a day at the beach

Well maybe not but when you see these pictures, you'll understand.

First of all, Lisa's mom has arrived! I left Lisa to pick her up at 7:30pm and got back right at 9...not too bad. I say that because I hate leaving. I don't want to miss anything. Eileen is down right giddy. It's pretty funny. These two are her first grandchildren so it's a lot of fun seeing her reactions.

We found out right before I left that it was time to start the phototherapy to treat the jaundice and they were going to begin at 9pm. It was kinda a race to get Eileen back to see the girls before they had to put on their shades and go under the lights...although we'll still be able to get them out for Kangaroo Care so it wasn't that big of a deal if she missed them tonight. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and they put it off a little longer to give Eileen some time with them. In the mean time, Lisa changed a couple more poopie diapers (YEA!). They continue to digest their food very well so the amounts they are given continue to go up. That just means they'll continue to grow like weeds.

So at about 9:45, they put on the ladies shades and put them under the lights. I don't fully understand why the lights help the condition but I did hear that it may last a couple days up to a week or so...all depends on how the girls react.

The covers are there to protect their eyes. After they got all set up, we laughed and laughed at how cute they were. It's going to be hard to take them seriously these next several days, it looks like they're tanning. Too cute.

In all the excitement, we kinda forgot that it's Easter. Micki (our angel in Anchorage) brought some little Easter baskets for the girls. TOO cute! That's all I can think to say.



For those of you not used to seeing premies decked out like that, it really isn't a big deal. This is a very normal reaction in a premature birth. The nurses, doctors, and everyone we've talked to said to expect it and to expect to breeze right through it. Lisa, Eileen, the 2 nurses, and I were all smiles while these pictures were being taken. It's just the first day at the beach for these girls.

4/7 evening update

Wow what a day! I can't believe it's already almost 6:00. Today has been another whirlwind of taking care of the babies, pumping, and for the first time trying to rest.

We started early after getting very little sleep again last night. We ate, pumped, let the nurse do all her checks with Lisa, and got down to be with the babies by about 9:30am. We spent the next 2 hours talking with the nurse on duty down at the NICU taking care of our girls about their charts. We went page by page until every little thing was explained so we can now flip through their charts on our own and know what to look for.

Overnight, they did really well in their isolette together. We still hadn't had a poopie diaper yet (that's a technical term) for either of them and it was getting to the point where they may have to get a suppository. They are also looking like they are going down the road to be treated for jaundice which is very common for premies. Their skin was very red yesterday and seemed to be changing color today. By tomorrow, they may be doing phototherapy. No big deal.

So at 11:30, we headed back to the room so Lisa could pump again and we could eat. We told the nurse we wanted to do the Kangaroo Care again this afternoon...that's where we hold them on our bare chest. We arranged to come back for their 1pm feeding and spend the afternoon with them. It could not have gone better.

First, we had to change diapers for the first time. Actually, I think Lisa changed one yesterday while I was talking with someone else but today was a full-on lesson on the first, and we were on our own for the second. The good news was that both girls had poopie diapers!!! I probably won't be as excited about that a few months from now but today it was a beautiful site. I won't take much credit. I just assisted. My job was to keep her hands away from the danger zone.

So after the diapers were freshened up, we stripped down and got comfortable on some big reclining chairs...another big advantage of being in the level 2 NICU, we have recliners. We spent the next 2 HOURS holding the girls on our chests! It was an amazing experience. I can see why mothers get that special bond when they breastfeed. It was such an incredible feeling that tiny life on your skin..cooing and crying and pulling out chest hairs (Lisa doesn't have that problem so much).

That, too, was one of the first times we were able to really just sit back and relax. We sang to them and talked the whole time. It was all very sweet.

That went until almost 3:00. We came back and Lisa pumped again (still not producing yet but it'll come eventually), we had a quick snack and then we TOOK A NAP!!!!! Can you believe it?! We had an hour before dinner was going to arrive so we put some classical music on the computer and fell asleep almost immediately. Dinner just came and went and now Lisa is catching up on some phone calls to our close friends that we haven't had a chance to call yet.

If you haven't heard from us yet, don't be discouraged. We love you all and want to talk to everyone...and will eventually.

Lisa's mom arrives in a couple of hours. We will stay here another 2 nights and then start the commuting back and forth to care for the girls.

Here is Lisa right after she was handed Kaitlyn. Yes there is a baby under there.

CHEST HAIR ALERT!!!


Lisa didn't like this picture the nurse took of her...I'm posting it without her consent because I think she looks beautiful

4/6 evening update

The girls had a great afternoon. They are both off of the oxygen and have moved into the same isolette (I think that's what it's called) AND they are being moved into the level 2 intensive care unit. It may be default, but the level 1 NICU was filled up so they wanted to move the babies that are doing the best out to make room for more. Well we graduated!

Tonight, we put off our dinner for a while so we could spend some very quality time with the girls. We held the girls up against our bare chests to help keep them warm outside of their isolettes. They are very powerful heat generators. Lisa and I were sweating within minutes. Those girls are putting out a lot of heat.

We spent some time with them before our friends Lisa and Ben showed up for the first time to see the girls. We talked with them over dinner and are now relaxing in our room before our 8pm pump.

PICTURES!!!!!!!

Ok. It's just after noon and I ran home while Lisa was eating to give me a chance to shower and give the dog some attention...and of course to grab more stuff.

I just downloaded some pictures and wanted to share. You may want to sit down, these are pretty cute.

A quick story. Since we went in yesterday for what was supposed to be a quick checkup and had no real signs that anything could happen, we didn't have a cell phone...that was charged at least...or a camera. The minute we found out this was going to happen, I called Micki and asked her to come up with a camera...okay I told her to. She packed up her twins and was at the hospital in record time.

