Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Visit to Toledo & Misc Pics
Last week, we went to Toledo to visit great grandma & grandpa Kranz, who can't make it to see us in Columbus. We also have taken a couple of new pics over the last week or so.
Here is Jameson, with his common, "Are you going to feed me?" face
Here is Jameson, who is modeling his Uncle Ben (Miller)'s sleeper from 1987. I saved it all these years.
Buddies!
Jamie and great grandpa
Cameron and great grandma
With great aunt Karen
We plan to take another car trip soon, but this time to Cincinnati to celebrate Corbin's birthday. It's so exhausting- there is so much that goes into an outing. You have to reserve an extra hour to get ready. By the time you think you have everything all situated, the kids have to eat again & be changed!
Here is Jameson, with his common, "Are you going to feed me?" face
Here is Jameson, who is modeling his Uncle Ben (Miller)'s sleeper from 1987. I saved it all these years.
Buddies!
Jamie and great grandpa
Cameron and great grandma
With great aunt Karen
We plan to take another car trip soon, but this time to Cincinnati to celebrate Corbin's birthday. It's so exhausting- there is so much that goes into an outing. You have to reserve an extra hour to get ready. By the time you think you have everything all situated, the kids have to eat again & be changed!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Pro Photos and a Tooth!
Soooo, Cameron was born with a tooth. The pediatrician who assessed him in the hospital thought that it was a mucocele on his gumline. When I took him in to the office 4 days later, our pediatrician looked at his mouth briefly and asked, "Is that a tooth?" and I said, "No, the pediatrician in the hospital said it was a mucocele." So, she didn't do any further investigating.
We were in Meijer the other day, checking out, and Cameron got hungry & started to cry. I thought I saw a little white spot on his bottom left gum.
When we got home, I peeked in his little mouth and felt its little sharp edges.
The next afternoon, Jameson had a weight recheck appointment. While I was there, I asked the ped if she would look at Cameron's tooth. She confirmed it was a tooth, and was a little concerned because when they come in so early, they don't have mature root systems, so they are wiggly and can become a choking hazard.
She called around and found a pediatric dentist with an opening right away. She felt it could not be put off & needed to be assessed right away.
The pediatric dentist was fantastic. She had a few minutes before I came in to research some statistics for me. Cameron was the youngest patient they had ever had in the office. She said that 90% of the time, these are the primary teeth. The other 10% of the time, they are extra calcium deposits that are like "extra" teeth. They don't always need removed. She recommended keeping Cameron's tooth intact unless it started to become very loose or interfered with him gaining weight appropriately. She also said that only 1-2 babies in 6000 are born with teeth. A girl on facebook commented, "Twins and a baby born with a tooth- go get a lotto ticket!"
In other news, I had mentioned that my friend Lindsay of Linz Photography had taken our family's photos when I was 6 days postpartum. Here are the results:
We were in Meijer the other day, checking out, and Cameron got hungry & started to cry. I thought I saw a little white spot on his bottom left gum.
When we got home, I peeked in his little mouth and felt its little sharp edges.
The next afternoon, Jameson had a weight recheck appointment. While I was there, I asked the ped if she would look at Cameron's tooth. She confirmed it was a tooth, and was a little concerned because when they come in so early, they don't have mature root systems, so they are wiggly and can become a choking hazard.
She called around and found a pediatric dentist with an opening right away. She felt it could not be put off & needed to be assessed right away.
The pediatric dentist was fantastic. She had a few minutes before I came in to research some statistics for me. Cameron was the youngest patient they had ever had in the office. She said that 90% of the time, these are the primary teeth. The other 10% of the time, they are extra calcium deposits that are like "extra" teeth. They don't always need removed. She recommended keeping Cameron's tooth intact unless it started to become very loose or interfered with him gaining weight appropriately. She also said that only 1-2 babies in 6000 are born with teeth. A girl on facebook commented, "Twins and a baby born with a tooth- go get a lotto ticket!"
In other news, I had mentioned that my friend Lindsay of Linz Photography had taken our family's photos when I was 6 days postpartum. Here are the results:
Monday, November 2, 2009
First Bath
We gave them their first bath when the twins were 13 days old, on Halloween!
They did pretty well, I think!
Jameson and his buddha belly were first
Peeking to see what's going on
Getting dried off
Cam's turn was next
It's cold when you get out of the warm water!
They did pretty well, I think!
