Santa from Sacramento

So we woke up early and hauled our cookies down to the mall at 8 a.m. to beat the crowds for the great Santa pic. Prior to leaving, Sofia made it clear there would be no sitting on Santa's lap, that simply wasn't happening because "he has a beard." In an attempt to pick my battles, I wasn't about to argue her logic. She is also quite adamant that Santa is from Sacramento and again, can't argue that one.

As suspected, when we arrived, Sofia *declined to participate* in the Santa lap photo , choosing instead to run crying from Santa, chanting "I want to go to Disneyland (a.k.a. The Disney Store)

Note to self. Always check the boys for hat hair before taking photos.

It's all about the jumpies!

So we spent the better part of yesterday at a local rec center that has a yearly function called "Candyland." They should have called it "Standing-in-Line-Land" as that is what we spent the most of our time doing.

Combine a surly toddler in bad need of a nap with a life sized gingerbread man greeting kids at the door and you've got a disaster waiting to happen. Full size "Ginger man" pretty much soured her on the whole experience, to the point of having to remove her from the premises. We finally decided to can the whole thing and grab a burger. Much better idea.

Sofia did like the jumpies outside of the Candyland place. 'Cause as anyone who has a little one knows - it's all about the jumpies.

I surrender to the sickies

So of course the cold hit me over the weekend. The amount of snot I am dealing with on a daily basis is truly obscene. I have surrended to the sickies and am just not going to let it get me down anymore. When I do start to feel sorry for myself, I will watch this...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1141096063

And we got the proofs back from our photo shoot of a few weeks ago. I realy like the shot of the boys. The family shots are so-so, pretty hard to get 5 of us looking at the camera at the same time, let alone looking happy. That said, I did get a few that I liked, so it was worthwhile.

And the hits just keep on coming...

Soifa is doing ok, not great, but alright.

So yesterday, noticed that the boys were wheezing pretty badly, so took them in today only to discover they also have ear infections and asthma. We did nebulizer treatmenets and have a machine at home now. I have asthma myself, so feel really badly about this as well.

So, giving the twins nebulizer treatments was in a word, horrible. William screamed through the the whole treatment and David started out ok, but then screamed even more than William had, to the point of my having to hold his arms down. Poor baby. William sounds really bad, even after the treatment, but his oxygen level was ok, so we go back tomorrow. I'm not sure what will happen if he's not better.

One funny thing in the midst of all this...Sofia called the nebulizer a "washing machine."

On a lighter note, David is standing!! I call him scrappy! (video here http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dw1PuPRnsuI)

Also, a very funny incident in the pedi's office...I've only been a parent for a little over 2 years, but what happened today was definitely the funniest thing that has happened as of yet in my little parenting world. At the pediatrician's, we had to weigh the boys (William is a whole lb more than David, which I suspected) So, we weigh William first and Steve is holding him as I place David on the scale, with Sofia at his side. I'm intently looking at David's weight when I hear a shriek of unprecedented magnitude. I turn to find Sofia, her entire face dripping wet and crying as if she was in unimaginable physical pain. William had peed on Sofia, a straight shot into her face. I should have tried to comfort my completely freaked out daughter, but I was too busy laughing hysterically. I literally could.not.stop.laughing.

People were staring at us, as they do anyway in the "oh my god, those poor people" way, but now they were staring because we were making a scene. I mean, my daughter was shrieking and I was laughing uncontrollably, I'm sure people were like what a bunch of nutjobs. Sofia just added to the scene by yelling at the top of her lungs "No Weeyam! No pee over ME!" It took a good 5 minutes to calm her down, I think the whole thing was pretty traumatic for her...understandable...don't think she expected that and I suspect some of it got in her eye

I have a feeling we are going to be hearing about this for many months to come....

I knew when Sofia started preschool that this could happen, that we'd get slammed with the sickies, but I honestly didn't think it would be this bad. If she didn't love it so much, I'd seriously reconsider sending her. This is all a bit much, this constantly sick thing. Steve is also sick and I'm feeling like I may be the next one in line (I just got through my own sickness and astha exacerbation) No one said this was going to be easy!!

And yet more sickies

So yeahhhhhh....another day, another kid sick...

