Our Easter Blessings ♥

On Saturday, April 23, 2011, Brandon and I spent the day at the hospital. My family came to visit and bring me an Easter basket since I had to miss Easter the following day. We took pictures of my belly, and measured it with with a piece of yarn. I was 46 inches around!

Here are some of the pictures ...

WOW! Around 11 PM Brandon went to get us Taco Bell. We ate and went to sleep around 1 AM. I woke up at 4 AM with pain in my lower stomach. I have never experienced gas pains in my life, so I assumed that is what it was from eating Taco Bell. I tossed and turned for 2 hours. Shift change happens at 7 AM and I really liked my night nurse Renee. So, around 6:30 AM I decided to call my nurse and ask for gas medicine. I woke up Brandon and warned him a nurse would be coming in to give me medicine. Nothing major, go back to sleep.

The nurse comes in and brings with her my nurse for the next shift. I explain my pain, and they decide to put me on the monitor to make sure I am not contracting. Mind you, my stomach is HUGE. So, it was ALWAYS tight. Every time a nurse touched my stomach they thought I was contracting, but I was not. I get on the monitor and it shows irritability. Gas. Awesome :) The nurse leaves to get my medicine. Right after she walks out I have the pain and I look at the monitor. Definitely. Not. Gas. I am contracting. I wake up Brandon, and he jumps up. She comes back in and sees the strip. Immediately calls the doctor on call. They decide to give me terbutuline. This. Stuff. Sucks. They gave me a shot every 15 minutes for 45 minutes. They told me it would not stop my contractions if this was real labor. It makes your heart race and it burns BAD. I am 35 weeks pregnant TODAY. We text our families and tell them not to cancel Easter, but wanted to keep them informed. My contractions settle down :)

The nurse comes in and tells us they are going to move us to Labor and Delivery because of the nurse to patient ratio being 1 to 1. She says they just want to monitor me more closely. So, we text our families and say it is not a big deal. It is now 9:30 AM. We pack up a few things from our room that we would need if we did have babies. Baby books, camera, phones.

We go to L&D. We walk in and the nurse goes to talk to the doctor. Brandon says he needs to shower. He goes back to our regular room. Not 5 minutes after he leaves the nurse walks in and says

"I spoke with Dr. Schroeder and we are going to have the babies today."

"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?! When????"

"Probably in an hour. Let your families know."

I call Brandon.

"Call your family. We are having the babies!"

"Are you kidding?"

"Yes, I am kidding about having our children! NO! Call your parents NOW!"

I call my mom and they are right in the middle of Easter! I tell her they need to hurry they are taking the babies in an hour! She immediately starts crying! So, the kids hunt the 100 eggs that were just hid as fast as possible and my family heads up to the hospital. Brandon's family gets there immediately. I think they flew ;)

The nurse comes back in the room and realizes they have no blood work on me. So, they have to take my blood and check all my levels. They come back and say that my platelete count is low at 11 AM. I AM NOW TOTALLY FREAKED. They are going to run another test that takes an hour to see what they can do. They never tell me what happens if this test comes back low. I ask, they won't tell. Everyone is worried. In my head, I am thinking, I know platelets have to do with blood. So, are they worried I will bleed out on the table????


Here is a picture from before delivery...

At 12 PM they come back and say the test showed it is slightly low. They then tell me the worry is the epidural. They bring in the anesthesiologist to talk with me. He says I can either get the epidural or be knocked out for the c-section. I ask him what his opinion is, he says they both have risks they weigh about the same. So, I get the epidural!

All of our families come in and wish me luck. I go back and leave Brandon. Once I was on the table, I could feel tugging but that was it. Brandon comes in and they start to explain that when we hear "scoring" they are cutting the placenta open! That is when he needs to stand to see the babies be born! The woman barely finished the sentence and then "SCORING!" Brandon jumps up and here comes DRAKE :) 1:13 PM He is my right baby! The active one throughout the whole pregnancy! He is beautiful! Not 30 seconds later, I hear "He is folded up" Scares the daylights out of me. Then, welcome HUNTER :) 1:14 PM This was my left baby, my calm one throughout the pregnancy! He looks perfect!
Both babies leave the room to get checked by the NICU team across the hall. Brandon goes with them. Now, I am incredibly nauseous! Zofran does NOT work on me. Did not work for my morning sickness. I fight through it. All I keep thinking is I do NOT want to be throwing up when they bring my babies back to me! Brandon comes in and says you will NOT believe what Hunter weighs. He was the baby that was supposed to weigh 4 lbs 11 oz. He was 5 lbs 10 oz and PERFECT :) Drake is 5 lbs 11 oz! They were NOT stealing any nutrients from each other! Absolutely ecstatic.

