Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Twin Tuesday!

For this Twin Tuesday, I thought I would share the twins' birth story.

On Sunday July 27, 2014 I was just about 37 weeks pregnant and I felt awful. I can't really explain it, I just felt sick (although I can't say I was ever feeling really great at that point, being so extremely pregnant with twins in the end of July was pretty much guaranteeing I was always feeling kind of crummy!) All I wanted to do all day was lay down. I could barely eat, barely move, barely walk. It's safe to say I was pretty miserable and was very ready to have these babies out! My husband was great and doted on me all day; always making sure I had a drink, making sure the air was cool enough, making sure I had enough pillows. I had never gone into labor before (I was induced with my daughter), so I didn't really know the signs. I had a doctor appointment the next day along with a non stress test at the hospital so I figured we would know what was going on then! I woke up Monday feeling a little better but still very crampy and nauseous. I got ready and went to my NST. While I was there a nurse checked me after I explained to her how I was feeling and I was 2cm dilated! However, 2cm isn't really anything to get too excited about so she told me I could be in labor but we will have to wait and see. After she checked me things really kicked into high gear. I was cramping badly and felt so sick. I needed to kill some time before my appointment at my doctor's office so I went to JoAnne fabrics and also to WalMart to pick up some things I needed. It was so hard walking around these stores but I did it and made it to the doctors office. While I was sitting waiting to be called back I all of a sudden broke out into a sweat and I got an extremely sharp pain in the middle of my lower back. It was as if I was being stabbed. I could have started crying right then and there from the pain. That's the moment I knew. That second I was SURE I was in labor. They called me back and I told the doctor all that was going on, she checked me and I was know 4cm dilated! She smiled, hugged me and said "Congratulations, you're in labor! Let's go have those boys!" I was so excited and so nervous at the same time. I thought to myself "This is it! You're about to have two more children!" That thought hit me like a ton of bricks. It all got so real that I was going to have two tiny babies to care for. I got out of the office and into my car and drove to the hospital. When I walked to the desk to check in I said to the woman "Hi, my name is Kelly and I'm in labor!" She looked like she could have passed out. She said to me "How did you get here? Are you alone?" I told her yes I was alone and that I had driven myself (my husband was working and was on his way to meet me). She asked if I wanted a wheelchair, I told her I was fine and could walk to the labor and delivery unit by myself. I got up there and they hooked me up to the machines and it was go time! Except it wasn't. Turns out, these tiny boys of mine were very stubborn. I stalled at 6cms. I tried EVERYTHING. I walked. I changed positions. I walked some more. Nothing. My doctor is excellent and knew how badly I wanted a natural delivery and let me wait overnight to see if I progressed some more. 7:00 a.m. rolled around and unfortunately there was no more progress. My doctor advised me he thought the best option at this point was a C-section. I'm not going to lie, there were tears and lots of them. I was so upset, but I wanted what was best for my boys. On July 29th, 2014 at 8:41 in the morning Adam James was born. I heard his little cry and was overjoyed. They held him up but I couldn't see him over the drape. I panicked and looked to my husbands face for reassurance and he said to me "Kell, he's perfect." I had no time to react because at 8:42 Collin Richard was born. I was able to see him, he was so cute and tiny. I was so relieved it was all over and my boys were here!
They took the boys to do their assessment and got me all cleaned up and over to the recovery room. I was waiting for my sweet boys for what seemed to be forever. Finally they brought Collin to me. I bawled when I saw him. He was so perfect. His little nose was no bigger than a tiny jelly bean. He had beautiful deep blue eyes. Talk about love at first sight! I tried to nurse him but he was having trouble breathing so they took him back to the nursery and brought me Adam. Love at first sight again! It was incredible. He looked so different than his brother (which I was so relieved about because I had reoccurring nightmares where I wasn't able to tell them apart!). He was a little smaller than Collin but not much. He had a full head of the softest hair I had ever felt. His little hands grabbed for me and my heart swelled. I then tried to nurse him but the same thing happened, he was having trouble breathing and they took him too. I was crushed. I couldn't believe I waited all this time to see them, to hold them, to love them, and then they were gone. I was so mad. None of this was according to plan. I wanted my babies and wanted to get out of that bed and go to them, but at that point I still had some recovering to do and had to just wait it out. That was one of the most awful times in my life.
Finally I was moved over to my room and of course I wanted to see my babies. I said to the nurse I need to see them, and to please get me a wheel chair. She was worried that it was too soon for me to get up and that I wouldn't be steady enough on my feet. I said to her "Listen, I am going to see my sons, with or without your help". I think she could tell how serious I was and brought a wheelchair for me. I got into it with no problem and my husband wheeled me over to the special care nursery. Both Adam and Collin were hooked up to CPAP machines due to their lung immaturity, other than that they were doing ok. I spent the rest of the day with them in the nursery. On Wednesday they were both doing ok, but Adam was doing slightly better than Collin. They took off Adam's CPAP and told me if he continued doing as well as he was he would be able to be discharged into the regular nursery. I was thrilled, but still worried for my little Coll. I went back to my room to pump and get something to eat and while I was there the doctor came in and informed me Collin needed a chest tube. I felt like I got punched in the stomach. I was so worried for him and still couldn't believe all of this was happening. They inserted the tube, Collin started to improve and Adam continued doing well. On Thursday morning Adam was discharged to the regular nursery. I was SO excited. I kept him with me all day, dressed him in the first little outfit I got for them and snuggled him non stop. I stayed with Collin and made sure he knew his Mommy was there with him. He's such a little fighter that he ended up pulling out his own chest tube, however they did an X-Ray and it showed his lung had healed and he no longer needed it so a new one did not need to be reinserted. I can't tell you how many times I thanked God that day.
We were able to stay in the hospital a few more days even thought Adam and I were discharged. The nurses and doctors were so great and knew I wanted to be there for Collin so they kept us for as long as they could. Adam and I were discharged on Sunday August 3rd and home we went, leaving Collin at the hospital. I can't even begin to explain the emotions I felt. I was SO happy to have Adam home and have him be healthy but I was also so worried about Collin and HATED having to leave him. I know it wasn't the case but I felt like I was abandoning him. He continued to improve and on Tuesday August 6th he was ready to come home with us. He passed his car seat test with flying colors and was doing perfectly. When we drove out of that hospital with both of our boys and our daughter in the car I felt like a million bucks. I was ecstatic to start our life as a family of five!

