NICu

It took us a few days to finalize Apple and Boo's real-life names.  We had some ideas but we didn't know the sexes and we wanted to meet them before we named them.

It is almost hard to remember that time....we were exhausted, worried and happy all at the same time.  I remember reading in one of their charts "Parents are here a lot".  Ha ha!  But seriously, where else would we be?  I also remember my nurses being quite concerned about me and postpartum depression.  At the time I could not see it and could not understand why everyone was talking about it.  Oh, maybe because I just delivered two babies and they were in the hospital because they were so early!  I started having what I thought was a hard time breathing.  I couldn't lay down flat and was convinced when I fell asleep I stopped breathing and would wake back up with  a start.   On top of waking to pump every 3 hours, we were not getting much sleep and it was taking its toll on both of us, especially K-man who had been sleeping in the recliner next to me.  My doc was starting to get concerned too and she ended up ordering a ct scan on my lungs and keeping me an extra day...really I think though just so I could be with the babies for another night.  Or maybe it was because my feet looked like this!

My feet did not look like this until after the c-section!

The babies were really healthy for being so early.  Boo's only real concern was learning to breathe and eat at the same time.

Boo has been a stinker since the beginning

But what a sleeping angel!

 Apple was under the lights for the first few days...he really seemed to enjoy the warmth!

Just chilling on the beach in the sun

 We were in NICu for about 5 days and then we were moved to NIM, the intermediate care.  I felt like it was totally different over there and I did not like it.  Thankfully because we had two babies, we were normally in a room by ourselves.  Once Boo went home though after about 2 weeks, we had to start sharing rooms with other babies and I was "one of those moms".  I think I requested 4 maybe 5 room changes.  Most of them because the parents stunk of smoke. 

The night we had to leave the hospital without our babies was awful.  They had told me it would be the worst day but it turned out the day we took Boo home and had to leave Apple was by far the worst.

 Sorry for the delay in the story, last week we were in prep mode for the kids first ever friends birthday party and this week I have been recouping from the party I think! 

The Delivery

Sorry for the delay but dang...the weather has been so amazing we have been outside for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Back to the arrival of Apple and Boo...
After the resident came in to check me and said, "Yup, that is a tiny little ankle" and then right after I almost threw up, we started to get ready to go in for our c-section.  Who says that?!  I feel an ankle?!  Does that gross anyone else out or is it just me?!
Of course my doctor was not on-call that weekend but at least I got my second favorite.  We knew we were going to have a c-section.  Apple was just too small and they feared he wouldn't handle the stress well.
We called my mom and moved down to the labor and delivery room.  I never felt any contractions.  They brought me into the delivery room and curled me up in a little ball to give me the epidural.  I can not talk enough about how amazing you nurses are....you definitely have to have the calling to be a nurse to be that kind and understanding.  I was nervous, scared...I even asked our doctor if we really had to deliver them right then.  Weren't there other women on my floor who's water had broke and that's why they were there?!  We were only 32 weeks along.  I wish I could remember the anesthesiologist's nurse name because she held my hand and made me feel so safe....especially since K-man couldn't be in there yet with me.
K-man came in and I remember later him telling me about all the people that were in the room and how funny it was to him.  There was a team for me and the NICu had two teams there....I think there were 20 or so people in there!  Not counting me, K-man, Apple or Boo!

The anesthesiologist stood behind me and asked if we wanted to watch in a mirror....NO!  A minute later though I did tell him to have it ready because maybe I would want to look when they were coming out.  I remember as I felt them rubbing something on my belly telling Kevin to remember what Alicia told us...that the c-section goes so fast and to just be in the moment and enjoy it.  I said it over and over again, lets just enjoy it and be excited.  As I was still telling him that and waiting for it to begin the anestesiologist asked if we wanted to look...um, no, not until maybe they are coming out...Oh, they are coming out?!  Ha ha!  I had no idea!
There they were....so small...so little!  They brought them right over to their own little teams and I remember having to ask what they were!  No one knew we didn't know the sex of them!
Apple was/is a boy, 14 inches long and 2 lbs. 11oz, came into the world at 10:19 am....Boo was/is a girl, 16 inches long and 4 lbs. 8 oz and arrived a minute later at 10:20 am!  Can you believe it?!  We are the luckiest people in the world!  I demanded K-man go and check them out for us!

And he got to cut the cords!

K-man got to hold Boo for a minute too!

Such a tough girl!

Apple was so small and such a strong little man!

