Welcome Geneva & Lexa!!

They are here!!!!!!!

Geneva Marie Smith (pictured on the left) weighing in at 4 lbs. 10 ounces at 12:59 p.m. and Lexa Joy Smith at 4 lbs. 2 ounces arriving at 1:00 p.m.  Geneva is darker complected, looks like a Lancaster!  And Lexa is more fair and has LONG legs!  Lexa loves to stretch out both arms and legs now that she finally has room to move!  They are just beautiful and doing well, breathing with a little help from the oxygen with great color and vital signs.  What a journey we all had yesterday!!  I was terribly uncomfortable all night Sunday night with strong contractions but still refusing pain meds as I tried to limit as much medication as possible.  My doctor saw me Monday morning and said I might be able to go home as there was nothing else they could do to prevent labor.  10 minutes later as I was eating breakfast, my water broke!  The doctor came back in and I was already dilated to 6 centimeters!  I had an epidural within 30 minutes and never felt a thing.  But technically I guess I had been in labor for 5 days and was tolerating the contractions that whole time.  So within an hour, we were back in labor and delivery.   I pushed for an hour and a half hoping for a regular delivery but it just wasn't meant to be.  We had to do a C-section so unfortunately I am recovering from both deliveries which was my initial fear.  But it has all been worth it.  Patrick got to be with the babies on and off all afternoon yesterday and all grandparents got to visit with them briefly in the NICU.  I had to wait until I could hold down food and liquid and get into a wheelchair, about 11:00 p.m. last night.  We can only lightly touch them and hope to hold them by tomorrow if all continues to go well.  I am still in shock and cannot believe they are actually here.  We can't wait for everyone to meet them.  Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes.  We will keep you posted.

Quick update

I am typing left-handed due to a terrible burning IV so I will make this short and sweet--- everything is great with the babies.  They are still inside, growing with no distress.  I will see my regular doctor tomorrow and we will know more of a long-term plan.  Will likely be weaned tomorrow off the mag sulfate.  I am having strong contractions but they are irregular and shorter in length which is a good sign and am still only dilated to a 2.  No change since Wednesday. Obviously delivery will depend on if I begin to dilate more and/or my water breaks.  The on-call doctor let me take a 5 minute shower today which felt great!  Nothing like clean hair.  Thanks for everyone's prayers.  I continue to be calmed by the Holy Spirit and knowing that everything will work out for the best.

In the Hospital to Stay

Don't know how much sense I am making at this point...  went into pre-term labor about 10 p.m. Wednesday night and have been in the hospital since.  I am on a powerful  IV medicine to try and stop the labor and buy some time for the girls to develop.  The doctors do not allow the medicine for long-term use due to side effects to mother.  So they are going to start weaning it probably tomorrow and hope that with other meds and hospital bedrest  I can at least make it to Wednesday (33 weeks).  I am starting to dilate and delivery appears imminent.  We have met with the specialist who will take care of the babies in the NICU and she is confident due to their size (each over 4 lbs.) & health on ultrasounds.  It is still very scary & not what we had hoped for.  Not what you picture in the movies as they will likely be here several weeks following my return home.  We are trying to take one day at a time and so far I have only had one crying spell last night when my pains were unbearable.  Other than that, we are okay.  I am eating some and able to sleep on and off.  I am hooked up to several IVs, bp cuff, cathetar, etc. and have to have blood drawn every 6 hours.  The nurses are wonderful and I have a whole new respect for what my patients go through.  It is SO hard being away from home and being totally helpless. Thanks to Hilary, Libby, Mauree, Ashley, AG, Eddie, mom, dad, Fr. John, and others for their visits and goodies.  So many of you are calling and checking on us that I cannot individually mention.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  Every day they are "baking" is equal to 3 days they would have to spend in the NICU.  We love you all!

Happy 17th Birthday, Corkie!

