Pictures...

"Don't I look great without my canula and feeding tube?"~Parker
"Parker~get over here and let me give you a kiss."~Mitchell
"I'm ready to eat!!"~Mitchell
"Yum-yum, who knew I could finish this bottle in 14 minutes?"~Mitchell
"Okay, I am sucking on my fingers but I don't feel it. Wait a minute...these aren't my fingers, they're Parker's!! Uhhh, I will be glad when we've got more space!! It's so cramped in here!!"~Mitchell

More News from Christmas...

Well, yesterday ended up being the BEST Christmas ever!! We went to see the boys and were able to give them their bath, kangaroo, and feed them their first bottle!! It was great!! Christmas day was the first time they took a bath together and it was too cute!! We have a video that we'll get up on here soon. They did soo good taking their bottle!! Up to this point, they have been getting breast milk through a feeding tube. Last night they had their first try at a bottle. The nurse thought they would get about 2 cc's, but they surprised us all!! Mitchell took all of his, which was 30 cc's (1-oz.) and Parker took 16 cc's!! We were so proud of them!! They did such a good job!! The orders were for them to have 1 bottle per day, but since they did so good, the doctor ordered for them to have 2 per day!! Today we fed them at 5 p.m. and we are going back tonight at 11!! Anyways, we are super excited at this mile-stone as it is one step closer to going home!! Oh, and on that note...we rented my cousin's house today in Fieldstone Farms, so we will have a home to bring the boys to!! Everything seems to be going great right now!! God is good and we praise Him for all these blessings!! Please keep praying!!

Merry Christmas and Big News...

Well, I just had to write a quick post before bed because we have crossed a big mile-stone!! I just hung up the phone with Sara (the boys really sweet night time nurse) to check in on them before I went to bed. She told me that Mitchell weighed in at 3 lbs. 9 oz. and Parker was 3 lbs. even!! We are officially done with the 2 lbs.!! HOORAY!! They are getting HUGE and we are super excited!! Once both boys weigh 3.5 lbs. they can start wearing clothes and once they get to 4.1 lbs. they can get out of their little igloos and into a open air crib!! Parker got his canula off today, which means the only thing they have on their faces are their little feeding tubes. Also, they are both supposed to try feeding out of a bottle at some point this week!! They say around 34-35 weeks gestation is when they learn the "suck, swallow, and breath" thing. Yesterday they were 34 weeks, so hopefully they will catch on to the eating thing pretty quick!! What a wonderful Christmas as we have been given the 2 most precious gifts that God could give us!! I feel like they are doing so much better since I last wrote and I know it's because so many people have been praying!! We really can't thank all of you enough!! The very next day after that last post, God gave me peace and encouragement!! He is SOOO good and always listens to our worries!! Please keep praying as we still have a long road ahead!! We just can't wait to get them out of that hospital so everyone can see their sweet little faces!!

Parker's First Bath!!

New Pictures...

Mitchell loves his hat that the sweet old ladies knitted for the NICU patients!!

Parker is holding mommy's hand as he gets ready for his first bath since his belly button stump fell off!!

Parker and Mitchell are definitely diggin laying on their little belly's!!

Today was the first day that the boys got separated for being naughty as they kept pulling each other's wires off!!
"Ahhh, brother....I have missed you!!"

New Home....

Well, as of yesterday the boys got moved to the NICU step-down unit!! I was thrilled with the news because I knew this meant that they were more stable!! After visiting them yesterday and today; however, I am a little concerned that they aren't being watched as closely!! Yesterday when I was there, Mitchell's heart rate dropped really low because of an apnea spell and no one came over until I alerted the nurse!! Normally, in the other NICU, the nurses would have come right over to check on them. Then, I noticed another baby crying for 20-25 minutes and all the nurses were just sitting at the nurses station talking. Then finally one of them came over and got his pacifier and he went right to sleep!! It broke my heart to think that when I'm not there, they could be doing the same thing when one of my children is upset!! And, their little bed is over in the corner, so I feel like they could be easily overlooked!!

