Quick sidenote.
If you like to laugh watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-lgB_HGEE
Enjoy.
Thank you Mike and Meghan Kuyper.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Well, it has been some time since I have last written up one of these little thought dumps, and I don't want to hear any complaining. I have my reasons for delay. What have you been doing the last seven months?
Yes, that is right. Seven months have flown by in our lives. The first seven months of Benjamin and Emma's lives. I have become something entirely different. A sort of monster. A bottle cleaning, diaper changing, laundry doing, baby feeding, giggle inducing monster. And that is just between 6:30 and 7:30 each night. I am sure, however, that most of you already know of this transformation and are mostly just laughing at those of us just now finding the profoundness of it.
Ben and Emma are getting to the age now where interaction is fun for them and finally for me. It used to be just entertaining them, trying to keep them happy so they wouldn't cry. Now it is a smile back and forth as you tickle, or snuggle, or give a bath. That smile, that laugh are amazing things. It is hard being at work, knowing that my little children are just growing away without me there to experience it. But Meg is very good. She is a fantastic mother. During the day she will send me picture texts or even the occasional video bringing me into what is happening that day. It is a demanding day she goes through each day. Just getting them fed is a seemingly never ending process. I am so proud of the patience and love she has developed for them.
The children are developing too. They are both sitting up on their own and are both practicing their rasberries and grunts in anticipation of speaking. I am looking for to Dada and Mama, but really have no idea when that is supposed to happen. Tomorrow would be ok though. They are both sleeping really well and we are blessed to have that. Since about two months we have had both babies sleeping through the night. We have introduced solid foods the past couple months and the babies are getting to try all sorts of veggies and fruits at this point, with meat a few months away. Breaking Teague tradition, we are finding that mashed up potatoes are met with large amounts of yelling, spitting, and choking.
We are blessed. We have two healthy, wonderful children. We have awesome families who enjoy just giving us a quick break and just spending some time with us and the kids. We have awesome friends who have given us food and clothes for the kids. And we have so many people who prayed for us throughout the troubles with infertility and then throughout the pregnancy and continuing on. Your prayers have made a difference in our lives and we are thankful you took that time out to lift us up.
I hope the next time I sit down to do this will be soon.
Here's the kids at halloween. We do plan on abusing twin related costume ideas.
Emma getting ready for church
Maybe more some other time.
Yes, that is right. Seven months have flown by in our lives. The first seven months of Benjamin and Emma's lives. I have become something entirely different. A sort of monster. A bottle cleaning, diaper changing, laundry doing, baby feeding, giggle inducing monster. And that is just between 6:30 and 7:30 each night. I am sure, however, that most of you already know of this transformation and are mostly just laughing at those of us just now finding the profoundness of it.
Ben and Emma are getting to the age now where interaction is fun for them and finally for me. It used to be just entertaining them, trying to keep them happy so they wouldn't cry. Now it is a smile back and forth as you tickle, or snuggle, or give a bath. That smile, that laugh are amazing things. It is hard being at work, knowing that my little children are just growing away without me there to experience it. But Meg is very good. She is a fantastic mother. During the day she will send me picture texts or even the occasional video bringing me into what is happening that day. It is a demanding day she goes through each day. Just getting them fed is a seemingly never ending process. I am so proud of the patience and love she has developed for them.
The children are developing too. They are both sitting up on their own and are both practicing their rasberries and grunts in anticipation of speaking. I am looking for to Dada and Mama, but really have no idea when that is supposed to happen. Tomorrow would be ok though. They are both sleeping really well and we are blessed to have that. Since about two months we have had both babies sleeping through the night. We have introduced solid foods the past couple months and the babies are getting to try all sorts of veggies and fruits at this point, with meat a few months away. Breaking Teague tradition, we are finding that mashed up potatoes are met with large amounts of yelling, spitting, and choking.
We are blessed. We have two healthy, wonderful children. We have awesome families who enjoy just giving us a quick break and just spending some time with us and the kids. We have awesome friends who have given us food and clothes for the kids. And we have so many people who prayed for us throughout the troubles with infertility and then throughout the pregnancy and continuing on. Your prayers have made a difference in our lives and we are thankful you took that time out to lift us up.
I hope the next time I sit down to do this will be soon.
Here's the kids at halloween. We do plan on abusing twin related costume ideas.
Emma getting ready for church
Ben wondering where the food is
Maybe more some other time.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Birth and Happily Ever After
Well, the day has arrived. Friday, May 7, Meg had a scheduled C-Section to deliver our found-to-be adorable twins. What a ride it's been. 15 weeks ago we were in the hospital worried that we were having babies way ahead of schedule. Then a month later to again be in the hospital fighting continuing contractions. And then we were blessed with an incredibly smooth last 2 months that gave us 3d images of our baby girl that I still cannot believe is possible, positive-news doctors visits, and an onslaught of care and prayer that we so desperately needed. I cannot express to our family or friends the appreciation we have for that prayer and for the care. The meals that were cooked and brought to us, the house cleaning that was done on precious days off, the quick phone call checkups; these all went far in helping us along and giving us the resources to press on. And quietly, God, walking along with us. Carrying us more often than we knew. Always remaining faithful. God is good. These last 9 months have taught me so many lessons. He has taught us to trust Him and that sometimes half of trust is patience. He has taught us that He is always faithful. He has taught us that our strength will not be enough and to rely on His strength to meet our needs. So firstly, to God be the glory in the birth of our children. We thank you Lord for the blessing you have given us.
