Can I Get Just One Good Picture of the Girls?

You would think, that would not be my biggest challenge. But it is. One birth announcement worthy picture of the girls. It is ridiculous how hard that is to obtain. The best photo by far is the one Jay first took at the hospital, pictured on the right here on our blog. Of course being the person that I am, I want a different, and better one, for our announcements (yes, I know I have a problem, and I completely blame my mother). ;) Other than this, things are going pretty good. Joseph had fun making his faces with Jay for the camera the other night (this one is either happy or excited, we also did tired, scared, and surprised) and I used the day to try and capture the girls on film. No award winning pics as a result, but also no injuries (I only bonked their heads together once). Can you tell who is who in the picture above?

One Week Old!

Hannah & Leah are one week old today! And if someone tested me, I think I could tell them apart fairly quickly. Even without Hannah's big toes painted red (but don't worry, the nail polish is staying on). I thought Leah had a birthmark on her backside the other day, but it turned out to be poo. And speaking of poo, Joseph played with play-doh at daycare the other day, and when the teacher asked him what he was making he responded with "dog poo". We're very proud.

The Story of Hannah and Leah

It was a long journey, but quick and easy arrival for our little ladies. According to hospital records my labor was 242 hours since I spent 10 nights at the hospital, but that doesn't exactly tell the story leading up to Hannah and Leah's entry to the world. Here's a breakdown of the timeline:

Labor Limbo
Oct 2 - 4: Contracting and dilated 6-7cm, everyone debating if I should stay at the hospital or go home
Oct 5: Decision made with our obgyn to stay at the hospital on bed rest (due to high blood pressure, threat of quick delivery, and hope of getting me past wk37 and keeping the babies out of the NICU)
Oct 7: Agreed on a date with the obgyn to get induced...October 12th it is!
Oct 8-11: Contracting off and on and still dilated at 6-7 cm

Actual Labor
Oct 12 9:00 AM: Started IV
Oct 12 9:45 AM: Received epidural and pitocin
Oct 12 10:30PM: Doctor breaks water on Hannah and puts monitor on her head
Oct 12 12:30PM: Measured at 8.5 cm. Increased pitocin and decreased epidural (things were finally moving, but not fast enough and I wasn't feeling enough)
Oct 12 2:00 PM: Finally at almost 10 cm! We head down to the operating room (OR 2), and Jay puts on his scrubs
Oct 12 2:10 PM: Our crew of 12 doctors and nurses are ready, and pushing begins
Oct 12 2:36 PM: Hannah arrives!
Oct 12 2:42 PM: Leah arrives!

And so the actual labor itself was closer to 5 hours, during most of which I didn't feel much do to the wonder and amazement that is the epidural. We brought the girls home on Oct 14 (Wednesday), and since then have been trying get organized and get things done around the house before they turn into "real babies". For now, they spend most of their time sleeping, eating, and pooping...but mostly sleeping. They wake up every three hours or so, though last night I bolted awake just before 2AM and realized it had been over four hours since they last ate so I actually had to wake them up. (like I said, we're still waiting for the real babies to arrive). Joseph is doing good, and so far hasn't noticed a change to his world other than the awesome present that his baby sisters gave him on their first day home. The Home Depot Deluxe Workstation has been a big hit with big brother, and each morning when he wakes up he asks if he can "go to work" (translation: Can I go to the basement and play with my new toy?) Jay and I are doing good too, getting back into the swing of washing bottles and swaddling newborns. It's still a bit difficult for me to move around due to all the swelling in my feet (none of my shoes fit) and muscle pain in my back (something Jay can totally sympahtize with) but I'm hoping in a few weeks that will all go away. And the girls are doing great...they had their first appointment with the pediatrician today with Leah weighing in at 6lbs 2oz and Hannah at an even 6lbs.

Welcome Hannah Lu & Leah Rose

Hannah Lu was born Oct. 12 at 2:36 PM
6lbs 3oz and 19 inches

Leah Rose was born Oct. 12 at 2:42 PM
6lb s 4oz and 19 inches

Leah is on the left (light pink hat Leah), Hannah is on the right (hot pink hat Hannah).

Final Belly Shot

Final belly shot at week 37 the night before we get induced! The minivan is in the parking lot and the husband is on the pull out bed at the hospital. My time at the hospital hasn't gone by as slow as you would think actually....visits, tv, and the computer have all helped the time pass. My mom even found someone to come do a manicure and pedicure for me in the room. One of the time's that Joseph was here, Jay was able to get a shot of him standing outside the room he was born in. Two and a half years later a lot has changed! (with more coming!)

