Here is an updated photo of the boys close to their second birthday in July!
Friday, November 7, 2014
And Now We are TWO!
Two years. Wow. I haven't kept up on this blog, mainly because there isn't much action any more to post! I keep in touch with the guys monthly. We swap pictures of the kiddos (mine and theirs), and keep each other updated on family life events. They called me earlier in the year, and surprised me with a trip to Tel Aviv, Israel to spend a week with them for the boys' second birthdays. However, due to the conflict in the area (DAMN WARS!), we were unable to make it happen. Since then, IF E has had a contract change, and accepted a position in Rome! So, the boys and IF R will be soon following behind him. They plan to stay for at least 2 years. They have said that since the trip didn't work out this summer, they would like to bring me to them in Rome!!!!!!!!!! Details are being planned and I can't wait to wrap my arms around all four of my Israeli men!
Here is an updated photo of the boys close to their second birthday in July!
Here is an updated photo of the boys close to their second birthday in July!
Monday, August 5, 2013
One year later
Wow, where has the time gone!!??? The twins are now a little over a year old. They are SUPER cute!!! I will write a bit more, once I get my pictures all uploaded!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
They are now Dads!
The moment I had been waiting for the entire journey finally arrived. The moment when father meets sons. It was just as perfect as I had wanted it to be. Well, to be honest, I wanted them there to see their sons take their first breath, but sometimes, life doesn't always give you what you want.
I knew that daddy R was coming in a day earlier that daddy E. So when I knew he was almost to the hospital, I asked the nurse to bring both boys in. I positioned them perfectly on my lap, so that both of their heads rested on my belly...and when he came into the room, they were the first things he got to see. Of course, he gave me a huge hug and kiss and at that moment he was speechless. He stood there, and I looked at him and said, well are you going to pick them up? They are yours!!! LOL
So he picked his son up for the first time and held him so close, and loved on him for what seemed like hours. Daddy E's mother was also there and got to pick up the other twin and hold her grandson for the first time. That moment was amazing. That moment nobody will ever take from me. That moment is the reason I became a surrogate.
I had my camera out. But honestly, I didn't take any pictures of the moment. I just wanted to BE there, cherishing it in real time. I didn't want to look back and only have photographs to look at and say oh look how awesome it was. I wanted to remember the feelings, the emotions, the heart and soul in that moment.
I did take one picture, and that was before daddy R arrived. And that was them on my belly waiting for their daddy. They both were sleeping little angels. And I finally was able to say---from my belly to your waiting arms.
I knew that daddy R was coming in a day earlier that daddy E. So when I knew he was almost to the hospital, I asked the nurse to bring both boys in. I positioned them perfectly on my lap, so that both of their heads rested on my belly...and when he came into the room, they were the first things he got to see. Of course, he gave me a huge hug and kiss and at that moment he was speechless. He stood there, and I looked at him and said, well are you going to pick them up? They are yours!!! LOL
So he picked his son up for the first time and held him so close, and loved on him for what seemed like hours. Daddy E's mother was also there and got to pick up the other twin and hold her grandson for the first time. That moment was amazing. That moment nobody will ever take from me. That moment is the reason I became a surrogate.
I had my camera out. But honestly, I didn't take any pictures of the moment. I just wanted to BE there, cherishing it in real time. I didn't want to look back and only have photographs to look at and say oh look how awesome it was. I wanted to remember the feelings, the emotions, the heart and soul in that moment.
The birth story
The birth story of the twins:
On July 3rd, 2012, my husband and I decided to take our kids to a baseball game in Sioux City. Before that, we stopped at a local fireworks store and picked up some fun fireworks for the kids. We stopped and got a bite to eat. I noticed I wasn't feeling the best, but put it in the back of my mind so I didn't spoil an entire night for the family.
We met up with my brother and his wife and daughter at the baseball field. We decided to sit in the bleacher section so we could have the chance of catching a pop fly. Throughout the night, I noticed I was starting to really swell. We enjoyed the game and the after game fireworks were a blast. We got home to Ida Grove around midnight. We were all really tired, and all I wanted to do was fall into my bed and sleep the night away.
Before crawling into bed, I noticed how horribly swollen I was. My blood pressure was a bit elevated, so I took one of my pills and downed a glass of water. I fell asleep almost instantly. I love when sleep comes so easily. But, after two hours of sleep, I awoke startled, scared and knew something was wrong. The next thing I know, I am flying up out of bed screaming my water broke!
I flew across the room to our master bathroom. The water just kept gushing and coming out. My husband flew out of bed and was questioning what to do. I grabbed the phone and called our local hospital. They have been out of the "baby business" for about a month, but I still needed to know what to do. I have never had my water break before, and I had no clue what I was doing. My water gushed a little every time I tried to move. The nurse on the phone told me to head to our hospital that we wanted to deliver at, and if it got bad on the way, to stop and call 911.
So I grabbed a bag, hubby grabbed clothes and all of the neccessities. I called Ryan's mom and told her to come watch the kids so we could go to the hospital. And then it hit, contractions!!! They started out slowly, coming every 10 minutes or so. We jumped into our car and took off for Sioux City.
My husband has never driven so amazingly in his entire life. He was fast, but careful. Thankfully the roads were bare at 2 in the morning. I called my best friend Tammi who lives in Boston. I told her you need to get ahold of the guys!! So she got a hold of E and told him what was going on. He called my cell phone and through contractions I told him he needed to get on a plane or he was going to miss his sons coming into this world. During the drive up, we passed a cop. Thankfully he didn't pull us over as we were speeding. At the same time, I kinda hoped he would have just so we could have had a police escort to the hospital! Really make an entrance! LOL But he left us be.
We arrived in Sioux City around 3:30am. They took us straight up to labor and delivery and contacted the doctor. The nurse checked me and I was dialated to 1 cm. She did confirm that the water had broken on one baby, but was still intact on the other. They processed all of the paperwork and got me all setup. The csection was scheduled for 6:00am. We pretty much just had to sit around and wait for a few hours while everything happened. They had to get enough staff setup since it was a delivery of twins. They had the NICU team on call ready to go since I was only 36.5 weeks. They pumped me full of fluids, gave me an IV, setup my catheder and at 5:45, they rolled me down to surgery.
When I arrived in the OR, they got me switched over to the operating table. They hooked me up to oxygen and the blood pressure cuff. I suddenly became VERY cold. I was shivering and honestly, scared!! This was my fourth csection, but I was so nervous because anything can still happen! They threw some warm blankets over me and got my body temperature back up. They set me up and did the anethesia. And within minutes, I was fully numb. It is so weird because you swear you can still feel things, but you really can't! I could feel the pressure of them moving my stomach, but I never felt pain. And then the nausea hit. It was horrible. I felt like all I wanted to do was vomit, but couldn't because of the meds. They quickly gave me some anti-nausea medication and I felt much better.
At 6:10 am they pulled Baby A from my belly and rushed him over to the area to be cleaned and checked over. And his brother followed him by one minute. Baby B was pulled at 6:11 am. They were both very health, beautiful and had strong lungs. The doctors and nurses all said they were perfect!! My husband did his best rushing around taking pictures since the guys could not make it. The doctors took him with the babies and they all went to the nursery while I was sewn shut and taken to recovery. I spent about an hour in recovery. I pushed myself to make my legs move and I kept asking about being moved to my own room.
Finally they let me go to my own room and be situated in there. They got everything setup and I was good to go! My hubby came shortly after they got me situated and showed me the pictures from the boys in the nursery. I immideatly sent them to the guys so they could see their sons! I talked with both fathers and one was scheduled to be there on the 5th and the other on the 6th of July. I got to spend the entire first 24 hours with the boys and it was amazing. I was so blessed to have the time with them and time to rest. My family all came to visit and my kids were super excited to get to spend time with the boys as well.
I couldn't have been happier with how everything went. And from now on, July 4th will no longer just be a day of celebrating freedom and independence, but the birth of two amazing little boys. And making E and R fathers for the first time!
On July 3rd, 2012, my husband and I decided to take our kids to a baseball game in Sioux City. Before that, we stopped at a local fireworks store and picked up some fun fireworks for the kids. We stopped and got a bite to eat. I noticed I wasn't feeling the best, but put it in the back of my mind so I didn't spoil an entire night for the family.
We met up with my brother and his wife and daughter at the baseball field. We decided to sit in the bleacher section so we could have the chance of catching a pop fly. Throughout the night, I noticed I was starting to really swell. We enjoyed the game and the after game fireworks were a blast. We got home to Ida Grove around midnight. We were all really tired, and all I wanted to do was fall into my bed and sleep the night away.
Before crawling into bed, I noticed how horribly swollen I was. My blood pressure was a bit elevated, so I took one of my pills and downed a glass of water. I fell asleep almost instantly. I love when sleep comes so easily. But, after two hours of sleep, I awoke startled, scared and knew something was wrong. The next thing I know, I am flying up out of bed screaming my water broke!
I flew across the room to our master bathroom. The water just kept gushing and coming out. My husband flew out of bed and was questioning what to do. I grabbed the phone and called our local hospital. They have been out of the "baby business" for about a month, but I still needed to know what to do. I have never had my water break before, and I had no clue what I was doing. My water gushed a little every time I tried to move. The nurse on the phone told me to head to our hospital that we wanted to deliver at, and if it got bad on the way, to stop and call 911.
So I grabbed a bag, hubby grabbed clothes and all of the neccessities. I called Ryan's mom and told her to come watch the kids so we could go to the hospital. And then it hit, contractions!!! They started out slowly, coming every 10 minutes or so. We jumped into our car and took off for Sioux City.
