Spoke too soon

Well, I guess I spoke (or blogged) too soon. Within a few hours of the below post we were at an appointment w/Jack's pediatrician who, in turn, was on the phone with Jack's neonatologist who recommended readmitting Jack to the NICU. Long story short, his breating issues are no longer isolated to just feeding times and the neonatologist wants to monitor him more closely. Of course we were very sad to drop our little man back off at the hospital, not knowing when we'll be able to bring him home again. But we feel so blessed knowing how well our Jack is being taken care of. There are some great doctors, nurses, and other staff in that NICU; and they, of course, have his best interests at heart. We just pray that Jack will feel comfortable and make the progress that he needs to in order to (re)join his family. I keep reminding myself that I should technically still be 37 weeks pregnant. It is an incredible blessing that these 3-week-old preemies are doing as well as they are. We've been very blessed.

We miss you already little guy! Sleep tight.

Jack's home! Our "full house" at last...

One week after Sadie came home, we have another Saturday graduation! Jack was able to come home on the 24th, after 19 days in the NICU. Even though he's still working to overcome a few maturity/coordination issues (i.e. breathing while eating), we are SO grateful to have him home with his family. He does require a little extra monitoring, but it's so great to finally be responsible for your own children... however overwhelming it may be at times...

Slightly proud big brother :)

Just chillin' at home. Have to have a cute "twinner" picture, right? Especially since these preemie outfits look like they'll be outgrown before too long.


This is in the NICU during our "trial" period of feeding Jack w/out nurses there to help watch his breathing. He was a champ! We put the two kiddos together while trying to wake them up for a bottle. Funny-- I don't think they look much alike, but they definitely make the same newborn "squawks" and other noises. They also like to suck on each other, as I was trying to capture in this picture.

Jack's last picture in the NICU

Sweet Sadie

Sadie's home!!

Last Saturday, April 17th, Sadie finally graduated from the NICU! She's been doing great and they just couldn't keep her in there any longer. Although it was a bittersweet homecoming without baby brother, we're very excited to have her home. And Adam was SO excited to finally meet his new sister! He was a little shy at first, but is such an inquisitive and proud big brother. Hopefully Sadie's homecoming will make us a little more prepared for when it's Jack's turn. Which, by the way, might be tomorrow! Keeping our fingers crossed...

"So happy together..."

Alright, so this picture/update is over a week late... but here it is anyway. Last Sunday (4/11), after Jack was extubated for the last time, he and Sadie were reunited at last! It was so sweet and such a relief to finally have them co-bedding. I'm not sure why, but it made me feel so much better knowing they were together. This picture is pretty telling of their personalities thus far. When she's not sleeping, Sadie just has her eyes open wide and is constantly searching her surroundings. It's funny because she doesn't turn her head at all... just wide-eyed and looking all over. Like many babies, she hates being changed or having to wait to eat, and she is very vocal about it! Quite the set of lungs. And Jack has been way more laid-back. He's such a sweetheart... just love his puppy-dog eyes and the way he looks up at you. I think he just might be the calming force in this duo... and probably in our family altogether. These guys are quite the pair and we LOVE them!

As I've mentioned, no one under 18 is allowed in the NICU. So, Adam had yet to meet his new little siblings. We tried to keep him involved as much as we could. Showed him pictures and videos of Jack and Sadie, and put up pictures that he painted for them above their bed. It's been rough, but he's been a champ through all of it. I love him and appreciate him for his patience and understanding... it's a lot to ask a 4-year-old. Guy has been beyond amazing and supportive. It's kind of not fair for the dads, I decided. The babies get the most care and attention, of course. Then the mom, then siblings, and I think the dad's needs get pushed behind everyone else. Guy is always thoughtful and selfless, but especially lately. I love you, babe!

Here's just a silly pic of Adam and Guy playing around in the NICU waiting room. I'm such a wuss. There are NICU parents who have to wait weeks or months before their babies come home, and I'm already whining. :)

Day 2!

Don't worry, I won't be posting a million pictures every day. :) Karin was able to come over and spend some time w/us and the babies... and I spent some time stealing her pictures from this day! This was from Wednesday morning, actually, when they had to give me a blood transfusion. It's amazing what a couple of units of blood can do to help your energy level! I'm feeling much better these days (hence the pictures... finally:).

Guy, washing up. You have to scrub in for every visit in NICU.

Sadie, 2 days old

Jackson, 2 days old

Sadie, 1 day old

Jackson, 1 day old

Quick visit that night

After the surgery I was wheeled into a recovery room where they continued to try and get my "skakes" under control. I also had this crazy, unquenchable thirst that Guy thought there was something seriously weird about. I was finally able to be wheeled up (in my bed) to see our babies in their room on NICU with Guy. What little miracles! As I mentioned, we weren't able to hold Jack yet. Hopefully sometime soon, though!



