Babies first Road Trip!

Neigh 16 days into the world, and our girls are already taking up the traveling lifestyle. Well, it might be that we forced them to it (they are still too small to put up too much of a fight), but we drove down to Houston last Saturday for my cousin's (Michelle standing with my Uncle Rey to the right) baby shower.

It was a great time, Michelle and Peter live in the North East so we don't get to see them often. Peter even got some practice time at being a dad with little Evey. Which is great, because I am a firm believer in practicing with other people's kids before your own. We did it, and it was a pleasure to be able to "pay it forward".

The girls also got to meet some of the Houston contingent of my side of their family, we are all planning big family reunions, with lots of little ones underfoot.

A couple of other pics from the trip:

The Beginning

Vegas Baby!

The girls are now on the Vegas sleep schedule. You know the one where you party all night and sleep all day. Here's a picture of Evelyn crashed out after a long night of partying. See how she's still wearing her regular clothes even? Yep, this girl is out cold. Unfortunately, we, the parents, are not on the Vegas sleep schedule and would actually like to catch a few winks during the night. I'm not saying that we need a full eight hours or anything crazy like that--oh no, maybe 3 hours...in a row if it's not too much to ask?

Andre was actually worried about Rowan yesterday because she simply refused to wake up. He even got her little feet wet, and although she made a few angry faces, she never actually opened her eyes. She woke up a few times for a quick bite to eat, and then back to sleep. Come 9:30pm she was wide eyed and bushy tailed--ready for a night on the town with her partner in crime: Evey.

In other news, Rowan is remarkably strong for a little baby. She can lift her head up by herself and hold it for quite a while. She's been able to do this--I believe, since she was born. She's really strong and can turn her head from side to side. I've seen her almost roll over a few times too. She can make it about half way, but then falls back over again. She loves to lay on her tummy and look around.

Babies enjoying the day

Just enjoying the day outside. Getting in a little tummy-time and keeping the jaundice at bay. Its been nice taking the wee ones outside to enjoy the afternoon. They've been on several walks and even took a stroller ride down Soco.

We had a lactation consultant visit yesterday. Ro-ro is not wanting to nurse. She discovered during her jaundice stint that milk flows freely from bottles and now she'd rather have her milk shaken--not stirred. We discovered, via a scale the consultant had, that she's also good at faking it. She'll appear to be nursing, but isn't actually taking in any milk. She even makes little gulping noises. So, we now have a program, so to speak, to get her on the wagon again. Presently, I'm nursing one baby and pumping for the other.

Evey, on the other hand, is a super-efficient nurser. She can nurse for a mere 10 minutes and take in 3 oz. She gets very mad if you're slow getting set up to nurse her though. She wants her milk and she wants it NOW. She would stamp her feet if she could and often times she'll angrily throw her tiny little fists around, her whole face getting red. Its really very cute.

One Week Old!!

The girls are a week old. What a week it has been too. Everyday we learn something else about them, see another side of their personality, and get to know our little babies a little more.

Rowan is now jaundice-free. We went back to the pediatrician yesterday and it appears the Billy-blanket worked. Her skin is nice and pink and her weight is 5 lbs 10 oz. She actually gained 5 oz in a day. Those formula lattes are so fattening. You can really tell the difference in her already. She's a lot more active. She's strong for such a little baby and can almost turn over completely. She's very good about lifting her head too. She rarely ever cries and she still has these very inquisitive looks on her face as if she's thinking, "what on earth am I doing here?" She sleeps well next to her sister and she loves to sleep on our chests. I think her favorite place is snuggled up on her daddy's chest. They'll sleep together for hours like this.

Evelyn is a doll and has been growing steadily. She weighed 5lbs 7oz at the doctor yesterday. She seems to know exactly what she wants and she'll let you know too. She's the more vocal of the two, but her little cries sound like cat mews until she gets really angry. Then she sounds like the Count from Sesame Street, "ah, ah, ah." She's been nursing really well and is very alert. She seems to dislike being swaddled and will struggle back and forth like a magician in a straightjacket until she gets out. And you have to find her in a sleepy mood for her to enjoy the moby sling (it's a sling that basically ties the baby up close to your chest). She also dislikes the vibrating bouncing chair and the swing. Maybe they're just too young for that. She likes to be rocked and quickly falls asleep if we sing to her.

Both girls seem to be able to sleep through each other's cries easily. They sleep through dog barking too. Although the dogs become very concerned when one of the babies cry. The girls do seem to know each other's presence though in a way that I assume most non-twin babies could at that age. They will reach for each other and be comforted when placed together. They'll sleep long hours side by side and wake up as soon as one is missing. Some of the most challenging aspects of being twin parents is trying to do the same thing at the same time or conversely, deciding who should go first. I suppose that is a challenge that will last for quite a while.

Andre has been a great father. I can't imagine taking care of them on my own. We are completely a team switching off babies: I'll nurse, then he'll change the diaper, and so forth, switching babies back and forth. At one point yesterday I felt as if we were jugglers tossing batons back and forth. Not to worry, we always carefully pass the babies.

So their first week is over. I am much more healed now and its easier to care for them, and yet already I'm sad the week has gone by so quickly. The days are long, but the weeks are short--such is life eh? I suppose the only thing to do is to enjoy every minute of it.

They don't know it yet, but when they wake up from their little nap they are taking their first at home bath. Then we're meeting with the lactation consultant to help Rowan kick the formula habit. And then later this afternoon they are meeting with the photographer for their first professional pictures. Busy girls already.

Is this medicine or prepping for the south of france?

So we have had our first day at home, and as I thought it is going to take couple days to get the routine figured out. All in all, though, it isn't *that* bad. I only slightly feel like I am walking in a daze.

We had our first pediatric doctors visit, and they told us that little Ro-ro is in fact still jaundice (good thing, hate to think that my texas girl was yella) and that we have to have her eat as much as possible, and to try and expose her to filtered sunlight.

What? Doctors orders to hang outside? That is the type of medicine I LIKE!

