NICU

 11 days for Oliver and 12 days for Hudson in NICU. That is how many days Jon and I had to go to sleep at night knowing that someone else was taking care of our babies. Thankfully a few of those nights we were just down the hall from them in my hospital room, but the majority of those days Jon and I would have to pack up for the day and leave Hudson and Oliver at the hospital so we could see our big boy at home. 

Hudson was admitted to the unit from the delivery room because of some respiratory problems, with Oliver following about an hour later with the same problems. They were placed on oxygen and CPAP machines (the kind that is used for sleep apnea) among other things. Once their lungs developed enough that they could breath on their own they had to work on eating.

 

At the hospital the boys were hooked up to IV's, feeding tubes, and monitors that made holding them and looking at them the same time very difficult. Thankfully there are specially designated twin rooms so we had a quiet corner of the unit were the boys shared a room and a nurse. We had to wait a little over a day before we could hold Hudson and 2 days before we could hold Oliver, which meant that on my birthday I finally got to hold both of my babies. Definitely the best birthday present ever! It was about a week before we got to hold them at the same time and finally really get a start to try to tell them apart.

Gabriel got a chance to come up and meet his brothers the day after they were born. I kept wondering how he was going to do, because it felt like we weren't able to explain the babies to him in a way he could understand before they were born. He did so well! He was so excited to see them, but understood that he needed to whisper and kept saying "Baby!" and kept blowing kisses to the boys. You could tell he when he got used to the NICU because he started getting louder and running around more. Thankfully eventually we were moved to a smaller unit where Gabriel could act like a big brother and not disturb others too much. Once the twins figured out eating we got to bring them home. Oliver was a little more determined and came home the day before Hudson was released. That allowed Jon and I one night to adjust to one baby before bringing both home.

Having your babies in the NICU is not something anyone would ever want to experience, but we could not have asked for better care for the boys. The whole stay we had nurses and physicians that made us feel comfortable with all the wires and tubes connected to our kiddos and made us confident that they were in the best hands possible. Jon can tell you that I am pretty nit-picky about nurses anyway, but our nurses and physicians were truly the best!  Even better though was getting to have our entire family of FIVE finally home all together!

The Boys are HERE!!!!

Big news!  The boys are here!  Hudson Daniel, 19", 6 lbs, 14 oz; and Oliver James, 19" 6 lbs 7 oz were born this morning at 7:30 and 7:31.  They are doing well, but as you can see, they have needed to spend a little time in the NICU.  Their lungs are a little underdeveloped, so they are spending some time there to let their bodies adjust.  The doctors have not been able to give us an exact time they will be out, but they said it is usually less than 2 weeks.  We can't wait to show you all some more pictures!

Big Brother Hudson resting.

 Little Brother Oliver playing look-a-like.

Proud Mommy holding the boys for the first time!

Happy Birthday Papa!

 Happy Birthday Papa!  I have lots of fun spending time with you!

 Even if its hard to tell sometimes...

 But I even dressed up to tell you, Happy Birthday!!!

Love, Gabriel... and my brothers too!

More good news?

We had another ultrasound today. I kind of pinch myself every time we get to go in and see our little boys. Already they are so silly and acting a lot like their big brother. They don't sit still. They seem to like to attack each other. Today one of them had a foot resting on his brothers head. Something that we got to see that we normally don't is B's umbilical cord. I know this doesn't seem exciting, but previously it had been in a clump, or loose knot. Today it was stretched out and the blood flow through it was right where it was supposed to be! The doctor thinks that what happened is that there was a twist in the cord which caused us to think it was Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome and effected the fluid levels as a result. Since the cord is no longer twisted, everything looks normal. The boys are doing great now though and the doctors are very pleased with how things are looking! The boys now weigh just a little over a pound each. The nurse mentioned today that we must have a few people praying for us. Little does she know! Thanks again everyone!

God is Good!

