My Babies Are One Today

Happy Birthday Brooke and Nathan! It's so hard to believe that they are one year old today.

This picture was taken yesterday.

I remember the day just like it was yesterday. I still had four weeks until my due date but I was already going for weekly ultrasounds at one hospital and weekly non stress tests at another hospital. There weren't any perinatologists at the hospital I was going to deliver the babies at and I needed to see a peri for the ultrasounds since they are specialized with high risk pregnancies. I was considered high risk because I was carrying twins.

On Monday I had an ultrasound and the babies did not pass one part of the biophysical profile. They weren't moving as much as the doctor would like to see at that stage. I already had an appointment with my OB/GYN for the next morning so the peri told me to discuss it with my doctor to see what they would like to do.

The next day, Tuesday, my doctor ordered another ultrasound for that afternoon. I already had a nonstress test scheduled for that afternoon so they set up an ultrasound at the same hospital immediately following the non stress test.

While I was at the nonstress test, the babies again weren't moving like they like to see. And I was also having some contractions. The nurses weren't able to complete the non stress test before my ultrasound appointment so they told me to come back after the ultrasound. Thank goodness this was all in the same place. I went to the ultrasound and we had the same results as the one the day before. While I was having the ultrasound, a nurse came in and told me that I should go straight to labor and delivery for the nonstress test since the office was closed and I would need to be monitored there.

As soon as the ultrasound was finished, I called Dominic and told him not to head home from work and asked if he could meet me at the hospital in case they would induce me then. At that point, I was thinking that they probably would. Dominic said that he was already on his way to the hospital. He had the same feeling that I did and luckily he works right down the street from the hospital.

Dominic and I arrived at labor and delivery at the same time. They hooked me up to all the machines and with two babies, that's a lot of wires. I remember not liking the nonstress tests because they were so difficult with two babies. We would get the heart rate on one baby and then would have problems getting the other one. We would find that one and then would lose the other. Whew.

I was still having contractions so they gave me something to stop them. The nurse called my doctor that was on call to let her know what was going on. The nurse came back and asked us what we thought about having the babies at about 9 p.m. We couldn't believe it, that was just an hour away. We were so excited and nervous. Luckily, Lenny was already spending the night with Nunny and Papoo. That worked out perfectly. Dominic called my mom and she left for the hospital. She's about an hour and a half away. Dominic's dad also left for the hospital right away.

I knew that I was going to have a c-section because Nathan was breech. He was causing me problems already. Dominic was getting ready to come in to the operating room but at the last minute wasn't able to because my epidural didn't work and they had to knock me out completely. I was able to feel everything they were doing until they knocked me out. Whatever they gave me was terrible, I was having hallucinations. I remember waking up crying because I was so scared. I couldn't watch the movie Madagascar for a while after that because I saw the same craziness that Alex the Lion saw when they knocked him out. The nurse later told us that it was acid. Why in the heck did they give me that. It was terrible.

Dominic met our little ones without me for the first time. He also found out about Brooke's cleft lip and palate without me. I was still half out of it and loopy from the morphine but I still remember Dominic telling me about our sweet little Brooke. But the minute I saw her, it didn't matter one bit. She was our precious little girl and she was so beautiful. Her skin color was just like mine when I was born. She looked like she had a tan. It's really noticeable in the pictures of her and Nathan together. And Nathan, looked just as ornery as I had imagined. From day one, I laughed when I looked at his sweet little face. There is something about him that just makes you laugh.

Brooke was born first and weighed 5 pounds 4 1/2 ounces and Nathan weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce.

We were so lucky that neither of them had to spend any time in the NICU. That's wonderful for being four weeks early and twins. The only thing holding us up from leaving the hospital was me. Imagine that. I was having problems with my blood pressure. I ended up having to take blood pressure medicine for about a month.

And now, Brooke and Nathan are one. It's just so amazing to me. I really didn't think I would make it through the first three months. After we made it past that, it got a little easier. Then at six months everything changed and life was easier again. I'm loving it now that they interact with each other and with Lenny. It is so sweet.

Here are some pictures of them together from the past year. I will post individual pictures later this week.

Just minutes after they were born. Luckily, we had a wonderful nurse that took some pictures of them for us in the operating room.

Just a few days old.

Almost one month old.

Two months old. Brooke is wearing her NAM appliance in this picture. She had to wear it 24/7 for almost three months. It had to be changed and cleaned several times a day. And the poor little thing had a blocked tear duct until she was six months old. It made her left eye look terrible.

Three months old. This picture was taken exactly one week after Brooke's lip (and nose) surgery. She still had to wear the arm restraints called "no no's" so that she wouldn't put anything in her mouth.

Four months old.

Six months old.

Seven months old with brother Lenny.

Eight months old.

Eight months old with Daddy in the hotel room at Nags Head.

Nine months old.

Ten months old swimming in the pool with Lenny and Mommy.

Ten months old.

Eleven months old at Meemaw's house. I think they are probably doing something they aren't supposed to and Nathan is telling me not to tell Meemaw.

This past year has really pushed us to our limit but we have survived! It's been wonderful to watch them grow and learn. I look at some of the pictures and it's hard for me to remember when they were that tiny. I'm so happy, lucky, and blessed to have three beautiful children.