The Boys Are Here

Well its been a while since my last post. How come? Just 9 days after my last post I went into labor and delivered my precious twin boys. Since then life has been a little crazy. Adjusting to life with twins is DEFINITELY a challenge and exhausting. But on the flip side, the greatest blessing I have received and have experienced more love than I could ever imagine. So, I'll start from the beginning.

*If your just wanting to see pictures, go here! http://eddieandboston.shutterfly.com I take way too many pictures to post them on here so I created a share site to post them.

That Saturday evening I was having my normal braxton hicks contractions and didn't think anything of it. Through the night they started getting a little more intense but still wasn't really thinking anything of it. It was Sunday morning, August 19th, that they became more intense and closer together. I was in denial thinking it was just false labor. James though knew otherwise and demanded we go to the hospital. So we both took a shower, grabbed all our stuff I had already packed for the hospital and were on our way. Luckily we have awesome friends that came and picked up Doc later that day cause sure enough we didn't come back. We went into the ER and as we were walking in someone grabbed a wheelchair and put me right in it! Speedy service. They wheeled me down to the birthing center and got me a room. They quickly got me all hooked up and did all their testing including to see how dilated I was. I was a 3. The nurse said she was pretty sure we were going to deliver but wanted the doctor to come check me first. LUCKILY my doctor was on call that day (I was SO nervous he wouldn't be available since it was a Sunday) and came right down to my room, did an ultrasound and confirmed we would be doing surgery since they were both breach. Within about 30 minutes after signing a bunch of papers they wheeled me down to the surgical room and were prepping me for surgery. Everything happened so fast! I didn't have any time to process it all. As they wheeled me in I started getting really scared. My life was about to change forever and was going to have major surgery. Well they give me the spinal block which wasn't bad at all thank goodness. What happened next scared me to death, my blood pressure dropped a TON, I seriously thought I was going to meet my maker. I was incredibly light headed, felt like all the blood had been drained from my body and felt like I was going to pass out. They gave me some medicine and immediately began to feel a lot better. I felt a calm come over me and completely felt at peace. James came in and sat by my side and I had to ask him to hold my hand. He didn't know what to do, Im pretty sure he was nervous but would never admit it. The surgery began and within minutes my boys were born! Eddie at 12:41 and Boston at 12:42. Such an amazing feeling when you hear those precious cries for the first time and then finally see them. The doctor holds them up over the curtain but only for a second so I barely remember that. After cleaning them up they brought them over to me to look at them, I of course snuck in a kiss for each of them. It was incredibly hard not being able to hold them immediately. After 8 months of carrying them thats all I wanted to do was snuggle them and love on them. But since I was 34 weeks and 4 days they automatically have to go into the NICU. If I had gone just 3 days more they wouldn't have had to. After surgery I had to go into a recovery room for 45 LONG minutes knowing as soon as I was done I could go see my babies in the NICU. They rolled me into the NICU and got to see them for just a couple minutes. Its all kind of a blur with all the drugs I was on. Once I got into my room (which was 116 and 16 has always been my lucky number so it was meant to be!) I rested or tried to at least since I was super anxious to be with my boys again. It wasn't until 9 pm that evening that I finally got to hold them. At midnight they got a bath so I waddled on down for that as well. Im grateful I was able to walk so soon after surgery, I know thats why I was able to recover so quickly. It helps that my doctor is an awesome surgeon as well. So I visited them pretty much every chance I could. I made sure they knew that I wanted to nurse them as soon as possible and do skin to skin. I was able to do skin to skin the next day, but couldn't nurse them for a couple days. It was so hard. They both had to have tubes to get the amniotic fluid out of their stomachs that they swallowed, but only had them for about 24 hours. They made it into cribs after 2 days. They both did