Home Sweet Home

While we are waiting for the twins' arrival, we have gotten the nursery completely prepared.  Here's a couple of pictures with and without furniture!

My amazing mother spent weeks and weeks creating an incredible Hawaiian mural.  In celebration of our favorite place to visit, we thought this would bring bright contrast into the nursery, and would be a gender neutral theme that would grow with them through the years.  This wall features lots of fish, coral reefs, turtles and volcanoes in the distance.

A close up of our Sea Turtle on the far wall.

This wall features palm trees, our dogs in scuba gear, a surfboard with shamrocks (my Irish husband's favorite), my favorite childhood Raggedy Ann getting a tan, and an airplane with the babies names trailing behind.  This is my favorite wall I think!

 Room filled with furniture.  Although we're blocking many beautiful images, we had to have some function for our room!  We are co-bedding to start (the other crib is temporarily in our bedroom) and have a dresser, changing table, and glider.

Here's hoping our little ones like the room as much as we do!

The Waiting Game

We've made it to 37 weeks today, and we'd expected to meet our two little ones today - but here we are, waiting still, and trusting God to bring the babies in His time.

Our doctors had scheduled us for a 37 week cesarean, and had me go in for an amniocentesis yesterday to ensure lung function.  With lots and lots of prayers, I was able to get through the fears of this terrifying test, expecting good results.  We'd deliver today, be home Monday, and be celebrating Christmas with two beautiful babes.  The babies would also be sharing their birthday with their Daddy if they'd been born today - but it turns out, the babies had other plans.

The amnio was much better than I expected.  At this point, the skin on my stomach is stretched enough that the needle was hardly felt.  It did feel a bit strange as it entered my uterus, but wasn't painful.  They chose to draw from Julianna's sack as she has more fluid and was in a better position.  A few hours later, the doctor called and said that the "short test" produced results that suggested that she has a 30% chance of having Respiratory Distress Syndrome - and our C-Section was postponed until next week.  We were incredibly disappointed to say the least, but were so glad that my body is cooperating to hold out this long to keep them safe until they're ready.

The doctor called this evening to say that the results of the "long test" which somehow further verifies the information, were even worse - a 50% chance of distress.  We really don't have any answers on how Brayden fares as we only checked Julianna, assuming if one was fine, so would be the other.  

At this point, we're a bit nervous about proceeding with the C-Section even at 38 weeks.  Unfortunately, with my diabetes, the doctors feel that's the best answer.  It also ensures that the delivery happens on December 22nd, well before all of the experienced docs have begun their holiday vacations and we'll still have great medical professionals available.  I'm learning a bit that there may not be a "good" solution to these challenges, just a decision to determine what's the "better" of a few options.  We're praying that they hang in their another week, that God will be with our doctors to know the best way to proceed, and that we'll have the wisdom to make the best decisions if need be.