2 days old

 Here is a shot of our babies' NICU room.

 You wouldn't know Laith was so premature. As all babies do his weight dropped, he is now only 2lbs 15oz. He is so alert and active. He likes to look at you and kick and flail his arms about.

 He has had his eyes open since the moment he was born.

 Vivienne had a short period of difficulty with her oxygen saturation so they put her on the CPAP which as you can see is not exactly comfortable...

 She is already off CPAP and much happier now.

 We got to hold them for an hour this morning, the babies were so good.

 With most preemies comes jaundice... So the little dude is first under the lights and he loves to be uncovered getting a tan. He doesn't like his new sunglasses though because he likes looking around.

 Vivienne is enjoying her freedom from the CPAP.

 As of right now it looks like Vivienne has her mother's red hair.

Here's the little dude getting his sun tan. His hair is looking more blonde every day. Notice the size of his hand compared to dad's finger.

Laith and Vivienne's first day

I took a picture of Jen on our way to what we thought was just another appointment.

The appointment was just for monitoring the babies but Jen asked to be checked because her contractions had started to fall in a pattern. The doctor came across as partially annoyed about the request but proceeded anyway. Then the look on the doctors face was priceless. She turned and said, go straight to the birth center, DO NOT GO HOME!

We hurried over and six hours later Laith and Vivienne were born!

 Laith Willard Sadler 3lbs 3oz

 Vivienne Grey Sadler 4lbs 9oz

The NICU nursers offered to let Jen hold the babies. This is not common for a 31 week baby. Usually they require breathing assistance and are not able to be held for some time.

 You wouldn't know Laith was so tiny, he had his eyes open immediately and was grabbing at anything he could reach. He was kicking and having a great time.

 Vivienne appears to have reddish hair and it is thick!

Laith appeared to have red hair at birth and all the nursers were going on about him being ginger. But after he was cleaned up it looks like he will have blonde hair, for now. It was just the blood over the blonde hair that made it look red.

Vivienne was having trouble staying consistent with her breathing now so they put her on  a cpap. They don't have to give her any oxygen they just make sure that there is positive air pressure so when she takes a breath is fills all her air sacks.

It's Time!!!!

Now 31

The doctor appointments for having twins have more than doubled.  Last week I had an ultrasound appointment, but it was cut short as one of the techs had called in sick and the clinic was understaffed.  Another ultrasound was scheduled for yesterday, and the MFS doctor decided I should schedule out the rest of my life for ultrasound appointments and non stress tests every Monday and Thursday.  I also have a regular OB appointment every other Wednesday.  At the ultrasound appointment yesterday, we learned the twins are now 'discordant', meaning they're growing at significant different rates.  Luckily though, my hard work of gaining weight goals, the doctors aren't worried.  Our baby girl weighs in at 4 1/2 lbs and our baby boy weighs in at 3 lbs 3 oz.  Although he's more than a pound behind her, he is right at the average weight for a baby of 31 weeks.  Our baby girl is just a super champ, and has grown gargantuan.  If baby boy had been smaller than average, or tiny, then the doctors would've worried and babies may have been born yesterday.  Once home, Bryan did some research and learned a couple of interesting factoids.  Discordant twins usually occur because of a lack of protein consumption.  However, 50% of the time, the measurements are wrong and the babies are actually quite close in size, which would mean baby boy could weigh closer to the same 4 1/2 lbs baby girl is.

We also got our first real look at baby boy's face.  The ultrasound tech took the time to do some 3D images on our babies.  For the first time, baby boy gave a small show, while baby girl turned her back to us.  It's amazing how much pudge has been added since the last time we saw 3D images.  The twins are doing exactly what they need to.  They're growing well, putting on fat, and practicing their breathing techniques.  I'm truly amazed every time.  The thought that some believe even this late in the game that what you're looking at isn't human is mind boggling.  Every night the twins become more active and start kicking, squirming, twirling and bouncing.  We're mesmerized by their movements and love to follow their tiny feet as they explore their world.  I never thought I would love feet so much.

It's really difficult being patient now too.  We've waited for so long these last few weeks are torturous.  And now I'm begging them to wait 3 more weeks, or at least until Bryan and I are over our colds.  It's disheartening to think when these two finally get here, we may not be able to hold them because of our germs.  Here's hoping we make it another 21 days, and that those 21 days will fly by.

I Turned 30...Again

Someway, somehow, the four of us have made it to the thirties of pregnancy. In the beginning I wasn't sure if I'd last a few days, let alone a week, but to think I've gone just over six weeks? I know I'm an overachiever but even that has exceeded my expectations. On Saturday when I turned 30 for the second time in my life, I knew for a fact I could make it another four weeks. The twins would be 34 weeks, and would be able to breathe, eat and maintain body temperature so would be coming home with me, rather than spending endless amounts of time in the NICU. Then last night I came crashing down off my high horse. I've had a few moments of despair and soul searching tears, but last night was a little different and it was over the silliest thing imaginable. Since I'm stuck in my bed, I've been ordering what I need off the internet. It's been an eye opener at how much is not available on the worldwide web, and how ridiculous retailers are at trying to open shop online. For example, Michael's has a website where you can view everything they sell, but you cannot purchase one blasted thing off the web. You can make a wishlist, even pin items, but actually purchase said items? Well that would be insane. JoAnn's will allow you purchase some items online, but only what is not available in the store. If it's inhouse, you have to go inhouse. Yesterday I got one of many packages in the mail from Motherhood. I tried on the novelty of nursing bras and to my dismay, found they did not fit at all. After much agony and tears, I decided to exchange them for a smaller size and different style. Alas, the internet struck again. I could get to the home page, but go past that, and all you get is error code after error. I had been so pleased that I had found ways around my debacle of bed rest, and having that independence dashed was the straw that broke my camel's back. In the end, I filled out the return form, and then wrote in all the reasons I was returning. At the bottom was a section for comments, and I commented at length.