really well for how early they were. I was discharged on Wednesday and it was the hardest day I think I've ever had, leaving the hospital without my babies. I cried pretty much the whole day. To make it even worse when we left the NICU to say goodbye to them, as we were walking back to the room to get our stuff there was a family leaving the hospital with their new twins. James looked at me knowing it would upset me and sure enough I broke down. I tried to get as much rest as I could when we got home but all I wanted to do was clean and make the place perfect for when they came home. I SO regret not taking advantage of those 3 days I had to sleep more, but oh well. So Eddie did better than Boston as far as not having any problems to keep him from coming home. They had to be able to eat a certain amount before leaving so by Friday there was talk of him going home so we had to get them circumcised. I had completely forgotten to find them a pediatrician so I was scrambling all day to find them one and get their circumcision scheduled. Luckily I found one and they were scheduled for that evening. WELL, I kept calling James to tell him to be there for it but he wasn't answering. It was getting late and I was panicking! A) I was worried something had happened to James and B) I didn't wanna have to endure their circumcision by myself! Well sure enough his phone had broke and had barely made it in time. Turns out they don't have parents witness it, I wasn't planning on being in the room but thought James would. Anywho, it was a stressful day. So Saturday evening we roomed in with Eddie (Boston was able to be there too he just had to stay on his monitors.) It was so nice to finally be able to hold them as much as we wanted. We didn't get a whole lot of sleep due to the noise in the NICU so that was rough. The next day was bittersweet. It was so nice to take Eddie home but so hard to leave Boston behind. Boston was having heart drops which apparently is totally normal for preemies, their brain is still developing and sometimes forgets to tell them to breath. He always recovered from them on his own but they have to go 5 days without having them. He was having at least 1 a day.  He ended up being in their for almost 3 weeks. I can't tell you how draining it was taking care of a baby at home and then driving back and forth to the hospital to take care of another. It caught up to me one day and had to stay home from going to the hospital to rest. I felt so guilty but I knew I had to take care of myself in order to take care of them. What eventually got Boston to come home (at least Im pretty sure anyway) was a mother of a baby in Bostons room had pertussis. PERTUSSIS! I was furious. They removed the baby and cultured Boston to make sure he didn't get it which he didn't thankfully. Well I let the nurse practitioner know that Boston is safer at home than he is there and told them he should be sent home on a monitor. Sure enough the next day I get a call telling me they're sending him home on a monitor! So that evening James took care of Eddie (he was SO nervous about taking care of him by himself but he did a great job:) while I roomed in with Boston. He had been on a 4 hour schedule, sure enough that evening he decided to go through a growth spurt and change to every 2 hours. Oy I was so tired. The next day felt so surreal knowing I wouldn't be coming back to the NICU. Such a good feeling! To have my family complete and all together. Well James decided as soon as I got home to leave to go help someone with a car. I immediately became extremely overwhelmed and my postpartum set in. The next couple weeks were very difficult. I finally have my babies home and I can't enjoy them like a mother should. I humbled myself and realized I needed help. And soon. So I got an appointment with my doctor and got some medicine. Combined with the help and support from people around me I was able to get back to myself and truly enjoy every minute with my babies. And boy do I LOVE them! They are growing like weeds which is both exciting and sad at the same time. They are the light of my life and can't believe how lucky I am. On top of that I've already lost all my baby weight! Nursing twins does wonders. And I must say I do love being able to eat what I want and not gain weight. I need to be careful though, its going to catch up with me I know it. Oh forgot to mention, Boston was on the monitor for about 4 weeks and man was that thing annoying having to carry it around everywhere. The only time it went off was when the leads would fall off. It was a glorious day when the doctor said he could get off of it!