So on friday we went in for our scheduled 9:30 C section. Meg was pretty nervous as she has never had surgery and she knows too much about all that can go wrong with deliveries. After some quick baby monitoring and surgery prep she was rolled in and given an Epidural. The epidural was smooth and so much better than she expected. Mere minutes later baby Benjamin Thomas was pulled out and presented to now Mom and Dad. What a joy and relief. That first cry was the most welcomed sound. Immediately afte,r we were shown our second joy in Emma Mackenzie. Both babies were quickly wiped down and checked and showed to be in perfect health. They rolled me and the babies over to recovery while they finished up with Meg. My mom got to do the babies first baths and measurements. Benjamin weighed in at 5 lbs 14 oz and 19.25 inches long. Emma weighed in at 5 lbs 6 oz and 19.25 inches long. Meg joined us shortly after this and what a great family time we had enjoying the first minutes of our childrens lives. Eventually we found our way to our hospital room and got settled into a frantic schedule of feedings. These babies are great nursers though, so yet another blessing was given to us. We did not have to fight to wake them to feed, or fight to get them to latch, or wait for Meg to have enough milk to feed them. At this point, nothing could have gone any smoother than it did. I think God just wanted to put an exclamation point on His handiwork these 9 months with our delivery experience.
We spent 4 days in the hospital. We were able to come home on Monday and immediately entered into another frantic schedule. And that is basically where life finds us now. Ben and Emma feed on a 3 hour schedule. Each feeding takes about 1 hour and 30 mins leaving us the rest to sleep, eat, live. As such, we are running quite low on sleep, but such is parenthood. We are fighting to just keep moving forward.
What a life changing event. Every level of life is fundamentally changed and a whole new perspective is used to filter life. I think I'll have more to say on this last part, but for now it's just time to get some sleep.
So on friday we went in for our scheduled 9:30 C section. Meg was pretty nervous as she has never had surgery and she knows too much about all that can go wrong with deliveries. After some quick baby monitoring and surgery prep she was rolled in and given an Epidural. The epidural was smooth and so much better than she expected. Mere minutes later baby Benjamin Thomas was pulled out and presented to now Mom and Dad. What a joy and relief. That first cry was the most welcomed sound. Immediately afte,r we were shown our second joy in Emma Mackenzie. Both babies were quickly wiped down and checked and showed to be in perfect health. They rolled me and the babies over to recovery while they finished up with Meg. My mom got to do the babies first baths and measurements. Benjamin weighed in at 5 lbs 14 oz and 19.25 inches long. Emma weighed in at 5 lbs 6 oz and 19.25 inches long. Meg joined us shortly after this and what a great family time we had enjoying the first minutes of our childrens lives. Eventually we found our way to our hospital room and got settled into a frantic schedule of feedings. These babies are great nursers though, so yet another blessing was given to us. We did not have to fight to wake them to feed, or fight to get them to latch, or wait for Meg to have enough milk to feed them. At this point, nothing could have gone any smoother than it did. I think God just wanted to put an exclamation point on His handiwork these 9 months with our delivery experience.
We spent 4 days in the hospital. We were able to come home on Monday and immediately entered into another frantic schedule. And that is basically where life finds us now. Ben and Emma feed on a 3 hour schedule. Each feeding takes about 1 hour and 30 mins leaving us the rest to sleep, eat, live. As such, we are running quite low on sleep, but such is parenthood. We are fighting to just keep moving forward.
What a life changing event. Every level of life is fundamentally changed and a whole new perspective is used to filter life. I think I'll have more to say on this last part, but for now it's just time to get some sleep.
Up next Benjamin Thomas
And now for Emma Mackenzie
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Youtube
We have started a Youtube channel in anticipation of the twins arriving. We intend to upload videos of fun moments similiar to updating the blog here.
Our youtube videos can be found at this link.
http://www.youtube.com/user/thejiminy
Enjoy
Our youtube videos can be found at this link.
http://www.youtube.com/user/thejiminy
Enjoy
Light at the end of the tunnel
Despite our lowered expectations, Meg has carried these rapidly growing twins to 37 weeks. Yep, I said 37 weeks. 13 weeks ago we were playing it day by day. 9 weeks ago we had our second hospital visit due to contractions. Today we have had over 2 months of semi-smooth sailing and thoughts have shifted nearly 180 degrees. Now we are waiting for contractions, waiting for a spontaneous shower. Waiting for the imminent arrival of our welcomed babies.
We have mostly completed the nursery preparations. We have been stockpiling diapers. We have a dresser full of clothes and blankets galore. We have four handcrafted blankets/quilts for each baby waiting to provide comfort and warmth. So now it is a different waiting game. Anxiously waiting instead of waiting anxiously.
We have been visiting the hospital each weekend to have the twins monitored. Each week is a peek at this new life. A time to hear their steady, strong heartbeats. It is fascinating and inspiring. I spend my time thinking about how life will change, the things I will want to do with them, the responsibility that comes with having babies. Imagining playing catch, making smores camping, reading to them, or just plain watching them be alive. I am excited!
And now for some pictures. I have to say everything I want to say before the pictures because I know you wouldn't read it otherwise. It's like a picture hungry mob out there.
First we have a selection of pictures from the showers Meg had at Cheryl's and the family shower at Marlene's.
