Twin thoughts/update in words and photos!

I can't believe our babies are nearing turning ONE! What a year it's been. I've heard people say, "just make it through the first year with twins" or "the first year is the hardest." I, obviously, don't know if that's true since it's the only year we've ever done, but overall the joys definitely outweigh the challenges/adjustments and we are thankful for the sweetest babies! 

I will say the first 3 months were the hardest for me. It was really challenging to nurse them so often, adjust to a new life with two babies, and everything was compounded with the lack of sleep. That was the hardest part; I was so very tired. Norah also had a tough time for a couple weeks, which made it hard too. There were good moments spliced in there too, but overall it was a blur and pure survival. After 3 months, I felt like we were getting into more of a groove, I was starting to get more sleep (hallelujah!), Norah was adjusting better, things started to feel a bit more routine, and I felt like it was more manageable vs. survival. 

Most of the time, our days thankfully go pretty well. We have tough and overwhelming moments, but we are grateful that they are just moments. Yes, it can be hard to keep that perspective sometimes when things are crazy, but I try to remind myself often to enjoy even the crazy, because I know I will miss it when this season passes. 

I was so scared to be a twin mom when I was pregnant, and I'm so glad that we are where we are now. I love them so much and I can't imagine my life without them. I knew logically that I would feel that way, but it's hard to comfort yourself with that before just experiencing it through time. So, to any other twin mom out there- we've so got this! Yes, two babies can be harder than one sometimes, but we also get to live all the baby cuddles, smiles, giggles, etc. times two. 

I took these pictures to try to get something I can upload to their first birthday invitation, and man, I know I'm their mom, but are they cute or what? :)

Check out those teeth! 

Ellory is the happiest baby!

Poor Lucy with another bruise on her head. Although she doesn't view it that way- she's the wild child of the bunch and she loves it that way!

Love that little lip.

Lucy also drools like a fountain. Bibs all day, every day.

Then things started to go awry and we had to quit, but it went better than I expected, so yay!

I had to take a picture of Norah at the end, because she was so sweet in helping me try to get them to smile. (And I also don't ever want her to feel left out if I just take baby pictures and not any of her!) 

Norah is the sweetest mom to her dolls. Since we took pictures of Lucy and Ellory in this chair, she really wanted a picture of her twins too. I almost deleted it, but I'm glad I didn't. (After we took it, she exclaimed, "Look! They sat so still and smiled right away!" Yes, Norah, your dolls take photos a lot easier than the real babies. Ha.)

Favorite posts of 2017.

Happy New Year! We had a big and beautiful year. Here are some of my favorite posts, in chronological order! (Per usual, I am not good at being selective. Everything's my favorite!)

Can we love two more?

My most favorite baby items

The twins are here! Introducing Lucy and Ellory...

First twin meetings

Lucy and Ellory's birth story

Our NICU story

Going home and sisters meeting!

Big sis, little sis

House tour- Norah's big girl room

Easter

Twins newborn/family photos

Norah's favorite toys at 2 1/2

Our little cuties

Tulip Festival

Summer pool inauguration

House tour- Lucy and Ellory's nursery

4th of July

What it's really like to have infant twins: Worries and letting go

What it's really like to have infant twins: Marriage

Lucy and Ellory's dedication

What it's really like to have infant twins: Older siblings

Lucy and Ellory's 6 month/family photos

Pumpkinland

Chuck E. Cheese fun and our little pumpkins

Norah's 3rd and Kley's 30th birthdays

Halloween

Foster care update

Thanksgiving

Disney on Ice with Norah

Christmas train and Santa

Christmas light tour

Christmas part 1

Christmas part 2

What it's really like to have infant twins: Older siblings.

Before the twins were born, I worried too much about how Norah would do and how this big transition would affect her. I worried that she would struggle with not having our undivided attention, with us being away in the hospital, with reacting to her new siblings in negative ways, etc. Everyone always says that you heart will just grow to love the new baby, or babies in our case, but HOW would that work? No one had a good answer. They all said it just would.