When I came out of surgery and was going to see the girls for the first time 2 minutes after they were born, Micki was standing there at the entrance to the NICU with her camera. She saved the day once again! So I took some pictures with her camera for the first several hours until I had a chance to run home and grab our camera. These pictures are from our camera from 8pm last night until this morning. So there will be more pictures of 5 minute old babies coming soon before they were hooked up to the monitors.

Sorry that wasn't a quick story at all but I thought it was relevant.

about 10:30pm last night, our first father-daughter bonding time while Lisa was sleeping. This is Alyssa.

the infamous picture I showed Lisa in her room to which she replied..."let's go"

Last night around midnight...Lisa's first time holding Kaitlyn.

proud parents


Alyssa opening her eyes this morning and looking at Lisa. This melted my heart.



Be sure to click on those last two at least to see them in full size. It's pretty amazing.

So the question I've been asked a ton already and will continue to be asked is, are they identical? We still haven't received the blood work to confirm it.

It may be hard to tell in the pictures but their hair is almost frosted. Kaitlyn especially has VERY blond hair, almost white. A lot of their hair is still kinda stuck to their head so it's hard to tell if it's all blond or not just yet. Kaitlyn is a little chubbier in her cheeks so right now that is how we have been distinguishing them, Kaitlyn's hair is a bit blonder and she's chubbier. It's amazing I can see a little bit of me in both of them and some other people have pointed that out too. Initially, I really thought they looked like Lisa but I'm able to see some of my traits too. Pretty amazing.

After a shower (WHEW) I'll be heading back to see them share the same incubator for the first time. Lisa's mom arrives tomorrow evening to help out. The hospital has wireless internet but I'm skeptical. We'll see. I may be able to post more tonight from the hospital.

OH, and no real further update. Oxygen levels are pretty good. The last talk I heard was they were going to take Kaitlyn off completely soon...maybe by the time I get back.

Quick update

It is 9am on Friday. The girls are about 19 hours old and still doing very well. Lisa and I got minimal sleep last night. I stayed at the hospital to help with pumping and well...everything else a new dad does the first night.

I checked on the babies every couple of hours and was able to hold Alyssa for the first time at about 10:30 last night. We had a wonderful conversation for about 30 minutes about being the big sister and then I sang her some songs.

Lisa was sleeping at the time and hadn't been out of the bed yet. I came back to see her getting up for the first time with the help of the nurse. I showed her a picture of me holding Alyssa and she said..."Let's go!"

We got her in a wheel chair and went back just in time for Kaitlyn's feeding so Lisa was able to hold her for about 15 minutes. Her oxygen level started to go down so she had to go back in her incubator and get some more oxygen in her nose. They both were on C-paps for a while but are off now. Paw-Paw uses a C-pap so he knows what that's like.

I'm going to run back and help pump some milk for the girls. Remarkably, Lisa is getting a little milk already which nobody was expecting. At some point, I'll run home again and get the computer so I can post the first pictures. They are ADORABLE!!!

Thanks again everyone for the prayers. Love you all and can't wait to talk to everyone.

A

THE GIRLS ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Alyssa Renee and Kaitlyn Marie were born today!!! It was very unexpected as we had just gone in for a routine checkup with our OB...(insert long story here)....our babies were born a couple hours later.

Alyssa Renee was born at 2:17pm and weighed 3 pounds, 4.5 ounces
Kaitlyn Marie was born at 2:18pm and weighed 3 pounds, 8 ounces

Everybody is doing great. The word "perfect" has been used many times to describe our babies. They are. They look IDENTICAL! They both have the same amount of blonde hair, it's pretty sweet.

Lisa is recovering from her emergency c-section. I am home right now to arrange for our dog to be taken care of, grab a cell phone!, and Lisa's hospital bag that we JUST packed last night! That's foresight.

Pictures will come soon but I wanted to just quickly announce that they have arrived.

We were at 31 weeks and 1 day today.

Thank you again for your prayers and keep us in them as our family has just doubled in size today.

BABY SHOWER!!!!

Lisa was treated to her first of two baby showers today and WOW was it a great success. I was working so I couldn't go but apparently it was only for the ladies anyway. We are having another shower on Saturday that isn't gender biased so I'll get to enjoy the festivities this weekend. Seriously...THANK YOU Micki for throwing Lisa the shower today. It sounded like a lot of fun and I know Lisa enjoyed every minute of it.

For those of you who don't know, Micki is our close friend who had twins a little over a year ago (born 28 weeks and 1 day) and now she's been Lisa's main source of comfort and support (besides me of course) through this pregnancy.

I continue to be amazed at the generosity of our friends and co-workers. We received many things that we registered for and many things that we didn't. ALL of it we NEED! Not only have some people invested the time and money to go out and find the perfect gift, some have even MADE presents for our baby girls. I don't want to mention specifics because I don't want to miss anyone but we certainly appreciate everything we've received...from home cooked dinners to walking Madison while I'm at work all the way up to the cribs, that's right I said CRIBS!!!

Thank you to everybody who has contributed! We would not be in such a great position as we are now if it weren't for all of you. THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

Here are a few pictures from today's shower.


One of the hand crafted quilts


Micki's Mom, Lisa, and Micki

Week 30 Checkup

We had our weekly checkup on Wednesday and.........managed to buy ourselves another week. Actually our next appointment isn't until next Friday so we'll be at 31 weeks and 2 days at our next appointment.

As strange as it seems, the condition has continued to reverse itself. Just 3 weeks ago, Alyssa had 75% of the placenta and Kaitlyn only had 25%. Last week was the first sign that it had stabilized or maybe had reversed but this week's appointment confirmed that. Ms. Katy seems to have the majority of the fluid in the placenta and Alyssa is becoming pinned to one side.

