Monday, June 30, 2008
The Day After
I know that this is actually the day after the day after,
but the day after the day after has not really fully happened yet
so there is not much that I can report on that day, which is this day
and so
I instead give an accounting of the day after
(I imply "the day of birth" to be thought by you, the reader,
after the phrase "the day after"
since that is the most significant day to me, the author,
within a spread of a short amount of time before the day of this post)
because there were several significant events of the day after,
wherein:
Haqon's wife teleported;
Baby A imposed her will on her mother;
Fred made his third behind-the-back basket in his life;
(here the author has wickedly introduced a new character
without any preparation for the reader)
Beautiful Rabbit gave a room full of adults the look of doom; and
Baby B gets steak.
Haqon's Wife Teleported
Haqon was "going" as quickly as he could! He had promised to be out before she made it around the corner and to the door while walking her laps. Shake shake shake went the door handle. Haqon laughed, finished and went outside to see his love.
(Dear reader, don't think that Haqon is not hygenic. He did wash his hands, but the author selected to leave that part out of this story in order to be brief. This is especially important to know for the rest of these stories as well, for Haqon has washed and scrubbed his hands hundreds of times in the past days, so much so that his skin is shrinking and tight. I will leave out the instances of hand washing in those stories as well in order to keep the flow of the story going without distracting you, dear reader, with mundane events.)
She was not there. Looking to the left and right and down the hall, Haqon did not see his love there either. Haqon thought about his wife, recovering from being split in the middle with knives, and was amazed that she could move so quickly as to be out of view already. Haqon briskly walked to the next corner and looked, and she was gone. The next corner too! Then Haqon spied a little poochy belly protruding from behind a column. Aha!
Baby A imposed her will on her mother
Baby A is doing great at breastfeeding, but only when she decides it is the right time. When not, she sleeps peacefully despite all poking and prodding. It appears that she will have her father's talent for sleeping through church!
(the hand washing before and after bringing Baby A to her mother were left out as previously discussed, as were the few instances of applying lotion to Haqon's crinkly hands)
Fred made his third behind-the-back basket in his life;
We met several interesting characters at the hospital during our stay, including Painless Peterson, Mumbling D, and Fred. (The hand washing at the meeting of each of these people has been left out for your benefit as promised)
Fred helps the babies in the NICU breath better by tapping on his laptop and teasing the nurses. An excellent job if you ask me. In a moment of zen clarity he also wadded up a paper towel (that he had just used to dry his hands after washing them, which washing is left out as promised even though in this case it seems to be central to the story and there was some deliberation as to the wisdom of making promises before actually executing the final product) and launched it from behind his back, over his head and into a four inch diameter trash receptacle at least twenty-five feet away.
Haqon was amazed and suddenly felt very confident in Fred. Later Fred attempted the same in front of Beautiful Rabbit but missed by a few inches, thus illustrating the difficulty of the trick. However, in this case, Fred had skipped the important hand washing. this may have been the cause of the miss, as hand washing is clearly very important on hospital grounds. (A careful reader will notice that while the author promised to skip instances of hand washing, he made no such promises regarding instances of non-hand washing. Such clever subtleties!)
Beautiful Rabbit gave a room full of adults the look of doom
Through an interesting twist of fate, Beautiful Rabbit was able to come to the hospital and visit much earlier than expected. (Naughty again, the author talks about an interesting twist of fate, but then completely leaves out all the supposed 'interesting' details)
Baby A was asleep, so Beautiful Rabbit was able to watch her in her crib. Then Haqon took Beautiful Rabbit to visit Baby B (the very elaborate hand washing of both Haqon and Beautiful Rabbit is now skipped entirely and without any mention at all).
Baby B was awake and wiggly. Haqon placed Baby in Beautiful Rabbit's arms and Baby soon relaxed. Beautiful Rabbit's face also relaxed into a delighted show of love and soft eyes.
Then, Haqon said it was time to leave, and Beautiful Rabbit ignored him. Fred and Baby B's nurse came to Beautiful Rabbit to help put Baby B back into her crib and Haqon sweetly repeated his notice. Beautiful Rabbit looked up at the approaching adults and her eyes narrowed and her cheeks darkened to grey. Slowly, she shook her head in a clear statement that said, "You will not take her from me; for she is mine and all the power of the world is behind me." (Amazingly, all witnesses have confirmed that her non-verbal statement did include the semi-colon)
Baby B gets steak
A hogla of doctors and other practitioners gathered around Baby B to discuss her vitals and other characteristics. (Once again, much hand washing has been skipped. Also, being unfamiliar with the term "hogla" I have researched the term and determined that the misbehaving author has completely made this term up. It can only be assumed that the term is meant to indicate a gathering of some sort, such as a murder of crow, a herd of cows, and the like. Looking at the extreme proliferation of such varied terms, I expect that the author will claim that he is merely following a well established tradition of english authors just making stuff up when convenient.)
This hogla discussed such at length before determining that the IV feeding for Baby B should be changed to another type. The discussion was conducted in doktor-speak and therefore barely comprehensible. However, in giving a reason for this change, Haqon heard the word "protein." Using finely tuned deductive reasoning, it is clear that Baby B is now getting steak through the IV. When Haqon asked the nurse when she would be able to hunt her food on her own, she stared blankly and then continued explaining something else less important.