Oh, and while I'm complaining about the nursing staff...this really made me mad...the other day when I got there, I gave the nurse some breast milk that I had just pumped and she said, "oh, I'm glad you brought that. we are out of your breast milk in the freezer, so I was just about to give them some formula." Oh, I thought I was going to lose it!! I mean, why didn't she just call me that morning and let me know so I could bring some in from home?? So, I ended up not being able to spend as much time with the boys because I had to drive all the way home and get more milk out of the freezer!! That stupid nurse tried to blame the nurse from the day before for not telling me that we were running low. Then, she just stumbled around with her words and said she got really busy so she couldn't call me. I seriously almost took that formula she had and threw it in her face!! I mean, I have been working myself to death trying to have plenty of breast milk and then she was just going to give them formula? And, I probably would have never known had I not come in!! You would think that these nurses, who deal with such critically preemie babies every day would understand the importance of them getting breast milk!! UHHHHHHH....it makes me sooooo mad just thinking about it!!

Well, the night before last Mitchell and Parker both gained 2 oz. and weighed in at 3.3 and 2.9 and Mitchell finally got his canula out. Then, last night Mitchell lost 2 oz. and Parker lost 3!! Today has been a bad day!! It is just so hard being on this roller coaster of emotions!! There is absolutely NO consistency with their progress!! One day we are on cloud 9 and the next we are heart broken!! Today~I am heart broken!! I just want them to improve quicker!! I can't stand going to the hospital anymore and just sitting there and starring at them!! I want to hold them and I can't!! This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done!! My mom told me once that I would never understand the love that parents have for their children until I become a parent!! At the time, I thought that was silly, but I truly understand that now!! It is just so hard when the 2 little children you love the most in this world are just laying in a hospital bed hooked up to a bunch of machines fighting to get stronger!! I want to take their place and I can't!! I want to do something to help and I can't!! I am trying to trust God, but today I just don't feel His presence!! Please, pray for tomorrow to be a better day!!

Updates...

Today I went to see Dr. Blake and she finally released me to drive~hooray!! I told mom today that I felt like I had been grounded!! She also said everything with my incision looked great!! I asked her about exercising and she said I could start walking, so I need to get my jelly belly in gear!!

The boys are doing absolutely great!! I got a little down last week when Parker was losing weight, but he is doing much better!! He weighs 2 lbs. 9 oz. and Mitchell weighs 3 lbs. 1 oz.!! We are so excited that Mitchell tipped the scale at 3 lbs.!! He also has grown from 15 1/4 in. when he was born to 17 in. and Parker has grown from 15 in. to 15 1/4 in.!! Mitchell was able to get his IV out, so today they moved them to the same crib!! Ahhhh, they just look so precious and peaceful!! Mitchell is down to 1 on the flow of his canula, so they think he will get it off tonight maybe!! Parker is on 9, so he has to slowly get down to 0 before he can get off. They are both taking 24 ml (which is about 3/4 oz.) of breast milk with fortifying powder (which adds calories and vitamins to help them put on weight faster) in their feeding tubes every 3 hours (which is 6 oz. per day~so basically I am a milking machine~ha!!). Parker's belly button stump fell off the other day, so we were able to give him a tub bath instead of a sponge bath. It was so much fun~he loved it!! We're still waiting for Mitchell's to fall off!! The nurse today told me that she thinks they will definitely move to the step down unit by Christmas!! We hope she's right!! We are so thrilled with their progress and know that it's because they are constantly being lifted up in prayer!! Gloria (the nurse) said that she just couldn't believe how great they were doing and that they haven't really had any big set backs!! Prayer is so powerful and God definitely hears our cries and for that we are truly thankful!!! Well, I will get some pictures and video up tomorrow!! Please keep praying!!

New Pictures...

Parker gives his brother kisses!! This is the first time they have seen eachother since they were born~they have missed being together!!

Mommy is feeding Mitchell while he is "kangaroo-ing"

Mitchell loves his brother so much!!

As it turns out~Santa visits the NICU, so the boys told him everything they wanted for Christmas!!

Mommy's first time to hold Mitchell and Parker together!!

Parker is snug as a bug!!

Parker is sleeping soundly!!

Mitchell is over all the lights and noise~he just wants some peace and quiet!!

Finally I get some rest!!

Good News...

Well, Kyle told me that my posts are a little too wordy, so I am going to try to work on that!! I just want to make sure I don't leave out any details!!

Mitchell's progress:
He has gained weight and now weighs~ 2 lbs. 14.4 oz.
He is weening off his canula!!
He finally finished his photo-therapy for jaundice!!


Parker's progress:
He has stepped down to 1 liter of oxygen instead of 2 in his canula!!
His IV has been removed~hooray!!
He has lost some weight and now weighs~2 lbs. 6 oz.~they think it's because of not having the IV fluids~hopefully this will improve soon!!