Although it was explained as being very rare, the doctor was not at all concerned. He said that the girls aren't in any more danger than they were before...that it won't progress to the point of putting them in danger. They won't let it. If it gets to that point now, they'll just deliver. We will continue to go in once a week for the next 2 weeks and then begin going in twice a week after that until delivery. We get the impression that they are shooting for a 34 week delivery.

We are still focused on April 11 (32 weeks) especially after the minor scares we've had this week. Lisa is getting more uncomfortable every day so it will be a test of endurance, that is for sure.

All in all, it is great news and we continue to feel very fortunate. Thank you for all your prayers...it is definitely helping.

unscheduled visit to the hospital

Lisa woke up this morning and had some pre-labor "symptoms" so after calling the 24 maternity clinic, we decided to go in and check everything to be on the side of safe.

The best part of this story is as I was rushing home from work at 5am, I have to admit that I was a little freaked out. That's the first time I was faced with that reality that they could be coming today. So my heart was racing and I happened to look up at the sky and saw an incredible northern lights display. I haven't seen the northern lights in months and it wasn't from a lack of trying either. It was as if God was telling me, "Hey, slow down. It's okay. I'm in control. Check this out...look what I can do!" It really helped slow me down and take some deep breaths and remember it was going to be fine...no matter what.

The girls were hooked up to monitor their heart rates and Lisa was hooked up to watch for contractions and wouldn't you know within a minute, Lisa started to have a contraction. The nurse asked Lisa if she could feel it and Lisa looked up at her and said, "contraction?" She obviously couldn't feel it but we watched it come and go for about 5 minutes.

We talked with the nurse for a while and she called the on-call doctor. They decided that everything was "normal" and nothing to be concerned over. We were sent home a couple hours later with the instructions to follow up with our OB tomorrow.

Here is a pic I snapped of Lisa literally half an hour ago watching the heart rates from her bed.

the power of prayer

Sorry for the lack of updates but I have been speechless these last couple of days. I honestly don't know how to put what has happened into words. Bear with me.

Wednesday, we had our appointments scheduled back to back...the first with our OB and the second with the specialist. Our OB is great! but at times has been quite the pessimist...or it could be interpreted as having realistic expectations or maybe even preparing us for the worst. Whatever the case, she did it to us again. Last time we saw her, I asked if a vaginal birth was possible and whether or not we should sign up for a birthing class. She definitively answered "no" and continued preaching that a C-section is a sure bet..."there's not enough time anyway because you'll probably have these kids in the next couple of weeks".

This week she started out the appointment by giving us a pre-admission form to fill out and hand in because we were certain to be admitted soon. She stated again how excited she is that we've made it to 29 weeks and she'll be REALLY happy if we make it to 31 weeks. Her expectations from the beginning (since 20 weeks) have been very low. She doesn't take into account the power of prayer evidently.

We ended up waiting about 45 minutes between appointments which was waaaay too much time to think about all the things that were just said. I turned in the form and had a funny conversation with the lady at the admission desk. She wanted THE date we were coming in to have the babies. I said that I didn't know and I just figured I was letting them put us in the computer so when we did check in, that it would be a smoother transition. I said it could be tomorrow or it could be in May but...nope, she wanted THE date. I finally wrote down April 11 (Lisa's birthday and end of week 32) to make her happy. I have no idea how that's going to pan out.

Anyway, back to the waiting. We tried to keep calm but in the back of both of our heads we were thinking "This could be it. This could be the day that they tell us that we need to be admitted", or even worse, "we're going to take the babies out now". We didn't know what storm we were about to walk into.

Like the day we found out we are going to have twins, I had no idea this would or ever could happen. In the first few minutes of the ultrasound, it looked different to us. While the tech was doing the initial checks to see how the babies were situated and a quick scan of their vitals, I could tell the membrane that separates the two was not up against Katy like it has been for the past 2+ months. It seemed to be in the middle and even bowing a bit toward Alyssa!??!? The first measurement the tech does is the MVP (maximum vertical pocket) of fluid surrounding each baby. We've become accustomed to 3 to 4 centimeters around Katy and anywhere from 7 to 10 cm around Alyssa. This time he measured 4.7 around Katy and 4.2 around Alyssa?!?! After Lisa and I traded a couple of confused glares, I said "am I seeing this right?" The tech said "I'm not making this up. It looks like the flow has reversed". He followed that up with "I didn't even know that was possible. I've been doing this for 15 years and have never seen this before". !!!!!!!!!

So he continued on with the measurements. It had been 21 days since our last full scan so he decided to measure the width of their skulls, the stomach, bones, etc so we could get an updated weight estimate. He wasn't very far into the process when the doctor walked in to check on us. The tech immediately pulled up the still shot of the amnion bowing toward Alyssa and asked if that was possible and if he had ever seen that before. He came to the same conclusion that the flow had actually reversed and Katy has more fluid than Alyssa. He said that it is rare but he has seen it a couple of times in his career.

At this point, I'd like to remind you that 2 weeks ago...2 WEEKS AGO!!...the doctor said their fluid ratio (Alyssa/Katy) was about 75/25. He didn't estimate the discordance Wednesday but to my untrained eyes, it appeared about 40/60!!!

The doctor hinted that we may not need to come see him anymore...that he would talk it over with our OB and let us know if we should stop seeing him and just treat this pregnancy like a normal twin pregnancy.

After the doctor left, we continued with the measurements all the while Lisa and I trading looks of astonishment, confusion, disbelief.... His measurements kind of confirmed what we were seeing. Katy is actually estimated to weigh more than her sister now! The estimated weights are Katy...2 lbs 15 ounces and Alyssa...2 lbs 12 ounces. They are both showing within days of their gestational age of 29 weeks so they are both right on track.

As a reminder, 3 weeks ago they estimated Katy at 1 pound 12 ounces and Alyssa was 2 pounds 0 ounces. We were reminded, so I feel like I should also make this disclaimer, that these are estimated weights and could easily be off. It's hard to tell how accurate they are. Even so, it's pretty freaking amazing!!!!

Where does that leave us? Well...we don't know. We honestly don't know how to react. We are ecstatic and immediately thanked God for His hand in this. We happened to run into our OB on our way out and shared the news with her...she, too, was SHOCKED. We assumed the OB and specialist would get together Thursday and talk about how they want to handle our appointments....if we should continue with the weekly or step back to the once every other week. We didn't receive a phone call yesterday so we are probably going to call today to get an answer. At this point, we feel like we would like to see the specialist again to confirm what Wednesday's measurements were showing but we'll leave that up to the doctors.

I'm sorry that was a little long-winded but I wanted to share all the great news. Please continue to pray for us and our little girls as they grow big and strong. Pray for strength for Lisa. She has gained....a lot of weight and is feeling the affects on her body. The aches and pains are constant as she is very uncomfortable nearly 24/7 as you can imagine.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers...obviously it is paying off. We will keep you updated.

28 WEEKS!!!!!

We've made it! 8 weeks ago after our 20 week ultrasound, our OB told us "let's just make it to 28 weeks. If we can get to 28 weeks, I'll be happy". Well, we've done it.

Our weekly checkup went really well again today. The doctor had an emergency so he stuck his head only in for a minute but looked at the essential stuff and said "Looks great. We'll see you next week" and he was off. The technician spent 20 minutes or so looking at the dopplers. The ladies were VERY uncooperative. I was actually entertained but the tech didn't seem to be so enthused. Alyssa and Katy were moving and dancing and giving him all kinds of fits. We theorized that it was the music we were listening to on the way to the hospital. I popped in a pop cd I burned for Lisa a long time ago. When it got to Will Smith "gettin jiggy with it", the girls started DANCING. I was driving with one hand and feeling Lisa's stomach with the other and boy were they moving around. It was pretty funny.

Alright, we thought it was time to update the belly shots. These were taken today after our appointment.



...and now for the latest on the nursery. Lisa's dad helped me put together a new closet. Here are a couple shots of the before, during, and after.

Snowboarding on Friday

Ben and Lisa R. took me snowboarding on Friday. The three times I've gone this year were all pretty crappy. It seemed like when I could go, it was warm and the snow was hard and icy. Finally, we had some fresh snow earlier in the week so Lisa B was cool enough to let me go out for a couple hours.

I had a blast. I should have worn one more layer but the snow was very nice...probably the nicest I've ever been on. Ben took this picture of me at the very bottom of the lift. The view of Anchorage and the Alaska Range was incredible. Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker were HUGE!! (not pictured)

Thanks Lisa R and Ben for taking me (and letting me steal your picture) and Lisa B for letting me go!! I love you babe!

whew....went well today

We were worried for no reason. Things went very good today.

The OB was very positive and assured us that those new aches and pains that Lisa's been having this week are "normal". After talking about it, she ruled out contractions and said it sounds more like the babies are just getting big. Her blood pressure is right in the middle of normal and the babies heart rate were both in the 140s....again, normal.

We moved down the hall to the perinatologist. Again, they had nothing but good news for us. The dopplers were all "perfect" and the fluids were acceptable. Dr. Isada came in and said it appears to be a 75/25 ratio but Katy (the donor) still has plenty of fluid in there with her.

The biggest revelation was that Katy has flipped over. She must have plenty of room if she can flip over. This would also explain why Lisa has felt different these last couple of days and has been feeling her stick out in ways she hasn't before. It was funny to see them both upside down, face to face, and almost fighting for room. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures. This was our first ultrasound that we didn't leave with at least one picture. There's always next week.

They also spent some time looking at the cervix. What may ultimately lead to a premature birth is the weakening of the cervix. We were told today that if it measures less than 3 cm, then there is some concern and they'll take a closer look. We didn't realize this but last week it was close to 3 cm. This week was measuring almost 4 cm so they felt much better about that.

It ended with Dr. Isada telling us to "continue doing what you're doing and we'll see you next week." I asked AGAIN if he had an idea of how early we may deliver and he said that he didn't see why we wouldn't make it past 30 weeks. We still got the impression that 30-32 weeks is his best guess.

For now, we bought another week. We'll be at that magical 28 week milestone next Wednesday...a HUGE milestone. Keep us in your prayers.

prayers please

We have two appointments today...one with the OB and one with the specialist.

The babies have been acting different this week. Hopefully, it is nothing but we both kinda have a bad feeling. Katy doesn't move as much as she used to. She now just stretches and makes Lisa's belly stick way out on the right side. Lisa's having more pains then normal...but they could be Braxton Hicks contractions or just growing pains. Either way, she's been very uncomfortable these last couple of days. We will definitely have lots of questions for the doctors today.

Keep us in your prayers and I'll update late tonight.

...and by the way, today we have reached 27 weeks!!!

Iditarod 2007

The iditarod started on Saturday so we went down to check it out. Lisa went out too!!! Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "You took your 26 week and 3 day pregnant wife out in 15 degree weather while she should be on strict bedrest????!!!!" The simple answer is well, yeah. It is the Iditarod. Actually, we bundled up really well and were only outside for maybe 30 minutes. We took a lawn chair, that sank about a foot into the snow (imagine that), and Lisa spent the whole time sitting back waving at the Iditarodders. It was pretty fun.

