Happy St Patrick's Day!

March 17

Happy St Patrick's Day! It's the first time in a very long time that I don't have any plans and didn't buy corn beef and cabbage for dinner. It's a more low key day today because Mike is in Florida on a business trip for a few days. We're lucky to have his parents here to help me while he's gone!

Here are a few photos of us all dressed up for the holiday:

 

 

Visiting Friends/Family, Check Ups, Newborn Photos & Three Weeks Old

March 3

This is our first week "getting back to normal." Mike went to work today with little incident. Rich and Lois have graciously agreed to stay for a few days this week. Unfortunately for us, this week is also spring break so my nanny help is out. We weren't sure what to do and are so happy family has stepped up to help! Rich and Lois will be here until Wednesday and then my mom will do Thursday and Friday. I'm still pretty busy with the twins all day and night. I try to get downstairs to see the older boys as much as possible. It's a bit hectic though because they are so rough and want me to play with them but I'm constantly needing to do something for the babies! It's going to be interesting once I'm all on my own...

Andrea and Chloe came to visit today. They brought the cutest little jackets and books for the kids. Henry has already taken the books and stuffed Max and Ruby toys they brought to play with until the twins "are big enough" to take them back. I'm sure by then I will have to pull up this post to remind him that the books and toys are actually the twins and not his =) They also brought little gift bags for the boys with toys and treats in them. Both boys were very excited about their gifts. They love getting surprises. Chloe has promised to come back and help me some afternoon since she loves little babies. I will never turn down free help so I will definitely take her up on that offer soon! =)

March 4

Well, our first day didn't go so bad. Mike dropped off Henry at school early in the morning and then picked him up at lunch. I know it was hectic for him, but it wasn't too bad considering. The biggest challenging is getting into a new routine with Henry. He's used to going later but luckily he's a pretty easy going kid so I think he'll adjust fast enough.

Today I had my two week check up. We took the babies in to the doctors with us so everyone at the office could see them. Toward the end of my pregnancy I was in there so much the receptionist knew me by sight. I'm doing well and healing fine. I have no concerns and feel pretty good. I think it's been my fastest recovery so far.

We tried on our new hats from Aunt Teri today. They fit perfectly =) Except Gabe decided he didn't like his hat's color as well as he liked mine so he took my hat from me. Story of my life... Gabe is constantly taking things he wants from me!

March 6

My friend Janell came to visit today. Henry was SO excited to have one of his friends come to play. He and Jayla are pretty good friends at this point. Gabe and Jayden are still in the "play by each other" stage so they like each other, but are usually more interested in what the older kids are doing. Mom and Dad were also here to help today. It was a busy day of playing and chatting. Before I knew it, the day was over and it was time to get dinner ready and the bed time routine started. This is happening a lot lately. I feel like the day is just beginning and then I blink - boom - bedtime.

March 7

Busy, busy, day. I left poor Mom and Dad with the twins and Gabe so I could do a quick shopping run. We had newborn photos set up for the twins and I wanted to get a family photo done. Henry is growing at such a rate I need to get him new clothes. I also want to get something nicer for Gabe to wear since he's hard on his clothes and most are hand-me-downs from Henry. Then of course I'm still between sizes so I needed something. Anyways, it was a big shopping trip so my family will look presentable in photos =)

Once I got home, I had the fun task of getting everyone ready before Mike came home to drive with us to the studio. Both twins had their first baths. It went well. Anna screamed through most of it and her hair was cutely standing on ends after it dried. Andrew was happier in the water and didn't seem to mind being wet. He didn't really cry until we started changing him which is never one of his favorite things. Henry was excited to have new clothes and my biggest challenge with him was getting his hair combed. He has crazy hair areas on his head where no matter how I try, I cannot get it to stay down without gel and water. Neither are Henry's favorite things. Gabe could care less about any of it. He didn't notice his new outfit and was unphased by having his hair gelled. It took quite awhile but eventually we were all ready to go on time!

The newborn photo shoot went better than expected. Both boys were well behaved and they seemed excited to have their photos done with the twins. The family photo is the worst one where we're all trying to look at the camera at the same time. I cross my fingers every time that we'll get at least one photo where we're all looking!

