Visit from Mimi

Mimi is here for a visit through Thursday afternoon. She met me at the specialist on Monday and was able to be there for the ultrasound. The babies are doing great! William is 2 lbs 6 oz and Maggie is 2 lbs 4 oz...the doctor was very pleased with their progress. At the end of the ultrasound the tech switched to 4D, so we got to see what the babies look like. It was pretty cool. William had one hand next to his head and his other hand in his mouth. Maggie is snuggled up next to my uterus, like it's a pillow. The doctor lifted some of my restrictions...now I'm on modified bedrest which means I can be up 2 hours during the day. I can also go up and down the stairs 2x a day. Lastly, the doc said that I can go to a movie OR dinner OR church, etc. 1x a week. I've very excited that things are going well enough that the doc felt comfortable giving me some additional priveleges! I hadn't been upstairs in 3.5 weeks, so it was very fun to go upstairs and see Jackson's new room and the nursery painted. I also got to sleep in my own bed!


Jackson has really enjoyed having Mimi here. They have played each day until they were both exhausted! Last night Jackson wanted to put on his AU jacket and baseball cap...he looked pretty cute! Needless to say, it is WAY too hot to wear the jacket outside (though, he did try this morning). Jackson's favorite thing to play with right now is his bat and ball. Mimi pitched the ball to him and he was able to swing and hit the ball seven times!

This morning Jackson and Mimi played outside

again...baseball, then he rode his bike around the neighborhood. He's doing really well on the bike and is almost able to peddle it. He has really hated wearing the helmet, but is not aloud on the bike without it...he's finally giving in without a fight. The first couple times he wore the helmet it pinched the skin on his neck so he was very leery of putting it on for a while.

Brandon was traveling yesterday and today for work, but is home now. Jackson practically tackled him when he walked in the door...the boy sure does love his daddy! I talked to the nurse from my OB office and found out that I failed the 1 hour glucose test (which I also failed while pregnant with Jackson). I have to go on Friday morning to take the 3 hour test. Please say a prayer that I pass...I really don't want to have to worry about gestational diabetes.

Photo Album

Fun in the backyard:

Jackson and Mommy relaxing in the backyard (pre-bedrest).

Jackson and George playing with a tennis ball in the backyard. Jackson loves to play ball...he's gotten pretty accurate with his throws, too!

Jackson and Daddy giving George a bath before our trip to Dothan. Jackson definitely had more fun than George did!

Look below the counter and you'll see Jackson's artistic handiwork on the wall. He decided that coloring on paper was boring and gave the wall a shot. Fortunately, we caught him quickly! The paint and crayons were both washable and cleaned up very easily!

Dothan Trip:

Jackson had a blast swimming in Mimi's pool with Cassidy and Coleman. When he got tired of swimming he entertained himself by moving all the floats out of the pool and into the spa...then back again!

Tonya and I relaxing on the back patio.

Mimi surprised Jackson with a new Elmo bike! Jackson loved the bike, but hated the helmet that we made him wear! Eventually he got over it and drug Mimi all over the neighborhood!

Coleman, Anna Claire, Cassidy and Harrison enjoying Mimi's pool. Anna Claire and Harrison are Tonya's niece and nephew.

Playing basketball on Mimi's back porch. Jackson is practicing his dribbling skills, although the picture looks like he's learned to balance the ball on his head.

Jackson's Big Boy room:

Jackson and Morgan sitting on his new bed. Yes, the paint is very bright...we're really hoping it will be toned down once we get decorations on the walls :)

Jackson's first night in the new bed...guess we need to read the 10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed book to him again! We will be getting the wood bed frame in a couple weeks, so the room will look a little more complete.