Sofia was coughing really badly last night and also coming down with yet another cold. The poor thing was coughing so much (a dry cough, which I can attest is the worst kind) and having a hard time sleeping, crying in her sleep, etc. Around 10 pm I said to Steve "I can't take it anymore, I'm taking her to the emergency." By the time I got dressed, she'd fallen back asleep, so I let her sleep. As I had an appt for myself this morning, I just brought her with me and called her pedi when they opened, explained the situation and after a little begging, they agreed to squeeze her in. Thank goodness they did. They took her temp and she had a 102 temp. I was shocked as she didn't even feel warm to me!! Turns out the poor thing has pneumonia and a raging ear infecftion. The pedi said he was shocked that she hadn't complained of ear pain as it was bulging like "a piece of bubble gum." So she's on zythromax and at home with daddy, who is also sick.

I swear, it's not funny at all, but I just have to laugh at the illness fairies that have descended upon my life. I managed to go 2 years with almost no illness and now it's just been constant for 8 months, surely to continue. I've just accepted the reality of someone being sick all the time. People tell me I'm being negative and I just laugh. Just call me Negative Nelly. *eye roll*

The Money Shot...or Close Enough

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We managed to stop by my brother in law's fire station on our way to family's house in San Francisco and Sofia got to sit in a real fire truck. She was thrilled. She loves her some "Unka Mike" so it was all just gravy after seeing him. We got some semi decent shots of the kids in their little Thanksgiving outfits, so that was good. It's all about the money shot. Of course, trying to get 5 people looking at the camera and smiling is probably not going to happen - ever - but I still think it's cute.

What's the Butterfly Say?

Sofia has been coming at me with the wildest things lately. The other day, out of the clear blue sky, she asked me how old her little friend was. I almost drove the car off the road. Where does she get this stuff? Is she sitting there in her little 2.5 year old world, actually thinking about this stuff??? So then, yesterday, I was talking and she said "Did you say (the f word)?" I was horrified to hear that come from her mouth!! I asked her where she had heard that word and she looked up at me, batted her lashes and said softly, "You, mommy." Again, you are on stage!!

While reading a book the other day, we came upon a crab and she said "What's the crab say?" She had me stumped. The same went for the giraffe, zebra and the best one of all "Mommy, what's the butterfly say?"

I'm just sayin'

Ok, so a few weeks ago, Sofia kept saying that some kid pushed her at school. "Gavino pushed me!" she exclaimed. I was like "Who? Gavino?" convinced that she was mangling the kids name. But Sofia's pretty articulate, so I finally realized that she did, in fact, mean, Gavino. So, apparently this "Gavino" character pushed her and she "Fall dowwwwwwwwwwwwwn" I am not sure what happened or if she was hurt in any way, but it didn't seem like it. I was like "who is this Mafioso bully that is pushing my kid?" (Relax - I'm Italian, I can say that.)

So, the next time I went to the school, I checked the roster and sure enough, there was indeed a Gavino listed. On Halloween, I met this Gavino kid. He looked exactly as I'd pictured him. A cross between Tony Soprano and Charlie Brown. He was a 49er football player for Halloween, complete with shaved head and pants hanging down his butt. He's 2, by the way. His parents were not at the Halloween parade and the teachers had all they could do to keep him in line during the proceedings.

So, today, I saw Gavino's parents. At the risk of sounding elitist, his dad was even worse than I imagined. Definitely a bit rough around the edges, like someone Dog the Bounty Hunter would be hunting down. Tattoos, two sizes too large Ben Davidson pants with chains hanging off of them, a black ski cap pulled tightly over his head, long underwear with a tee shirt over it...you get the idea. Gavino's daddy is a thug. Big shocker there. Again, don't mean to sound like a snob, but the kid pushed my girl...I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, I'm just sayin'...

You are on Stage

As god as my witness - this conversation just occured this evening.

Sofia - pointing to cereal box on top of fridge "Get me Mickey Mouse! I want mickey mouse! It's mine."

I am a bit taken aback at her tone and don't respond.

"Get me mickey mouse now!" Stands on chair.

Me -- "Get down from the chair immediately."

She sits down.

Me -- "Ya know Sofia, I don't think I like your tone."

She looks at me point blank and without batting a lash, says " "I don't think I like your tone eye-derrr!"

Exsqueeze me?

What the.....????

When exactly did I lose complete control?