Friday night I had my mommy group girl friends come over for Thai and to meet the babies. They're a great group of girls and I'm mad I didn't think to take photos! It was nice to have other moms there to help out with the twins. I refer to this group a lot with my new daughter. I'm clueless on little girl things and they've been a great reference =)

March 8

Melanie and Bruco came to visit today. I was very glad they came with snacks and beers. Poor Mike is starting to get frazzled with both boys. Who knew our older kids were so much work??? =) Plus being back at work and being off two weeks is catching up with him. He's still doing a great job taking care of them and keeping up with the house. I think it was a nice break for him to talk with friends and have a beer for a few hours. The kids ran around like crazy people but we cleaned it all up at the end of the day. It was worth it!

March 9

Oh the time change... Today we were all up at about 10 with the new time change. It seems like the rest of day just flew by without that missing hour. The kids ended up going to bed at almost 10 p.m. that night. We just couldn't keep up with everything happening. Andrew has come down with a cold and been pretty clingy. He's doing just fine except for a bit of a stuffy nose. Anna seems to have missed whatever germs Andrew caught, thank goodness. Although I suppose she could still get it later. I hope not. Mike and I finally made it to bed by 1. Ugh.

March 10

The nanny is back! Hurrah! This morning was a bit slow. I let Henry skip preschool since he went to bed pretty late and I was frankly too tired to drive him to preschool. Mike had to leave early for a meeting and didn't want to take him extra early when Henry was up so late the night before. Henry ended up sleeping until 9:30 so I think he was pretty tired! Nanny Maggie is back and the kids were happy to see her. I was too since she helps with laundry and cleaning =) She did a great job getting the laundry caught up and she swept/mopped my floors. So excited.

Henry and Gabe had a fun day playing with Maggie. Gabe is still such a handful. He removed a dirty diaper from himself at nap time and made quite the mess for Maggie and me. Luckily he doesn't do this often but he really is a challenging kid to keep up with! He has only a bed in his bedroom yet he still manages to cause trouble.

I need to get Gabe a new "Mr Brown Can Moo" book. He's been using Henry's well-worn copy so much that today I noticed it is in three pieces. It's a board book so it's not hard to tape back together but honestly, it's in sad shape. I'm torn between saving it to show how well loved it is and tossing it just because it's ridiculously torn =) I try to think about these things now we're for sure done having kids. I know these little moments of seeing Gabe love a silly book so much he broke it will be short lived. Or all the toys Henry wants to "earn" with stickers and chores. They're all growing up so fast. Even the twins!

Speaking of the twins, they turn 3 weeks old tomorrow. They're both doing well. They sleep about three hours a night and it still takes me about an hour to take care of both of them. I get about two hours sleep at a time but that's not horrible considering I have so much help with the older boys and the house that I can sleep in longer if I need to. Anna is a bigger eater and has about 3 oz per meal now. Andrew isn't far behind at 2-2.5 oz per feeding. They eat every two hours during the day still. We're going through a ridiculous amount of diapers but that's not really a surprise. Anna does not like to be put down for long. She prefers to be held and around me all day. She reminds me a lot of Gabe. Both liked to be glued to me at all times. Andrew is still very laid back. He likes to be held but he's just as happy being near me. Both are starting to have more "awake" times but they're still too young to have any reactions. They just look around and try to focus on things. Anna is still a bit cross eyed but the doctor assures us that's normal and it should go away before she's three months old.

We had their check up appointment this morning. They are both growing healthy and strong. Anna is up to 9 pounds and Andrew is a whopping 7.5 pounds. Anna is 21 inches long and Andrew is 20.5 inches long. Anna fits comfortably in newborn clothes but Andrew is only now starting to fill them out. Most of his clothes are still in the "premie" category but he is getting a little bit of a belly to help hold up those newborn pants.

We're at about 80% breast milk and 20% supplementing. It's frustrating because I finally catch up to them and then they start eating more. Argh. I'm going to keep trying. Hoping I finally catch up one day. They're still pretty rough at breastfeeding. It's probably my fault too because it's difficult to feed them at the same time and feeding them one at a time is exhausting. I know in the long run it's better for both of us (less bottles, no pumping and they get whatever they need) but man, it's challenging!

Twins Homecoming, Sick Little Boys

February 21

Today was our last day in the hospital. After getting approval from the pediatrician and my doctor, we were out of there by 12:30. The rest of the day was pretty crazy trying to get the babies situated upstairs with me (I'm limited on how much I'm allowed to walk around/climb stairs for a few days). Both older boys wanted to play with the twins but we had to keep them away. They were both coming down with colds and the babies are too young to catch that and it not be dangerous.

Thankfully Rich and Lois were here to help with the older boys so Mike and I could adjust a bit to being back home with both kiddos.

February 22 - 23

Well, I wouldn't say we're adjusted yet but we're getting things figured out slowly. The babies did well their first night home, considering. They sleep about three hours stretches but I have them staggered on feedings so by the time I have both fed, changed and back to sleep, it's about an hour. In the hospital we had a lot of help from the nurses and we made use of the nursery to get a little extra sleep. Being home is definitely challenging without that nursery! I'm doing pretty good considering though. I thought it would be much worse. I'm feeling very blessed to have two good babies!

On Saturday it was pretty clear the kids were pretty sick. Henry had a very rough night screaming his ear hurt and Gabe is a snotty mess which usually means an ear infection is coming for him too. Mike made an appointment at the doctors to take both kids in. Both have ear infections and pretty bad colds. It's awful timing because now me and the babies have to be completely separate from the older boys until they're better.

Mike has moved to complete older boy duty and to be safe, he's sleeping in Henry's room so the babies aren't around any germs. It really sucks for me because up to now I was relying on Mike's help at night with the twins. Now I'm on my own!

February 24

My first night on my own went pretty well. It's more exhausting taking care of the two by myself but since the older boys are being taken care of by Mike and his parents, I can sleep most of the day. Today we had a doctor appointment for the twins to see how they're doing since leaving the hospital.
Both are doing great. They're back up to their birth weight and the check out was completely normal. We go back in a few weeks for their one month appointment. I had forgotten how much babies go to the doctors just for routine things! Between the twins and the sick boys, we should be there about every two weeks =P

Speaking of the boys, Henry seems to be doing better but Gabe is still pretty bad. His ears are draining something terrible and he's having trouble sleeping at night. We asked the pediatrician today about it and he said we should call on Wednesday if Gabe isn't better. We also need to continue keeping the twins away from the older boys until they're better.

February 26

Henry is completely better now but Gabe is still bad =( Mike took him in again today and they said his lungs are "wet" but they don't think it's quite pneumonia yet. They gave him a strong antibiotic that treats pneumonia just in case. Poor kid. I feel terrible because he's so sick and he's asking for me, but I have to stay away.  I'm sure this is only the beginning of when I'm going to struggle to meet all the needs of my four kids =( Gabe is getting a lot of attention from Mike and the grandparents but I know it's not the same. I feel bad he's too young to understand what's going on.

February 27

My original due date is here! I'm so glad the twins didn't make it this far =) I can't imagine how huge I would have been. Things are still moving along. The antibiotics are helping Gabe quite a bit and he seems a lot more like himself. He's still waking up a bit at night but overall he seems to be doing better. Thank goodness! Hopefully by the weekend he'll be well enough I can come downstairs with the twins every day.

Henry has been able to come up and visit me and twins now. He loves his new brother and sister and from what we hear, he's been telling everyone at preschool all about them. He thinks they're neat but a bit boring. They're too young to really respond to him yet so his visits are usually short. Tomorrow will be our first day completely on our own. We've had nannies or family since coming home from the hospital. I think we'll do okay but I guess we'll find out for sure tomorrow =)

The Twins Arrive - Early!

February 18

After an uneventful Monday, Tuesday rolled around and the plan was for Mike to work half a day and then we would take the boys to my moms for the night before my surgery on Wednesday. After a rough night of random contractions every couple hours, the contractions progressed to every 3-5 minutes around 5:30 a.m. By 6:30 when Mike's alarm went off, I was concerned these contractions weren't going to go away. I decided to try taking a bath to see if they would subside. By 7:30, they were still going strong. At this point Mike and I decided we should bring the boys to my moms early but we didn't want to alarm anyone yet because I've had a few times I thought I was in labor only to be wrong.

