

Update

Dad is in the hospital and they have him on a strong blood thinner at the moment. He is not in ICU but he is in an area that is heavily monitored by hospital personnel and he is being watched very closely. He is in a good deal of pain, hurts to breathe, but seems to be in good spirits otherwise. The nurses told my mom that they expect him to be there at least until Wednesday or Thursday. After he is released he will have to be on Coumadin (blood thinner) for the next year at least. Right now is the critical period in a situation like this. Watching and waiting to make sure that the clot does not move and that it reacts well to the medication. Please continue to keep Dad in your prayers. Can't thank you enough. 

Urgent Prayer Request

My Dad had surgery this past Wednesday and has been recovering nicely since then. He called me around 3 o' clock today to say that he was having pain with his breathing and that he was headed to the hospital to have a CT scan to rule out a blood clot in his lung. Mom called about 30 minutes ago leaving me a voicemail saying that they found a blood clot in both of Dad's lungs and they are admitting him right away to start him on blood thinners. That's all the information I have at the moment but I am asking anyone out there who reads this and is a praying person to please pray for my Dad that these blood clots will stay put until the blood thinners can dissolve them away. Please pray that the Lord keep him safe and that he can get back home soon. Thanks everyone.

Happening

Scanning through some old pictures tonight I found these cheesy shots I took of myself in our apartment in Jersey while experimenting with my new camera. Look at that.. I had forgotten what my old stomach looked like. Hope to be returning to that body at some point. 

Stephen and I decided to go on a date tonight. We have recently realized that our days are numbered in this area and that we better take advantage of the time we have while we still have it. We went to a local burger place and then for a cupcake downtown and then to a movie. The burgers were great. The cupcake earned a C - and the movie was horrible. We went to see M. Night's new movie "The Happening"..... yawn. We even read the New York Times review before we decided to go see it and I have to say I feel mislead. Granted the reviewer did not give the best recommendation, but he/she didn't properly warn that this film would certainly cause drowsiness. Cheesy. Boring... we are Mark Wahlberg fans but even he allowed himself to be poorly directed in this one. We should have gone to see the "Sex and the City" movie... 

I am not really looking forward to another date night at the moment. Being out and about in this town was depressing to me. I, of course, love being with Stephen but I felt like we were out in some sort of ghost town. This is a metropolis in the state of North Carolina. This is the capitol city. Yet when we entered the cupcake shop, though 2 of the 3 tables in there were occupied, it was silent. Everyone could hear us order our Key Lime Cupcake and small cup of coffee to go. Where is everyone ? Could it be that the town was deserted for Father's Day weekend ? Am I being unfair ? There were people around.. walking on the sidewalks.. in the theater.. the theater was so clean.. and quiet despite being 2/3rds full. Sometimes I feel like I am losing my sanity being at home all day alone (yes yes I know I know I know.. once the twins get here blah blah blah.. I will be busier than I have ever been yadda yadda yadda). I think to myself, "I am just going nuts here because it's so quiet in the house.. but when Stephen gets home maybe we will run some errands or go shopping or something and then it will feel more normal" . Then we go out.. and it's just about as quiet out there as it is in here. I am coping better each day but tonight.. I feel like I am about to crawl out of my skin. I need to get lost in a crowd.. to feel like I am not the only one out on the road at 11pm... I need to feel like there are others out there like me.. not these "urban" zombies wandering around the outdoor mall waiting for the movie to start. I haven't heard someone speaking a foreign language in about a week, there are no passionate conversations to overhear while walking on the sidewalk. No intense political discussions to eavesdrop on in the restaurant. What is my problem... why can't I be happy with the peace and quiet of this place ? Struggling for contentment.. and bored out of my mind. Living in a beautiful town with loads of culture and exciting happenings... feel like I am living in the woods somewhere. Feel like an ungrateful jerk not to be over-the-moon happy with the new life that we have been blessed with here.. just... struggling tonight. 

For those of you...

...who actually want to see pictures of a hugely gigantic pregnant lady who is all hot and sweaty from a morning "power walk" in near 90 degree weather...

the front view..looks like I am smuggling a frozen turkey under that tank..

Boo-Ya!!! Oooooo you know you are jealous of my huge ..I mean .. beautifully enlarged belly..

... I just remembered that this is only week 30 .. I still have 7 more weeks to go!!!! Can it possibly get any bigger?!?!?!

Went to the ol' OB appointment yesterday.. I feel like I am there every other day right now... we had another measurement ultrasound. The girls are looking great and as busy as always. They each weigh a little over 3 lbs... that's right.. I am toting around more than 6 lbs of baby right now (in addition to all the other stuff that's in there) and it's only going to get heavier!! The great news is that it looks like they are on track to be a very healthy weight for twins.. maybe even 6 pounders.  That would be fantastic. I shudder to think what my poor belly will look like after their departure but nevertheless I am packing in the protein to try and make sure they put on as much weight as they possibly can. I am doing everything I can to make sure we get to skip the NICU with these little ones. 

