Sharing history
On June 12th in addition to our sweeties being born, the following occurred.1897 - Carl Elsener patented his penknife. The object later became known as the Swiss army knife.
1923 - Harry Houdini, while suspended upside down 40 feet above the ground, escaped from a strait jacket.
1939 - The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, New York. This was exactly one hundred years to the day on which the game was invented by Abner Doubleday.
Daddy would be proud to share the date with the invention of his favorite past time.
P.S. Due to my new "favorite past times", there will likely be more
monthly updates here. (it's hard to type with only one hand and a baby or two in the other...)
Birth Story
So I am finally back with a bit of time to write. I'm slowly recovering from the C-section, feeding the sweetie pies and surviving with little sleep. So here's how it all went down. As you can see from my last post, I was having contractions that started around 5:30 that night. I really didn't think it was a big deal and drank some water to stave them off. Around 7:00 I became hungry having not eaten since 12 that morning and Hubby suggested I wait, just In case of possible surgery. Well about 3 hours later, they still were not going away and were consistently about 5 minutes apart. Needless to say, this prompted Hubby to engage in a few last minute chore completions, (just in case). You know-packing the suitcase, getting pillows, vacuuming, wheel barreling the last load of dirt down the road to the dirt pile- the usual things you do before you are getting ready to take off to the hospital to deliver the babies... So with the contractions STILL not going away after such a long time, we decided to call the advice nurse. She suggested we come in just in case to get checked. So off we went, me still in denial about whether we'd actually have to stay or could return back home and wait two more days.
We arrived at triage, checked in and strapped me up to monitors. I knew they wouldn't check me specifically yet for fear of speeding things up. After about an hour stay and some discussion about notifying the doctor on call (ours had been there during the day but was off that night), they came in and slapped on my handcuffs, I mean my admittance bracelet. I admit I kind of freaked out that THIS WAS IT and we weren't going home! Kind of silly I know, I mean almost everyone else usually has no prior warning to the big moment. I'd said I wanted it to be a surprise when they came (on the blog) but I guess the joke was on me...I got over the shock quickly and settled into the idea that we were finally going to meet Sweetpea and Pumpkin face to face real soon-yay!
We were officially admitted and they took me up to labor and delivery and we completed the usual pre-op stuff. This means pumping you full of lots of saline from an IV, dressing up in silly looking space hats and eating a tasty pre-op dinner of something that tastes like bitter salty grape gritty drink. And so we were set. Much to our happiness, who strolls in at about 2:00 am looking very groggy after a long day? Our doctor! stating he wanted to see what these two little ones looked like. He would be scrubbing in to help deliver, YAY!
They took me in to the OR about 3:00 a.m., administered anesthesia and started prepping. The spinal was freaky. I felt mostly numb from the chest down but a little tingly. It's weird to feel them moving you, the table and your belly side to side. They also gave me a narcotic or something like that so I was a bit groggy. The next thing I know, they are talking to Hubby and I realize he is now in the room beside me. A few minutes later I start smelling the lovely burning of something and I said "Hey, I think they've started already." A minute or two later, they are saying, 'Dad, are you going to stand up and take pictures?" Hubby jumped up beside me and moments later I heard my Pumpkin had been taken out first, breech. He started crying and it brought tears to my eyes. Next was Sweetpea who also let her little voice be heard. Unfortunately, they were whisked off to the next room before I could see them and Hubby went after to follow. At this point as they finished me up, I was really struggling to stay awake and the anesthesia was starting to make me shake. Hubby came back in one more time and showed me the babies as my eyes glazed over and off we went to the recovery floor. Hubby stayed with the babies as they got their vitals checked and periodically brought one or both of them out to update me. I waited for my shaking to stop and the feeling in my legs to come back which took about an hour. After it was all said and done, they wheeled me and the kids up to our room to begin the adventure of being new parents.
A Final word on my twin pregnancy
I thought that after this was all said and done about how miserable and huge I was feeling during the last bits of pregnancy, I would be totally relieved to get it all over with and mostly I am. Looking back on it, I actually do miss having them in my belly and feeling them kick and move. If I could have them in there again one last time (only one last time guys, come on I was HUGE), I would. Just to relive the moment one more time. I stare at them and am in awe that I had these two sweetie pies 6 lbs. each in MY belly. WOW. We did manage to take one last picture that night before taking off to the hospital.