Ro and Papa Mono (that is me) had a nice stroll to the neighborhood coffee shop, enjoyed the beautiful day and grabbed a paper so I could feed my crossword addiction. Moma Mono was waking up from her nap with Evy and we got the girls together for some thematic sun bathing. Sematic because below you can see the rocking mural that we have going in their room (thanks to hard work by Alex and Robert). You can tell that they are going to be fashionistas because of the synchronous pose!!

That is all for today, hope everyone else got some sunshine!

These feet were made for walking...

Well it has been a whirlwind 3 days, but there are just a couple of more doctors to see, papers to sign and then they release us. Like a beautiful bird, released from the sterile coop to go fly and see the world.

See the world from securely fastened baby seats, swaddled like a cocoon, and headed straight to the house to find a soothing routine there.

hrmph, guess Mrs. Mono was right when she said I might not be the best with analogies!

Keep an eye out on the blog, we are going to try and have visiting hours at the house (I think we might have over stimulated the twins yesterday, newbie parent mistakes), but till then - please know we would love to have people visit. Just be advised Papa Mono is instituting the following visiting commandments:

1. Thou Shall Not Visit if sick, or thou thinkest thy is sick
2. Thou Shall Call First
3. Thou Shall feel free to bribe the Parents with food or errand running!

Please don't be offended, but we are not expert parents (yet) so I would like to prolong the inevitability of simultaneous sick babies as long as possible. Also I would hate to be falling asleep when I was trying to host folk.

To end on an upper, thank you soooooo much for all the love and support of all our friends and family! It has been wonderful to read your replies and posts!

Rowan and Evelyn's Birth Story

I'm logged in as Mr. Mono, so let me start by saying this is the story of Rowan and Evelyn's birth told by Mrs. Monkey.

At 36 weeks, after a really bad case of PUPPS, our doctor, Dr. Uribe said we could be scheduled for an induction at the end of the following week. 37 weeks is full term for twins and we knew that both girls were doing quite well.

There is something wonderful about the word, "induction," as any pregnant mom can tell you, but as the day approached I began to get really nervous. Before I knew it, our big day was here. I could hardly sleep the last few days. Our two rather large baby girls had by this time perfected the art of the "double whammy." While one would head-butt my bladder the other one would simultaneously kick under my rib, with an occasional toe wedge between the ribs. So, needless to say, I was rather exhausted Thursday morning as we made our way to the hospital for our 7am appointment.

Checking into the hospital, I was relieved to not be in full-blown labor. We had pre-registered months ahead, yet there was still quite a bit of paperwork and questions. Anyhow, we settled into our labor and delivery room, met our wonderful nurse and began a pictocin drip to induce.

At about 8 or 9 my sister showed up. Apparently Starbucks was slow that day. Not that it mattered any to me. I couldn't eat or drink anything from midnight the previous night--so ice chips it was for me. I told her and Andre they could take their little bucky-wuckies outside if they wanted to eat. Apparently the pictocin was working.

Time went on and the contraction became more intense. Then they became more intense, then more intense and finally I asked the nurse the check how far along I was progressing. Surely with all this hard work and endurance I'd be...I don't know maybe 6cm dialated. Afterall, I was 3 cm when we arrived at the hospital that morning and several hours had passed and darn it--those contractions hurt. To my surprise and dismay, after all that time I had dialated a whopping 1/2 cm! Okay, that's just ridculous--lets bring out the epidural.

I do think that natural childbirth is a great thing and it works well for some women. If you can move around, use a birthing pool, or birthing ball. If you have a good birth or maybe its good genes...I don't know. What I did know was that I had three monitors strapped to me, various IV's and two big babies on the way. It just wasn't going to work.

I felt incredibly better once the epi took. My legs were numb, but not in a paralyzing way, closer to the way your mouth feels after novacain at the dentist. That sort of funny, drool all over yourself kind of way. So, now other people could eat in the room, Andre's incessant blogging became endearing, and my fear of childbirth melted away. I also started dialating faster. Before long I was 8 cm, and then without feeling a bit of pain I had made it to 10cm! Yay 10 cm, the glory!

The epidural hurt a bit going in. I could feel a very uncomfortable sensation when the medicine was put in, but it was okay. However, there appeared to be a kink in it somewhere and every once in a while the machine would indicate that it wasn't working. Another anasethiologist came in and for some reason the kink occurred when I layed in a particular position. My vertibrae seemed to prevent a good flow, but only occassionally.

Now was the time to start pushing. I pushed for an hour and half and Dr. Uribe checked me. Rowan's hair was starting to show, but she wasn't progressing down with the pushes. So, we could get a c-section, use a vacuum or foreceps, or keep pushing. Whatever we wanted to do. I decided to keep pushing. It was now evening and our nurse Rachel's shift was over. Another nurse, Dora came in to continue the pushing.

A half hour later Dr. Uribe checked again, yet Rowan wasn't budging. I decided at that time to go with the forecep option. Afterall, I was getting very tired, feeling more pain, pushing really hard and I still had another baby to push for too.

Oh wait, I was feeling more pain. Yes, in fact I had gradually been able to feel more of my legs, more of the contractions. Certainly, I needed more epidural medicine if I was going to the forecept stage. Andre looked at the epi bag and it was empty. How long it had been empty we didn't know because of all the problems we had had getting it to work. Now I was starting to really feel the contractions. The nurse ordered another bag, but it wasn't coming fast enough. I was in serious pain at this point. The kind of pain that makes you cry. The kind that makes your husband worry. The kind that makes you worry. They got the epidural bag, but now that kink just wasn't going to work. So on the operating table they took out one epidural and put in another one. This whole point in the labor was scary and painful and kind of blur now.

It was time to push again. Pushing is really quite difficult too. They tell you to curl in a C shape and push in sets of 3. I pushed and pushed. "We're almost done right? They're almost out?" Andre: "Yeah honey, just 5 more sets of pushing." "What!" And this is how it went for what seemed like an eternity, but was actually about an hour. Finally Rowan was almost there and Dr. Uribe was able to pull her out the rest of the way. I could feel her body pulled from mine with a sharp tug. Then the cry. That beautiful baby cry that tells you that everything is okay and everything is over.

