Photos

Here are some photos I've taken over the past week or so with my phone. The quality isn't as good but it's much easier to capture the moment!

Rose snoozing peacefully

Lily napping

Rose finds her thumb!

Rose (left) and Lily pound down the candy for Halloween

Lily attacks her candy!

Photos....

Supervised tummy time

Lily

Rose

Spencer and Lily

Rose

Photos,,,

Grandma feeding Rose

Grandpa feeding Lily

Grandpa hard at work...

The good life...

Family Arrives - Grandma & Grandpa Tiede and Uncle Spencer!

Spencer with Rose? Tough angle...

Lily (left) and Rose

Grandpa and Grandma

Rose contemplates whether she should try to poop on Dad again...

Lily (right) and Rose

The girls are now both 6 lbs, 6 ozs. I thought it would be easier to find time to post pictures but it isn't. Sarah's mom, dad, and brother are here until next Sunday, so I am going back to work tomorrow (Monday).

WOW...WEIGHT LOSS!

FYI...
I was a little upset after the delivery hearing that I had only lost 4 lbs (since the babies and placentas equaled 20 lbs)????CONFUSION!!!!
BUT...
I saw the Dr. yesterday and I lost 34 lbs in a week! I am only 4 lbs away from my prior to prego weight, so that put a smile on my face. Things are looking up! I recognize my ankles and most of my leg now! ;o)

1st Doctor Visit

Today the girls went to their first doctor visit. Sarah and I were relieved and excited that we received all good news! Lily is now 6 lbs, 1 oz and is 18.5 inches long. Rose is now 6 lbs, 5 ozs and is also 18.5 inches long. The nurse and doctor were both surprised that they had already gained weight since birth.
Their jaundice is also now under control, with both having bilirubin levels under 4. The doctor said we no longer need to supplement their feedings with formula, and can switch to breastmilk only whenever we can. We don't have to take them back to the doctor for a month, when they start their vaccines.
Thanks to Christina and Valerie for bringing us dinner last night, and to Janelle and Michael for helping us watch the twins - also last night. We're looking forward to a visit from out friends Jasmine and David tonite to help us out. We're so lucky to have such great friends!!!!

Side note - after seeing my feedings/changings spreadsheet for Lily and Rose, the doctor jokingly diagnosed me with OCD! That's what I call a great compliment!

Day 2 at Home

Today we were able to settle in a bit. We've started to catch up on sleep one nap at a time. Shawn feels much better after setting up a spreadsheet to track feedings/poopings/etc. For those in the know, Rose had her first yellow seedy poop today! And Lily blasted all over this morning, causing a full wardrobe change. I never thought I would be excited to see a poopy diaper, but every one they have means they are clearing more of the jaundice out of their system.
It's been tough keeping a feeding schedule because they are eating formula and breast milk. It was easy to regulate the intake with formula, but breast milk is just a guess. (We have to do both for now to help with the jaundice recovery.) So for now we're just thankful for simultaneous sleeping when it occurs.
Our dog Mac is very concerned/perplexed/enthralled/jealous of the twins. He will lay with his nose between the slats in the crib sniffing and watching their every move for hours. But he also is frustrated that instead of throwing his ball we are burping babies.
Side note - found out today that the twins already have a shared experience with their mom - Sarah had to have light treatment for jaundice when she was a baby.
Another side note - Sarah's stomach is still pretty round, so the joke is that we actually had triplets.
Thanks to our friend Joey for bringing us food today and watching the girls while we scurried around other parts of the house attending to details...like laundry, paying bills, etc.
A gassy smile to all.....

FINALLY @ HOME...Oct 7

Sorry to those of you who have tried to call or write. We appreciate all the love, but are very busy and can't return calls just yet. As you can imagine it has been a long haul.
We have wonderful friends out here who are helping us whenever they can, which is such a blessing. We are excited to have family come to help as soon as possible. Please read below if you want more info.

Thanks again for understanding...we average 4 hr of sleep a day and have babies who are a little sick and fussy!

Love,
The 5 Nortons
Sarah, Shawn, Lily, Rose, and Mac

Babies Arrive!

Lily Sue was born at 8:03 am Oct 2 - 5 lbs, 11 oz, 17.5 inches. She was delivered vaginally. Shawn is looking a bit crazed as he has just watched his wife go through 16 hours of labor, only to end up getting a C section with Baby B.

Rose Marie was born at 10:37 am on Oct 2, 5 lbs, 13 oz, 17.5 inches. She was delivered via C section after Sarah pushed for two hours. The doctor decided that her face-up position and the amount of time Sarah had been in labor would prevent her from being able to deliver both vaginally. I felt soooo bad for her - she put everything she had into it.

Lily getting weighed on Friday morning.

Rose getting weighted on Friday morning.

Rose getting her heel pricked for various advanced screening tests

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Lily (on left) and Rose.


Lily and Rose.

There's many more pictures to add - but I have to get back to the hospital! Diaper duty at 8!

Getting Ready to Have Babies!

After arriving at the hospital at 9 am, we were given a room at 11:30 am.

The happy couple, blissfully unaware of the horrors to come.

Shawn and Sarah ready to go to the OR at 4:30 am. We were bumped and ended up waiting until 7 am.

The lead-up to delivery was a series of ups and downs in blood pressure and contraction intensity, as we waited and waited for the Operating Room to be available. Three times we were told we were first in line only to get delayed. The doctor would give Sarah pain medication to ease her contraction severity, which would cause a huge drop in her blood pressure. The nurse would then scramble to make it go back up with various shots, meanwhile Sarah would be vomiting and shaking like a leaf. This was the hardest part of the pregnancy for me. It killed me to see her go through all this pain just because of delays. I expected the nurse to call for an emergency C-section at any moment. I was also kept in the dark about what was happening - the only time I was told what was going on was when I asked specific questions. Anyway, it's a long story and I don't have time to tell it all here.

UPDATE

Monday...
After a tough Sat and Sun night filled with a lot of pressure and contractions I called my Dr. on Monday and he suggested I go to the hospital to get checked out. I went and found out I was 2-3cm and the Dr. had me walk the hospital for an hour before rechecking me! Dr. was thinking about admitting me, but I was still only 2-3cm so I went home and took it easy.

Tuesday...
I went to my scheduled NST at 9am and chatted with my good buddy nurse Cindy (from MN), my check-up showed the girls were doing great, but my blood pressure was elevated! After that apt. I went to Dr. Garza's office to have my cervix checked. I was dilated to 3 cm and my blood pressure was still elevated so he sent me back to the hospital. I stayed there for lab work to rule out many different blood pressure complications with some blood work. I was there for 3 hours of monitoring and all my lab work looked good and the babies were beautiful on the monitor. STILL, Dr. Garza wanted to admit me, but there were no beds available and there were 4 women in front of me that were 41-42 weeks along. (Lots of conception at Christmas it seems) Some of the women had been waiting since yesterday, so I went home again...

Tomorrow we are going to call at 8am to see if we can get induced. If there is any possibility of induction we will head over to the hospital tomorrow, otherwise we will go in at 3pm on Thursday.

CERVIX NEWS...

During the hospital NST today the girls were doing aerobics...they never sat still once in a half hour!

I also had my last check up today and I am still 2cm, but I am 70% effaced. For those of you that don't know...this means my cervix is thinning and my water could break sooner than later.

I was up all night with crazy contractions last night, but not 6 an hour (which would send me to the hospital for delivery) BUT enough to be very uncomfortable.

We are so excited to meet the girls!

This is our last weekend without children so Shawn and I are going to relax and cuddle up for a movie. (Something tells me that we will not have this opportunity too often in the next 25 years!)

Thanks for the prayers...
Love ya

The Minneapolis 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer

My good friends did a 60 mile walk for breast cancer and were kind enough to add my mother's name to their shirts.

Thanks Mandy and Shauna!!

ALMOST THERE...

If you asked Shawn or I this week "Have you decided on names?" You would get the response..."Baby A is Lily Sue...and Baby B is Rose Marie"...but if you asked us tomorrow you may get a different answer!!

I had an NST at the hospital this morning and the babies look like they are still fighting to get out. Lily is in position to pop out and Rose is just above her also head down with her chin on Lily's cheek. If they aren't bonding in that position I guess they never will. I have just enough fluid to keep going and the babies have strong enough heart beats to stay in as well. Rose's heart beat is hard to find because she is in a very weird position. She is looking at my back and bent at a 90 degree angle with her butt and feet in my ribs. She does not seem comfortable at all.

My Dr. leaves town tomorrow for a few days (so Shawn and I are convinced that we will go into labor while he is away...which would make me more nervous) I never thought I would say this, but I want them to stay in until next Monday!

Please pray for us. We love you and miss you...wish you all could be here to help us through this, but we know you're here in thoughts and prayers.

WOW...2cm!

Our check up went well today...I am still very itchy from the cholestasis and it is not fun at night! GOOD NEWS...I am dilated 2cm and the Dr. seems to think I will go on my own, but if not he is going to schedule an induction at 6am Thurs. Oct 2nd if I make it that far. Keep us in your prayers...I am a little more nervous each day!

BABY NST on TUES.

The babies looked terrific today! The techs had a hard time finding enough fluid...but eventually found enough after the babies moved a little. They were hiding the fluid in hopes that they could come out today. i have to admit when they couldn't find enough fluid today I thought we were going to introduce them to the world this afternoon. I was a little sad when they found more fluid, but I guess it is better for them to stay in as long as possible. I am just a little excited to meet them!

Bathing Beauty with B.O.B.

The buns are still in the oven, so Sarah cooled her heels this afternoon. Per her mother's request, here are some pics of floating babies....

Ultrasound 9-9-08

After some technical difficulties, I think I've figured out how to post the video of Sarah's latest ultrasound. For all of you who wished you could have gone with Sarah, here it is!

It's harder to see a profile of each baby now because of their size, so the nurse just looks at one part at a time. The background noise is the ultrasound machine, and you can hear Sarah talking to the nurse Leandra.

I also recommend double-clicking on the video, which takes you to the youtube website, and then making the video full-screen by using the red button on the lower right corner of the video.

HEART CHECK FOR THE TWINS ON Sept. 12

We went to the hospital today for our heart monitoring...the babies did well! Baby A was flipping all around, but Baby B took a little longer to show a lot of movement. I had to turn on my side to get Baby B to tumble around a bit before the visit was over. We will be in again next Tuesday...we will keep you posted! Have a fantastic weekend!

Babies Heartbeat Check 9-9-08

Click on the link below to see a YouTube video of the babies getting their heartbeat checked...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yw2oCGiLa8

Doctor Appointment 9-9-08

I went with Sarah to her appointment today, and here's the highlights:

Baby A (Hope Marie) is 5 lbs, 1 oz
Baby B (Lily Sue) is 5 lbs, 5 oz
Sarah's blood pressure - Normal
Full-term due date - officially, for sure, October 18.

Despite Sarah's cholestasis, our twins specialist doctor still would like to shoot for 38 weeks (October 4th!), unless Sarah goes into labor earlier. He thinks the benefits of going that long outweigh any risk from the cholestasis, as long as Sarah's liver tests don't get any worse. She had blood taken yesterday to update the test.

Both babies are in position for natural birth, and it would be very surprising if that changed. There's about a 10% chance that after the first baby is born, the second could change positions and a cesarean would be needed. So Sarah's trying to decide what to do - I think the doctor would prefer natural but he says Sarah can make the final decision.

Sarah is going in twice a week to check the babies heartbeats. She has a nurse named Cindy from Minnesota, so they have a good time chatting about the homeland. Cindy has been in the desert for 30 years, but has retained the accent! O yah!

