A couple more additions

A couple additional items to post tonight.

Here's some artwork that McKenna made for Amy Jo. Thanks McKenna.

Gord and Carol sent us this fitting card. Thanks!

I suppose it's time for an update, but there really isn't a lot to update. That's good. Earlier in the week Amy's substitute (her physician is on vacation) doctor mentioned that he may want her to go back on Magnesium which is the higher-strength medication that is in an I.V. and makes Amy dizzy and nauseous. His opinion was based on the first day that he had her as a patient, but after seeing her for another day he decided that the current plan was fine. Amy was relieved, but anticipates she will be back on the Magnesium someday.

Today we took a wheelchair ride. We took a quick stroll to a little plaza out in front of the hospital and had a photo shoot there (see picture below). Afterward we went over to the NICU for a tour. It was insightful, but a little bit scary to see. It was good to get familiar with that area of the hospital and to gain a better understanding of what our future might hold.

It was great to see John and Jana and family on Saturday.

Amy finally takes a shower!

It was an eventful evening as Amy Jo had a surprise baby shower tonight. I wasn't going to say anything, but she was starting to get a little stinky. A very special thanks to Christy and Debbie and everyone else who helped to put the shower together. Amy was excited to see everyone. We are so grateful for all the gifts and support. We truly have the greatest friends and family ever. If the boys knew how many cool toys and things were waiting for them they'd probably hurry out, but we'll try to keep them in the dark since they need to hang out for a while longer.

Today marks week 27. Amy still hasn't received her 27-week diploma, but we're sure it will arrive shortly. Here's a picture of Amy, her sisters and her mom.

Go Broncos!!

Here are a few pictures we took tonight, we thought it was a good family picture moment since we were sporting our BSU attire for the game. Amy is doing well as are the twins. Tomorrow marks 27 weeks so we are excited for that.

Tuesday update

We owe a big thanks to the Chandler family for decorating our new home here at the hospital. Lori got Amy some new fall decor that makes this science lab feel more like Heritage Reflections. Thanks Lori! Here's a shot of our new home decor.

As long as we're talking about home decor we can't forget about Don and Lauren's contributions. This picture is a little out of sequence as it happened over a week ago. Sorry Don and Lauren. These two aspiring artists performed an extreme makeover - hospital edition for us. They decorated the door with poster boards, crate paper and balloons. Guests have been signing the door as they come to visit. Originally the decoration was on the outside of the door, but it has since been moved inside to keep other patients from getting jealous... that's the version I heard. If you stop by to visit please make sure to sign the door.

Here's a shot of the door decor.

Amy Jo has really gotten into pajamas since she started her bed rest. Here she is modeling the latest addition to her repertoire. This new outfit was a great gift from our friends (and Amy's co-workers) at WAMU. Thanks!

2lbs!!

Woohoo, we have a couple of two-pounders now! Today's ultrasound provided us with some great new glamor shots of the boys. Today's photo shoot revealed two good profile shots. Amy's pretty certain she can identify different features on both of their faces (hint: one is the chin). I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure we're thinking Baby B (as indicated on the ultrasound sheet) is going to be Cade and Baby A is going to be Carson. Like I said, I'm going out on a limb and this blog post may be revised once my editor reads it. Speaking of Amy Jo, I think she is handling bed rest very well. Her spirits were lifted when she was able to see the boys' faces with the ultrasound. By the way, if you click on the pictures below they will be enlarged.

Carson?

Cade?

Best birthday ever!

Well maybe it won't be Amy's best birthday ever, but it will certainly be a memorable one. Amy had visitors in record numbers today. There was practically a line out the door of her room earlier this afternoon. We're so grateful for the continued support. Amy was glad to receive some great cards and notes from the Relief Society.

Also noteworthy, Amy got to take a ride in the wheelchair today. I wheeled her all around the hospital so she could take in all the breathtaking sights here at St. Luke's vacation resort. We enjoyed looking at some of the pictures and stories from the many miracles that have happened here at antepartum. It's simply amazing what technology has enabled.

Here's a picture from today. This is my mom bringing gifts to the birthday girl. Thanks mom!

Birthday Bash

Jeremy and DebbieBrady and Katie

Here's the cake

Happy Birthday!!!... almost

It was a pretty low-key Saturday. Amy did receive some exciting news from her doctor. He said that she is now allowed to take short rides in the wheelchair! He also said that it would be okay for her to go down to the family room down the hall and recline on the couch when she has larger groups of friends and family here. We were pretty excited to hear that news and we're interpreting it to mean that she is somewhat stable.

We had a few visitors today, but I was only able to grab pictures of a few of them. Jeremy, Debbie, Brady and Katie stopped by to wish Amy a happy birthday. They also brought a really cool birthday cake that my mom made. It's made out of packaged, cake donuts, marshmallows and 24 glow sticks. Thanks mom! I think she chose the donuts since we don't have much refrigerator space to preserve a full-size cake.

Watch this video tour of our new home!

Here's our current rendition of "date night"

Visit from Kyle and Cara

We got to have a fun Friday night with a visit from Kyle and Cara.

Mr. Unibrow

Kyle Schnoor created this watchdog to keep Amy Jo in line. So far it's working. :)

26 weeks!!

Update

Still here... It looks like we're here for the long haul. We sure hope it's a long haul. Tomorrow Amy Jo will get her diploma for 26 weeks! Another milestone in this exciting journey. She continues to have contractions, but the medications seem to keep them in check for the most part. We are taking it day by day and hoping for the best. The nurses here have been great and we're getting to know some of them quite well. The location downtown actually works out quite well for me as I am able to get to my office in about 5 minutes.
We have been absolutely blown away by the amount of support, care and concern we have received from family and friends. Thank you all! We are recognizing now more than ever how blessed we are with great people in our lives.
Amy Jo is able to receive visitors here at the hospital, but there are some catches. She needs her rest throughout the day and she also has some monitoring by the nurses at various times of the day. As a result, it is best to schedule a time to come visit. You can reach Amy via email at amyjtucker@hotmail.com. I'll warn you, she doesn't always check it regularly, but be patient and she'll respond.
Again, we can't express enough gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of others in our behalf. We will try to keep you posted as we go through this adventure.

A sincere smile

After initially being put in the labor and delivery area of the hospital we were moved to the antepartum (that means 'pre-delivery'...we think) wing of the hospital. This area is basically setup for moms-to-be that need to be on extended bed rest. Nurses and doctors still monitor Amy's status, but it is not as intense as it was in labor and delivery. The room we are staying in is actually quite nice, I even have a little chair/bed to sleep in. Since this will essentially be home for us until the babies come we are trying to get as comfortable as possible.

Amy's new chair

This might seem like an odd picture. This is the new recliner that Amy was supposed use as she continued bed rest at home. Unfortunately, it looks like she will be spending the duration of the pregnancy at St. Luke's hospital.

Tell us how you really feel

Here's how Amy really felt about being admitted to the hospital with pre-term labor.

On Monday, September 10th Amy was admitted to St. Luke's downtown as she had started to have contractions approximately three months prior to the due date for the twins. This picture is of Amy forcing a smile as she waits in the labor and delivery room at St. Lukes.

Cute pregnant lady

Cute hat.

Monticello

We figured that we should try to get in one last vacation/trip before our family's size doubled so we went back to Virginia for a week for a little vacation. This is a picture taken at Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's house near Charlottesville, Virginia)