Hospital Thoughts Continued...

Yes, we will in fact be here all week (or at least I will)
Milkshakes are not supposed to be frozen solid
Did I make it clear that I want an epidural?
What do you mean I may not be able to get an epidural in time? I'M ALREADY HERE
Travel size toiletries are not meant to last this long
Law & Order is on all day, every day (The question is, who, other than me, is watching this?)
If you stay at the hospital long enough, you get "employee menu" privledges (which actually seems cool for the first day or so)
I'm still capable of wasting hours on end playing computer games...I've already created two families, three houses, and birthed two Sim babies.
Should it be this quiet in a maternity ward? Where's all the screaming and crying? Maybe the atomic bomb sized toilet flushes are covering up all the other noises.
YES I would love to get induced on Monday. October 12th sounds like a fabulous birthdate.

Thoughts of a Pregnant Woman at the Hospital

Leave the stuff in the car, we're not staying (2PM Friday)
Why aren't we going to a triage room?
We're actually going to have two baby girls soon!
Maybe I don't want a c-section (never watch medical dramas while pregnant)
Red Jello really has the best flavor
Holy loud toilet flush batman
Dominos delivers to the hospital, how nice for Jay
Yea! There's a new law and order on tv
Clear liquid diets suck
Ambien......good stuff
Epidurals should be offered before cervix checks
How can I be at 7cm and not be in labor?
Could the bed be any more uncomfortable? (seriously)
I wonder if we'll be here all week? (4PM Saturday)

No More High Risk Visits?

The high risk doctor was surprised to see me on his schedule yesterday....everyone seems amazed that the babies are staying put as long as they are. But as far as I can tell, I'm not having any contractions, though I do find this a difficult question to answer. I am very familiar with the "holy cow get me the flippin epidural!" kind of contraction, but not so sure I would recognize the "hmmm what was that?" sort of contraction. Since the girls are doing good and I am nearing the finish line, I won't be seeing the high risk doctor anymore. I must say, I will miss the frequent growth checks and his quirky sense of humor. Yesterday Twin A was 5lbs 8oz and Twin B was 5lbs 11oz (+/- 15oz) and he made me promise to go to the hospital if I feel a hand reaching out to shake mine. :)

Arrrr Matey

On football days we've found something that will amuse Joseph indoors - costumes! He spent several hours dressed up as a pirate last sunday, even rode around the neighborhood on his tricycle and took a walk with Jay in his festive attire. I don't remember how we convinced him to take the outfit off, but I do remember that it took some convincing. He watched some football before going down for his nap today, so we may bust out superman later this afternoon.

34 Weeks, 4 days, 48 inches, and 4cm

I'm officially scheduled at the hospital now for a c-section the morning of Friday, Oct 16th....but if I were a betting person I would bet that the girls end up with a birthdate sometime before then. I've progressed a centimeter since last week, which again, means almost nothing other than confirming that I am in fact going to have babies sometime in the next three weeks. (I was at 1cm when my water broke with Joseph, one week before his due date). And my belly is 48 inches around, which is clearly exceeding the limit that my body is meant to support. But other than being uncomfortable, things are going good and I'm just waiting to wake up in the middle of the night due to something other than a full bladder.

Say What?

I'm 3cm dilated and 70% effaced?
We're trading our sporty Lexus in for a Honda minivan?
The Bears beat the Steelers?

What the heck is going on this weekend? ;)

Happy Birthday Dad!

We celebrated Jay's birthday last night at home with pizza, dairy queen ice cream cake, beer and a fire outside. All his favorites. ;) Joseph has been into the camera lately, and the picture of Jay opening his gifts is a Joseph Conway original.