Keep praying for our precious little boys!!

Our progress and new pictures below...

Well, I finally got discharged from the hospital last Friday night. If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago how I would react when I finally got to go home, I probably would have said that I would be so happy and relieved to get out of prison. Much to my surprise, my reaction was quite different!! Before the boys arrived, I was counting down the minutes until I could get out of that crazy place!! But, once they got here, I loved being so close to them, so leaving was a devastating experience!! We went to eat at Outback and I just cried!! I felt guilty for being away from them!! When we got home, we went to bed and I just cried myself to sleep!! I was so worried that something might happen and I wouldn't be there!! Slowly, I have adjusted to being away from them!! No one can visit them except us and grandparents and I can't drive for 2 weeks, so this makes it quite difficult for me to visit them!! Mom is taking off from school 1/2 a day all this week, so she can take to see them. It is so frustrating not being able to drive because I could go visit in the morning as well!! It's wierd just sitting around all morning when I could be there, but I know it's just temporary!! Anyways, Parker is now up to 2 lbs. 8 oz. on his one week birthday which is really really good!! Mitchell weighs 2 lbs. 12 oz. so he still has a couple of ounces before he makes it back to his birth weight. Parker is finished with his photo-therapy (for jaundice) but Mitchell is still laying on a little mat that has lights on it (it looks like he's in the tanning bed-ha!). Parker had an x-ray today of his head to check for bleeding in his brain and he passed!! Mitchell will have the x-ray done tomorrow. Parker is eating 13 ml of breast milk through a feeding tube and Mitchell is eating 10 ml through his feeding tube. They are just doing so good and we know it's because they have been surrounded in prayer!! God is so good and we have been abundantly blessed!! For those of you who know about Brian Ray's twin babies, you might have already seen this on his website, but I just thought it was such a neat story that I wanted to share it with everyone because it definitely applies to us as well...

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three they came across verse three which says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot - then she thought again about the verse, that He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's the easy part -- when I see my image reflected in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep His hand on you and watch over you until He sees His image in you.

Please continue to keep our little boys in your prayers as they work so hard to get big enough and healthy enough to come home!!

New Pictures

Parker's photo-therapy for jaundice...he loves his first pair of sunglasses!!

Mommy's first time to cuddle with Mitchell!!

Mommy loves her sweet Mitchell!!

Mommy is so happy when she gets to hold her baby boys!!

Mommy & Daddy's first time to "kangaroo" (hold the babies in our shirts so they hear our heart beating and stay warm!!~I thought this was a little weird at first, but it's really precious!!) with Mitchell (in mommy's hands) and Parker (in daddy's hands)!!

Mitchell has opened his little eyes to see what is going on around him!!

Mitchell is so comfy sleeping on his Daddy's chest!!

Daddy loves Mitchell so much!!

Parker loves sleeping on his belly just like Mommy!!

Parker loves holding his Daddy's hand!!

Daddy's first time to hold Mitchell and snuggle with him!!

Our Progress...

As Kyle said earlier, the boys both started out on a c-pap machine, to help them with their breathing. Today, they were able to step down to a canula (I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly), but anyway, it is just those little tube things that go in their noses. They look much more comfortable with it!! Mitchell is under a little light for jaundice which is normal for preemie babies. Parker was able to get this thing put in his arm instead of having an IV which allowed us to hold him for the first time tonight!! It was absolutely amazing!! He is just precious!! It was so neat, when Kyle was holding him, I leaned down and said, "hey buddy, your mommy and daddy are here and we love you" and he opened his little eyes for a second and calmly went back to sleep!! Of coarse, I cried and I think Kyle even got a little teary!! Anyways, they are making huge progress every day!! The nurses and doctors taking care of them are absolutely wonderful!! In fact, the day time nurse said she thought Leann (the nurse who took care of them at night) would be back tonight and she requested to have them again!! That made us feel so good that they love them too!! Anyways...they are doing great and we will continue to give you updates!! Hopefully, tomorrow Mitchell will be able to have that same thing in his arm that Parker did today, so that we can hold him too!!

