Family Birthday Night

Tonight we celebrated with just the family. The boys had a great evening. They got lots of great gifts and seemed so very excited over everything. I actually think they were more excited over Birthday stuff than Xmas. Dylan cracked me up because everything he got was something he has "always wanted". To funny! Tyler gave them each a gift this year and the boys were so excited to get it and Tyler was so excited to "give" it. Then they both hugged him and that was adorable. Tyler had a little hard time understanding why he didn't get a present. But he did! :)

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures!

Singing "Happy Birthday"Eating their cupcakes and ice cream!My jammie boys! Everybody is holding a "new" toy!
Cody got a Bakugan Tiger. He was so excited.
Dylan on his new skateboard. Tanya thought she should help me reach my insurance deductible! :) Summer should be lots of fun.

6:45 - 6:46 pm......

5 years ago this morning...I woke up around noon time and my water broke. Although I didn't know it was my water (first time cluelessness). So I went back to sleep, woke up, ate breakfast and called my sister for our morning chat. She always asked "how are you today" and I said "fine.....well". I told her what I thought happen and she told me to hang up and call the hospital. So I did - and they said to come right in. I was feeling fine. I called Brett at work - he quickly came home. Just to find me standing in the bedroom closet trying to find something to wear. I had just had my shower and did my makeup.

We got to the hospital and confirmed it was my water that broke. My parents were in the car and on there way out. We did a quick ultrasound and Baby A was breach - Baby B was head down. So the doctor order a c-section. However, because I had had breakfast I had to wait 6 hours.

My parents arrived. Just towards the end of 6 hours my contractions had really picked up. I was wheeled down to the OR and we were on our way. Baby A - Cody was born first 6:45 pm. I remember him not crying much. He was quickly whisked out of the room and was being looked at by the NICU staff. The babies were 5 weeks early. Baby B - Dylan, was born just one minute later at 6:46 pm and he came out crying. He too was taken out of the room. Each baby had their own NICU team to look after them.

Brett quickly left my side and went to meet his sons. He was confronted in the hall by the Chief of the NICU and was told some news. Baby A was born with a cleft lip and palate. He stayed with the boys and came with them so I could see them for the first time. Cody was in the front and Dylan snugged right behind him - in one bassinet. All I saw was Cody's face and asked "what is wrong with his lip". Brett then told me he had a cleft lip and palate. To be honest - it was all greek because I had never heard of that.

I went to recovery, the boys went to the nursery to be weighed and such. I cried a lot in recovery. I knew my family was in the waiting room and they had to be told the news. Cody weighed 5lb 12oz....Dylan weighed 5lb 8oz and both were 20" long. They never did spend a night in the NICU. Both came right to my room where I took Dylan and fed him and thankfully, thankfully we had a great nurse that night that knew what to do with Cody. She got him his special bottle called a haberman and showed him how to eat. He tired easily so we would have to rub his jaw to get him to start chewing again. He couldn't suck - the room of his mouth was completely open.

We left the hospital 3 days later and that's when the real emotions of having two babies took over. We had no warning that Cody would have a cleft. I look back now and realize how lucky we were that he did so well with feedings. So many kids have troubles. I had to get on the internet to start doing my research on what we were up for. We did leave with an appointment to a plastic surgeon and looked very forward to that first meeting.

I had so many emotions as I had to focus on Cody. I had to feed him and make sure I understood it before I could trust anybody else too. My mom and Brett took over with Dylan. I cried because I couldn't feed Dylan as much and sometimes feel we didn't get that connection right away.

The first year with a baby is always a roller coaster. Having 2 babies was like a never ending ride. We are still on the right - 5 years going strong!

Video

If you scroll all the way to the very bottom of the page - you will find a very special video.

"5 years of Cody and Dylan"

Enjoy!

Happy 5th Birthday Cody & Dylan

My little boys are 5 today. How it seems like yesterday that you came crying into my world. Who knew what was in store for us. It certainly hasn't been easy raising 2 babies at once but it has been filled with so much joy. Watching you accomplish all of your first, watching your different personalities emerge, seeing you become two separate individuals with the same birth day/year. Loving it when you say to each other "Hug me Brother"........loving it even more when you tell each other that you can't come to my birthday party. I love both of your personalities as they are so different.