You have lived a long and happy life, Corkie.  I can't believe I was an 11 year old girl when I picked you out and brought you home.  We have been through a lot together.  Your daddy thinks you are well on your way to age 21 to break the oldest dog in the U.S. record and make us famous on the Today Show. Keep up your daily schedule of lots of beauty sleep, chasing the cat, eating the cat's food, and of course begging for your favorite dog treats.  We love you!

Crazy 8s

I copied off of Jenny's blog...  Feel free to post on your blog, too.

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1.  Meeting my 2 girls and everything that goes with bonding with them, kissing them, rocking them, seeing what they look like and how their personalities are similar or different

2.  Seeing Patrick  holding them BOTH

3.  Introducing them to the whole family and revealing their names

4.  16 weeks off work

5.  Getting back to Jazzercise and working off my pregnancy belly

6.  Summer weather

7.  Having a busy household

8.  I know it will be awhile, but being called "mommy" 

8 things I did yesterday:

1.  Paid off my medical bills, for now at least

2.  Balanced the checkbook

3.  Wrote thank-you notes

4.  Took an afternoon nap

5.  Attended our last labor & delivery class

6.  Opened the windows until the rain hit about 2:00

7.  Read 5 chapters in my new book

8.  Ate A LOT-- I can't get enough lately.  I ate donuts, cereal, grapes, strawberries, ice cream, spinach enchiladas, spaghetti, granola bars,  fruit snacks, just to name a few.

8 things I wish I could do or want to do:
1.  Go do a Jazzercise routine right now!  I feel so unfit and lazy!  I need to dance!

2.  Eat a big club sandwich with a cherry coke (can't have deli meat or caffeine right now).

3.  Go for a walk.  I miss our spring walks this year through the neighborhood.

4.  Get my hair highlighted.  Another one of my pregnancy sacrifices.  I am NOT liking my hair right now.

5.  Be a stay-at-home mom.  I am so nervous about how I am going to juggle all the responsibilities of twins and going back to work.  I don't know how I am going to leave my two miracles at daycare, and I haven't even met them yet.