They were right. It's unexplainable and there's really no way to answer that worry with anything other than to just wait until the baby is born. God just does a miracle in the parent's hearts and they expand even more and you love all your kids.

Before the twins arrived, we tried to do lots of fun things with Norah to live up our last days as a family of three. Not that it wouldn't be fun once twins arrived, but we knew it would be different. Overall, Norah has handled the transition very well. That doesn't mean that there were rough patches or hard times, but we had rough patches and tough times too, so how could we expect a two year old to handle it well all the time?

For us, the beginning was the hardest, and again later for a couple weeks when the twins were about 5-6 weeks old. It was hard because we were in the NICU for 10 days, so we were apart from Norah. She was able to come to visit a few different times, and we got to sneak away with just her to a park and to swim in our hotel pool, but she wasn't allowed in the NICU so she couldn't meet the girls until they came home. For the first few days, she stayed with Kley's parents, who live where we live, so we saw her every day for the first few days. It was so nice to see her, but so hard too because she didn't understand what was happening really and why we couldn't come home with her or why she couldn't stay with us. Every night when we had to say goodbye, it was really hard for all of us. The last few days, she went to stay with my parents in Des Moines, which was really good for her to have attention focused on her and to not have to go back and forth from the hospital everyday. Norah hates to say goodbye, even to this day, so it was hard to repeatedly have to do that. We are so thankful our NICU stay was only 10 days- it felt like forever at the time, but there were many people there who were there longer than we were. Being reunited when we got home and introducing Norah to the girls is one of my favorite moments ever.

So, when the twins were born was the hardest for all of us emotionally, but later on was the hardest behaviorally. We had a couple weeks that were really hard with Norah- times where we asked each other where our sweet girl went and said that she was even harder than the twins. There were lots of battles, screaming fits, potty accidents, problems going to bed, night waking, getting out of bed, etc. I don't want to go into all the specific details, because that's personal to Norah and I don't want to spill her hardships in detail, but it was tough. I think this time was the hardest because the initial feelings of bringing them home were wearing off and she was realizing that they weren't leaving and this was her new life.

I'm very thankful that none of these issues were ever directed towards Lucy and Ellory. She has loved them from the start, and all of her hardships/anger were directed at Kley and I. Each kid is different, but that's just how she was and I'm glad she was mad at me and not them. Obviously, she did get much better with time, which is much easier to say after the fact, because during the battle it feels like this might last forever.

Here are some tips I would give for how to help older siblings through the transition:

1. Try to prep them with what's to come as best you can. Since our twins came earlier than expected (you can read their birth story here), I didn't get a chance to prepare Norah like I wanted to. Since births never quite go how you expect, you obviously can't prepare them for everything, but I wish I would have had the chance to talk with her more about me being in the hospital, how sore I would be after, her staying with grandparents, etc.

2. Have something fun for them. We gave Norah a "big sister gift" when she came to the hospital for the first time, and had a few fun small things to keep her occupied. Since the new baby usually gets gifts, it was fun for Norah to have something new too.

3. Do something one on one with older siblings, whenever you can squeeze it in, even if it's small or short. That was so nice for Norah to let her know that we still loved her and to be able to do something normal and/or special with her.

4. Find something for the baby they can do. There are so many things they can't do that it's easy to just tell them no or to not do this or that, so it's nice to find things they can do so they can help and so you can speak positively. Maybe they can get them a new diaper or burp rag, shake their rattle, etc. Even just phrasing things in a positive way (like "Use nice gentle touches!" vs. "Don't touch them so hard!") made me feel like she was included more and a helpful part of the equation.

5. I think this one is maybe the most important, but just give them space to be uncomfortable in the unknown. Adding a new family member is hard on everyone. All those things you are feeling about a big transition and finding a new normal- they are feeling them too, and they have even less words and emotional maturity to express how they are feeling in positive ways. Not that it's okay to lash out in anger, but it is okay to be upset because transitions are hard. There were times where we would try to fix her problem or ask her what was wrong, but you can't fix it and she couldn't even articulate her feelings, but just needed space to feel and needed us to be there to be consistent and love on her.

