No words needed.....

Coming home, Staying home

I'm sorry I've been a little delayed in getting new pictures and keeping you posted with the updates. Yes, we are home, as of Saturday the 10th. After 24 hours of feeding non-stop and supplementing with formula, both girls started to gain some weight. Rylee came back up to 5. 5 (from 5.3) and Sawyer up to 4.10 (from 4.8), so we started the process of going home. The next tests came with the actual transportation part. Sawyer, being under 5 lbs, could not ride in her car seat and we had to buy (yep, buy, not rent) a car bed for her to travel in. Rylee, being under 6 lbs, had to undergo a 90 minute car seat stress test measuring her oxygenation level (staying above 90%) that had to start over if she cried or moved to much...YES, 90 minutes! Thankfully, after having a chat with the first brisk and somewhat unfriendly nurse, I was able to fill Rylee's tummy and get her to drift off to sleep while hooked into her car seat....she looked SO little, and the test is a good thing as her neck muscles aren't very strong and the concern comes from her not being able to support her head and then not being able to get enough oxygen. However, my girl is already strong and passed with flying colors. WHEW! Then it was on to getting dressed in the traditional going home outfits, packing up, settling into the carseat/bed and heading home. Cassidy was very excited and full of help...when she saw her car seat in the middle of the twins she gave Chad a huge hug and said "Thanks daddy, now I can hold both their hands!" Oh, my sweet lil' peanut!

Sawyer

Rylee

Finally at home, the girls got to meet the rest of the family. Echo was great, no big deal she said. Mossy was surprisingly (and thankfully) very good as well, although much more curious about those little toes, noeses, and ears! She has not been bothered by the fussing or jealous with the lack of attention all of a sudden and continues to be very curious and gentle. Another big WHEW!

I wanted to throw in a little comparison....The order goes Rylee (white), Sawyer, Cassidy...any family resemblance?

Cassidy helping Rylee get settled in...I love that proud big sister smile

Chad getting comfortable with the girls and catching up on some sleep

My 3 girls and one lucky Mama

Another comparison....Sawyer showing off the frog pose, passed down from Cassidy


Grandma's have been wonderful and so good to Cassidy, making sure she she is still getting the attention she needs...Grandma Margie and Cass have been making butterflies to decorate ALL the rooms in the house (thank you Lori, she loves the!), and Grandma Kit came down to give her some 1:1 time while the rest of us went to the twins' first Dr. apt on Monday...


At the appointment we found out the crazy feeding schedule is working. Sawyer is now up to 4.14 and Rylee is up to 5.6. As long as the girls keep growing, I'll keep making it work. My day is pretty much nursing for 45 minutes every 3 hours, pumping at least 4 times a day and feeding on-demand in between...the girls sure do make pretty accessories though and it will slow down soon. It's not too hard to remember that they should still be in the womb and need a little extra TLC....no problem, I love that skin-to-skin cuddle time and this is for sure the Good Stuff! We also found out that the girls are IDENTICAL twins...I'm still not convinced, but we'll see! Our next Dr. apt is Friday and by then hopefully both girls will be over 5 lbs.

Big Sister

Cassidy came in today with gifts for her sisters. "I brought babies for my babies!" and was very excited to give them to them. She even had picked which was for which, the pink for Sawyer and the purple for Rylee...she is so sweet!

She got some good Mamma time too, starting to feel more comfortable the better I look (no more extra tubes or poor color). She told me yesterday "Mamma, your tummy is getting smaller"...I love that girl!

Cassidy and Rylee..she is so proud and was very helpful telling me her sisters are hungry when they woke up crying

The other "big sister". Sawyer getting back at Rylee for all those months she spent sitting on her! We'd move her away and she'd go right back, and the funny thing is that Rylee never moved away or protested!

