Happy Birthday Kelsey & Kaley

9 years ago, I was laying in the hospital on bed rest, just praying the twins would stay put just a few more weeks. I had had a complicated pregnancy from day 1 and was ready for the pregnancy be be over, but I knew they needed to stay put if possible. I had hyperemis the entire pregnancy and was in and out of the hospital so much, the nurses knew me on a first name basis and kept tomato soup on hand. I wore a Zofran pump, that allowed me to function in daily life without living in the bathroom floor. Even though, I still got sick, it wasn't as frequent. Of course, the pump had its effects too. Shane changed the small catheter that went into my leg daily, and my legs were swollen, black and blue. I had a personal nurse I had to call every day to let her know what I ate, how much I ate, if I had keytones in my urine (had to check every morning), how much I weighed, how many times I vomited, etc. I am thankful for the pump though, because life without it was almost unbearable, to the point they had ordered TPN for me which would have required surgery to place a port in my neck to feed me. Yeah, it was BAD! So, with all of this, I get the news I have pre-eclampia and was put on bedrest. At 32 weeks I was put on hospital bed rest. On Jan. 29, 2003 things turn a turn for the worst. MY BP was 220/110 and my labs were all over place. My nose started bleeding (never had a nose bleed in my life) and I was vomiting blood (sorry if TMI). So the doctor told me, "Ok, I think it's time to have these babies." I was wheeled to get prepared for the surgery and needless to say I was TERRIFIED and very emotional! At 3:36 and 3:37 pm I heard the tiniest, most precious cries in my life born 7 weeks before their due date.


I have some "just out of mommy's belly photos", but I didn't want to post because I know some just don't want to see that type of stuff. I love looking at them, mainly because I didn't even get to see them until they were several hours old.


My first ultrasound when I heard the doctor say, "OK Mom, here is Baby A (my reaction was huh??? Baby A??) and here is Baby B"

 

NICU team working with one of the girls.

 

 

 

Our first family photo

 

You can tell how tiny they were by looking at her compared to Chad's hand

 

 

 

Happy 1st Birthday

 

2 years old

 

3 years old

 

4 years old

 

5 years old

 

6 years old

 

7 years old

 

8 years old

 

9 years old

 

A house too big

Growing up, I always lived in a small house, after getting married, we lived in a small house, apartments, and another small house. I was always happy in our small house, but something inside me always wanted a bigger house and hoped we could one day we could provide a good size house for our kids to have friends over, host events, etc. So, in January 2011, when we finally started really looking for a new home to purchase or build, we of course had our criteria in mind. The first was to live in the girls school zone. That of course narrowed the choices down quite a bit of homes to buy. We were looking at around 3000 sq foot(+/-), 5 bedrooms, and an open living room. We searched and searched and found one home we really liked. It was 2900 sq ft. and in the neighborhood we are currently living, but another family already had a contract on it and unfortunetly, the neighborhood did not have the same builder anymore. So we went to plan B, Building. We LOVED the neighborhood, but none of the plans they offered at the time were really what we were looking for. However, a few days later, the sales rep. emailed us a plan called the Bridgeview. We fell in love with it immediately. The only downfall, is it was 4100 sq ft, 6 bedrooms (we made it 7), a huge game room and 3 1/2 baths (we have 4 1/2). We really didn't need or want a house this big, but after thinking about it for a few weeks, we decided to write up the contract. We changed the game room into an additional master bedroom with a walk in closet and big bathroom for my Mom, in case she decides to move in with us. So we have 7 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths, a formal living room (our playroom), formal dinning room, and of course the normal family room, breakfast room, and kitchen. We were very excited needless to say. My dream of having a "big house" was finally coming true.

So, just imagine going from 1400 sq ft, 3 BR, 2 BA to 4100 sq ft. WHOHH! Huge difference. So, let me tell you, some days, I really wish I could go back to my 1400 sq ft. house. Well, maybe not that small, because with 3 kids, we do need more room. 3000 sq foot would be perfect I think. The demand of cleaning 5 toilets, 4 tubs, mopping floors, vacuming floors, keeping the finger prints off the stainless steel appliances, on top of the demands of 3 kiddos all alone is sometimes more than I can handle. It's just way too much house!! So my dream of having a big house is being shot down very quickly. Don't get me wrong, I love my house, it's just way too big. Sometimes I wish I had my white appliances, floor covering, and carpet back too. I never thought I would say it!