Well, that was a lot to catch up on! My life has forever been changed and for the better. Of course its much more challenging but the blessings are even greater.

*I started this post several weeks ago and its taken me till now to finally get it together to officially post! Since then the boys are finally smiling, cooing and now drooling. They also can hold their heads up and have very strong legs that kick! They can sleep for 6 hours at night which Mom LOVES even though she only gets about 4-5 hrs of a stretch at a time, still way better than the 2-3 she was getting:)

Here are some of my favorite pictures of them. 

 Boston in the NICU giving him eskimo kisses

 Daddy loving on Boston in the NICU

 Mommy snuggling with Eddie right when he came home

 Eddie at 2 weeks old

 Boston at 2 weeks old

 Look at that pot belly on Boston! Still got it too.

 Eddie & Boston just a couple days old

 You can really tell how tiny they were by how huge the pacifier looks!

 I love this one, my model babies while sun bathing.

Loved waking up to Eddie right next to me when he first got home.

 

Eddie being adorable

One of my favorite pics of Boston while in the NICU

32 Weeks

I'm so grateful I was able to go to the temple with James one last time before I have these babies. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful experience I will always remember. Everyone was amazed that I made the 2 1/2 hour trek to go to the temple for how far along I am and were ooh'ing and ahh'ing as I walked by. I guess I'm a rarity which made me feel good about myself, so I gave myself a pat on the back.
We had the opportunity to do some family sealing's which were such a tender mercy from Heavenly Father. I am so grateful I get to be sealed to my husband and children for time and all eternity. What a wonderful thing.

3D Babies

Look at how stinking cute they are at just 30 weeks and 5 days! It's amazing how far we've come in technology to be able to get such detailed pictures like these. Thing 1 is 3 lbs 10 oz, and Thing 2 is 3 lbs 7 oz. Right on track size wise and really good that they are close in size as well.

So for the past couple months I thought my due date was switched to September 22nd, I could have sworn the doctor moved it up 4 days from the 26th. At my appointment today he corrected me and confirmed it is still the 26th. So, I have to change my calendar back to Wednesday's for recording how far along I am instead of Saturdays. Not that it makes a difference, I won't make it that far anyways. I just tell people I'm due either late Aug or early Sept. We'll see! 

Beached Whale

These days I am very much feeling like a beached whale. Ive heard the term before used by pregnant woman, I can now say I completely understand what they meant. At my 28 week doctors appointment I measured at 34 weeks. 34 WEEKS! That's a whole 6 weeks ahead! People have said looking at me they expected me to be bigger. Really? I'm 5'4" with a tiny torso and you want me to be bigger?! I'm big enough thank you. I have one more growth ultrasound on the 23rd and the doctor says by then I'll be carrying around 7-7 1/2 pounds of baby so I'll be feeling full term. And I'll STILL have 6-7 weeks to go. Here's to the joy of carrying twins! Don't let me fool you, I am grateful every day for these bundles of joy.
I truly am blessed.

29 weeks

And to leave off I'll share my new favorite quote that will surely become a mantra in my home:

20 Weeks & Good News

 I've been relying on James to take my monthly pictures, so far this month's my favorite. You can really tell I'm pregnant! Oh the month's ahead, I'm gonna be huge. 

Its official, they are both BOYS! I am gonna sure have my hands full, but I'm excited for the journey. At 20 weeks they both were already almost a pound, in other terms they're BIG for twins! I definitely will be delivering early, there's no way I'm carrying around more than 12 pounds of baby. Not gonna happen. 

 

 Not the best picture, but you can see his button nose, just like his Mommy's!

 This one is just too funny, the tech said she got it by complete accident, wasn't even trying. We laugh at it every time! Can you see what I'm talking about?!

I call this one "The Tebow".

Well for some good news, JAMES GOT A JOB! He got hired on at Mercy Hospital in Joplin as a Financial Counselor. It's not ideally what he was wanting but its a great start, especially while he's in Graduate school. Plus its a job! Which means we can finally move out and into a place of our own!! WAHOO!!!! I've been on cloud nine for a week now knowing our life is back on track. The day he got his job we found a duplex and got it the same day, and are moving in TOMORROW! Can you tell how excited I am? I have been in nesting mode for a while and haven't been able to do anything about it, but now I can and am so anxious to get started. I have so many plans for the babies room. It's gonna be stinking adorable. 

So the moral to this exciting news is: having faith in the Lord's plan will always lead to blessings. I seriously was struggling not knowing what was gonna happen to us, but I kept praying for the Lord's hand to guide us and that James hard work would be rewarded. And what do ya know. He answered. He always does. Maybe not always in the time frame we want, as evidence in my case. But nonetheless, He does.  

Uplifting Quotes

The other day the website I follow for coupons and deals listed an awesome deal for a free 8x10 canvas print. She gave the idea of printing a quote or saying you might have liked from Pinterest, which I thought was an excellent idea. I've been wanting to have more encouraging and uplifting words in my home. So I took the opportunity and searched some pins for a good quote and found one I HAD to have. Except I wasn't so fond of how it was pictured, so I took it upon myself to make my own:

 

My plan is to put pictures of my babies around it. So excited. 

I had so much fun making that one that I had to do some more. I perused for some more quotes online and found that all my favorite ones were by Gordon B. Hinkley. No surprise, he was my favorite person, probably still is. 