In labor!


Hubby fast asleep! ;)


Ready for the OR!


They're here! Adam James and Collin Richard <3


Twins!


Adam James <3


Collin Richard <3

Sweet baby Adam is free of tubes!

Mommy and Adam snuggles

Adam in his first outfit

Ashley meeting Adam!

Adam and I on our way home

Brothers <3

On our way with BOTH babies! 

Bill with his sons

Home <3

XOXO- Kelly








Friday, June 19, 2015

Boardwalk Trip

A few weekends ago, one of our best friends invited us to go for a day trip to the boardwalk. Now, let me just say, I LOVE the boardwalk. Ever since I was a little girl it has been one of my most favorite past times of summer. I love the games, the food, the rides, the atmosphere, everything! Having kids and being able to take them is the absolute best. Seeing everything through their eyes and getting to experience it all again with them is incredible.
I had never been to Keansburg, NJ before but my good friend Maria has been going her whole life. Bill had done some work around there and said he thought it would be a fun thing to do with the kids. We had such a great time! It was really family oriented and not too crowded at all which was super nice when having to push around a huge double stroller. They had a ton of rides that were small enough for Ashley to go on and she had a blast. The ride controllers were really nice and since the kids had wristbands they allowed them to go on the rides as many times in a row as they wanted!
Bill LOVES to play boardwalk games and Ashley was so excited that her Daddy won her a frog from the Frog Bog game and quickly named her Lily. She loves it so much and hasn't put it down since she got it.

Ash waving to her brothers!

Ashley with Xan, Emmagrace up front!



Ash and Collin

Adam and Ashley

My sweet little Adam


Ashley and her frog Lily, right after Daddy won her!

We had a great day, and can't wait to go back!

XOXO- Kelly


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Twin Tuesday!

I decided every Tuesday I'm going to do a post about the twins; products I love for them, funny/cute things they do and say, outings we go on, things like that! If nothing else, it will be fun for me to look back on because everyday they are getting bigger and older and I already find myself looking back at newborn pictures of them and missing them as tiny babies! SO, here we go for our first TWIN TUESDAY!

Something that has been a huge lifesaver for us is the Delta 36x36 Play Yard.

For my shower, I put a regular pack and play on the registry. Once we got it, I quickly realized it wasn't going to work for us. Both babies didn't fit in it, and it was much too small for them to play in. We returned the pack and play and just by chance we saw this one. I was so excited, it was so big and looked like it would have just enough room. Sure enough, it worked out perfectly. We brought it with us to Disney World and both of the boys had plenty of room to sleep, the mattress was padded enough, and they were able to play together. I can't say enough great things about this play yard and would recommend any twin Momma to invest in it!