He hands me Hunter and I get to kiss him and see his face! He then tells me I will not get to hold Drake. Heart. Broken. He needs a little extra help breathing. I was terrified. Brandon leaves and goes with Drake because he is going to the highest level NICU, NICU III. Hunter is taken in the hallway to see family and goes to the lower, NICU II. There was nothing wrong with Hunter, but being a premature baby he would need help eating. As I was wheeled out of the operating room, Drake was being wheeled to me in an incubator. I got to touch him :) It was amazing.

I go to recovery by myself. I call family in the waiting room and talk to them while I am waiting to be taken to my room. I have to wait 6 hours before I am allowed to get in a wheelchair to go visit the boys. So, at 7 PM I go to the NICU's to see my beautiful boys.

My Easter babies have changed our lives forever.

Drake spent 12 hours in the NICU III. He was then taken off CPAP and could breathe fine. He was moved to NICU II right next to his brother :)

Drake and Hunter spent 10 days in the NICU II. 36 weeks is when babies learn the suck, swallow, breathe reflex. They struggled with eating for a little while, but once they were 36 weeks they did GREAT!

The boys came home on May 4, 2011.

Drake Brandon Olive
5 pounds 11 oz
17.5 inches
1:13 PM

Hunter Paul Olive
5 pounds 10 oz
17.5 inches
1:14 PM

Born on Easter, April 24, 2011.

Hunter & Drake

Drake

Hunter

Hunter & Drake

Our first family photo :)

34 weeks and praying ...

We had our 34 week ultrasound today!

Baby A weighs 5 lbs 7 oz, gaining 13 ounces in 12 days. He is in the 49th percentile.

Baby B weighs 4 lbs 11 oz, gaining 8 ounces in 12 days. He is in the 28th percentile.

They are stealing nutrients from each other which is the Twin to Twin Transfusion we were concerned about. It is nothing major, but is the reason why Baby B is smaller and has less fluid. He still had around 8 units of fluid. She was not worried about it.

I am almost 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. The good thing is I am NOT contracting! Hopefully it stays that way :)

Both my doctor and my specialist are very happy with the babies and the pregnancy. They wanted me to make it to 34 weeks, and I did. They are perfectly fine with the boys coming anytime from here on out.

We are praying I can hold these babies in until at least May 1st when I am 36 weeks.

Maternity Pictures ♥

I had always intended on taking Maternity pictures at some point in the pregnancy. When my world was turned upside down at 27 weeks, I was unsure how I would be able to do them.

On my way to an ultrasound in the hospital, I noticed they had an atrium with greenery. Not the most beautiful place, but would definitely work.

Sandy takes the most beautiful photos. I knew I wanted her to take them!

So, she loaded up and came to the hospital! :)

Lacey got all the "props" I wanted for the pictures and my outfits from home.

At 27-28 weeks, I still had my nose, smile, complexion, and I was not HUGE. 

Well, at 32 weeks that is not the case! ;) Swollen everything, and I was as big as a singleton full-term pregnancy. I knew I still wanted these pictures to remind me of a time in my life that I would never get back. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

A special thank you to Sandy for taking these amazing photos, and being so sweet!

Bedrest Activities ...

I knitted the boys 2 newborn hats :)

33 weeks ♥

I had my 33 week ultrasound on Monday.

My cervix shortened from 2.6 cm to 1.9 cm in a week. They do not seem to incredibly worried about it, but I am staying in the hospital.

I am 2 cm dilated. I was 1 cm when they admitted me 7 weeks ago. This was the first time I was checked again for dilation.

I am 50% effaced. I know that is a change since being admitted, but was never told the percentage until this point.