Jameson and his buddha belly were first
Peeking to see what's going on
Getting dried off
Cam's turn was next
It's cold when you get out of the warm water!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Some Updates
Medical Stuff:
They went in for weight checks last Thursday, and both had lost quite a bit. I think they were 5 lbs 4 oz and 6 lbs 8 oz. They both looked jaundiced, so they had to have their bilirubin levels drawn. Cameron's was 15-something, and Jameson's was 19-something. Jameson had to go under the bililights at home for a little over 24 hours. He couldn't get comfortable to sleep well, so that night was a little rough. Their levels the next day were 15-something and 18-something. Both were eating and pooping well at that point, so there was no need for any other interventions.
Jameson under the bili-blanket- our little Glo Worm :)
They both went for weight re-checks yesterday, and our little guy gained beautifully- Cameron was up to 5 lbs 11 oz. This was surprising, as his eating had really dropped off. Even more surprising was that our good little eater, Jameson, only gained a few ounces & is 6 lbs 11 oz. He needs to go back next Wednesday to make sure he gains well this next week.
Another interesting thing that I keep failing to mention is that Cameron has a mucocele on his gum line. It actually looks like he has a natal tooth there. They can resolve on their own, but if it doesn't, eventually, it can be removed by a dentist. I'm still not convinced that there isn't a tooth there, too.
Fun stuff:
I wore them in the Moby for the first time the other afternoon, while Corbin and Daddy were raking leaves. I didn't have the best fit, but next time I know to make it a tighter fit. I'm limiting lifting them together though, until I heal more.
We've started tummy time for at least 30 minutes every night. This helps them to get nice and tired before we go to bed, so that we can sleep for a good 3 hours before we need to wake up and feed them. Here are a few pics from our first tummy time session:
Nighttimes haven't been too bad, honestly. I think they are still in that newborn sleepy phase, so it's very tolerable. Once they start to have more alert periods, I foresee this being a lot more challenging.
Also, my friend Lindsay (Linz photography) came over on Sunday to take their newborn photos & a few family photos. She has already sent me the proofs, untouched, and I love them. As soon as I have the time, I will pick out the photos I want made into their birth announcement & choose 8 photos for her to give me the rights to & for her to touch up. I can't wait to share them with you!
They went in for weight checks last Thursday, and both had lost quite a bit. I think they were 5 lbs 4 oz and 6 lbs 8 oz. They both looked jaundiced, so they had to have their bilirubin levels drawn. Cameron's was 15-something, and Jameson's was 19-something. Jameson had to go under the bililights at home for a little over 24 hours. He couldn't get comfortable to sleep well, so that night was a little rough. Their levels the next day were 15-something and 18-something. Both were eating and pooping well at that point, so there was no need for any other interventions.
Jameson under the bili-blanket- our little Glo Worm :)
They both went for weight re-checks yesterday, and our little guy gained beautifully- Cameron was up to 5 lbs 11 oz. This was surprising, as his eating had really dropped off. Even more surprising was that our good little eater, Jameson, only gained a few ounces & is 6 lbs 11 oz. He needs to go back next Wednesday to make sure he gains well this next week.
Another interesting thing that I keep failing to mention is that Cameron has a mucocele on his gum line. It actually looks like he has a natal tooth there. They can resolve on their own, but if it doesn't, eventually, it can be removed by a dentist. I'm still not convinced that there isn't a tooth there, too.
Fun stuff:
I wore them in the Moby for the first time the other afternoon, while Corbin and Daddy were raking leaves. I didn't have the best fit, but next time I know to make it a tighter fit. I'm limiting lifting them together though, until I heal more.
We've started tummy time for at least 30 minutes every night. This helps them to get nice and tired before we go to bed, so that we can sleep for a good 3 hours before we need to wake up and feed them. Here are a few pics from our first tummy time session:
Nighttimes haven't been too bad, honestly. I think they are still in that newborn sleepy phase, so it's very tolerable. Once they start to have more alert periods, I foresee this being a lot more challenging.
Also, my friend Lindsay (Linz photography) came over on Sunday to take their newborn photos & a few family photos. She has already sent me the proofs, untouched, and I love them. As soon as I have the time, I will pick out the photos I want made into their birth announcement & choose 8 photos for her to give me the rights to & for her to touch up. I can't wait to share them with you!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Twins' Birth Story!
Okay, I'm going to try and sneak this in now. I hope I don't forget too much.