P.S. Mother has determined that the contest is null and void and has decided that Baby A will be Angel and Baby B will be Seraphim. Adjectives to come soon!
but the day after the day after has not really fully happened yet
so there is not much that I can report on that day, which is this day
and so
I instead give an accounting of the day after
(I imply "the day of birth" to be thought by you, the reader,
after the phrase "the day after"
since that is the most significant day to me, the author,
within a spread of a short amount of time before the day of this post)
because there were several significant events of the day after,
wherein:
Haqon's wife teleported;
Baby A imposed her will on her mother;
Fred made his third behind-the-back basket in his life;
(here the author has wickedly introduced a new character
without any preparation for the reader)
Beautiful Rabbit gave a room full of adults the look of doom; and
Baby B gets steak.
Haqon's Wife Teleported
Haqon was "going" as quickly as he could! He had promised to be out before she made it around the corner and to the door while walking her laps. Shake shake shake went the door handle. Haqon laughed, finished and went outside to see his love.
(Dear reader, don't think that Haqon is not hygenic. He did wash his hands, but the author selected to leave that part out of this story in order to be brief. This is especially important to know for the rest of these stories as well, for Haqon has washed and scrubbed his hands hundreds of times in the past days, so much so that his skin is shrinking and tight. I will leave out the instances of hand washing in those stories as well in order to keep the flow of the story going without distracting you, dear reader, with mundane events.)
She was not there. Looking to the left and right and down the hall, Haqon did not see his love there either. Haqon thought about his wife, recovering from being split in the middle with knives, and was amazed that she could move so quickly as to be out of view already. Haqon briskly walked to the next corner and looked, and she was gone. The next corner too! Then Haqon spied a little poochy belly protruding from behind a column. Aha!
Baby A imposed her will on her mother
Baby A is doing great at breastfeeding, but only when she decides it is the right time. When not, she sleeps peacefully despite all poking and prodding. It appears that she will have her father's talent for sleeping through church!
(the hand washing before and after bringing Baby A to her mother were left out as previously discussed, as were the few instances of applying lotion to Haqon's crinkly hands)
Fred made his third behind-the-back basket in his life;
We met several interesting characters at the hospital during our stay, including Painless Peterson, Mumbling D, and Fred. (The hand washing at the meeting of each of these people has been left out for your benefit as promised)
Fred helps the babies in the NICU breath better by tapping on his laptop and teasing the nurses. An excellent job if you ask me. In a moment of zen clarity he also wadded up a paper towel (that he had just used to dry his hands after washing them, which washing is left out as promised even though in this case it seems to be central to the story and there was some deliberation as to the wisdom of making promises before actually executing the final product) and launched it from behind his back, over his head and into a four inch diameter trash receptacle at least twenty-five feet away.
Haqon was amazed and suddenly felt very confident in Fred. Later Fred attempted the same in front of Beautiful Rabbit but missed by a few inches, thus illustrating the difficulty of the trick. However, in this case, Fred had skipped the important hand washing. this may have been the cause of the miss, as hand washing is clearly very important on hospital grounds. (A careful reader will notice that while the author promised to skip instances of hand washing, he made no such promises regarding instances of non-hand washing. Such clever subtleties!)
Beautiful Rabbit gave a room full of adults the look of doom
Through an interesting twist of fate, Beautiful Rabbit was able to come to the hospital and visit much earlier than expected. (Naughty again, the author talks about an interesting twist of fate, but then completely leaves out all the supposed 'interesting' details)
Baby A was asleep, so Beautiful Rabbit was able to watch her in her crib. Then Haqon took Beautiful Rabbit to visit Baby B (the very elaborate hand washing of both Haqon and Beautiful Rabbit is now skipped entirely and without any mention at all).
Baby B was awake and wiggly. Haqon placed Baby in Beautiful Rabbit's arms and Baby soon relaxed. Beautiful Rabbit's face also relaxed into a delighted show of love and soft eyes.
Then, Haqon said it was time to leave, and Beautiful Rabbit ignored him. Fred and Baby B's nurse came to Beautiful Rabbit to help put Baby B back into her crib and Haqon sweetly repeated his notice. Beautiful Rabbit looked up at the approaching adults and her eyes narrowed and her cheeks darkened to grey. Slowly, she shook her head in a clear statement that said, "You will not take her from me; for she is mine and all the power of the world is behind me." (Amazingly, all witnesses have confirmed that her non-verbal statement did include the semi-colon)
Baby B gets steak
A hogla of doctors and other practitioners gathered around Baby B to discuss her vitals and other characteristics. (Once again, much hand washing has been skipped. Also, being unfamiliar with the term "hogla" I have researched the term and determined that the misbehaving author has completely made this term up. It can only be assumed that the term is meant to indicate a gathering of some sort, such as a murder of crow, a herd of cows, and the like. Looking at the extreme proliferation of such varied terms, I expect that the author will claim that he is merely following a well established tradition of english authors just making stuff up when convenient.)
This hogla discussed such at length before determining that the IV feeding for Baby B should be changed to another type. The discussion was conducted in doktor-speak and therefore barely comprehensible. However, in giving a reason for this change, Haqon heard the word "protein." Using finely tuned deductive reasoning, it is clear that Baby B is now getting steak through the IV. When Haqon asked the nurse when she would be able to hunt her food on her own, she stared blankly and then continued explaining something else less important.
P.S. Mother has determined that the contest is null and void and has decided that Baby A will be Angel and Baby B will be Seraphim. Adjectives to come soon!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Oooo ooo ooooooo, Baby baby
After a quick surgery, out comes Baby A and a minute later, Baby B. Both pinked up quickly and are doing well. They weigh 4lbs13oz and 4lbs7oz, respectively. Mother is doing well too and sleeping while her devoted husband craftily hacks her account and leaves a message for you!