Oh wait, its not over yet. Now for Evelyn. I'm told it took 30 minutes for Evey to come into this world, but let me say, that was the longest 30 minutes of my life. Finally, after 15 hours of labor, both girls were here.

The geekery continues..

Leigh has gotten some beautiful flowers, so I had to
break out the old flower arranging skills I had from
my youth (don't ask)


So turns out that when you birth children (or are the partner of a birther) they give you a handy dandy yellow sheet of photocopy that is supposed to act as your feeding/diaper/general baby contentment log.

That is not going to do, I wrote in two entries and my inner geek cracked. One simple spreadsheet later and I have a running log of feedings, what time, what side, duration, diaper changes, descriptions and general comments. I am sure that this might get jazzed up further, but I need to actually help and do said entry items...

Oh also I will be putting together a montage shot of all the wonderful visitors we have had, they helped break up a day of feeding, sleeping, and pooping. Though the baby wearing time was great for PaPa naps..

Forget about the Geneva Particle accelerator

Sure two Hawaiian scientists are convinced that turning on the Geneva Particle Accelerator will create a blackhole that will end our universe, but that aint nothing compared to our little Evelyn!! That girl is one giant suction/eating machine. I am convinced that being born second has given her a lil complex, she is bent and determined on out eating her sister.

Leigh has just mastered (gotten down at least once) the double football hold that should go a long ways to cooridnated breast feeding, which goes a long way to more sleep. (Shhh don't tell her, but she just fell asleep with both girls still munching away).

So that is good, just don't send this link to Walt Wagner of the Hawaii law suit...

Morning Report of Ro-ro and Evy

Good morning all, I have no idea how coherent I will be, running on 3 hours of sleep and some truly horrendous Hospital Coffee (Are they saving money by finding other was of reusing medical waste?).

The girls had a big night, while Rowan came right out of the starting blocks with a big hunger, Evelyn wins the prize for 1/2 hour of solid eating and then going to an angelic slumber. Ro-ro on the other hand was more of a foodie, taste-savor-relax-repeat. She would fall asleep on the teat, and when we tried to lay her down to sleep would wake up for more. Sigh, suddenly I see what my foodie-ness has wrought!

I will let Mrs. Mono relate the entire birthing story, I will just leave it at the basic facts:

1. started at 7am, done around 10pm. Total of 15hrs, 3hrs of pushing
2. Epidurals are god-sends, especially for twins (even if the first one fails, and you need a second at go time)
3. Foreceps are scary looking implements, but great when 15hrs have taken their energy toll
4. all signs point to fraternal twins
5. did I mention how horrible hospital coffee is?

That about does it for now, while we are at the hospital we are an all hours visiting situation, come on by! We are in room 214 of Seaton, snacks and good coffee/tea is welcome.

Little Rowan
"Ro-Ro, the Famously Finicky Foodie"















Little Evelyn
"Evy, Just Glad Ro isn't kicking me anymore"

Good night all, more tomorrow...

Well they are out, and Moma and I are plum tuckered out... I think this is the beginning of the joys of sleep deprivation. Thankfully, it is worth it every moment! We got some food into Leigh, she said "This is BEST tuna sandwich ever!"

More stats: Rowan was 19.5", Evelyn was 19.25" Leigh was a two epidural lady, and while no fun, definitely worth it if the 10 minutes after the first one blew out was any indication.

Thanks for hanging in with us for this very eventful day.

They're here!!!

21:05 Rowan enters the world, 6lbs1oz, APGAR 8-9
21:38 Evelyn entered fast on her sister's heels, 6lbs1oz, APGAR 8-9

Pictures coming in a while...
Rowan has the de laReza nose, Evelyn has Leigh's button nose and her chin.

Currently Rowan is nursing, and Evy is next...

Laura here...

Leigh is STILL PUSHING! And Andre is counting for her like a pro! They haven't gone back for "full delivery" yet, but I will keep you posted! (as directed!) Laura

pushing

9 times so far!!

A Whole lot of Yin in the Hizzy

So the matriarchs of the maternal lineage are all visiting the room. 3.5 generations in one room, we will call it a full four when we get a picture with the girls in it too.

And the latest verdict is that we have hit 10 cm, and a +2 at 6:02 pm.

We are on the home stretch now.

Da me un OCHO!!!

4:45pm: Ladies and Gentlemen, if you give your attention to the race track you will see Mrs. Mono fast coming along the curve. Heading into the home stretch! We might have these babies out within the 12 hour mark!

Ain't she Sweet?

"Please sir, may I have some more?" Not only are we rocking to the Itunes Beatle's Radio channel, but Leigh went from a tear ladden 10 on the pain scale, to blissfully napping after the epidural.

Now we are pretty crunchy for our families, and we were going to try and tough it out, but with twins it is more painful (was spiking hi pain at 3.5 cm) and more complicated if they have any issues with baby B.

So at 1:45pm, we got Dr. Kronoberg to give a very fine epidural, and all that pain went the wayside.

Yippee for 2008 medicine.

5cm-6cm dialated

all I got to say is that modern medicine is worth every penny...

Process so far..

Contractions are coming every 3-4 minutes, Leigh is doing a great job, one would never have thought that these girls were her first. Laura, Mrs. Mono's sister (see top), has showed up to lend support so that will be helpful.


Below is a picture where we are trying to recreate the old school process of childbirth... Don't fret, this is staged, I am giving Leigh my full support when she lets me :-D

First pics of the process

This is the room, Mrs Mono graciously allowed me to get coffee (in background) even though she isn't allowed anything stiffer than ice chips since midnight last night.

Oh, I have also been informed that my jokes are no longer funny... Good thing I have a decent poker face!

Pitocin on board

Checked in, met our nurse, and we started the magic labor drug that will start the show at 08:20am, 4/10/2008

Go Time!

Well we are off to Seaton Central, stay tuned for updates...

