By: Joe

So I've been learning what it feels like to be helpless lately. Allison cries for hours a day and it seems like there is nothing we can do to calm her down. We make sure she's changed, comfortable, well fed, swaddled tight, given her gas drops, given her gripe water, and held her for hours. Nothing seems to work. And now that Jacob is spending more time awake, he is starting to get upset when she screams out. It seems as if there is nothing we can do to calm her at times. I have heard that this happens with some babies for a few months after they are born. I hope that she is able to find a way to calm herself in the meantime. :)

By: Joe

Well, it finally happened. The kids were born on Thursday, April 5th, 2012. Jacob was delivered first at 7:29am, weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces and was 18.75 inches long. Allison came one minute later at 7:30am, weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces and was 17.75 inches long. It was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. The sounds of their very first cry just melted my heart.

The hospital stay was awesome. I got to stay there the whole time. I spent almost all day Thursday and 1/2 of Friday over in the nursery with the kids while their mommy was in recovery. Between feedings, burpings, and changings I really got to bond with them. We are now at home with them and going strong. Christy and I have developed quite a good system so far. Hopefully it will keep working.....

By: Joe

Only 3 days left until the big day. It has been a long wait in order to get this far. It feels like Christy has been pregnant for years. I imagine that it seems even longer to her. Nobody ever tells you about the high levels of anxiety you will experience throughout the last weeks of waiting.

I can only speculate that it is your brain's way of conditioning your body to get used to the sleep deprivation that so many people have told me about. I just wish they would have mentioned that it all starts before the babies even get here!

By: Christy

Today is Monday (4/2/12), on Thursday (4/5/12) we will be welcoming our twins into the world, eek!! So it looks like we're doing our final countdown, only 3 days left at this point. As of today's check-up, the twins look fantastic, very healthy. I'm doing well myself, no problems. Thank goodness. After my trip to the hospital, I was worried how the final three weeks would play out. However, much to my surprise the last three weeks have been uneventful (whew!). So, the next post should be announcing the arrival of the kids. Wish us luck!

By: Joe

So Christy was sprung from the hospital yesterday morning and put on bed rest at home. The doctor has decided that she does not want to wait longer than 37 weeks before delivering the kids. This puts our new target date at 4/5/12. We realized this morning that it is only 16 days away!! This is also OPENING DAY for the Chicago Cubs! Maybe we will change their names to Harry and Carey instead. :)

By: Christy

Well, so much for the home stretch! I woke up on Wednesday 3/14/12 w/ some light bleeding. My OB immediately had me admitted to St. Joe's hospital for monitoring. After a day & a half, they determined I have Preeclampsia (although mild at this time). However, because I'm pregnant w/ twins & this is my first pregnancy my Dr (who is cautious and conservative) felt it was in our best interest to admit me long term for constant observation. I'll be repeating some of these tests this weekend. If my numbers improve, there is a chance (though very slim) she'll release me Monday. That is probably more of a pipe dream though at this point, but at least the twins health is a non issue right now. They are 34 weeks, and look very strong. Good heartbeats & excellent development w/ everything else. Jacob is 5 lbs & Allison is 4 lbs 14 oz. I was given a steroid injection (I believe it was called betamethasone). This drug rapidly develops the fetus's lungs in case labor needs to occur w/in the next 48hrs - 7 days. So, worst case scenario, it looks like the twins will be ready, which is also a good thing! So, at this point, I am at Carondelet St. Joe's in Tucson, Room #1333. I have my cell phone and laptop, so feel free to reach out if anyone wants to chat. Thankfully I'm not totally cut off from the world!

By: Joe

With only four weeks remaining until C-Day (C-section day), things are starting to pick up around here. I put together one of the baby swings yesterday pretty quickly and we are only left with 1 more swing to build. Then, the nursery will be complete! Some of our family and friends have already booked flights/hotels for when they come to visit us. We are stocked up on diapers and have began pricing some formula too. This weekend we plan to stock up on stuff we will need for ourselves during the first few weeks. Hopefully this will cut down on some of the extra trips we would have to make to the store.

By: Joe

As I sit here on the couch, I look over at Christy. On her tray table, she has two bottles of water, a peanut butter sandwich, a bag of jelly beans, leftover cinnamon rolls from breakfast, and she is talking about making popcorn. Yep, she's pregnant..... but still beautiful and wonderful.

