11.20.09
Slow Down! (revisited)
Okay, so I am just now getting a chance to revisit this train of thought. And even since then, new things have developed (of course!).
Today Lucas sat by himself for a minute or two. I was able to grab the camera and snap several pics before he fell. What a big boy!
I'm sitting!
Kyla worked on trying to crawl again today. She’s got the legs part down, now if she could just coordinate the arms. 
A lot of times she goes up on her tip toes and Mom says she looks like she’s doing yoga. LOL
Yoga anyone?
Things haven’t been all roses, of course. Babies generally have their good and bad moments. While N and I know we are the luckiest parents in the world, we’re also exhausted. The last few weeks have been really tough. For awhile they were really consistent in their sleep patterns and even though I wasn’t keen on the time they liked to wake up, I was getting used to it. Then they went nuts. They started waking up at 4 AM and not going back to sleep. And the naps have been hit or miss. The last few days they’ve taken turns with their naps. Yesterday they went back and forth taking 10-20 minute cat naps. Today they both napped longer, but never at the same time. I’m exhausted.
But, on Monday N had a followup with his neurosurgeon. He asked if it would be possible to increase his weight limit (for lifting) from 15 lbs to 20 lbs because the kids are 16 and 18 lbs. The doctor said it was fine with him, as long as PT says it’s okay. He starts PT on Monday morning. So hopefully he’ll be able to help a lot more! Of course, he’s kind of picked them up a few times this week anyway, but mostly Kyla, since she’s the lighter one. He says he’s been a little sore from it, but I’m sure PT will help ease that.
Monday we had a play date with two other sets of twins and their moms. Kyla and Lucas were the oldest kids there! LOL We met at KA’s house. We sat and talked while their babies slept, and mine played. Their babies were SO tiny and I couldn’t even remember Kyla and Lucas being that small! I ended up going back through old pictures just to see how tiny they used to be. It’s amazing how much they’ve changed. Look at this picture from when we first brought them home!
So tiny!
How can so much change in just 5 months? I wish I could slow it down!
10.29.09
Amazement
I know it’s been a while since my last update (going out of town can do that ) and you all want to know how N is doing, but right now I want to reflect on my amazing kids.
Every day they do something new that amazes me.
Kyla
Kyla is such a good baby. Content to play on her own, exploring toys and the world around her. She’s rarely fussy. Of course, if she’s not happy she lets you know it (at a very high volume), but most of the day is spent in contentment.
She is half way to crawling and trying SO hard to figure out how to get from point A to point B (or anywhere in between). She can get her knees up under her, but ends up face down in the ground. Or she can push up high on her hands, but her torso weighs her down. She’s even managed to get her generous belly off the ground a time or two (if only for a moment). You can see the gears working in her brain as she tries to figure out how she can get across the blanket to the toys I’ve placed there (who in her right mind would settle for the toys right in front of her?). Instead, her flailing turns her in circles and she looks completely baffled as to how she got to this new vantage point.
She’s also developed quite the fascination with her brother. When he is near she likes to grab onto his arm or shirt and chow down! I don’t know why his fingers are so much tastier than her own, but she sure seems to think they are. But considering he likes her fingers better, I guess it’s a fair trade.
Her smile is to die for. It lights up her whole face. And she’s very generous with her smiles. At least with N and me. When she sees us, her whole body seems to say “Yea! You’re here!” She sure knows how to melt our hearts. I cannot believe how much she’s learned in just the last few weeks!
Lucas
Lucas is also growing and changing. He’s gotten SO big. He is still a bit of a whiner (I’m fearing that will never change) and would much rather be held or talked to than be left to his own devices, but he’s getting better.
And boy does he love to “talk!” N and I joke that he’s going to be a food critic because after every bottle we’re treated to a “commentary” from our little babbler. He can go on and on. It’s SO cute!
He’s also working on mobility. He finally rolled from his front to his back the other day. Though it hasn’t been consistent, he has done it more than once. I think his delay in this area has been due to two things. One is his arm when he was first born. Not being able to really use that arm for the first two weeks set him back a bit. Plus, I think we held him a bit more than his sister because of it. So that leads to the second reason. He hasn’t spent as much time on his tummy as Kyla because he fusses any time he’s put down. I’m trying to remedy that. Now that he can hold his head up higher he’s not as fussy about tummy time. As long as he has someone’s attention. Of course, I have to watch that I don’t put him down too soon after a meal, or half of it ends up on the quilt!