Getting Ready for the Girls

For anyone who doubted the magnitude of the belly that has become, evidence has now been provided. Twin A weighs 4lbs 3oz and Twin B weighs 4lbs 1 oz.....imagine what the belly will become in a few weeks! Both are now head down, but I guess that really doesn't mean anything in identical twin world since both babies are attached to the same placenta and one can move or get turned around after the first comes out (hence the c-section, which I think I'm still leaning towards). In addition to adding the second crib to the baby room, we also spruced up the walls with some flowers to add a bit of a girl twist to what was once Joseph's room. Basically the main color is still green, but now has pink, brown, white, and blue accents. I think I've only got one load of baby stuff left to wash, and then I just need to pack our bag for the hospital and we're set. Jay will be getting out the swing soon, and will hopefully be finding the minivan of our dreams soon (what a ridiculous statement to make) so that we have a vehicle that fits three car seats and all our stuff. Other than that we're just relaxing this weekend, watching football and Handy Manny. Tomorrow night we'll be going out to dinner to celebrate our 6yr anniversary. It may be our last evening out together without kids for quite some time! We're planning to spend the majority of the winter in the man room watching sports and playing Wii while the younger Conways sleep soundly upstairs (yes, I'm still under the dissolution that the girls will be great sleepers just like Joseph was). We shall see!

Learning New Things & Making Pizza

Joseph made pizza with Jay tonight, and had lots of fun spreading out the flour, pressing the dough, and smoothing out the sauce. While waiting for the pizza to cook, he of course requested to watch "Woody, Buzz, Zurg" (very specifically, Toy Story 2, not Toy Story). Jay got him to quickly look away from the riveting animation and say cheese for the camera after he finished eating. He's been learning about painting at daycare....he knows that Surratt paints with dots, and Jackson Pollock used splashing, and that Van Gogh did Starry Night. The kid knows more about art than we do! (That knowledge was cleared out of my brain long ago...I had to google the names to make sure I was spelling them correctly). The little man has also been counting to 12 and trying to do 13 through 20, and has started recognizing more letters. We figure we'll tackle the quadratic formula next. He seems ready.

The Biggest Baby Belly I've Ever Had

The combined weight of the twins has officially passed Joseph's birth weight of 6lbs 14oz. The girls are fast approaching 4lbs and as of Friday they were estimated around 3lbs 10oz each. I measure at full term but of course am not at full term yet. Twin A gets the hiccups quite a bit, and I can now tell the difference between one moving around versus the other (it helps that at present they are on perfectly separate sides of my belly. Jay is amazed at all the body parts you can feel moving around. Crowded quarters makes for a lot more action I guess!) Things are going pretty good for me other than my back hurting off and on and whatever it is that's going on with my hands (related to swelling...could be carpel tunnel), it's hard to make a fist at times, but hopefully that will all go away afterwards. Weekly biophysicals start next week, where they check each baby for breathing, blood flow and things like that (done using an ultrasound) and if all continues the way it has then we have about 7 weeks left until we become a party of five. We are still targeting Oct 16th for a c-section, but who knows what the little ladies have planned. I'd like to say that I'm in control, but I don't think that will happen until a few months after they arrive. ;)

Parrot Head or Clown?

Proof that Joseph is doing just fine. ;) And I also threw in a shot of Jay and Rosco. We all had a great time at our alley party last weekend in the hood. The next day while Jay and our neighbors tried to polish off the keg, Joseph and his friend Ruthie had fun with some body paint. Joseph looked kind of like a clown, but Ruthie resembled Uncle Leo with the stenciled in "angry eyebrows" from Seinfeld. Quite amusing for the adults.

Joseph's First Real Ow-Wee

Yes, it's true. Joseph has had his first real "ow-wee" (as he calls them). He and I stopped at the park the other night on the way home from daycare and reached a point where he wasn't listening very well so I issued the "if you don't stop doing that, then we're going home" statement. And in typical 2 year old fashion (or at least typical 2yr old Joseph fashion) he looked me right in the eye, threw the wood chips, and smiled, so I grabbed his hand and we started walking away from the playground. When we were almost out of the park he tried to pull me back the other way and when that didn't work he dropped his weight like a sack of potatoes in the direction that he wanted to go (which was of course the opposite direction that I was going) and can you guess what happened next? One of the bones in his arm pulled away from his elbow, and there you have it, his first real owe-wee. I figured something was wrong because he wasn't pulling anymore. ;) And holding his arm and not being able to climb into his car seat was another clue. So Jay met us at home and even though Joseph tried to persuade us it was "all better" so that he could watch woody and buzz, we were not convinced. So off to children's hospital they went, I packed them a bag of snacks and drinks thinking it would be one of those epic emergency room adventures, but they were in and had the bone twisted back in place in minutes. And when he arrived back home he enjoyed a nice "big treat" (popsicle on a stick).

