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Babies on the Move

Our Monday family night is being spent moving rooms!!! The Antepartum Suite opened up today so we decided to take it! It will be nice to have a change of scenary and it is quite a bit bigger. Shane gets an upgraded bed along with a nice desk that he can work at! So, we are now in room seven...just one room over! The new phone number is 381-1967. Hopefully the news spreads quickly! Maybe we'll post some pictures once it's all organized...Shane has his work cut out for him!!!

My doctor said that I may be able to go home at 34 weeks if the boys haven't come by then. That's only 3 weeks away, so that is encouraging. He also let me know that we won't go passed 36 weeks...nice to have a concrete end in sight. So, we are hanging in there. The boys are growing and are super active, so much so that they've got themselves a little reputation!
All the nurses know that getting them on the monitor is quite the task...they don't always like to cooperate! I know they will give me a run for my money once they're here!

I also need to give Shane a big thank you!!! He's been so great about updating our blog regularly. More importantly, he's been here every single night with me. I can't imagine going through this experience without him. He does my laundry, runs my errands, listens to me when I just need to talk, and loves me when I cry. I know that I am one lucky woman and try not to take him for granted. He is my rock, my support, my everything. So, here's a big shout out to my hubby!!!

We love all of you and are so grateful for your love and support.

31 weeks!!

31 Weeks!! Hooray!! Amy Jo had an ultrasound today and everything looks good. The boys are now 3lb 7oz and 3lb 12oz! They're growing up so fast. Everything is going well here. As you can see from the diplomas, we have been here for about 7 weeks now. I'd say the time is flying by, but I think Amy would disagree.

Quick update

The ultrasound looked good this morning. There is still adequate fluid for both babies, so that's a good thing. The babies continue to monitor well and the doctor continues to be very optimistic about how long the babies will stay in.

Here are some pictures of some of Amy's crafts that she has made with her friends here at the hospital. One of the nurse assistants runs a craft activity every week. They've had to twist Amy's arm to get her to go, but today it really paid off. While at crafts Amy learned that there's an additional food menu in circulation - it's the kid's menu and it's loaded with great items like chicken strips, corn dogs, celery plate and so on. Amy also found out that one patient was able to go out to eat with friends one night. It's surprisingly difficult to pull off a night out on the town, but we now know how to get it done.

13 going on 30

30 Weeks!! We're excited to announce that another week has passed! Amy has started to have contractions more often and with greater intensity, but nothing to be alarmed about. Her doctor wants to take a look at the babies' fluid tomorrow with an ultrasound. There has been disparity in the fluid almost from the beginning, but both babies have always had adequate amounts of fluid. The doctor mentioned that in the event that one baby gets too little fluid they will need to deliver both babies. So, depending on the results of tomorrow's ultrasound we could be looking at a delivery in the near future. At this point the long-term complications should hopefully be minimized, but the longer the babies are able to stay the less time they will have to spend at the NICU. We feel like we have been blessed in so many ways through this whole experience and we thank all of you who have helped us.

Here is a picture of Amy with her 30-week diploma. I reassure you that she got into bed shortly after the picture was taken.
Here is the artwork that Amy and her younger sister Lauren have been working on for the past few weeks. Notice how well they stayed inside all the lines. Good job girls.

29 weeks!!

It's time for another update. The 29-week mark was yesterday and we're really happy about that milestone. The 28-week point was probably the most significant in terms of risk of long-term complications for the boys and we're glad to be out of that area.

Amy had an ultrasound yesterday and she is doing well and progressing as expected. The doctor also mentioned that the boys look good as they have all along. I have posted the two pictures of the boys from yesterday's ultrasound. If you're not excited about alien-looking babies you may not want to look at them. It was pretty exciting to be able to see so much detail in their faces.

Amy's spirit were lifted this week when she was reunited with her blow dryer. You read that correctly, she was excited about her blow dryer. She's now more excited to get out of bed and shower every day because she doesn't have to climb back into bed with wet hair.

Shower pictures

Here are some pictures from the baby shower that was thrown for Amy about a week ago. Thanks to those who jumped through hoops to organize the event and to attend. It was a bit of a fiasco with the mother-to-be being in the hospital. Thanks everyone!

28 Weeks!!

It has been a few days since we have posting anything. Today seemed like a good day to post since it's a day of celebration. It's 28 weeks today!! Yippee! Notice the nice wax lips.

We have more chocolate than Charlie's factory. If you're craving sugar, stop by and visit.

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?