I never liked it when people would tell me it would get easier when we were in the thick of it, because even though you know it logically will, you don't know when or how and that's hard. At the time, I just wanted someone to acknowledge how hard it was instead of saying it will get better. It is hard. Super hard sometimes. But it will get better. It will, and I'm very thankful for the perspective and hindsight to say that now. It may be slow, but the new normal and routine will come. Try to take it one day at a time, and finally one day you will think that this day isn't as hard as it used to be. I'm so thankful for where we are now. It's still a lot, but a different sort than the beginning. It feels more normal now, verses a transition, and we are all thankful for that! Norah is such an incredible sister and it's so sweet to watch her with them. She loves to hold them, give them toys, try to make them laugh, etc. She still has moments (like any two year old), but overall, she is such a joy and a very good listener. Norah, we are so glad Lucy and Ellory have such a special big sister like you!

Parents, keep up the good work! What a beautiful responsibility we've been given.

What it's really like to have infant twins: Marriage.

I really wish I had better advice for this topic, but I think it's important to talk about anyway, even though we are still trying to figure it out ourselves. Having kids definitely changes your marriage! Every season is hard in it's own way and has it's own challenges, but now that we have three young kids, we look back at our time before kids and think about what we did with ourselves.

Kids take up so much of your time. It's demanding and stretching, but beautiful and rewarding too. Having kids, especially very young kids, has been really good for our marriage in some ways, but also really hard too. Our twins are almost five months, so we are really still figuring things out. Since our twins came, it's been wonderful to see Kley be a father of three. Watching him interact with our girls has been great. I don't doubt at all that he loves them wholeheartedly and takes great care of them. But, there have been so many times these last months, especially in the first three months when sleep was so sparse, where we would fall into bed at night and say how much we missed each other. Physically we are together and both here, but not connecting emotionally or talking about anything other than parenting/childcare related things.

When I look back on our time in the NICU, there is a tiny piece of me that misses it, though I would never want to go back- it was very difficult and I don't wish anyone to have to endure a NICU stay. But, the tiny piece that I miss was the feeling of us against the world. It was neat to be there together, staring at our two new babies, wondering how we would ever do it, but we have to because there they are and they need to be cared for. You'll do anything to help them. As hard as it was and how desperately we wanted to get home and all be together, somehow having NICU babies bonded Kley and I together in a new way. It was just us two there and we had to figure out what we were going to do and work together. Our partnership was strengthened.

Basically the first three months were pure survival. For the first two, we had to wake them every three hours to feed, and when I say "had to wake them" it's a big joke because they were up multiple times in between feedings too, so there were very few times we actually woke them up. We did have amazing help from our moms during this time or else I would have probably fallen asleep standing up during the day, but we had really no time to connect as a couple because it was constant baby care (and Norah care) and when our heads hit the pillow we were going to sleep. Our sleep was so limited that there was no time to talk about anything together. That was really hard. We'd lay down and say that we missed other, and basically be asleep before we could say anything else. Even after they turned two months, when we didn't have to wake them anymore, it still took awhile before they got used to sleeping through the night, so we took rotations sleeping on the couch so the other could get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep in bed. That was tough too, because I felt like we were never together. We were always just trading off and helping each other.

Currently, our twins are sleeping much better and have fallen into more of a predictable schedule. This has helped so much. It's still challenging, but it feels so much more manageable than the first couple months. Most nights now they are sleeping through the night (amazing!!), and sometimes wake once in the early morning, so I'm so grateful that I can count on at least a couple good hours of sleep before they wake up. This has brought back a little alone time with Kley after all three are sleeping, because we don't feel like we have to go to sleep immediately to survive. It's so wonderful to have an alone conversation without any children around.

We have gone on a few dates since the twins have been born, and I have new respect for dates. I've always loved going on dates with Kley and thought they were very important, but they are valuable to a whole new level now. We have had so much fun together and really made the most of the time, because we know that alone time doesn't come often and how important it is for our marriage. I used to be pretty stingy about dates and not want to spend a lot of money, but now it has a whole new meaning because eating a meal together, hot, without children, is absolutely incredible. I love eating with my kids too, but dates are so special now and very worth every penny you spend on them. I know it's hard to carve out time together because there isn't a lot of it, but do it! It's been a life saver for us- good for your marriage and good for your sanity. (On our last date night, we commented how special and rare it was to hold hands while walking! Not that we don't want to, but right now it just doesn't happen often because we are almost always carrying children/bags or pushing strollers!)