FAMILY NURSERY!

Since we are all going to be one big happy family we will start our babies lives with them in our room!

Sarah Belly Photos

I took some photos of Sarah yesterday (9-6-08) at some scenic sites in Palm Springs. There's more to come, as I need to do some editing/cropping/etc., but here's a preview of the best looking pregnant lady ever!

SEPTEMBER 5th DR. VISIT

We are looking good! The babies are strong and had healthy heartbeats today at the hospital.

We are 34 weeks tomorrow. We will induce at 38 weeks as long as my Cholestasis symptoms do not get worse. I will go in Mon. for more liver and bile blood tests. The Dr. says he thinks I will go into labor before 38 weeks on my own, but we'll see.

I am on partial bed rest because of my high blood pressure (not Pregnancy Preeclampsia yet)...I can do everyday normal stuff, but nothing too crazy! I am having contractions daily, but nothing close to labor yet. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts! The girls are almost here!

LOVE YA!

Cholestasis of Pregnancy Update

Hello Family and Friends,

For those of you who may not know, I was diagnosed with Cholestasis last week. I was experiencing very painful itching on my feet (GOOGLED IT) and went in for a liver test. Now that we know I have it, I go to the hospital every 3 days to have the babies monitored for an hour to make sure they are still developing well. Shawn has put me on a no fat/VERY low fat diet and my itchy feet have improved which is letting me sleep. Thanks Dr. Norton!

We want to keep the babies in as long as possible because we want to be sure their lungs are fully developed.I am 33-34 weeks right now and we want to get to 37weeks. At 37 weeks we can do an amnio to check the lungs prior to delivery. I am doing well and the babies are doing well so far. I had an apt this week and the nurses said the babies were developing very well and Baby B had wonderful lung development and was breathing already. Baby A is a little behind, but she's coming along. We have a growth scan next Tues. (Sept. 9) and we are expecting the babies to be 5 or more pounds each! We will keep you updated! Please keep us in your prayers!

BELOW ARE DETAILS ABOUT CHOLESTASIS...

What causes Cholestasis of pregnancy?

Pregnancy hormones affect gallbladder function, resulting in slowing or stopping the flow of bile. The gallbladder holds bile that is produced in the liver, which is necessary in the breakdown of fats in digestion. When the bile flow is stopped or slowed down, this causes a build up of bile acids in the liver which can spill into the bloodstream.

How will the baby be affected if the mother is diagnosed with Cholestasis?

Cholestasis may increase the risks for fetal distress, preterm birth, or stillbirth. A developing baby relies on the mother’s liver to remove bile acids from the blood; therefore, the elevated levels of maternal bile cause stress on the baby’s liver. Women with cholestasis should be monitored closely and serious consideration should be given to inducing labor once the baby’s lungs have reached maturity.

Twin Measurements

We went to see the doctor today, and actually only needed to see the nurse because our twins are doing so well! Here's the stats at just over 30 weeks:

Twin A/Paris/Lily is now 3 pounds, 11 ounces with a heartbeat of 130 bpm

Twin B/Maple/Jaclyn/Rose is now 3 pounds, 12 ounces with a heartbeat of 143 bpm

Twin A continues to be the more active of the 2, as far as Sarah can tell. They are both head down for now, so a natural birth would be possible.

We don't have to go back to the multiples specialist for a month now, which would be right around when they are expected to be born (36 weeks = full term for twins)!

Godecke Clark Baby Shower

Flowers from Shawn's co-workers - one of many gifts - thanks to all!!!!!

Sarah was the last to order, then the waiter recommended somthing spicy - not good for heartburn!

My co-workers, minus a few, from left: Lani, Dennis, Mirela, Me, Sarah, Diane, Vivian, Maria, Vera, Christina. They will all make marvelous babysitters!

Debby got us a swing that seems to be made for my face! I was not man enought to put it together without the instructions....