Tash did this for Alli's birthday and I thought it was such a great idea that I am stealing it! :)

5 things I love about you!

Cody:

1. Your big brown eyes and the way you wink at me!

2. Your Smile!

3. Your love of "junk food"

4. When you tell me everynight before bed "mom, I love you"

5. Your very grown up attitude about all that you have had to endure in 5 years!

Dylan:

1. You are my teddy bear. And I love when I tell you that and you just giggle!

2. When you play with my hair. (Ok, really this sometimes annoys me but I would be lost if you didn't do it. You will always be my "hair boy"

3. Your quest to do something challenging

4. Your very wet, sloppy kisses!

5. You have a comment for everything and you are so very matter of factly.

I looked like this....

5 years ago today!

I give myself credit for even posting this picture. I don't exactly look "pretty". I noticed now that my smile is so FAKE. Standing up was a complete chore for me. The pressure was un-bearable. Clothes were non-existent. My pj's were my best friend. But this picture was taken exactly 5 years ago today - on a Thursday afternoon. I had told Brett he should take my picture as we were getting close. We had no idea this was my last pregnancy shot and that my water would break in the morning.

Reflecting Back: My Pregnancy with Twins

Getting pregnant wasn't exactly easy. Brett and I tried for over a year to do it naturally but it just wasn't going our way. So we went and saw a fertility specialist and after many test, many procedures we found out we were expecting just after my birthday in 2003.

We were on vacation when the doctor's office called us and wanted me to come in for additional blood work. I thought it was a little odd but whatever. Brett started to joke that we were having triplets. He is very glad he was wrong! After additional blood work we found out we were having TWINS!

I started going to the doctor every 2 weeks. The babies were referred to as Baby A and Baby B. It wasn't long before I started to show. I quickly out grew my bed as there just wasn't room for 2 people in it. My step slowed a little. But I loved being pregnant. Sure it was tough work but so worth it all. I had all the normal test, lots and lots of ultrasounds. One little scare when the test came back showing Baby A could have spina bifida. I got the news at work and just cried. I went back to the doctor for an ultrasound and we double checked the spine and all was well. I relaxed some! :) Around 20 weeks we had the ultrasound to find out the sex. Baby A cooperated first - It's a boy! It was another couple weeks before Baby B also showed - It's a boy! 2 boys! I stopped working at the beginning of December. I had had enough and couldn't take the pressure to get up. That first week off I ended up in the hospital with severe back labor. They kept me over night. Gave me drugs to stop the contractions. I met with the NICU staff as the babies would of been very little. They gave them each a shot to speed up their lung development. By the next morning I was sent home on bedrest. I spent the next several weeks on the couch, which had become my new bed as well because lying down was impossible. I did nothing...only going out for the weekly doctor appointments. We just waited...and waited...and waited.....

Tyler Update

Before I beginning reflect on child 1 and 2....I must share some good news on child 3. Tyler had a check up with his ENT today. We haven't seen him since his surgery in Sept. 07 so it was time. Well we did see him quick for post-op but not a major check up. I was going to cancel this appointment but we are in the process of discharging him from speech so I wanted to be sure his ears were good. I figured they were and they are. He did fantastic today. Actually cooperated with the doctor and let him look in his ears, up his nose and down his throat....without crying! Great news for being 3. His tubes are in place still and open and doing there job. The doctor said his adenoids were "massive" and he said that is the largest word he uses when describing how big something is. Since his tonsils and adenoids have been removed Tyler sleeps great, eats with no problem, has come 50 miles in speech and hears fine (well as good as can be for being 3)....so we go back in 6 months for a hearing test. We are to watch for the tubes to fall out. The doctor said he normally gets 6 months to a year and a half on a set of tubes and we are knocking on the door....so we will wait.

However, as of Friday he will be finished with speech. A huge accomplishment! Tyler worked with Tish so well and they got him talking where we could all understand him. He still has some errors but not enough to keep him getting services. I have no doubt he will continue to do well.

Tyler at the ball game! Some of the faces he can make cracks me up!

These are the "blankie boys" as we have classified them. They love their "b's" and go no-where without them. Tyler's travels everyday to school in his back pack. Being attached to their "blankies" reminds me of my little brother.