However, there is a pot of gold at the end of this 30-something's rainbow. After spending much time in the hospital, and getting a grand tour of the OR (since that's where I'll deliver whether c-section or not), Bryan decided our camera was way too bulky for this particular experience. He did a bunch of research and we got ourselves or first point-and-click digital camera. However, we still went over the top. It's a Pentax, can take pictures under water at up to 50 feet in depth, will shoot video, and even will recognize a face and take a picture automatically when said face smiles. So we played "November Rain" on my belly again and videoed the song. I've posted just a small section, but you can see both babies kick at Bryan's phone. The kicks to the left (and underneath most of the time) of the phone are baby girl. The kicks to the bottom right are baby boy. And when the phone really bounces up? That's both of them kicking in unison.

We also had our first baby shower, and Bryan took a before and after picture. The before shows how gargantuan I've gotten, and the after...well you wouldn't know there's two babies growing in my belly under all those clothes and blankets. It's a blast to the past of skinny Jenny, and I miss her.



Bed rest has helped me to appreciate little things, like the simple task of getting out of bed in the morning and walking to the kitchen to pour your own bowl of cereal. Bryan brings me a bowl of dry cereal every morning, covered in cling wrap to keep germs out, and sets it atop our mini fridge. All I have to do is stop on my way back from bathroom break number one of the day (which was just after bathroom break forty-five an hour earlier), pour in some milk and climb back into bed. I've also learned that Bryan knows how to grocery shop, do laundry and dishes. He's a master at coupon shopping, and somehow has managed to spend much less money than I do, yet obtain a ton more food. My pot of gold has more richness than I ever could have imagined. Two little souls that finally decided to make their journey here, two dogs who keep me company outside my bedroom window, and a husband who has been at my beck and call without a peep of complaint.

Spring Flowers

29 and Counting

After being home for a week, I went to our regular ultrasound appointment and learned I had dilated to one. The doctors panicked and I went straight across the street back into the clink. Lucky for me, Bryan and I had packed my bag just in case there was an issue. I spent one more week in the hospital and was discharged. But I was told if I had to be admitted again, there would be no escaping until the babies were born. It's too high of a risk. I still have contractions but they have no rhyme or reason. Nothing too strong and no scary patterns emerging. After being monitored for contractions for two days straight, my doctor decided to pull the monitor off. The nursing staff was freaking out about all my contractions and calling the doctor every hour. I think she'd finally had enough of hearing them worry for no reason. I just have a really tiny body that allows any tiny ripple to be felt by the monitor and these babies move a lot and with force. Baby boy give Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks and baby girl squirms around like a wiggly worm, twirling and flipping from head down to head up and then back again.
Tomorrow the twins turn 29 weeks. It has been 5 weeks since the first night at the hospital. We've come a really long way, my belly too. It's stretched out pretty thin now, and I'm finally starting to show the stretch mark battle scars. I was really excited to see the first one, as though I'd proved my worth, but now that they're growing in number and increasing in length, I'm wishing I hadn't been so proud. Kind of funny I feel that way since I've never felt comfortable in a bikini nor have I ever been one to show off my tummy. The size of my belly has also made it extremely difficult to climb into and out of bed as well as make the short walk to the bathroom and back. Turning over in bed is a chore and I've woken Bryan up several times with my grunts and groans, worrying him silly that something bad is happening. Nope, just got to turn over, so I can push myself up on my side, swing my legs slowly over the bed, then adjust to the edge of the bed to alleviate the pressure, slowly stand up to make sure I don't have dead legs that will give out under my weight, and last, slowly, every so slowly, waddle to the bathroom while wincing at each step because it is very difficult being the master of my bladder. So far, I've gained 43 pounds. At that last ultrasound, baby boy was 2.5 lbs and baby girl was 3 lbs (the doctors claim the difference is due to wimpy white boy syndrome, but since all my doctors are girls, maybe they're just discriminating). From all our research, 5 lb babies would be ideal, so I've still got to gain at least 4.5 lbs for their combined weight, which doesn't include all the items in each of their 'homes' that provide the perfect growing environment. I have no idea what weight my body will finally scream out uncle and decide the babies are big enough to be born, but I hope it's not for another 5 weeks. The hardest part of this ordeal has been met, I've reached the hill's — no mountain's — summit and the slippery slope is all that's left. I hope all three of us make it to the finish line without anymore hiccups.