Well, I guess I can update you on my recovery as well. Monday night they gave me a morphine drip which is a major pain reliever, but it also slows your pulse rate. Well, apparently every time I fell asleep my pulse rate dropped so low it set off this really loud/annoying alarm. And, as paranoid as I am, I was totally freaked out!! I was awake the whole night worried that I was going to just quit ticking!! So, Tuesday was a really bad day for me!! Dr. Blake made her rounds and I was really weepy when she came by. She thought I needed some anxiety medicine when I told her about the morphine thing!! Really, I think I just needed some serious sleep!! I was so freekin tired I didn't know what to do with myself!! I ended up just going going going all day, then I crashed late in the afternoon and pretty much slept until this morning, only waking up to pump. Today, however, I felt like a whole new person!! So, I imagine as time goes by we will all recover!!

I wanted to thank everyone for the flowers, balloons, games, gifts, food, books, and visits to the hospital!! We feel very loved and are glad you all could share this experience with us!! We love you all and can't wait for you to meet little Mitchell and Parker!!

I survived!!

As most of you know, I was scared to death of having these precious little boys, but as it turns out, I am now a big advocate of cesarean sections!! Boy was it a piece of cake!! I got into the OR at 4:27 and the boys were both out by 4:37 and I was back in the recovery room by 5:15!! Isn't that amazing? It was actually really nice~they had Christmas music playing the whole time we were in the OR. The guy who administered the spinal was wonderful!! He stood right by me and Kyle the whole time talking to us and explaining everything!! I felt absolutely no pain, which was great!! At one point I felt like the breath had been knocked out of me and I was like, "huh, what is that I feel?" (but it didn't hurt or anything, it was just strange) and Kyle said, "oh nothing, you're fine." Then when we were in recovery he told me that one of the nurses was actually on top of the table pouncing my belly to get Mitchell in the right position so that Dr. Blake didn't have to make an additional incision. Isn't that crazy that all of that was going on, I didn't feel anything?? Thank goodness for that spinal~which also was a piece of cake...getting the IV was more painful than the spinal~kinda crazy, huh?? Anyways...it was music to our ears when both boys were screaming their little heads off, as the doctors had prepared us for them to come out limp and not crying at all!! Our hearts melted as we were introduced to our children!! Though they look like tiny little raisins, they are absolutely PERFECT in every way!! As some of you know, I was a little nervous that they would have big cone heads like their poor mother did, but God even took care of that as they are perfectly round!! We feel so absolutely blessed...as Kyle said this whole experience has been~"indescribable"!!!

Thank you for all your love and support!!

Happy Birthday Mitchell and Parker!!!

Well at this point some of you know and some of you may not. But December 3, 2007 is the birth date of my first two sons!!

What an experience! When I heard other parents say it is indescribable I thought they were being dramatic, I found out they are right. The feelings I felt were excitement, fear, anxiety, joy, and helplessness and probably more but...thus, indescribable.

Here is how it all went down:

At about 11 a.m. we had the ultrasound and while we were getting the scan done the high risk doctor came in with his posse. At that point I thought well he must have been watching the scan from another room and saw something that made him come in in the middle of the scan. Well, he was just making his rounds. He told Julie not to eat or drink anything in case she needed a c-section and that he would look at the scan when it was done and come tell her if she would deliver that day or not. She had not eaten since the night before. The day kind of slowed down for the next few hours after the scan. Julie got, you might say slightly irritated, when the doctor did not come back fairly quickly to tell her if she could eat or not. So I asked the nurse what the deal was and she said "he was going to see some patients and go to lunch and then come see you". Well, I didn't like that answer too much because why should he eat if Julie had to wait on him, and he isn't pregnant. So I told the nurse that it was "unacceptable" and that she should have the charge nurse come see me. The nursing staff did what they could (we had to apologize afterwards because we felt bad for being so mean...it was one nurse's first day). Ended up that we called Dr. Blake and got some answers by about 3 p.m. we knew we were having babies. By 3:15 nurses and anesthesia techs and doctors were storming Julie's bed. We kept waiting for the "moment" where we could kiss each other and pray together and pray over our babies. It never came...but we were praying together the whole time. At about 3:45 p.m. we left our room on the 6th floor (6201 for historical reference) and headed up to the 8th floor to the OR. Julie then got her spinal block and I had to wait outside during that part. As soon as that was done Dr. Blake opened the doors and said come on and gave me the big come on hand motion. I thought here we go, this is it. I got in the OR and Julie I could tell was worried so I talked to her and acted like I wasn't scared. That couldn't have been further from the truth though. I don't know if I have ever been that scared. I did know though that it would be over before I knew it. We talked and told each other that we loved each other and after a few minutes I calmed down and began making jokes with the nurses and staff. We had probably 14 people in the room 8 from the NICU team, Dr. Blake, an anesthesiologist and tech, an other nurse, and then Julie and I. If Julie wants to post the details of the surgery she can but for her sake at this point I will leave them out, although I will tell you I have seen her guts. So, at 4:36 weighing in at 2 lbs. 6 oz. and standing 15 inches tall Charles Parker Dunn was born and one minute later his younger brother with a fighting weight of 2 lbs 14 oz. and an overall length of 15.25 inches Christoper Mitchell Dunn was born. They came out crying, both of them, which was a great surprise to Julie and I. They both scored relatively well on the APGAR scores and began breathing on their own right away. The NICU nurses are unbelievably amazing, they cleaned them up and let me take pictures. A few minutes later my sons and I were off to the NICU. They have settled in at the NICU and are using a CPAP machine which is to help make their breathing more effective, however they are drawing their own breathes for now and have not had to intubated (which is great). I am going to include some pictures and the boys are probably doing better than the pictures will look so please don't be alarmed they are doing extremely well right now. We have been warned though that probably there will be down days and up days for a while. We will probably have them in the hospital until close to February 4th, which was their due date. So with out further adieu let me introduce you to Mitchell and Parker Dunn.