37 weeks 6 days pregnant, 9 hours before delivery
All in all, the twin pregnancy was definitely more taxing than I had imagined but very worth it of course. I look back amazed at the journey its been-from finding out that I was pregnant last October to bending my mind around the fact that there were TWO, to learning all about and experiencing pregnancy and sharing it all with my husband, family and friends. I had my struggles through the morning sickness, the extra weight and difficulty with mobility, lack of sleep and the horrible rash. One week after they have been born, my stomach has yet to shrink back to normal and this will likely take a good month or so. I'll likely always be sporting my "twin skin" and stretch mark badges of honor as a reminder of what my body went through. But I am so thankful that most of all, it turned out to be non-eventful for the babies, that they did so well and I was able to carry them to 38 weeks. Such a blessing! We have two healthy babies, how wonderful and superb is that? We are truly blessed! Now, on to this parenthood thing...
Nutmeg getting in one last snuggle on the large comfy belly.
Pictures of the nursery. Cute clothes ready to go.
Twin Arrival
Hello everyone-
We are back from the hospital and our Pumpkin and SweetPea made their appearance into the world on June 12th at 3:50 and 3:51 a.m. (they couldn't wait for their scheduled c-section on Tuesday as I went into labor). We made it to 38 weeks to the date. Pictures are posted on their web site (link in the corner). They are soooo adorable (I'm a little biased=) and we are enjoying getting to know and take care of them. I'm recovering fairly well, mostly pretty sore and trying to manage that and getting them adjusted to feeding. Hubby is doing well despite the shock of no sleep but is loving being a daddy for the first time. I will write more about thier birth and how things are going soon!
A walk on the wild side (one last time?)
Hubby scored big on making me a very happy woman this Saturday with two super choices for our last weekend being about as parentless as we are going to get at this point. (no not THAT, get your mind out of the gutter-we are aiming for a c-section here, not labor...)
We spent our last(?) Saturday without kids venturing into the world of the Hillcrest neighborhood, the very Santa Cruz-like or Boulder-esque part of San Diego where anything goes. The first thing was late morning having brunch at
Hash House A Go Go. Any place that caters to LATE morning brunch has won my heart over. Nothing like a good sleeping in first (of course that is a rapidly disappearing idea and lately has consisted of 2 more hours of sleep after a night of getting up every two hours anyway, but you get the idea).
We arrived to find the line out the door (I had been warned about this by people who had recommended this place). The restaurant was filled with assorted people from the 20-something college crowd filtering in after a late night, young hip families with a baby (yes there is hope for us to venture out in the future), to the older tourists directed to check the very worthy place out. We walked in to find a crowded dining room with patrons on the left, a breakfast bar to sit at on the right and a little section at the front with a live DJ player, records and all. It was "Saturday DJ Brunch" 11:30-1:00pm. For those of you thinking this sounds too funky for you, there is a back area which is much quieter and it IS VERY worth checking out! The food is easily 5 star with portions to feed an army (or two adults with twin kids) and is basically sensational. There is a reason it has been awarded The Gold Medallion for Best Breakfast 2001 by the California Restaurant Association.
We were seated in the back area and ordered. Hubby had one of the "FARM FAVORITES" An omelet with "House smoked salmon w/ basil pesto, fresh tomato and melted Brie cheese." (Yes-it was as good as it sounds. They are SERIOUS about the omelets here). I admit I was eyeing it as well but this late in pregnancy I had to go with something more tame. He also had the sides of griddled mashed potatoes and fresh fruit and biscuit. I had the "Griddled French Toast dipped in a banana cinnamon cream w/pecan maple syrup" and a side of the crispy potatoes. Mmmm, perfection. Our food arrived on plates as long and twice as wide as a whole french bread loaf and the food did not disappoint. My french toast consisted of about 3/4 a loaf of crispy on the outside, tender and fluffy pieces, tender grilled banana halves, sprinkled generously with toasted pecans and maple syrup. The crispy potatoes were perfect, soft on the inside and very crispy on the outside. I nibbled on Hubby's omelet, his very fluffy sky high biscuit and a bit of the mashed potatoes. (I'm not a hungry pregnant woman or anything...) Everything was superb and very worth venturing out to dine again in the future with two infant twins. After all, I didn't get to try the snickers flapjacks or the butterscotch almond flapjacks as suggested by the waiter. Of course, we could always use a few extra hands with the twins (grandmas, up for an exciting adventure?) Fortunately for Hubby and myself, the whole experience did not cause me to go into labor...Although check back soon, my contractions seem to be increasing no matter what position I am in, seriously...