This is not good, not good at all. I look at her and see her evolving into a little dictator and it's troubling me. I think I know where the sass is coming from, which is the worst part. Lately, all I do is bark orders at everyone, I'm so freakin' stressed out and harried all the time. Clearly, she my little sassbucket is mimicking mommy. What a trip to see your less than desirable behavior mirrored in your little girl. I think I need to take my bossiness down a notch. I need to be extremely conscious of my own tone, my words, the level of my voice, my off the charts control freak demeanor.

It makes me wonder, if she's sassing me now, what will she be like at 3, 5, 10, god forbid 13?????????????????????

So early New Year's Resolution...takin' it down a notch...be a nicer person...as Disney would say "You are on Stage!"

Clearly, I'm no superwoman

So, it's not been the greatest week for me at work.I screwed up a few major items and completely forgot about a meeting yesterday -also forgot to tell the assistant to come to the meeting. Fortunately, my boss had mentioned it to her.

I've been with my company (a local real estate firm) many years (12 - was their first first time employee, they have about 40 now) and most of the time, do the job on autopilot. It's not even that busy and my primary role is supervisory. Truth be told, due to the level of activity, we probably could do without one employee, but hell will freeze over before I share that with anyone. So, bottom line, I don't do much at work every day. It's been like that for a few years and I've been so busy TTC or pregnant, that it's worked out very well. I hang out, make sure everyone does what needs to be done and assist my boss as needed. She's not there much of the time, so...you get the idea. It can be boring at times, but with the priorities in my life shifting so drastically lately, boring is good.

I've been having great difficulty focusing on work while there. While I don't necessarily do much, I still am responsible for making sure things get done, ordered, followed through, etc. and my mind is swimming with thoughts about my kids and all that needs to be done at home. It takes all I can do to get to work on time. In fact, most days I am up to an hour late. In my former life, I was obsessively on time or early, certainly never late. Now, it's all I can do to get out of the door. I get up early and it still takes me a full 2 hours to feed all the kids, dress all the kids and get myself ready.

So this week, I was reprimanded by my boss for coming in late, leaving early, letting things fall through the cracks, etc. I copped to it and it was fine. She needed to say what she needed to say and we both felt better afterwards.I did express that I was having great difficulty balancing the kids with work but assured her I'd be making a concerted effort to improve in those areas. Truth be told, I have been milking it at times, but in fairness have had a lot of issues arise that have been out of my control (doctor visits, hospital stays, etc.) I did manage to get to work on time the rest of the week, for the first time since I started back in September. My boss said something like "We used to have a good thing going..." and that made me sad. We did have a good thing going for several years, but I have 3 chidren now and things will never be the same. Priorities, b aby.

Girl Cheese at the Ho-Towel

So we did Disneyland with 3 kids under 3 and lived to tell. Yes, it can be done. It's going to take me a good week to recover and I could barely walk today, but *by george* my little girl had the time of her life and that was the intention. Mission accomplished. People have asked me what her favorite thing was and I can't really answer that. I know she thought having a "girl cheese sandwich" at the "ho-towel" was a highlight of the trip for her. The twins were troopers, as was Sofia, considering naps were pretty much nonexistent.

I had intentions of us pacing ourselves, returning to the hotel and napping, but that pretty much all went out the window. There were a few times the kids crashed hard, as evidenced by these photos, but it was ok.

Surprisingly, there was more than enough for toddlers to do. I thought 3 days would be more than enough, but it turns out it's not!! By the time you factor in feedings, diaper changes for all, napping (or not as the case may be), waiting in line, etc. the day just flies by! Big hits, It's a Small World, Casey's Train, Playhouse Disney Live, Toontown, Dumbo and Teacups. The whole park was decorated for Christmas already and truly a sight to see.They were even filming an ABC Xmas parade special (airing Xmas day) so that was awesome to watch. Even got to see Ryan Seacrest! *eye roll*

At the risk of sounding like a total cheeseball, they don't call it "The Happiest Place on Earth" for nothin'.

And We're Off!

So yeah, we're leaving for Disneyland bright and early tomorrow morning. I have gotten so much flak for this trip, there aren't even words. Most everyone who I've told I'm going has suggested I have my head checked. 3 kids under 3 in Disneyland, I must be insane! Truth be told, the last 8 months have been so intense that I felt I desparately needed a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth.

I have very few expectations for the trip, just glad to be getting out of town. Steve and I are both looking forward to seeing Sofia's face light up as she experiences the magical kingdom for the first time.

