Happy 26 weeks!!

My P.S. is coming first this time...Happy 4th of July! That is about the extent of my exciting Holiday spent in my bed while my family and Tom's all had a bbq and fireworks at my house..blah. Oh well, next year I will be chasing twin girls around and probably wishing I was having as much quiet time as I have now days! I did get to see a few fireworks from my window and on tv. And, My mom-in-law, sister-in-law, Jeanette, and two of her kids, Whitney, and her 2 week old baby, Jared (my first time seeing him!) came for a visit. :) Jared's very cute, of course, our family does make cute babies!

Saturday we hit the 26 week mark :) Every day I remain pregnant, is something to celebrate! My friends, Angie and Yvonne came to visit and brought the Chocolate fountain a la hospitall...mmmmm. Angie decided she better bring it on before they repeat my glucose tolerance test and discover I have gestational diabetes. I have never had it before, but as we have discovered this time around is definitely NOT run of the mill! Good thing she did...I am drinking my delicious glucola right now! Yum...eww...Check us out...after the picture I dribbled chocolate all down the front of my shirt...too bad we didn't catch it, haha.

And, as an added bonus, Yvonne, the super speedy quilter, brought me my two fabulous Seuss quilt tops! She decided to use the scraps she couldn't bear to throw away, to make a couple of puzzle balls for the babies...I have such good friends :) Yvonne pinning the quilt tops so I can hand quilt them :) The 2 Seuss quilts...Wow!
They look good on me (or should I say us!) hehe

I always have to add a "shameless pose!"

The puzzle balls...how cute!

Tom brought the kids to visit yesterday and they had a "ball". The babies' puzzle balls made for a safe game of catch, dodge and throw :) They were very energetic and decided my bed would make a fun place to play. My bed is now beautifully decorated with glitter from Morgan's dress :) It's always nice to see the kids, and hey, they brought a lot of the home-like noise and chaos to me...they are so sweet :)

Andrew, Morgan, and Tom...Morgan insisted on having a Seuss quilt on top of them!

Tom is a great big brother, he loves giving Morgan piggy back rides...she loves getting them!

More piggy back while Dad and Andrew play a game together :)

Today my nurse woke me up at 7:40 AM so I could brush my teeth before they took me on my Monday morning field trip downstairs to my weekly ultrasound. All looks the same, which is good. Baby B's fluid level is only 2 CM today, but Dr. Paek isn't concerned since it has fluctuated around that level, but isn't lower than we want it to be. Baby B is now the "presenting" twin (the one head down and closest to the cervix). She is constantly moving and has finally wormed her way to the starting position! We got to see a head, two feet and an umbilical cord all in the same place...no wonder I am feeling very "full" these days!

Baby A...how cute :)

Say "Ahh"...Maybe Baby A will be a singer like her Daddy!

Baby B's face and arm :)

I just got back from my 2nd ultrasound today. Robin (the tech from my MFM office across the street) didn't measure them and forgot to do a few other things, so I got to go on 2 field trips downstairs today! Woo hoo :) These kiddos are following suit for big Cameron babies. Baby A weighed in at an impressive 2 lbs. 4 ounce, which is approx. 27 weeks size. Baby B is even more impressive at 2 lbs. 13 ounces, 28 weeks size ! I guess all the protein shakes they have been giving me have helped...though I probably didn't need much help growing amazon children, I have done it 3 times already! ;)

So, we continue counting days and growing babies :) Until next time...

Scary, scary, belly pictures!

