A Few Notes

Some quick notes:

We're very busy, as you can imagine, but starting to get into a schedule with the kids. That'll be good when I go back to work.

Tessa had a pediatrician's appointment. She's doing great. She now weighs 5 lbs, 11 ozs, and is 19 inches long.

Adam has learned how to suck his thumb. We're not sure if this is good or bad.

Here's a picture of our twins. Are they trying to hold hands? Or is Adam just trying to bug his sister for the first of many times? You decide.

Settling In

Last night was our first night together and everybody made it through okay, though some got more sleep than others. The babies are doing fine and seem to be adjusting well. The Missus and I may take longer to adjust to very little sleep.

Tomorrow Tessa goes to her first doctor's appointment.

Here are some new pictures. I'll post more when I get a chance.

Tessa's Coming Home Today

I’m going over to the hospital today to pick Tessa up and bring her home. We should be home sometime after 5pm. Our little girl has been doing great and is gaining weight rapidly. The nurse weighed her last night: 5lbs, 6oz.

The Missus and I are of course very happy. I’m extra happy because for the first time since February 8^th, I won’t have somebody to visit in a hospital.

Pictures to follow whenever I get the time—which is in short supply!

Speed Racer is home

We brought Adam home yesterday. He's doing well. I'm tired. The Missus is really tired. More later.

The New Me

With the state of fatherhood upon me now, the Missus suggested that it was time for a New Me, at least with respect to the way I drive. Of course I'm a pretty darn good driver if I do say so myself, and I do. I have to admit that I tend to get a trifle hot under the proverbial collar when I see something unfair, say somebody cutting me off, or trying to butt in front of people (like me) out of turn. Or people that think the yield sign isn't for them. Or people that try to sneak into a lane at the last minute--I REALLY HATE THAT!

Sorry.

So I admit that I have sometimes done stupid things behind the wheel, and the Missus pointed out that these are traits that probably shouldn't be passed on to Tessa and Adam. In short, it was time for a New Me.

I was the New Me all this weekend. The New Me let people in front of him and didn't get upset. Once the New Me even let a Metrobus in! When other people did stupid, dangerous things, the New Me didn't even think about flipping them the bird. The New Me drove calmly and sedately, and made adequate time. The New Me got everywhere he needed to go, safely and without losing his temper once.

I hate the New Me.

Dr. Red is in the Building

The twins continue to do just fine. Adam is preparing for his trip home on Wednesday, while Tessa has decided to hang out with the nurses for a while longer. Everyone is happy with the progress of both of them.

We did have a bit of a scare Saturday night. There was a pretty terrific thunderstorm that blew through Fairfax County. The Missus and I were eating dinner at a restaurant near the hospital. We'd visited the twins earlier, but had to leave during the nurses' shift change. The storm arrived just as we were leaving the restaurant. In fact, a nearby lightning strike blacked out the restaurant just as we were pulling away.

By the time we made it to the hospital, it was raining cats and dogs--and alligators, giraffes, elephants, rhinos--it was raining the whole darn zoo. I dropped the Missus off out front so she could feed Adam, and then sat in the car until the rain let up enough for me to dash into the hospital.

Inside, the fire alarms were going off and a voice over the loudspeakers kept saying "Dr. Red is in the building." It doesn't take an advanced degree to realize that means there is a fire somewhere. (When Dr. Brown is in the building, it means something less dangerous, but more odorous.)

I found an elevator that was still working and made my way up to my family. It struck me that having a family was one of the few things that could make a man run into a burning building. Luckily for us, the building wasn't burning, it was just, with that voice repeating over and over about that Dr. Red character, very annoying.

The Real Poop

I read in several different baby books that a newborn's poop doesn't really smell all that bad.

They lied!

Our Boy

Adam will be coming home with us next Wednesday. His sister will have to stay at the hospital a little longer. The doctors want to keep an eye on her, to make sure she gains some weight. Tessa is doing fine--it's not that she's behind schedule, it's that Adam is a little bit ahead.

It may be good for us to practice with one child before they both come home.