My first trip to Disneyland was in 1977 in a Pinto wagon with 6 people (my brother and I, 2 cousins and their parents). We stayed at the cheapest flea bag hotel you can imagine and my bad seed older cousin (who is now in the state Pen in Oregon, I might add) traumatized me shortly before we went in the Haunted Mansion. Oh yes and I'll never forget, my cousin's step father's toupee fell off when he jumped in the motel pool. It doesn't get much funnier than that when you are 10 years old.

Super Baby!

So the albuterol syrup isn't working with David's wheezing, but it's sure got him hopped up. When he's not blowing raspberries over and over and over, he's bouncing up and down like a little crazy person or plowing over his brother to get a toy. Baby crack, indeed!

That's just *wrong*

Ok, somewhere in that great human creation factory in the sky, someone is having themselves a mighty laugh.

People in my family have freakishly large feet. My cousin and I are both petite (her of the traditional petite standards, me of the short limb definition) and we have always had huge feet. We both stand about 5 2" or 5 3" on a good day and our poor feet have been size 9 since about 8th grade. I have always liked to say that I have the feet of a supermodel. To add insult to injury, what was once a size 9.5 on a bad day has now become a 10-10.5 after having 3 kids. This is just blatantly wrong. A 5 3" person CANNOT have a size 10+ foot. That is not normal. As if the mere fact that my foot is huge wasn't bad enough, imagine my disgust when trying hopelessly to reach the top shelf in the shoe store, where the size 10's are located. I'm sure the logic there is that the size 10 people are tall and can therefore reach up there. Uhhh yeah.no. Not I.

Never a dull moment

I was just telling my boss that I have gone to SF on average at least 3 times a month for the last year. So, now we can bump that number up as I already had one visit to SF this week and had yet another one today!! Poor little David has had this cold going on 3 weeks and today I noticed that he was wheezing pretty badly. The poor kid inherited my eyes, hair and skin, why not my asthma too? So, up to SF we went. Good news is he's perfectly happy and not in any distress. He is definitely wheezing though. The doctor Rx some albuterol syrup, which from what I hear is like baby crack...literally. Don't know that we'll be getting much sleep tonight. I am to call the doc on Moday and let him know how it worked and if it doesn't work, we'll have to do a nebulizer treatment. That should be interesting on a 7 month old. Geesh. Sorry kids, genetics are a b*tch.

I want some more choc-o-lit!

Trick or treating was a hoot. The boys hung out with Daddy in the MacLaren, snuggled warm in their costumes. Sofia had a great time, that is when she wasn't crying because of some kids in a Scream mask or tripping over her ruby slippers to get up someone's walkway. At one house, we were on the stoop and all of a sudden, a life size, animatronic witch came to life and Sofia.freaked.out. Hysterical, scared for her life, panic. She was literally shaking, I felt so bad. Particularly because Steve and I were in hysterics. Is that bad? Don't answer that. All in all, we only stayed out about 1.5 hr and were home by 7:30. Just in time to come home for a chocolate induced meltdown.

We're Off to See the Wizard!

I had plans for Sofia being Dora the Explorer for Halloween. I had it lined up in my head for weeks. She already had the backpack, throw on some orange shorts, somehow get my hands on "Boots" and it was a done deal. Then, I spotted the costume I just knew I had to have. Never mind that my child has never seen the movie, nor will be seeing it for many years to come (I shudder at how many nightmares that wicked witch gave me, even at age 8!) I just knew she would make the perfect Dorothy. What was her response when I asked her if she'd like to be Dorothy? Well, "Dorothy the Dinosaur?" of course. Is it selfish of me to dress my daughter up as character that she has no concept of, just for the sake of the "awwww" factor? Mmmm...probably, but damn if she doesn't make for one.adorable.little.dorothy.

A New Day

I have kept an online journal for going on 3 years now, but have become increasingly interested in the blogoshphere, particularly with regards to parenting. My daughter was 22 months old when my twins were born and it's been a wild ride thus far, to say the least.

There was a time when I doubted I'd ever become a parent, so there are quite literally times when I think I have woken up in someone else's dream...or nightmare...depending on the day. I look forward to creating my blog from scratch, sharing my daily struggles, insights, frustrations and experiences to any and all who may have an interest, particularly anyone who may have children closely spaced together or twins.

7 months and almost crawling!

So I've definitely been MIA from my blog recently. There's certainly been no shortage of things going on as of late, but things seem to be settling down...for now. (I hesitate to even say that...)