Pictures of Both Girls

For the first time in a long while we were able to get good shots of both girls....Twin A's profile and Twin B's face shot. Everything looked good in the last ultrasound and the growth discrepancy is no longer of any concern (it's being chalked up to a distorted image). Twin A weights 2lbs 11oz , Twin B weighs 2lbs 13oz and both seem to be enjoying their crowded quarters. Twin As head is waaaaay down at the bottom of my belly which explains all the pressure I feel and frequent jabs to the internal organs, and Twin B is in a breech position on the upper right side of my belly which accounts for all the visible dance like moves throughout the day. I'm in week 29, I measure at week 37, and I will be absolutely thrilled when I get to week 34 (to make it past Oct 1 has always been our goal). I'll be even happier when we come up with some names! (though we'd still refer to them as Twin A and Twin B, so don't get your hopes up) ;)

State Fair - Joseph and the Cow - Take 3

We went to the Wisconsin State Fair last weekend so that Joseph could see the animals and Jay and I could sample the chocolate covered bacon (a new item on a stick this year in addition to all the oldies but goodies....pb&j on a stick, smores on a stick, mac n cheese on a stick....just to name a few....and of course all are fried). We're that family that shows up as close to 8am as possible to avoid the crowds, and in this particular case, the heat and humidity. Though this year we discovered the downside to arriving early....not sure if something's changed or if last time we lingered longer among the cows...but they don't start serving a lot of the food until later. And even at 9, I wasn't able to get potato pancakes or french fries with cheese and bacon. (Are people seriously supposed to eat eggs and sausage for breakfast at state fair? Puh-lease....not when there are cream puffs and fried pickles to be had!) I bet I could have found a beer and some cheese curds though. ;) In addition to our traditional cream puff, we were able to score a new flavor of milk....banana (and when I say we I really mean Jay and Joseph. I don't do milk unless it's accompanied by cookies or cake). After a few hours of walking the fair grounds even my slow pace was starting to turn into more of a crawl, so we traded pigs and $3 bottles of water for lawn chairs and a kiddie pool at home.

A look back at Joseph's previous State Fairs:
http://conwayupdates.blogspot.com/2008/08/state-fair.html

http://conwayupdates.blogspot.com/2007/08/gotta-love-cows.html

Umbilical Cords...Check!

All went well at the follow up appt at the hospital to check the "flow" through each of the umbilical cords. So everything is good and it just so happens that they were growing at different rates over the past two weeks (or if when we go back for our next appt they are equal again, mayhaps the tech made a small error on one of the measurements) But no matter....it's nice to know that everything is ok, and we got a pretty good picture out of it...Twin B's profile with Twin A's arm. Next friday is when we will return for more measurements and we'll have updated weights on both girls. Now that Jay's back from his trip to London and India, we're both in planning mode. He called while tied up in some traffic on the way back from picking up the crib and started asking about sheets and diapers and formula and do we have enough birp clothes for two babies....some could describe it as momentary panic but I'm pretty sure it was just his preparation instinct kicking in. ;)

27 Weeks - End of the Second Trimester!

And to me it looks and feels more like the end of the third trimester, but I guess that's what happens when there are two babies instead of one. According to my growth measurement on Friday, twin A is 1lb 15oz (39%) and twin B is 2lbs 3oz (49%). (That's 4lbs of baby for those of you less skilled in the art of math...it actually took me a while to figure that out as it seems that hormones and pounds have replaced brain cells and memory.) A ten percent difference can be normal with mono-di twins, but since at my last measurement they were the same I will have weekly appts with the high risk doctor to see how things go over the next few weeks. Everything else checks out though, so no need for concern! They've both been moving around like crazy today. I can't always tell the difference, but tonight there was visible action on all sides of the belly. Aside from growth, there's no other changes, except that I started insulin over the weekend. I'm not the biggest fan of needles, but actually the shots are much better than the finger pricking! I only have to do it before bedtime so it's not that big of a deal. I have my regular every other week visit with the obgyn tomorrow, and then back to the hospital on Friday. They should consider offering spa services while you get your ultrasounds. A facial or a pedicure would be nice while having your belly probed by the transducer.