Rowan Elise and Evelyn Skye

Tomorrow we become parents. We're expected to arrive at the hospital at 7am tomorrow morning.

The twins are now 37 1/2 weeks and are considered full term for twins. Our doctor is estimating that they may be close to 6 1/2 pounds each. They were 5 pounds 9 oz and 5 pounds 14 oz at our last growth scan a few weeks ago. They are both head down and ready to go. Hopefully we'll be ready too. Its all incredibly overwhelming and we're going to need as much help as we can plead for. I think Andre is planning on creating some sort of visiting schedule for the girls, but I'm not entirely sure. He'll post details about the girls when the arrive and let you all know.

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli

That is what I imagine my little twin girls saying to each other. See, we are under the proverbial gun. If they don't come out on their own, we induce in seven days.

Very exciting news! I find myself telling it to everyone I come across, and while I don't know if the respiratory distress patient we ran on was *that* interested, they did offer congratulations.

The doctors estimate that they should weigh about 6.5lbs each when born, which means little chance of NICU time, and will most likely be headed home with us. I admit, that does scare me a little bit. I have next to no experience taking care of wee little ones for more than a couple of hours, now we will have two little lasses that will be dependent on me and Mrs. Mono. Whew, at least Mrs. Mono's experience will make up for any of my rookie mistakes!

So yeah, that little inner fear might have something to do with my mental image of my daughters wearing pinstripe suits, speaking in Italian accents, and debating between lethal weapons and yummy pastries...

First "Test Tube" Twins Turn 25

This is an article about the first twins conceived through in vitro 25 yrs ago.

First Test Tube Twins Turn 25 (click here)

The amount of medical advancement in this area is astounding. To think about how small the success rate was 25 years ago and what they can do today...wow, and they are advancing constantly. When we transferred two embryos the lab technician said they were on the verge of more advancements. They had already given me a valium so I'm not sure what those advancements are exactly, but it was impressive. Maybe Andre remembers.

The article said the average success rate today for in vitro is 30%, but our doctor's success rate was 60-70%. I can't imagine how much the science will advance in the next 25 years. Good on ya' science!!

36 Weeks

Yay! I made it to 36 weeks and the twins are now full term. They're doing great and should not require any time in the NICU.

To mark the arrival of 36 weeks I have unfortunately developed PUPPS. It sounds cute, like someone is going to give me a new puppy for hanging in there so long. But it's not that cute actually. PUPPS stands for Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy, which is a really long name meaning "unknown itchy rash due to pregnancy." Its not harmful to me or the baby, although its really, really itchy and annoying. The only cure for it is to deliver the babies.

We went to the doctor's this morning and had some bloodwork done just to be sure, but all signs point to PUPPS. My case looks like tiny pinpricks all over my legs, so don't be alarmed if you google image it. Its not that hideous thank heavens.

The good thing about annoying pregnancy symptoms, discomfort, etc., is that it really makes you ready to have the babies. The fear of childbirth has been replaced with the concept of eventual relief. People keep telling me things like, "once you have them you'll wish they were back in." Um, no, I don't think so. Maybe Andre will be wishing they were back in, but as for me, I'll be happy to have them in my arms instead of on my bladder.

Still cooking...

I was up most of Wednesday night with contractions. One every hour on the hour and then at about 5 am, I started to have them every 10 minutes. I woke Andre up and then, Murphey's Law, they quit. Oddly, I felt the need to say, "no, really there were contractions," looking around, "they were here, honest, you just missed them." "I'm sure they'll be back, bet they just went out for a moment...to uh, get the paper or a cup of coffee, they'll be right back."

But they didn't come back. Andre called the nurse the next day and she had us come into our already scheduled appointment early. Trying to "fit into" a busy doctor's schedule is not a good idea. You wind up waiting twice as long to see him for half the time. Big mistake.

Anyhow, our doctor thinks I'll have the girls sometime next week. This is, of course, just some sort of voodoo prediction. I'm not dilated at all, but I am about 50-60% effaced. Both babies have dropped, are head down, and their faces are facing my back. But, I don't think he really knows for sure when they'll come and I'm starting to think they may camp out in my belly indefinitely--like middle age college kids still living with their parents. Its cozy, they have everything they need, someone to cook, clean, do the laundry, and the rent's free so there's no real urgency to move out.

I am entering my 36th week. For twins that is quite an accomplishment, I'm told. They are now considered full term and we are expecting that they won't need to be in the NICU at all. Both twins are weighing just over 5 lbs and we could even see some hair in the sonogram. We tried to get a good picture, but they both have their little booties facing out now. Rowan has been head down for a while now, so our sonographer warned us that her head may be a bit cone shaped when she's born. They're both doing well, just hanging out upside down like two little monkeys.

I have to say, my most favorite thing, even more than seeing them on the sonogram, is hearing their heartbeats. I'm not sure why, but it always chokes me up a bit.

Looking back it seems like this time has gone by so fast. Yet,looking ahead I feel like that kid that keeps saying, "Are we there yet?"

I think the experience of becoming a mother has changed me somewhat. Some ways I can't quite explain right now and may never.

There is a feeling, an idea that we can start over again. With these new lives there is a renewed sense of hope. The generational Etch-a-Sketch: we can shake things up and its new again. I don't mean I want to live vicariously through them, just that there's another chance, that maybe this time the world will be a little better and their lives will be a bit more....

With that comes a great responsibility to help create this better place for them, to make sure that they are happy, healthy, and that it is the best possible world we could give to them. And it is increasingly upsetting to see so many things in the world that do not belong in our new Etch-a-Sketch. Intolerance, war, environmental disaster, the Bush administration, the Olsen twins...I could go on, but you get the point.

Luckily, we have lots of time to just dote on them and make them happy. Play with their little toes and coo and sing sweet songs to them. That is, of course, if they ever decide to move out of my belly.

Maternity Pictures

We had our professional pictures done. They turned out really great, so I thought I'd share one with you all. I'm just beginning 34 weeks in this picture.

