Feb 11th, 2009..The Amazing Birthday!

WELCOME Griffin Peter and Finley Lynn!!

And they are AWESOME...and this is one crazy ride, ladies!!! A great ride, of course. I thought I'd never get on here to update their birth. I actually have a breath of time right now to write. First off, I want to thank all of you incredible women for all the support over the 9+ months of dealing with IF and then my amazing journey through pregnancy. It made all the ups and downs that much easier and alot more fun!
I had a scheduled c/s last Wednesday, Feb 11th. It went off just as planned, pretty much. We got to the hospital at 6am and I got prepped. I was insanely nervous and shaking from the time I woke up at 4:30am. The nurses were just incredible and my ob/gyn is wonderful, so they got me through it pretty well. My spinal was great!!! No feeling whatsoever (very different from my first c/s with Lilly).
Finley Lynn was welcomed into the world at 8:13am and Griffin Peter was welcomed at 8:14am. Devon and I just sobbed nonstop thru the entire process. Hearing those first cries (and loud they were!) was indescribable! A feeling nobody could EVER duplicate and I feel entirely blessed to experience. Finley weighed 6lbs and 1 oz and Griffin was smaller and weighed 5lbs and 12 oz. It turned out that his placenta was a bit smaller. Both scored 9's on the Apgar and both were a long 19 and a half inches.
My recover was kind of crazy. I began to show signs of pre-E with a very low platelet count and they had to usher out our guests and put me on a magnesium drip for a day. I was completely out of it. I was nauseaus and practically drooling b/c it makes you extremely woozy and all you want to do is sleep. I showed signs of improvement the next day and was able to go up to the maternity ward. I was a pincushion for the time I was there..those blood suckers killed my right arm! But it was all worth it.
The babies are great breastfeeders!! The only issue is my milk supply is low. I've had to supplement with alot of formula. It's kind of a bummer b/c with my first I didn't need any formula. Griffin has a bit of jaundice although it's not severe and he's getting better daily.
We got home yesterday from the hospital and the adjustment has been crazy but amazing! Last night was our first night and it went pretty smoothly. The babies eat, poop, pee and then go back to sleep. They fuss very little (so far..ha..ha) and have great temperments. They are starting to become very alert now, which is great. Looking into their eyes and have them stare at you trying to figure out the world around them, is just unreal, so moving and emotional. I've cried happy tears every day since they've been in my arms. I won't say it's easy, b/c it's not...but it's okay b/c the love you have in your heart raises you above....WAY WAY above all the difficulty.
My congratulations go out to all the women who have had their babies since I've been off the board this past week. And my best wishes for all those giving birth in the future. For now, here's a couple of pics of the babes.
XOXOXOX - Jody

36 Weeks! And A C-Section Date!

Well, two dates, really. My ob said he's schedule my c/s for either Feb 11th or the 12th and I still haven't heard which one it is. I'm sooooo excited but I have to be honest, I'm definately also a little saddened by it. I definately had a tougher pregnancy with the twins, than the singleton pregnancy I had with Lilly, but I will still really miss my belly and the babies kicking away together in there. It's just been purely magical to have them in there and with me all the time. I'm thrilled this time around I won't have to worry about going back to work after a maternity leave. I remember after I had Lilly, the thought of my maternity leave ending and having to eventually leave her with someone else every day of the week was a huge burden on my shoulders. The last month I had with her before going back, I would sit in my glider with her in my arms and stare into her eyes and cry cry cry like a baby! I just didn't want to go back and leave her. She was mine and I wanted to be the only one holding her, changing her, feeding her and snuggling her every single day. I'm SO incredibly blessed and happy that at this time, we are able to afford me staying home. But seriously, we have done the math and I'd have to make huge bucks just to justify any daycare at all for 3 children anyway. Yay! So it's me staying home with my babes! Two more weeks...here we come. Don't get cozy in there, babies...it's time to come out and meet the world! : )))

The Cold From HELLLLLLLLLLL!