Next, we have a couple photos of the quilts that Marlene made for each of the kids.
With genes like the following two pictures we are going to have beautiful, loving, and intensely strong charactered children. What a blessing to have such family.
Extended family on the Teague side.
And we will finish up today with pictures of the completed nursery.
We have mostly completed the nursery preparations. We have been stockpiling diapers. We have a dresser full of clothes and blankets galore. We have four handcrafted blankets/quilts for each baby waiting to provide comfort and warmth. So now it is a different waiting game. Anxiously waiting instead of waiting anxiously.
We have been visiting the hospital each weekend to have the twins monitored. Each week is a peek at this new life. A time to hear their steady, strong heartbeats. It is fascinating and inspiring. I spend my time thinking about how life will change, the things I will want to do with them, the responsibility that comes with having babies. Imagining playing catch, making smores camping, reading to them, or just plain watching them be alive. I am excited!
And now for some pictures. I have to say everything I want to say before the pictures because I know you wouldn't read it otherwise. It's like a picture hungry mob out there.
First we have a selection of pictures from the showers Meg had at Cheryl's and the family shower at Marlene's.
Next, we have a couple photos of the quilts that Marlene made for each of the kids.
This is one of the blankets that Sherry Myklebust made. She also made a blue blanket. Some really talented knitters/quilters we have here.
With genes like the following two pictures we are going to have beautiful, loving, and intensely strong charactered children. What a blessing to have such family.
Extended family on the Teague side.
And we will finish up today with pictures of the completed nursery.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
3D ultrasound
Meg is now 33 weeks along with our rapidly growing twins. We had an ultrasound a couple weeks ago to measure growth and check everything out. This was a good news only appointment which was a nice change from our usual. Both babies are growing at excellent paces being in the 49th percentile for growth at that age. Our baby girl can in fact empty her bladder. The placenta has migrated upward in meg's uterus and is not the concern it once was. Overall, the news from this appointment was encouraging and comforting. After the ultrasonographer finished her measurements she switched on the 3D imaging and a whole new realm of unbelief was opened. The clarity with which you can see facial construction is astounding.
I know it would appear that our baby girl has a trunk like an elephant in this picture, but I can assure you (with some confidence) that it is not a trunk and is only a stray arm or leg. There are four of each of these floating around right now.
In the last couple of weeks we have also finished up the baby shower's, built the cribs, cleaned the carpets, and started sorting all of the stuff that needs to go into that room. We are nearly prepared to be completely unready for what we are getting ourselves into!
Again I would like to say thank you to all our friends and family. The generosity and love experienced in these showers and outside of them is amazing. What a blessing it is to be among such company.
P.S. We have only been able to get a 3D image of our baby girl at this point. Benjamin has been uncharacteristically shy at the last two appointments, but tomorrow is another appointment and thus another potential opportunity for a sneak peek.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Baby Shower
Meg has asked that we post some pictures of her baby shower with her coworkers. Their generosity was a great blessing and Meg had a great time getting to visit with humans, in real life, and out of the house. It was a trifecta of entertainment for a bedridden mother-to-be constricted mostly to association with television personalities and boring old me.
An example of Angela's adorable creativity. Don't be too disturbed by the balloons. They are only lifelike representations. Angela did not actually shrink our heads and attach them to balloons.
Megan enjoying a couple of the gifts she received.
And only semi-facetiously the most important part of any day for Meg - CUPCAKE CAKE!
Meg did have a fantastic time with good friends and generous friends. Thank you so much for being a part of our ability to raise these twins.
An example of Angela's adorable creativity. Don't be too disturbed by the balloons. They are only lifelike representations. Angela did not actually shrink our heads and attach them to balloons.
Megan enjoying a couple of the gifts she received.
And only semi-facetiously the most important part of any day for Meg - CUPCAKE CAKE!
Meg did have a fantastic time with good friends and generous friends. Thank you so much for being a part of our ability to raise these twins.
We'll finish up this post with a fresh perspective on the growing belly Meg is sporting. First pictures is at 5 weeks; second picture is at 29 weeks.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Pressures
Life these days is certainly becoming more interesting. After the events of week 24 Meg has been placed on bedrest. The bedrest was in part our decision based on how we felt about Meg's job and just her challenges in carrying our babies. With each passing week we are more and more sure of that decision. Contractions have continued to be a frustrating, confusing component of pregnancy. There are bursts of time where Meg will have an unusually high number of contractions and other times where she won't have any for hours. But at what point do you get concerned? How many is too many? This past Sunday presented exactly this question. In the evening she was having 6-8 contractions an hour and after a couple hours we decided to call the doctor. We called at 8:00. Thanks to the wonderful service we receive on our cell phones with ATT we didn't get to speak to the doctor until 9:30. And of course by this time the contractions had slowed down. We got to stay home Sunday night. Of course Monday is a new day. Late in the afternoon Meg's contractions pick up again. We decided to go visit Dr. Cowles thinking she might be bored and need company. Meg got on the monitor and we got a chance to see two beautiful strong heartbeats. What a relief it is to see this in a time of stress and concern over the contractions. The doctor decides to try to slow down the contractions with a different medicine this time. After about four hours they slow down and Meg got to go back home, only this time with a new set of guidelines.
Apparently Meg had not become closely enough acquainted with her bed or the couch during the past month. So they decided she needed to spend more quality time with them. In an effort to give her body the best possible conditions they have restricted her bedrest. No more going out, no more cooking, no more cleaning. And they are having her stay on the meds to stop contractions.