This is the smallest I could get these pictures of me "larger than life" @
25 weeks, 3 days. I promised scary belly pictures a while back and now I
am here to deliver! Ha ha...I really am HERE to deliver, eventually anyway! Shhh, don't tell my nurse I stood up..... ;)

"See food"

Hi! Yes, I am still here. Check out the view from my resort window --> Day 5 and still sane. We'll see if when I add a 0 to that 5, I can still say the same! I woke up this morning and got whisked away to the 2nd floor for my weekly ultrasound. All looks the same and I got to see one of my techs from EMFM (Evergreen maternal fetal medicine). No changes for the worse and Baby B has slightly more fluid than last week. The biggest fluid pocket they could find was 2.8 CM...last week was 2.4. The very lowest they want to see the amniotic fluid level is 2 CM, so she is still in the OK range. I did lose a little fluid (very little) yesterday morning, so started thinking maybe I would lose more from here on out, but so far, so good. Dr. Paek wasn't too concerned because she expects I will lose fluid continuously...that's why I am here after all! I have now been monitored enough that the nurses just come in and ask me where to put the sensors. The last couple of times the babies have been a little more cooperative....let's knock on wood! They are active little ladies and definitely get their share of movement in!

Yesterday Tom brought the kids to visit and they did great. We ordered dinner together and all ate piled around my bed. Of course as you can see, Morgan is very concerned with tooth decay prevention and gained quick access to my tooth brush, chair and sink....this kept her busy for quite a while. Hmmmm, maybe it's time for a new tooth brush for me!

mmmmm...dinner consisted of cheeseburgers, fries and look at Andrew's loose tooth!

Little miss dental conscious one!

"See food"...Andrew is still demonstrating his wiggly bottom tooth

When they arrived Morgan was sound asleep and Tom layed her next to me on my bed. I miss my little stinkers. They always look so sweet when they sleep :) The boys drew a couple of pictures to post on my wall and they brought me more pics to hang up. I have been collecting Dr. Seuss gear from Ebay for the babies' room so they also brought me my Grinch bookends that arrived in the mail the other day. It is looking a little more personalized in here :)

Left to right:

Andrew's version of my Alien abduction (which is funny because Dr. Paek told me today she is a resident Alien from Germany...it's true I HAVE been abducted by an alien!), Andrew's "Der mom, from Andrew" and portrait of us, "Look at the bright side you won't have to listen to M.O.R.G.A.N. Waaaaaaaa!" Tom's version of what I am missing at home~My daughter screaming!, Andrew's interpretation of the doctor taking a picture of the babies appropriately labled A&B and "bonking their heads" :) They are so entertaining! :)

To go along with my Dr. Seuss theme (which I chose in honor of "Thing 1 and Thing 2" from "The Cat in the Hat", ah, how clever, haha), I want quilts for the babies. I have a wonderful friend who loves to make baby quilts....Since I can't use my sewing machine at the moment, Yvonne has offered to make 2 quilt tops for my babies and then bring them to me to hand quilt. I had to get very creative with my Dr. Seuss theme since there isn't anyone who produces fabric anymore. I spent my last couple of weeks at home shopping on Ebay for fabric and hospital scrubs with Seuss prints on them. How appropriate is that? Using a hospital scrub to make quilts for my babies while the hospital is where I reside :) I am excited to see how they turn out....Yvonne is very talented! (I hope you are reading this and it makes you smile, or blush :) )

I guess being here is going to help me get my projects done...i have been told the next 18 years will be a lot busier with twins! He he...can't wait :)

The purple chair club!

Greetings from Chez Evergreen!

I am now an official member of the "Purple chair club".... What the heck is this?

Not unlike the Red Hat society, there are exclusive requirements to join.

1.You must be pregnant

2.You must be on bed rest

3.You must reside for a temporary basis at Evergreen Hospital

Having said this...I have passed the required fields and here is my purple chair! It reclines...

Things I can do in my chair include:
1. sleeping
2. reclining
3. ride along escort for my daily 2-1 hour visits to

the outdoor patio to ensure my lungs are filling with "fresh air"

Yes, that's right, they recline me and push me down the hall! Wow! Better than any wheelchair I've had to ride in the last few months! They even have a room we can reserve for birthday , parties, etc, my purple chair can take me there!