On Sunday at 36 weeks and 6 days, I woke up to a lot of prelabor signs; however, I had been having them for a week & was really sick of it. I did notice that I felt more pressure, but I also realized that that was a vague symptom which could mean absolutely nothing. I tell you, they say that you will know when you are in labor. I didn’t when I went in- that’s for sure!
Jon's grandma and mom were still in town, and they were leaving that night to go back to Toledo. They had really been hoping that I would go into labor before they left town. They had been hinting/hoping for me to go to labor & delivery for about 2 days, but I kept telling them that they would only send me home if it wasn't active labor. After all, they don't just keep you because you're close.
While they were still in town, Jon and I decided to take advantage of the babysitters and go grocery shopping by ourselves (yeah, I know- we are exciting people!) As I was walking around the store, I did notice that my lower back hurt & that I was having contractions every 5-7 minutes. I told Jon "Maybe today is the day," but I wasn't really feeling confident about that or anything.
When we got home, we all sat down to eat lunch together & I casually mentioned that Jon & I were going to leave for the hospital to go get checked out. After all, if we were going to have a false alarm, this was a convenient time. Not only did we have 2 babysitters, but my mom was also en route to Columbus to take over taking care of me & Corbin during the week.
So, I give the doctor on call a heads up, and we get to the hospital. When the nurse hooks me up to the monitors, I was surprised to find out that I was contracting every 1-3 minutes. Not only that, but the tocometer was measuring in the 100's, which was the range that I was in labor with Corbin.But when they did the internal, she said that I was maybe 4 cm dilated at best & still 70% effaced. Figures, I thought. Well, no big deal. I would go home and wait it out.
Because I was 1 day shy of 37 weeks, per hospital protocol, I couldn’t walk the halls or anything. I was certain I was going home. The nurse said that they needed to keep me on the monitor for 1 hour though & recheck me to be certain.
When she rechecked me, I was shocked that I was 6 cm! That is when I texted some friends to let them know. Then we went to my birthing suite & got set up. My doctor had told me that he wanted to be present if possible, so I told the nurse to make sure she called him. She did, but he was “otherwise engaged”. I really didn’t care that my doc wasn’t going to be there for some reason, though. I think I was too hyped up about giving birth.
They confirmed that they were both head down via ultrasound & I was so happy. The doctor was there almost immediately. He said he was going to hang around until I gave birth, which surprised me. For my first birth, I was laboring for 8 hours, and then I pushed for 3 hours. With Corbin, my doctor went home, slept, showered, went to the office to work, etc. before he delivered me.
I got my epidural in a timely manner. The anesthesiologist had a resident with him & she did the actual procedure. She looked like Taylor Swift. I was a little nervous about the epi, because with Corbin’s birth, it didn’t work at first & I needed re-bolused. I also threw up during the entire labor partially b/c of the anesthesia, but I had no ill effects this time. In fact, I did not throw up one single time during the pregnancy or labor with these twins. I was very lucky.
The nurse had checked me right before the doctor got there, and I was 7-8 cm. When the doc came in minutes later, he checked me not & I was already a good eight.
I was comfortable pretty much the entire time up until I started pushing. I did stall out slightly at 8 cm for a while, so they decided to give me a tiny bit of pitocin to push me over the edge. They okayed it with me first, as I had previously said no pit. I decided that with the rate things were going, it would probably not hurt at all, and it would probably help with the bleeding, as I had two placentas that would need to heal. They started it at a very low rate. Jon talked for a minute with my mother on his cell phone at 6:50 pm. Literally, just as Jon was hanging up on her, the doctor checked me & said, “Oh, there is still a rim there” (referring to my cervix). But he also felt the head move down to +2 at the same time, so he immediately re-checked me & I was fully dilated.
They told me to start pushing & I was totally shocked. It barely registered, but I started pushing as hard as I could right away. I couldn’t make it all the way to ten every time they counted because I was trying hard to use every bit of effort in me to get baby A’s head out. I was, in fact, bearing down so hard on those handlebars that I strained my back pretty badly (realized this the next day).
After about 20-25 minutes of pushing, the doctor said that the head wasn’t budging at all. He asked me if I wanted to be assisted with suctioning & I consented. From there on out, it was much easier.
Cameron Dean was born at 7:19 PM, October 18, 2009
Weight: 5 lbs 14 oz
Length: 18 ¼ inches
Head circumference: 13 ¼ inches
Apgars: 9 & 9
They put him on my belly & I welled up. I was so excited to have successfully delivered him the way that I wanted & that he was finally here! He had a head of dark brown hair. After his initial couple of cries, he was very quiet and calm.