We also got the opportunity to experience Walgreen's 24 hour pharmacy at midnight! I would recommend calling in your emergent prescriptions even at such wee hours as we got to wait over an hour to fill a seemingly simple prescription.
Patience. Lesson of the month? Treating contractions with patience vs anxiousness. Not complaining when we have to wait an hour for a prescription. Playing the waiting game in the hospital trying to get contractions to slow. Hard lessons to learn. Lessons with somewhat minimal consequence right now. Having patience with a crying baby or even TWO BABIES carries a lot more consequence. (we're having twins if you haven't heard) Testing always has a purpose. Finding the purpose in the midst of the challenge...
Prayer request for this post: Even today we are faced with new challenges. Please pray that the contractions are controlled by the medication and Meg's uterus somehow finds a way to expand even more to provide time for growth. Please pray that we find peace in a stressful time and that we practice patience to grow the character God is refining.
Apparently Meg had not become closely enough acquainted with her bed or the couch during the past month. So they decided she needed to spend more quality time with them. In an effort to give her body the best possible conditions they have restricted her bedrest. No more going out, no more cooking, no more cleaning. And they are having her stay on the meds to stop contractions.
We also got the opportunity to experience Walgreen's 24 hour pharmacy at midnight! I would recommend calling in your emergent prescriptions even at such wee hours as we got to wait over an hour to fill a seemingly simple prescription.
Patience. Lesson of the month? Treating contractions with patience vs anxiousness. Not complaining when we have to wait an hour for a prescription. Playing the waiting game in the hospital trying to get contractions to slow. Hard lessons to learn. Lessons with somewhat minimal consequence right now. Having patience with a crying baby or even TWO BABIES carries a lot more consequence. (we're having twins if you haven't heard) Testing always has a purpose. Finding the purpose in the midst of the challenge...
Prayer request for this post: Even today we are faced with new challenges. Please pray that the contractions are controlled by the medication and Meg's uterus somehow finds a way to expand even more to provide time for growth. Please pray that we find peace in a stressful time and that we practice patience to grow the character God is refining.
Friday, February 5, 2010
25 weeks
Meg had her monthly ultrasound/checkup on wednesday. I almost made a joke to her before we went about what new concern would present itself today. It seems that today's technology is a mixed blessing. On the one hand we have access to amazing information. Information that can be life saving or life altering in positive ways and information that is hugely inspirational to curious parents/loved ones. At the same time this information is more than we may ever need to know. Example of the week. Our girl apparently has a bladder with walls like Fort Knox. As they are scanning around they find she has a very full bladder. They wonder if she just has not relieved herself or if maybe she cannot relieve herself. So they check her kidneys and fluids and everything there looks fine. Basically, they think she just needs to empty her bladder, but they will make a note of the finding and check in the future to see if it remains an issue. If we had been scheduled for a 9:00 ultrasound instead of 7:00 would we even have something to be concerned with?
Second example: while Meg was in the hospital they were using your standard baby monitor to make sure the babies were doing well. These monitors are little saucer shaped sensors they lock in place on your belly. They don't move; babies do. Obviously, as a baby moves or mom moves or the air conditioning blows the babies are not evenly monitored. The little machine that displays the reading thus bounces all over the place. Our little ones normal heart rates are at about 140-150 beats per minute. This machine erratically bounces up into the 200's, down into the 70's, 50's, 90's, and occasionally just shows lines as though there is no heartbeat. Next to this displayed number is a flashing heartbeat. The heartbeat only flashes if the machine is picking up the actual heartbeat at a measureable pace. They decide its good if dad can see this machine. Maybe they have found it is a great distraction for dads so they don't bother the nurses or doctors, because if that machine is visible I just sit fixated on those bouncing numbers. Everytime it moves from 150 I start getting my own irregular heartbeat. I have decided this machine needs a daddy mode where it just displays a constant beating heartbeat even if the machine is not registering that. If there is a problem the machine can just tell the nurses at the desk.
So...technology is great. I don't want to sound sour, because I think ultrasounds are amazing. I think they are a glimpse into the miracle of creation that previous generations were not afforded. I think they are a great tool in the fight against abortion, and may cause the eventual equivalent of the emancipation proclamation. Each time I get to see the rapidly beating hearts growing inside I am excited, assured, and inspired. And thus, we march on. We continue to pray for the Lord to protect the babies inside Meg's womb and to allow them to continue to grow staying inside. We pray for His blessings on their new lives, that they may be ready to follow and serve Him upon their arrival.
On a different note, Meg and I have completed one of the baby name books that we have. We did not add but a couple names out of that whole book to our list for the baby girl. As such, suggestions and bribes are still readily welcomed. We have a second book claiming it has 25,000 names. Bribes sound much better.
Second example: while Meg was in the hospital they were using your standard baby monitor to make sure the babies were doing well. These monitors are little saucer shaped sensors they lock in place on your belly. They don't move; babies do. Obviously, as a baby moves or mom moves or the air conditioning blows the babies are not evenly monitored. The little machine that displays the reading thus bounces all over the place. Our little ones normal heart rates are at about 140-150 beats per minute. This machine erratically bounces up into the 200's, down into the 70's, 50's, 90's, and occasionally just shows lines as though there is no heartbeat. Next to this displayed number is a flashing heartbeat. The heartbeat only flashes if the machine is picking up the actual heartbeat at a measureable pace. They decide its good if dad can see this machine. Maybe they have found it is a great distraction for dads so they don't bother the nurses or doctors, because if that machine is visible I just sit fixated on those bouncing numbers. Everytime it moves from 150 I start getting my own irregular heartbeat. I have decided this machine needs a daddy mode where it just displays a constant beating heartbeat even if the machine is not registering that. If there is a problem the machine can just tell the nurses at the desk.