The girls are doing great. They are anxious to meet everyone, which is evident by the lack of sleep I've been getting and the increasing amount of contractions I'm enduring. They seem be doing well though and hopefully they can hold out for 2 more weeks. The doctor said they'll induce me at 38 weeks if they aren't here by then. Wow, time is going by fast now.

Andre has been busy finishing last minute baby room renovations. His friend Coitt came over today to work on crown molding with him. Coitt is a great friend and helped me convince Andre of the necessity of crown molding in the babies' room. Thanks Coitt.

Yesterday was Easter. We had a great time at my mom and grandmother's house. Thought I'd share a picture of Andre with the head of the rabbit piñata. He's so funny. I wasn't feeling well and thus missed the piñata and cascarones which were done outside. While laying on the couch I felt as if someone was staring at me. I turned to look and there's Andre with this giant rabbit head. So funny! The kids had a great time and the weather was beautiful. It was so nice to hang out with family and enjoy the day.

Dr. Visit and Easter

We had our weekly visit and sonogram today. The girls had a biophysical profile done--they scored 8 out of 8. So their movement is great, they are breathing well, swallowing, their is plenty of fluid, good muscle tone, and a good heart rate. They didn't have a growth scan, but the doctor is guessing they're about 5 pounds each. We should know next week when they'll have another growth scan.

I'm doing well. I'm not dilated at all, but I am about 60% effaced. I'm measuring 40 weeks now. I certainly feel like I'm full term. And I've gained 43 lbs so far. Apparently this is a good thing, but my knees have definitely seen better days--or at least lighter days.

In other news, we are planning on spending Easter at my mom's house this year. Easter is by far my favorite holiday. The weather is beautiful, the candy is sweet, and instead of eating dry boring turkey we always have a ham. Easter is wonderful. My family contribution this year is buying the traditional giant rabbit piñata. Hopefully someone else will remember to buy the cascarones. I remember when my niece was smaller than the Easter piñata, but she would carry it around with her. So cute.

The kids want Mr. Monkey and I to set up the Easter egg scavenger hunt again this year. Last year it was cold, so instead of looking for eggs, we used plastic eggs and each egg gave them a clue going to the next egg. I think last year's hunt was too easy. Maybe they need to also answer a game-show style question too. hmmm.

Well, I know everyone loves to eat, so here is my secret recipe for toasted Peeps:

* Place peep on paper towel in the microwave
* Set microwave for 20 seconds
* Watch peep grow and grow
* Be sure to remove peep before it explodes
* Enjoy a toasted marshmallow-sugary treat

Non-profit Status

I've always felt that the IRS was one agency to be feared. They are, after all, the only ones who could bring Al Capone down. My perception of the IRS was that it was generally a good idea to stay under their radar.

I am, however, singing a new tune. I have discovered how much I actually like working with the IRS.
I found out yesterday that the 501(c)(3) status I filed for Andre's bagpipe band went through and they now have federal tax exemption. This was my first 501(c)(3), so I'm quite happy about it. I've incorporated non-profits before with the State, but this is my first time completing the federal IRS tax exemption paperwork. I say "paperwork" but it is actually a series of specific documents, forms, and attachments.

Hopefully I will have the opportunity to incorporate and file exemptions for other nonprofits in the future. So if anyone knows someone wanting to start a nonprofit then send them my way.

Cutest Picture Ever!

Sea boo boo and baby sea boo booFrom the "Nature's Best 2007" photo exhibit at the Smithsonian! Taken by Eddie Schermerhorn, age 15 of Boulder, CO.

Beware you rascally villains!!

{cue dramatic music} From dark in the shadows of library stacks, where you think you see movement. There I arrise! Books on fire apparatus, fire officer tactics, and policy strewn in my wake, Mr. Mono Returns!!


So as my darlin' Mrs. Mono stated. The test is done, for better or worse. I am happy with my score, I don't think I could have written much higher of one with out completly hermitting up. And that would have made it quite a "triste casa de monos".





I fealt almost like a superhero, leaping from one daunting task straight to save the damsel in distress (tm). In this case my damsel in distress is my beautifully glowing pregant wife (though I think she would be quite happy to be done glowing, and back to her normal svelt self). The girls have grown to sizes that are making things around the house more difficult. So there I am, finally fully back; to clean, organize, assemble. Faster than a speedy train! (perhaps, faster than an old steam train, but still rather quick!) Quicker than a silver bullet... wait I think I have lost my analogy...

Hmph... oh well, lets just say I am happy to have the test over, and even happier to being able to spend time more time with my family. Even if half off the family reserves its communication to kicks in Mrs. Mono's ribs.

Dr. Visit and Mono's test

I had another doctor's visit yesterday and another sonogram. It was pretty uneventful. They just checked to make sure the girls were moving and that they had enough fluid. Our dr. says that they will induce at 38 weeks if I haven't had them by then and if I go into labor at 36 weeks they won't stop it. Both girls are still head down. We could see Evelyn sucking her thumb. It was really cute.

In other news, Andre finished his test. He scored very well (94) and with his time in the department (6 yrs) he's at a 100. However, there were a lot of other people who scored lower on the test, but had more years. So that moved Andre down the list to number 43. That means that 43 positions for driver would have to open up in order for him to promote.

Now that the test is done he's been doing loads of work getting ready for the baby. The room is almost complete.

Our little journey

Its a nice rainy afternoon here. The kind of afternoon that is nicer when you're dry at home as I am, instead of out and about in the world. Since this journal is largely about our babies and this journey we've been on; and since I started the journal sort of half-way through I thought I'd post a few pictures of the beginning. Consider this the sitcom episode that looks back over the past year and pieces together things you know already happened, but maybe forgot.

So for us, having children didn't really begin until we began fertility treatments. After a failed IUI, we knew our only option was IVF and we were referred to Dr. Vaughn. I'm not sure what I want to say about IVF exactly.

These are my IVF drugs. Like so many things in my life, if its worth anything its not going to be easy. And it wasn't easy. Would I do it again? Of course. It was an incredible experience.