It's been hard to connect spiritually since the twins have arrived too. We really need help in this area and have acknowledged that. While we really want to try to do better, we also know that this is a really demanding season, so we will try to make the most of the little we can do. We have a devotional we read together before bed, and I admit that way too often I zone out because I'm so tired, but now that they are sleeping better than they were, I really want to try to get more out of it. We've also said that we want to get back into praying together. We were never fabulous at it, but we tried to pray together before going to sleep (not every night, but at least some nights). That did not happen when we were so tired and we want to bring it back!

So, I wish I had better advice, but we are learning. It's been valuable to us to go on dates, even if it's just a few. This sounds silly and simple, but just talk to each other about your day. That can easily get lost when you are in baby land. We try to laugh together and make jokes. Even when you are so busy and so tired, it helps. We have had to apologize to each other a lot when we snap or speak angrily when our patience is worn thin. Try to do little things to help each other. Even something as simple as grabbing the other person a burp rag or diaper when needed goes a long way. Acknowledge that you miss each other, that you value their parenting help, and that you are so thankful to partner together in this. It's just a season. It can sometimes feel like a very long season, but when I think about our girls growing up, it helps me to treasure these months when they are so small.

Kley, these months have not been perfect, and I can't wait to have more time to connect with you, but for now, I will take all the small moments I can get. I love you so very much and you are the best dad in the world. I am so grateful to be married to you and I would choose you again every time. I'm so glad we get to do this together.

What it's really like to have infant twins: Worries and letting go.

I've been wanting to write about what it's really like to have (infant) twins for awhile now, and I decided to do it in installments, since I kept thinking about more things I wanted to say. During my pregnancy, I had so many wonderings and questionings about what it would really be like, and I found reading what other twin moms had to say helpful (most of the time- it if just makes you worry/freak out, then stop reading, because you will be fine). So, I'm adding to the mix. It's easy to post cute pictures, and not that that's bad, but I want to capture it all- to try to help other moms who are having twins, or just adding more to the family, and also to look back and remember myself.

A lot of the questions I thought about while pregnant are applicable to just adding a single baby to the family too, not specifically twins:

How can I love another baby like I love my first?
How can I handle more when I thought just one was hard sometimes?
How will I parent different personalities?
How will I give them each enough attention?
What will I do when they all need me at the same time?
How will I ever keep the house clean?
How long will it take to find a rhythm again?
How will I let things go? (Because I want to do it all!)

And, to be really honest, I wondered when I felt overwhelmed, why God chose me to be a twin mom. The newborn days with Norah were the hardest for me, so how would I ever do it with TWO babies, plus a toddler? I feared I would be bad at it. I feared I wouldn't have enough to give to two. I feared I would be too overwhelmed. I feared I would cry way too much. I feared I wouldn't be enough. I felt really guilty for thinking those things, because I truly was/am thankful, but that doesn't mean it's always dandy either.

It's okay to worry and be fearful, but don't let that consume you. What a great opportunity to bring your fears to Christ and claim your trust in Him. It helped me to just say my fears out loud to Kley (my husband) at the end of the day. Somehow just getting it out into the air made the weight feel lighter and the immensity of what was to come shrink a little. I remember just crying in the shower one night at about 31 weeks, and Kley eventually heard my sobs and just came in and held me, and then I felt much better even though nothing practically had been done. Just let it out. Don't bottle it up.