Jackson's Sleep Chart

As you know, we moved Jackson into his new room last weekend. Initially, he did very well going to sleep in his new bed, but for the past several nights he's struggled a bit at bedtime. As an incentive for him to go to/stay in bed, I made a "sleep chart" and we hung it on the fireplace. Every night that Jackson sleeps in his bed he gets a star on his chart...and when he gets a star he also gets a skittle (big treat for him). After he gets 4 stars in the same week, he'll get to go to the dollar store to pick out a prize...if he gets to 7 stars in one week he'll get two prizes. So far the chart is working pretty well. Thursday night I sang to him (from the couch) for about an hour before he fell asleep and last night I sang for about 30 minutes. He's had a lot of change/upheaval in his life in the last month and is dealing with them the best he can.



Last night before going to bed he got to put a sticker on his chart for staying in his *room* Thursday night. No, he wasn't in his bed...he slept on the floor next to the door, but we wanted to make a big deal about him staying in his room all night. I've attached a couple pictures of him putting his sticker on the chart last night.

Cassidy's BIG Decision!

Our niece, Cassidy, made the biggest decision of her life last night at Vacation Bible School. She asked Jesus Christ to come into her heart and became a Christian! Her parents had been talking to her about this for a while, but last night was when Cassidy's heart was ready to make the decision. We are very proud of you, Cassidy, and love you very much!!

26 Weeks!

Every week that the babies stay in my belly means that they'll hopefully have less problems (or none!) at birth. I'm about 1 1/2 weeks away from my first milestone of 28 weeks. Being on bedrest is boring and a bit frustrating, but I'm trying to keep a positive attitude.

Last weekend my mom and Kim came up to help us do projects and fill the freezer with home cooked meals. Brandon and Kim painted Jackson's new room a very bright green (Brandon calls it radioactive...it does kinda glow). I can't go upstairs, but B's been taking pictures for me so I can see the progress. Jackson's new room is almost put together...Jen put his clothes in the closet and in his dresser and put toys/books in the room. The bed frame was a little messed up so Mom took it to Auburn to get it fixed and we'll get it back the week of July 4th. The bed was Brandon's fathers, then his growing up, so it's pretty special. I really like the bedding that we chose for Jackson's room. We'll post pictures soon. I think once we get some pictures on the walls, the paint color will be a little less dramatic :)

Kim and Brandon also painted the nursery...the color is "svelte sage" and is a rich, neutral color. Brandon put both cribs together and arranged the nursery furniture in a new configuration that better accommodates 2 babies! Now, we need to get the mattresses and bedding in the cribs and the twins will officially have a room to come home to!

Mom spent Friday night and all day Saturday in the kitchen. She and Brian cooked a ton of food to freeze, which we are very thankful for. She even wrote instructions on all the packages so Brandon would know exactly how to heat everything up. It was very fun to have family up to visit! Mom will be back the week of July 4th, which I'm really looking forward to!

On Tuesday night we went to the pool for the first time since my doctor gave me the okay. It was a cool night and the water was colder than I'd normally want to be in...but it was totally worth it! I got to wear my new maternity bathing suit for the first time and actually felt like a normal person. The best thing about the 30 minutes I got to spend in the pool was that Jackson was able to see me doing something "normal" and we were able to play a little bit together. Since my pool privileges are 2x a week I think we'll go again this weekend...something to look forward to!

Last night, Brandon and Jackson went to church. Brandon went to a "Starting Point" class that talks about church membership. We joined a church a few months after moving here, but haven't really felt drawn to it anymore. Instead we've been attending Brian and Jen's church for the last 6-9 months. The church is Sugarloaf United Methodist and we really like it. They have incredible worship music, a godly pastor and a great kids program. We have been considering membership, but wanted to talk with the pastor about some doctrinal differences (Methodist vs. Baptist) before we made the decision to change our membership. Brandon was able to get our questions answered last night. If we do decide to join it will probably when I'm off of bedrest so that we can stand up together as a family.

