I am laying in my bed cuddling my little Ava. It was so fun to take her out of the NICU today. Everyone in the halls of the NICU watched as I got to walk out the door with her. My day has gone a little something like this:
-arrive home
-change bum
-boys meet Ava
-change bum
-feed her(1/2 hour +)
-change bum
-lay down by her & Ashton for short nap
-change her bum
-feed her (1/2 hour +)
-change her bum
-she slept for about 1 1/2 hours so I watched Little Mermaid with the boys)
-change her bum
-feed her for about 1/2 hour +)
-change her bum
-It's now 10:30pm and we will see how the first night with her home goes
Now this might not sound too bad but I am thinking of next Tuesday when this will be only half of what I do. Ali is on day 3 of day 7 of her countdown. Looking good so far!!!
If Ava makes it through tonight without forgetting to breath then she will be coming home in the morning! We are so excited!!! She now weighs a healthy 6 pounds 11 ounces and is eating like a chunk. She looks so healthy and ready to come home. The only hard part about bringing Ava home is leaving Ali behind. The good news is that Ali is on day 2 of her 7 day count down to come home. If Ali doesn't forget to breath then she will come home on Tuesday. She now weighs 5 pounds 11 ounces and is also looking so healthy. She pulled out her NG tube (feeding tube in her nose) on her own about 2 days ago and so the nurses decided to try to give her all of her feedings by mouth. I guess Ali was telling them she was ready because she has been doing fantastic with her bottle feedings. All the nurses in the NICU have been so great and keep telling us how much they love our girls. We love them too and Ashton and Tate can't wait to meet their sisters. Thank you for all of your prayers and please keep them coming:)!
Ali & Ava have been separated since day 6. The nurse let me get them together for a few minutes the other day. Ava was a little upset about having company in her crib. I couldn't get the best pictures of them since Ava wouldn't cooperate but they still look so cute. Although they are identical, they don't look the same to us. Ali is on the left and weighs 5 pounds 9 ounces and Ava weighs 6 pounds 3 ounces. They are doing really well but they still forget to breath occasionally when they eat.
When I delivered these girls the nurses told us that there is a chance they would have to stay in the NICU until they are full term. Eric and I never imagined they would be in the hospital this long and they were due on September 23rd which is coming up fast. We hope to bring them home soon but we still don't know when that will be.
There is an emergency exit outside our girls window and Eric had the great idea to walk the boys up to the window to see the girls. I held each of the girls up to the window while the boys checked them out and blew them kisses. It was so fun!
This is Ava and she now weighs 6 pounds 3 ounces!!! This is the first picture that I have of her without any tubes in her nose. She is adorable and is getting so big! She is eating better but occasionally forgets to breath. Once she stops forgetting to breath, she will get to come home! YEAH!!!
Ashton's birthday is a month from today and he would like the following:
-A Fork Lift from Home Depot
-A riding lawn mower
-A motorcycle
-a John Deer dump truck that he can drive
-a dragon
I am thankful for...
Since it's that time of year, I wanted to list the things I am grateful for.
-our little miracle babies
-6 hours of sleep at night
-afternoon naps
-52 ounce Diet Dr. Pepper with 4 shots of vanilla from Holiday Oil.
-family
-friends
-my testimony and my eternal family
-food on the table
-a home to live in
-days when Eric has a job
-a loving husband
-and last but not least...$32 dollars to fill my SUV!!! YEAH!!!
More like the terrible three's!!!
Ashton turned 3 on October 5th. He wanted a dragon, a real fork lift from Home Depot, etc. We couldn't afford most the items on his birthday wish list so he ended up with a little four wheeler (thanks to some help from both grandparents). He loves it and Tate can go for rides with him so its even better. I thought he was a stinker at 2 years old but it seems that 3 is even worse. He keeps us on our toes! We sure love our little Ashton.
Our new family car...what do you think?
Eric was coming home on Aug. 7th after a play with his family at Desert Star Play house. He had just gone to visit the girls and fill up the car with gas before heading home. He was turning into our neighborhood and he slowed to let 2 cars pass in the opposite direction. The women behind him was obviously not paying attention and crashed right into the back of him. He is doing well and just has a little tingling in his arm and a sore back. We are so glad that he is alright and that our boys and new babies were not in the car!
Ashton's funny comment about daddies car accident
Ashton asked what happened to our car because Eric was trying to explain to him about the car accident. Eric said, "I got in a accident in the car." Ashton said, "oh, you peed in the car?" He thinks an accident is peeing or pooing.
New to blogging
I figured since I am on bedrest and always looking for something to do, I would start our family blog. I think it's supposed to get easier with time but as for now our site is looking pretty bland. Don't let that fool you though because we are a very fun family! :) I think this will be a good way to keep everyone updated on the twins upcoming delivery, the boys and our family.
While I laid in bed, Eric took the boys to the Rodeo all by himself. That is something that I would never attempt. He did meet Beau, Cavin and Sawyer there. Ashton got new cowboy boots the night before so all my boys wore their boots. Eric wore his big "E" belt. Ashton loved the rodeo and can't stop talking about the clown who showed everyone his bum. Tate couldn't sit still so he kept poking the people in front of him and spilling cousin Cavin's popcorn. Maybe next year will be better.
Today is July 26th which means 18 days on bedrest. Some people might think it would be nice to spend a few days in bed but after day one I was already going nuts. I can only get up to eat or use the bathroom. Needless to say, I get up to eat a lot because its one of two reasons to get a break from my bed. So far, the girls are good. I will be 32 weeks on the 29th. My doctor is saying that is a much better place to be then when I went into preterm labor at 29 weeks and spent 4 days in the hospital. I am dilated to a 2+ and 60% effaced but so far the bedrest and Nifedipine have minimized the contractions. The average cm growth of a singleton pregnancy is 35 cm and I am measuring 40 cm and still growing. The babies are extremely wiggly and between the two babies, I am getting kicked and stretched around the clock. I can't wait to see what they look like but hopefully its not for about 3 or 4 more weeks. Stay tuned and hopefully I can keep the blog current enough to keep you updated.
Ashton and Tate are enjoying having their sisters home after 51 days of the girls being in the hospital. Ashton loves to bring them toys and blankets and Tate thinks Ali's name is owey (spelling?) and then asks for a bandaid.
Ava & Ali
Ava