                    

  

 

This quote spoke to me the most and am really happy with how it turned out. It will definitely be getting printed and displayed in my home, whenever I finally get one.

Staying Positive

 Well I’m sitting here in the room were staying in at my in-laws house trying to stay positive. I have left the state that I love, that has all of my best friends and the ward that James and have come to truly love. Idaho really was home for me, it’s where my heart will always stay. On top of having to leave there, I don’t have my own place to live and have to yet once again stay with my in-laws until James gets a job. Its one thing to have to do this, it’s another to have to do it when you’re pregnant and you’re ready to start nesting and make a home for your future babies. On the bright side James had a second interview this week that were feeling pretty confident he will end up getting, they’ve called his references and they don’t typically do that unless they’re considering hiring you.  On the down side, it will probably be a while till were able to move back into our house being we have to evict our renters. Like I said, trying to stay positive. I’m alive and healthy, I at least have a roof over my head and food to eat. I just keep repeating those things over and over again. I don’t know how long though they will keep me sustained. Not long I’m sure.

At least our drive from Idaho to Missouri went well. The weather was beautiful and our U-Haul truck could go 75 mph which is unheard of! So we ended up making better time than we thought. Even better our fairly large Subaru Legacy averaged 35 mpg for the whole trip which we were stoked about. For about 100 miles it was even getting 36. When you have to drive 1300 miles that makes a huge difference. I will say though by the end I was one sore pregnant lady. My feet and back were killing me. I am grateful that I at least wasn’t further along; I can only imagine how miserable that would have been. Oy vey.

As far as babies go, we were able to find out the gender of one of our little munchkins. Thing 2 is definitely a BOY! James is very excited about this. Thing 1 is still to be determined. At one angle it could be a boy, and at another it could be a girl. So we’ll just have to wait patiently another 4 weeks till it bakes and grows a little more. Everyone we know is pulling for a girl, I think they can sympathize with me and don’t want me to be outnumbered, especially with James counting as an obnoxious boy child that I have to take care of as well.

I guess that’s all to report for now. It always feels good to update/vent on this blog of mine. I’m definitely going to be doing a lot more of it being I will have a lot of spare time on my hands being trapped in this room for as long as were staying here.

I’m alive and healthy, I have a roof over my head and food to eat.

I’m alive and healthy, I have a roof over my head and food to eat.

I’m alive and healthy, I have a roof over my head and food to eat.

12 or 13 Week Twins

Look at how perfect they are! So stinking cute, I just wanna hug them. But they kinda need to grow quite a bit more, so I'll let them bake for just a little longer. 

So I say 12 or 13 weeks cause at my initial ultrasound they measured at 8 weeks 1 day. At today's ultrasound which was supposed to be my 12 week they measured at about 13 weeks. So who knows. My official due date is September 25th, but I'm predicting the beginning week of September, maybe last week in August. We'll see though! 

This one makes me laugh. Baby A which is the one on the bottom had its head down the whole time being stubborn and showing its little bum. Little stinker. Were thinking it must be a boy. 

Both of them were moving like crazy, it was so awesome to see! Waiving their hands and dancing up a storm. So amazing. It feels more real now, seeing that they have actual bodies now and are moving around. Seeing their cute, tiny fingers and feet. Makes me so happy. Both of them had healthy heartbeats and good amounts of amniotic fluid. They each have their own placentas so were pretty sure that they are fraternal, but really no way of know 100% until birth. Or until we find out genders if ones a boy and ones a girl, which I am seriously hoping for. How awesome would that be! But I'll be happy with whatever Heavenly Father decides to give me. 

Baby B waiving hello. Friendly little thing.

Motherhood

This article struck a huge cord in me upon reading it. It's something I feel very passionate about and want to share. We had a lesson in our church meeting for women on the role women play and how important our role is. It's been lost in today's society just how important it is by telling women to work and be successful elsewhere outside the home. It saddens me. I felt the Spirit so strongly when reading this that I actually cried. Might also be that my hormones are going crazy right now being pregnant:)

Well the advice given in this article is given by Dave Ramsey. I knew I liked that man. He's incredibly smart when it comes to budgeting and saving money. Well turns out he's also smart when it comes to the home and structure of it.