Baby A (aka Susan, aka Romulus..) was the show-off she always is on ultrasound day. She stared right up into the camera thing and wiggled all around looking cute and sweet. Little baby B (aka Sharon, aka Remus...) was a shy as she always is. She was rolled over with her back up so we couldn't see her face at all. When the tech poked her a little to get her to move to a better position for the measurements, she poked right back. She is not a fan of having her picture taken and is very quiet. I can't wait to see if they maintain these little personality types when they arrive. 

We invited Mom and Dad to come with us to this appointment so they got to see the girls in action. A good time was had by all, particularly after the appointment when we all went to get some food!

We have our potential dates for the birth, haven't decided on one yet. Never really considered the fact that I would be actually choosing their birthday. Stephen has orientation for the school the week that the girls will arrive so we are trying to work all of that out and will let you know when we have a firm date. 

Random baby stuff that I may or may not have mentioned on here... 

... if anyone is interested we are registered at Babies R Us.. not sure why that is really relevant but it occurred to me the other day that I never mentioned that before. 

... names.. we are keeping the names a secret until the big day. Have I already said that? Probably. 

... the birth itself.. we have chosen to have a C-Section with these girls. This decision was tough because we really wanted to do what is absolutely the best and safest thing for both the girls. After talking to the doctors, other friends who have had C-Sections, and reading up online we determined that a C-Section was the safest bet overall. This is based on several factors. 

A) these are my first babies (if it was a second or third pregnancy it would just seem like delivering two small babies and thus would be easier to deliver the "regular way")

B) the doc's won't let me go into labor naturally .. they would induce me .. so I wouldn't even have a chance for my body to do things the way nature intended..

C) I am a pretty small girl and these are on track to be pretty healthy weight babies for twins..

D) Baby B. Baby B would be the one who could suffer from a "regular birth". As the second twin in line she is at a higher risk for being inside too long or getting caught in a breach position and on  and on and on..

All in all I am not looking forward to be sliced open and the recovery that comes with that, and I know plenty of people who have delivered twins the natural way and everything turned out just fine.. but... we feel more comfortable with this decision and that's what we are going with. One of our doctors actually said he thinks that in the future all twin births will be mandatory C-Section, for the safety of the second baby. So.. there you have it. 

I had a nice refreshing walk this morning with my new friend and fellow preggo Erin, and now I am going to take a nice refreshing shower to wash off the layer of ick that has accumulated as a result.

Seventeen Year Cicadas

While we were at the lake over Memorial Day weekend, it just so happened that the seventeen year cicadas had hatched and were out singing in force. I have never heard anything like it. They were so loud it was all you could hear until dusk when they retired for the evening. Pretty cool to be there for something that only happens every seventeen years. The next time they hatch the girls will be about to turn 17 themselves :)

Catching up

Internet at long last. The following are some pictures from the past month in no particular order...



Stephen with cousins Mark and David in Palm Harbor.



This is our new place of residence. If you look carefully, you can see a very small dog looking out the left window (through the tree branches). Posting pictures of the now cleaned up interior as soon as we hang the rest of the art. Tomorrow ...?



Dad and Uncle Gavin on a scenic tour around the lake during our recent stay at their lake house. At first I wasn't allowed to ride in the boat for fear the water would be too rough.. but it turned out to be a calm day so they took me on a little cruise.



My sweet cousin Christa who is now a resident of the great state of Minnesota. She and I used to ride together on an orange plastic sled thing that they pulled behind the boat. So much fun but it did tend to beat you to death. Memories. See that bright blue dock in the distance.. that's the dock that goes with the lake house.. the boat is also Carolina Blue.. this family loves them some UNC. Go Tarheels!!



I didn't get any shots of Stephen knee boarding (drat!!) but he was really tearing it up. My mom even gave it a whirl and did super well after a few false starts.



Here Stephen is cleaning out the pool at Elsie's house in Palm Harbor. Oliver was helping...



.. at least.. Oliver was attempting to help...



Me and Elsie back when I was a sort of reasonable size a few weeks ago. Best seafood I have eaten thus far in the pregnancy...come to think of it.. the only seafood I have eaten... gotta change that.





Stephen and those crazy cousins examining the giant chain hanging from a tree..

So don't you feel caught up now.. hope to post more regularly now..

Where I would like to be at this moment..

..sitting in a sun dress by my favorite fountain at the Brooklyn Museum...eating a chocolate dip cone from Mister Softee.