CHANGE
Before I was put on bed rest in October, I was teaching Seventh Grade Language Arts. With the new Common Core Standards, our curriculum was divided into four themes. First semester's theme was "CHANGE." One of the first activities the kids and I did to discuss change was to create a Circle Map, which is the map used for brainstorming. We began thinking of all the things that change in our lives. I teach four different classes and one of the first topics brought up in each class was time. We then thought about how we organize time- years, months, and dates. Point of this little anecdote? I'm going to discuss some dates that have been important in the last year and how they've changed my life.
May 19th, 2012- Found out I was pregnant. Shocked, but super excited!! :)
June 6th, 2012- First doctor's appointment and ultrasound revealed TWO babies!! Shock continued!!
August 18th, 2012- Gender ultrasound showed we were having IDENTICAL BOYS- woo hoo!
October 16th, 2012- Put on bed rest due to signs of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome :(
October 21st, 2012- Long story short- my water broke, they were able to stop labor, and I spent the next six weeks cooking the babies in the hospital. (Read previous posts for details on that great adventure!)
November 27th, 2012- Our sweet baby boys were born at 32 weeks, 4 days. They were tiny- Jackson Thomas was 3 lbs, 3 ozs. William Daniel was 2 lbs, 7 ozs., but they were healthy!
December 1st, 2012- After a LONG 45 days in the hospital, I was finally discharged. The sweet baby boys weren't quite ready to come home, but I was overjoyed to finally get to sleep in my own bed again and see my fur babies.
December 24th, 2012- Jack was discharged to come home!! Bittersweet moment since we were thrilled to have him home for Christmas, but sad to leave William in the hospital. We got to practice with one baby for a few days before having them both home.
December 29th, 2012- Much to our surprise, Will was discharged. After his brother left, he got his act together and drank his bottles! We were absolutely thrilled to have both boys home. This was the day the big adventure began!!
That brings us to today...
January 18th, 2013- My original due date! When I heard this date initially it seemed so far away, but now it's here! We knew we would never make it pregnant to this day with having twins, but it's still a significant day. The boys are finally full-term! Yahoo!! So much has changed in our lives this past year. We are so blessed and grateful for all of God's blessings.
Another topic that came up a lot in my discussion of change with my students was age. We discussed how we keep up with age, by years, and how we celebrate our birthdays each year and add another year to our age. Will and Jack are now almost two months old, but really an adjusted age of ZERO. Preemies have adjusted ages just so we can know what to expect from them developmentally. A full-term baby would have been "cooking" this whole time the boys have been out. So even though the boys are almost two months, they really are like brand new babies developmentally. This being said, I think their geniuses and are just like two month olds :)
My students and I also discussed how life events can change your lives dramatically, like the birth of a baby or in our case, BABIES! Oh man, how our lives have changed!!! Jason and I lived a pretty carefree life before. We enjoyed ourselves- going out, partying, and spending time with friends. We knew that life would change when the boys got here, but I'm not sure if we realized just how different it would be. Here are a few things I've learned about being a mom so far.
1) Expect the unexpected. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge planner. I am not happy when things don't go as I expected. Well, I'm learning to get over that. We plan on feeding the boys every three hours. They have a great schedule and stick to it for the most part, but there is always something thrown in that makes feeding time interesting. The majority of my day is spent doing something involving feeding- pumping milk (ugh!), making bottles, warming bottles, washing bottles, and of course, feeding the babies. I will share a little story with you that shows how no matter how much you plan, life will throw something at you (and it might be brown).