So...technology is great. I don't want to sound sour, because I think ultrasounds are amazing. I think they are a glimpse into the miracle of creation that previous generations were not afforded. I think they are a great tool in the fight against abortion, and may cause the eventual equivalent of the emancipation proclamation. Each time I get to see the rapidly beating hearts growing inside I am excited, assured, and inspired. And thus, we march on. We continue to pray for the Lord to protect the babies inside Meg's womb and to allow them to continue to grow staying inside. We pray for His blessings on their new lives, that they may be ready to follow and serve Him upon their arrival.
On a different note, Meg and I have completed one of the baby name books that we have. We did not add but a couple names out of that whole book to our list for the baby girl. As such, suggestions and bribes are still readily welcomed. We have a second book claiming it has 25,000 names. Bribes sound much better.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
24 Week Scare
Psalm 20:7
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."
I am thinking I need to have a little meeting with Pastor George to discuss his decision to do these sermon series on trust. Last year in February, he decided to do the first series on putting your trust wholeheartedly in God. Learned some really valuable things and then got laid off. An immediate test of the lessons I was learning in trust. Lessons I thought I learned well and God's faithfulness was immediately shown in our lives as I found another job without a day of missed income. Now 2010, for whatever reason, we are revisiting the series on trust from last year with some new wrinkles this year. Couldn't we have a sermon series on blessings or heaven or maybe stewardship? Surely I have lessons to learn in those areas. Instead, we are back on trust, and again God is finding valuable lessons to teach us. A few weeks ago we had the vasa previa to worry about, followed by that being ok, but finding our baby girl had a 2 vessel cord and some more things to be concerned about. But through this we have really committed to releasing our worries and knowing that we are in the hands of our merciful, perfect creator, and honestly, it has not been a mental burden. Lesson learned, lesson applied.
Enter 1/27/10.
Yesterday, Meg had a fairly busy day between a luxuriuos morning-long meeting, some leisurely grocery shopping, and a priceless evening-filling baby class to teach at the hospital. She let me know early afternoon that she thought she might be having contractions. Hmm, 24 weeks along. She wasn't really sure because she doesn't know what the different things she feels are exactly. So, after finishing up her class about 9:00 last night she checks in with the labor and delivery folks to say she thinks she might be having contractions, could we please check? They stick her on the monitor for a bit and sure enough, pre term labor contractions, 2-3 minutes apart. They give her water, rest, and monitor for a bit to see if they will relax. They do not, so they move on to medication to help stop the contractions. I came over from home with some dinner for her, expecting that we calm the contractions and go back home, a little frightened, but armed with knowledge for the future. Here's where the real fun started.
About 20 or so minutes after the contraction-stopping meds Meg started feeling a little light headed. Thinking it was from not eating for 8 or so hours we got her some juice and heated up that dinner I brought. I came back from the microwave to our friendly L&D nurse back in the room working on the monitor and Meg looking pretty pale and a little worried. Soon, the L&D nurse starts working hurriedly to get the baby back on the monitor. Suddenly, she hits the call button, calls for help and things go south. They can't find a babies heartbeat. Meg now has 3 nurses and a doc hooking her up to an IV, oxygen, bp, and bringing in an ultrasound machine. They take off the monitor and are sitting, waiting, for this ultrasound machine to boot up. In what seemed to be an eternity, but was probably about a min it finally starts up and they start checking our little babies. Baby A, Benjamin, is found immediately and we see a strong heartbeat and all looks well. Moving on to our little girl they are moving over her spine, looking for her heart. They find her heart, but I don't see anything moving. Meg is watching the same thing and equally becoming extremely worried, but with her medical knowledge she is anticipating the next step. In perhaps a move of unmeditated graciousness, she asks me to call my mom and get her down to the hospital. (my mom is the manager of the post partum unit at the hospital, and her caring nurse abilities remain quite intact. she can also be quite good at being a go between with the staff for us). I step out of the room in a panic to call her. Breath.
I head back into the room to find the doctor with the ultrasound going still, but our baby girl's heart has resumed normal function.
The doctor finishes up and takes a minute to assure us all is back to normal, we had quite the scare for a minute, but all is looking good again. In that moment of panic, Meg knew that if they could not quickly normalize or see that heart beating it was proceeding toward an emergency C section to try to save our girls life. Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully our girl's heart picked back up.
They decided to have Meg stay the night so they could continue to monitor her and make sure the babies remained ok. And, as the doctor stated, the scare with the heartbeat also appeared to scare away the contractions as those had ceased during that time. They also gave her a steroid shot to boost the babies lungs development as a safety precaution if anything further were to happen. And finally, around 2:00 they wanted her to get some sleep so my mom and I went home. All remained stable through the night and she was able to come home shortly after 6:00 to rest at home.