Good news is, Sofia and the boys are great! Despite a shaky start with pre-school, Sofia now looks forward to going, which is a relief. She's all about her new kitchen set, compliments of Patti Frisella and takes great pride in preparing me coffee, mac'n'cheese and pancakes.

David is commando crawling, probably a few weeks away from "real" crawling. I am not quite sure I'm ready to have mobile babies just yet, but I guess I don't have a choice in the matter. David is a bubbly mover and shaker, much like a little 2.5 yr old I know...William's nickname in the hospital was "McFlirty" and after seeing him bat his big, brown eyes and flash that huge smile it's not hard to see how he got that nickname. He is getting stronger every day, almost sitting up and his favorite activity is grabbing toys and playing with them.

David's favorite thing is to flail his arms and legs while on his tummy, kind of like a beached whale. We like to call it his "flipper" move. One of their favorite pastimes is stealing each other's binkies from their mouths. It's pretty fun to watch. They do on occasion wake up in the middle of the night, but for the most part sleep from 6:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Lots of sleep training paying off there...thank you Dr. Weissbluth and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child - my bible.

We're gearing up for Halloween here. Sofia has decided she is scared to death of scarecrows, but is *all over* the whole "trick or treat" thing. She is going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, ruby slippers and all. The boys will be a lion and a monkey.

The days are going by faster and faster and it just doesn't seem possible the the holidays are almost here. Pretty soon it'll be 2008...It's so true when they say that babyhood goes by in the blink of an eye. You just have to cherish every minute and that's what we are trying so hard to do.

Click here for Some recent pics of the kids

4th anniversary, back to work & the twins are 6 mo old!

Ok, so I just realized it's been over 2 months since I updated the blog. Suffice it to say, things have gotten a little hectic as the twins have gotten older. Steve and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, the twins are one day away from 6 months old and Sofia started preschool a few weeks ago (she is 28 months old). The jury is still out on Sofia and preschool as she has developed a profound fear of one of the teachers, so fingers crossed it works out. I started back to work and am adjusting to being a working mom to 3 little ones. With the exception of mornings, the transition has been relatively smooth. My sister in law, Laura is watching Sofia and the boys, so once again, I am very thankful to have her able to do that for us. We are having the children baptised this weekend and are looking forward to all the fun of the upcoming holidays. We already have their Halloween costumes.

Regarding the kids, the boys are doing great. David is pushing up, trying so hard to crawl. William prefers to hold toys, he's much more tactile and has turned into quite the smiler/laugher after we were convinced he would be the serious one. Must have been that bonk on the head in August. Just kidding!! They both sleep relatively well, but we are a slave to the binkie, so hoping to nip that in the bud soon. Sofia is 2 going on 14, can say her address, full name and has taken to calling me Melissa. She has her obnoxious moments, but for the most part, she's a hoot and a joy to be around. Every day presents its own unique challenges and we are learning to adjust and roll with things as best we can.

The Days of Summer

Things are good with the boys. They are getting bigger every day. They love to eat, typically sleep from 8 pm- 6 am, so no complaints. I think David is getting ready to roll over and they are both looking like they may start batting at toys soon. They're not so good with their trunk strength, that's my fault. I need to get them on the floor for more tummy time. Both of them are really happy most of the time, smiling and cooing. William still lets you know when he wants something, with his trademark angry wail, but it could be much worse. David is very patient, will wait for you without complaining, just smiling at the air. They are starting to get to a very fun age, thank god. I never thought I would get here.

Life with 3 under 3

So life is pretty good now. The boys are pretty regular at this point. I have kept them pretty scheduled from the beginning, but now things are really falling into place. They wake around 6 and eat, then eat every 4 hours, final bottle around 7 p.m., then bath and to sleep at 8:00. Typically, we don't hear from them until 6 a.m. I realize we are very lucky. Sofia was the same way, thank goodness. Soon, I will have them in the nursery with her. Not sure how that will work out, I suspect she'll be "talking" to them.

Yesterday, we were driving in the car and she had her toy cell...she was calling them on the phone. It was pretty cute. She really does love them and I suppose that is one of the benefits of her being so young. She doesn't understand jealousy much. She is always asking where they are. In fact, we went out yesterday and as I put her in the car, she questioned why they weren't coming. It's pretty cute...

