Growing Boys!

Nothing new to report except the boys are getting big! Carter is now 2lbs 12 oz and Grayson is 3 lbs 2 oz. Here are some cute pictures from yesterday.

Packing On The Ounces

Nothing new to report (which is a good thing!) Now that I can drive again, I have been making my way to the hospital about two times a day (morning and night.) I wish we lived closer! The boys are happy, healthy, and gaining weight. They get their feedings increased frequently so we expect to see a couple of chubby babies soon! We get to hold them every day which is the most amazing feeling in the world. They are starting to do more "baby-like" things, such as making faces and noises. Grayson makes a funny clicking noise with his mouth when I hold him--it is pretty darn cute. Carter kept sticking his tongue out last night and started sucking on his hand. They cry and get fussy just like normal babies. They had scans done of their little brains and everything looks perfect. I just wish we could fast-forward through the next couple of months. I can't wait to have them home!

Snuggle Time with the Babies

The boys are doing so well that we get to hold them now which is much better than just sticking our arms through the holes in the incubator! We have also started something called "Kangaroo Care". This is what Wikipedia has to say about it: "Kangaroo care seeks to provide restored closeness of the newborn with mother and/or father by placing the infant in direct skin-to-skin contact with one of them. This ensures physiological and psychological warmth and bonding. The mother's body responds to the needs of the infant directly, helping regulate temperature more smoothly than an incubator, her milk adjusts to the nutritional and immunological needs of her fragile infant, and the baby sleeps more soundly." Of course it is equally important that the daddy bonds too! I love how tiny Grayson looks snuggling with his daddy. The boys seem to enjoy it, although maybe it's just because they like getting out of the incubators. Dave and I love it though! It definitely helps us feel more like parents.

Happy Thanksgiving

Both Carter and Grayson had a really good day today... less "spells" which is when they forget to breathe. They had baths last night and seem to have done really well ever since. No more greasy hair! Now it is easy to tell them apart--Carter has smooth blondish hair and Grayson has fuzzy dark hair.

Today was the first time Dave got to touch Grayson. He put his hand on Grayson's back and Grayson reached his little hand around to touch Daddy's hand. It was so precious. We decorated the boys' incubators with Angel blankets... any little personal touch makes seeing them a bit easier. We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Every day our boys seem to get a little stronger. They both had their feedings increased and hopefully they will start to pack on the pounds!

Carter's Cuddle Time

Carter is doing so well that they let me hold him for the first time. I sat in a rocking chair and we cuddled. I can't believe how tiny he is... I couldn't even feel the weight of him in my arms. He slept the whole time and I think we both loved it. It truly was the most amazing feeling in the world... to hold my son and rock him and listen to his cute little baby noises. I am hoping to hold Grayson by this weekend!

Grayson's Big Day

Grayson saw how much Carter liked having the ventilator out, so he decided it was time to breathe on his own as well. Here he is without the tube in his mouth. It's so wonderful to see his precious little face. I got to change his diaper yesterday. I doubt any parent in the world could have been more excited than I was just to change a diaper!

The boys have moved into "big boy beds" which is a closed incubator. Even though it is harder for me to see them, it is a big signal that they have graduated from the open incubator with all the tubes. Grayson seems to like his new bed and sleeps very peacefully. Today I got to tickle his back a bit and he seemed to love it.

Carter's Big Day

Today was a big day for little Carter. He decided it was time to breathe on his own. They took out his ventilator and we finally can see his precious little face. He looks so much like Dave! He already recognizes our voices because when we would talk to him, he would turn and look at us. The nurse even let me give him a tiny pacifier--it was so much fun! We also can hear him cry and sneeze and hiccup now that the tube is gone.

Grayson is younger by two minutes but is trying very hard to catch up to his big brother. I anticipate that his ventilator will also be removed in the next few days. As for tonight, he was feeling a bit camera shy, as you can see in this picture!