Enter 1/28/10
Meg is at home resting, I am at work, the babies continue to develop, and the Lord remains faithful. If you have really read to this point, you might be crazy, but I also know you care about us. We appreciate your care and ask again that you meet us in prayer. We pray that our little growing babies would continue to grow, inside the womb preferably. We pray that the complications would be minimal and that Meg is able to stay at home as much as possible. We pray that we would be able to wholeheartedly put our trust in God and know that he is faithful. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and your support for us.
Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."
I am thinking I need to have a little meeting with Pastor George to discuss his decision to do these sermon series on trust. Last year in February, he decided to do the first series on putting your trust wholeheartedly in God. Learned some really valuable things and then got laid off. An immediate test of the lessons I was learning in trust. Lessons I thought I learned well and God's faithfulness was immediately shown in our lives as I found another job without a day of missed income. Now 2010, for whatever reason, we are revisiting the series on trust from last year with some new wrinkles this year. Couldn't we have a sermon series on blessings or heaven or maybe stewardship? Surely I have lessons to learn in those areas. Instead, we are back on trust, and again God is finding valuable lessons to teach us. A few weeks ago we had the vasa previa to worry about, followed by that being ok, but finding our baby girl had a 2 vessel cord and some more things to be concerned about. But through this we have really committed to releasing our worries and knowing that we are in the hands of our merciful, perfect creator, and honestly, it has not been a mental burden. Lesson learned, lesson applied.
Enter 1/27/10.
Yesterday, Meg had a fairly busy day between a luxuriuos morning-long meeting, some leisurely grocery shopping, and a priceless evening-filling baby class to teach at the hospital. She let me know early afternoon that she thought she might be having contractions. Hmm, 24 weeks along. She wasn't really sure because she doesn't know what the different things she feels are exactly. So, after finishing up her class about 9:00 last night she checks in with the labor and delivery folks to say she thinks she might be having contractions, could we please check? They stick her on the monitor for a bit and sure enough, pre term labor contractions, 2-3 minutes apart. They give her water, rest, and monitor for a bit to see if they will relax. They do not, so they move on to medication to help stop the contractions. I came over from home with some dinner for her, expecting that we calm the contractions and go back home, a little frightened, but armed with knowledge for the future. Here's where the real fun started.
About 20 or so minutes after the contraction-stopping meds Meg started feeling a little light headed. Thinking it was from not eating for 8 or so hours we got her some juice and heated up that dinner I brought. I came back from the microwave to our friendly L&D nurse back in the room working on the monitor and Meg looking pretty pale and a little worried. Soon, the L&D nurse starts working hurriedly to get the baby back on the monitor. Suddenly, she hits the call button, calls for help and things go south. They can't find a babies heartbeat. Meg now has 3 nurses and a doc hooking her up to an IV, oxygen, bp, and bringing in an ultrasound machine. They take off the monitor and are sitting, waiting, for this ultrasound machine to boot up. In what seemed to be an eternity, but was probably about a min it finally starts up and they start checking our little babies. Baby A, Benjamin, is found immediately and we see a strong heartbeat and all looks well. Moving on to our little girl they are moving over her spine, looking for her heart. They find her heart, but I don't see anything moving. Meg is watching the same thing and equally becoming extremely worried, but with her medical knowledge she is anticipating the next step. In perhaps a move of unmeditated graciousness, she asks me to call my mom and get her down to the hospital. (my mom is the manager of the post partum unit at the hospital, and her caring nurse abilities remain quite intact. she can also be quite good at being a go between with the staff for us). I step out of the room in a panic to call her. Breath.
I head back into the room to find the doctor with the ultrasound going still, but our baby girl's heart has resumed normal function.
The doctor finishes up and takes a minute to assure us all is back to normal, we had quite the scare for a minute, but all is looking good again. In that moment of panic, Meg knew that if they could not quickly normalize or see that heart beating it was proceeding toward an emergency C section to try to save our girls life. Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully our girl's heart picked back up.
They decided to have Meg stay the night so they could continue to monitor her and make sure the babies remained ok. And, as the doctor stated, the scare with the heartbeat also appeared to scare away the contractions as those had ceased during that time. They also gave her a steroid shot to boost the babies lungs development as a safety precaution if anything further were to happen. And finally, around 2:00 they wanted her to get some sleep so my mom and I went home. All remained stable through the night and she was able to come home shortly after 6:00 to rest at home.
Enter 1/28/10
Meg is at home resting, I am at work, the babies continue to develop, and the Lord remains faithful. If you have really read to this point, you might be crazy, but I also know you care about us. We appreciate your care and ask again that you meet us in prayer. We pray that our little growing babies would continue to grow, inside the womb preferably. We pray that the complications would be minimal and that Meg is able to stay at home as much as possible. We pray that we would be able to wholeheartedly put our trust in God and know that he is faithful. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and your support for us.
Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Revelations
This week has been a baby revelation week. Things I may have learned this week follow below. Whether I have learned them or not is in question because if I didn't know them before this week am I sure I know them now?
1. A doctor's appointment for one issue can quickly become an entirely different matter quickly. A correctly located placenta could also mean that your baby girl has a 2 blood vessel umbilical cord. How the third vessel disapeared in a week is still a revelation I have to learn.
2. The smallest things in an ultrasound picture can knock you out. For some reason seeing ribs and a spine clearly in an ultrasounds picture gives me a shock of joy. Maybe it is because they lend strength or credibility to the face and body you see. Either way I like my babies ribs.