The first time I had to give myself an injection, and I'm not thrilled about needles you know, so I have my eyes closed tight and Andre says, "don't close your eyes while giving yourself an injection!" So I opened my eyes, counted to three...then counted to three again...okay, deep breath, one, two, three...after about 1/2 an hour and Andre saying "just do it," over and over I finally injected my first shot. By the end of the month it was no big deal. The scary part came from the fear that I would somehow mess it all up. But I discovered that doctors don't let their patients do things that are easy to mess up. So even after one of our shots wouldn't work properly, and maybe I gave myself a double dose trying to get it to work, it was still, "fine."

The emotional ups and downs of dealing with fertility issues was by far the most difficult. I don't think people really understand unless they've gone through it. For us, to get pregnant after one cycle of IVF I realize how fortunate we were and I feel a lot of respect for those couples who endure numerous cycles, miscarriages, and losses. Not everyone understood our choice to pursue IVF and while some comments were quite hurtful, you can't really make life decisions based on other people's opinions or lack of tact. We found a lot of strength in each other and I learned many things about how awesome my husband is and how great our marriage is.

For us, I personally didn't want to feel like somehow we were failures because we couldn't have a child without help. A lot of the other women I talked to during that time who were going through similar issues expressed those feelings. I certainly understand that, but for us, that wasn't how we saw our situation. Andre has always been open about having had testicular cancer twice and has said that talking to other people may help them. We faced IVF in the same manner and told everyone. There are so many intricate hormones and steps in fertility, where's the shame in one not working? To me, it was the equivalent of wearing glasses; some people's eyes just don't work right. Well our bodies didn't quite work right, so we made them do what they were suppose to do. And that was absolutely amazing.

The whole process was amazing. The doctors and technicians have advanced so much in so little time. In a nutshell: they used medications to stop my body from doing what it normally does and then used other medications to make my body do something it couldn't normally do--over produce eggs. Then they gave me "the shot" which made my body release the eggs at exactly the right time so the doctor would be there to get them. Absolutely brilliant.

We also used intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), shown in the picture (although this isn't our material). They pick up one sperm in a glass pipette, break off its tail, and insert it directly into the egg. You can tell this is a mature egg because it has a little hat on. The glass pipette is 1/2 the size of a red blood cell. Once again amazing.

After that we wait to see what happens. Out of the 15 eggs my body produced our doctor was able to retrieve 8. Out of those 8, 7 eggs fertilized. These fertilized eggs continued to divide. Some did better than others and on day 3 they transferred the two best looking embryos. One was 7 cells and one was 9 cells. This is the actual picture of our embryos. The remaining 5 embryos didn't make it past day 3. For some reason they just stopped growing. I was sad about that and fearful that if this cycle didn't work that we would have to start all over again from the very beginning.

So, when we found out we were pregnant it was such a great feeling. And when we found out it was twins--that was awesome. This is our first picture of the twins taken by Dr. Vaughn at just 4 weeks and 6 days.

A lot of people ask us if they are identical or fraternal. Because they are both girls we don't know yet. We transferred two embryos, but we don't know if both embryos implanted, or if one implanted and divided. So after the girls are born we'll have to get a test to find out for sure.

Groundhog day?...

So I went to the doctor on Friday and our nurse--the figurative groundhog--foretold 6 more weeks of winter, um I mean pregnancy. Yep, that's right, they think I'll go 38 weeks. I know that would be great for the girls, but all I could think was, "you're kidding right?" Except I believe I was actually thinking in expletives.

Of course I want the girls to be in the best possible situation, but its hard not to think about swollen ankles, constant pain, and of course the 40 lbs I've already gained. "You're right on track," they say. For what? A circus sideshow?

The babies are doing well. I had another growth scan sonogram, which is the one where they measure the babies' head, stomach, and femur and then come up with a measurement that is more or less their weight. Rowan (Baby A) has dropped already (head down) and she was so far down in my pelvis that they couldn't get a good measurement of her head. So her weight came out to 3 lbs 14 oz, but they know she's actually bigger than that. Evelyn is also head down and is weighing 4 lbz 4 oz. She's not quite as far down as Rowan, so she can still kick under my ribs. All that talk about how its so much better after the babies drop apparently only apply to singletons.

Btw, I'd post the most recent sonogram pictures, but the babies are so big now that you really can't see much...a foot here, a hand there, but they are more or less indistinguishable. The nurse doesn't think they'll turn again since they are running out of room pretty quickly and Evelyn is blocking Rowan from turning.

In case you're wondering, in our Ob's practice we have our doctor, plus two nurses. One is a labor and deliver nurse, so when we deliver she'll be there with the doctor. The other nurse is only at the practice. Sometimes I'll see the doctor, and sometimes I'll see one of the two nurses, but they all work closely together and switch off.

I am now 33 weeks along, so its really only 5 more weeks now. I'm actually rather miserable for the most part. My mom and sister came over today to clean and cook for us. It was really great to have them here to help. They even put the crib together and washed new baby clothes that were still sitting in their gift bags.

This past week Andre and I also went to a breastfeeding for multiples class. It was a great class. We knew some of the other couples from our Mothers of Multiples group too. Our instructor was so knowledgeable that I left the class feeling very confident about nursing two babies.

This week, Tuesday actually, Andre has his promotions test for the fire department. To move up the ladder (no pun intended) in the fire department you have to take a test and then score better than everyone else who took the test. Then, if and when a position opens up you get to move into that position. So he's been studying for months now and its almost finally over. He took the test around our wedding and scored 13th place out of 280 people. But then the dept. adds years in service to your score which bumped him down to 40th. You get a year for every year you've been in the department. So if you score a 90, but you've been in 10 years then you walk out with a 100. Personally, I think the policy is kind of dumb. Just because you've been doing something for a long time doesn't mean you've been doing it right.

Anyhow, Andre's been in 6 years now and he tests really well, so hopefully he'll pass. If he does he will no longer be a "firefighter," he will be a "driver." As a driver he will no longer run into burning buildings, but when the lieutenant is gone, Andre will be in charge of the station. Unfortunately, promoting means that he will most likely change stations and he's become very close to his crew.