Even more wise and clever - he begins a competition to select internet names for his Geminic Daughters. From the names below, choose how these girls will be known across the Virtual Multiverse. Be quick, for when Mother awakes, I suspect we must have completed our contest!
Thing One and Thing Two
The Twin Blades of Destiny
Silent E and Implied Subject
Glorious Dread Spawn of Haqon
Humming Bird and Flying Butter
Tiny Pigeon and the Stowaway
These names have been selected by a rigorous process designed to select only the best possible names considering all known factors and permutations. Accordingly, it is mathematically impossible for Mother to come up with better names than those listed. Thus, you can feel confident that by voting you are helping her despite anything she later posts to the contrary.
Thanks to everybody for being so helpful and supportive. We love you.
-Haqon
Even more wise and clever - he begins a competition to select internet names for his Geminic Daughters. From the names below, choose how these girls will be known across the Virtual Multiverse. Be quick, for when Mother awakes, I suspect we must have completed our contest!
Thing One and Thing Two
The Twin Blades of Destiny
Silent E and Implied Subject
Glorious Dread Spawn of Haqon
Humming Bird and Flying Butter
Tiny Pigeon and the Stowaway
These names have been selected by a rigorous process designed to select only the best possible names considering all known factors and permutations. Accordingly, it is mathematically impossible for Mother to come up with better names than those listed. Thus, you can feel confident that by voting you are helping her despite anything she later posts to the contrary.
Thanks to everybody for being so helpful and supportive. We love you.
-Haqon
Friday, June 27, 2008
Hospital - Day 41
c-section re-scheduled for Saturday at noon :)
Room opened up in the nicu/picu and they've reserved it for my lil girls :)
Room opened up in the nicu/picu and they've reserved it for my lil girls :)
40 Days and 40 Nights...
I'm glad there's no smelly animals....though, I do miss my family something awful!
Sexy Haqon stayed with me several hours yesterday. It was nice just to be with him for a while :)
I'm feeling rather deflated - not literally, unfortunately. I was so excited...and now I'm just not. I can't wait for today to be over. I hadn't realized how helpful it'd been to erase one of those chalk marks each day.
Sexy Haqon keeps pointing out silver linings. There are lots of them. It's good. I don't remember when Haqon became a silver lining kind of guy but I really appreciate it.
Thank you for all your prayers and good thoughts.
Sexy Haqon stayed with me several hours yesterday. It was nice just to be with him for a while :)
I'm feeling rather deflated - not literally, unfortunately. I was so excited...and now I'm just not. I can't wait for today to be over. I hadn't realized how helpful it'd been to erase one of those chalk marks each day.
Sexy Haqon keeps pointing out silver linings. There are lots of them. It's good. I don't remember when Haqon became a silver lining kind of guy but I really appreciate it.
Thank you for all your prayers and good thoughts.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Hospital - Day 40 - No Room at the Inn!!
The C-section has been postponed.
After I'd been fasting for 12 hours, they told me there's absolutely no room in the nicu's. So, they won't let me have my babies today. It might be tonight....or tomorrow...or the day after that...
We just have to wait for some spaces to open up. So, I'm all packed up with no where to go. Kinda disappointed - I was so excited! But I guess the girls needed a bit longer to grow a bit bigger.
more later :)
After I'd been fasting for 12 hours, they told me there's absolutely no room in the nicu's. So, they won't let me have my babies today. It might be tonight....or tomorrow...or the day after that...
We just have to wait for some spaces to open up. So, I'm all packed up with no where to go. Kinda disappointed - I was so excited! But I guess the girls needed a bit longer to grow a bit bigger.
more later :)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hospital - Day 39
2 little monkeys swinging from a tree
teasing Mr. Alligator
"can't catch me, no you can't catch me!"
Along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and SNAPPED that monkey right out of that tree!
1 little monkey swing from a tree......
Just one left!!!!! YAY!!!!
teasing Mr. Alligator
"can't catch me, no you can't catch me!"
Along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and SNAPPED that monkey right out of that tree!
1 little monkey swing from a tree......
Just one left!!!!! YAY!!!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Hospital - Day 38
BabyB had a really low baseline heartbeat tonight on her NST. So, the doctor had the nurses put me back on the NST for another hour. BabyB's heartbeat was still within the normal range, it was just as low as it could go and still be normal so they wanted to double check. She had tons of accelerations, so they finally decided she must be OK.
I'm sleepy, but glad to know the girls are OK.
I'm sleepy, but glad to know the girls are OK.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Hospital - Day 37
Watch me: Twilight trailer
Song I can't get out of my head today: Lit - Miserable
3 days left :)
The one guy from food services who actually brings you exactly what you order is back. (I hate it when he takes the weekend off!) So, my food'll be what I want this week. yay!
My mommy brought me muesli for breakfast - yay :) It's really yummy and you don't actually need a recipe. It's one of those throw everything together and tweak for taste meals.
My nurses have started stopping in to say goodbye at the end of their shift - the ones who only work weekends. A few even cried. It made me feel like a lost puppy or wild animal that someone had taken in and nursed back to health and then had to return to it's real owner or release it back into the wild. I try not to be a bother, so it's nice that people are gonna miss me instead of being excited for me to leave...hehe :)
One of my hca's always calls me "my dear" which (for reasons unknown) I really like. Each of my nurses seem to have something that I really like - fun to chat with or always remembers to keep my cup full of ice, or guards my door so I can get some sleep, or really good at the NSTs.
ok, time for my nap. I hope ya'll are having a great day :) thanks for reading!
Song I can't get out of my head today: Lit - Miserable
3 days left :)
The one guy from food services who actually brings you exactly what you order is back. (I hate it when he takes the weekend off!) So, my food'll be what I want this week. yay!
My mommy brought me muesli for breakfast - yay :) It's really yummy and you don't actually need a recipe. It's one of those throw everything together and tweak for taste meals.
My nurses have started stopping in to say goodbye at the end of their shift - the ones who only work weekends. A few even cried. It made me feel like a lost puppy or wild animal that someone had taken in and nursed back to health and then had to return to it's real owner or release it back into the wild. I try not to be a bother, so it's nice that people are gonna miss me instead of being excited for me to leave...hehe :)
One of my hca's always calls me "my dear" which (for reasons unknown) I really like. Each of my nurses seem to have something that I really like - fun to chat with or always remembers to keep my cup full of ice, or guards my door so I can get some sleep, or really good at the NSTs.
ok, time for my nap. I hope ya'll are having a great day :) thanks for reading!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Morality is Relative?
Over and over, Strong Bear accused Beautiful Rabbit of being "evil." Finally, she said, "Fine, I'm evil!"
Strong Bear scrunched his face and said, "I'm evil too."
Strong Bear scrunched his face and said, "I'm evil too."
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Hospital - Day 35
Today was whack!!...hehe
So, my Beautiful Rabbit threw up last night and didn't get to come spend the day with me. We chatted over the internet a bit and sent each other links. That was fun.
Sexy Haqon's tummy wasn't feeling great either...so I didn't get to see my family at all.
I had to post pone 2 visits and a web-cam chat cuz I was feeling so icky.
Icky meaning contractions. Stupid fake contractions that kept me in bed all day but didn't make them cut me open early - yay. They were about 10 minutes apart pretty much all day long.....but still didn't manage to do anything to get the babies out.
The twins need to stay in for a few more days. I think it's my tummy that's starting to longingly think of having them out already.
The weekend is passing much more slowly without my family to keep me company....but it's still passing...and it'll all be over soon.
So, my Beautiful Rabbit threw up last night and didn't get to come spend the day with me. We chatted over the internet a bit and sent each other links. That was fun.
Sexy Haqon's tummy wasn't feeling great either...so I didn't get to see my family at all.
I had to post pone 2 visits and a web-cam chat cuz I was feeling so icky.
Icky meaning contractions. Stupid fake contractions that kept me in bed all day but didn't make them cut me open early - yay. They were about 10 minutes apart pretty much all day long.....but still didn't manage to do anything to get the babies out.
The twins need to stay in for a few more days. I think it's my tummy that's starting to longingly think of having them out already.
The weekend is passing much more slowly without my family to keep me company....but it's still passing...and it'll all be over soon.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Hospital - Day 34
Only 6 days to go!
I'm glad Beautiful Rabbit is coming to sleep over Saturday night. We need each other. I think my family is pretty much crazy from Mom being gone so long. It'll be nice to go home and the end is in sight! I hope and pray my family can hold out til then ;)
I'm 1/3 the way finished with baby-blanket-#2. I better step up the pace.
So if you have to have a c-section, try to get it scheduled for early morning. Mine isn't til almost noon...and I can't eat anything after midnight the night before. ...not even water or ice chips.
>cultural experience (that dance crew show).
Ok, last week we learned: bad="that was whack"
this week we learned: good="that was sick" and "you freaked the audience"
try to keep it straight ;)
I'm glad Beautiful Rabbit is coming to sleep over Saturday night. We need each other. I think my family is pretty much crazy from Mom being gone so long. It'll be nice to go home and the end is in sight! I hope and pray my family can hold out til then ;)
I'm 1/3 the way finished with baby-blanket-#2. I better step up the pace.
So if you have to have a c-section, try to get it scheduled for early morning. Mine isn't til almost noon...and I can't eat anything after midnight the night before. ...not even water or ice chips.
>cultural experience (that dance crew show).
Ok, last week we learned: bad="that was whack"
this week we learned: good="that was sick" and "you freaked the audience"
try to keep it straight ;)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Hospital - Day 33
In the middle of my afternoon NST I realized, 'a week from right now, I'll have 2 new beautiful yet tiny baby girls :)'.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Hospital - Day 32
My favorite NST gal went on vacation today. awwww man! She went to play in San Fran and won't be back until after I deliver.
The twins, taking pity on the substitute, have been angels for their NSTs. I'm back to sitting up during the test - yay!
My night time NST was late. I guess for some reason my test was lower priority than several moms on the floor who were bleeding :P. I guess I can see that. I wish they'd had time (5 minutes) to start the test cuz I can usually do all the needed adjustments myself. They got really busy after they put me on and didn't have time to take me off until midnight. (30 minutes longer than I needed to be on.) But again, the twins were very nice during the test and passed beautifully.
Whenever they're late starting my test, I'm always tempted to do it myself. The machine is just sitting there in my room...and I've seen it done about 100 times--often helping them find the babies. I haven't tried it yet. I don't know if they'd be relieved or upset....hehe
The twins, taking pity on the substitute, have been angels for their NSTs. I'm back to sitting up during the test - yay!
My night time NST was late. I guess for some reason my test was lower priority than several moms on the floor who were bleeding :P. I guess I can see that. I wish they'd had time (5 minutes) to start the test cuz I can usually do all the needed adjustments myself. They got really busy after they put me on and didn't have time to take me off until midnight. (30 minutes longer than I needed to be on.) But again, the twins were very nice during the test and passed beautifully.