This was about 3 minutes after they met their daddy. Not sure if you can tell but I and assure you that there was a gigantic smile under that mask.

Thank you to all of you who have called and sent text messages. I could never return all the calls and texts so let this serve as my return communication. And since I have had about 3 hours of sleep in the past two days I am going to sign off and just promise to post more later. Thank you as well for all your prays keep them coming as we are not out of the woods yet.

Ultra-sound results...

Well, I just got done with my ultra-sound and the tech scared me to death!! She printed off a picture, left the room in the middle of it, and said she needed to show the doctor something. Then, they both came in and compared today's pictures to yesterday's pictures. After reviewing everything, Dr. DeRouche said that we have bought one more day and would not be delivering today. They have been looking at this vessel called the ductus menusis and he said that it looked the same as yesterday instead of declining, so that's good-I guess. So, for now we're just sitting here waiting and anticipating. I'll be anxious to hear what Dr. Blake says tomorrow when she gets back.

The latest...

Dr. Haney (the on-call dr.) came by this morning to talk to me. She said that she thinks Dr. Blake will deliver me tomorrow! We still have another ultra-sound today and she said if the babies were in danger that she would go ahead and take them today. Kyle and I are a nervous wreck!! She also mentioned that she doubts that Parker has gained any weight since our last growth scan. He weighed 1 lb. 14 oz. at that scan so we are a mess!! She and Dr. DrRouche (maternal fetal dr.) both said that normally babies who are in stress are fighters and the bigger ones are the lazy ones who need more help! We are so scared to have these babies this early!! This is a true testimony of our faith-we HAVE to trust God and His plan for these babies!! Please, please, please pray hard for all of us-as I can't think of another time in my life that I have needed to feel the presence of God and the peace that only He can provide more than now!! I will be updating our blog again this afternoon after our ultra-sound!! Thanks, again, for all your love and support!!

Big News...

The past couple of days have been the same abnormal ultra-sounds. Today, we found out more information during our ultra-sound. The babies fluid levels were both low and apparently have been for a while. I got frustrated/nervous during the scan because I feel like we aren't getting all of the details. I called my nurse in afterwards and told her that I wanted to speak with a doctor and I wanted them to explain to me what was going on. (Up to this point my scans have been done by the maternal fetal group techs, then their doctors review the scans and consult my doctor and finally my doctor consults me-so I just felt like maybe their was a break down in communication). So, Dr. DeRouche (from Maternal Fetal Group) came in and explained everything to us. He said that basically they monitor me and are looking for a downward trend in the progression of the babies. He said today that he has been seeing that trend and anticipates me delivering Monday/Tuesday or at least by the end of the week. He did also say that he has been wrong before, so it may not happen, but he would be surprised if it didn't. So, I am shocked, I guess, because I haven't had a break down yet. Normally with this kind of news, I would definitely be freaking out-that will probably come tomorrow-ha!! Kyle is more than likely not going to go on his trip, but he is going to make the final decision after tomorrow's ultra-sound. So, please pray pray pray for all of us!!