"Huggies Fail"
This is my first full day of being home with the boys without the hubs.Well, I decided I'm going to be Super Mom and feed one child, then the other, and then do baby massages that I was reading about on Pinterest yesterday. So I am feeding Jack while Will is still sleeping, and it's going great. Then Jack slows down eating. This is normal. When this happens we take and change them, so they wake up a little so they can come back and finish their bottle. I go change him, and to avoid an unnecessary outfit change, undress him, and plan to finish feeding him in his diaper so he will be ready for his baby massage. Great plan. That is until I am feeding him again (in my bed) and go to burp him and realize, wow, I have poop all over me, Jack, and the bed. Awesome. So what to do? Hmm... can't just jump up and wash him off because of the cords on his monitor. I also have poo all over my hand. So, I do what every Mother of the Year does, and waddle to the bathroom (poo all over my leg and shorts, poopy kid in my hands held out like Simba) and place my child in the sink. Then I grab some paper towels, wipe the poo off my hands, remove my shorts, and turn the monitor off and unplug his cords. Then I run him to his changing table, where I place him on his belly and change him butt up since there was poo all over his back. I overcame though- got Jack cleaned up, finished feeding him, got Will fed, and gave them both their baby massages which they thoroughly enjoyed. You never picture this kind of fun when you first find out your pregnant. Sadly, this has not been the first time I've been peed or shat on by one of my children, but this was definitely the most eventful to date. Again, expect the unexpected...2. Sleep is a thing of the past. I knew this was going to happen, but as much as I prepared myself, I had no idea how little I would actually be sleeping. At first you think, okay the babies eat every three hours. That's okay. I can still get a good amount of sleep in between feedings- like three hours, right? WRONG. First, you must get up and go get the bottles downstairs and warm them. We've started to get a little smarter and bring all the bottles for the night up on ice. That avoids the extra two minutes to walk up and down the stairs. I'm sure you're laughing, but those two minutes are PRECIOUS and that walk seems like Mount Everest at 2:45 am. So you get the bottles heated up, nipples on the bottles, bibs on the kids, burp cloths in hand, and start feeding them. I never thought about the challenges of feeding these precious babies. They don't just suck these bottles down. No, we have spitting up, fussing, lack of sucking, pooping on me (see above), yelling at the dog to go away, unplugging/plugging monitors to go change diapers, changing them, and a plethora of other events. Needless to say, it's not a quick 15 minute process. They are getting better, but it is a bit of an event to complete a feeding...and we do eight of these a day. Luckily Jason has been around to help me feed them, but now that he's going back to work, I'm on my own. Yikes! I did the feeding at three on my own last night in the Boppys and it actually went decently. I'm sure feedings will get easier as the boys get older and better at taking their bottles. I need two extra arms (or at least one!). I have definitely held a bottle in my child's mouth with my toe for a hot minute (don't judge). So once I finally have the boys fed and changed, it's my turn to make more milk- MOOOO! I'm so grateful that I am able to produce milk for my children, but I truly HATE pumping. It is so annoying and takes so much of my day. I have whole new respect for animals that nurse their young. I was watching some interviews from the Golden Globes (I have a lot of time to watch the tube while pumping) and Claire Danes was asked about her new baby and she candidly mentioned that she was in a little pain because she was "full." Totally understand! So, it's a little frustrating when these two bambinos don't take their whole bottle that I've worked so hard for! I'm not making enough for both of them now, but they still get mostly breast milk supplemented with formula. It's the best I can do, which I am so proud of myself for. I could easily stop and get more sleep and a lot of my day back, but I know that them having breast milk is super important and a sacrifice I will be glad I made. At least that's what I keep telling myself! :) So, I am getting about an hour, if I'm lucky, an hour and a half between feedings each night. So I don't call that sleep. It's napping. I know it's not going to last forever and it will get better. You may ask- Why not feed the boys off the breast to speed up the process? Well, there are a few reasons. When they were in the hospital I had to pump since they were so little and I wasn't with them 24 hours a day. Then there is the issue of supply. I don't make enough for both boys and we wouldn't know how much they were getting. It's important we know how much they're consuming since they are so little. Also, we fortify my milk with formula to bring up the calories to help them grow faster. They also get medicine in three of their feedings. Can't put medicine in the tatas, so breastfeeding isn't really an option for my situation. So, pumping is what I do- a lot! It is truly amazing how my body has adjusted to a minimal amount of sleep- not always in the best of moods, but I function. I figure I'll be able to get a good night's sleep again in, oh, about ten years- maybe.