Whenever they're late starting my test, I'm always tempted to do it myself. The machine is just sitting there in my room...and I've seen it done about 100 times--often helping them find the babies. I haven't tried it yet. I don't know if they'd be relieved or upset....hehe
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Hospital - Day 31
I spent most my morning recovering from last night. They were a nurse short last night. They weren't able to start my 3rd NST until 10:15pm! (They're supposed to start it by 9pm) BabyA is in a really weird position - it's hard to keep her on the monitors and get a good strip. Usually my NST lasts an hour, but last night they had to keep me on for 2 hours because they were too busy to sit in my room and hold the monitor on BabyA for the whole hour PLUS she was moving all over the place. It was 12:30am before they finished the test. The strip was really patchy and full of question marks (it prints ???'s when it thinks both monitors are picking up the same baby.)
For both the NSTs today, they had me laying down instead of sitting up. They put all sorts of pillows under and around me to make sure I wasn't laying flat on my back (bad for blood circulation to the babies). I felt like one of those really, really, really fat people who can't sit up in bed without the help of a crane. It was also harder to breath-I guess the girls were squishing my diaphram.
But all the uncomfortableness paid off - both girls were well behaved for the NSTs. They had great accelerations and no decels - yay :)
9 days left.....
For both the NSTs today, they had me laying down instead of sitting up. They put all sorts of pillows under and around me to make sure I wasn't laying flat on my back (bad for blood circulation to the babies). I felt like one of those really, really, really fat people who can't sit up in bed without the help of a crane. It was also harder to breath-I guess the girls were squishing my diaphram.
But all the uncomfortableness paid off - both girls were well behaved for the NSTs. They had great accelerations and no decels - yay :)
9 days left.....
Monday, June 16, 2008
Introductions are always in order
Strong Bear has discovered the art of introductions. When somebody comes into a room, he introduces them to the people in the room. It is very endearing and brought a big smile to his grandmother when he said, "This is my friend, gamma."
Hospital - Day 30
30 days! I've been here a whole month!!
Ok, so I've been watching a show called Randy Jackson's American Dance Crew. Think dance crews of 7 doing mostly hip-hop. 3 judges - just like American Idol....one of the crews gets knocked out.
So...all the judges talk like Randy Jackson...only more so. So the judges say their piece and I still have no clue if the judges liked them or not. I think "that was whack" is bad. "Hot" and "Real" seem to be good.
The Jabbawockeez (also here) won season 1.
Ok, so I've been watching a show called Randy Jackson's American Dance Crew. Think dance crews of 7 doing mostly hip-hop. 3 judges - just like American Idol....one of the crews gets knocked out.
So...all the judges talk like Randy Jackson...only more so. So the judges say their piece and I still have no clue if the judges liked them or not. I think "that was whack" is bad. "Hot" and "Real" seem to be good.
The Jabbawockeez (also here) won season 1.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hospital - Day 29
Happy Fathers' Day!!My Beautiful Rabbit brought 5 special rocks with her this weekend. She told me what she liked about each one and showed me how some of them look different when they're wet. Just before she left, she let me pick one to keep to remind me of her.
I choose this one. I like the way it fits in my hand. When I hold it, I think of Beautiful Rabbit and how much she loves me. It's like having a hug and a kiss I can keep close to me forever. I like the weight and the smoothness. When I start to feel sad or alone, I just hold or squeeze it and I start to feel loved and all better. Thank you, sweet girl :)
Today was my favorite visit so far. No poopies to make my family need to leave early.... Even though we stayed in my room, the kids stayed out of trouble, mostly shared, and actually let me have some adult conversations with Sexy Haqon. It's nice to talk about stuff other than diapers and snacktime once in a while....
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Hospital - Day 28
My family came to visit me today - yay!! I cried when they left.....big, body shaking tears. I blame hormones. It was goofy since Rabbit is staying over night...and the family will be back tomorrow.
Beautiful Rabbit held me and hugged me and comforted me. She said wonderful things like "it's ok" "I'm still here" "they'll be back soon" "We love you".....I should've been comforting her! She did an excellent job. (She'd say it's because she has empathy - which she's not fond of because she doesn't like feeling other people's sadness)
The tears soon dried and we spent wonderful hours together. My energy level was low, so we ended up mostly talking and playing word games in my room. I adore her! I hope we can continue to have "sleepovers" after I come home. Sexy Haqon left us with a bucket from KFC. Yum!
Beautiful Rabbit held me and hugged me and comforted me. She said wonderful things like "it's ok" "I'm still here" "they'll be back soon" "We love you".....I should've been comforting her! She did an excellent job. (She'd say it's because she has empathy - which she's not fond of because she doesn't like feeling other people's sadness)
The tears soon dried and we spent wonderful hours together. My energy level was low, so we ended up mostly talking and playing word games in my room. I adore her! I hope we can continue to have "sleepovers" after I come home. Sexy Haqon left us with a bucket from KFC. Yum!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Hospital - Day 27
It's been a while.....so here's my tummy picture. I'll try to remember to get one of me hooked up to my NST.BabyA is on the right and BabyB is on the left. They're both head down (lots of pressure!!). Their hands and feet are together (the better to practice H2HC (hand to hand combat!). Lately they like to push my stomach so I am full after just a few bites...and then starving 30 minutes later. Yes, Rabbit, BabyA has discovered the wonderful pillowy softness of my bladder.
/afk potty break :p
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hospital - Day 26
About this time each week, I start longing for the weekend....when Strong Bear and Delightful Finch will start searching my room for hidden (and not so hidden) snacks and drinks. Cereal, cookies, rolls, fruit, and esp drinks.When they come at dinner time, they end up eating half my dinner despite having their own sacks from Wendy's. I can't bring myself to say no. I think they feel it's important to share mommy's food. and I can always grab cereal from the kitchen if I'm still hungry after dinner.