Family Tree

I'm working from home these days, which means I have a lot of free time on my hands. So today I was productive and scanned a ton of old family pictures and put them into www.geni.com. Its an online family tree and you can invite your family to join. You can only see your family related to you by blood or marriage. Its really neat because you can add pictures, write stories, and chart out your family history. Once other relatives are on the tree you can also send messages to each other, etc.

Andre and I have been in a competition to see who can get more ancestors on the tree. We're pretty close. I have mine going back to 1647, but he has a lot more family members.

Putting down all the history makes it come alive in a way. I'd heard the old family stories before, but it seems more real when you write down the names of 12 kids in a family and then put in the story about how all but 2 died from illness. And discovering who people were and what they did with their lives. Andre says I'm a nerd, but I think its cool.

So, since you can add pictures, I set aside my competitive nature and added some of Andre's relatives on the de la Reza side and their pictures (much thanks to Susie for the pictures). This is Andre's great grandfather Jorge de la Reza. I love this picture. He looks so happy and optimistic--I can really see Andre in him.

This is a picture of my great-grandmother Florence Vance. She's the one on the left. She was a tax assessor. At my grandfather's (Bid) funeral several relatives I didn't know said I favored her. I love the pictures that show the clothes back then. We don't know who the other lady was.

Anyhow, the family tree is really cool. I tried to send an invitation to join the tree to everyone in the family (mine and Andre's), but it kind of looks like junk mail so you may not have received it. If you haven't and you want to jump on let me know and I'll invite you again.

This is from Geni: "Geni lets you create a family tree through our fun simple interface. You can expand your tree by adding relatives' email addresses. They will be invited to join your tree and can add other relatives. Your tree will continue to grow as relatives invite other relatives. Geni is private. Only the people in your family tree can log in to your tree and your profile. Geni will not share your personal information with third parties. We will not sell your email address or spam you. Users control which communications they would like to receive from us."

En un bosque de la china

This is a Bolivian children's song Andre's dad used to sing to him. Its really cute.

For the cat lovers

The last mile is always the longest mile...

So I am now 58 days and counting. Who knew pregnancy could be so much fun? I don't think I realized that my whole body, all my joints and everything would hurt, but I'm trying not to complain too much. Andre may say differently, but I'm really not complaining as much as I want to.

We almost have the babies room finished. We put in new carpet, bought Roman shades, and painted. We have yet to put the second crib together and the wall decorations are still in the infancy stage (no pun intended). The fish on the wall aren't really that bright and the jury is still out on them. They're made from fuzzy fake fur, so the light catches them. I may put up vintage travel pictures instead. Hmmm, not sure yet. Here's a picture anyway.

My mom and I made the dust ruffles. Here is a closeup of the bottom fabric. The top fabric is all fish. I know its a lot of blue and not pink. The girls have loads of pink stuff already, so there's no need to overdo it.

We're not using bumper pads around the cribs because it is now recommended not to use them as the baby may suffocate in them. Crib slats have to be so close now that there is no longer a risk of the baby's arms getting stuck, etc. Some parents still buy bumper pads for decorative purposes, and that's fine. I just didn't want the possibility it could harm them. We plan on having the girls in our room in a bassinet for a while anyway.

Also, we picked up this lovely dresser/changing table that matches the wood of the cribs. Notice the bottle of Bac Out in the basket. Yes, insane we may be, but we are using cloth diapers. We have a diaper service that will provide us with unlimited prefolds. Then we bought several various brands of all-in-one diapers. These are really cool. Check out this picture of a Fuzzi Bunz diaper: Its actually quite similar to a disposable diaper. All you do is snap it on. Fuzzi Bunz are pocket diapers, so they have a pocket inside and you can stuff it with washable liners to make it thicker at night or when you need extra absorbency. With breastfed babies, you don't even have to rinse them out prior to washing, you just throw them in the washer. Our diaper service will wash these for us along with our prefolds. And considering that disposable diapers take 500 years to decompose in the best of circumstances, we're really excited about cloth. They're cheaper too, especially with twins and less likely to irritate your baby's skin.

Anyhow, everything is starting to come together. I even started packing my bag for the hospital. We washed all our baby clothes and packed some preemie clothes for the hospital too. Andre is certain we will lose lots of tiny baby socks over time. I think we've already lost two. They are just so tiny.

61 days to go

Well, I'm now at the end of week 31. Only 61 days to go until 40 weeks (keep in mind it's unlikely we'll go to 40 weeks, 36 to 37 is full term for twins). We had another appointment last Friday. I had not gained any weight since my appointment two weeks prior, so they were a bit concerned; however, the babies have grown which is good. I'm still sick from time to time, which is no fun. Other than that, everything is going well. They're moving a lot and I'm generally uncomfortable. Both babies are head down and they keep kicking the same spot over and over. Its like a bad episode of 'Prison Break.'

Mr. Mono and I also had our last Bradly Method class. It ended with a pizza party at Austin Pizza Garden and our instructor even brought some outdated natural childbirth videos from Brazil--hmmm, nice addition to the pizza (sarcasm included). I'm glad we took the class though. I didn't agree with everything they said, but overall it was pretty informative. I also didn't enjoy watching childbirth videos, eww! But I think most people expect to see some videos in a class like that. If my junior high sex education class was more like this Bradly Method class I think high school would have been very different for a lot of people. Fortunately, it was mostly abstinence-based so all the really icky reality was left out and no one could possibly imagine how icky pregnancy and childbirth really is. Hence, probably the reason why my high school also had a day care.

With the classes behind us, it really feels like we are quickly approaching the end of this carnival ride. Two of my fellow pregnant comrades have now both had their babies, which means my turn is coming up soon. I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore, but not so sure about caring for two babies. Having a baby is kind of like getting married. Its a lot of fun, great parties, very exciting, and in the end it totally changes your life. Except with a wedding, after its all said and done you get to go on a honeymoon. I have a strange feeling that this is going to be a bit different...a bit not-so-honeymoon-like. Although I find myself looking at vacation catalogs nonetheless.