 

A Rare Moment

These moments are few, far, and inbetween. Kaley's phone happened to be laying beside me and I grabbed it and caught it before they even realized it. HA HA!

 

Where or Where Did my little sleeper go?

I know for those of you following me on facebook know of the sleep issues my sweet little Kinsley has been having. For about 2 months now, Kinsley has slept through the night maybe 5 times. I have still yet to figure it out and maybe I never will. My twins never went through this. If they woke up during the night, they were usually sick. Yes, Kinsley has been suffering with pretty yucky allergies, but I'm still not sure that's why she is waking up. Maybe it all started with her waking up from being sick and got use to Mommy coming in her room and rocking her back to sleep and now it's become a habit? I seriously have no clue what's going on with her. The past couple weeks she hasn't been waking up as frequently, but when she does wake up, even if its 4 am, it's impossible to get her back to sleep and stay asleep. She was waking up at least once an hour but now it's a couple times a night, but she's awake way before her normal time. Here are things we have tried.

*Humidifier runs at night
*fan runs for white noise
*music
*pillow
*benedryl
*letting her cry it out
*rubbing her back
*I've become desperate at times and "GASP" even let her lay in my bed, but still doesn't work. She thinks getting in my bed means it's time to play on Mommy's i phone.
*warmer PJ's w/ cooler temps in the house
*warmer PJ/s with normal temp in house
*normal PJ's with warmer temp in house

If it's separation anxiety, then laying in my bed should fix it, right? But laying in my bed doesn't. She still squirms, cries and doesn't stay asleep.

Night Terrors? I don't think it's that because she is fully awake when she wakes up crying. From what I have researched, when a child has night terrors they are not fully awake.

Nightmares? Maybe

Hot or Cold? I've tried different things on that one, but still no results

Can't breathe? Possibility!!! We do use a humidifier in her room. I have been experimenting with and without nebulizer treatments and the few nights I have her the treatments, she slept through the night. So, did it really help or was it just coincidence? She hasn't been suffering as much with allergies the past week or so, but still breathing through her mouth.


Thyroid Levels out of wack? POSSIBILITY! We are scheduled for labs soon.

Maybe it's just one of those things that will hopefully pass. I have insomnia as it is, and add a restless toddler to it, makes nights very frustrating and makes me one tired Mommy.

I really hope my little sleeper that sleeps until 10:30 (when I don't have to get her up to take big sisters to school) comes back soon!! Any advice, suggestions, or ideas???

 

 

More Christmas pictures

The girls enjoying their first electric scooter ride

 

Kinsley loves watching Big sisters ride their normal scooters, so she got her very own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OOpps...Santa Mommy didn't do a very good job and putting the stroller together..LOL

 

 

 

 

We ended the night with a little game of Disney trivial pursuit.

 

Christmas

Santa has arrived! The big girls don't believe in Santa anymore, but they still like to play along. They are such "realist" and have never had an imagination, so no kidding, at 5 years old, they were questioning me about Santa. They have to know all the facts and details about everything.

 

 

The twins were SO EXCITED to see the electic scooters they have been begging me for for YEARS! I had them convined they were not getting them because they were just too dangerous. HA! SURPRISE!!!

 

They quickly ripped through their wrapped gifts and on to the stockings. Another surprise...A CELL PHONE! That is something I had convinced them they couldn't have until they were 12. Some people may think I'm crazy for getting my almost 9 year olds cell phones, but as much as they go out in the neighborhood and play, at least I can keep up with them at all times. When we were 9, we used our landline to talk, right? We don't have a landline, and I was tired of them using my phone all the time.

 

 

Kinsley loving her new baby stroller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinsley excited because she found candy in her sisters stocking. This child LOVES LOVES LOVES sweets!