Moving on up...

Well, today is the day we are getting upgraded to the penthouse suite!! I am super excited!! I think I will be moving after lunch to room 6201. I am looking forward to a new view and more space!! So, if anyone wants to visit me, you're in for a treat~ha!

On another note...our realtor called last night to tell us that they showed our condo to an investor who seems pretty interested. We are so excited about that!! She is supposed to call us today with more details and at this point, if someone would just make an offer, we would probably take it!!

I also wanted to comment about how loved I feel!! Allison and Noah and my sweet in-laws have both sent me beautiful flowers in the past couple of days!! Yesterday Mrs. Puckett came over and taught me how to knit a really pretty scarf. Meg came too and brought me some yummy chess brownies from Nicki and Kristen brought me Baha tea and chips and salsa, which were all a fun treat!!
Then, Kim and Zach brought us tortilla soup and banana muffins for dinner which is so much better than the mystery meat dinner from the hospital~ha!! I have also gotten cards from Laura, Mrs. Pam, and Carol Ann. Thank you so much to everyone for all your gestures of love!! You have all made me feel so special!!

Ultra-Sound Update....

Well, everything has been the same now for the past few days...abnormal, but not enough to deliver. The ultra-sound lady said she would be surprised if I made it another 2 weeks since Parker's blood flow has been absent end so many days in a row. She said it would be very unlikely for it to get better at this point. I talked to Dr. Blake this morning about giving me some situations that would result in having to deliver. She said that if Parker is absent end and either of them fail their bio-physical profile (basically they get evaluated on an 8-point scale on how active they are and they have to get at least a 5 to pass) then she would deliver. So far, they have been getting really high scores on that part, so that is good!! Also, if Parker is absent end and he still shows to be lagging in progress on his growth scan (which is next Tues.) then she will deliver. Finally, if either of their blood flow shows up as reversed, she will also deliver. So anyways, that at least gave us an idea of what to expect. So, for now we are just still waiting and anticipating.

I am also starting to worry a little bit about Kyle. I feel like he has a lot on his plate right now!! He is supposed to go to Las Vegas on Sunday until the following Friday for work. His company has been really understanding of our situation, but he just doesn't know what he should do! I am trying to encourage him to go because I could be like this forever and he can't just put his job on hold. But, he would just die if they had to deliver and he missed it. The good thing is that Southwest flies direct to and from Las Vegas, so i think we are just going to get a print off of all the possible flights next week incase he needs to jump on one real quick. Plus, on top of all that, he's still trying to figure out what to do with our condo that is just sitting in Knoxville not doing anything and he's here at the hospital every free minute he has trying to entertain me!! So, he's basically totally worn out, but trying not to let me see it. He is such a wonderful husband and I know God has truly blessed me with him!! He isn't the type of person to really stress out or worry about anything, but I feel like lately he has been. So, please pray for God to lighten his load and guide his paths regarding his work trip.

Dr. Blake's Report...

Well, I should have known that the post about my "best day yet" would quickly follow by my worst day yet, which was yesterday! We had our ultra-sound and everything that had improved was back to being bad!! So, I pretty much just cried all day yesterday!! It didn't help that I had this crazy nurse that came in every 2 seconds to make sure I was in the bed. I thought I was going to clock her if she didn't go away!! But, anyways...Victoria and Liam came by last night to visit and that cheered me up!! He looked absolutely precious, which made me realize that all this craziness will be worth it in the end!! After that, Kristen and Chris brought us dinner from Calipso which was quite tastey!! It is so nice to have everyone's support!! I tell you what, I don't think we could do it without you!!

So, Dr. Blake is finally back!! Thankgoodness!! She told me that I would be here for sure until the boys arrive!! She is thinking that she will take them around 32-34 weeks, which is Dec. 10th-24th unless they're ready before that. So, I'm looking at being locked up here for about another month-boo!! I'm hoping since I've got such a long sentence that maybe I can get upgraded to the penthouse suite-ha!! Anyways, we still need lots of prayers as I get so nervous every day when we have an ultra-sound that it will be the one to send us into delivery (which I am so scared of!!) But, after getting Victoria's take on it last night, I do feel better about it!! Again, thank you, thank you for your thoughts and prayers!! They are definitely being felt!!

Good Report....