We started putting Lucas into his exercauser when he was 3.5 months old. At that time he really didn’t have any clue how to interact with the toys and buttons surrounding him. He was content to look at them and watch us push buttons and spin things for him. But now is completely different! He can push buttons, spin the monkeys, flip pieces, and even turn himself around! I was watching him today and realizing just how far he’s come in a month.
My babies amaze me every day. They frustrate me too, of course, but every time I notice something new I think “Wow! You’re growing up so fast! Slow down!” My sister told me last week that she’d forgotten how boring babies were. Personally, I find them fascinating. But you have to take the time to pay attention to the subtle changes every day. I’m trying to savor it. I know this is my only chance. 
Okay, a brief update on N. He’s doing better, but still can’t stand for long periods or do too much. It’s hard for me to remember because he’s getting around so much better. When we got back from our trip he tried to help out by making dinner and occasionally entertaining the kids. It ended up being too much and he had to take pain meds, even though he didn’t the whole time we were gone. 
I feel bad for getting frustrated when he can’t do something to help me. We’re both having to work on our communication on this matter. I hate asking for help, and he hates not being able to give it.
As for the trip, it went well. Lucas cried from Centerville to Huntsville on the way down, but he’d been fed and changed so there wasn’t much more I could do for him. The ride back I don’t think he slept much, but he only cried about half the time. We survived, though. No twin mom would survive the day to day if she couldn’t tolerate a little crying. As long as I knew his needs were all met and he was simply crying because he wanted to be held, I pushed on. We made pretty decent time, too. And seeing my mom, sister, nephew, and BIL was nice. I’m glad we went. Unfortunately, I did not get to see my brother and SIL’s new house, as they were both sick. Hopefully next time!
Guess I should get back to the kids. Kyla has rolled herself off the quilt and is bound to spit up on the carpet if I don’t move her back. And Lucas is starting to demand some attention (I’m amazed he lasted this long!). A mother’s life is never dull!
10.08.09
4 months old!
Today Kyla and Lucas are 4 months old. Wow. Time sure is flying.
I took the babies to their doctor appointment by myself today. N is home, but moves VERY slowly. He’s very sore, so he opted to stay home. This is the first time I’ve taken them both to the doctor by myself. It didn’t go too badly, thank goodness.
They are growing like weeds. Here are the stats:
Kyla: 14 lbs. 1.1 oz (61%), 24 inches long (42%), and 16 inch head circumference (42%).
Lucas: 16 lbs 5.4 oz (77%), 26 inches long (84%), and 16.85 inch head circumference (65%).
So Kyla is short and chubby, and Lucas is long and lean (for his height)? For the most part, they were pretty happy babies while being examined. Lucas didn’t want to be put down (so I held him most of the visit), but Kyla was content to sit in the stroller and watch what was going on. That is, until they started the vaccinations. Kyla started screaming with the oral one and just kept going from there. Lucas was smiling and interacting with the nurses right up until they stuck him in each leg. Poor baby. I gave them tylenol immediately (learned my lesson at one month!) and they fell asleep in the car. They’re both sleeping now. Hopefully they’ll be okay this afternoon for a trip to the grocery store. We have nothing in the house and I can’t leave them with N.
One day at a time…. That’s my new mantra.
I wanted to add some photos. Didn’t have them when I posted before.
Wow! We're 4 months old?!
Doctor's visits are such hard work!
Sleepin' with Daddy.
10.06.09
Surgery done
Okay, so yes, he had the surgery yesterday. We left for the hospital around 12:30 and he was taken back to the OR by 3:30. They called to say that the surgeon had him in place and “under the microscope” at 4:45 and at 5:15 the surgeon came out to tell me everything went well. The disc fragment was “large” according to him. At 5:45 they let me come into recovery to see him and at 6:00 they took him to his room. He was in quite a bit of pain, but was also getting nauseous from the pain meds so it was a bit of a balancing act. When I left the hospital at 8:30 he was doing better. Hopefully he was able to find a good position to sleep in, as getting comfortable was a challenge. He should get to come home today, though probably not until late afternoon or evening.