When we said good-night to the boys tonight, they were both sleeping on their tummies with their tiny little diapered bums sticking up in the air. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen!

Mommy Time

So although I am ready to leave the hospital after my very extended stay, it is going to be very hard to leave the babies here. It is just so much more convenient to be down the hall from the babies. This morning I woke up at 4:00AM to pump, and then walked my milk over to the babies. Even though it is disappointing to have to pump instead of getting to nurse the babies, I got to watch them eat a tiny amount of my milk through a tube in their noses. What a wonderful moment! It was the first time I felt like I could actually do something for these babies. Being a mom is a pretty amazing thing. Even though this hasn't worked out exactly according to plan, the immense love I have for my boys is amazing and I haven't even held them yet! Carter and Grayson were both asleep when I went in this morning and they looked so peaceful. The nurse said they had a very calm and relaxing night. Now if only I could get some sleep!

Happy Birthday!

Tuesday, November 17th: At 10:15 AM, Carter Francis Hill was born, at 2.1 lbs and 13 inches long. At 10:17 AM, Grayson Hunter Hill was born, at 2.5 lbs and 14 inches long. They are healthy and strong, despite being born at 28 weeks. They are living in the NICU at Saddleback hospital, where they will stay for probably 2 months, until they can come home.
Things happened so fast that I can barely even believe that this is all a reality. I was in labor starting around 10:00 PM Monday night, while on hospital bed rest. The nurse gave me shots to stop the contractions, and they did manage to slow down a bit. I was in a lot of pain but didn't really believe it was labor. I was in complete denial. Around 8:00 AM, the doctor came in and was going to start a different drug to stop the contractions, since by then they were very intense and regular. She checked my cervix just to see how things looked and Carter (Baby A at that time) was ready to enter the world! I had just enough time to call Dave and by the time he arrived at the hospital, I was being prepped for my C-section. I think I was still in denial that it was happening!
Despite having a C-section, their birth was a positive experience and although I was angry at myself for not being able to stay pregnant longer, I think I am coming to terms with what has happened. Having babies in the NICU is an emotional rollercoaster, but all of the "up" times make up for any of the "down" times. I love hearing people refer to us as parents of the Hill babies. I love to see the look on Dave's face when people refer to him as the daddy. It melts my heart. I couldn't have done any of this without such a loving and devoted husband who is already the best father in the world and his babies are only a few days old!
I promise to update this blog as much as possible to keep everyone informed. Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of us in this time. Our new, very tiny, family of four is extremely grateful.

Surviving Hospital Bed Rest

Now that I've been on bed rest for over a month (yikes!) I thought I would start updating our blog. I was hospitalized on October 12th and had surgery done called a cerclage, which basically stitched my cervix closed to keep these twins in! Things have been up and down since then, but rest assured that these boys are nicknamed Hans and Franz for a reason--they are tough and strong!

Although bed rest is a unique form of torture, I must say that my friends and family have truly helped make it bearable. I have tons of visitors, and am thankful to have a computer to keep me linked to the outside world (although Dave is scared that I might have a bit too much fun with online shopping!) The days kind of blur together and feel like an endless eternity but every day I am here, our boys get bigger and healthier. My goal is to make it till the end of December, where the boys will be 34-35 weeks.

This picture shows my belly at only 24 weeks, so one can only imagine as to how gigantic I am going to be! I am definitely carrying "Hill" babies--they feel huge and extremely active! I laugh every time I envision our future family portraits... I picture myself at 4'11" with three boys over 6' tall towering over me.

Our First Family Blog!

We decided that with the upcoming changes in our family (for instance, going from a family of two to a family of four!), it was time for us to start a blog. Considering that the majority of our posts will probably be all about the babies, we thought we'd start with a tribute to our relationship. Dave created this video with some recent vacation footage from our time in San Francisco (our babies "first vacation" and me plagued with constant morning sickness!), along with a few older vacation photos. Hope you enjoy!