By: Christy

I had a 31 week growth sonogram today. That means a quick check of organs, bones, brain, size, etc. Our son has weighed in at 4lbs 8oz & is in the 97th percentile. Our daughter is 3lbs 11oz & is in the 82nd percentile. Our doctor believes at this rate, the twins should easily make it to 6 or 7 lbs by delivery! It looks like they're are going to be the exception to the rule & not be tiny little twins, but more like sumo wrestlers, haha. Also, in case we haven't announced it to everyone, we've decided to name our son Jacob Donald (Donald after my Dad) & our daughter's name will be Allison (middle name TBD). The Dr is also tentatively setting our delivery date for April 9th. Almost there!

By: Christy

After 27 weeks and countless ultrasounds, today was the first time we have ever heard our children's heartbeats. We were awestruck. It was so sudden that both Joe and I froze so we could process what we were hearing. With each doctor's visit, we hear something new or learn something big. This entire experience has been both amazing & surreal. We're down to the final 10-11 weeks now! Lucky for us we've gotten a lot of the necessities for the kids and are in the process of setting up their room. Pictures to follow!

By: Joe

So tomorrow we head back to Tucson. We spent the last three weeks in Chicago for the Holidays as well as for a baby shower that our families threw us. It was a great time. I'm so glad we got to see so many friends and family there. Our kids are going to have many loved ones in their lives. The next time we will be in Chicago will be after they are born. It seems like things are finally starting to pick up and we are getting closer and closer to the big date. I can't wait for them to be here.

By: Joe

So a day after I posted the last article, I was laying down next to Christy and she said "They are kicking again". I put my hand on the bottom of her stomach and felt a quick kick! It was awesome. I couldn't believe that I was finally able to feel them (our best guess is that this came from the boy based on our last ultrasound). A couple of days later I got to feel a another kick (our best estimate is that this was the girl) on the top of her stomach. Our little niece Addison was lucky enough to get to feel a kick also. I'm sure that over the next few months the kicks will be more prominent, but it felt great to be the first person besides Christy to feel them kick.

By: Joe

So Christy has started feeling the baby kicking every once in awhile. Every time it happens, I put my hand on her stomach and try to feel. Unfortunately, I cannot though. There were a few times that I might have felt it, but that was probably just my own pulse. One of these days I'm sure the kicks will be more prominent. Until then, I'll just have to go on thinking that Christy is just taunting me again. :)

By: Christy

Today was the day we've been waiting for since we found out we were pregnant. Actually, it was the day we've been wondering about since the day we decided to have a baby. It was our 20 week ultrasound...the day we finally find out the gender of our twins. Drumroll please.....we're having a BOY and a GIRL!!! We're getting the best of both worlds and having one each. I was so excited, so happy, I burst right out into tears! Of course, the icing on the cake is that both twins look to be developing perfectly, no problems! Despite the fact that I am now 5 months pregnant, I feel as though this entire experience has gotten so much more real. And it became pretty real when I felt the little ones kicking up a storm this week! Feeling ecstatic and over the moon happy right now.

By: Joe

On 12/8 we hope to find out the sex of the babies. Baring any unexpected problems in identification, this will be a major turning point in the pregnancy. Will there be two beautiful girls? Will there be one boy and one girl? Or will their be more weiner than a German sausage festival? No matter what we find out, both Christy and I will be happy with the outcome. We can then finally go fill out the baby registry (should be completed no later than 12/9) with all the things we have already been looking at, but unable to commit to without knowing the sex. Now if I can only make it through the next 10 days.....

By: Christy

This year I feel we have the greatest gift of all to be thankful for, the upcoming birth of our twins. As we scurried around the kitchen today to get everything done, I was struck with the realization that this was the last Thanksgiving we would have pre-kids. It was a peaceful day, just the two of us, doing things at our own pace. This time next year, we hope to be back in IL, having dinner with family, our own kids causing a raucous in the background. I expect next year will be exponentially more hectic than this year. However, I can't wait for it! Looking forward to all the new traditions and experiences we'll have during the holidays because we will have our own children.

By: Joe

Last week we found out some very interesting news. It turns out that one of my life long friends and their spouse are also pregnant! Not only that, but they also told us that their expected delivery date is within a week of ours.

Like all good infomercials though, there is always a third deal..... they are also having twins! I am very happy for them. Although they are both very nervous right now, I know they will both be great parents. I look forward to moving home next year and having the chance for my kids to grow up with theirs.

By: Joe

Today, I gave Christy her last shot of progesterone oil. This is a huge milestone for us after 3 long months of injections. Between the Lupron, Menopur, HCG shot, and progesterone oil, a grand total of 87 injections were given. Christy pretty much feels like a pin cushion at this point, but she was very excited that this was the last one!

By: Joe

I am in the process of creating this site.