We have such sweet girls and I know Cass is going to be a wonderful big sister. She has been a little overwhelmed coming to the hospital but is definitely "quietly excited" about her new sisters. She loves to see them wearing the shirts she made them and then wore the t-shirt they gave to her with hand prints to preschool, making sure her teacher saw. She is amazing.

Day 3

This morning, the decision was made to keep the girls (and me) another day, mostly due to their weight. Sawyer started off at 5#1 oz but has dropped to 4#8 oz and Rylee who started at 5# 15 oz is down to 5#3 oz. Unfortunately, that is over 10% of their body weight and while it is normal for all babies to drop weight the first few days, our girls just don't have that much to spare. So, we started on a new feeding routing that includes pumping and supplementing with formula in hopes to at least stabilize their weight and then to start gaining and growing. The rest of their numbers look really good, including their jaundice, respirations and body temp so as soon as the weight turns around, we can go home.

Rylee getting some formula supplement from a cup

Chad snuggling with the girls (while I'm updating the bolg). Rylee is on the outside, Sawyer is next to Daddy.
I am mostly upright and the soreness is being easily controlled with the pain medications. Chad and I even took a short walk outside in the sunshine today and it felt great! My doctor decided to keep me admitted just to help me continue to get stronger. I can't wait to get the girls home and our whole family together to start the next chapter in the Good Stuff.

Happy Happy Birthday Girls

Our adventure started at 5am when Chad & I left for the Hospital for the "C" section scheduled at 8am to welcome our twin girls.

Rylee Elizabeth was born at 8:22 am weighing 5 lb. 15 oz. and 20 inches long. Sawyer Ann was born at 8:24 am weighing 5 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 inches long. Both healthy and strong.

Mom is back in the room at 10 am to get the first good look at my beautiful girls.

The verdict is still out on weather they are identical or faternal. Should know by the end of next week. For the record, Chad says identical but I say faternal...Feel free to place your bets!

Getting skin-to-skin time with Mom and eachother.

Cassidy getting used to her new job as a big sister and adjusting well.

Our first new family of five photo!

Thanks to all our amazing family and friends for their support and encouragement whether in prayers, phone calls or in person. We are very Blessed to share the Good Stuff with such a wonderful village. HERE WE GO!!!!!

Baby Update

After a week of working steady and lots of help from Kit, Jennifer, Margie, Chad and of course Cassidy, I think it's safe to say the twins' room is ready....probably more so than I am!

Kit

Jennifer
After the trim went from khaki to yellow to turquoise, it was time to start ORGANIZING! Cassidy was a big helper and thinks her sisters will "really like it because it's so pretty!"

Grandma Margie pulling tags and getting ready for laundry

After all the hard work, it's great to be able to put my feet up and very convenient to have my own dinner tray built in

Cassidy has her own seat built in too! This is her favorite thing to show people, NO HANDS! I'm sure as the big sister it won't be the last time she sits on them!

We are as ready as we can be for our family of 3 to go to a family of 5. Tuesday, Chad and I will be at the hospital at 6am with the c-section scheduled for 8am. Chad is learning how to "blog" so hopefully we'll be able to get pictures up by Tuesday afternoon. We are so blessed with all the family and friend support, not only for us but also for Cassidy. I know we couldn't do it without you all...THANK YOU!

1st Day of School

Cassidy started her first day of preschool today...it doesn't seem possible! She looked so grown up with her specially selected outfit and backpack and was very excited to start her first day with her friend Morgan. They will be going 3 days a week for a half day and I think it's going to be great for Cass to have something outside of the house, grown-up, that the twins don't get to do yet.

Can you say TROUBLE?!?!?! Just imagine 12 years down the road...YIKES!

Outside her school and begging to go in. I'm already getting the "really? One more picture?" look

She gets her own cubby/basket and recognized her name right away

Inside her classroom, ready to go and ok with Mom going for the next 2 1/2 hours. I'm pretty sure Cassidy had an easier time than Mamma! Not that I wanted a major meltdown, but maybe a few tears or at least a long hug?