Alex & Olivia have Arrived!!!

I went into the hospital on March 26th to be induced, and Ben and I were convinced we were going to have the kids on the 26th. Little did we know that the induction could take 2 to 3 days! By the morning of the 27th, I was only 2 cm. Ben and I could not believe it was progressing so slowly. However, shortly after lunch on the 27th I was up to 4cm, and they broke the water around Alex, and we were excited to think we would have the kids by the end of the day on the 27th. By that evening I was only 5 cm, and stayed at 5 cm throughout the night and into the morning on the 28th. I was having contractions pretty regularly but they were not strong enough to allow labor to progress. In fact, I barely felt the contractions and would always turn to Ben and ask "am I having a contraction now?". By the morning of the 28th, I was on the highest level of pitocin they could give me, so the dr. came in with two options - 1) stop the pitocin for a few hours and start back up and see what happens over the next 12 - 14 hours, or 2) have a c-section. We chose the c-section, as there was no guarantee that the first option would work, and we just did not have the stamina to be in the hospital for another 12 - 14 hours with no babies! Within the hour of the decision being made the babies were born! Alex Cameron arrived at 7:51 a.m., weighing in at 5 lbs, 14 oz, and 18.5 inches long.
Alex's sister, Olivia Alexandra was born at 7:53 a.m., weighing 6 lbs, 5 oz, and measured 19 inches long.

It was so great to hear them cry for the first time. Ben got to hold both of the kids in the operating room as they worked on putting me back together.
We arrived home on Monday, March 31st after a long 5 nights in the hospital. It was nice to finally be home and sleep in our own bed. So far the transition home has been smooth, and we are enjoying every minute with these little guys. Alex seems to be the more fussy one of the two, but luckily his crying does not bother his sister!

March 26th It Is......

I went back to the doctor this past Wednesday and I have great news to report - - our little girl is still head down. Therefore, the c-section has been canceled and I will be going in on Wednesday, March 26th to be induced (that is if I don't go into labor before then). The reality of having twins is finally setting in as we only have a few more days before they are born. I am sure it will definitely set in when we come home from the hospital and realize we have to care for two additional human beings!!

On another note, my maternity leave started this past Tuesday. I have been busy catching up on some sleep and cleaning up around the house as we prepare for our families to visit after the kids are born. It has been nice to enjoy a few days off from work prior to the kids being born since I have not taken a day off yet this year.

Stay tuned to the blog as I am sure we will post something shortly after coming home from the hospital........

She listens already! Is this a sign of a future good daughter?

I had the doctor's appointment yesterday where they were going to do a quick ultrasound to see if the girl has flipped around. I was telling her to flip after the last ultrasound but Ben told me that I was putting too much pressure on her at such a young age, so I stopped. But I am proud to report that sometime in the last two weeks the little girl flipped and is now back to being head down! Now I have been scheduled to be induced, but also still have a c-section date. When I go back next week they are going to check her position once more, and if she is still head down the c-section will be canceled! Keep your fingers crossed! The way I see it is the kids have 2 birthday options, March 26th (the day I am scheduled to be induced) and March 31st (the c-section date) and if they don't like either one of those, they will pick their own date which could be before March 26th. My last day of work is on Monday and I am hoping the kids at least hold until March 19th, so I can enjoy one day of no work and no kids since I have not taken a vacation day this year yet.

They are getting bigger & doing flips!

It is hard to believe, but we just had our 34 week & final growth tracking ultrasound earlier this week. They have been every 4 weeks and 4 weeks from now the babies will be delivered (if they don't come sooner!). The babies have gotten so big since we had our last ultrasound 4 weeks ago. They both increased in weight by about 2 lbs in the 4 week period. The boy is estimated at 5 lbs. 2 oz, while the girl is estimated at 5 lbs. 6 oz! It is hard for me to believe that I am carrying around 10 1/2 pounds of baby! But I guess the picture says it all......

We also learned that the girl has done a flip since the last time we had an ultrasound and she is now in the breech position. If she stays like this, I will end up having a c-section, so we are hoping that she decides to do another flip. We will have an ultrasound at my next doctor's appointment, in two weeks, to check her position. After the 36 week mark, the doctor says there is little chance that she will flip due to the lack of room for her to move about!

We were able to get one picture from the ultrasound which shows the boys head and he has his hand up close to his mouth. It looks like he is trying to bite his nails. Ben and I think he is probably just bothered by the fact that his sister's butt is in his face! So we might not be the only ones who are hoping that she flips!

Baby Shower

My friends, Keri & Jen, threw a great baby shower for me on Sunday, February 10th. I cannot thank them enough for all the work they put in to plan for the day, including making and decorating an amazing cake!

It was a great day and it was nice to celebrate with all of my friends. Ben and I were even surprised when we arrived at Jen's for the shower to learn that his mom flew in town for the event. We received a tremendous amount of gifts and thank everyone for making the day very special for us. We have been busy over the last couple of weeks going through all the gifts we received and getting ready for the arrival of the babies!

They keep growing......30 Week Update

Last week we had our 30 week ultrasound and the babies continue to grow at a pretty consistent rate. The girl was estimated at 3 lbs 5 oz, while the boy was estimated at 3 lbs 2 oz. They are both still head down, and the space is definitely coming at a premium in there. It was harder to see details as well because they are getting so big. But we were able to see a good shot of the girl's face in which we could see her eyelids, and watch her mouth open and close while she yawned. The ultrasound technician was also able to see some peach fuzz on her head so it sounds like she will have some hair when she is born. The boy was not as cooperative and we did not get to see any good pictures of him.

I continue to get bigger; which I suppose someone carrying over 6 lbs of baby should have a pretty decent size belly. I am still feeling relatively well but it is definitely harder to do things and I find it difficult to get comfortable sleeping at night.

Finally, as of late we have been busy getting things ready around the house in time for the arrival of the babies. The cribs came in last week. We put one together and have one more to go. Our house is slowly filling up with baby stuff. Ben asked "where are we going to store this stuff?" I had to clue him in that we won't be storing anything rather it will just be littered around our house!

Week 26 Update

A few days after Christmas we had our monthly ultrasound. It is still a boy and a girl, so it looks like they did not make a mistake last time. They are both growing and have doubled in size since our last ultrasound 4 weeks ago. The boy is estimated at 1 lb 14 oz, and the girl is estimated at 2 lbs 2 oz. They commented that these weights are pretty normal. Also, the kids are both head down. You can see their heads below right next to each other (A is the boy & B is the girl). We are keeping our fingers crossed that they stay head down so I don't have to have a c-section.
As for me, you can see I have grown a lot bigger over the last 4 weeks, so much it is kind of unreal that I still have 12 weeks to go! I don't feel a ton bigger which is probably why I was shocked when I saw myself in pictures! But I don't mind getting bigger as it is a sign the babies are growing!! I have been feeling pretty good. I just get tired easily and I cannot do as much as I use to without my back hurting!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!