My nurse switched out Beautiful Rabbit's cot for me. The old one was really old and had to be uncomfortable to sleep on. This one has a new mattress that should be a lot better. Rabbit stayed home from school sick today. Her tummy seems to have settled, and I'm pretty sure she'll still be able to stay over Saturday night. Whew! I really look forward to having her over. It makes my weekends so much nicer (and faster).
The day I left for the hospital, Beautiful Rabbit kept giving me more and more hugs and didn't want me to go. I told her that when I came home, the twins would be born...and wouldn't be in my tummy any more. She let go of me so she could jump up and down and squeal. I am excited to see the twins....but I'm just as excited to tell my family, "Mommy's coming home with you!".
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Hospital - Day 25
I like Wednesdays because my perinatalogist works in other clinics on Mondays and Tuesdays. Other docs from his office take care of me while he's gone, but I save all my really good questions for Wednesdays. Today I fell asleep waiting for him to stop in. So, when he came, I was zonked. He knows how often my sleep gets interrupted...so he decided to just come back later. I was impatient waiting for him to come back after his clinic hours....As always, he answered all my questions and reassured me that everything is going well.
Everything is going well.
I managed to sneak in a shower right before my night-time NST. I have a chair in the shower to help me not pass out while I'm showering. It's nice to feel all clean. ....even if they had to put gel on my tummy 20 minutes later for my NST.
Everything feels kinda blah lately. It's not that I'm depressed as much as it's just hard to find things to be happy about. I guess my hospital room is bigger than my college dorm rooms....but the dorm was (of course) way more fun....and not so lonely....and I could leave every day. I guess that's the part that makes it feel less like a home and more like a prison....esp when my family is walking towards the elevators after a visit and I have to waddle back to my room.
Everything is going well.
I managed to sneak in a shower right before my night-time NST. I have a chair in the shower to help me not pass out while I'm showering. It's nice to feel all clean. ....even if they had to put gel on my tummy 20 minutes later for my NST.
Everything feels kinda blah lately. It's not that I'm depressed as much as it's just hard to find things to be happy about. I guess my hospital room is bigger than my college dorm rooms....but the dorm was (of course) way more fun....and not so lonely....and I could leave every day. I guess that's the part that makes it feel less like a home and more like a prison....esp when my family is walking towards the elevators after a visit and I have to waddle back to my room.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Hospital - Day 24
I took an Ambien last night to help me sleep. I slept great, but woke up with a terrible headache. It got worse and worse--napping didn't even help. I finally asked for some Tylenol.
Now you'd think Tylenol would be pretty easy to get in a hospital. ..and you'd be mistaken! Apparently, a headache is one of the early signs of preeclamsia. (Which I do NOT have, thankfully). Still, everyone was very cautious. They did various tests including blood pressure - normal, and checking for swelling - normal. They looked closely at the twin's last 3 NSTs - which were pretty much ideal. Finally they decided it was just a headache and OK'd the Tylenol. About an hour after I asked, they let me have some Tylenol. (pretty fast, really....just not as fast as I am at home ;))
Another nap and 2 hours later, the headache was worse! more tests...they gave me something a little stronger. They decided I had a tension headache (what me stressed??)....the new medicine had something in it that opens your blood vessels which helps your muscles relax. Thankfully this medicine completely stomped out my headache - yay :)
The next set of tests were going to be more invasive - drawing blood and checking my cervix. So, I'm even more happy that my headache is gone. I think I'm done with Ambien....(though it probably didn't actually cause my headache.) I'm tired enough all the time anyway, I shouldn't really need a sleep aide. I only asked for it because I had so much on my mind I didn't think I'd be able to sleep. (thus the tension headache....??)
Anyway, at some point during all this Sexy Haqon found out I was having a rough day. He immediately arranged things so he could drop by after work because he's just sweet like that. It really helped to have him here. I think that we were just NOT meant to be apart like this. It was nice to be with him and get lots of hugs. I love you, Boy :)
Now you'd think Tylenol would be pretty easy to get in a hospital. ..and you'd be mistaken! Apparently, a headache is one of the early signs of preeclamsia. (Which I do NOT have, thankfully). Still, everyone was very cautious. They did various tests including blood pressure - normal, and checking for swelling - normal. They looked closely at the twin's last 3 NSTs - which were pretty much ideal. Finally they decided it was just a headache and OK'd the Tylenol. About an hour after I asked, they let me have some Tylenol. (pretty fast, really....just not as fast as I am at home ;))
Another nap and 2 hours later, the headache was worse! more tests...they gave me something a little stronger. They decided I had a tension headache (what me stressed??)....the new medicine had something in it that opens your blood vessels which helps your muscles relax. Thankfully this medicine completely stomped out my headache - yay :)
The next set of tests were going to be more invasive - drawing blood and checking my cervix. So, I'm even more happy that my headache is gone. I think I'm done with Ambien....(though it probably didn't actually cause my headache.) I'm tired enough all the time anyway, I shouldn't really need a sleep aide. I only asked for it because I had so much on my mind I didn't think I'd be able to sleep. (thus the tension headache....??)
Anyway, at some point during all this Sexy Haqon found out I was having a rough day. He immediately arranged things so he could drop by after work because he's just sweet like that. It really helped to have him here. I think that we were just NOT meant to be apart like this. It was nice to be with him and get lots of hugs. I love you, Boy :)
Monday, June 9, 2008
Hospital - Day 23
They checked for growth on the twin's ultrasound today.