Last year, we went downtown which was a litle more exciting but there are SO many people. On the way home, we saw where the trail went under one of the main drags and into a park. We pulled over and were able to wish the Iditarodders well with less people and fencing. This year, we went back to that spot where we could easily find a parking place across the street and have plenty of room to snap some good photos. Speaking of........



Lisa and I as the mushers go by for their 1100 mile journey to Nome

26 weeks, 1 day

We're inching our way to 28 weeks and beyond. Actually it seems to be going pretty fast. I can't believe it's been since Sunday that I've posted. It feels like that was yesterday. Lisa may have a different perspective.

The checkup on Tuesday went very good. Again, the perinatologist said that it appears the donor has less fluid and the recipient has more but it isn't anything to be concerned about. Actually, let me take this moment to share the names so I don't have to refer to them as donor/recipient.

The donor/smaller/feisty one is Kaitlyn Marie
The recipient/bigger/has a swimming pool to mover around in...is Alyssa Renee.

Kaitlyn is already being shortened to Katy. The name Katy, to me, is perfect for her personality so far. She's a fighter...she's the one that is ALWAYS moving and giving the ultrasound tech fits eventhough he keeps saying that she should be easier cause she has less room to move around in. Every time it happens, Lisa and I kinda laugh and look at each other and say..."that's SO Katy".

Lately, Alyssa has been making her presence felt too. She's been more and more active and sometimes when they're both going, we picture them having a dance-off in the middle of Lisa's belly. They just go back and forth. It's fun to watch and feel.

Anyway, back to the appointment. All of the dopplers looked good and the doctor again said that there was no reason for hospital bedrest or even to start coming in twice a week to keep a closer eye on them. The impression I'm under is that will be the next step. At some point, Katy's dopplers will show signs of distress so we'll start going in twice a week until it progresses enough that they want to monitor it daily or hourly at the hospital.

Their estimated weights were the most exciting to us. Last time we had a full ultrasound (which led to the first peri visit), they were 12 and 10 ounces. Just over a month later, Alyssa is 2 pounds and Katy is 1 pound, 12 ounces!!! NOT TOO SHABBY!!! My girls are bulking up nicely. It must be all those protein shakes.

I had them print out the summary so I'll scan that in so the people that check this with more experience can look through and add anything they'd like to.

So we bought ourselves another week. Our next checkup is on Wednesday. Lisa had her second steroid shot on Tuesday that helps develop the babies lungs in case they're born early. It is great to have that under our belt.

In other news, Lisa's dad is here!! He arrived Tuesday afternoon and will be here through Monday night helping us out. He's been great. He spends the days keeping Lisa company while I've been sleeping (night shifts). He has definitely taken some pressure off me by helping clean up, assisting with dinners, and walking the dog....which I'm not sure he's enjoying too much considering it's been in the single digits and now it's windy too. Yikes it's cold.

I'll leave you with this moose that's been hanging out in our yard lately. We think he's about a year old and a boy.

I also updated the nursery pics below.

nursery looking good (updated)

I finally finished the painting. It has definitely grown on us. We each stop every time we walk by the nursery and stick our head in. It looks better every day. It isn't nearly as bright as I thought it was and it will be even better once we get the furniture and wall stuff in there.




I'm standing by the window looking back at the closet. We're going to get new doors and put in of those cool closet organizers with shelves.

What'cha think? It really grew on us. We think it is going to be great.

It's okay if you don't like it. Our close friends went to Oregon State and their rivals are U of Oregon...the ducks...whose colors happen to be green and yellow. It wasn't their favorite choice of colors. I understand that. If they had painted their nursery burnt orange, I probably would have thrown up...literally.

Other news...we have come across some great stories and even more phenomenal people. Two quick stories....

We were at Toys R Us on Tuesday after our appointment looking at some of the stuff we registered for. We were looking at the big double stroller as another couple came around the corner and were looking at the same stroller. They asked if we had twins and we pointed to Lisa's belly. They told us that they just came from the hospital where their baby girls are in the NICU. They had complications (not TTTS) at 24 weeks and were flown from their home in Kodiak City to Anchorage to go on bed rest at Providence hospital. 3 weeks later, their 2 baby girls were delivered. We never found out their weights at birth but at 27 weeks, we imagine they must have been pretty tiny. 1 month later, the 2 of them (actually the 4 of them) are doing good and expect to be going home in another 3 or 4 weeks. We talked for 20 minutes and shared both of our stories. I've said this before but it has been very reassuring hearing similar stories and the similar emotions that others have gone through. It was so uplifting...and truely an amazing story.

On a side note...the guy was a Coast Guard rescue swimmer!! What a bad ass! He was telling us how when he found out they might lose their girls, he cried for 2 days straight. His wife kinda chuckled and said, "yeah, a rescue swimmer crying for 2 days straight?!" I nodded and let him know I went through a very similar time where I didn't know what else to do but cry. It was such a random but touching meeting. When we left, I turned and asked Lisa if that really just happened? It was if God just put these 2 angels in our lives minutes after we left our last appointment with the most sobering news we'd had in the last several weeks.

The other quick story is a couple that posted a message on the Week 25 update and also posted on the TTTS foundation forum. Many, many stories have touched our hearts but being able to read Kevin and Danielle's blog from diagnosis to present (2 healthy 5 month baby boys) was an incredible experience. I was moved to tears several times and am SO happy for you and your boys. You have touched us sincerely and echoed our sentiments. I pray that we will be as fortunate and brave as the two of you were through your ordeal. I've linked their blog at the top or you can click here and check it out.

