Ella -- kicked back on the boppy -- just chillin !!!

Ella and Yanming (my dads wife) -- she left today and we miss her. She was such a huge help while she was here cooking and holding the babies. We will miss everything but her preserved duck egg and tofu salad !!! Thank you for everything Yanming.

Ella -- holding onto to her bottle. She started out a bit sluggish in the food department but she has caught up on her eating. As you can see here once you give her the bottle of breast milk -- IT'S HERS !!!

Edie relaxing while her sister enjoyed the above photo shoot.

Both girls are doing well. CUTE CUTE CUTE !!! They are up 2 times each night -- some nights they stay awake longer than others but for the most part we are getting a semi reasonable amount of sleep -- considering. Never more than 2.5 hours at a time though !!!

Does it get any cuter????

Edie having her first bath. She was less fond of it than her sister!

Another one of Edie in the bath

Ella (aka little monkey) LOVED having a bath -- so much so that when we took her out and wrapped her in a towel -- she pooped all over it.

Daddy -- doing what he does best.

Edie loves her daddy !!!

Ella donning her bored look.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -- Ellas tiny lips -- too much sunlight behind her but you get the idea.

Edie -- tired after a long night. They had a party at their crib!!!

Perfect little angels !!!

Can you believe that at only 11 days old our sweet little angels only wake up one time per night?

Does it count that they happen to stay awake from 1 am to about 4 am???

It's a race

We had a doctors appointment for both girls this morning and everything looks GREAT. Each baby gained 6 ounces since last seen. Edie is back to her birthweight of 6 pound even and Ella is an ounce over hers at 4 pounds 11 ounces.
They both have grown quite fond of eating -- Edie seems to grab onto the nipple ring and hold on for dear life as she eats (we are still pumping and feeding). Ella has gone from a pokey slug to a semi vigorous eater and she has about doubled the amount she eats per feeding.
All is well in the wonderful world of Edie and Ella -- mommy and daddy are great, well rested (sort of) but only because we have a helper this week. My dads wife YanMing is staying with us until next Sunday -- she cooks great and loves doing it so this has saved us quite a bit!!!
Pictures will come soon -- I know that's what everyone wants anyway !!

Pictures as promised !!!

This pose was NOT staged -- just natural sisterly love.

Ella and mommy who is in desperate need of some highlights. I have managed to find time to shower every day but usually run out of time before getting a chance to brush my hair after washing it. That's ok because cleans beats beauty these days.

Little chimichangas -- Ella showing off her NICU IV scar/bruise -- bless her little heart

Close up of the chimicangas

Edie in a milk coma !!! She doesn't get the formula anymore thank goodness -- nursing isn't as easy as it looks in the movies folks.

Edie, Daddy and the Alabama Aunties!!!

Quick update

Sorry folks -- no pictures today. I have a few that I will upload soon. Just wanted to give a quick update while babies are asleep.

It is great fun to have both babies home. Quite a bit of stress was lifted when we no longer had to haul Edie back and forth to the hospital a couple times per day to see her sister. Fortunately our NICU stay was short lived -- there are a few babies who have been and will be there much longer than us. It was still hard to leave the little monkey there and we are glad to have her here with us.

So far we have learned:

Edie
is a foodie -- she wants her breast milk when she wants it and not a second later
even at 5 pounds 10 ounces looks like a sumo wrestler next to her sister
has extra long fingers and toes
eats like a little hog

Ella
is slightly more patient with getting fed but once she reaches her limit she will let you know
is incredibly tiny -- all 4 pounds 5 ounces of her
looks like a little orangutang
makes wonderfully cute gestures with her mouth and brow

We are in heaven. The babies are doing well -- eating, pooping and sleeping !!! Our first night home was a late one but last night was better. Little Ella may have just needed a night to get adjusted to the quiteness after being in the NICU since day 1.
I will post pictures soon !!!

Ella is home !!!!

Ella -- "where's my sister"

Aaaahhhh -- there she is!!!

Together at last !!!!!!!!!!

Edie -- on the way to pick up her sister in the NICU !!!!

Ella came home this morning -- all is well. She is 4 pounds 6 ounces -- oh so tiny and kissable. I think they are happy to be together again -- we are sure happy to have them together.

THEY ARE HERE !!!

Edie -- relaxing on her boppy pillow!!!

Edie -- snuggled in her car seat for the first time

Edie -- trying to decide if she likes the car seat !!!

Edie -- this is her hungry face/cry -- quite loud for a tiny being!!!

Daddy and Edie

Ella -- loving life under the warming bed!!!

Ella -- wondering what just happened?