I had a doctors appointment today that went very well. I took the glucose tolerance test, which checks for gestational diabetes. With Jackson's pregnancy I failed the 1 hour test by 1 point and had to take the 3 hour test (which I passed). This time, I won't get my results until next week...I'm really hoping that I pass so I don't have to take the 3 hr. test. Twin pregnancies are more likely to test positive for gestational diabetes...I seriously hope I don't fall into that category! My belly is measuring 31 weeks pregnant, which is perfect because twin pregnancies generally measure 4-6 weeks ahead of a singleton. Since I'm 26 1/2 weeks pregnant, that means I measured 4 1/2 weeks ahead. I can't believe I'm going to tell you all this, but here goes...I gained 5 lbs. in the past week which I attribute to my mom being in town and filling my plates full of high-fat foods (and being inactive on bedrest)! The doctor was pleased with the 5 lbs. because she said I was too skinny before (yea, right!). I was concerned about the weight gain, but she said that my total weight gain so far was in line with what the average singleton mom gains at 26 weeks. That's nice to hear, but in the back of my mind I still worry about gaining too much weight and having to lose it after the babies are born. The doc gave me the okay to go to dad's house for dinner tomorrow night. I have to be reclined on the ride there and back, and will have to stay on their couch, but the change of scenery will be very nice!

I'm lying on the couch typing to you all with the sweetest little boy asleep next to me. Jackson is so precious. I absolutely LOVE being his mommy! His new schedule is awesome!! He goes to the sitter in the morning, then our friend Jenny picks him up after lunch and brings him home to me. I let him watch one cartoon and then he goes down for a nap. It's been really nice because it allows me to still play a "mommy" role even though I can't get up. He takes his nap on the couch...sometimes snuggled up next to me and other times he lies at the opposite end. Either way, we have our own special time together that's just "ours." I LOVE IT!

Guess that's it for now. I have intentions of writing more regularly so the posts aren't quite so long...who knows, maybe I'll post something tomorrow (like pictures!). Margaret is coming up next week...we're all very excited to see her! She'll get to go to the doctor with me on Monday and see the twins via ultrasound for the first time...very exciting!

Another Good Dr. Appointment!

We had an appointment yesterday at my regular OB. The babies continue to look good and the doctor is pleased with my progress as well. I asked about bedrest and was told that I'd be on it until at least 28 weeks, then they would consider modifying it a bit. The doctor did give me a couple more privileges, which I'm very excited about. I am now able to sit up 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes and I can drive myself to my doctor appointments! Sitting for 20 minutes may not seem like much, but when you're on your back 24 hours a day, sitting in a chair sounds like heaven!

Nene kept Jackson and Morgan at my house yesterday because Marianne's (babysitter) husband was having surgery. It was a really nice day! I enjoyed listening to the kids playing in the playroom and getting to interact with them some. Jackson was very content staying at home all day and showered Nene with kisses and hugs.

I am very excited that Peppy and Kim are on their why up here as I type! They are going to help us do some projects (set up Jackson's big boy room) and cook lots of meals to fill the freezer. Jackson stayed home with me this morning (we snuggled in my bed and watched cartoons), then went to Eliza's house to play. Eliza turned 4 this week and is very into ballet and princesses...so I won't be too surprised if Jackson comes home in a princess costume! I thought he would have a hard time leaving when Sally (Eliza's mom) walked over to get him, but he just walked right out with her (whew!!)...he was very excited to get to play at Eliza's house! I just got a call from Sally...she said that Jackson is playing baseball with Eliza and Scott (older brother) and doesn't want to come home. She asked him if he wanted to see his mommy and he said "no, play!" I'm so glad that he's having such a great time!!

I won't be able to go upstairs to see Jackson's new room so I'll have to rely on pictures...once Brandon takes some I'll post them on here!

25 Weeks!

Another week...another milestone.

I went to the doctor this morning. Everything looked really good on the ultrasound! Janine was with me so she got to see the babies for the first time...we saw William yawning and Maggie sticking out her tongue. It was pretty cute! I am still on strict bedrest, but the doctor said that I can go to the pool 1-2 times a week to float for 20-30 minutes...FREEDOM (even if it is for a short amount of time)!!