While we put faith in God that everything will work out, it is without a doubt the most trying time I've ever gone through and know that it will only get more difficult until those babies are in my arms. Thank you for praying for us. We thank God every night when we lay down and pray together that we have so many wonderful people thinking of us.

One more thing. Our dear friend, Vanessa (blog here), got us connected with an organization called Twin Hope. It is a fantastic resource. She also got us bracelets to wear and Lisa a necklace with the Twin Hope logo on it. Very cool stuff. You can go here to check it out.

An organization that we turned to the minute we were diagnosed is the TTTS. The people over there have been fantastic and so supportive.

I just realized why I'm thanking everyone. I'm watching the OSCARS!!! It's put me in the mood to thank the people that have supported us. Pretty funny actually. I guess this is the time where the music would start playing and I begin yelling that I'm not done yet.

I'd also Like to THAnk my PARENTS. ThEY HAVE been GREAT THRougH tHIS WHOLE ThING!! WE LOVE YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Week 25

We had another good weekly appointment with the specialist today. I'd be lying if I didn't say it is still unnerving (if that's a word). We had a reality check twice...the first was with the tech who initially didn't see the pattern he wanted to see on the blood flow through the umbilical chord. He looked at it for what seemed like 5 minutes but was probably only a minute or two before finally saying..."ok, there it is". I'm not sure exactly why it was showing up that way but it was a moment of concern.

The doctor came in afterward and had the same problem. He initially didn't see the pattern he wanted to see but after a minute or so, he got what he wanted and was satisfied. I know I'm not explaining it very good.

The second moment was the second the doctor sat down next to Lisa and began looking at the ultrasound, he said "well, you definitely still have it" or something to that affect. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear but it is a good reality check that even though we aren't going to have the surgery, it is still a serious condition and will have to monitor closely.

I'd share the numbers they found but the tech again insisted they aren't relevant. Bottom line was the donor has room and there was still plenty of fluid in her bladder. I shouldn't say plenty because this ultrasound seemed more like that first one 3 weeks ago when it didn't seem like she was very restricted. The doctor was pleased and not concerned with anything he saw today so we've bought another week.

I asked about what he thought the time line is...if he thought we were heading down a path to a very premature birth. He seemed confident that we would make it through 30 weeks. We have been praying for and will continue to pray that we make it as long as possible.

Tomorrow is Lisa's diabetes test and the first of two shots to boost the babies lung development in the pretty likely case that they will be premature. Next Tuesday will be a long ultrasound (30-40 minutes per baby) and we'll get an estimate on their weights.

The nursery is painted but needs one more coat before I share any pics with you guys. It is certainly yellow. It's growing on us but boy is it yellow. I honestly don't know if I like it but I can't imagine painting all over. What a pain. It better grow on me fast.

Here's a couple pics from today's ultrasound. The first one you can see some one's butt right up against the other's head. A second after he printed this out, she pushed the butt away. It was pretty cute. The second one is right after that with her hand still up by her head ready to punch anything that gets close again.

it's after midnight.....

and I'm still up....and I have to work tomorrow. Uggghh! What a long day. I didn't start painting the final two walls until 9pm so I only got the first coat on. Pictures will have to wait until tomorrow night when I'm all done. Tonight it was; walk the dog, fix dinner, eat dinner, tape the bedroom, paint paint paint, dishes, and here I am. Some VERY NICE PEOPLE brought Lisa and I dinners for the next couple of nights so that will help out a ton. Thank you!!

Tomorrow...errr today or whatever, is our weekly checkup with the specialist. It is significant because it's the last chance for the surgery. It is looking like that won't happen so we're not really concerned about it but it is a milestone. Now we just have to keep those babies in there as long as possible. I'll write more about that later tonight after the checkup.

I'm actually just posting this to share a funny picture. It's a long story so I'll just leave you this image. I made myself laugh for a solid 10 minutes when I put this together. It may only be funny to me and Lisa but I'd thought I'd share for the world to see.

nursery progress

I was lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend and made a lot of progress on the nursery. The office/nursery is a TINY room next to our bedroom that has evolved into a place where we throw crap when we have visitors...then shut the door. We would clean it out occasionally but haven't really touched it much since we found out we were pregnant knowing that we would have to move everything out of there. That day was today. I'm embarrassed to share this first photo because it looks SO bad but you have to see how much work I did this weekend.

I should mention that Lisa's mom organized a lot when she visited last month. She also cleaned out the closet. So the first task was to move everything downstairs and then take apart the desk.

The desk is a huge corner unit that came apart in 3 sections. I had warned a couple friends that I may need some help getting the desk downstairs but somehow managed to carry each piece down with minimal damage to myself, the desk, and the walls.

The room was empty by yesterday afternoon so we made a quick trip to Lowe's to pick out the paint. That's right, I said WE. Lisa took the trip too and managed pretty well. We decided on green and yellow to go with our pattern that we selected from Babies R Us.

Here is the empty room yesterday afternoon and the room right now after 10 hours of painting today.



Why 10 hours? Well I had to do a primer on the one big wall and on the window frame AND door frame before I could put on the final green coat. What a pain!! Who paints a door frame??

What's left? The green is done. All I have left are two walls to do the yellow. I am hoping to finish both tomorrow (Monday) night. I will of course post the pics when it's completed.

One more quick story. Early this morning Lisa woke up to go to the bathroom and as she always does, looked down to our backyard to see if there's a moose down there. Well this time there was. There was an adult all curled up in a ball sleeping in our backyard. Lisa woke me up to show me and then I quickly fell back asleep. When Lisa got back in bed, Madison jumped up on the bed (which she never does) and circled between me and Lisa until we gave her some room and she curled up right between our legs. It was all pretty cute.

Lisa snapped this picture before she got back into bed.

