Pictures of Samuel

We got some really good news today. Both boys are progressing nicely. They are drinking mostly breastmilk now and may be able to be taken off of their IVs tonight. If all goes well, they will be moved from their little incubators into cribs tomorrow! Praise God. He has been so faithful to see them through every little step of their lives.

Christmas came early...

with the surprise birth of our two baby boys on Christmas Eve. All this time we've worked so hard to stave off preterm labor to keep the babies in long enough for them to get to at least 35 weeks. It was beginning to look like we were going to make it. However, on Tuesday while the nurses were doing their routine monitoring of the boys' heartrates, we discovered that the boys had taken an unexpected change for the worse. After a day of waiting to see if things would get better, the doctors decided to take the babies before they went into real distress. I was in the operating room within 2 hours, giving birth to our little preemies.

Wesley Darrell was born first at 1:23 pm and weighed in at a whopping 3 lbs 7 oz and measured 16 3/4 ". One minute later Samuel Scott arrived a little heavier at 3 lbs 14 oz and measured 16 1/2 ". The rest of the evening was recovery time for me while Jeff made phone calls and took care of details. He and the proud grandparents got to go see the babies later that evening. My first visit took place the following evening. Unfortunately, they weren't ready to be held. It was so hard to see them all hooked up to wires and monitors in the incubator and not be able to pick them up and hold them and cuddle them.

The boys are both doing very well. They are having issues that are typical of 32 weekers but they improve daily. On the day after Christmas Jeff and I were allowed to do kangaroo care with Wesley where we hold him skin to skin. It's really good for the baby and certainly does our hearts good. We're anxiously waiting for the time when Samuel is ready to be held as well. Even though he was born bigger, he's improving a little slower. Wesley is a little fighter and Samuel seems to be more of a mellow, kick-back kind of a guy.

Here are pictures of us with Wesley.

32 Weeks and Counting

When we first began this journey in the hospital, the boys were barely viable according to medical science. And even though we knew their outcome would be determined by God and not by statistics, it was very scary just the same. Now, almost two months later, they are past the 32 week mark and coming up on 4 lbs each. We can see the light at the end of this long tunnel and look forward to meeting our sons and seeing their sweet little faces within just a few weeks. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!! Now we can truly set our sights on the goal of 35 weeks and no long NICU stays (no NICU stays at all, Lord willing). Perhaps we will deliver and get to take our babies home with us as soon as I'm released!

Meanwhile, through each unpleasant experience in this pregnancy (and there have been many) I continually tell the boys that they are worth it all! I think Jeff thinks I'm nuts. But whatever happens I will continue to thank God for our two little miraculous blessings, our answers to prayer, our fulfillment of God's word to us, our gifts from the very hand of God.

This Christmas will be a simple one. No big Christmas tree, no cards to send out (sorry everyone!), no parties to go to, no lights to hang, no dinners to cook, just Jeff and me in my little hospital room with our little fake tree and a few gifts we managed to pull together. This will be the last Christmas we spend together with just the two of us. I know it will be very memorable!

Today's Great News

We had another FFN test today and it again came back negative. Praise God! That means we have at least another two weeks before the babies come. If you'd like to read up on what this test is, go to http://www.fullterm.net/index.html.

Random thoughts...

Some Things I Am Thankful For:

-31 weeks and 3 lb 12 oz babies!!!

-My husband staying overnight in the hospital with me!

-Decorating a little Christmas tree for my hospital room. It's fake but it's cute!

-Terbutaline shots to stop my contractions when they get out of control (never thought I'd ever be so thankful to be stuck by a needle!)

-Internet shopping!

-Great nurses and PCAs.

-TLC: How would I pass my days without daily episodes of What Not to Wear, Bringing Baby Home and Jon & Kate plus 8?

-My new laughing baby ringtone that gives me a giggle everytime I get a phone call.

-Babies hiccuping in my belly (both at once)!

-The annual Christmas gathering with my college friends (though in a very unusual location).

Lesser Known Pregnancy Symptom:

I had never heard of this before but some women experience aching pain in the joints of their hands and feet during pregnancy. Guess I'm one of them. It's very strange. I imagine what I'm feeling is a little like arthritis. Fun fun!