So -- the girls were born on Thursday 3/13 at 2pm and 2:01pm -- everything was great and they came out screaming. Edie weighed 6 pounds 0 ounces and Ella weighed 4 pounds 10 ounces. Both babies went to the NICU for observation and Edie was back with us by midnight and poor little Ella is still there. She is very healthy just small. First she had trouble eating and over the past 2 days has turned into a tiny hog -- she can eat her sister under the table. Now she is working on maintaining her body temperature. She is doing well with that and will probably come home tomorrow or Wednesday if she continues on her path. We will have better pictures of her once we get her home and into her fashionable attire. They are beautiful and we can't wait to have them both home.

Change of plans !!!!!!!!!

So -- 15 hours from now we will be parents. There has been a change of date/time for our C-section and it happens to be tomorrow 12:30 sharpish. There was a size difference between the babies today and twin B is showing a tad bit of placental issues -- too complicated for me too explain because I don't fully understand it myself -- but nothing emergent. Since the babies are full term my OB thinks it is a good idea to take them out before we run into troubles. So there you have it -- babies tomorrow -- March 13th!!!!! I will post some photos once we are home.

Mommymobile

We have finally gotten a car large enough to carry our expanding family. Talk about down to the wire huh !!! With 2 car seats, diaper bag, 22 foot long stroller, groceries, etc. my little "fun" BMW just wasn't going to cut it. So -- Jon gets the beamer and I get my very first - brand spanking new car -- it now has 51 miles on it. Who new Saturn had such a great car -- love the idea of the crossover SUV -- not too small, not too big, decent gas mileage (better than a minivan)!!! Oh yeah -- most importantly with 2 babies on they way -- not too expensive!!!

Has anyone notices I love !!!!!!!!!!!!! and -----------------

10 days to go !!!!

We have made it to 36 weeks!!!!! This is something to be proud of -- go body. We are down to 10 days before our sweet girls are here. Bless their little hearts -- they are going to wake up Monday morning 3/17 and wonder ------- what the heck just happened here??????? They have no clue what is coming and that is a little sad in a way.

No name calling please

OK -- I can't believe that I am brave enough to post my tree trunk -- I mean leg -- on the internet. I could paint a brave picture and say that HUGE dent along my shin is a shark bite scar from my surfing days in Hawaii. But the fact is I have yet to go to Hawaii so everyone would know I was lying. This - my friends - is hard core pitting edema. I see it on my patients all the time -- but never thought I would end up with such a nasty case of it myself.

I went to the doctor this morning for my weekly check in. She sent me over to the hospital for "monitoring" since my blood pressure was fairly high (150/95), I have gained 19 pounds over the past 3-4 weeks (water weight she assures me), and the huge dent in my shin which means fluid retention. Jon was on the golf course just getting ready to tee off and I had to call him to meet me JUST IN CASE we would have babies today. Oh -- don't feel sorry for him have you noticed that dent in my shin????? Which does go away and only reappears when I dig my heel into my leg by sitting cross legged or something. I actually staged this dent for effect.

I was monitored, had some labwork done and left to eat some high sodium Mexican food. The nurse said it would be ok because "sodium does not effect your swelling unless you have a problem with sodium". Well -- even though that made no sense to Jon and I, we believed her because she is a nurse and must know what she is talking abouth right. Actually, we didn't believe that BUT if you have ever had a craving you don't care about shin dents so much.



SO -- all remains well here. We will wait and see because "things can change at the drop of a hat"

35 weeks 4 days -- oh my !!

Here is a picture of my belly -- something to be proud of. The big fat arms -- another story !!!

I went in for my weekly non stress test this morning. I normally lay there without incident, the babies are fine and I go home. Well today -- the babies were great BUT my tired uterus was contracting fairly often. For a while every 2 minutes then it settled back to every 6-7 minutes. They were not strong contractions so they sent me home to rest and drink plenty of fluids. If the contractions get stronger and/or remain frequent I am to call but it may mean nothing so noone seemed too worried. At my last doctors appointment my uterus measured 43 weeks which in the land of singleton gestators (is that a word?) would make me the size of a 3 week overdue momma -- so it's no suprise that my uterus is spent. I mean enough is enough right !!!

As luck would have it -- we are in the midst of a streak of spring like days and where am I ??? Laying here on the internet. But it is all for a good cause and I have nothing to complain about if this is the worst that has happened so far this pregnancy. Besides -- I have not been instructed to be on "strict bedrest" just take it easy. I just want to keep them in for at least 1 more week if possible so here I will lie.

Rubi is a movie star

Click on the link below and turn on your speakers -- I am just practicing with the photomontage thing and what better subject -- RUBI !!! I hope it works

"http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=52ea1f57eaaa9cc15ddf79"

I am full of shame !

I ate an entire box of girl scout cookies today. Not in one sitting BUT all in one day!!! My favorite -- Samoas. I don't regret it either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!