Jameson Richard was born at 7:38 PM, October 18, 2009
Weight: 7 lbs 4.8 oz
Length: 18 ¾ inches
Head circumference: 14 inches
Apgars: 8 & 9
Jameson also had some dark hair, although his had a little bit more of a wave to it & it was not as plentiful as Cameron’s. In contrast to his brother, he screamed the entire hour after his birth. Jon jokingly said that he had poor coping skills.
My birthing experience was just great. I ended up loving the doctor who delivered me & I had an excellent nurse, Kathy, who followed me from triage to delivery & even stayed 45 minutes over her shift to see the delivery through.
We had our first night at home with the twins last night. Although it wasn't easy, it was exciting. I feel very blessed to be the mommy to 3 wonderful, beautiful little boys.
laboring... and updating facebook!
Approximately 7-8 cm dilated
First out: Cameron Dean
With both of the twinkies, Cameron & Jameson
Jameson on the left, Cameron on the right
Jameson
Cameron, winking at ya!
On Sunday at 36 weeks and 6 days, I woke up to a lot of prelabor signs; however, I had been having them for a week & was really sick of it. I did notice that I felt more pressure, but I also realized that that was a vague symptom which could mean absolutely nothing. I tell you, they say that you will know when you are in labor. I didn’t when I went in- that’s for sure!
Jon's grandma and mom were still in town, and they were leaving that night to go back to Toledo. They had really been hoping that I would go into labor before they left town. They had been hinting/hoping for me to go to labor & delivery for about 2 days, but I kept telling them that they would only send me home if it wasn't active labor. After all, they don't just keep you because you're close.
While they were still in town, Jon and I decided to take advantage of the babysitters and go grocery shopping by ourselves (yeah, I know- we are exciting people!) As I was walking around the store, I did notice that my lower back hurt & that I was having contractions every 5-7 minutes. I told Jon "Maybe today is the day," but I wasn't really feeling confident about that or anything.
When we got home, we all sat down to eat lunch together & I casually mentioned that Jon & I were going to leave for the hospital to go get checked out. After all, if we were going to have a false alarm, this was a convenient time. Not only did we have 2 babysitters, but my mom was also en route to Columbus to take over taking care of me & Corbin during the week.
So, I give the doctor on call a heads up, and we get to the hospital. When the nurse hooks me up to the monitors, I was surprised to find out that I was contracting every 1-3 minutes. Not only that, but the tocometer was measuring in the 100's, which was the range that I was in labor with Corbin.But when they did the internal, she said that I was maybe 4 cm dilated at best & still 70% effaced. Figures, I thought. Well, no big deal. I would go home and wait it out.
Because I was 1 day shy of 37 weeks, per hospital protocol, I couldn’t walk the halls or anything. I was certain I was going home. The nurse said that they needed to keep me on the monitor for 1 hour though & recheck me to be certain.
When she rechecked me, I was shocked that I was 6 cm! That is when I texted some friends to let them know. Then we went to my birthing suite & got set up. My doctor had told me that he wanted to be present if possible, so I told the nurse to make sure she called him. She did, but he was “otherwise engaged”. I really didn’t care that my doc wasn’t going to be there for some reason, though. I think I was too hyped up about giving birth.
They confirmed that they were both head down via ultrasound & I was so happy. The doctor was there almost immediately. He said he was going to hang around until I gave birth, which surprised me. For my first birth, I was laboring for 8 hours, and then I pushed for 3 hours. With Corbin, my doctor went home, slept, showered, went to the office to work, etc. before he delivered me.
I got my epidural in a timely manner. The anesthesiologist had a resident with him & she did the actual procedure. She looked like Taylor Swift. I was a little nervous about the epi, because with Corbin’s birth, it didn’t work at first & I needed re-bolused. I also threw up during the entire labor partially b/c of the anesthesia, but I had no ill effects this time. In fact, I did not throw up one single time during the pregnancy or labor with these twins. I was very lucky.
The nurse had checked me right before the doctor got there, and I was 7-8 cm. When the doc came in minutes later, he checked me not & I was already a good eight.