That is what I have...and it's the name of my new personal movie "The Cold From HELLLLL". Say it to yourself in your favorite horror movie voice. I swear I have never sneezed and blown my nose so much in my entire life. I actually went to bed the other night with two kleenexes shoved up my nostrils. It worked, I guess. I have the worst sore throat too and the dry air is not helping this. I still haven't slept in about a week b/c I was dealing with Lilly being sick for about 4 days and that kept me up. Then she affectionately gave her illness germs to me. Did I think she wouldn't? Of course not, I was mentally but not physically prepared. And now I can feel a fashionable cold sore coming as well, to round out my complete happiness. It's going to park it's lovely self right underneath my nose where all my nose-wiping was happening. I'm going to be GORGEOUS!!! It's a good thing it's pregnancy hibernating season. I am just praying it clears up before our babies are born...otherwise they are going to look at their mom for the first time and think..."Mommy is scary!". Not to mention all the pictures that will be taken...ohhhhh, the lovely memories..ha..ha. Years from now it'll be "there's my gorgeous babies when they were born...oh...and there's me...not-so-gorgeous...".

I have my 4th NST tonight. It's been so much easier having them at night b/c Devon will come home after work and I can scoot out to my appt. Also, I can get rockstar parking at the hospital at night. During the day, it's crazy hard to get a close parking space. Today I went to a regular ob/gyn appt. I knew my regular doctor was on vacation and so I met with his replacement. She was nice and all but at the end of my appt she says to me "okay, so why don't you make your next appointment for one week from now and then you'll probably go back to a two week appt...". I looked at her like she had 3 heads..."umm, I only HAVE 4-ish weeks left..right??". Thankfully, she caught herself and said the same thing...ahhhh, it's so nice to feel like you're the ONLY patient in a practice, right ladies? I'm hoping my doctor gives me a scheduled c/s date by next week. I'm getting antsy here!!! Oh and they said I had some protein in my urine today, but the nurse said it wasn't much of a concern b/c my blood pressure is completely normal. Another week gone and on to Week 35! I cannot believe this pregnancy is almost over and I'll be holding not one...but TWO babies soon! SCARY!!!!! But very exciting!! : ))))

Hello 34 Weeks!!! Non-stress Time!

I can hardly believe I am here! How did 34 weeks come so fast? And on my countdown I glanced at the title that read "Only 49 more days!!". I felt nauseaus after I read that, can I just tell you? I'm so excited but so nervous, it's going to be such a huge change in our lives. I think I wouldn't be as nervous if we were living in a house right now and I didn't have to go up and down the stairs to get anywhere. I just can't wait to live on a nice quiet street where all I hear is birds chirping. Living here, I go outside and all I hear is heavy traffic in my ears and I also have to be SO extremely careful with Lilly. Our old house was on a very busy street too. I will fully appreciate our next house when we find it. After the twinnies are here and Spring comes (hopefully with more houses to choose from in the town we want) we will make a full, concerted effort to find our next house. I just can't wait. It will be fun to decorate Lilly's room and the babies room.

I didn't realize that I would be having 2 non-stress tests every week up until I give birth! Well, now I do. I thought I just had to do them for one week. The poor nurses had one heck of a time trying to find and keep the two heartbeats for 20 minutes straight. Monday, the nurse had to hold both monitors still for 20 minutes and then Thursday, I had two different nurses holding each monitor and following the heartbeats. They move so much that leaving the monitors on and just walking away was not working. Those poor nurses are going to be running screaming when they see me walk on the floor this coming Monday.

I had a great ultrasound today. The babies look great and they are measuring right on. Girl Baby is weighing 4lbs, 13 oz and Boy Baby is weighing 4lbs, 9oz. According to babycenter.com they are as big as cantaloupes. So cute! We are narrowing down our name search for Baby Girl...but it's not set in stone..yet. I am working on Devon..heh' heh'.

This weekend we are rearranging the room for the crib and we'll be picking up a dresser my sister has for us. All of the baby clothes are piled up on the changing table right now. With two babies on the way, man, there are alot of baby clothes!!! I just ordered sleep saks with long sleeves for both babies and baby positioners for the crib. I am going to get the breathable bumper for the crib too but I'm in no hurry just yet. They won't be moving out of their positioners for a while. Now we just have to get a bouncy seat, some new bottles and pacifiers and the safer bathers. I loved the safer bather for Lilly. It kept her comfy and was easy to store and use. I think after this weekend we'll be nearly ready! I'm already getting sad to see these babies leave my belly. I'm soooooooooooo excited to see their little faces and kiss their precious heads but since it's the last time I'll ever be pregnant, it's also sort of sad. Feeling them move around is the most amazing feeling in the world. Well, I've got about 49 more days to appreciate this miraculous feeling!