I am a very planned and organized person. I like to know what's coming. I like to make lists. I like to be clean. I like schedules. Having twins was very scary for me because all that is basically thrown out the window. Speaking His truth (sometimes over and over if you need to), was and is so helpful. Read and memorize verses that uplift you. When you feel worried, list them off to Him. He wants to hear and is always listening. While I worried why God chose me to be a twin mom, somehow He kept whispering to me that I GET to be a twin mom. That doesn't mean that I don't still wonder during the hard moments, but seeing their faces when they were born really helped. I get to be a twin mom. I get two babies. I get double the love and two sweet faces smiling at me. It's really comforting to me to know that He always knew this was going to happen to us. He planned for this and wrote it into my story from the beginning. We were shocked to find out, but He wasn't surprised by this in the least.

Some people don't care as much about their house, but I worried a lot about how I would ever clean again. I had a good rhythm before the twins arrived of laundry/ironing, cleaning, grocery shopping, rotating Norah's toys, etc. I was scared to lose that. And now that the twins are here, I can look at it differently- you won't lose it, it will just be different. I certainly don't clean like I used to, but it's temporary. One of the greatest gifts that my in-laws gave us when the twins arrived was someone to come help clean our house every other week. It's incredible. My MIL also has ironed all of Kley's work shirts and done some of our laundry. It can be really hard to accept help, but if people offer, let them. And if you really need it, ask. Sometimes I think too much about what the other person might be thinking (story of a woman's life probably), but then I think about how good it makes me feel to help others and how honored I feel if someone asks for my help. That (cleaning help) has been so helpful for me, because I feel like I can handle the daily grind of wiping counters, sweeping, vacuuming, etc. but the deeper things like scrubbing my showers is not happening right now, so I'm so thankful for help with the bigger/deeper things.

It frustrated me, before the twins arrived, when people would answer the tough questions like "you just will" or "you'll let it go because you just have to." I would think, "But you didn't tell me HOW that would happen!" It does just naturally happen because you truly just can't do exactly what you used to do, but just pick what's really important to you. It's comforting to my routine to still do things somewhat normal, just maybe at a slower pace or just not as many things as I used to.

I wish I could have magic words to cure your worries about adding twins, or a single, to your family, but only He can calm your worries. Try to take things a day at a time. That's hard for me, as a planner, but when you have three young children, you just have to pick the most important or highest demanding thing at that time and do it!

It's good for me to remember that Norah, Lucy, and Ellory will not remember our exact schedule or how clean our house was, but they will remember how we loved them and the fun that we had.

My favorite (postpartum) clothing items.

Since becoming a mom, I've become more lax in how I dress, and also more choosy at the same time. When I say lax, I mean that I don't have to dress up for work, and when I say choosy, I mean that I am super active with the girls and I want to be very comfortable.

Also, with being pregnant twice in the last few years, my body has fluctuated a lot, so elastic waistbands are definitely my friend. So I've tried to find nice pairs so I look like I'm wearing real pants but feel like I'm wearing sweatpants. It's a tricky line. :) For tops, I've said that I'm looking for high and low- high (enough) on the top so you can't see anything when I bend over and when my children yank on it, and low (enough) on the bottom so I don't have to worry about it hiking up when I bend over or am holding children. This is crucial because I am bending over/on the floor, or holding kids, a great majority of my day.

As I've gotten older, I've also learned to appreciate quality pieces because I will wear them more and they last longer. Sometimes more expensive is worth it if it will be a staple and last for years.

So, here are some of my favorite pieces. (That are somewhat recently new, so you can still actually buy them. I still have a few old favorites that I love so much, but they are pretty old so they aren't available anymore. I definitely don't shop that much to have all my clothes be that current!)

1. Gap Breathe V Neck Tee- I have 4 of these, and I am not ashamed. They are amazing- very comfortable, long enough, and the v neck is perfect and I don't have to wear a tank underneath.

2. Nike Sportswear Gym Vintage Hoodie- This was a recent purchase and I am confident it will be a favorite. Everyone needs a classic gray zip up. The arms are nice and long (something I sometimes struggle to find), and it's very soft. I like wearing zip-ups much more than a regular sweatshirt.

3. Old Navy Go-Dry Semi Fitted Woven Tapered Pants- These are another recent purchase that I love. They are "nice sweatpants" so I don't feel bad wearing them out. They have an elastic waistband (perfect since I recently had twins), and they are the go dry material so they are easy to wipe spit up off of. Win. 