The boys fluid levels are starting to show discordance. One baby has 18 units of fluid, and the other baby has 8 units. My specialist is going to check me in 10 days rather than 14 days to see if it has changed. So, I am drinking extra protein shakes with my meals to hopefully help it even out. If it gets unsafe for the babies, they will take them earlier than expected. I will see the specialist Monday, April 18th.

In the ultrasound, we could see that the boys have HAIR :) I was born with a head full of ... BLACK HAIR. Yes, so if my boys come out with black hair, they are really mine ;) My hair turned blonde a couple months later. Brandon was born with strawberry blonde hair, and had WHITE hair as a child. I am excited to see what our boys will look like!

I told my doctor today, the first thing I want to know when those baby boys come out is if they have Brandon's dimple in his chin :) I cannot imagine they would NOT have it, but I have wondered about it the entire pregnancy!

Thank you for all the prayers, we appreciate it more than you know ♥

From the mind of a 4 year old ♥

My youngest niece, Grace Audrey, is 4 years old. She has the most amazing view of the world. 

Crystal, Libby, and Grace came to visit me in the hospital last weekend. The girls hear us say that there are two babies in my belly all the time, but we do not know how much they grasp the concept.

The girls are rubbing my belly and talking to the boys. They are pushing their bellies out acting like they have babies in their bellies.

This is the conversation that we had:

Libby: how did the boys got into your belly?
Me: when you are married God gives you a baby when you decide you want one.
Grace: how are they going to get the babies out?
Crystal: they are going to cut them out.
Grace: is it going to hurt?
Me: No, it will not hurt me at all.
Grace: OH ... so they are going to use a butter knife.

I CANNOT HOLD IN THE LAUGHTER AT THIS POINT! She knows that a butter knife is safe, it does not hurt. So, in her mind of course that is what they would use if it is not going to hurt me.

Grace: They don't have beds in there do they?
Me: No, they don't have beds but they are comfortable.
Crystal: You know there will be 2 little babies coming out of that belly that are EXACTLY alike.
Libby: Ya, like the same eyes.
Me: That is right Libby.
Grace: Ya and the same socks!!         

I don't think she quite gets it ;) Sweet girl!


PRICELESS moments with my nieces ♥

32 Weeks & Counting ...

We made it to 32 weeks! YAY! :)

On Monday they checked my cervix, and it was measuring around 2.6 cm. They are very happy with the length.

On Wednesday I went to "Tea-Timers." It is an hour of time spent with the other women on bedrest! I LOVE IT! :) This week we learned how to knit a newborn hat! I completed one & plan on doing another.

I have become close with another twin mommy here on bedrest, Laura. She has "MoMo" twin girls. This means her girls are identical, in the same sac and same placenta. It is the most high risk twin pregnancy after conjoined. Mine are "MoDi" the next highest risk after "MoMo." Mine have their own sac, same placenta. We speak a lot throughout the day on the phone and keep each other sane :) We can complain about the same nurses, and share our good news when we have it! It is nice to share the experience with someone! I look forward to playdates with our kiddos!


Today, they measured the boys! Dr. Adam is my specialist that takes the growth measurements. I was telling her about the right baby being so active and the left baby putting me in less pain. She told me I have such a great attitude and perspective on things. :) She said she hears a lot of complaining, and it is nice to have someone with such an awesome attitude. This made my night!

Baby A went from 3 lbs 14 oz to 4 lbs 10 oz, gaining 12 oz. He is in the 49th percentile.

Baby B went from 3 lbs 5 oz to 4 lbs 3 oz, gaining 14 oz. He is in the 39th percentile.

I guess since I teach math it is difficult for me to hear percentiles less than 50. I feel like I am being greedy because I know the boys are doing great.

I felt hiccups for the first time this week! :) I was SO excited!!! Right baby is the one I can feel them with and he is the bigger baby. He gets them throughout the day and EVERY NIGHT around midnight.

We have picked a delivery date! We are shooting for Friday May 6th!!! Four weeks to go! 28 days!! YAY! I will be 36 weeks 5 days! My specialist only lets Identicals go to 36 weeks. Statistically, white boys tend to do the worst, so I am hoping the extra 5 days will make for minimal NICU time.

I will have another growth ultrasound in 10 days!