Sadie, on the other hand, was all wide-eyed and looked ready to take on the world! They're both just so tiny and delicate and it's crazy to think that they were both in my belly only hours before.

A little while later, Grandma (who'd been with Adam all day... lifesaver!) brought Adam up for a little visit. I missed that Adam boy... man, it's not easy leaving a child (or children) at home during times like this, huh?! Unfortunately he's not allowed in NICU right now because he's under 18 and we haven't passed up flu season yet. I was really worried that he'd be pretty upset when he found out he wouldn't be able to see the babies, but for now he's been mostly content to just see pictures. He was so excited and proud to bring in pictures to his preschool yesterday! So here's a pic that Adam took of Grandma up with us in my room. I am SO sad that we don't have a picture of her with the babies. She ended up being able to visit them on Tuesday but neither Guy nor I could go with her at the time so we weren't able to document their visit together. Please forgive us! We are so grateful that you "happened" to be up here this weekend and just took care of everything at home for us.

My parents got in really late that night, after having just driven up from Utah. They stopped in real quick to say hi and it was so good to see them. They apparently tried to sneak in and see the babies too, but were rejected at the NICU desk because they didn't have the proper authorization yet. ;)

The real deal

It started kicking in that this was the real deal when they wheeled me into the OR delivery room to start pushing. This is standard when in labor w/twins, as complications that'd require a c-section are much more likely to arise in these cases. Between the hormones, the nerves, and the fact that the a/c was blowing on high, I became really shaky... hence the first picture here of me w/warmed blankets up to my chin. :) When it was time to push, I--of course--still felt like I had no idea what I was doing. They said I was doing a great job, and my doctor had me push for about 45 minutes. At this point he became worried that my pelvis was just too small to deliver the baby. Baby girl was coming first and she was the smaller of the two. So, even if he was able to use forceps or vacuum to help get her out, little brother would be even bigger and even more impossible to deliver; it was at this point that he strongly recommended a c-section. I was bummed at having to resort to this after only 45 minutes of trying, but I was honestly grateful for the opportunity to experience the "real" birth experience as I had thus far. We always knew a c-section would be a possibility to we'd tried to keep an open mind and go with our doctor's recommendation. So they prepared me for the surgery and Guy was right there by my side the whole time. He's been such a rock and amazing support throughout this whole process and especially this day.

I get additional drugs through the epidural and am feeling great until the procedure starts. The drape goes up in front of me and, within a minute or two, I get this crazy-intense headache pounding through my head. I'm communicating this to Guy and the anesthesiologist who are both seated near my head, and the anesthesiologist promises me some additional drugs that he's going to administer as soon as both babies are out. As if I need additional motivation to see the little guys at this point! After a lot of tugging and moving and pushing and pulling, I suddenly feel a release in my abdomen and a sharp cry fills the air. Oh my gosh! It's our baby girl. Tears spring to my eyes and I just can't stop them at this point... it's like the ultimate breakdown point, right? Years of infertility, the amazing blessing of Adam in our lives, more years of trying to adopt again, and a surprisingly successful IVF process. And now I hear this innocent cry... representitive, to me, of the Lord's answer to many prayers. Now comes my worry and waiting to hear little brother and hoping that both babies are healthy... they're barely 34 weeks along, which makes them about 6 weeks early. Baby brother comes soon after, and here are a bunch of pix documenting those few minutes. A nurse in the room was kind enough to take a bunch for us, and I'm so grateful! They're kind of in random order, but I'll try to group them at least by child. :)

Introducing Sadie Joan (named after her maternal grandma)
Born on 4/5/10 at about 4:50pm (I've been out of it and still don't have official times yet:)
4 lb 14 oz, 17.5 in

A big scare during the delivery was the discovery of a "true knot" in Sadie's umbilical cord. The knot had apparently not been pulled tight enough to affect her health yet, but it certainly had that potential to do that. We realized that, if my water had not broken Monday morning and forced us to deliver these babies, we would not have made this unfortunate discovery and she could easily have not made it. What a scary thought and incredible blessing at the same time. Heavenly Father certainly does know each one of us and watches over us.

Here's that knot, still attached to her...


Guy, cutting Sadie's cord...

Now introducing Jackson (or Jack) Dee (named after his paternal grandpa)

Born on 4/5/10 at 4:55pm

5 lb 6 oz, 17 in

Daddy cutting Jack's cord...

Jack has had a little harder time adjusting than Sadie has. I got to see him briefly in the OR, but then both babies were rushed up to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I have yet to be able to hold him, and Guy hasn't since just after birth, so we're both very anxious as we watch and wait for these kiddos to get strong so we can cuddle and kiss and get to know them.