Both of them off oxygen a few hours after they were born!

Stay tuned for Part III and IV because you are not going to want to miss the awesome picture of my feet that three years later, still makes me laugh out loud!  Oh and some other pics of those sweet little things....I mean the babies, not my piggies!

Um, I think something happened...

 I have a birthday month.  It is actually 6 weeks now but whatevs, I still call it birthday month.  I plan on giving the kids at least a birthday week so in honor of that....I am starting a week of reliving their birth!  Hope you enjoy!

I think I am only 30 weeks or so along in this pic!

 It was about 5:00 am.  I had been in the hospital for over 3 weeks.  I had made lots of friends with my nurses and it was almost normal when K-Man would kiss me and head home every night at 10:00 pm after we had made our daily wheelchair push around the hospital and before I ate my bowlful of cereal.
Apple was little and back in December they saw he was having poor cord flow.  He wasn't getting enough nutrition and he was small.  I started getting ultrasounds twice a week and our doc told us that if it stopped flowing, we would be going into the hospital.
Late January I spent a long weekend in the hospital.  We were only 28 weeks along and when they gave us a tour of the NICu so we would know what to expect, I knew I could not have these little ones out in this world yet.  Miraculously, that Monday the cord flow was great and we got to go home, back to bed rest.
For the next several trips to the doctor I videotaped it like it was our trip to the hospital.  One day I finally told K-Man I wouldn't videotape the next time and just pretend one of my other 5 trips was the real thing.  I never made that next trip.  I videotaped our walk through the tube from our office to the hospital.  I remember K-Man looking embarrassed until he saw everyone smiling and he realized that they knew what I was doing.  How could they not know what that huge waddling lady was doing videotaping her walk to the hospital?!
My first visit to the 4th floor I had one of the huge rooms and when I came back that room was occupied.  We put in a request to move to that room when it became available. I know right?!  I'm that person.  Now that I knew what I could have, I wanted it back!  Thankfully we only had to spend the weekend in the cramped little room before we moved back to "our room".

We also had this view of the Children's Hospital going up and we liked to watch the workers

 My doc came and saw me every day during the week.  One day she joked about just knowing that I would deliver on a weekend she wasn't on call.
I had been waking up about every 45 minutes or so to go to the bathroom.  I was so uncomfortable and my knees hurt from carrying around so much extra weight.  I mean I put on a lot of weight.  Once we knew how small Apple was and that we would most likely be delivering early, I ate....and ate.  And ate some more.  That early Saturday morning I called my fav night nurse, Jennica, and she peeked in with this odd look on her face.  I had never asked for her before.  Sure we watched The Bachelor and chatted but I had never actually needed her for work.  While I will not go into details, that early morning our relationship went to a whole new level when she had to figure out if my water had broke or I had just peed my pants!  Nurses are amazing...seriously!  I love you guys!
I called K-Man about 5:30 am and told him that while he didn't need to rush up I thought maybe something happened.  In his sleepy fog he questioned what that could possibly mean and told me he would be right up.
Jennica stayed with me until I left for my c-section....seriously, love you lady.  It was well past her time to leave and she had already punched out but she stayed and made me laugh and introduced me to her friend who was getting my IVs ready.  I remember asking her if there was time to shave my legs because I was so enormous the shower was exhausting and I had only done the top half of my legs and was going to have K-Man help with the rest the next day.  Who does that?!  Only the top half?!
Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Looking back, I had no idea you could barely see my eyes anymore!

Who Do I Think I Am?!

I have been lucky lately to get out...a lot!  In the past two weeks I had book club, happy hour, dinner and a play, and dinner and a movie!  That is huge for me!  And I realize, more and more necessary to be who I want to be....
What do you other stay-at-home moms do for yourself to help be who you are?
The past few weeks isn't typical and it won't continue to trend that way but the warmer weather and being outside is making it easier!  I don't want this to be mistaken for complaining....I am not!  I am thankful every morning that I am able to be home with them when I lazily watch a cartoon while Apple and Boo drink their milk before we start playing castle, doctor or witch.
I know there are some of you who go out with your kids regularly but it just isn't worth it for me.  Boo seems to ruin it every time lately with poor behavior.  I really can't remember the last time I didn't leave somewhere without her under one arm, kicking and screaming with her belly sticking out of her shirt.  This is just a phase right?!  At least when one is throwing a tantrum, the other one is always super cooperative!
We are thankful for anything over here!