4. Old Navy Lightweight Lace-Up Top- This top definitely fits my "high-low" requirements, and it's loose and soft too. 

5. Reef Black Stargazer Sandals- Black flip-flops are a staple, and these fit the bill. I like the subtle glitter, and they are super comfy to walk in.

6. Athleta Trekkie Jogger- I have had two pairs of these for a couple years (navy and dark green), and they are a go-to pant for sure. Very comfortable, and easy to dress down or dress a tad nicer.

7. Athleta Batik Ankle Pant- These were an after twin gift, and I have loved them so far. They are elastic in the back, drawstring in the front, so very comfy for postpartum. I like the subtle pattern on them too- a bit different but not too wild.

If you have any favorite items I should know about, let me know!

Our NICU story.

Lucy and Ellory arrived on February 23, 2017 at 9:09 and 9:11pm because my water broke. They had a scheduled c-section for March 6, but they wanted out before then! The c-section went very well and they were pretty good weights, considering how early they were (Lucy was 18 inches and 5 pounds 7 ounces, and Ellory was 18.5 inches and 5 pounds 10 ounces). They went straight to the NICU because they were born before 36 weeks. (We did not know that that was an automatic, and we wish someone would have told us that!)

We are so thankful that they have been doing well the entire time and that we never had anything dangerous or really serious happen. Ellory had to go on the C-PAP machine for a couple hours after birth to help her breathe better because she didn't have good pressure in her lungs, but that was short lived, and it was off before the first time I even fed them. Lucy didn't have to go on anything. Praise God that they were that healthy!

They were put on IV's right away to help with hydration/nutrition, and then also received NG tubes from their nose to their stomach, so they could be fed through the tube in case they didn't nurse well. We have tried nursing from the start, and they have done really well. Nurses and doctors have commented several times on how well they are doing, especially for their age. It was slower at the beginning, especially with Lucy, but they caught on pretty quickly and have been doing quite well. They kept the IV's for a couple days, and gradually increased their tube feedings (when needed) also, starting with 5 CC's and going all the way to 50 CC's. If they nursed for less than 5 minutes, they were given the entire feeding through the tube; if they nursed for 5-10 minutes, they got half the feeding; and if they nursed more than 10 minutes, they didn't need anything through the tube. They were able to go up to a full feeding (50) on Wednesday and get their tubes out on Thursday (when they were one week old). That means that they can now nurse/eat whenever they want, but they are basically on the same three hour schedule (6, 9, 12, and 3).

Both also had to go under the jaundice lights for a few days in the beginning for having high bilirubin levels. They raised slightly after going off of them and we worried they would have to go back under, but we are thankful they didn't. Ellory also had to use a special fungal treatment diaper cream every other change, because she had a “yeasty bottom” that looked red and pimply, but the cream helped a lot and it looks much better.

Basically, the main reason they were in the NICU was to learn how to eat better/consistently on their own and to gain weight. Lucy's bilirubin score went down, and we need Ellory's to start to go down too in order to go home. We also need two days of weight gain to be able to go home, which Lucy needs to work on, because she's lost more than she's gained.

They got their IV out earlier in the week, and were able to get their NG tubes out on Thursday night (3/2), so then we had to have two days of weight gain and Ellory's bilirubin score needed to go down to be able to go home. We also started completing all the check out tests, like watching the safety videos, hearing/heart screens, and car seat tests. Thankfully her score went down, but on Friday night Ellory had gained weight, but Lucy did not. We were really disappointed and went to bed sad, but in the morning when I went back to feed, we had great news that the doctor has reweighed them later in the night, and Lucy had gained! That meant that we could count Friday as a plus day because they only have to enter their weights in once, so we could count the later ones instead. Yay! We all prayed really hard that weekend for weight gain. Saturday was another good day and they gained again (a small amount, but we'll take it!), and we were able to go home on Sunday (3/5).

It was a joyous day to be able to go home, though we are thankful for the great care they received and the many amazing nurses. The hardest part was being away from Norah for so long, so going home and being together as the five of us is a huge blessing. Watching Norah meet her sisters was so great! We wouldn't wish a NICU stay on anyone, but are thankful that it went well for us and that the girls are healthy!