So after listing highs and lows, and ending the last blog with a high, I wondered if we were in store for another low. But that would be being able to predict what God is going to do next. Isn't it great that we can't do that? At our ultrasound today the problematic fluid levels started leveling out! The doctor said that this means that we most likely do NOT have true Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. If we did, the levels would only get worse, not improve like they are doing now. She stated that we are not out of the woods quite yet, but that she was glad to get to share good news with us. The boys looked good to her, but we will still be in communication with the surgeon in Houston to make sure that he is in agreement. At this point though it sounds like we may not have to have surgery! Thursday we go back in to see the boys again and make sure that they are continuing to improve, but we are so excited that they are doing better for now!

Yay!

Just got back from the ultrasound! There isn't as great a concern as they had anticipated yesterday, so at this point we get to head back to camp and have a follow-up ultrasound on Monday! Such better news than what we had anticipated!

My 3 Sons

I have left you, my blog followers, to fend for yourselves these last few months. You have had to rely on Facebook, phone calls, and perhaps even rumors to find out what has been going on in our little nest of Eads. Since so much is happening Jon and I decided we need to get back into blogging to help keep family and friends more up to date. But first, where did we leave the story hanging? Oh yes, twins!
The twins are growing. I certainly look pregnant now, not just like I ate to much at my last meal. Today marks 20 weeks. Normally at 20 weeks we would just be finding out what the genders are. But thanks to technology and getting to have ultrasounds very frequently I can already tell you that we are getting identical twin boys! Do you think these two will be red-heads with brown eyes like their Daddy and Uncle? A girl can hope. God has given us many highs and lows in the past few weeks alone. The first high is finding out about the boys. Don't get me wrong, girls would have been wonderful too, but now I can keep to what I know - wrestling matches with anything on their level, skinned knees, and stickiness that seems to be glued to them no matter how much I scrub. Then came a low. Because the boys are identical we get to have ultrasounds every 2 weeks. Last week (was it really just last week?) the doctors saw that they boys are starting to show signs of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. What this means is that a blood vessel has developed and is transfusing blood, amniotic fluid, and nutrients from one baby to the other. One, the donor baby, is depleted of the nutrients he needs, and the other, the recipient, is overloaded. At the appointment last week it was determined that surgery would need to be done in the future to correct this. We do have to go to TX for the actual surgery, but our doctor said that we could do a follow-up ultra sound July 2nd and that she would speak with the surgeon in TX in the meanwhile. We were scheduled to go to Family Camp and she had no problem with that. What followed was a few days spent in shock and then packing for camp. Camp was a definite high. My parents were able to come and we even got to share a cabin with them. I felt a little guilty because I barely let Mom out of my sight. I had so much to talk to her about, and it felt like I hadn't gotten to see her forever. Gabriel has never run so much in his entire life. He mastered walking up the slide probably on his third try. There was so much open space and big kids to watch that he was either running or clapping and cheering on the big kids. If we weren't on the slide, we were on the merry go round, and if not the merry go round we were gawking at the tractor or playing with Papa and Nana. He officially has 2 scraped up knees and shins, but it isn't slowing him down. Then another low. While at camp we got a call from the surgeons office in TX saying that they wanted an ultrasound sooner than July 2nd.  They had seen additional problems with the blood flow between the twins. So, to bring you up to present, we left camp yesterday and drove back home so that we would be ready for another ultrasound today. My parents offered to keep Gabriel up there with them. (If you think of them, Mom and Dad could use prayer as well. It has been a while since they have had a 19 month old to chase around.) So today after 1 we will find out what the next step is. We will try to keep updating you here on the blog, so keep checking back. Thanks for all of your prayers!

Our little family of ... FIVE?

I keep referring to Gabriel as my baby. I may need to change that term, even though he will always be my baby in my heart. You see, the term baby has moved to two new little ones. Gabriel's new title is Big Brother. Around November our little family of 3 will be joined by a set of identical twins! Can you imagine? 3 car seats? 3 little people in diapers? 3 voices calling for Mommy and Daddy? Jon and I are ridiculously overjoyed with blessing and can't wait to meet our growing twins! Right now they are about the size of prunes, and the last 2 ultra-sounds have shown that they are growing and doing well. Don't worry. There will be more updates as we get them!