Here are my sweet boys, fast asleep in the Play Yard. My heart melts when I see them like this! 

During the day I try to make it a point to get the kids outside at least once.  The babies are 10 1/2 months now and are crawling everywhere. They are so curious and want to explore and see everything, as well as put everything in their mouths! So, just laying out a blanket and relaxing on the grass isn't really an option for us. We decided to get a Radio Flyer wagon and the boys LOVE it! Ashley loves it as well!



I pull them around the yard, take them for walks, and just enjoy the nice weather. They love sitting at a different angle as opposed to being in the stroller and Ashley really likes being able to hop in and out as she pleases. It has seat backs that fold down to be flatbed wagon or put up like in the picture to be seats. It also has little seat belts which are awesome to keep the kids safe and strapped in. I'm sure we're going to get a lot of use out of it this summer!


Yesterday, after a stroll around the yard we stopped to play with bubbles. It was the first time the boys had ever seen bubbles and they loved watching them and trying to grab them. It's so amazing to see the look on their face when they discover something new. It was a great afternoon, one I'm sure I'll remember forever.


XOXO- Kelly


Monday, June 8, 2015

Life, Babies and Back to Blogging!

I'M BACK! It's been a LONG couple years. Things got away from me, life got in the way and I stopped blogging. I'm making a conscious effort to start again. So, since I last posted a ton has happened. Ashley is now almost five!!! Five!!! Can you believe it? I certainly cannot. She is still such a spunky, happy little girl and brings so much joy to our lives. She loves princesses, dolls, dressing up and of course FROZEN! She will be starting kindergarten in the fall, which we are both not ready for. I'm going to miss my little partner in crime! Thank God we have the whole summer to prepare! In July 2014 we added two new members to our family, our twin boys, Adam and Collin! They are the best little boys anyone could ever ask for. They are a little over 10 months now and they amaze me every single day with how much they are learning, how quick they are growing, and what different little personalities they have. It's absolutely fascinating to witness and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be their mommy. Having them has absolutely been a roller coaster. So many times I have heard moms of twins say "the first six months are an absolute blur". I never really understood what that meant, but let me tell you, that statement is spot on. From the moment they were born we hit the ground running. They were born at 37 weeks and both needed some NICU time. Collin needed a little extra help so he stayed in a little longer. I had to leave the hospital with Adam while Collin stayed an extra two days. Walking out of the hospital without him was quite possibly one of the hardest things I've ever done, BUT, when we finally had both boys home the elation I felt was indescribable. Ashley was in preschool and with them being slightly premature, they started getting sick. In September (at 7 weeks) I had Collin in the hospital for a cold, he was fine and the hospital staff probably thought I was insane, but my philosophy was better safe than sorry.  December rolled around and I was so excited for the boys' first Christmas. We did so many fun Christmas activities; went on the Polar Express, visited Santa, went through the Ice Caverns (an adorable walk through attraction with decorated windows), went to a Frozen Ice Palace in a local mall. It was great and gearing up to be a great holiday. Unfortunately all my plans were dashed when on Christmas Eve Collin spiked a 102º temperature. Adam followed suit and they both ended up going to the hospital on Christmas day and were admitted for pneumonia. We spent the next week there and finally came home New Years Day. It was one of the most trying times in my life. Needless to say, it's been insane, but I wouldn't change it for the world.  I stopped working when I had them because going to work while having two tiny babies, breastfeeding them, having a four year old to take care of and sleep at some point in between all that proved to be much too difficult. I do miss my job, but being a stay-at-home mom is by far the best job I've ever had and I really, really love it. We are finally getting into a routine (only took me 10 months LOL) but things are honestly getting easier and I feel much more accomplished during my days. I find that getting out, even for something simple like to the food store for milk, really helps me feel like I got at least SOMETHING accomplished. So here we are, just enjoying summer, enjoying the boys being a little older so they can participate in some fun summer activities, and enjoying life. I can't wait to continue documenting our lives and my thoughts so down the road I can look back on it all. I hope you join me for the ride!

My sweet girl announcing the arrival of her brothers!


They're here! Adam James and Collin Richard.


The three loves of my life <3



Our little family.


And then some pictures of us now!




Me and the hubby!



Ashley and her brothers! (Adam on the left Collin on the right)


Us!! <3<3



XOXO- Kelly