(A post with more NICU pictures to come too!)

Lucy and Ellory's birth story.

The twins have arrived and it's two GIRLS! We are so excited and thankful to have three beautiful daughters. Seeing their sweet faces and holding them has been so special. We love them so much already!

I am grateful to have had a healthy pregnancy without big complications. I'm so glad that they were healthy and that I did not have to go on bed rest. Early on in the pregnancy, they thought Lucy might have had a possible heart gap, but after another ultrasound where they examined the hearts, they said she was fine. Ellory had velamentous cord insertion, which is where the cord is attached to the membranes instead of the placenta, so they said we would have to watch her growth throughout the pregnancy and also that we would have to have a c-section, because labor is very dangerous with that and can cause rupturing, which would get dangerous for her quickly. Thankfully, her growth was always as it should be and it didn't cause a problem during her arrival either.

Back pain was my worst pregnancy symptom, but I made it to 33 weeks feeling pretty good. During week 34, I started to have contractions. I had a lot of contractions through the night, and we went to the hospital on Tuesday, February 14. They monitored me all day, and I was definitely having contractions, but not terribly painful ones and I was not dilated at all and they said my cervix was nice and long. They ended up sending me home with medication to try to stop the contractions. It didn't work very well, and I continued to have contractions off and on. I had a regularly scheduled appointment on Friday, February 17 and they said I was 1-2cm dilated, but said that was okay because 3cm is considered active labor and I wasn't having consistent contractions. I had contractions close and consistent throughout the night on Saturday, and we went to the hospital again Sunday, February 19. The contractions tapered off while we were there, and they said I was still 1-2cm dilated and sent us home, just saying to come back if anything changed or got really strong/close.

Thankfully, the contractions really died down and I only felt a few random contractions a day the next week. They had set the c-section date for Monday, March 6, at 37 weeks. I was feeling pretty good and was starting to get convinced that I would actually make it to the 6^th. But, things usually happen when you least expect it, and on Thursday, February 23, my water broke! It was so different than with Norah. I had just taken a little nap and was going to sit down to read my chapter for Bible study at 3pm before Norah woke up, and as I sat down I felt a little gush, and pretty quickly my underwear was all wet and even a spot on my pants. I walked around for a few minutes, wondering if it was real, but I continued to slowly leak, and after 20 minutes I called Kley to come home and we packed up and headed to the hospital! We brought Norah with us because Brad was in meetings and Jana was in Omaha, so thankfully it was pretty uneventful and I wasn't in pain.

When we got to the hospital, they checked me and ran some tests, and my water had definitely broken, but I was not having contractions. They said it was too far for me to drive with Kley to Sioux Falls, so I would have to ride in the ambulance. Orange City only does c-sections for twins after 36 weeks, but we had already planned to go to Sioux Falls to be close to the NICU in case we needed it. A big snowstorm was also coming, and we thankfully made it just as it was getting bad. Kley followed the ambulance in our car. They talked about the helicopter, but they didn't want to fly it with the weather. Norah got upset when she saw me going into the ambulance, but Kley said she calmed down after a few minutes and Kley dropped her off to play with Sophie until Jana got back. I'm glad we had brought Norah with us because it was special to have a few moments together before I left as just the three of us, and to give her goodbye hugs as the last time as our only baby!

The ambulance ride was pretty uneventful, thankfully. I did start to feel some contractions as we got closer, but they weren't too painful. Once we got there, at about 7:30, they took me to a triage room, and they came and checked me in and started doing things to get ready for the c-section, and had the doctor and the anesthesiologist come talk to me. They started to bring me down around 8:30, and it was quite the experience! Kley had to stay back to get his scrub outfit on, and they wheeled me down to the brightest, whitest, most sterile, stark room I've ever seen. I just sat on the table for a little bit while everyone around me was getting ready, and then they started! They gave me the numbing shot in the back, and it took effect very quickly (like within 10 seconds). They laid me down and put the curtain up, and I don't know what else really happened because I couldn't see. I remember one of the anesthesiologists was very encouraging and kept telling me it would be okay and told me about his own twins. I remember asking when Kley could come in, and I also remember crying and shaking through basically the entire procedure. Kley said they had already started cutting me when he came in. I felt lots of pressure and pulling, but no pain. I was shaking a lot, especially my arms, and I felt like someone was sitting on top of me and I had to gasp for breath (which they said was all normal). They say nausea is quite common, but I only felt nauseous for about a minute after the girls were both out and then it passed.