My stay here started Wed. June 25 and will continue until these kiddos are ready to make an entrance into the world. Everything at the moment is still fairly stable, so it is a little wierd being in the hospital when I don't feel sick. I have a great view of my ever growing belly from my bed and they monitor the babies twice a day for an hour. Last night it took 2 hours for the 1 hour of monitoring! Baby A, who is generally very cooperative and stays in her usual spot, decided to give my nurse, Susan, a run for her money. She was hiding so deep and laying at such a funny angle, it was very hard to keep her heartbeat on the monitor. Susan just about resorted to an ultrasound to find her, then she picked up her heart. But, she had to hold the monitor on the right spot for an hour! We watched some tv and chatted about movies until midnight when we finally had enough monitoring in. Baby B was a good girl, for once. She is usually the one who "swims" away any time she senses the ultrasound machine coming! It's fun to imagine what their personalities will be :)

I am 25 weeks tomorrow and counting! A neonatologist came in to talk to me yesterday about all the dangers of each week that a baby is early. It seems like everyone is expecting these babies to come really early, but I feel like we can make it to 34 weeks...let's hope I am right :)

My next ultrasound will be Monday June 30th...I'll update again then...from my lovely hospital bed!

My last entry from the couch...hospital here I come!

24 weeks, 2 days! Today was the day...plans have been made. I had an ultrasound and hospital planning session. The ultrasound was fun for a change. Both babies were measured and they checked the usual blood vessels. All looks great. Baby A weighs in at 1 pound 9 ounces, which is 24 weeks and 4 days. The tech got some cute shots of her...she is starting to look like a real baby now :) See how cute ?

Baby B weighs in at 1 pound 13 ounces, which is 25 weeks and 1 day! Yeah, Baby B! Since she will need a procedure on her heart, we need her to be as big as possible...looks like she is going to cooperate and just might be the bigger of the two :) Here's some cute "real" baby shots of her too :)

Dr. Paek was very pleased with their growth and my coninued stability. However, now that I have reached past the 24 week mark, she is nervous that preterm labor might kick in, or an infection will start while I am home. She wants us to be prepared as possible. So.....Evergreen it is. We will check me in this Wednesday, June 25 around 4 PM. They will give me steroid shots to help the babies' lungs function and monitor them for growth and stress. The summer weather is supposed to finally kick in this weekend, so I will be comfy in my A/C :) I will have my own room with WIFI and DVD player and lots and lots of "ME" time. Ok, I have to admit it sounds good for a while, but I'm sure it will get old fast. That's ok, a little boredom and uneventful time is what we need to cook these babies as long as possible.

Next report to be from my sweet suite at Evergreen.....wow, I never thought I'd be spending my summer vacation in Kirkland, WA, woohoo!

Cardiologist appointment

First of all, today is the 24 week mark, yeah! 5 weeks ago, when I was admitted into the hospital losing amniotic fluid, the doctors didn't think I could make it to his point. Well, we have, and hope to make it a lot farther... We were also told the results from genetic testing done on the amniotic fluid taken out after the laser surgery came back normal :)

Yesterday we had an appt. with Dr. Lewin, a cardiologist at Children's hospital. Dr. Walker has been seeing possible heart issues in the babies and referred us there to be evaluated. We were somewhat prepared for what he might find, but the reality of it all was still hard to take. In the ultrasound room were 2 techs, one scanning and one observing, Dr. Lewin, and a nurse. They all watched the screen intently for over an hour. They all left the room and we waited for Dr. Lewin to come back and deliver the news.

He was very solemn and started out by telling us we have already been through so much, what he was going to say would be hard to take. My heart sank. He started off with the more positive news. Both babies' leaky tricuspid valves caused by a thickened flap, which is unexplainable, may or may not persist after birth. Dr. Lewin feels, however, that it may not be problematic. All other heart functions for Baby A are normal :) Baby B is another story. Since she is the ex-recipient, she was likely to have heart problems caused by the stress of blood/oxygen overload during TTTS. She has a condition called Pulminary valve stenosis (valve is thick and narrowed, causing fast, turbulent flow across), and a thickened right ventricle muscle (caused by overworking from the blood flow). Since it is still early in the pregnancy, there is a chance that this condition could worsen and cause Pulminary atresia, which is no blood flow across the valve. We will not know what the outcome will be until she is born, but there are procedures for both scenarios. I am scheduled for a follow up Echo July 25 to check their progress...pray for no change!