Ribs, Pinocchio, and Park

Joseph has had a lot of fun over the past week...he got to play at his friend Morgan's house and eat ribs for the first time, went to Festa Italiana and celebrated Pinocchio's 125th birthday, had a field trip with daycare, went out to dinner with his friends Morgan and Connor and got to see the choo-choo trains (the restaurant was right next to the train tracks), and this morning visited the park in our neighborhood for some fun on the playsets and splash area. Of course with all this activity came exhaustion, and he had a bit of a meltdown during lunch and went down for his nap without eating. Joseph is talking quite a bit these days, carrying on actual conversations with us or his toys. Yesterday he said "the train is loud" and this morning he stated "I want to play with Morgan". Nice to know what's on his mind! Which 80% of the time is usually Nemo, Woody, or Buzz.....but still...the words help. :)

The Week of the Doctors

This week I met with the cardiologist at Children's Hospital for fetal echos, my new ob gyn at her office, and the high risk doctor at Waukesha Memorial (where Joseph was born and where we are planning to deliver the girls). The hearts are good, I am much more comfortable with my new ob, and the high risk doctor joked about how well things are going. (I told him I take full credit.) Both girls weigh 1 lb 9oz, and it seems that every time I go now they are in a different position. Their bodies kind of make a circle around my belly, with twin A's head and butt in my upper left belly region and twin B's head and butt down towards the right. If I understood correctly not all of the parts shown in this ultrasound belong to twin A....just the left body portion, with the legs belonging to her sister. We haven't been able to get clear face/body shots of the two of them for the past few appts because of their position, so this is the best I can do for all you ultrasound lovers out there. But don't worry....I get these done at least every two weeks so there will definitely be more to come. Though there are only three more months to go! The doctors are targeting a delivery between week 36 and week 38 which ideally puts the expected arrival in the first half of October. Only time will tell if the girls decide to go along with this plan or whether they come up with their own scheme of when and how to enter the world. Personalities form very early you know.

Just Like His Mom

Apparently I used to fall out of bed all the time. Though how he ended up with his blankets, grover, and yurtle next to him I do not know. ;)

Joseph's Big Boy Bed

We did it! We made our move to the "big boy room" last night after Joseph returned from Minnesota. Figured it was good timing since he'd been staying in a different room all week and was completely wiped out from an action packed vacation with the grandparents and Aunt Trish. So last night he crawled into his bed, Jay read him a book, and Joseph then said to us "I lay down here" and that was that. We said goodnight and walked out of his room and he was asleep within minutes. We were awoken several times at night (because we had the monitor on just in case), but each time Jay went up to check on him he was still in his bed, so we assume it was either his arm or head whacking the wall as he moved around. I think tonight we'll turn the volume down a bit lower. ;) This morning at 6:15 when we awoke to calls of "Mommy" and "Daddy", we figured he'd be standing at the gate we put up in his doorway, but instead Jay found him sitting cross-legged on his bed. He then told Jay "I want to get up", Jay said "ok", and Joseph then crawled out of bed and started playing. The pictures are actually from his nap time today, which was a little more challenging because he usually prefers to play instead of taking a nap, so I laid there with him until he fell asleep (didn't take long). So far I'd have to say that this is much easier than we thought it was going to be....pretty nice when that happens!

Joseph Playing and Babies Moving!

Joseph spent 5 hours yesterday playing at the beach in Lake Zurich, IL yesterday with family. He is loving the water this summer, and apparently can't get enough of it because last week he woke up saying "I want swim". We've got his "big boy room" just about done, and plan to move him into it sometime in July so that we can get him used to a twin bed before the babies arrive, and get a second crib and a few "girly" items into the baby room. When the high risk doctor mentioned 36 weeks as a delivery time to me last week (of course we still have no idea of exactly when), I realized for the first time that we only have like three months left to get everything ready. (to a normal person this wouldn't be a big deal, but to someone who plans everything this means I should have ordered our crib yesterday). The girls are about a pound each, and have maneuvered themselves into the head down position! Pretty early for them to stay that way, but it seems they still have room to flip. There's a lot more kicking and punching going on in there, and quite a bit of belly out here!

Happy Father's Day!

DISCLAIMER: Photo not taken this weekend. Dressing a child in long sleeves and jeans when temperatures are approaching 90 is borderline abusive. More so than spanking. :)

20 Weeks - Halfway There!

Summer Fun Has Finally Begun

Seems the warmer weather is finally here to stay (nice considering it's June and all). After the Penguins won the cup on Friday night, we spent the rest of the weekend outside enjoying the sun. Brewers vs. White Sox at Miller Park on Saturday, and the Milwaukee Zoo and Conway Sprinkler on Sunday. In preparation for all the weekend activity Jay cut the grass during the week, and as usual, Joseph was right there beside him doing his part.