I have had to take care of all 3 a few times this week, for the first time. It was hectic, but I managed. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, just involves a lot of time management and juggling. It literally takes me 2 hours to get everyone fed, dressed, myself showered and coiffed. If I skip the coiffing, goes quicker. I suspect I will be skipping the coiffing most of the time.

Little D and Dubbya are 3 months old!

So, finally, things are good. We had a little "incident" with William, but I won't get into that. Most of you know what happened. Suffice it to say it was pretty scary, but he's doing great now. The boys are sleeping from 8pm - 5am regularly, so life is good. They are smiling and cooing lots, getting bigger every day and so much fun to be around. We get a kick out of how different they look. David is the little Irish boy, complete with reddish hair and all. William is our little Mediterranean ladies man, complete with olive skin and dark, piercing eyes. They literally could not be more different! In fact, I suspect that when they are in school, people won't believe they're twins. :P Genetics are a crazy thing!

McFlirty & Dubbya are 10 weeks old!

Well, it's official. They are "sleeping thru the night" (6 hour stretches) -- I am beside myself with happiness. I honestly didn't think they ever would. I realize how lucky I am for them to be doing this.

I have been reading a lot of Weissbluth, which I used with Sofia, and it seems to be working. Lots of consistent naps during the day, bedtime routine, earlyish bedtime, etc.

I bathe them at feed them, then bathe them and put them down between 7-8 p.m. I do wake them (they don't really wake much) at around 10-10:30 and feed them, then they are sleeping until 4:30 or 5 a.m. I'm really encouraged and hopeful that eventually, they will sleep until 6. As I'll need to get up at 6 when I return to work, this would be fine.

David smiles like crazy. He smiles as if you have just told him the funniest joke he's ever heard, his whole face lights up -- much like Sofia. William makes you work for the smiles, but he's smiling more and more every day.

They had their 2 month appt last week and David weighs 11 lbs -- William weighs 11 lbs 7 oz. They are doing great!!

Moving Forward...

So as most of you know, I was in the hospital for 10 days with pneumonia and "complicated pleural effusion" - what occurs when too much fluid collects in the pleural space (the space between the two layers of the pleura). I started out at Sequoia and ended up at my hospital in SF. Suffice it to say, it was a horrible and scary ordeal; being that sick, being away from the twins and Sofia, etc. I won't get into huge detail about it here but will just say that I am on the mend. I visited my primary MD last week and while my chest xray is still not normal, it's improving. As most of the specialists had pre warned me and my doctor confirmed, it can take weeks and even months to recover from this - I will most likely have permanent scarring from it.

The first few weeks home were tough as I was still pretty weak, but things are getting progressively better. The boys are officially "sleeping thru the night" (defined as 5-6 hrs of sleep in a row) so we are beside ourself with that development. Steve has been handling the one middle of the night feeding to let me sleep. Yes, he's a ROCK STAR.

As some of you also know, David was admitted to the hospital last week due to a high fever. Because he didn't have his 2 month shots, they had to do a bunch of tests on him to make sure he didn't have a bacterial infection. We had to stay there for 48 hours. Turned out he was fine, so that was a relief. Everyone seems to be on the mend now *knock on wood* and life is settling into a normalcy - or the new normalcy I should say.

I would like to express my gratitude to both of my sister in laws for all the help and support during this scary time. We don't have a whole lot of family, so it was so amazing to have everyone come forth to help us during this time. Aunt Laura watched the twins during the day (even taking them overnight to give Steve a break) and Steve cared for them at night. (Yes, that's right, Steve took care of month old twins!) Aunt Jessica and Uncle Mike took Sofia for a week which helped everyone immensely. Sofia had a blast, but of course, I felt awful and guilty about being away from her. I would also like to give a special thanks to my friend Natalie. She watched both Sofia and the twins multiple times, even taking the twins overnight on 3 separate occasions. I was incredibly touched that she would even offer to do that and am forever indebted to her. Quite frankly, I don't know what I would have done without the help of Laura, Jessica, Natalie and of course, Steve. I am just so fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A Hellish 2 Weeks

Well, the past few weeks have been quite hellish. I know that several of you have called and I have not returned your call, so just wanted to let everyone know that we are all doing ok. It started with Sofia getting sick, her getting the twins sick, then my getting sick and it kind of went downhill from there. The twins are fine, have minor colds, but I got hit very hard with asthma and the flu, so taking care of the babies has been incredibly challenging. We've been to the doctors for the boys and for me many times. Steve has been a godsend and I am so thankful that he is able to help right now. I don't know what I would do were that not the case.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that the "boys" are doing well, gaining weight, getting bigger, etc. I definitely want to take them out for their debut soon, but I really need everyone to get healthy first. Hopefully in the next few weeks.