After our appt. was all done, the nurse offered to give us a tour of the NICU and other facilities there. Tom loaded me up in a wheelchair and the fun began. Up to this point, I have been pretty strong about all this. I have been able to talk about things and take them in stride, but I was obviously not prepared for the reality that would hit me when we saw the facility. The NICU is great...they have rooms that house one or two babies at a time and some have sleeper couches in them. There is tons of equipment, sensors, tubes, etc. that hook up to the little ones. Since this is the cardiac wing, it is a much higher level NICU. Then we went through the recovery unit where there are kids from birth to 20 with various conditions. The nurse explained all the great things they offer for families....sleeper rooms for parents, laundry, waiting room, large indoor/outdoor play area for the siblings, and use of their pool. At least if we have to have Baby B there for a while, we can all be comfortable :)

Unfortunately, and fortunately, Baby A will not be at Children's. Since I will be delivering at either Swedish or Evergreen, she will stay in their NICU if needed. I guess this is a great thing, it means she will just be there as a preemie and not need any surgical procedure. It is hard to think that I will only get to be close to one of my babies, but the facilities at Evergreen are equally family friendly.

So, now the big decision. Evergreen or Swedish? We have another appt. on Monday to discuss when I will go in....until then....think healthy heart thoughts.

I will end this with a little lighter note. When we came home and picked up the mail, Tom started counting again....13 envelopes from our insurance company this time! These babies are going to be the most expensive little cuties, ever! Again, thank goodness for double coverage!!! By the time this is all over, we will have enough statements to wallpaper 3 rooms of our house :)

Summer is here! Well, at least the end of school...Summer weather TBD : p

Those silly Cameron kids

Another mile stone this week...the last day of school is tomorrow :) The boys are excited for Summer time! They will probably have the best summer ever, even though I won't be around. They have sleep overs planned, and lots of time at friends' and cousins' houses.

Andrew, Tom and Morgan being silly again!

Last night Andrew had his Kindergarten Promotion and end of year program and I got to go :) This will be my BIG summer event for the year, haha. Andrew is really going to miss Ms. Barbee, she has been great! He went from knowing only about 6 letters in the alphabet to reading and writing! He was in all day Kindergarten with a new curriculum that obviously works :) Tom and I had struggled before school started with the decision to start him this year or not. Tom was very hesitant since Andrew would only be 5 all year, so we didn't start him. After the first day of school, he started to reconsider. We scrambled and begged for them to squeeze him in...he started Friday of that week in Ms. Barbee's class. I started volunteering once a week and continued to do that until I was put on bed rest. I miss going in to help...the kids are really cute. Andrew will turn 6 on July 10 and be in 1st grade next year :)

Here is a quick video of Andrew singing and signing in his program...duh, I forgot that I can't turn my camera sideways so turn your head and enjoy, how cute :)

Andrew's classmates, Darius, Kevin, and Andrew with Berry Bear (their classroom pal)

Me (yikes, thank goodness for my cropping tool!!), Sara Barbee, and Andrew, Kindergarten grad

Justin and Andrew, proud graduates!

Little Tom did great this year too. He has done several oral reports, participated in the Science Fair, and won 5th place in the chess club tournament. He has developed a love for reading and sometimes will stay up late with a flashlight reading...hmmm...alot like his dad I hear! He has made a lot of good friends this year too. Unfortuneatly, there aren't any kids that live on our street, but he has made a couple of friends over our back fence that come and play. I can't believe he will be in 4th grade already and turning 10! Ah, time flies when you are having fun :)