3. I would do anything for these guys. Climb a mountain? Jump in front of a bus? Shave my head? Sure. I've heard you've never truly loved until you've had a child, and I totally understand that now. I can't describe how much love I feel for my boys and would do anything for them. It is so difficult when they are in pain and you don't know why. Last week Will was starting to freak out and cry uncontrollably. We had no idea why. He was SCREAMING non-stop. This was NOT normal for him, so we thought maybe he had bad gas. So off Jason runs to CVS and gets some gas meds. This works for a hot second, but then the screaming continued. The ONLY thing that would console him was to be held on our chests and rocked in the glider, but every time you moved, he would freak and cry again. Then Jason was changing his diaper and noticed that Will's scrotum was really hard and dark.... hmmm... don't have to be a doctor to know that's not good. Doogie Houser then got on the internet and deduced that the little guy most likely had a hernia. So, first thing the next morning we called the doctor and were seen right away. She verified it was most likely a hernia, but she couldn't get it to push back in. (Yeah, this was slightly traumatic for the poor baby). She made a call, and then asked how quickly we could drive? A pediatric urologist was able to see him in Concord, about 30 minutes away, but we had to get there before he went into a surgery. We raced up there and he verified Will had, not one, but two hernias. With a little work, he was able to get them both back up, but said the chances of hernias happening often was very high. There are two holes in the lining between stomach and scrotum. When baby boys develop in the womb, their testicles form in their stomach and drop down later in gestation. Will's testicles had dropped, but the holes hadn't fully closed back up since he was born premature. The holes would most likely close up, but it could take a long time. Right now the only way to prevent the hernias from happening again was to have a surgery performed where the holes are sutured closed. So, Will had his first surgery on Saturday. Driving to Levine on Saturday morning we were little deflated, thinking we wouldn't have to go back to that hospital. However, it was a pretty minor surgery, so we felt confident. It is nerve wracking having your baby go under anesthesia though. It is normally an outpatient surgery, but since Will is still so small and young, they kept him overnight for observation. Boy, what a night! Jason's mom had kept Jackson during the day while we took Will for his surgery, so Jason came back home to stay with him for the night. I stayed at the hospital with Will. I hadn't anticipated how upset he would be. He was so uncomfortable and in pain, so he was crying almost non-stop. Luckily, I have a really fabulous mother that I called and she came to stay with me. There we were watching football in the hospital on a Saturday night again. Not something I wanted to do again, but I'm so grateful she came. She took great care of a crying William while I was able to get a little bit of sleep. It was a tough night, but we made it and Will was discharged Sunday morning around 8. So we left Levine again, hoping to never return! It was difficult to not be able to take the pain away for my sweet baby. I know this is something I'll experience multiple times in coming years- when they fall and scrape a knee, when they lose a ball game, or when they get rejected by a girl (eek!). I am grateful to feel the emotion of such amazing unconditional love.
Will on his way home Sunday morning
4. It's no longer about me. My needs are not important. Hungry? I'll eat at some point. Tired? I'll sleep someday. Want to watch a TV show? Maybe, depends on if anyone is cranky. Thank goodness for DVR. We used to go and do as we please. Now I'm stuck at the house at all times unless someone is here to relieve me. Even when I do get to run out for an errand, I feel guilty because the boys may be misbehaving for whomever is watching them (usually hubs). I know this is something I'll become more accustomed to, but right now it's hard to leave the little guys. We are only taking them to doctor's appointments (which is a lot!), but we don't want to take them out in public other than that, especially with flu season. One of these days I'll be able to take them out and about, but it will never be the same. The days of quickly running in a store are over. Again, I knew this was coming, but it is a little more challenging than anticipated. You never realize how many quick stops you make until you have two infants with you. Then it's totally different. Luckily, Jason has been with me so I can leave him in the car or vice versa. It will be harder when he goes back to work though. I will be getting my mini van soon though, so that will help with getting the kids in and out of the car by myself. Yes, I said mini van, and I'm excited about it. Words I never thought would exit my lips. Priorities change, that's all.
5. I am so happy I married Jason. Not that this was in question, but Jason is an absolutely amazing father. He does everything I do (except pumping- wish he could). I am so blessed to have him as the father of my children. We definitely get frustrated with each other and are learning to adapt to our new lives, but I am so happy I am going on this great adventure with my best friend. I can't imagine it any other way.
6. I am grateful for certain baby products. I know there are some lucky ladies out there reading this that are expecting, so I'm going to give you the low-down on the products I have found the most helpful so far.
The Boppy-
(Not my child, but we have one in this pattern, and he's cute)
This snazzy little pillow is fabulous for multiple reasons. It is best for propping the kiddos up in while they eat or snooze. They like being able to sit up in them. We don't like to lay them down flat right after they eat because of digestion, so it's nice to put them in the Boppy to catch some zzzzz's while in their milk comas They are very helpful in feeding both boys at once.