32 Weeks and 4 Days...and a lovely stomach flu.

Well my stomach flu was 2 days ago...not fun, but not nearly as bad as the one I had when I was pregnant with Lilly. I was scared b/c when I was pregnant with Lil' I ended up in the hospital so dehydrated and lathargic that I didn't care if they cut my head off as long as I was put out of my misery. Thank the good Lord above my stomach flu wasn't that bad this time around. It was "funny", we went to Boston for New Year's...(yes, I went! and it was really fun, actually!) and one of my friend's, Michelle, was standing right next to me and she says in my face "I'm not feeling 100%...I just had the stomach flu two days ago...". Right then and there, I wanted to cry. Just b/c I know me, I'm a magnet to illness...AND...b/c of all the holiday madness, I haven't gotten the flu shot that my doctor told me to get! GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to hit myself in the head like they do in the V8 commercials. After Michelle told me she had just had the flu, well I knew it was just a matter of time. Then I was so wired after the New Year's ball dropped (yes, I was astounded that I stayed up that late!) that I had a hard time falling asleep. I actually didn't fall asleep until 3:30am...and this was way after my marvelously intoxicated husband fell asleep, graciously filling up the hotel room with loud, drunken snorts, urgent gasps and breathy exhales. I ended up lying in this gorgeous king-sized bed watching "Lockup", a documentary about the San Quentin prison system. Ummmm, then I really couldn't fall asleep b/c I was headed for nightmares. Note to self and others, "when trying to fall asleep, don't watch a prison documentary featuring mass murderers on death row...". So the lack of sleep and the exposure to the lovely flu virus set me up perfectly for a marvelous bout of the stomach flu that promptly arrived in the middle of the night the following night at home. It woke me in the middle of my sleep and I knew I was doomed. All in all, I fought it bravely and today feel like a million bucks. Thank God...now my husband is fighting it and I'm patiently waiting to see when Lilly will get it. It's probably better she gets it now than later when the babies are here. I'll surely have enough fun on my hands at that point.

Now I am focusing on my panic to "get stuff done" before my panic attacks of going into pre-term labor come true. God, if this happens, we are in deep doo doo. No crib set up, no double stroller or breast pump yet (my incredibly awesome inlaws are buying me these things!), no fresh bottles or binkies, only one swaddle-me from when I had Lilly, no diapers in stock, no extra bundle me carseat cover for other twin, no baby girl long-sleeved onsies, no baby bathtub, no hospital bag packed, need I go on? Am I overreacting? Probably...but who knows, I've never been pregnant with twins before. I'm so far behind from the Christmas and New Year's holidays and I don't know how much energy I have to go shopping by myself. I may need to make a call to my sister, Jamie or my mom to help me. Devon just doesn't "get" how close we are and how much we need. Alright, I'm going to wrap up this post and go get me my new Moby wrap...that'll get me one step closer at least!! Ta ta for now!!! : )))))

PHEW! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Wow, what a Christmas whirlwind! ((deep breath!)). It was a crazy Christmas but SO much fun...just so busy and I'm exhausted but happy. This is pretty much the first day I've been able to get online to contribute to the virtual world since Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve we went over my sister, Jamie's house. We had a BLAST! I watched everyone get pretty buzzed and silly. There was my entire immediate family and a couple of my sister's friends and their families. There were tons of kids and Lilly had a ball with all of them. The food was amazing and the drinks of the night were martinis. Ouch, you can imagine. The night ended with a huge snowball fight outside when everyone was getting ready to leave. It was crazy.

Christmas morning was so cool. I went in to wake up Lilly and I whispered in her ear "I think Santa Claus and his reindeer came last night...and I think they left you a few presents under the Christmas tree...". Lilly slowly came out of her sleepy fog as she processed these words. A wide grin appeared on her face, she opened her eyes and popped up to a sitting position. Not two seconds later she was in the livingroom, eyes as big as saucers, staring at the Christmas tree. She was so excited. We had the video camera going, it was great! This year she is really into Christmas and I think she understands more of why we celebrate Christmas. I have been reading this great book to her called "Happy Birthday Jesus". We got it last year but I think this year she is processing the "reason for the season" a bit more than last.

Lilly got lots of fun and fabulous gifts for Christmas but her favorites are a new baby doll and a cradle for her. She also LOVES her new dollhouse from her inlaws and the Thomas the Train set that her awesome cousin, Jacob gave to her. It was his for many years and now he's outgrown it. He said proudly that as of now "this train set belongs to Lilly!". What a sweetie! He's such a dollface. And it's so funny...Lilly LOVES trains!!!