My SIL survived watching the twins and it at least felt good that her assessment of Lucas’s neediness matches my own. I was beginning to wonder if it was me! Fortunately, Kyla is such a good baby and able to entertain herself most of the time. Oh! Speaking of, Kyla has figured out how to roll from her back to her front! She can now turn 360 degrees and is rolling all over the place! I’m sure it won’t be long before she’s crawling. 
Then there’s Lucas who’s not even interested in trying to turn over. I don’t think I could have two more opposite kids! LOL
I had a very rough night last night. One or the other baby woke me every hour. I finally gave up at 5:00 and have been up ever since. They napped a lot for my SIL. Wonder if they got too much sleep and that’s the problem or if they’re punishing me for being gone yesterday. It’s going to be a long, tiring day for Mama, that’s for sure!
10.03.09
Finally, some news
We finally heard from the scheduler yesterday. She knew nothing about it needing to be done sooner rather than later and the doctor is out of town. She texted the doctor to find out what he wanted done, since the only spot on the schedule that she could see to squeeze N in would be Monday. This was at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. She was kind enough to take N’s information home with her so that if she heard from the doctor she could contact him over the weekend.
She called yesterday evening to say that the surgeon does want him squeezed into the schedule on Monday. But she’s waiting to find out if the hospital will have the OR space for him. So N is to plan on having surgery Monday, nothing to eat or drink after midnight Sunday, and by 9:30 we should know if he has to come to the hospital or not. Nothing like last minute warning! I sure hope they fit him in so we can get it over with.
After the surgery he will not be allowed to return to work for 3 months. Also, he’ll have lifting restrictions for that 3 months that mean he won’t be able to pick up the kids (he hasn’t been allowed to since the doc saw his MRI and said he was surprised he was walking). It’s going to be difficult, but I know we have lots of love, support, and prayers backing us up. We can meet the challenge. I do not like being on this side of the OR, but N has seen me through so much and I will do everything I can to help him through this.
09.26.09
Surgery with a side of stress
N went to a different neurosurgeon on Wednesday because we found out that his insurance will pay 100% of the hospital bill if he does it at the hospital for which he works. That surgeon said he was surprised N is even walking with as much constriction as he has. He sent him for another MRI (with contrast this time) to rule out the 1% chance that it is cancer or a tumor instead of a bone fragment (it’s not). He was told not to work and not to lift so much as a jug of milk until after surgery. Which has made taking care of the twins interesting. I can put them in his lap, but he can’t pick them up at all.
We went back to the surgeon’s office yesterday to have him look at the new MRI and to discuss the surgery. He wants it done as soon as possible. He’s not able to squeeze him in next week, but he said he would stay late to do it the following week if that’s what it takes. We’re waiting to hear from the scheduler to find out if surgery will be Oct. 6 or 8 and what time.
The doctor showed us what he will do and said the surgery will only take 45 minutes to an hour. He’ll stay one night at the hospital. The first 3 weeks he still will have a 5 pound weight limit. At that point it will go up to 15 pounds. So he still may not be able to lift the kids. And because there’s no “light duty” unless you’re injured on the job, he won’t be allowed to go back to work for three months.
We went by HR after the appointment to find out if N has short term disability. He does not. He does have long term disability, but that doesn’t kick in until after 3 months. So money is going to be reeeeeeally tight this year. And I’m pretty sure stress levels will be at a premium.
09.19.09
Our Soap Opera continues
I know, I know. You’re thinking “what now???” It’s really just a continuation, really. N went to a neurosurgeon to look at his back. He needed a more recent MRI (his last one was nearly a year ago), and he finally had that done Wednesday, then saw the doc right after. His back has actually been feeling much better recently, so what the doc said wound up being a shock.
Apparently he has a “bone fragment” that has broken off of one of his spinal discs, has “floated” down the spine, and is constricting his spinal cord. If it moves much more, the doc said it could effect his bowls, bladder, sexual performance, etc. Yikes! So pretty much his options are 1) have surgery or 2) potentially lose all feeling in his lower extremities. Of course, we’re going with option 1, though we don’t have a date set just yet. We’re trying to figure out when and where would be best. Basically, he’ll be out of commission for 4-6 weeks. No work, which means no $ (since I don’t bring in enough to pay the bills with my part time job). *sigh*
Fortunately, we do have some savings, so we won’t starve. But we were hoping that savings would be the start of a couple of college funds for the kids. I guess it’s better to feed them, for now.