The doctor asked me before if I wanted her to announce the genders or Kley, and I said I wanted Kley to do it. I remember the doctor asking for dad to take a look, and Kley said it was a girl, and quickly after asked him to look again and he announced we had another girl! We had guessed it was one of each, but were thrilled with two girls!

Lucy Jo was born at 9:09pm and was 18 inches and 5 pounds 7 ounces. The doctors asked if she had a name and I heard Kley tell them it was Lucy. Ellory Joy was born at 9:11pm and was 18.5 inches and 5 pounds 10 ounces. I didn't hear the doctor ask, so when they brought the girls over, I asked what he named her, and he said he wanted to name her Ellory and asked what I thought, and I said yes. We knew we were going to use the name Lucy, but we had two other girl names, and I told Kley before that if it was two girls, he could pick which one he wanted and I would be fine with either one.

Kley went to take pictures of the girls, and a few minutes later they brought them over to me to see them. I remember kissing both of their cheeks, but didn't really get to touch them because my arms were shaking so much. Kley went with the girls, and it felt like forever laying on the table alone, waiting for them to be finished. Afterwards I had to go to recovery for two hours before they would let me go see them, which felt like a very long time too. Kley came to see me twice, but I kept telling him it was okay to be with the girls, and he called our other siblings who couldn't be there to tell them the news. Near the end of the time, my parents and Kayla arrived, and we talked to them for a few minutes before heading up to see the girls.

Around midnight, we got to go see them, but they were still checking things out, so we only got to stay for a few minutes, and we didn't get to come back down to hold/feed them until about 4am. It was so special to hold them for the first time! I know parenting is so worth it, but it also felt overwhelming to know that twins were coming, so it was reassuring to be able to see their sweet faces and hold them.

My parents and Kayla were there that night (they made it through the snow storm!), and so was Elizabeth. Brett, Brad, Jana, Zack, and Karlie made it the next day. Norah wasn't able to meet them because they went right to the NICU, and they weren't allowing young kids in because of flu season, but she couldn't wait to hold them!

Lucy and Ellory, we are so glad you are here. You are already a tremendous blessing. We love you and love being your parents!

Lucy

Ellory

Lucy

Ellory

Happy mom and dad!

First twin meetings.

We are so thankful that the twins are here and that they are doing quite well for NICU babies. Because they were born early (35 weeks 3 days), they are in the NICU, but are doing well and are mainly just here to learn how to eat and grow. Everyone has been so excited for their arrival, and it's been such fun to not only meet them ourselves, but to introduce them to our families. Here are some pictures of the first meetings!

My first time holding Lucy.

Daddy holding Ellory.

My first time holding Ellory.

Kley meeting Lucy.

Grandma (my mom) and Ellory.

Grandpa (my dad) and Lucy.

Aunt Kayla (my sister) and Lucy.

Proud grandparents and Ellory.

Grandpa and Ellory.

Grandma (Kley's mom) and Lucy.

Grandpa (Kley's dad) and Lucy.

Grandma and Ellory.

Norah watching Lucy on the monitor. (The NICU won't allow kids under 7 in during flu season, so she unfortunately hasn't met them in person yet. I can't wait to watch her hold them!)

Uncle Zack and Aunt Karlie (my sister and brother-in-law) with Lucy.

Excited aunt and uncle!

Smitten grandparents!

Aunt Elizabeth (Kley's sister) and Lucy. (Her husband, Uncle Brett, had a cold, so he unfortunately didn't get to see them much.)

Lucy and Ellory, you better be ready to be loved on!