Well, I just had to figure out how to insert some fun images on my posts since Kyle really out-did me on the Thanksgiving one.
Last night I was feeling really uneasy about everything, so I prayed for God to take my worries and anxiety about all of this and replace it with peace in knowing that God is faithful and His will is PERFECT!! Today has been my BEST day here!! We had our usual ultra-sound and Parker's blood flow showed as high instead of absent end (which is still abnormal, but an improvement!). It also helped that we had a really nice ultra-sound tech who was very positive!! Also, there have been some issues with 2 of my uterine arteries being abnormal. But, today one of them had somehow made enough improvement to read as normal, so that was good!! Mom brought us lunch from The Picnic today, so that always puts a smile on my face!! Then, we got to get out of our jail cell and go on a tour of the NICU. It was unbelievable to see all these teeny tiny babies and to know that they were okay!! We saw one that was born 2 days ago that weighed 1 lb. 13 oz. He was unbelievalbe...breathing on his own and doing just fine!! I could have held him in the palm of one of my hands~what a miracle!! Also, the nurses working in there were sooooo nice and encouraging!! They made me feel so good about our situation!! Then, after that we went down to the lobby for a change of scenery. Our neighbor across the hall came down with her husband and we talked to them for a while. She has been here for 6 weeks and is due the exact same day as I am. Her water broke at 19.5 weeks and they gave her baby a 5-10% chance of making it. She is now 30 weeks and everything looks good!! I cannot even imagine what kind of emotional roller coaster she has been through, but boy is she calm and patient!! I think God introduced us today to help me put things into perspective!! So, now I have a friend on my hall. And, she somehow got set up with the penthouse suite. Her room is like 4 times the size of ours!! She said she started out in a room like ours, but since she was going to be here for so long, they upgraded her. So, I think I may go hang out with her next week when everyone else is working...if I'm allowed to anyways!! Then, Karen and Margaret Anne came to see us tonight and brought us Carraba's and banana pudding, which was a huge treat from the yummy hospital food!! So, Dr. Blake gets back in the office on Monday and we are looking forward to hearing her take on progress!! Keep praying for these babies to keep cooking!!

Daddy's View

I thought I would make a post since Julie has been doing all the "blogging". I will try to keep my post shorter and lighter.

I think the Ultrasound techs hate me. If you know me very well you know that I will watch over their sholder and tell them if I see something they didn't mention. I have gotten pretty good at it since we have had more ultrasounds than I can remember. It actually has been a real priveledge to have all the ultrasounds. I don't know what we will do if we ever have another baby and only get a couple of ultrasounds.

I have gotten in good with the nurses however, tonight I took my left over birthday cup cakes to the nurses station and they thought I hung the moon. I guess that is why drug reps always take bagels or doughnuts with them on calls!!

Now, Julie gave you all the scary stuff in her post, I will give the glass is half full version. Today our doctor said that she thought we were over analysising everything and that she felt really good about the babies. She even asked the nurses not to disturb us tonight so that Julie can get some rest. Both Mitchell and Parker have been moving a lot and their heart rates are strong and steady for the most part. I truly believe that my little ones are growing and will do just fine.

God has been so good to us throughout this process and He will continue to be faithful. I have felt more gratefulness this Thanksgiving than I think maybe I ever have. Believe it or not I am lying here in a hospital room on two chairs pushed together, wondering about the well being of my first two children, feeling extremely grateful to God for his faithfulness and peace. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that I could have this attitude. Praise God!

Praise Him, for he is good!!

And now for the gratuitous Thanksgiving Turkey shot!

Update on progress...