So, mom got a call early in the morning from me asking if the boys could come sooner. Luckily it was no problem so Mike left to bring them to Battle Creek right away. By the time he came back, I was still having contractions and feeling a bit more hopeful today might be the day. I had called the doctor while Mike was gone and obviously they said to come in but we weren't quite ready yet. I thought I had an extra day so we were scrambling a bit to pack last minute items and make sure we had camera stuff together, etc. By 11:30 we were walking into labor and delivery. My contractions were still frequent and sometimes pretty strong.

When the doctor came in, Mike and I laughed. This is my third pregnancy, my third time going into labor, and apparently the third time I will have Dr Reithman deliver my children =) It was a very funny coincidence that every time I've gone into labor, this particular doctor was on call. He's very good and we have no problems with him, just ironic out of six doctors, I got the same one three times. Anyways, the doctor checks me and I'm dilated to three. He agrees I'm in early labor and puts us on the schedule for a c-section. Finally! Now I'm relieved and excited. These babies are on their way out!

Of course nothing is quick... I was bumped to the front of the line at noon but even then the surgery was scheduled for 2:00. They were running behind because I didn't go in until almost 2:30. From there things went pretty routine. By 3:00, they were telling Mike to get his camera ready. Anna Renee made her appearance and presence known by screaming at 3:02 p.m. Mike was busy taking pictures when our first conflict of interest happened with the twins. Mike wanted to follow Anna and the nurse to her bed but baby B was about to be born too! Luckily it was quick - at 3:03 p.m. Andrew Robert also made his appearance and presence known. Here are their stats:

Anna Renee Dozeman

Born 2/18/2014 3:02pm

7 lbs 3.9 oz

20 inches

Andrew Robert Dozeman

Born 2/18/2014 3:03pm

6 lbs 2.8 oz

19.5 inches

I was so relieved they were out and okay. Mike left with the babies as they went to recovery and I was still in surgery for about another 20 minutes. Once I was in recovery, I finally got to hold my new babies. They are so small compared to their big brothers. I was happy to see both are great nursers. They both nursed for almost an hour before passing out. I was in recovery for a little over two hours before they wheeled us to our room. In general I think this was one of my better c-section recoveries except for some reason this time around I couldn't handle the narcotic drugs for pain they were giving me. I spent most of the night throwing up before the nurse suggested it could be the pain meds. After that I didn't want the extra pain meds. I prefer to be in pain than throwing up! Plus, I was so hungry. I hasn't eaten since 8 p.m. on Monday and by the time they let me eat, it was almost 6 p.m. =)

Once I was feeling a bit better and we had all our stuff in the room and the babies are okay, we called grandparents to let them know the news. In the end I'm glad they came early. Not just because I was miserable but because now they chose their own birthday. All three kids picked the day they wanted to be born, despite our best efforts with two of them.

We had both babies tested immediately for their blood type so we could hopefully avoid what happened with Gabe two years ago. Thankfully, they BOTH have my blood type and not Mike's so no risk of another ABO incompatibility =) Best news ever!

February 19-21

The next few days we spent in the hospital getting to know our new babies and me recovering. Against my prediction, Anna is actually the diva/demanding baby. Andrew is very laid back and easy to take care of compared to his sister. Anna likes to be held often and senses when she might be put down. Andrew will sleep just about anywhere without complaint. He does like his pacifier a little more than Anna but even when that falls out he seems to have an "oh well" kind of attitude. It took us about a day to figure out Anna and Andrew like to be near each other. They must be so used to each other's movements it's strange to be without it. They like to sleep next to each other and neither seem to mind that the other is constantly smacking a nose, cheek, stomach, etc. They just act like it's normal.

Steve,Tia and Audrey came to visit in the hospital. It was so fun to show off our new kiddos to family =)

Both babies seem so small to me since Henry and Gabe were both 8 pounds. Especially Andrew. He's very little without a lot of fat on the land. He's making up for lost time eating a ton for his size. We actually had to go out and buy premie clothing for him because many of our newborn clothes were swimming on him! Poor kid.

Henry and Gabe came to visit on Thursday before we left on Friday morning. They were both excited to see us and Henry was thrilled with his new brother and sister. Gabe was far more interested in ourhospital  room than in the babies. When Gabe did finally notice the babies, he was angry we wouldn't let him hold/drag them around the room. We got a few pictures but it was pretty hard to wrangle all four kids!