I tried to take Sofia to see the Easter Bunny at Hillsdale, but she was having no part of that. She clung to me for dear life. I can't say that I blame her. Here's what she would have looked like had she taken an Easter Bunny picture (this was on our way there).

Exceeded their birth weights!

We went to the pediatrician's office on Tuesday and both boys have exceeded their birth weights. They are both up to 6 lbs 9 oz! They are starting to "chub up" and fill out, so fun to watch. For the most part, they eat every 3 hours and fussing has been minimal. Sofia is adjusting. It can be a balancing act with her and them, but she hasn't shown too much jealousy, thus far. Still pretty sleep deprived, but things are good.

You can find more photos here -- http://thekeefes.shutterfly.com/action/

They're Here!

Yes, it's true!! David Austin and William Anthony are here!!

David was my father's name, William Anthony was Steve's.

So, last week, I'd been having a lot of discomfort. This went on for a few days, but I didn't think much of it. When it seemed not be going away, I decided to call the doc. They said it would be best for me to come in. So, we went up to San Francisco Thursday morning. They put me on the machines and I was contracting quite a bit. The doctor came in and checked my cervix. She told me that I was 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced. Basically, I was starting early labor and it could have been a day or a week, no way to tell. Under those circumstances, they certainly weren't going to send me home. They decided to go ahead with my c/s that day. We had to wait 6 hours as I'd eaten that morning.

The boys were born at 3:25 pm. and 3:26 p.m. on Thursday, 3/15/07. David was first, William second. Neither of them needed any NICU time at all. They came out crying and breathing on their own. William had to go under the warmers briefly. They both weighed 6 lbs 7 oz each, 19/19.5 inches respectively. This exceeded my expectations, to say the least!

The past 6 days has been a whirlwind. My recovery has physically been much more difficult this time, but I'm on the mend. Sleep has been scarce around here, but we're hanging in there. The boys are doing great. Sofia is getting used to them and doing as well as can be expected. Her reaction to them is mostly fascination mixed with a bit of fear. She calls them "brudders" or "Dahh-veed" and "Weeyim" She's going to make a great big sis!

So may photos to go through, will do that in the coming days. Trying to take it one day at a time for now...Going to the pediatrician this afternoon for a weight check.

Change 'O' Plans

So there's been a change of plans. My NST went great, lots of activity, fluid, etc. Afterwards, I met with the perinatologist. I've had high blood pressure in this pregnancy and have been on medication since about 15 weeks...

Originally, my doctor had based the c/section date on expectations of my blood pressure rising in the end (I'd be at 36 w, 6d or thereabouts). My blood pressure is doing great, hasn't risen at all, so he said if I had my heart set on having a c/section this week, we could do an amnio to check for lung maturity...or we could just put it off for 5 more days or so as there's really no need to take them early now. I decided to skip the amnio and just put it off into next week, when I'll be about 37w 5d or thereabouts. I feel good about it, gives me some more time and also increases the chances that they won't have NICU time. Now, I just don't want to go into labor between now and then! lol Anyhoo -- that's the latest from here...

6 Days and Counting...

So I had an doctor's appointment yesterday. All went well, they did an ultrasound to check the size of the babies. They are estimated to weigh 5 lbs 12 ounces and 5 lbs 15 ounces. This is only an estimate, so we shall see. In any case, I was very happy with that and that certainly explains why I feel so huge lately.

8 days and counting

So my c/s is scheduled for one week from tomorrow. I can't quite believe the time is coming! I feel incredibly fortunate that I am still able to get out and do things and have been able to get through this pregnancy with zero bedrest. Never did I think that would be the case. This afternoon, I went to get a pedicure. I figure it may be a while before I have the opportunity to get one again, plus I wanted my toes to look pretty. :)

Spending most of my days just getting organized for the boys "arrival," nesting, etc. I have been washing all their little baby clothes. They appear so tiny, hard to believe they will fit in them.

Tomorrow (3/10) I will have a growth scan on the babies, so should have an estimate of their weights. Can't wait to find out how big they are.