My husband has never driven so amazingly in his entire life. He was fast, but careful. Thankfully the roads were bare at 2 in the morning. I called my best friend Tammi who lives in Boston. I told her you need to get ahold of the guys!! So she got a hold of E and told him what was going on. He called my cell phone and through contractions I told him he needed to get on a plane or he was going to miss his sons coming into this world. During the drive up, we passed a cop. Thankfully he didn't pull us over as we were speeding. At the same time, I kinda hoped he would have just so we could have had a police escort to the hospital! Really make an entrance! LOL But he left us be.
We arrived in Sioux City around 3:30am. They took us straight up to labor and delivery and contacted the doctor. The nurse checked me and I was dialated to 1 cm. She did confirm that the water had broken on one baby, but was still intact on the other. They processed all of the paperwork and got me all setup. The csection was scheduled for 6:00am. We pretty much just had to sit around and wait for a few hours while everything happened. They had to get enough staff setup since it was a delivery of twins. They had the NICU team on call ready to go since I was only 36.5 weeks. They pumped me full of fluids, gave me an IV, setup my catheder and at 5:45, they rolled me down to surgery.
When I arrived in the OR, they got me switched over to the operating table. They hooked me up to oxygen and the blood pressure cuff. I suddenly became VERY cold. I was shivering and honestly, scared!! This was my fourth csection, but I was so nervous because anything can still happen! They threw some warm blankets over me and got my body temperature back up. They set me up and did the anethesia. And within minutes, I was fully numb. It is so weird because you swear you can still feel things, but you really can't! I could feel the pressure of them moving my stomach, but I never felt pain. And then the nausea hit. It was horrible. I felt like all I wanted to do was vomit, but couldn't because of the meds. They quickly gave me some anti-nausea medication and I felt much better.
At 6:10 am they pulled Baby A from my belly and rushed him over to the area to be cleaned and checked over. And his brother followed him by one minute. Baby B was pulled at 6:11 am. They were both very health, beautiful and had strong lungs. The doctors and nurses all said they were perfect!! My husband did his best rushing around taking pictures since the guys could not make it. The doctors took him with the babies and they all went to the nursery while I was sewn shut and taken to recovery. I spent about an hour in recovery. I pushed myself to make my legs move and I kept asking about being moved to my own room.
Finally they let me go to my own room and be situated in there. They got everything setup and I was good to go! My hubby came shortly after they got me situated and showed me the pictures from the boys in the nursery. I immideatly sent them to the guys so they could see their sons! I talked with both fathers and one was scheduled to be there on the 5th and the other on the 6th of July. I got to spend the entire first 24 hours with the boys and it was amazing. I was so blessed to have the time with them and time to rest. My family all came to visit and my kids were super excited to get to spend time with the boys as well.
I couldn't have been happier with how everything went. And from now on, July 4th will no longer just be a day of celebrating freedom and independence, but the birth of two amazing little boys. And making E and R fathers for the first time!
THE BABIES ARE HERE
On July 4th, the boys were born!!!!!! I will write a complete birth story and post that later. But for now, here is the quick update!!Baby A was born first at 6:10 am weighing in at 5 pounds 14 ounces and 17.5 inches long
Baby B followed at 6:11 am weighing in at 5 pounds 13 ounces and 18.5 inches longThey were delivered by csection, but their dads were not there in time to make the birth. But we made sure to take lots of pictures. My husband was in the room with me the entire time. The birth went smoothly, the boys needed no NICU time at all!!!! They were healthy and beautiful!!!!!!!
PROGRESSION PICTURES
Since 36 weeks is the last belly pictures I have, I want to show a progression picture update that goes from beginning to end!!!
Week 36
We started week 36 on Friday, June 29th. At this point, I go back and forth from not wanting to be done and wanting to be done!!!! I can't breathe, it's hard to walk, I can't sleep, my nausea and heartburn are killing my appetite. I pee constantly and feel like I am always going to be this huge.But when I slow down, there are moments when I cherish the lives growing inside of me. I don't ever want it to end. I love feeling them move, watching my belly swell while they grow. I love to be pregnant, and I am going to miss it very much when it is over. We are facing delivery soon. Our scheduled csection is set for Monday, July 16th. The guys plan on flying in that Friday the 13th and spending the weekend with my family and I. I am excited for them to get to see me this far along, and feel their sons moving inside. I can't wait to get pictures with them feeling their children through my belly.I have a doctors appointment scheduled for the 6th of July. It will just be a quick check up and we will officially be 37 weeks that day. I am excited to make it to 38 weeks with twins. It would be amazing to say I cooked them for so long!!!! Especially when there were times during this pregnancy that they didn't think I would make it this far. I think having the bedrest helped take the pressure off of my body. I was able to rest and let them grow. Let's hope for a great 37 week checkup!
Here is my week 36 belly pictures:
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