Jackson got home on Saturday afternoon. He was very excited to see his Daddy and when they got home he ran inside calling my name. I am so glad to have him home, although it's a bit bittersweet because I can't be up doing anything with him. He had a great week with Mimi & Doff in Dothan...thank you guys for taking such good care of him!! Saturday night I had Jackson put his hand on my belly while the babies were moving. He didn't seem to notice anything at first, but all of a sudden he froze and looked at my belly. I know he felt the babies move, but of course, has no idea what he was feeling.

I've received voicemails and cards from a couple people that I don't know...they know me through Margaret and just want to extend their support to us. It's very sweet and I really appreciate their thoughtfulness. We have been surrounded by family, friends, neighbors, etc. and as I said before, it's humbling to be on the receiving end of such kindness and support.

Today was Jackson's first day back at his babysitters house. It was her birthday and she gave Jackson some flowers out of her b-day bouquet to bring home to me. It was very sweet. Jackson came in yelling "I you, I you"...meaning "for you". He gave me the flowers, then helped Brandon put them in water. Brandon was going to put them on the mantle, but Jackson started crying...he wanted the special flowers right next to his Mommy. Once they were in their "proper place" he said "I you" again. I said thank you and he followed with "you're welcome" (something we haven't heard him say before).

He had a bit of a rough day at Marianne's...wouldn't eat after breakfast and only took a 40 minute nap. As soon as he was in the car coming home with Brandon, he was fast asleep. Poor little guy has had his world turned upside down over the last couple weeks. He snuggled with me for about an hour this afternoon...I ate it up!! I know he knows that something is going on and is dealing with it as best he can. Brandon and I are doing the best we can to help him in this adjustment period. We are blessed that he is a sweet child...expressive (good & bad!), playful and loving.

Please say some extra prayers for Jackson that he feels our love surrounding him and is able to express himself in a way that we can understand so that we can help him to understand that things are different but will return to normal soon. Even though "normal" will change with the addition of William and Maggie. Thank you!

I'M HOME!!!!

That's right...I'm laying on my couch, surrounded by my things! Brian, Jen, Morgan & Sercy (their dog) met Brandon at the house this afternoon to get things ready for me to be home. Janine picked me up from the hospital and we got home around 6:45. Soon after, Dad got here with a mini-fridge. The guys worked very hard to get our downstairs bedroom ready to be made into my room. Jen helped get clothes from upstairs and other things organized in my new space. And, Janine went on a grocery run! All in all, I am pretty well set up to be on bedrest. It feels very good to be in my house again. Thank you all for the prayers and thank you, my ATL family, for helping get the house ready for me! You are all very appreciated! :)

I'M HOME!!

Awesome News!

I've been meaning to let you all know about some great news we got during our ultrasound last Friday. The cyst that was seen in Maggie's brain at my 19 week appointment is GONE!! Thank You, God!!

Possibly going home!!

Thursday, June 7, 2007 (24 weeks, 3 days)
I've officially been in the hospital for a week. The time has gone by fairly quickly so it's hard to believe that I've been here this long. This morning one of the specialists came to see me. It has now been confirmed that I DO have a placenta abruption...I thought that had been ruled out, but apparently not. The good news is that the separation (abruption) is small. The doc said that I could still be in the hospital for several weeks. However, my regular OB came in a little while later and said that as long as I did not have any spotting by 5pm today, she will discharge me!! So, there's a very good chance that I could go home tonight. :) I will, of course, go home on strict bedrest and if the bleeding starts again I'll be back in the hospital until the babies are born. I will have the same restrictions at home as I did at the hospital...can get up for the bathroom and to shower, otherwise, I have to by lying down. The list of things I can't do seems to be ever growing...I can't drive, I can't sit up in a chair (or in bed), I can't walk up/down stairs, etc. It's a very good thing that we have the extra bedroom/bathroom downstairs...looks like I'll be relocating there for the next several months.