09.15.09
So cute!
My goodness, I have some darn cute babies! N and I are always teasing that there must have been a mix-up at the lab, because there’s no way that our genes could have made such cute babies.
Just a few examples of their cuteness:
Lucas is quite the talker. He will look us straight in the eye and “talk” for quite awhile. He babbles on and on and it’s just so darn cute! I swear he sometimes says “I love you,” just without any of the consonants. LOL And that smile of his is just too adorable for words. And the way he’ll clasp his hands in front of him. Love it!
Kyla’s smiles involve her whole face. You can see it in the pics from my last post. And when she’s really happy, she squeals. Also, for some reason she only babbles to inanimate objects (her swing, the wall, the crib, the bassinet…). When she’s looking at us, she moves her mouth and looks like she’s GOING to say something, but nothing comes out! LOL This afternoon she was napping in the bassinet in our room (we’ve taken to separating them at nap time) and she woke up very happy. I sat and listened to her babble, coo, laugh, and squeal for a good 20 minutes. She’s certainly a girl of extremes. It’s either super happy, or very not! She still screams like a banshee. LOL
And we’ve been getting them to notice each other more and more. N likes to hold them so they’re looking at each other. Lucas talks to Kyla and smiles his adorable smile while she sticks her tongue out at him, trying to get him to do the same. We love watching them interact with one another!
I know it’s not always easy, and we both get frustrated multiple times a day, but I do believe that N and I are the luckiest parents in the world because we get to be the parents of these two amazing babies. Thank you, Lord, for trusting us with them!
09.06.09
When it rains…
Well, it’s certainly been pouring around here. And I’m not just referring to the storm on Thursday night.
*****Warning- may contain “TMI” for those with sensitive stomachs.*******
Tuesday, after I’d been admitted to the hospital, N was finally able to have a bowl movement (he’d been constipated from the pain meds) and it was black and tarry. A sure sign of a GI bleed. Not only that, but his back, which seemed to be getting better, started feeling worse.
So on Wednesday morning he had his mother come over to watch the twinfants while he went to the doctor. He mentioned the stool and they drew some blood, but had to send it out to be tested. That night, he coughed until he threw up, and that too showed signs of blood. The next morning he called to tell me (yes, he waited until morning to tell me).
He couldn’t decide if he should try to get in with the GI doc the GP had recommended or go to the ER. He was afraid that the ER would make him stay overnight. He tried calling the GI doc, but the number was no longer working. By this point he had brought the twins to my hospital room and his mother had met him there. I asked him what he was going to do and he said “I’ll just wait and see if it happens again.” I was not happy with that response, but didn’t know how to make him go in. Fortunately, I didn’t have to.
He had fallen asleep on my bed when his phone rang. It was his GP’s office with his lab results. It was a fairly short conversation, but the gist of it was “Go to the ER now.” Since he was already in one hospital (a heart specialty hospital) he simply walked across the street to the main hospital and into the ER.
A friend of mine from M.O.M. was visiting at the time and she offered to stay and help with the twins so that my MIL could go with N. He argued and said he was fine on his own and wouldn’t let her come with him. She asked me what I wanted and I said I wanted someone with him. So she ate a little lunch, giving him time to get settled at the ER, then went looking for him. Again, he kicked her out. :/
At this point I’d called some other friends of mine to come help with the twins so my M.O.M. friend could get back to her twins. I got a few updates from N via text, but felt so clueless as to what was going on. I hated it. I did, however, know that they were giving him a blood transfusion and planned to admit him overnight so they could do a colonoscopy and endoscopy in the morning. My MIL volunteered to keep the twins over night. While my friends were still there, she went to the store to pick up diapers to make it through the night. At least we knew I’d be home the next day!
After everyone (including my precious babies. ) was gone, I felt SO restless and could not concentrate on anything at all. I called my mom to let her know what was going on and she asked “What about the dogs?” OMG, I’d completely forgotten about my dogs!! I felt horrible! I was able to get my college roommate, who lives only 5 minutes from us, to go over to let them out and feed them. Thank goodness my mother reminded me!