6.  Get a mini-van.  Doesn't look financially possible right now with daycare for two.

7.  Go swimming.  Not brave enough for a maternity swimsuit.

8.  Fast forward to Week 36 to ensure the babies are healthy and ready to come.

8 shows I watch:
1.  All My Children

2.  Dancing with the Stars

3.  LOST

4.  Desperate Housewives

5.  Amazing Race

6.  48 Hours Murder Mystery

7.  Bachelor/ Bachelorette

8.  Army Wives

8 people to tag:
1.  Laura

2.  Rachel

3.  Libby

4.  Amy

5.  Kristina

6.  Hilary

7.  Melissa

8.  Jennifer

Introducing My New Fate

Well, it seems like my good luck has run out...  I went to the doctor on Thursday and everything was PERFECT... blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, exam, ultrasound, swelling, etc.  My doctor continued to brag saying that I am a real trooper, carrying twins better than she carried one.  She even went so far as to say that I would be a great candidate for a regular delivery (no C-section) based on the position of the babies (less than 30% of twins are delivered traditionally).  I could continue to work with no restrictions.  I was on cloud 9... then I had to go upstairs in the hospital for one hour of monitoring.  A few minutes into the monitoring, highly engrossed in my new novel, the nurse busts in the room... "Are you in pain??"  NO!  WHY?  She informs me I am having contractions.  She positions me to try and stop the contractions.  They inform me the doctor will be paged if the contractions don't stop in 5 minutes...  I AM IN SHOCK at this point but am sure there is a mistake.  The next thing I know, there is my previously happy, optimistic doctor in my room telling me I am in possible pre-term labor at 30 weeks.  She is ordering a shot to stop the contractions and a steroid shot to be given to mature the girls' lungs just in case they come.  My first reaction, "Do I need to call my husband?  This sounds serious."  I am still in total shock, feeling no pain or contractions.  So the doctor says she will be back in an hour.  In the meantime, I call my mom and Patrick who meet me at the hospital.  It was quite an adventure.  It all happened so fast and luckily I didn't have time to actually think of the possibly scary results.  Well the contractions didn't really stop completely but there was no dilation, therefore, it was not considered pre-term labor but could easily be headed down that road.  So I was told bedrest and I had to return to the hospital on Friday for another monitoring and the 2nd round of steroid shot to mature the lungs.  No contractions detected on Friday so I am not sure what my final restrictions are (will find out tomorrow).  Initially I was told strict bedrest, only getting up to go to the bathroom, but am hoping that I can have some sort of modified bedrest.  I am going crazy!  And I feel terrible that Patrick is doing everything... laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, and cleaning.  I feel so useless and the frustrating part is that I feel FINE.  I just have to keep telling myself that these babies have at least 5 more weeks to stay inside and grow and that in the end, this will all be worth it.  I hate being off work and using my maternity leave for this instead of when I will really need it.  But the nurse informed me Friday via phone that 32 weeks at bedrest is the clinic's policy, and I will be 31 on Tuesday so I guess I am just a week off.  Glad we made a good investment on New Year's Day with our new king-sized bed.  I sure don't know how I would still be making it in our queen at this point. Patrick had to lift me out of the bed this morning!!  I swear I grew overnight.  I am beginning to feel like a whale!  We'll keep you posted.

Update on Babies

Here is the only picture I have from my 5 baby showers... still waiting on my camera charger so I can upload more. This is one of my oldest and dearest friends, Susan, who gave me a PERFECT shower on April 18th at her mom's beautiful home.  We had such a great time.  More in a later post. What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been.  I apologize to everyone reading that deserves a thank-you note.  They are slow in coming.  For those of you that are mommies, just remember how much it took to prepare for 1 baby and multiply it by 2!  We are still sorting through and trying to organize everything.  We are overwhelmed by all of your love and generosity.  It is crazy how a big house with lots of empty closets is now busting at the seams, and they aren't even here yet!  I am sorry for not updating everyone on the girls' progress.  I had my fourth "growth and anatomy" ultrasound yesterday at the hospital and everything is great.   The doctor's RN called me herself and said that my doctor was "so pleased" and just couldn't wait to tell me until my appointment Thursday!  The babies are measuring exactly within the same normals.  Baby B is 3 pounds 7 ounces and Baby A 3 pounds 4 ounces, which is in the 98th percentile!  They are both head down and have all the necessary organs, bones, etc. and are even practice breathing which means their lungs are developing.  I am now going to the doctor every week as I am now considered what a normal woman would be at full-term.  When I go on Thursdays I also have to be admitted to the Labor & Delivery floor for an hour long non-stress heart test where the babies' heartrates are checked to ensure they are not in distress.  It is painless but boring!  Not to mention there is no telling what all of this is costing.  (Patrick calls me a frugal Jew as I worry constantly about money!)  Anyway, I guess the cost of ensuring a full-term pregnancy is priceless.  Our goal is still a 36 week minimum which is only 6 weeks from today!!  Of course anything over that is icing on the cake.  I have gained 40 pounds and am still working.  I am starting to really fatigue and swell by the afternoons so am now only working 4-5 hour days but 7 days a week to keep my full-time status... another reason my house is so disorganized and my thank-yous are delayed.  By the time I get home and prop up my feet, watch my soap, and get in a nap--Patrick is home.  But I still prefer this schedule over bedrest. I need to save as many of my days as possible to be home with the babies not killing time in bed.  Well, I am going to run put the meatloaf in the oven.  Tonight is class #4 of our labor and delivery class.  That's another reason we have been so busy--between baptism preparation classes, labor and delivery classes, breastfeeding classes, and childcare classes we feel like we are back in school!  Patrick calls me the star student as I think I am the only one that is actually paying attention and taking notes.  Hey I am going to need all the help I can get!!