Most of my Atlanta family is coming over tonight to help Brandon get everything set up for me to be home. They're having to move some furniture around, transfer my clothes/bathroom stuff downstairs, install a mini-fridge, go on a grocery run, and so on... A couple of my neighbors are putting a meal schedule together and are going to help us with Jackson as needed. Brandon and I are very blessed to have family (in & out of town) and friends that are willing to bend over backwards to help us. It's very humbling to be on the receiving end of such generosity, love and support. Thank you all so much!

I'll update tonight and let you know whether I'm at home or in the hospital. Keep your fingers crossed and those prayers coming :)

Hospital Update

Wednesday, June 6, 2007 (24 weeks, 2 days)

The past two days have been pretty uneventful. I am still in the hospital...will be until I don't have any type of bleeding/spotting for 24 hours. Yesterday, I was allowed to walk around the halls for 30 minutes (the docs want to see if being up triggers more bleeding). Jen was visiting when I was allowed to get up so she and I walked the halls for about 20 minutes. It was really nice to get out of bed, but made it painfully obvious that I'd been laying on my back for 5 days. I started having back pain and had to come back to my room before the 30 minute walk time limit was up so that they could monitor me for contractions. The walking also triggered some spotting, which let us know that I'd definitely be here for another day at least. I've been keeping busy with the laptop, books, phone and tv...definitely a different kind of busy that chasing Jackson around!

Speaking of my sweet son...Mimi and Doff took Jackson, Coleman and Cassidy to the Montgomery Zoo yesterday. Jackson was most excited about seeing the lions. :) They had a great time and all went home exhausted!

Today I was having some bad pains in my back, which I attribute to laying down so much. I was so uncomfortable that the nurse let me sit in the recliner in my room for 30 minutes. Normally, sitting in the recliner would take the place of walking around, so I made her promise me that I would still get my daily walk. I don't think sitting in the chair helped my back feel better, but it was nice to be out of the bed! The only downside was that I started spotting again, so now we're back to the 24 hour countdown. I waited until Brandon came to the hospital this evening to take my walk...I also have "terrace privileges" which means I can sit on the terrace for 30 minutes, 2 times a day. Normally a nurse would have to wheel me out to the terrace and back to my room, but we combined my daily walk with the terrace instead. We walked around the floor for 15 minutes, then walked out to the terrace and sat outside for the last 15 minutes. Dad & Janine came to visit while we were outside...it felt almost "normal" to be sitting outside in the sun, talking with family. I'm in such a weird situation right now that I'll take as much "normalcy" as I can get!

While we were walking, Brandon and I passed by the nursery several times. There was a little girl and a little boy in the window. We're both amazed to think that we could be looking into that nursery in a couple months and see a boy & girl in the window...and they'll both be ours! It's a bit scary and overwhelming, but certainly a blessing.

Thank you all that have called/emailed/visited, etc. Brandon and I feel totally surrounded by love and support. We feel the prayers that are being said for the babies and for us. We could not get through this without an amazing support system, but most importantly an Amazing God.

Things Can Change In The Blink Of An Eye

Thursday, May 31, 2007 (23 weeks, 3 days)
Last Thursday night, Jackson and I went to watch Brandon play in his final softball game of the season. Jackson had a great time running up and down the fence and watching daddy. Afterward we grabbed a quick bite to eat and I noticed that my back was hurting a lot and I was a little crampy. I've been told when that happens that I need to get off my feet and drink a lot of water. We ran by Target on the way home to pick up some diapers. While there I went to the restroom and noticed that I was bleeding pretty bad. I called my OB to let them know what was going on and he had us drive straight to the Labor & Delivery department at the hospital (he'd called ahead to let them know I was on the way). My Dad and Janine met us there to pick up Jackson for the night (thank you!). I was taken to a triage room and they immediately did an ultrasound and some other tests to try to figure out what was happening. I ended up having 2 ultrasounds on Thursday night which showed the twins were doing good, but it looked like William's placenta was separating from my uterine wall. We were told that I would be admitted to the hospital for an indefinite time frame. Over the next 24 hours, I would receive 2 injections to mature the babies lungs in case they were going to be delivered early and IV antibiotics to help with any possible infections.