Fisher Price Rock'n Play Sleeper-
Before the boys were born, I did some research on some products that you should buy and ones to pass on. This little rocker was a must-have according to several different sites. I completely agree. The boys do the majority of their sleeping in these. They like them because they feel cozy in them. They aren't totally comfortable in their cribs yet. They haven't told me why yet, but I'm guessing because they feel like they have too much room and don't know what to do with it. I'm working on getting them to nap in their cribs, so they can eventually sleep in there at night, but for now they're in their monkey cradles, and we are good with that. The cradles are great because they're super light and portable. We take them up and down the stairs all the time. They fold up easily too if you need the space or travel a lot.
Bottle Steamer and Drying Racks
Since we go through about a million bottles a day (22 in all seriousness), we are washing a lot. The sterilizer has made this easier. This little jewel allows you to rinse the bottles with hot water, then steam them clean in the microwave in a mere 2 1/2 minutes! Then you pop the bottles on the drying rack and you're finished! At least until your baby dirties another bottle three minutes later :) These two products expedite the bottle washing and drying process tremendously. I HATE things on my countertops, but I've just learned to suck it up and accept it. It's not forever.
Flannel Receiving Blankets
We have several of these, and trust me, they all get used for everything! I put them on their changing pads, so I don't have to constantly change the pad cover. The boys are notorious for peeing while getting changed, so it's nice to just have to change this little blanket, rather than the whole changing pad cover. We use them to swaddle the boys for sleeping, which is several times a day. The square receiving blankets are the best for swaddling. I would recommend buying lots of receiving blankets. They get softer the more times they're washed too.
Burp Cloths
Another product I would recommend having LOTS of. The ones made from cloth diapers are great for burping over the shoulder. My mother-in-law made me a lot of these and they are fabulous! We also have some of the smaller terry cloth ones that we use a lot too. They are great for just placing under their chins when you don't have a bib handy. A lot of the bibs we had at first were too big for our boys, so the little burp cloths were great for using as bibs tucked under their chins. I also use these when I finish pumping and wiping everything off.
One-piece Sleepers
Our boys pretty much live in these because they are so easy and they are comfy. While we have a lot of cute little outfits, these are easiest right now. They are one piece and easy to take on and off during the multiple diaper changes throughout the day. The ones with buttons are fine, but the ones with zippers are where it's at. Those buttons can be a challenge to line up, especially at night when your eyes are hardly open! One zip and you're finished with the zipper kind. Just don't zip up your babies skin. Haven't done it yet, but I'm sure I will. All those outfits with several pieces are cute, but I'd save those for special occasions, especially since you'll probably do multiple clothing changes a day!
Swaddle Me Sleep Sacks
Again, not my child, but he's cute and I love the thought bubble.
Our boys love to be swaddled. They were swaddled from their very early days in the NICU and still want it. We've been using the receiving blankets I mentioned earlier, but the boys make it their life's mission to break free each time. Then when they've achieved their goal, they scream and want to be re-swaddled. Today, I remembered that I had about ten of these little Swaddle Me contraptions (picked up at various consignment sales and Goodwill), so I tried it after their noon feeding. What a nice little invention- they didn't escape the entire time. I'm leaving this product as a maybe since I haven't used it long enough to completely recommend it yet, but in the three hours I've used it, I like it!
Hooded Towels
These are my cuties! Will is on the left, Jack on the right.
William
Hooded towels are awesome for post-bathing. I worry that they're freezing and I love being able to cover up their little heads. Plus, they look super cute in them.
So you future mommies out there, those are the products I'd recommend you get. I'm definitely an expert since I've been a mommy so long. :)
The boys are still growing like crazy! William has grown from 2 lbs, 7 oz at birth to 6 lbs, 2 oz now! He missed a few days of eating like normal because of his hernia, but he's back on track now. He should catch up with his brother at some point, but it will probably be awhile. Almost four pounds of growth in such a short amount of time is pretty awesome! Jackson has grown from 3 lbs, 3 oz at birth to a beefy 7 lbs, 8 oz now! We are so proud of the way they are growing! They are definitely getting harder to tell apart!
Will looking at his mobile.
Jack checking out the mobile too.
Well, that's the latest and greatest from the Andrade bunch. Stay tuned for more adventures and changes!! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment