Thank you Chay and Scott...

the drop zone
Thank you Chay and Scott... and the team of cooks looking out for us! We now have a cooler located outside of our front door for food deliveries. We cannot believe this outpouring of support! We appreciate this so much and it really is going to make things a bit easier for us both! Today our lunch and dinner was one less thing to worry about thanks to Donna Lipschutz' homemade chicken noodle soup, sweet potato pie, and cole slaw! Fab Donna! Thank you!

Hospital Visit Numero Dos

trying to keep spirits high
So... Sarah's back in the hospital. Sunday she and I decided her stomach-centered contractions were too close together (8-12 min apart) and that we needed to call the doctor. The doctor recommended another visit to the hospital. Tonight is her second night there. They have tried ritodrine/terbutaline and nifedipine to slow the contractions. She's reacting 'ok' to these drugs (to the nifedipine/Procardia better I think) but if they stop working, the doctor wants to use magnesium sulfate for preterm labor. From my reading, magnesium sulfate is more risky than beneficial.

Sarah is only 27 1/2 weeks... always eating healthy foods, always drinking water (hydrated), and taking prenatal vitamins. We know she is more prone to preterm labor because of her carrying twins and her body size. We want to keep the boys developing for AS LONG AS POSSIBLE but don't want to harm mother or children. Keep your fingers crossed for us. With these hospital visits, I think we're both in sleep depravation training. I'm sure we can put our training to use after the births!

monitoring

January 29, 2009

Well, as some of you know by now, I was put on bed rest for an indefinite period of time. Following some unusual symptoms this past weekend, I went to the doctor on Tuesday afternoon just to make sure everything was okay. I was shocked to hear that I was already dilating and needed to check into the hospital for overnight observation. After arriving at the hospital and being hooked up to several monitors, the nurses determined that I was also experiencing contractions. They were able to stop the contractions with medication and send me home the next morning with orders for strict bed rest. So far, the babies seem to be doing okay.

This isn't at all what we expected, especially given how easy this pregnancy has been (until now). Christian has been amazingly supportive, though. Bed rest isn't easy for me, but it's not easy for him either. Still, he manages to put a smile on my face each and every day.

We'll be posting any updates on the blog. Our next doctor's appointment is on Tuesday for our 28-week ultrasound. We'll let you know how it goes. Maybe we'll even have some new baby pictures to post!

Nursery

The boys' room in the rental is coming together. Since we're still renting (see other post below for our last home buying experience), we are concentrating on the major pieces for the room. We got the cribs in, and they are fab! Can you believe cribs can cost as much as my used pickup? These appear to be the price of a used car but cost much less. We scored an Angela Adams 5' round rug in Houston last weekend for 75% off. Add a dragon and a sleeping dog, and we're getting close to "cool."

Grandmother-to-be Paula Cutler is sewing a crib bed skirt from this material for the cribs.

Belly

The boys are getting bigger and they're making Sarah's a.m. and p.m. quite eventful! Kick, roll, punch, bump, nudge, jab, jab, jab! 26 weeks and counting.

Party in my crib!

So, we gave in a little to consumerism... but we didn't spend that much, really. The boys will be sleeping in style. These p.h.a.t. cribs are coming home, yo. We have attempted to do the crunchy, bohemian thing together with all of our home decor and even some of our early baby purchases. We are encouraging friends and family to buy used if they're going to buy for the boys. We have started a registry @ TARGET, though I think that if one of these items can be found slightly used on eBay or through a consignment store, then we're all for it! New is nice, but reducing, reusing and recycling is better. So, why the new cribs? Because we couldn't resist...

Nesting

So, it's nesting season... We decided that the "W" inspired economy isn't going to get better any time soon and the housing market is good for buyers. We put an offer on a house in early December. The offer was accepted and the closing date was agreed to... but then we had an inspection! I tagged along for the four hour inspection, crawling through the attic and under the house with the inspector. Besides ancient duct-work, poor insulation, and exposed-live electrical wires in the attic, the house's beams under the house have extensive wet rot and the sewer system is leaking under the house creating a pool of #$&@!. So, we passed on the house and are still looking. For now, we're concentrating on organizing the rental.

December 23, 2008

We met with the nurse today for our 22-week appointment. We got to hear the babies' heartbeats again, which is always fun and reassuring. One baby was cooperative, but the other one kept moving around while the nurse tried to locate his heartbeat. She finally got the "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh" of his heart to come through clearly, and she said both babies had strong heartbeats.

My belly is measuring at 25 weeks. It's hard to imagine that I will get a lot bigger, but I'm taking it one day at a time. The past few months have passed by so quickly. Before we know it, we'll be bringing our baby boys home.

I couldn't ask for a better partner on this journey. Christian has been an amazing source of love, support, and laughter. He's going to make a wonderful father.

You receive good fortune, yes?

Ancient Chinese proverb: Two cookies, always better than one.

Next appointment

Our next appointment is Tuesday, Dec. 23rd. It should be a simple and no-frills checkup. The babies are getting bigger and bigger. As a photographer, I need to make the right image to document this process for us both. Maybe I'll share here... it all depends. This really is amazing to be expecting two when we planned for 'a' baby. We are thrilled and are working on names, though the funny thing is to decide on names for two people we have not yet met. Coming up with a name is such an awesome responsibility. I am feeling a bit unhinged by the requirement that we give the hospital names for our children before we leave the hospital. Some states require you to give your baby a name before leaving a hospital, and others mandate that you apply for birth certificates (which of course requires a name) within a month of birth. I'm beginning to read about Naming Ceremonies. This article may be a bit 'crunchy' but I completely get it:
"We don't follow anything specific, but we follow the idea of everything being connected to nature, it's just a very caring way of life." -Rowen Saunders, mother

Thumbs up!

Two...

Boys! We took a survey of family members as to the sexes of the twins. As it turned out all the women voted boy-girl and all of the men voted girl-girl! Two new Cutlers are on the way...and they're both boys!

November 4, 2008

This was a very brief visit to the doctor, and all was well. The doctor used a doppler to listen to the heartbeats. We thought we heard both heartbeats, but it's kinda hard to tell if your hearing the same heartbeat or two separate ones. The auditory experience was definitely different from the recent video views. It made our expectations rise for our next visit when we would find out the sex(es) of our little sprouts.

October 7, 2008

This was our second ultrasound to make sure everything was still going well. By this time our shock and anxiety from the news of twins had worn off (for the most part), and we had a lot of fun seeing how much they had grown in the past 4 weeks. They definitely had taken on a more baby-like appearance, and two strong heartbeats meant they were doing fine.

First Ultrasound

Sarah and I went to the doctor's office for our first ultrasound on September 9, 2008. Everything seemed normal and routine, and then the ultrasound technician said "Well Miss Sarah (short pause)...you're having twins." I gave out a "Ha!" and asked if she was joking. Sarah seemed stunned, to say the least. Gasps and "are you sure" were exclaimed. This was no ultrasound technician humor... we were expecting twins!