Well, this just seems to be an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions! Yesterday's ultra-sound went really good! Parker had made improvements with his blood flow with regards to the umbilical cord. I did start having contractions last night every 2-3 minutes, so they gave me this horrible shot of something that made my heart race and feel jumpy inside for a couple of hours!! But, it did stop the contractions, which is good!! So, last night we went to bed feeling pretty upbeat (of coarse that was after my total emotional breakdown to Kyle of this just being so up and down and feeling like we are constantly on pens and needles-but as usual, Kyle has a way of calming me down and putting things into perspective!! And for that, I am truly thankful!!) I did sleep better last night and I made a conscious effort to drink lots of fluids to help avoid any more contractions and especially that crazy shot!! But, this morning they did the monitoring again, and I was contracting regularly. Luckily, drinking lots of fluids stopped them until Dr. Blake made her rounds and I could talk to her about that shot. She said she could give me precardia (an oral medication) instead that wouldn't have those creepy side effects, so i took that. Then, my ultra-sound today was discouraging as the blood flow was abnormal again!! I am so frustrated!! I feel like my body is totally out of control and there isn't a thing I can do about it!! After the ultra-sound, they did the heart and contraction monitors. And, of coarse I was contracting yet again!! So, they ended up doubling my dose of precardia. I really am having a hard time trusting that these doctors and nurses are giving me the right medications and not over-medicating me. (not that I think they are incompetent, it's just that I have a real trust issue...kind of like the flying thing for those of you who know how well I like to fly.) Anyways...today has not been one of my better days-and I also feel bad b/c it is Kyle's birthday and I haven't been able to do anything for him!! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention another high light to my day was when they weighed me and I am at a grand total of 36 pounds~boy the saga never ends, huh? Well, tomorrow is thanksgiving and hopefully that can take my mind off all this craziness!! Please pray for the health of Parker and Mitchell and the sanity of their mother...and their father!! We are trying to be patient and trust God's will and timing, but as you can tell from this blog, Kyle is way better at this than me!!

Hospital Bedrest....

Well, yesterday was my 29 week doctor's appointment. As I said in last week's blog, I was looking for some way to negotiate with Dr. Blake to get out of the house a little bit. Well, I guess we should be careful what we wish for because God has a way of making us appreciate those annoyances of life. When I went in for my ultra-sound, my cervix actually had made improvements, which is great!! So, in my head I was thinking, perfect~bedrest is over!! Well, then they went on and found that little Parker's abdomen was not progressing at the same rate as Mitchell's. Also, when they did the cord dopplers they found that Parker had abnormal blood flow. Of coarse, my heart dropped!! I was scared to death!! The doctor came in and told us all of that and that he thought that this could be TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome) This can happen when twins share one placenta (which they do) and one twin gets more of the nutrients and blood supply than the other. It can be VERY dangerous!! Luckily, I am already at 29 weeks, so if they have to take them, most likely they will be fine!! Anyways...now I am at Centenial Hospital being monitored 24/7. This morning my doctor came in to tell me that I would have a c-section and that I could have them as soon as tomorrow, so she went over what to expect and the warnings to having c-sections (which I really could have stood not to hear-but, oh well!!). Anyways, she doesn't anticipate them coming that soon, but she just wants me to be prepared!! Our first goal is to make it to 30 weeks, which is next Monday. Then we are hoping to make it to 32 weeks. So, for now I am here just hanging out in the hospital for at least the next week and possibly the rest of the pregnancy!! Mom has taught me to knit, so that has helped me occupy my time and I have had several visitors who have brought me little surprises (which is always fun!!) So, I guess I will have plenty of time to keep this blog up to date~hee hee!!

The Reality of Bed Rest....

Well, I guess I should update everyone on our venture to parenthood!! Up to this point, pregnancy has been such a joy!! I have been really blessed to have such an easy pregnancy with very few side effects!! I am definitely getting bigger by the day!! In fact, as of my 28 week appointment on Monday, I have gained 31 pounds!! So, I am basically blowing up like a whale-ha!! Anyways...We found out at my ultra-sound on Monday that my cervix is thinning and I was contracting. So, I went into the hospital on Tuesday for some testing, monitoring, and another ultra-sound. The babies heart rates and fluid levels were both great!! But, I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes. We found out, though, that I was just dehydrated. Once I drank a bunch of fluids, everything got back under control. So, basically I drink and potty now all day and night. As a result of all this craziness, I have been put on bed rest (BOO) to prevent pre-term labor!! I have only been home now for 3 days, and I am already about to lose it!! I am only supposed to get up to potty and eat. So, I feel like I am in prison and tied to my bed!! Kristen is coming over today to entertain me, so I am super excited about that!! I want to learn how to knit and crochet, so hopefully that will give me something to do!! I go back to the doctor on Monday, so I'm hoping we can work something out about all this bed rest business-ha!! Truthfully, I want to do what is best for these babies, but I just hope they develop real quick so we can go ahead and have them!! We just can't wait to see their precious little faces!!

23 Week Ultra-sound in 3-D

Early Ultrasound

Here is the first ultrasound of our twins. At this point we thought that the twins would be what they called mono mono twins. This means that they would share an amniotic sack and a placenta. But this was just the beginning of it all.