Tuesday evening update

We're at the end of another very long day...another good day. We had our weekly appointment with the perinatologist, actually the technician. It was only about 20 minutes long but long enough to get all the measurements and know that we didn't have to go to Seattle for the surgery. With each passing day, it looks less and less likely that we will need the surgery.

Although the technician said the numbers are "irrelevant", they were 9.12 and 5.61 centimeters. As a refresher, the donor was 2.3 -> 7.4 -> 5.6 cm. The recipient was 9.6 -> 9.1 -> 9.1 cm. He kind of stressed this last week that the maximum vertical pocket that's being measured was an indicator that the problem could be serious but was not the "tell all" that they are looking for. The majority of the visit was spent measuring the blood flow through the heart and in their brain. I tried to ask more specific questions about how that is looking or if there's a range we should be looking for or anything else and he said that is all looks good. They are looking at the shape of the return that he gets from measuring the flow and that will be compared to the previous week to look for trends.

The doctor didn't stick his head in like he did last time to reassure us that everything looked good but the technician said that he didn't see anything that would warrant any immediate response and that the doctor would call if needed after he takes a closer look at the results.

It's all good news. 2 weeks ago we left the room in tears because we were so scared. Last week we were in tears because we were so relieved and happy. Today we just left. We were, of course, happy to not be on a plane but after last week weren't really expecting any dramatic changes. This felt like a check-up and not a diagnosis for the first time in a while...which is good.

Both babies were active. Lisa had a few moments this week where she had not felt them kick in a while and became concerned...concerned enough to tell me and then have me come over and feel her stomach until I felt them both move. So it was a relief to see that they are moving in there NON STOP!! It was good for Lisa to watch them kick and swirl and stretch and still not feel a thing. We got some more pictures but ran out of time this evening and didn't scan them in.

For those of you who have asked, we have registered. We registered with Babies R Us. Be careful though, we found another couple with the same names registered in another state.

We've had a lot of input from our friends who had the twins last year. We are also receiving some hand-me-downs from those twins since they are now a year old and outgrowing some things so we didn't register for some things like a bath tub or bottles.

Nursery update....there is none. :( The goal is to have it emptied out and painted by Sunday!! I've taken the before pictures so now all I have to do is....well everything.

And the names. Sorry just another teaser. We are still debating the spelling. I thought we were in agreement but apparently there is more than one way to spell Chrysanthemum and Aloevera....that's weird.

Keep the prayers coming and thank you for checking in on us and thinking of us.

23 weeks and 1 day

I don't know if anyone caught it but there was a show on the Discovery Health Channel the other night about twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. I was at work but Lisa saw it while channel surfing. She recorded it for me to watch because she wasn't sure if she wanted to watch it alone. That ended up being an good idea. I watched when I got home from work yesterday and it left me a little speechless.

It followed 4 families as they went through the diagnosis to delivery. Of the 4 families, I think 3 of them ended up having the surgery. One twin did not survive out of the 4 families and it was one that had the surgery. The one family that didn't qualify for the surgery made it to 33 weeks and delivered 2 healthy girls with no problem.

I took several things away from the show. One is that the emotions that we are having are normal. It was reassuring to see the strangers going the exact same challenges we're facing and vocalizing our exact thoughts. It also showed me that we may really not be able to relax the rest of the pregnancy. I had hoped somehow things would continue to improve and we could just sail through 37 weeks or so...not gonna happen. Every couple stressed until the minute they were born. That means we could have 2+ months of worrying ahead of us.

Yesterday was a good example of that, though. Lisa kept saying during the day that she didn't feel right. The babies were constantly moving around and nothing seemed abnormal but she couldn't get comfortable and couldn't get it out of her head that something might be wrong. In the evening, she had what we think was another Braxton Hicks contraction. This was one a little stronger and more uncomfortable for her. It was only one though and she settled down after that.

During the show I was also able to see exactly how the surgery is performed. Again, I don't know if that's what Lisa would want to see. It might be enough for her to know how it's done without actually seeing it happen.

One more thing...I wanted to point out something that might be hard to visualize. This picture that I posted before is the donor baby. She has a name but you have to wait until the rest of the family knows. The donor is the one who is losing fluid in her sac. This picture was taken last week when the maximum vertical pocket of fluid was down to 2.3 cm.


Why I'm bringing it up is to show you how little room she really had. If you look on her face, you can see the membrane actually come off her forehead and then across her nose. You can see it again as it comes off her chin and goes down to her chest and then finally it comes off her belly on the right side of the picture. When there's that little fluid in there, it sucks up against her body and pins her down. On Tuesday when we looked, we didn't get to see the profile like this but the membrane was well off her and flapping around to the side every time she moved. That's why it was easy for us to see the difference right away and not have to wait for the technician to tell us there was improvement. It was obvious there was a lot more fluid in there with her.

I know there are some people that are checking the blog now that have more experience with TTTS so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but that was how I understood it.

Again, thank you everybody for the emails, phone calls, and comments. We try to email everybody back but know we're missing some.

I am off for the rest of the weekend and plan on working on the nursery!!!! We also will be registering (finally) and pass on that info when we finish that up.

good news

The appointment went great today. It was mainly an appointment with the ultrasound technician with the doctor just dropping in for a few minutes to look over the results. The technician answered all of our questions and seemed very positive that we would not need the surgery today.

I immediately noticed a difference on the amount of fluid around the donor. It seemed better to me. Later when he looked for the maximum vertical pocket he showed us 7.38 cm!!!! It was 2.3 cm last week! The recipient is at 9.1 cm...she was at 9.6 cm last week.