Dave Says: Why Can't She Get Another Job?

March 08, 2011

When a family is broke, and the woman is at home raising one child, why can’t the wife get a “second job?”

Dear Dave,

I listen to you often and enjoy your radio show, but why don’t you ever ask women to go to work? When a family is broke, and the woman is at home raising one child who is already in the fifth grade, why can’t the wife get a “second job?”

George

Dear George,

I think far too many ladies, in the name of paying for stuff they don’t need, have left the household and the children for the workplace. Many of them didn’t even want to do this; they just felt obligated to do it by people like you. There are a lot of ladies who have sacrificed their ability to be full-time moms on the altar of the car payment.

Now, sometimes ladies have to go to work. There’s a time and a place for that kind of thing. But if there’s any way I can financially and budget-wise figure out how mom can be waiting at home with a big hug and a plate full of cookies when that fifth grader walks in the house – and if that’s what she wants to do – then you’re going to find me fighting for her opportunity to do that. There’s no higher calling on the planet than motherhood. We’ve lost that in our culture, and we’re suffering dearly for it.

I’m no Neanderthal jerk. I don’t say every mother has to be at home or they’re a bad person. But these days we’ve got very few people who defend full-time, in-the-home motherhood. The inference you’re making is that she’s not helping, or worse, lazy. Why don’t you go take over her job for a week? I think you’ll find out in a hurry there’s not a lazy bone in her body!

—Dave

To view the actual article click here.

TWINS!!!

Yep, you just read that right. Not only am I pregnant, I'm having TWINS!! AAAHHHH!! I still can't believe it. I've mentioned before that we have struggled for almost a year trying to get pregnant, and to first get the positive test finally was soooo exciting. And THEN to find out that we're not only getting one but TWO is just out of this world. I'm both excited and scared. I know it's going to be a rough road ahead, but I also know it's going to be filled with more blessings that I can ever imagine.

 Here's to the number TWO!!!!

True Love

"...Respect comes of recognition that each of us is a son or daughter of God, endowed with something of his divine nature, that each is an individual entitled to expression and cultivation of individual talents and deserving of forbearance, of patience, of understanding, of courtesy, of thoughtful consideration. True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well being of one’s companion."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

Skinny Jean Controversy

I am trying to calm myself down over this incredibly ridiculous controversy right now. My friend just told me to have a Chicago dog (they're our favorite from Sonic) and a coke to make it all better. Well I have my coke in hand and am seriously working on it.

Why am I so worked up about this? Well you see, I graduated from BYU-Idaho and absolutely loved my college experience. So much my husband decided he wanted to go to school there and is going to graduate come April. He runs the Student Health Center on campus and is very involved in the every day campus activity. We both very much appreciate our college experience and it hurts us to see both the school and our beloved church get so bombarded with all this negative publicity. All because of an incident at the Testing Center where an employee's pride took precedence over what was right in the situation. And then to see comments in all these articles from students attending the school stating the dress code is "ridiculous" is incredibly frustrating as well. You have to sign the honor code in order to attend the school, so you KNOW beforehand what the rules are and what your getting yourself into. So if your not grateful for your experience there and the rules that go along with going to school, DON'T GO TO SCHOOL THERE! And then tell the world that you don't agree with the school's honor code that you signed? Gosh. There are tons of people who don't get into BYU-I that I know would be more grateful for their EDUCATION than so many of these ungrateful people complaining about silly dress codes. Sure I murmured once or twice about not being able to wear certain clothing items, but I enjoyed my college experience more than I missed flip flops or Capri's. Perspective people.

I feel sorry for the girl that got turned away. She got caught in the middle of a change in rules and didn't deserve the way she was treated. I hope she receives an apology from that guy, she deserves one. Here is the article of the ACTUAL story of what happened. I believe in honest and factual journalism, which seems to be lacking nowadays:

On November 8^th the Testing Center began a campaign to remind students of the CES Dress and Grooming Standards. The campaign has gained the attention and criticism of many students.

Some students have encountered resistance from Testing Center officials when attempting to enter the facility because of excessively tight pants.

Self-described as “curvy,” Rachel Vermillion, a senior studying psychology, took a test in the afternoon of the day that the new rule was implemented.