I was comfortable pretty much the entire time up until I started pushing. I did stall out slightly at 8 cm for a while, so they decided to give me a tiny bit of pitocin to push me over the edge. They okayed it with me first, as I had previously said no pit. I decided that with the rate things were going, it would probably not hurt at all, and it would probably help with the bleeding, as I had two placentas that would need to heal. They started it at a very low rate. Jon talked for a minute with my mother on his cell phone at 6:50 pm. Literally, just as Jon was hanging up on her, the doctor checked me & said, “Oh, there is still a rim there” (referring to my cervix). But he also felt the head move down to +2 at the same time, so he immediately re-checked me & I was fully dilated.
They told me to start pushing & I was totally shocked. It barely registered, but I started pushing as hard as I could right away. I couldn’t make it all the way to ten every time they counted because I was trying hard to use every bit of effort in me to get baby A’s head out. I was, in fact, bearing down so hard on those handlebars that I strained my back pretty badly (realized this the next day).
After about 20-25 minutes of pushing, the doctor said that the head wasn’t budging at all. He asked me if I wanted to be assisted with suctioning & I consented. From there on out, it was much easier.
Cameron Dean was born at 7:19 PM, October 18, 2009
Weight: 5 lbs 14 oz
Length: 18 ¼ inches
Head circumference: 13 ¼ inches
Apgars: 9 & 9
They put him on my belly & I welled up. I was so excited to have successfully delivered him the way that I wanted & that he was finally here! He had a head of dark brown hair. After his initial couple of cries, he was very quiet and calm.
Jameson Richard was born at 7:38 PM, October 18, 2009
Weight: 7 lbs 4.8 oz
Length: 18 ¾ inches
Head circumference: 14 inches
Apgars: 8 & 9
Jameson also had some dark hair, although his had a little bit more of a wave to it & it was not as plentiful as Cameron’s. In contrast to his brother, he screamed the entire hour after his birth. Jon jokingly said that he had poor coping skills.
My birthing experience was just great. I ended up loving the doctor who delivered me & I had an excellent nurse, Kathy, who followed me from triage to delivery & even stayed 45 minutes over her shift to see the delivery through.
We had our first night at home with the twins last night. Although it wasn't easy, it was exciting. I feel very blessed to be the mommy to 3 wonderful, beautiful little boys.
laboring... and updating facebook!
Approximately 7-8 cm dilated
First out: Cameron Dean
With both of the twinkies, Cameron & Jameson
Jameson on the left, Cameron on the right
Jameson
Cameron, winking at ya!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
36 Week Appointment
Well, no babies yet! We got back from the OB appointment rather quickly today. My doc was relatively unimpressed with my progress, but seemed impressed on my ability to carry twins so far!
I am 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. I was expecting a little more b/c I have had bloody show since Sunday night, but no cigar.
I told him that my water broke with Corbin at 37 weeks, when I was 1 1/2 c, dilated and 80% effaced. He said that he imagined that something simliar would happen this time, too. 37 weeks is only 5 days away! At this point, I could realistically go that far!
Likewise, we talked induction this week, too. He said that at my hospital, he can probably get away with inducing after my 38 week appointment... he thinks.
Great grandpa and grandpa came into town this morning to relieve my mother from Corbin-duty for a few days. It's nice, because they will be spending the night. So, if something happens in the middle of the night, we can just take off to the hospital right then. Jon and I both think that I might go this weekend. At this point, I don't really care honestly. I did avoid the one birthdate I didn't want the kids to have (October 13th). It just sounded too omninous, with October being the "spooky" month and the 13th being a supposedly unlucky number. The 20th would also be cool, because then all of the babies would have been born on a Tuesday the 20th!
I am 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. I was expecting a little more b/c I have had bloody show since Sunday night, but no cigar.
I told him that my water broke with Corbin at 37 weeks, when I was 1 1/2 c, dilated and 80% effaced. He said that he imagined that something simliar would happen this time, too. 37 weeks is only 5 days away! At this point, I could realistically go that far!
Likewise, we talked induction this week, too. He said that at my hospital, he can probably get away with inducing after my 38 week appointment... he thinks.
Great grandpa and grandpa came into town this morning to relieve my mother from Corbin-duty for a few days. It's nice, because they will be spending the night. So, if something happens in the middle of the night, we can just take off to the hospital right then. Jon and I both think that I might go this weekend. At this point, I don't really care honestly. I did avoid the one birthdate I didn't want the kids to have (October 13th). It just sounded too omninous, with October being the "spooky" month and the 13th being a supposedly unlucky number. The 20th would also be cool, because then all of the babies would have been born on a Tuesday the 20th!
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