Around 3pm we went over to my sister Cori's house for Christmas dinner. There were alot of tired but happy faces there...tired from the previous night. I was so appreciative and excited b/c they had me sit down in a chair and then my two sisters and my mom "showered" me with all kinds of presents for the twins. Mostly clothes for baby Griffin b/c I don't have much at all for boy clothes. I was thrilled. Again, we had a fabulous day. Cori (sister) and David (her husband) made the most delicious prime rib dinner and a roasted turkey with all the veggies. It was amazing. Then we had the most delectable cake (pic in post). It was all chocolate mousse inside...sooooo yummy. The twins loved it! They were both kicking away on a sugar high! Lilly had so much fun with her cousins. It's so nice to watch her enjoy spending time with them, they love her so much. David and Cori are huge vino fans and they have a wine cellar. They broke open this amazing bottle of French red wine from their locked cellar. I just HAD to have some. I had about 3 sips from a beautiful red bowl wine glass. Oh man, can I just tell you that it made my Christmas..ha..ha. I know that sounds shallow but it was soooooooooooo smooth, bold and lovely.

So much has happened since my last post. Two days ago we finally bought our mini van! Yes we did it. We bought a 2005 Toyota Sienna. It's dark grey and has 40k miles on it. The thing is in mint condition! I think there is one scratch on the back bumper and the rest is immaculate. The inside looks brand new. It's certified and has all new tires on it. What can I say, it's gorgeous, we're officially uncool and I'm sooooooooooo thrilled!..ha..ha. So we finally got the car off of our "to-do" list. And to top it off I got 2k for my 1997 Honda Accord! The last dealership we went to only wanted to give us $500. I was pissed b/c I knew my car was worth more than that. I've taken such great care of it and it was the top-of-the-line model. I'm so glad we shopped around, it was so worth it. We got a way better deal at this dealership (and they were nicer..heh heh). Devon and I are psyched.

Now it's on to New Year's Eve. I tried like crazy to get out of this b/c I'm completely spent and exhausted (not to mention in pain) from Christmas. My body has had enough. We are going into Boston for the night with 3 other couples. It'll be fun but I don't know how long I will hold out. The good thing is, I will be going right upstairs to my wonderful, comfortable king sized bed in the hotel to snooze away. My inlaws are coming to take care of Lilly for the night (they are angels from heaven!). When Dev comes home tonight I am going to the mall to "try" to find something that will fit me and work for New Years. Wish me luck, I don't have alot of hope for this. I've got to tell you that I've been super emotional lately b/c I have officially reached the "freakish feeling" stage. People are giving me looks like "holy huge!". And no, I'm NOT imagining them...so don't even try to go there. Honey, I am huge! My family spent all Christmas reminding me of this. I was mentally prepared for them though...my family is not known for their tactful filters. I still love them to death! Fun times! ; )

So I see that this post has turned into a novel...if you've lasted this long, congrats and thanks for sharing my Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!! See you in 2009!!

Christmas with the Pods and Dodds!

It sounds like a National Lampoon movie, right? ..ha..ha. We had our Christmas with Devon's family this past weekend. We had a ball, as usual. Mary and Pete (Dev's stepmom and dad) got tons (and I mean tons) of presents for the kiddos. Then they put together this "Blues Clues" game for them. They hide all their gifts and the kids follow their own clues to find each one all around the house. This was the first year that Lilly was able to really play. She did so great and was so excited. Every gift she got, she wanted to stop, open and play with right away. They gave her a new dollhouse with a mommy, daddy and (get this) twin babies, a boy and a girl! So excellent. Lilly loves it! She got books, art supplies, games...they went crazy. Compared to that our Christmas here at home will be peanuts..ha..ha. We ate so much and we were all exhausted by bedtime. I was completely spent by 9pm and put my pajamas on. Everyone was tired after dinner though. Mary made delicous pork, mashed potatoes, string beans, etc. Delicious! I could barely eat alot though, there's just no room left. It snowed the entire weekend. We drove to Stow in the snow and left on Sunday while a brand new snowstorm was just beginning. Normally, it takes us about 45mins to get home...Sunday, it took us 2.5 hours to get home. The driving was terrible and all the snowplows on the highway made it that much longer.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!!! I still have a bunch of Lilly's presents to wrap. My mom and I went out to lunch today and then to Target for some last minute items. I bought Lilly's new Christmas PJ's. They are adorable and I can't wait to give them to her at Jamie's house (my sister) tomorrow night. Christmas day we will then go to Cori's house (my other sister). It's going to be a whirlwind, but it's always fun!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!