A Sad Anniversary:

Today is the anniversary of the death of Jeff's first wife. This has always cast a dark shadow over this time of the year for him. I'm praying for lots of wonderful happy memories to take the place of the painful ones surrounding Christmas for him. I anticipate the boys being a big a part of that.

Our Own Private Roller Coaster

This time around in the hospital is definitely different. During my last stay, once the doctors got me stabilized, I pretty much stayed that way for the entire month I was here. This time around, each day is a big question mark.

Yesterday, after being stable the whole day, one of my doctors said she wasn't totally ruling out the possibility of sending me home again even though I was 2 cm dialated. Last night, however, my contractions started up again with a vengeance and it looked once again like we were on our way to a c-section. But they tried a medication that hadn't worked on my last stay here and low and behold, it worked!!! Today I'm doing relatively well again but boy is this a bumpy ride! For us, it really does feel like we're on a huge roller coaster. We're on the ride, there's no turning back and sooner or later, we're going to take that big scary drop off. All we can do now is trust the ride engineer's design and take each turn as it comes. So we're doing our best to take each day one moment at a time and remind ourselves that our Creator knows what He's doing, is completely in control and we are not and that's okay. What a lesson in letting go and trusting God!

I'll keep you all posted as we hit new dips and turns and even find ourselves upside down at times. We know in the end, we'll be glad to have taken this ride and will be on to the next roller coaster of parenting twin boys. It's only by the grace of God that we've made it this far and we are so thankful to still be here coming up on 31 weeks. For those of you who are praying, our preference is to hit 35 weeks before delivery. Thanks for all the prayers and support!!!

Here we go again...

Yesterday's nurse was Leah Tard. Ha ha. Today's nurse is Olivia. Yes, I'm back in the hospital as of yesterday morning. I started having too many contractions early in the morning so I went to see my doctor and found out I've begun dialating. We checked in at the hospital around 10:00 a.m. and for the entire day it looked as though the babies were coming and that was that. Then later in the evening I was finally able to change medications and by the grace of God, this one is working for me so far. Praise God for again coming to my rescue!

Haven't had anything to eat or drink since yesterday morning in case they took me in for surgery. Needless to say I'M STARVING!!! We're hoping they'll fix that soon since my contractions have slowed down but I have yet to hear from the doctor. My sweet husband slept on the super luxurious hospital cot last night and got a wonderful night's sleep, in between all the interuptions to check my vital signs and bring me medications. That's hospital life for you.

The good news is, the medication is working for now and I'm told they've had women in here who were dialated up to 3 or 4 cm and been able to hang out here for 5 weeks before delivering. So there is hope that we have more time. It's all up to the Lord. Please pray. We really want the babies to spend as little time as possible in the NICU.

What the Harrison Boys Are Up To

Today marks 30 weeks and the boys continue to grow stronger. Praise God!!! Here's what's in store for them in the coming week (according to babycenter.com):

"This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (our boys are a little ahead of this curve) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, (do they ever!) so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy."

There's this cute little thing Jeff set up for me. Each day in the hospital the nurses would update a whiteboard in my room with the current date and the names of my nurse and patient care assistant. Jeff has created his own version of this for me at home:

Not sure where he comes up with all these names but it gives me a good laugh each day. Yesterday my nurse was Herbie Simplex.

I passed the test!!!

Hurray! My test came back negative. As long as my body cooperates I'll have two more glorious weeks at home! Praise God!!! Now to do my online Christmas shopping. Only three more weeks till the baby Jesus' birthday!

There's no place like home!

I've been home a full week now and have loved every minute of it. My sweet husband has made sure that my every need is met. (I'm still waiting for him to get good and tired of this but he's a trooper!) It would be wonderful if I could hold out here at home through Christmas!

Today my Dad drove me to my doc appointment. The babies weighed in at 3lbs 2 oz and 3 lbs 4 oz. Yeah! My doctor also ran another FFN test (http://www.fullterm.net/index.html) which predicts whether I'm likely to deliver in the next two weeks. If it comes back positive I'll be back in the hospital this week. Booooo! Pray with us that it's negative.

Here's a grotesque pic of my 29 week belly! Yikes!