Sneak Peek

 I am so excited about finishing the curtains for the porch, but I have not been able to properly show them off quite yet. My genius mother suggested taking a picture. Well, to be more accurate, my genius mother suggested taking a picture of the curtains with my sister and son standing in front of them. Oops. But here are the curtains!

 A little sneak peek into the living room for those that haven't gotten a proper visit in yet... (You know who you are. By the way, silly excuses like "I live in Africa..." wont cut it. Okay, okay, maybe they will...this time.)

How did he get in here. Crazy kid, he always shows up when I least expect it. Then I jump because he scared me, and then he jumps because I scared him. Vicious cycle that one.

Anyway, thanks for taking a sneak peek!

Future Pianist?

The video is ridiculously short, but I may need to prove my child's musical talents one day. Better post it! (Not to mention, that this is about the length of his attention span anyway.)

Just an update...

It is true. I have been a wee bit lax in telling you about our little nest lately. Could be because I spend 1/3 of my day now chasing my 15 month old up the stairs. There is nothing more fun than scurrying up the stairs and making momma come find you. Then scampering back down them, because you can't go back up unless you come down first. It makes sense right? This month has been a huge blessing. Every weekend we get to spend with family or friends. Gabriel thinks this is great too, because now he has so many people to show off for. So, if you were to come to our house, here is what Gabriel would do for you. 

• When you pull up in the driveway, we would probably be sitting on the porch. (Or, because I am sooooo organized, I would be doing some last minute cleaning and hiding the evidence.) When he sees you he would start making his excited noise, the same one we hear when he sees a doggie. It kind of sounds like hyperventilating. That is how happy he is to see you. Then he will press his face up to the window and dance around until you come inside.
• When you get inside, he will automatically be shy. "Gabriel, will you wave?" No, Mom, they cannot see my face, I must hide. This will only last a few minutes. Then he wont stop waving.
• Next is really my fault. "Want to see the cool things Gabriel is doing now?" to which you can only answer yes. Because he is that cute. And because I will show you anyway most likely. We will attempt to touch our nose (which is a great excuse for him to pick it) and then we will find our ears (not Gabriel though, he just looks at us like we are crazy) and ask him what a doggie says (a whispered yet excited "Ooof ooof"). Just today he started doing a sign for love, which is him crossing his arms like an x. It looks more like a gangster pose when he does it.
• We will show you that when he wants milk he runs to the door and does the sign for milk. He also eats everything now. Especially whatever Momma is eating. So... sometimes I find myself hiding from my son so I can eat if he has already eaten. This is sorta normal, right?
• Gabriel will ride on his trucks and read with you and play and play and play until no one but Gabriel has any energy left. And that is what would happen if you came to visit! 

 

Eventually he may even fall asleep

Si-Guy

 Happy Birthday Silas! We love and miss you so very much! You are such a fun guy and always bring a big smile to our faces. Hanging out with you when you were here helped get Uncle Jon and I ready to have a boy. You are such a sweet boy and we have a feeling that when you and Gabriel are together you will be good buddies! Love you lots!

A Little Catch-Up - The Birthday Party

 Unfortunately when you are hosting a birthday party, the last thing you actually do is take pictures to remember it. Thankfully there were several grandparents present to capture the day, but this is all I personally have to show you that we did indeed party. (Actually, the first official picture on our camera of Gabriel's party is a plate of meat. Any guesses as to who was our photographer?)

 We had representation from the Eads and the Jensens. Both sets of grandparents were in their glory. (I think I hardly even changed a diaper. I know I didn't give any bottles!) Gabriel just spent the day happy but confused about what all was going on.

 We made Wacky Cake for his birthday cake. It seemed appropriate - Wacky cake - Crazy kiddo... a perfect combination! He didn't tear into it quite like I had initially pictured, but there was still a chocolaty mess when we were done.

 We had the house filled with balloons and family, what a perfect way to spend the day!

 When all the partying is done though, you need time on your own to recoup!