I also called N’s dad, who happened to be on the way home from work. He said he would go home to change, then head over to see N. Soon after I got a text from N saying they decided to do the endoscopy that night instead of in the morning and wanting to know if there was anyone still with me who could come get his backpack. There wasn’t, so I said I’d find someone. I didn’t think his dad would be there soon enough (turned out he was), so I called his aunt, hoping she would be close by (she works close to the hospital and passes it on the way home. Low and behold, she was on her way home and only had to take a slight detour to get to N quickly. She and N’s dad waited while they did the procedure and kept me updated, which I appreciated very much.
It turns out N has 3 ulcers, a hiatal hernia, and esopogitis. Dang! He was moved into a room where they gave him his second unit of blood. I felt so trapped in my hospital room. I wanted so much to be there for him, not to mention feeling overwhelmed at the circumstances surrounding the twins’ first night away from both of us. It’s a wonder I slept at all.
But I did. And I woke up to the sound of my phone notifying me of a text (well, I woke several other times, too, due to the usual hospital interruptions). It was N, saying “We could totally chat on Facepages!” lol So I got on my computer so we could talk to each other. Not sure why we didn’t just use the phone, but it was good to converse with him anyway.
My nurse (I had the same one all 4 days!) knew what was going on, so she brought me my final dose of tikosyn early so that she could do the EKG and get me discharged as quickly as possible. I don’t think I’ve ever had a discharge go that quickly! God bless her! She even walked me over to the main hospital via skybridge. Oddly enough, we ran into my EP on the way! When he heard what was going on he rolled his eyes and said, “Well, the good news is, you stayed in sinus rhythm through all that!” :/ He walked most of the way with us then went wherever he’d been headed.
I got to N’s room by 9:30 AM. His mom brought the twins and we all waited to find out what was going to happen. Poor N hadn’t had anything to eat since the morning before because he had been NPO for the endoscopy, they lifted it in the middle of the night, but then reinstated it before he could have breakfast because his blood levels were lower than they liked. The GI doc finally came by around noon and said as far as he was concerned, N was clear to go home that day, but it was up to his admitting doc. She came by a little later and said she wanted two more lab draws before sending him home, but did allow him to eat.
We decided I would go home with the twins and come back to get him (or his mom would) if he was released. Turns out, he was not. His blood was not where she wanted it to be, so the doc kept him one more night. I was so ready for the whole family to sleep under our own roof again!
The next morning N called to say he’d been released. He said the doc didn’t really want to, but knew he was a nurse and knew what to watch for. N’s mom picked him up and brought him home. He has to go in for a repeat endoscopy in a few weeks to check on his esophogitis and he has an appointment with a back specialist on Tuesday. Today we are all taking it easy. It’s been a really long week! I’m ready to get off this soap opera!!!
09.02.09
One night down, two to go
Well, I survived the first night (and apparently so did N). Sadly, I think I was awakened as much, if not more, than if I’d been home with the babies. Granted, I didn’t have to get out of bed, but still. Is it really necessary to wake a patient 4 times for vitals, 1 time for an EKG, and 1 time for blood? Are these so important when you’re on a freaking heart monitor 24 hours?? And why the middle of the night for blood? It’s never made sense to me. *sigh*
Other than being bored and missing my babies, I’m doing fine. Interestingly, I have the same room and same nurse as the last time I was here! LOL I really like my nurse. She helped me (emotionally) a lot the last time I was here. I’m glad she got to meet the babies yesterday. Last night she said she wouldn’t be here today, but she’d be back Thursday. Then she walked in this morning! Apparently they called her in and she decided that since she liked her patients yesterday she’d come on in. I told her she just wanted to see me some more.
The food in this hospital tends to be a step up from most hospitals. But last night I chose poorly. It was bland and I had to force myself to eat it all so that I wouldn’t be starving by morning (no one to go get me an alternative). I’m hoping someone might bring me food for lunch, but we’ll see. Last night I’d gotten the pasta salad that I loved last time I was here and it was awful. I’m hoping my other favorites haven’t gone downhill. But at least breakfast was still good. They have Southwestern Eggs Benedict. It’s an English muffin, “low sodium” ham, scrambled eggs (I’d prefer over easy, but it’s still good), topped with sour cream and salsa. Yum!
I was told I can shower. Woo hoo! So I think I’ll call in my tech and see about getting that done. Then maybe it’s time for some laps around the floor or maybe some reading? This is going by SOOO slowly! I miss my babies!!! (hopefully they will come by at some point today if N can get them out the door)