We took some funny maternity pictures too. We're getting a few more done in the studio soon and I'll post some of those when we get them. Hopefully I won't go into labor before our photo shoot. Andre really liked this one.

Houston

This is rather late, but here are some pictures of the Houston shower and Andre's family.
http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh57/lbweisstx/Houston%20Baby%20Shower/?albumview=slideshow

Family History

One day after Mr. Mono and I first met he asked me what nationality I was. I said, "American." And he said, "yeah, I know that, but like where is your family from?" Amused, I said, "America." Growing frustrated, he said, "I know, but where are your ancestors from?" "America." Then I explained that my family on both sides have been in the US since before the revolution and that there really wasn't a "mother country" anymore. Not one that any of us would recognize at least--or would recognize us. Aside from my mother's rendition of Toora Loora Loora we have little to no customs resembling our original Scotch-Irish heritage.

Having a baby, or babies rather, has made me think a lot about our growing family tree and what I want my children to know about their family history. Talking to my dad this afternoon, we got on the subject of some of our ancestors.

The first was Gordon Wood
He was my grandfather's cousin and my dad says "he was the winningest football coach in US history." He's actually in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. His record has since been broken, but he's still well known in the football world.


My dad told me this story about Gordon and my Grandfather "Bid" He said the carnival came to town and they had a strongman contest. So whoever could go in the ring with the strongman for however long would win something, like 50 cents. Well, he said Gordon got in the ring with him and beat him up. These are the family stories my dad likes. Gordon lived with Bid some as they were growing up and they were pretty close.

The second person is Zebulon Baird Vance. Aren't you glad we didn't name one of the girls Zebulon. He was twice governor of South Carolina and a US Senator.


Zebulon was against the civil war and secession. He was really big into individual rights and stood by the rule of law. South Carolina is the only state to observe the writ of habeas corpus during the civil war. He was elected to the Senate in 1878 and was re-elected in 1884 and 1890, serving from March 1879 until his death.

Funny thing is, I think my dad kind of looks like a cross between Gordon and Zeb.

Shower Madness

Everything is going pretty well. We had another sonogram on Friday. This is a profile picture of Evelyn. Both babies are doing well, Evelyn weighs 2 lbs 8 oz and Rowan weighs 2 lbs 11 oz. They are measuring right on track as well and they're definitely girls. They are moving quite a bit now and my belly is taking on all sorts of strange shapes. We had two sonogram Friday. The first was early in the morning and Rowan was head down and Evey was head up. Then that afternoon I went back for another sonogram and they were both head down. Rowan was so far down we couldn't get a good picture of her face. Every once in a while I feel a sharp pain on my bladder so I have a feeling she's staying head down.

As for me, well I have now gained 36 lbs (my doc wants me to gain 45), but it appears to be mostly in my belly. My legs are starting to hurt when I have to stand. I think I probably look like that big cartoon chicken. I have also developed carpel tunnel syndrome in my hands due to the pregnancy. They say it should go away after they're born (fingers crossed...no that hurts).

Mr. Mono and I had two showers this weekend and one last weekend and one the weekend before. One more shower to go. Yes, I know its shower madness, but could it really be any other way? Our first shower was a de la Reza family shower. Then we had a friends shower last Saturday with one group of friends. I had one at work on Friday, that was really nice. Then we had a friends/family shower this past Saturday that was a lot of fun too (different friends). And this coming weekend is the firefighter shower.

They've been lots of fun and exhausting in a good way. This past Saturday everyone stayed until pretty late into the night talking and laughing. It was after midnight when we finally settled down and my toes looked like little sausages after standing and walking around so much. Mr. Mono was very pleased to get his much desired diaper bag...




They make such cool diaper bags for men now. Its from a place called "diaper dude," so now he can take the kids to coffee shops and look as cool as the other dads. It even comes with a black baby changing pad.

But most of all it was just great to share this time with our friends and family. There are really only a few times in your life when it seems absolutely necessary to bring together all your available friends and family and be together to celebrate or to mourn. Graduations, weddings, funerals, new babies, and maybe just a handful of other times--bar mitzvah, quinceaneras, what-have-you. Those times do not come often and yet they mean so much--not only to the person, couple, etc, but also to the whole: to the family and friends. They are not mere get togethers. On the contrary, these are the moments that change our lives and at the end of the occasion (be it happy or sad) we are not the same anymore, nor ever will be again.

We celebrate the arrival of our girls. Our little girls that we thought, many times, would not ever be in our arms--yet now I'm in my 3rd trimester. How difficult it all was and what a joy this time is for us now. Who better to celebrate in this life changing moment then the people we love and cherish. And sitting with family and friends I realize how much these kids mean to other people too. It is my grandmother knitting baby booties, it is my friend giving me motherhood advice, it is my sister tearing up over every pink little dress, it is the thought that one day I will be at my own daughters baby shower celebrating the joys of her life.

And so these showers, these seemingly silly parties we throw at the expected arrival of a new baby--or in our case babies--have been great. And when they are here finally we will throw a huge party (after everyone has recovered) and drink lots of wine and beer (especially Mrs. Mono--since Mr. Mono will be the new designated driver) and eat good food, listen to bagpipes, talk late into the night and properly welcome the girls into the world so that they will see that there is much to celebrate in life and lots of people who love them.

Poor Lil Mama Chicken

Well, sure enough it happened. After I had to pull out all the stops to get Mrs. Mono to get over the fear of needles and let me give her a flu vaccine, she went and caught the version that wasn't covered by the vaccine!

As if third trimester wasn't chock full of no-fun-ness, she has to deal with all the flu symptoms. Trying to find a pregnant lady okay drugs at 6:30am was not easy. After a conversation with our ObGyn, looks like we are going to get her on anti-biotics, Sudafed, and Tylenol.

Guess it is time for our girls first drug buzz...