3. Preparing for children involves a lot of planning. While I knew there was a lot of planning, I was not planning on this level of planning. The remodel on our loft has completed it's transformation into our nursery, but now we have to get it painted, which means picking colors, patterns, etc. Then we have to get the closet setup, furniture built and in the room, a new lamp, and on and on.
4. On the same note of planning, picking baby furniture is entirely too involved. Having to pick what crib/bed your new child will like from birth to 18+ is an unnecessary challenge. Meg and I spent 2 hours debating what crib we wanted to get because we wanted our 11 year old to be happy 11 years from now. At one point Meg said why can't we just ask them what they like?
5. Babies R Us is a cool store....until you need it for yourself. I had multiple opportunites to visit the store when shopping for registry gifts for others in the past few years and at the time I enjoyed the purpose of the store. After yesterday I am pretty sure the store is actually a torture device designed to make parents heads explode. The plethora of choices you have for any given item is just unnatural and incredibly overwhelming. Somehow, though, they still manage to condense your 8 million choices into green, pink, and blue.
Enough complaining, let's get to some more ultrasound pictures!
Little Benjamin has a beaming little face he likes to show off.
We also get a cute picture of his hand.
Next our little girl provides us with a nice profile shot.
And finally for now, we have our baby girl's foot.
1. A doctor's appointment for one issue can quickly become an entirely different matter quickly. A correctly located placenta could also mean that your baby girl has a 2 blood vessel umbilical cord. How the third vessel disapeared in a week is still a revelation I have to learn.
2. The smallest things in an ultrasound picture can knock you out. For some reason seeing ribs and a spine clearly in an ultrasounds picture gives me a shock of joy. Maybe it is because they lend strength or credibility to the face and body you see. Either way I like my babies ribs.
3. Preparing for children involves a lot of planning. While I knew there was a lot of planning, I was not planning on this level of planning. The remodel on our loft has completed it's transformation into our nursery, but now we have to get it painted, which means picking colors, patterns, etc. Then we have to get the closet setup, furniture built and in the room, a new lamp, and on and on.
4. On the same note of planning, picking baby furniture is entirely too involved. Having to pick what crib/bed your new child will like from birth to 18+ is an unnecessary challenge. Meg and I spent 2 hours debating what crib we wanted to get because we wanted our 11 year old to be happy 11 years from now. At one point Meg said why can't we just ask them what they like?
5. Babies R Us is a cool store....until you need it for yourself. I had multiple opportunites to visit the store when shopping for registry gifts for others in the past few years and at the time I enjoyed the purpose of the store. After yesterday I am pretty sure the store is actually a torture device designed to make parents heads explode. The plethora of choices you have for any given item is just unnatural and incredibly overwhelming. Somehow, though, they still manage to condense your 8 million choices into green, pink, and blue.
Enough complaining, let's get to some more ultrasound pictures!
Little Benjamin has a beaming little face he likes to show off.
We also get a cute picture of his hand.
Next our little girl provides us with a nice profile shot.
And finally for now, we have our baby girl's foot.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Quick update for tonight. Meg had an appointment today with a second doctor to check if a condition called vasa previa was present. It's a condition where blood vessels from the placenta cross the cervix and can cause serious complications. If it had been present it would have meant that Megan would have had to start modified bedrest including no more working. Fortunately, it is not present and all appears normal.
At the same appointment they did find that our baby girl has a 2 blood vessel umbilical cord instead of the normal three. There are several things that this could mean, but it is just as likely that it will mean nothing. One of the most common issues it could be is a reduction in the babies development, but at this point all is normal and our girl is growing at the same rate as our boy. Both babies weigh 1 pound as of today.
While this news is concerning, we are putting our focus on prayer and trusting God. There is nothing either of us can do to change the situation, but our babies life began and will continue to rest in the hands of an awesome, sovereign God. I know even now he has a perfect plan for her and has designed every detail of her tiny body. We are offering our own worry and also the life of our little girl at the feet of God that He may carry us all through this. We would ask that all of our family and friends join us in prayer.
Perhaps God has found that my faith is just needing some more exercise.
In more lighthearted news, we received a bunch of new ultrasound pictures and some of them are actually good this time. I will work on getting those scanned and uploaded to share in the coming days. Also on the exciting front it appears that our room remodel is nearly complete so that painting and other preparations can begin.
At the same appointment they did find that our baby girl has a 2 blood vessel umbilical cord instead of the normal three. There are several things that this could mean, but it is just as likely that it will mean nothing. One of the most common issues it could be is a reduction in the babies development, but at this point all is normal and our girl is growing at the same rate as our boy. Both babies weigh 1 pound as of today.
While this news is concerning, we are putting our focus on prayer and trusting God. There is nothing either of us can do to change the situation, but our babies life began and will continue to rest in the hands of an awesome, sovereign God. I know even now he has a perfect plan for her and has designed every detail of her tiny body. We are offering our own worry and also the life of our little girl at the feet of God that He may carry us all through this. We would ask that all of our family and friends join us in prayer.
Perhaps God has found that my faith is just needing some more exercise.
In more lighthearted news, we received a bunch of new ultrasound pictures and some of them are actually good this time. I will work on getting those scanned and uploaded to share in the coming days. Also on the exciting front it appears that our room remodel is nearly complete so that painting and other preparations can begin.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The belly
We have been taking profile pictures of Meg at intervals throughout the pregnancy to follow her changing girth. Yeah, I said girth.
Meg has agreed to let a few select photos be shown as she is quite modest and even a little belly nudity is risque.