Friday, June 1, 2007 (23 weeks, 4 days)
I was up most of last night with nurses coming in and out of my hospital room. They were monitoring the babies heartrates and possible contractions. I saw my OB, a Perinatologist (high risk OB doc) and had an ultrasound (US) today, along with all the other monitoring. The US still showed a possible placenta abruption and a blood clot in my uterus. The docs let me know that I would be in the hospital until at least Sunday and could be here for weeks. Because I'm carrying twins, bleeding and only in my 23rd week, I am considered high-risk. Mom and Megan drove up Friday afternoon so that they could see me and help Brandon with Jackson. Mom spent the night with me Friday night...I know one of her reasons was so that SHE could make sure that I was getting the best care possible! We normally have "family dinner" on Friday nights, so most of the family came up to the hospital and we all ate Chick-Fil-A together. My bleeding was progressively getting better, then started again a little late Friday night.

Saturday, June 2, 2007 (23 weeks, 5 days)
Since the babies have continued to look so good, I have been taken off of the continuous fetal monitoring. Now, the nurses will put me on the monitor for 15-30 minutes every 12 hours. I am on strict bedrest (bathroom privileges and 1 shower daily). It's hard to not be able to get up and move around like I'd like to do, but I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the babies are safe! The doctor came in today and said that I would not be able to leave until Monday at the earliest because they want to continue monitoring my progress. She did allow the IV to be taken out and has stopped my antibiotics, which is very nice! I was also told that I'd be moved from the Labor & Delivery floor to the High Risk Pregnancy unit...I finally got moved to my new room tonight around 11pm. It is a very nice room which feels a little less clinical than the rooms on the L&D floor.

Sunday, June 3, 2007 (23 weeks, 6 days)
Brandon took Jackson down to Columbus today (1/2 way to Dothan) to meet Trey, so that Jackson can spend the week with Mimi. It is hard to not get to see him this week, but will be much better for us since I don't know yet when I'll leave the hospital...and I'll have to be on bedrest at home. It'll give Brandon and I some time to adjust to my bedrest before we add an energetic 2 1/2 year old to the mix! All in all today was a pretty good day. I didn't have any bleeding today until midnight, which pushes my discharge from the hospital out at least 24 hours...bummer!

Monday, June 4, 2007 (24 weeks)
Today I saw the regular OB, Perinatologist and had 2 US's. The US's looked really good and the doctors now don't think that I have a placental abruption...which is great news! I am very anemic so I now have to take 2 iron pills a day (which I also did with Jackson). The OB said that I had to continue on strict bedrest today, but as long as there is no other bleeding I can be up a little bit tomorrow to see if walking around triggers new bleeding. If I am up/about and don't start bleeding I can possibly go home by Tuesday evening (on strict bedrest at home, though). The doctor did say that if I go home and start bleeding again that I'll be re-admitted until the babies come...so I'll definitely plan to take this bedrest thing seriously!! The perinatologist came in this afternoon and agreed with my OB's plan. They both have said that my goal is to get to 28 weeks...after that milestone we'll work on reaching 30, 32, 34+ weeks. Last Thursday I turned my resignation in at work for my last day to be June 29th...in light of the past several days it looks like my last day was Thursday. I'll be on strict bedrest for the next 4 weeks and will possibly be upgraded to modified bedrest if all continues to go well. Thank you all for your prayers, support and caring as we start this new phase of our journey. I'll try to keep the blog updated regularly as we walk our new path.