Another Day Closer to Coming Home

Both babies continue to do well. They’re in bassinets now, so they can try to get used to the “real world” in preparation for coming home. Though both babies are doing very well for their developmental age, Adam is a little bit ahead of his big sister. We might be able to take him home as early as next week. Tessa will most likely follow in another week or two. The Missus and I can’t fault them for being conservative.

The new hospital is working out very well. The extra half-hour each way that we save is great, and we have much more room, which comes in handy at feeding time. The Missus has been successfully breastfeeding them when we are there. (She’s pumping every three to four hours when we’re not.) Otherwise, she is still recovering from her C-section and her three months of bed rest. She’s doing well, but her loving husband must remind her occasionally to get off her feet and rest.

Personally, I had some firsts this week. I got to change their diapers for the first of many, many times. And Adam spit-up a little bit on my shirt. Something else that I’m sure will happen again.

Here are some new pictures. They don’t do much but eat, sleep and poop, but I think they’re very photogenic anyway. And now they can yawn!

[All the baby pictures can be accessed through the Baby Pix Index.]

Go West Young Children!

Tessa and Adam had their first car ride today. Actually it was in an ambulance. They were moved from Inova Fairfax Hospital to Inova Fair Oaks. This helps the Missus and myself in a number of ways. Fair Oaks is closer to our home than Fairfax, so our daily visit to the bambinos will be that much easier. The NICU at Fair Oaks is a lot newer and more spacious than Fairfax. It's much smaller, so it is easier for us to have privacy and more space when we visit.

We were initally hesitant to move; we'd been very happy with the excellent care we had gotten at Fairfax. However, our doctor recommended the move, pointing out the children were doing excellent. His practice works at both Fair Oaks and Fairfax, so he'd continue to be our doctor. Also, it was implied that since our babies were doing so well, maybe they could make room for children who weren't (but we were never forced to make this decision.) Finally, the Missus talked to a friend she met from the Loudoun/Fairfax Mothers of Multiples Club, who was very nice to her during her stay on bed rest. Her friend moved her twins from Fairfax to Fair Oaks and was very happy she did.

Here are some new pictures of our little angels (well, so far they're angels....)

87 Days

The Missus is home, finally, after spending 87 days in the hospital. She is, as you can imagine, very happy to be home, resting on her own sofa, showering in her own bathroom, and eating in her own kitchen. And, of course, she can give me things to do in person, instead of writing lists to give me to take home.

The children continue to do well. They've actually suggested that we move the twins to Fair Oaks Hospital. This is a good sign, since the doctor says they wouldn't move them if they forsaw any problems. Fair Oaks is closer to our house, so we'd be able to spend that much more time with them. We've talked to another mom who had moved her twins there and was very happy.

Feel free to skip the next paragraph if you don't want to hear about breasts.

The Missus attempted to breastfeed for the first time, and, although she's not producing a lot yet, the boy did a great job of latching on. The girl, smaller than her brother, had a more difficult time, but the lactation nurse said she would catch on quickly.

Both kids are champion eaters. I got to feed Tessa again today and she sucked down the formula in no time. I'm finding myself very attached and have already started shopping for the pony I'm going to buy her. Adam's going to get a set of golf clubs. (Or maybe vice-versa.)

Tessa

People have been asking us where we found the name Tessa for our beautiful little girl.

Ever since I've known Linda, she's wanted to name our daughter, if and when we had one, Isabella. I think we just thought about that name too long, because as we got closer to the day, the less appealing it became. It's a pretty name, but we may have just gotten tired of it.

So we needed a new girl's name.

I looked through the Baby Names book we had, and pulled out some names that I liked. I went though a whole Greek Mythology phase, but the Missus firmly vetoed Athena, Persephone, Andromache and Andromeda. Which is probably good, especially since I think one of those names is a boy's name.

In the T's I happened upon "Tessa" which I thought was a beautiful name. The Missus had been reading a book called Mothering Twins, a book by mothers of twins describing their adventures, disasters, etc. One of the children in the book was named Tessa, and the Missus had been thinking to herself what a great name that was.