Afterwards she attended another class, studied for her second test of the day and attended a leadership meeting with her bishop as a member of her ward’s Relief Society presidency. From there she went directly to the Testing Center.

At 8:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the Testing Center was scheduled to close, Vermillion entered the facility prepared to take her test and was told by an employee there that she would not be permitted to enter.

“I got in line and the guy said that I couldn’t take a test because my pants were too tight,” Vermillion said. “I thought he was joking at first.”

Vermillion wasn’t given a warning, despite the Testing Center’s history of issuing warnings to students for similar violations of the CES Dress and Grooming Standards.

“I thought it was going to be like, ‘Next time, wear a different pair of pants,’” Vermillion said. “I’d never gotten a warning. I pointed out to him girls around me who had gotten in who were wearing jeans much tighter than my pants, but he just said, ‘It’s at the discretion of the Testing Center employees.’ He got very angry and was very rude.”

“When I told him that I lived 20 minutes away from Rexburg and that if I went home to change and came back the Testing Center would be closed, he just said, ‘That’s not my problem.’”

Even when a fellow employee attempted to persuade him to allow Vermillion to take her test, he did not relent.

“Another girl who worked there told him that the pants I was wearing were looser than hers,” Vermillion said. “It was really frustrating because there were skinny girls who were wearing tight pants who were getting admitted, but I’m curvy so my regular-fitting pants were a little bit tighter on me and he wouldn’t let me in. It was offensive and humiliating.”

John Dexter, manager of the Testing Center, acknowledged that some staff members have been more zealous than others in enforcing the dress code.

“I do have a couple of staff who have inadvertently sent people away on their own,” Dexter said. “That isn’t something we enforce. That’s because of poor communication. We’ve struggled with this and figuring out how to do it without embarrassing people unduly.”

Last month a sign was posted at the Testing Center that read, “If your pants are tight enough to see the shape of your leg, your pants are too tight. The CES Dress and Grooming Standards state that: ‘Clothing is inappropriate when it is . . . formfitting.’ Skin tight clothing is NOT appropriate attire.”

Concluding this notice was a short paragraph that read, “If your clothing or attitude does not meet the commitments you have made to live the Honor Code, will you please go home and prayerfully visit with your Father in Heaven and recommit yourself to be a true disciple and abide by the Honor Code that defines your commitment to be a disciple.” The sign was replaced three days later.

“I decided after a couple weeks of prayerful consideration and some discussions here in our staff that something had to be done. I put out one sign; I tend to be a little bit rash, but we modified it so that it’s not too harsh,” Dexter said.

Today there stands a similar sign, but with the concluding paragraph reading, “If you don’t understand the Dress and Grooming standards, we invite you to go to the Lord ‘and ask in faith, nothing wavering’ for approval of the clothing you wear. The Spirit will tell you whether what you are wearing is appropriate or not.”

In response to students who feel that formfitting jeans are appropriate, Dexter said, “If a student prays and they think that the tight ‘formfitting’ clothing is accepted by the Lord, they have not asked, or have not asked the right question, or they have chosen an answer for their own gratification. I don’t believe the Lord would give approval to anyone to be disobedient to the CES Dress and Grooming Standards.”

The Testing Center has not made any policy changes. They are reminding students of the Dress and Grooming Standards against formfitting clothing.

“This has been a CES standard for as long as I’ve been here,” Dexter said. “All we’re doing is quoting the CES policy.”

The Testing Center has been criticized for not communicating the stricter enforcement of BYU-Idaho’s formfitting clothing policy.

“I don’t care if they require me to wear a burqa,” Vermillion said, “but they should really let you know beforehand. I had just come from a meeting with my bishop, but I couldn’t get into the Testing Center.”

To view the actual article go here.

UPDATE: Its hard to avoid all the controversy surrounding this matter. I stumbled upon this comment from someone who said it better than I am trying to:

David Mihok

They didn't actually overrule a school policy...It was just testing center employees letting power get to their heads. You will find no official pronouncement that skinny jeans are not allowed, nor any statement by an official suggesting it.

Instead, you can look here: https://www.facebook.com/BYUID at the most recent statement, and in fact, the only statement by the school.

There are a number of articles starting to pop up by the school that make it abundantly clear that the testing center was not acting with official sanction