The second thing was courtesy of my wonderful husband, I was able to get my hair cut by my "missing-in-action-for the last year and a half" hair stylist, Angela. You see, when you are a mixed race (black and white) person growing up with hair like mine, an excellent hair stylist is a MUST HAVE. ( You all who know me and my hair well know what I'm talking about). And when said husband obtained a recommendation from a mixed race family at the YMCA about 1 1/2 years ago to go check Angela out of at all places-SUPER CUTS, well I raced over ASAP. Especially when previous hairstylist attempts include one hairstylist who gave me a 4 hour hair cut while preaching "keep the natural curls, no chemicals" mantra AND gave me whiplash from yanking on my hair and another turned out to be a transvestite who cut my bangs crooked. (I couldn't make up stories that crazy)... So despite the fact that Angela had close to nine inch nails and I had flashbacks to other crazy hair encounters, she easily passed the test to "tame the mane" and gave me one of the best hair cuts I've gotten for only $25 plus tip. You see, she has the only credentials needed-a cosmotology license and 3 mixed race kids of her own. So the next time my husband went to supercuts, he had to sadly report that Angela had left the place (after 11 years) and they would not give out any information as to where she had gone or they would get fired. (She has quite a following). So SUPERHUSBAND performed one more miracle last week and once again begged the staff for her new location and was successful! She's still sporting her long nails, red highlights in her black hair, some new tattoos and a very bad case of "hair cut elbow" or really "tennis elbow" (scheduled for surgery soon). I'm prepared to offer free physical therapy in exchange for more hair miracles in the future.
Maternal instinct and motherhood
Between work and home, some days I feel like a mom already.... and now that I am home, my poor cat is going to be in for such a shock! With me being home, she is at least residing in the same room, lying at my side or climbing up several times a day to the spot on my belly where I can now sit my whole plate of dinner down with no problem (the top very flat part of my protruding belly) . This is the same cat that will normally give the stiff arm (or as we call it, the stiff paw) if we pick her up on our own accountance. She will now either curl up in a ball or lay out now for up to an hour of what turns into very much like "holding a baby". So how did I get to this day already being so much like a mom? (OK the cat part I know. So we spoil our cat. Not really, we just treat her with a lot of love, play with her, give her treats and water at the sink. But not if we aren't in the mood. I do blame it on the fact that I've been known to be somewhat of a kitty charmer or kitty whisperer, taming cats that I've been told aren't very nice). Hubby thinks that Nutmeg is just responding to my maternal instinct and just wants to be near me. So where did this maternal instinct, loving little ones and wanting to work with kids come from?
Surprisingly, my life long dream wasn't always to have kids immediately or pursue a career working with them. I fled babysitting like the plague when I was younger. It was something my sister did (and now look who's having kids first? ha, ha) and when I got recruited to fill in once for her in the 7th grade, I was so relieved that the baby did not wake up the entire time I was there. I had no clue what to do with the thing if it did...That was my first and last time dealing with kids up close until my sophomore year in college when my brother had my niece. I remember the first time I came home to see them and being amazed that he had this little being wrapped up in the blanket. And gradually I grew in my role of being an aunt and getting to know her and love taking care of her on the many occasions that I was able to get away from school.
I would come down on weekends on occasion and recall taking her grocery shopping, to church, to see Santa, feeding her dinner on my own for the first time (who knew the peas and carrots would come right out in her diaper as, well, peas and carrots). I begged my brother to wait to take her trick-or-treating so I could get down in time to join them and recall fondly her dinosaur outfit at age 4 asking me politely if I would please move the large pointy tail out of the way because she couldn't sit on it in the car (SO CUTE!) The dinosaur tail later saved her as she tipped backwards going up someones stairs. I encountered some of the terrible two tantrums, a weekend where she got the stomach flu and dinner came back up, as well as the fun moments like when she was learning to talk. She put my mom's sunglasses on her small head and I taught her to say "Cool Dude" with them on. I painted her finger nails and re-pierced her ears when she asked me to put earrings in (How was I supposed to know that my brother had taken them out and was planning to put them in when she was older-BAD AUNT!)
In short, she won my heart over in a very big way and I realized that I loved being around kids. So when I was in PT school, I knew I had to investigate this specialty of working in pediatrics. Today I couldn't imagine going to work without seeing cute little faces and being able to make a difference in their lives. I've gotten the chance to work with all ages from the little tiny infant to the older teenager that would rather be hanging out with friends and I've definitely gotten a very good glimpse and much experience of what is to come in being a parent. I'm sure all that I have learned will come in handy and I'm looking forward to the many special moments I get to share with my own kids.