BabyA=3lbs12oz
BabyB=3lbs8oz
Back when I thought the twins would be born at 32 weeks (which would be this thursday), I'd been hoping and praying that they'd be atleast 3.5lbs. So, I am delighted with their weights. They should be atleast 4.5lbs when they're born at 34 weeks. Yay!
BabyA will have a good chance of a short NICU stay...or maybe she won't need the NICU and will get to room with me like a full term baby :) BabyB, of course, will be transfered over to the PICU to prepare for her surgery.
I'm very happy with the way things are going with the twins so far :) Thank you for your support and prayers.
Ooooh, they also showed me on the ultrasound - both babies will be born with hair. They wouldn't tell me what color it is, though ;)
BabyA=3lbs12oz
BabyB=3lbs8oz
Back when I thought the twins would be born at 32 weeks (which would be this thursday), I'd been hoping and praying that they'd be atleast 3.5lbs. So, I am delighted with their weights. They should be atleast 4.5lbs when they're born at 34 weeks. Yay!
BabyA will have a good chance of a short NICU stay...or maybe she won't need the NICU and will get to room with me like a full term baby :) BabyB, of course, will be transfered over to the PICU to prepare for her surgery.
I'm very happy with the way things are going with the twins so far :) Thank you for your support and prayers.
Ooooh, they also showed me on the ultrasound - both babies will be born with hair. They wouldn't tell me what color it is, though ;)
Perspective
Strong Bear pulled a banana from the bunch. He turned to me, holding his banana with both of his hands face up. "Daddy, look. This is a beautiful 'nana."
Saturday, June 7, 2008
FYI
After a long break, there's a new post on the "Me and My Family Blog". Go check it out. (Link also listed on left side of my blog under "Links".
:)
:)
Hospital - Day 21
My wonderful family came to see me in prison er...the hospital today. Beautiful Rabbit hid in my room when it was time to go - YAY!! So, she's staying the night with me :) (yes, it was planned). When it was time to go, Daddy told Bear to give Mommy hugs.
So, I got a huge Bear-hug and then Strong Bear asked, "Do you want to come with us, Mommy?" I really did! But instead I explained that I needed to stay at the hospital. He nodded his head and then asked "Do you want to come with us, Mommy?" He asked me 3 times before they left. He was really sweet about it, and a little hesitant to walk away this time.
I'm coming home soon, sweeties - hang in there...just a bit longer.
So, I got a huge Bear-hug and then Strong Bear asked, "Do you want to come with us, Mommy?" I really did! But instead I explained that I needed to stay at the hospital. He nodded his head and then asked "Do you want to come with us, Mommy?" He asked me 3 times before they left. He was really sweet about it, and a little hesitant to walk away this time.
I'm coming home soon, sweeties - hang in there...just a bit longer.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Hospital - Day 19
31 weeks along today - yay :) If it weren't for BabyB's heart problem, they'd want to take the babies out at 32 weeks....just 7 days from now. I don't know why that makes me feel like the end is near, but it does :) As it is, I've 3 weeks 'til I can see my cute lil identical daughters!
Today for lunch they were bringing me a bowl of minestrone soup and half a sandwhich. I canceled the soup and asked for a whole sandwhich instead. Something got crossed somewhere and I ended up with just chips and drinks. Doh! Usually Mr. B takes care of food orders for my floor. You can tell it's his day off...hehe. I finally got my sandwhich...but they used american cheese instead of swiss cheese. not quite the same. Mr. B'll be back tomorrow - yay :)
Today for lunch they were bringing me a bowl of minestrone soup and half a sandwhich. I canceled the soup and asked for a whole sandwhich instead. Something got crossed somewhere and I ended up with just chips and drinks. Doh! Usually Mr. B takes care of food orders for my floor. You can tell it's his day off...hehe. I finally got my sandwhich...but they used american cheese instead of swiss cheese. not quite the same. Mr. B'll be back tomorrow - yay :)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Hospital - Day 18
I met another mom in the NST room. She seemed really nice. Then we discovered we're neighbors :) A few hours later she sent over some flowers. I guess she was checking out and decided not to take the flowers home with her. Anyway, it was really nice of her. I went over to thank her, but she was already gone.
I had lunch with a Mom who's 28 weeks along. She's on bedrest, so I don't get to see her very often. It was nice to visit her in her room. She had drawings all over the wall that her kids had made for her. We're both using the same color (pink!) for our baby blankets. (yes, I'm once again attempting to finish a crocheting project. ...baby blankets are easy, right?...???)
The twins did well on the NSTs today. They were very active and it was hard to keep them on the monitors...and then they'd fall asleep. Nice that they don't move around so much when they're asleep, but they don't do any accelerations either. They don't sleep very long, though. And when one wakes up, she usually wakes up the other. It's cute that they already have fun playing together. Sometimes it seems like they can understand what we're talking about. heheh
The kids at home are starting to adjust to new Grandma and Grandpa. Yesterday was hard, but I hear they're doing better today.
I had lunch with a Mom who's 28 weeks along. She's on bedrest, so I don't get to see her very often. It was nice to visit her in her room. She had drawings all over the wall that her kids had made for her. We're both using the same color (pink!) for our baby blankets. (yes, I'm once again attempting to finish a crocheting project. ...baby blankets are easy, right?...???)
The twins did well on the NSTs today. They were very active and it was hard to keep them on the monitors...and then they'd fall asleep. Nice that they don't move around so much when they're asleep, but they don't do any accelerations either. They don't sleep very long, though. And when one wakes up, she usually wakes up the other. It's cute that they already have fun playing together. Sometimes it seems like they can understand what we're talking about. heheh
The kids at home are starting to adjust to new Grandma and Grandpa. Yesterday was hard, but I hear they're doing better today.