We were ecstatic about those numbers but the technician warned us that although the numbers are great, that is only part of the equation. He is more concerned about the blood flow. He spent the majority of the time looking at the blood flow through the arteries in the heart and in the head. He said it will be the blood flow that will dictate whether surgery is required or not...and he and the doctor said it all looked good.

Bottom line, no surgery today and we'll look again next Tuesday. We were in tears we were so relieved but realize we have a long way to go. This was a big victory and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Keep the prayers coming. We know the real reason we've seen improvement. Thank you so much everyone. We love every one of you.

BIG day today

The appointment with our OBGyn went very well yesterday. She was very reassuring and optimistic about our situation which is exactly what we needed. I told her about the relatively pessimistic numbers I had come across regarding the surgery and she seemed to think that those were too low and had a much more optimistic idea of the success rate. Many of the questions we asked she deferred to the perinatologist but she was very patient and answered almost everything we threw at her.

One concern of hers is the possibility of delivering the babies early. The goal is to make it to 28 weeks (we're at 22 weeks, 6 days today). With our next appointment with her in two weeks, she is going to begin shots to help the babies lungs develop quicker so they'll be ready for an early exit if necessary. We'll find out more today of course but one concern is this window between the surgery and earliest delivery time. I believe the latest we can have the surgery is at 25 weeks but the earliest we can deliver is 28. So if the surgery happens it will be tomorrow or next week. With the surgery, it should buy us enough time to make it to 28 weeks...and beyond hopefully.

After our appointment, one of my concerns is regarding our babies "maximum vertical pocket" of amniotic fluid. What I've learned is that surgery will be more seriously considered once the MVP is over 10cm or under 2cm. I asked and as of last Wednesday they were at 9.6cm and 2.3cm. To me, that seems to indicate that surgery is inevitable. Certainly there is a chance that with bedrest these last couple of days, the levels could have remained the same or maybe improved but it really doesn't leave much room to maneuver.

With that news, we are preparing ourselves to head to Seattle today. I may have said Portland in a previous post but it's really Seattle. I'm working night shifts this week so the boss has put someone on call for tonight. Our neighbors said they would be happy to watch after Madison (our dog for those of you who don't know). So we'll be going to the hospital at 2pm and will probably know within the first couple of minutes of the appointment.

Now for the good news. The response that we continue to get from our family, friends, and strangers has been so uplifting. We are amazed every day at the response we get in emails and phone calls. Thank you so much! It is really helping. I actually printed out a lot of the emails yesterday and took them with us to the hospital so we could read through them again to remind us of all the people praying for us. We are NOT alone! Thank you!

One response I got yesterday was from a woman who under similar circumstances, had the surgery done in Seattle with great results. That was the most comforting news we've received throughout this process...someone who had the surgery in Seattle, made it to 34 weeks, and delivered two very healthy babies. It is very uplifting to hear that kind of story right now, I can't explain how much that helped. I think Lisa's response was, "THAT'S what I'm talking about!!!!"

I have also emailed Dr. Julian DeLia who is a pioneer with this procedure. From what I've read, he continues to be involved with MANY cases and would most likely be able to consult on our case. Unfortunately, we may be running out of time but hopefully I'll hear back from him today before we are forced with any decisions.

One more thing, I came across this article that is a very good summary of TTTS and what we're up against. article

I'm sorry this is kinda wordy but I wanted to update everything just in case we're in Seattle tonight and can't post.

I will certainly post, email, and call the minute we know what's going on. Please continue to pray for us today.

A & L & the girls

coping with the news

So as you may have been able to tell from the last post, we were pretty emotional about the news. During the pregnancy, it never crossed our mind (and why should it?) that there would be the potential that we could lose our babies. So we took that initial shock pretty hard but have been doing much better since the first 36 hours or so.

Lisa did better than me. I think the motherly instincts kicked in and she realized that worrying wasn't going to help the babies but resting and thinking positive would. She finished up work on Thursday and has spent Friday and yesterday glued to our favorite recliner in front of the tv.

I, on the other hand stayed home from work Thursday and spent the day pretty depressed. I slept most of the day and when I was awake, I just sat there and stared at the wall thinking. Not very productive considering we have a nursery to finish....err I mean, start.

Since Lisa got home Thursday evening and we were able to talk some more about our feelings, I discovered how well she was doing and her spirits lifted me up. She told me that although it was tough sharing what was going on and she cried a lot during the day, she also had some wonderful moments like when a principal of a school that had been tough on her all year sat down and prayed with Lisa in her office!!! WOW!

Then the phone started ringing...and ringing...and ringing. You guys have been the best! Just knowing that our family and friends are all over the place praying for us is SO uplifting. We really do feel better and know that is translating to the babies too.

So what's next? Tomorrow we go in for a routine appointment with the OB. I'm sure there will be lots of Q&A tomorrow but we probably won't learn anything new about the babies condition. On Tuesday, we will go to see the specialist who will take a look at the babies and see how the fluid is. I'm guessing there may not be much of a difference from last week. This will be just to make sure it isn't getting worse I think. If it is worse, we will be on the first plane to Portland, OR. The appointment is at 2pm and I'm sure we'll know within the first 10 minutes if we're going or not. I'll be sure to post the results as soon as we know them. It may be safe to say, if you don't see a new post by Wednesday then we could very well be in Portland having surgery.

The other news I want to share is the names of the babies. Since they are easily distinguishable now and we had pretty much secured which names we wanted, we went ahead and named them Wednesday night. I'll okay it with Lisa and probably tell the grandparents first but hopefully share that tidbit with the world in another day or two.

Keep us in your prayers.

In the mean time, here's Lisa at 21 weeks and what we were doing Friday night to entertain ourselves while Lisa's on bedrest. If you can't tell, Lisa's rocking on Guitar Hero. I believe she was playing Sweet Child O Mine.