So it was fate. Or luck. Or something like that.

More Baby Pictures!

Here's another set of pictures of the kids. Sorry the page isn't more elegant, but, man, am I tired.

The Missus comes home tomorrow for the first time since February 8th. Now if you'll excuse me, I better go clean the bathroom....

The Rest of the Story

Here are some more details about our great day yesterday.

Around 1:30 early Monday morning, the Missus woke up and thought that she might have wet the bed. It was due to her water breaking. She was understandably upset and called for the nurse. And then she called her husband.

I had visited her on Sunday and everything was just fine. We had a nice day, and sat outside when I took the Missus for her weekly wheelchair ride. The doctors were talking about having her around for another four or five weeks. There were no clues that the time was approaching. But the babies had other ideas.

It was 2am when the phone rang and woke me up. "Is everything okay?" I asked, but I knew it wasn't by the time of the call. The Missus told me to get my butt to the hospital. I think I said something stupid like "What hospital are you at again?" I fell out of bed and stumbled around for my clothes. I'm not sure, but I think I actually tried to wear my sweater like a pair of pants. I finally made it out of the house, dressed half-way decently. At that time of morning the only other cars on the road are police cruisers, so I used my cruise control set to a sensible speed to make sure I didn't do something stupid.

When I arrived, the Missus was in the delivery room having contractions. We had to wait for the doc to arrive. I tried to comfort the pain, both the pain of the Missus having contractions, and my pain when I noted that the only TV in the room was playing a repeat of Rocky 5.

Soon the doctor arrived and we were quicky wisked away into the OR. While they prepped the Missus, I waited outside learning how to breathe through the mask they made me wear. When I went in, my lovely wife was hidden under a sheet that prevented her from seeing anything. I sat next to her as the room filled with people.

I thought about not looking, but was fascinated to see the doctor doing her work. After they made the incision, the little German doctor basically put her hands in and pulled the opening bigger, while her assistant put some big thing that looked like a shoehorn in. Before I knew it, they were pulling something out. It was my daughter. She came out feet first. When they turned her over, she started crying. Which, in this case anyway, was a good thing. I saw her umbilical cord, and I thought they might ask me to cut it, but they were in a hurry to get her brother out.

The doctor next cut open the boy's amniotic sac, which gushed like Old Faithful. "Grab his leg!" she cried and soon he came out too. He cried right away and that pleased everyone. Later, he peed and that pleased everyone too. They cleaned the babies off, wrapped them up and brought them over to their mother. In her drugged state, the Missus was seeing double, so for a minute she probably thought she had quadruplets. The boy kind of puckered his lips when he got near his mom, like he wanted to give her a kiss. Soon babies and Dad were on the way to the NICU, while Mom got sewed up.

It was a very exciting morning!

A Middle Name

We have come up with a middle name for our girl. Her name is Tessa Genevieve, after her great-grandmother.

The babies continue to do well. The doctor down in the NICU used the word "great" and one of the nurses used the word "perfect." Which is good.

The Missus is also doing well and will be coming home on Thursday or Friday.

The Babies Have Arrived!

At 4:19 this morning, my daughter was delivered by Caesarian section. Her brother followed her two minutes later. Our son, who we are naming Adam Christopher, weighed 5 lbs., 1 oz and was 17 and 3/4 inches long. His sister was 4 lbs., 9 oz, and 17 inches long. We are calling her Tessa, but have been unable to decide on a middle name yet. (Suggestions from my Faithful Readers will be accepted, but most likely ignored.) Her daddy (me!) may still call her "Trixie" every so often.

The Missus is doing very well. The babies are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where they'll have to stay for a little while, but they are doing very well and the nurses and the doctors there are very pleased--as are their parents.

More details and stories will follow later, since I'm totally exhausted and heading for bed. I did manage to put together a crude page of pictures. Enjoy.

Pictures

Here's a couple of pictures of the Missus from last weekend. Click on the picture to see a bigger version.