Hospital - Day 17
I started feeling cramps during my afternoon NST....then I started feeling contractions with them. I went back to my room and took a nap. To my great surprise, I still had the cramps & contractions when I woke up. My nurse hooked me up to the NST for monitoring. The doctor checked my cervix - I wasn't dilating. They finally gave me some Tylenol which helped with the crampiness. I continued having contractions every 8ish minutes until I fell asleep around midnight.
The next morning my cramps were lighter and I'd gone back to having contractions that I don't feel. They're watching me closely, but I think everything's OK.
The only thing weird is that my stomach feels really tense and tight. I wonder if one of the girls has her feet jammed into it. It's making it hard to feel like eating.
The next morning my cramps were lighter and I'd gone back to having contractions that I don't feel. They're watching me closely, but I think everything's OK.
The only thing weird is that my stomach feels really tense and tight. I wonder if one of the girls has her feet jammed into it. It's making it hard to feel like eating.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hospital - Day 16
My insurance, after speaking with my doctor and reviewing the Heyborne study, has generously agreed to continue to cover my inpatient care. Everyone told me not to worry ....but it was too hard. But now I'm really happy - such a relief :)
The Heyborne study is like a trump card for monoamniotic/monochorionic(momo) moms. It's goal was to find the optimal care for momo patients. It compared inpatient care to outpatient care. In a nutshell, there were zero fetal deaths in the inpatient care side and 40% fetal deaths on the outpatient side. Also, the inpatient group tended to carry their babies closer to term resulting in shorter nicu stays and better overall health for the babies.
As my tummy gets bigger and bigger, I can't help but imagine what it was like back in the days when you found out you were having twins when the second baby was born. !!! People still managed to have twins, but my twins wouldn't have been ok. Even having the technology to be aware of BabyB's heart defect before birth has been a blessing.
The Heyborne study is like a trump card for monoamniotic/monochorionic(momo) moms. It's goal was to find the optimal care for momo patients. It compared inpatient care to outpatient care. In a nutshell, there were zero fetal deaths in the inpatient care side and 40% fetal deaths on the outpatient side. Also, the inpatient group tended to carry their babies closer to term resulting in shorter nicu stays and better overall health for the babies.
As my tummy gets bigger and bigger, I can't help but imagine what it was like back in the days when you found out you were having twins when the second baby was born. !!! People still managed to have twins, but my twins wouldn't have been ok. Even having the technology to be aware of BabyB's heart defect before birth has been a blessing.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Hospital - Day 15
Beautiful Rabbit and I used to have tea parties together....with herbal tea and tiny sandwiches and fancy cookies. I miss those tea parties. Happily, we were able to spend lots of time together this weekend. She quickly learned that it's way too easy to trick Mommy right now. She decided this is because I've given half of my brain to the twins so they'll be really smart. I miss her. She's sweet and smart and loving - she makes me happy just by being by me.
I'm happy that it's June. June 26th is the birthday we're going for with the twins. That puts them right at 34 weeks. After that the risks are too high to keep them in. Please keep praying for us :)
I'm grateful for the fan my HCA brought me today. It was sooooooo hot today I couldn't keep my eyes open. Yes, they have a/c...it was just struggling today. Also, I'm used to 68 degrees at night...and they like to have it around 72 degrees at night.
I'm happy that it's June. June 26th is the birthday we're going for with the twins. That puts them right at 34 weeks. After that the risks are too high to keep them in. Please keep praying for us :)
I'm grateful for the fan my HCA brought me today. It was sooooooo hot today I couldn't keep my eyes open. Yes, they have a/c...it was just struggling today. Also, I'm used to 68 degrees at night...and they like to have it around 72 degrees at night.
Hospital - Day 14 (tips and tricks)
If you're going to be in the hospital for a long time.....
1. Bring a laptop
2. Don't be afraid to tell them no
3. If something annoys you, mention it to your doctor
4. Visitors make long days shorter and happier (especially your hunny)
5. Bring big pictures of your family
6. Be nice to the nurses - try to remember their names - they'll keep you from going crazy
7. Don't be shy about pushing the call button if you need something
8. The resident doctors will leave different orders than your doctor -- if you want something done differently, talk to your doctor.
9. If nothing on the menu sounds good, ask "What else can I have?"
10. You don't need to send your laundry home - they've a washing machine (and internet) on the floor.
11. Sleep when you can - ask your nurse to put a Do Not Disturb sign on your door.
12. Make something or get a plant to care for - something that'll change a bit every day
13. Chalk marks on the wall for each day you have left kinda makes you feel like you're in jail....but it's still nice to see the number of marks going down.
14. If you're not on bedrest, find out where the snack room is so you can get your own ice and snacks.
1. Bring a laptop
2. Don't be afraid to tell them no
3. If something annoys you, mention it to your doctor
4. Visitors make long days shorter and happier (especially your hunny)
5. Bring big pictures of your family
6. Be nice to the nurses - try to remember their names - they'll keep you from going crazy
7. Don't be shy about pushing the call button if you need something
8. The resident doctors will leave different orders than your doctor -- if you want something done differently, talk to your doctor.
9. If nothing on the menu sounds good, ask "What else can I have?"
10. You don't need to send your laundry home - they've a washing machine (and internet) on the floor.
11. Sleep when you can - ask your nurse to put a Do Not Disturb sign on your door.
12. Make something or get a plant to care for - something that'll change a bit every day
13. Chalk marks on the wall for each day you have left kinda makes you feel like you're in jail....but it's still nice to see the number of marks going down.
14. If you're not on bedrest, find out where the snack room is so you can get your own ice and snacks.
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