The transformation her body has undergone in only 22 weeks is breathtaking. While having your body grow so quickly cannot be a comfortable or esteem-building occurence, she has truly grown in beauty and is showing a motherly love in her everyday composure even now. God has gifted women with amazingly designed bodies that change their very physiology to support the new life growing inside. For better or worse it doesn't even matter if you care, you're basically along for the ride. Watching a developing pregnant wife is really an excercise in faith building.
Picture 1 is Megan at 5 weeks into the pregnancy looking fit and trim.
Next we have a short 14 weeks later bringing us to 19 weeks. Quite the bump a growin.
Finally, we have Christmas and a couple pics of a beaming mother 1 year from Christmas with kids. Only 20 weeks in at this point.
Even now, as I sit here blogging away, Meg is behind me reading Parade and watching one of them do somersaults against her belly button.
Meg has agreed to let a few select photos be shown as she is quite modest and even a little belly nudity is risque.
The transformation her body has undergone in only 22 weeks is breathtaking. While having your body grow so quickly cannot be a comfortable or esteem-building occurence, she has truly grown in beauty and is showing a motherly love in her everyday composure even now. God has gifted women with amazingly designed bodies that change their very physiology to support the new life growing inside. For better or worse it doesn't even matter if you care, you're basically along for the ride. Watching a developing pregnant wife is really an excercise in faith building.
Picture 1 is Megan at 5 weeks into the pregnancy looking fit and trim.
Next we have a short 14 weeks later bringing us to 19 weeks. Quite the bump a growin.
Finally, we have Christmas and a couple pics of a beaming mother 1 year from Christmas with kids. Only 20 weeks in at this point.
Even now, as I sit here blogging away, Meg is behind me reading Parade and watching one of them do somersaults against her belly button.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Naming
I never would have guessed that picking names would be so difficult. We had our boys name picked out before we were even engaged, so how hard could a girl's name be? We have looked through three websites of girls name, mulled over own ideas, and have finally purchased a book of names. I am really considering having a list of names and picking a name after the birth of our daughter that fits her. As for the boy, he is just going to have to fit the name Benjamin Thomas.
I think a name is an important thing. They have meaning and depth. Benjamin means "son of my right hand" and biblically means "mighty". Thomas is in honor of family on both sides. My great-grandmother's last name is Thomas and Megan's grandfather's name was Thomas.
Benjamin Thomas sounds promising too. Scott thinks it sounds presidential. Hopefully we can attain such heights with our girl's name.
- side note. Ideas for our girls name are welcomed, but I can't promise they will be even considered. :)
Dad likes Rachel and has promised to buy our girl a car if she is named Rachel. Competing bribes are also welcomed.
I think a name is an important thing. They have meaning and depth. Benjamin means "son of my right hand" and biblically means "mighty". Thomas is in honor of family on both sides. My great-grandmother's last name is Thomas and Megan's grandfather's name was Thomas.
Benjamin Thomas sounds promising too. Scott thinks it sounds presidential. Hopefully we can attain such heights with our girl's name.
- side note. Ideas for our girls name are welcomed, but I can't promise they will be even considered. :)
Dad likes Rachel and has promised to buy our girl a car if she is named Rachel. Competing bribes are also welcomed.
16 weeks and on we go
Our ultrasound at 15 weeks was a special experience. Not only are our little babies growing at a breathtaking pace, but we had the great pleasure of finding out we are having a boy and a girl. Megan and I have always wanted two children and of course have wanted one boy and one girl. Somehow, knowing that we were having twins also felt like it would be 2 boys or 2 girls. While we would have been grateful no matter what we were having, we feel blessed to be able to have a boy and a girl to complete our family.
This first picture was as soon as the ultrasound started. Both babies were on the same plane and both looked like they were waving at us as they have their hands up by their faces. This was very funny to me.
This first picture was as soon as the ultrasound started. Both babies were on the same plane and both looked like they were waving at us as they have their hands up by their faces. This was very funny to me.
This is a picture our little girl's hand. It would appear she is asking to be taken out already....maybe because the boy keeps kicking her.
Individual profiles for boy and girl. For future reference baby A is our boy and baby B is our girl.
First pictures of our twins
A compilation of pictures from our first three ultrasounds.
Only two weeks later we get another preview. Now 11 weeks, they are starting to look like what you expect. In only one month they have gone from little specks to a recongnizable form. The process of growth that they go through is fascinating to watch.
What small beginnings at 7 weeks. We also found out at this appointment that we were having twins for sure. Seeing this on the display monitor I immediately knew we were having two babies and we both had a wave of emotion.
We next get a peek at our babies at 9 weeks. At this point they only look semi-human. Not surprising coming from me.
Only two weeks later we get another preview. Now 11 weeks, they are starting to look like what you expect. In only one month they have gone from little specks to a recongnizable form. The process of growth that they go through is fascinating to watch.
Really?...Blogging
So, I've given in and decided I would like to give the same peek into our family that I have enjoyed from our friends. I, however, am not gifted with the creative literations of others and will likely be a boring read. But, you should enjoy the pictures!
Meg and I will try to update this blog with pictures of our about-to-double-in-size family and short quips of the fun (read difficulties) we are having raising twins.
I hope you all enjoy!
Meg and I will try to update this blog with pictures of our about-to-double-in-size family and short quips of the fun (read difficulties) we are having raising twins.
I hope you all enjoy!
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